Back in time - adding photos at last!

Hi, we are alive and well! My 2 college classes have left me very little time to keep caught up on my blogging and picture posting. I also have a new addiction which is a real time killer - Facebook! I have caught up with many old friends and am keeping in touch with family near and far (including Denmark) on Facebook, so it has been great in many ways. But, it is so easy to get sucked in and spend LOTS of time there. I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, I guess. My 20th high school reunion is this summer and it has been really interesting to 'see' so many old faces from good old Lincoln High on FB and catch up on what they have been doing for the past two decades! I am hoping that we can attend the reunion and that I can see them in person, but it is so close to our annual beach vacation that we will have to wait and see.

Well, I have so much catching up to do that I don't know where to start. I will just start posting pictures! If you are receiving this via email (Mom, Dad, Norman, Charlotte), you will need to go to the blog site to see the slide shows http://chinastork.blogspot.com. If they stop before you finish seeing them, just Refresh your web browser! Put your cursor over the slide to read the caption, click the + on the slide show to speed it up or the - to slow it down.

Last few pics in December before Eliana's surgery:

Eliana's first Hanukkah! It was very musical - she got her first little piano, a guitar and a microphone. Ben (& Adam) got Guitar Hero World Tour for Wii, so we wanted Eliana to be able to 'play along'. Some pics are at our friends' house, the Levines - they are as nutty (probably nuttier) than we are! Eliana also got a video game thing that is a little stationary bike that plugs into a TV and you have to ride the bike to pick up items along the way. I was looking for an indoor exercise outlet for winter, but her legs are a bit too short for the pedals and her hand/foot-eye coordination isn't quite there yet - maybe next winter (or for yucky days when we can't get outside to play)!

Next, we took our Hanukkah show on the road to my sister's house in Georgia. It is a 10 hour drive from here (in theory). We have never done it in under 13. This time, we left at 1 am, drove south of Richmond, stopped at 4am and took a 4 hour nap in a hotel and were back on the road by 9am. We arrived in Georgia in time for dinner. The funniest pic of Ben - an unretouched photo of what his hair looked like when he woke up in the hotel room. MAJOR BEDHEAD! Edit: I had Eliana on my lap showing her the slideshows. She took one look at Ben's bedhead pic and said "CHICKEN - bock, bock! " :o) Kids say the funniest things!) My sister and my whole side of the family celebrate Christmas, and we brought our menorah, candles and Hanukkah gifts with us. Eliana was probably quite confused about what was going on, but she certainly enjoyed all the presents! Eliana also finally got to meet my Dad, "PapaFar" for the first time. His grandfatherly name is a combination of English and Danish. I think PapaFar was smitten with his newest granddaughter!

Next post - the great road trip of New Year 2009!

Love, Laura Beth