A Life of Laughter

Sisters (photos by Joanna)

2009-06-17T16:40:00.004-04:00

If anyone would like to have some photos taken by Joanna, please let me know and I can give you her info.

More pics by Joanna

2009-05-22T09:11:00.002-04:00

Love this picture

2009-04-30T16:50:00.000-04:00

Please pray for Stellan

2009-04-21T08:22:00.003-04:00

I know most of you already know about baby Stellan. He is having surgery this morning on his heart. Please lift him up.

My favorite from Easter

2009-04-14T07:48:00.002-04:00

Nate received is very first Bible this Easter. His Nana and papa surprised him with it. This picture was taken right before he got it. I absolutey love it. My Daddy and my son. He will always remember this moment.

Easter Saturday

2009-04-14T07:35:00.004-04:00

On Saturday we had Easter with my parents. Joanna brought her camera and captured some amazing photos of the kids. She has really become accomplished.

Nate finding the golden egg.

Nate finding out he has to share the money with Charlie

Sweet Mei

Laughing Madi

Love those Charlie eyes.

Cool bubble picture.

Birthday Buddies

2009-04-07T10:16:00.004-04:00

Charlie and Mei had their birthdays last month. Charlie turned 7 and Mei turned 2. Both are very special and add so much to this family. Chalrie was born March 21, 2002at 8:30 in the morning. The first thing I noticed abnout him was his beautiful blond hair. Charlie is our free spirit in the famliy. Mei was born March 18, 2007. And although I wasn't their for her birth, I do know that God had a divine plan for her from the start. The Lord chose her to be in this family and I that just blesses me so much. He knew we needed her. Mei has definitely hit the two's in full force with opinions abounding. She is a joy and so much fun

Tampa beach trip

2009-04-07T10:11:00.001-04:00

Love those piggies!!!

2009-02-17T18:47:00.002-05:00

Trip to the old Train Depot

2009-02-17T18:40:00.003-05:00

We went to the old train depot here in Albany so my Sis-in-law could try out her new camera. Here are some of the pictures. They are truly amazing. She has a natural talent for capturing who they are.

Love this picture

2009-02-07T21:08:00.002-05:00

I took this picture back in December with my phone camera. I love the way the sun is wrapping around her. Just thought I'd share it.

Happy Chinese New Year

2009-01-26T10:38:00.001-05:00

Woo Hoo a New Bloggie Look!!!

2009-01-24T22:40:00.003-05:00

I am having so much fun with finding a new blog look. I may be going back and forth for a few days. Let me know what you think.

Family Day

2009-01-23T11:47:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated one year of Mei in our family. Time has gone so very fast this year. It just seems like she was just a little baby and now she's a toddler. Mei you have added so much joy to our family and we love you very much. Your bothers and sister think the world of you and love to make you laugh. Mama and Daddy can't imagine life without you. It just seems like you have always been here. Your life is such a blessing to us and everyone who meets you.

Goodbye to an Awesome Man

2009-01-20T13:46:00.002-05:00

Thanks President Bush for keeping this country safe for 8 years. You will be very, very missed. Blessings to you and your family.

Tagged

2009-01-12T11:59:00.008-05:00

I've been tagged by Dusty over at Our Family's Voyage. And this ones is different. I have to look at my photo files and then pick the fourth file and then the fourth picture out of that file. Make sense?

So here is my photo.....

This is a picture of Charlie when he was 14 months old. It was taken in our back yard on Memorial Day. Isn't he a cutie pie. And so chunky. Just look at those legs!!!

Anyway I am tagging Aimee over at Mrs. Chief.

Two Friends in China

2009-01-10T20:15:00.003-05:00

I have two friends over in China right now geting their daughters. Just thought I'd post their websites so you all could follow along. Emily and her family live here in Albany and are geting Ashley. And Karen and her family live in Sylvester and are getting Kaelie.
Bothj of these families have been an encouragement to Mike and I at some point in our journey with Mei. Please lift them up these next few weeks as they bond with their long awaited daughters.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!!!!

2008-12-24T11:52:00.004-05:00

Trapped

2008-12-15T13:08:00.000-05:00

One Year Ago........

2008-12-05T15:35:00.004-05:00

We got our sweet girl's referral. I'll always remember driving in the car after picking up the boys when I got the call. Mike happened to be with me, so the whole family was together. Barbara from the agency called my cell and I honestly thought she was calling for something else( getting our paperwork in order or something). So I was really shocked to find out that our referral had arrived. And so I bagan screaming and laughing and crying all at the same time. And Mike was just trying to get me to pull the car over and smiling form ear to ear. That day we found out that Feng, Yun Man was in Jiangxi Province in Fengxin County SWI. Her birthday was March 18, 2007. And that she had lots of hair.

On December 6, 2007 we all gathered around our computer to get our first look at our Mei Mei. My sister was there and recorded the whole thing. It was just as special as giving birth to my other children. I just couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was just breathtaking.

I love you so much baby girl. I can't imagine our family with out you. You are one amazing daughter and your daddy and I treasure you from the bottom of our hearts.

Tinkerbell

2008-12-05T10:14:00.002-05:00

Madi and the boys went to see Peter Pan in Columbus this past Sunday. I taked Madi into dressing up, but failed to fully explain that she was going to watch the play not be in it. So when the program started Madi was very upset and confused as to why she wasn't on stage. Then she wanted to know why no one else was dressed up. Oh well...I thought she looked too cute for words.

I'm in love with this picture

2008-11-30T22:15:00.003-05:00

Just......beautiful.

This Picture Says It All

2008-11-28T19:49:00.002-05:00

This picture is all about family. Here are my parents with all nine of their grandkids. Starting with age 8 all the way to 0. I know my parents never thought in a million years they'd have nine grandchildren. And that's just from me and my sister. My brother and sis-in-law have not started their family yet. I am so thankful for my family. I love it when we are all together. BTW this picture was shamlessly stolen from my sisters blog.

Random Pictures

2008-11-24T15:44:00.004-05:00

One Day Longer * Update

2008-11-19T13:52:00.008-05:00

Today is a special day for our Mei Mei. She has been with us one day longer than she was in the orphanage. She is twenty months old and soooo cute. It truly seems like she has been here forever. The past 10 months have flown by. We cannot get over how gracious the Lord has been to us. She has changed from an adorable baby to a beautiful toddler. We love you Mei, with all our hearts.

UPDATE: I just realized that I got the date wrong. We will have had her one day longer on the 23rd. Oops!!!

Kaelie

2008-11-05T17:49:00.004-05:00

I just had to post a quick congratulations to Karen and her family. They received their long, long awaited referral today. She is absolutely beautiful and I love those lips.:)

Tagged

2008-10-26T20:42:00.004-04:00

Ive been tagged by my great friend Karen

So here are seven weird/random things about me.

1. I have known my husband since we were 6 years old. We actually lived down the street from each other at one point.

2. I have a habit of spelling thigs out in my head. Like While riding in a car I will spell out the sign that we pass. I know very weird, huh?

3. I hate to cook. I love to bake, but hate, hate to cook.

4. I've lived on the west coast and the east coast of the USA.

5. I hate the taste of strawberries and sage.

6. I require an abnormal amount of sleep to function normally. Like 10 hours a night. And no, I do not get that much sleep a night. But I really could sleep that long if you let me.

7. I cannot eat a sandwich without putting Sour Cream and Onion chips on it.

So here are a few that I've tagged...
Amanda
Courtney
Aimee
I know I'm supposed to tag 7 people. But three is all I could come up with.:)

My New Nephew

2008-10-10T12:27:00.002-04:00

Introducing Baby Grant!!!! Born October 9, 2008 at 2:25pm. He wieghed 7lbs. 13oz. Looks like a Jenkins all the way. He has the sweetest blond/white hair.`:)

My Mei-Bell

2008-10-03T11:26:00.002-04:00

Fountain Fun

2008-09-13T18:23:00.000-04:00

Remembering

2008-09-11T15:17:00.001-04:00

Mike and I will be watching this tonight.

Sleep-over With The Cousins

2008-09-05T22:08:00.001-04:00

A Political Post

2008-09-03T11:36:00.003-04:00

I read an article today by Michelle Malkin, a conservative blogger, that stirred my heart. I have been very heavy hearted for Sarah Palin since she stepped up as McCain's running mate. She is an incredible woman and does not deserve the ridicule the liberal MSM are giving her. And I believe it's just because she has an "R" by her name.

Mei's First Visit to the Beach

2008-08-25T08:50:00.001-04:00

Big Day For Mei

2008-08-18T18:00:00.004-04:00

Today was Re-adoption Day for Mei. It was just a formality to get her a Georgia birth certificate, but it represents the very last hurdle we needed to jump to be done with all the paper work. The Judge was so sweet and kind and said we made his day.

I LOVE this photo of Nate and Mei. It was completely spontaneous.

Better Hair Day

2008-08-14T09:42:00.003-04:00

My hair was doing a little better today. I'm hoping to purchase a straightner this morning. I always have a friz glow about my head because of he humidity. So maybe that will help.

For Aimee

2008-08-13T20:26:00.001-04:00

Not a great hair day because of the weather, but at least you can see the color. I'll try to take other pics tomorrow.

Hangin Around With Daddy

2008-08-11T11:47:00.000-04:00

School Days Are Here Again!!!

2008-08-06T13:32:00.002-04:00

Nathan and Charlie are ready for school. Nathan is in Second grade and Charlie is in first. Madi will be in pre-K in a couple of weeks.

Guess who's walking???? (Finally)

2008-08-03T20:16:00.003-04:00

Go check out my Mei on my husband's blog.

Six Month Anniversary

2008-07-31T15:44:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it has been 6 months already. Mei has added so much to our family. She is such a sweet heart. We love you baby girl....
Here is Mei right after she was handed to me. This was taken January 22, 2008. She was 10 months old.

Mei at 16 months old. Can't believe how much she has changed.

More 4th Pictures

2008-07-10T07:53:00.000-04:00

I'm One!!

Popeye?

Sweetie

Sweet Again

Happy 4th!!!

2008-07-05T10:00:00.004-04:00

Eatin Dinner

Paci Girl

Cousins

Yummy

15 Months

2008-07-02T21:23:00.002-04:00

Mei just had her 15 month doctor visit this week. She weighs 19.5 lbs. and is 29 inches long. She is still a little Peanut. She reminds me of Madi at that age. She is pulling up and cruising. And her favorite thing to push around right now is the bar stools in the kitchen. She has tried to stand up on her own several times lately, but only gets about half way up and then goes back down. So we are really hoping for a walker soon. We can tell she is understanding us all the time now. Tonight we lost her pacifier and after looking for it. I said, "Mei, Where is your Paci?" and she looked around her for a minute and then crawled over to her push/ride toy and opened the hatch and pulled out her paci. So she's definitely understanding what we say. She still doesn't have too many words, but can sign everything we've taught her. She is constantly babbleing to herself, so I know it's coming. Mei is such a joy to us and to everyone around her. We can't imagine our lives without her now.

Randon Pictures

2008-07-01T15:00:00.002-04:00

If I can't see you...you can't see me

Swimming Lessons

New Trick

Rainy Day Fun

Mountain Vacation

2008-06-02T15:10:00.004-04:00

Hi all....we've just returned from a fun-filled trip to the mountains. Since Mike took all of his vacation while in China, we did not think we'd get a family vacation this year. But we decided to go to Blairesville, GA where Mike's boss has an office so he could work from there. It really was a fun time although Mike was working. We stayed in a very nice cabin right on the creek. Which was wonderful for the kids until we spotted a snake. And then Mamma decided Daddy would have to bring them. And then Daddy decided the creek wasn't safe either when he saw two Water Moccosins. But the time spent on the creek was fun.

The other wonderful thing we got to do was visit my grandparents. They have lived in the mountains for almost 30 years. We had a great visit and they loved meeting Mei for the first time.

Tragic Accident

2008-05-22T11:13:00.002-04:00

Please pray for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family today. Their youngest daughter was hit by a SUV and died. The real tragic part is that one of their teenage sons hit her. This family is very special to the adoption community and we are all saddened for them.

A Huge Step

2008-05-19T13:41:00.003-04:00

Last night we left Mei with a sitter for the first time. She did great!!! Up until recently she has not shown any signs of being ready to do this. But our youngest daughter is growing up and showing signs of feeling secure even when we are gone. And we are so exited for her and for us. Tomorrow night Mike and I are going on a date and leaving her again. We really hope she does well. :)

Mother's Day Weekend

2008-05-14T19:41:00.002-04:00

We had a very fun filled weekend. Madi had her recital on Saturday. As you can see she was as aweet as can be. On Sunday we had our Mom's over for a special dinner and I got to take a nap. I LOVE naps. I mean really love naps!! SO my sweet husband watched the kids while I had a wonderful rest. The pic of the four kiddos was taken Mother's Day morning.

Pulling Up

2008-05-09T10:44:00.002-04:00

Yes...Mei has finally started to pull up. And she loves it. Just look at how proud she looks. And she has also started taking tiny steps while holding on. So we are making progress.

Rainy Day

2008-04-20T16:17:00.004-04:00

Yesterday morning we woke to rain and the kids wanted to try out thier new umbrellas. Mike snapped this picture of the three of them. Charlie and Madi were playing dress up(Charlie is Boba Fett and Madi is a ballerina princess)and Nathan is dressed for his soccer game(BTW he scored two goals!!!!) They were out their for a good while until the rain started coming down hard. Then it was hurry scurry for the house. Mei was inside of course, but was laughing at them through the window. She thinks her big brothers and sister are hilarious. One day I'll put up some video of her just laughing at them. She gets everyone laughing.

Piggies

2008-04-12T08:28:00.002-04:00

Madi's hair has finally grown out enough to put it up in pigtails. She has been diligently praying that Jesus would make her hair long again. And it looks like he has heard her sweet request.

A Dedication and a Party

2008-04-09T21:44:00.004-04:00

Saturday was very special at the Talley house. We celebrated Mei's 1st birthday and had her dedication. We decided to do both at our house at the same time. We wanted our famly to be there for both events. Mei wore the same christening gown that Madi wore. It was a gown I had made from my wedding dress. My hope is that they will want to use it for their girls one day.

Mei did great and was a trouper. We didn't have any smiley pictures, but she still looks cute as a button.

Fun with Friends

2008-04-09T21:39:00.002-04:00

Mary joyce playing dress up.

Mei and Katherine becoming good friends

This past Friday we had dinner with some friends who have also adopted from China. The Thomas family came all the way from Florida for a visit. We all me at the Wiemer's house for dinner and fun.

Bowling Fun!!!!

2008-03-30T16:00:00.002-04:00

As an end to our Spring Break and to help celebrate Charlie's birthday we went bowling this past Friday. Lots of fun was had by all. Here are a few pictures from our fun day.

Happy Easter from the Talley's

2008-03-25T09:20:00.002-04:00

Mei did not make it into any of the pictures because she wanted Mama the whole time.

Happy Birthday Charlie!!!!

2008-03-25T09:17:00.002-04:00

My second son, Charlie, just turned 6. My how the time flies!!!!! He is such a joy and truly cracks me up on a daily basis!!! Here he is at Nana and Papa's celebrating his birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Mei!!!!!

2008-03-18T13:25:00.002-04:00

We are so excited to celebrate Mei's first birthday with her!!! I wake up every morning with a thankful heart for this precious little girl. The Lord truly new that we needed her in our lives. She amazes me everyday with her smile. If had to go through the changes that she has, I'm afraid I would be a mess. And yet she wakes every morning with a smile on her sweet face. Happy birthday, sweet girl. :)

Backyard Pictures

2008-03-14T17:18:00.002-04:00

Just hanging outside after school one afternoon and I decided to snap some pictures.
Serious Mei

Happy Mei

I know it's been awhile

2008-03-12T12:15:00.002-04:00

I have been one sleep deprived Mama for the last two weeks. But I know things will get better. Our youngest daughter just needs time to learn to trust us. We interrupted her attachment process with the Nannies so she's having to start over with us. Mei is a one year old with the attachments needs of a newborn.
Now on to the new things she is doing......She is crawling, holding her own bottle, mimicking all the time now, loves to play Peek-a-boo, and now has the self feeding down. She has made so much progress in the short time we've had her. I am very proud of her.

Rough Nights

2008-03-04T20:13:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted in a while bacause we've had some rough nights here lately. Mei seems to be going through a little bit of anxiety, so we've been up with her at night. We moved her crib into our room and are hoping that this will help. Please be praying for her and for us. We really need wisdom in how to get her past this bump.

Sleepy Again

2008-02-28T09:13:00.004-05:00

I swear she doesn't sleep all the time. And she really does have a reason this time. Gettin shots will wear you out.
Yesterday was our first check up at the doctor. She weighed in at 17 lbs. and is 27' long. She is on a 7 or 8 month level developmentally, which is not news to us. We are going to have her evaluated for early intervention to get her going on the right path. She has made sooo much progress in the 6 weeks we've had her. She has gone from barely siting up to sitting unassisted. She can sit herself up from her stomach. She is starting to scoot along the floor. And she has started a little bit of self feeding. Now if we can just get her to hold her own bottle....... Oh, and she babbles alot. Ma ma ma, da da da, Na na na. Squeals and laughs. So much fun.
So she's off to a great start.
She had two shots yesterday which caused a fever. And the Tylenol I gave her made her sleepy. Thus another sleeping in the bouncy photo.
*****I forgot to add that she will clap when we say "Yay!!" and she waves bye bye to herself when we say "bye bye". We are working on "So Big" with her hands raised and "where is Mama" "where is Dada".

Homecoming

2008-02-24T08:06:00.004-05:00

This was taken the day we flew into Atlanta. Next to holding my children for the first time, this was the happiest day of my life. We were exhausted , a little dirty, and very hungry, but as you can see we were on cloud nine. I love Madi's belly hanging out and the expression on Charlie's face. Very classic for our family.

Blowing Raspberries

2008-02-22T18:32:00.002-05:00

All Tuckered Out

2008-02-22T10:45:00.003-05:00

I had put Mei in her bouncy fun thingy and was trying to get a few things done. I love this thing because I can leave her unattended and know that the dog or other kids won't accidentally hurt her. So I was in the back cleaning up when Madi came and said, "Mama come look at baby Mei". And this is what I found. Poor thing.....she was so tired from all that jumping. So now she's napping in her crib. I'm sure it's alot more comfy.:)

A Work in Progress

2008-02-19T21:00:00.000-05:00

So I'm working on tweeking my blog. It may look different from time to time as I figure out what I want. So just bear with me during the makeover.:)

Welcome

2008-02-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

Hi all....I decided to start a new blog focusing on family life only. Now that we are no longer "Waiting for Mei", I thought I'd start a new one for our newly completed family. So here are some pictures from our outing yesterday to the pond.