Cheesy Grins

Abby has developed a cheesy new grin that she flashes anytime the camera comes out. It cracks me up SO much.

Well, there is one other option -- the dazed and confused stare down as seen here:

So this craziness is a much better option...

You really have to see it live to fully appreciate it...

Happy Birthday, Abs!

We had a birthday party for Abby earlier this week. She loves Disney so we had a Mickey's Clubhouse theme. I was so happy to find these Minnie-inspired polka dot balloons.

I knew Abby would get a kick out of this Mickey balloon.

Here comes the cake!

Abby knew how to whisper at the candle, but had some problems blowing at it.

Josh was kind enough to hand feed Abby on her special day.

This was what the table looked like before Abby got a hold of it.

Here she is about to discover her birthday surprise...



Here she is checking out the balloons...



Here she is looking like a balloon peacock...

Utter Joy

Today was one of the first warm and dry day we've had in a while. Abby tore up the neighborhood. She gave the stank eye to the winter weather....

She really wanted her baby to go for a ride on the swing.

And made sure she was comfortable in the seat.

Right away we spotted a problem.

And the baby paid the price for our bad judgment.

But Abby didn't let that get her down.

Who has time to cry over a dented baby doll when we can put leaves through a hole in the slide?

Joy, oh joy!

Pulls ups for the girl in pull ups!

Slides = smiles

Abby loves to walk up the slide by holding onto the edge. I hold my breath the whole way up. I can only imagine what daredevil things she'll attempt later in life.

She was really intent on getting her photo by this tree.

Spying on the locals is fun for all ages!

Miracles in Action

Why I Need Your Help

Four years ago I went to Kenya for a month to work with infants at a local orphanage. While out adventuring, I came upon a large slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. The children I met were full of love and happiness, but they were living and learning in utter squalor.

This was near the front of Grace Junior.
This was the extent of their school supplies.
With the help and prayers of friends and family, my friend Sally and I were able to build and stock a new school for their small community. It was a true miracle.
Here was the new and improved Grace Junior.

New uniforms and desks.

This is Mary, their head teacher.

This is Sally. She's getting vaccinated with the children at one of the orphanages they sponsor.

Sally returned to LA and founded Stepwise, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit to benefit orphans in East Africa. They quickly sponsored our school (Gracie Junior) and were able to take over all the financial and supplemental needs of the school for the past four years.

Stepwise has a series of schools and orphanages that they sponsor all over Kenya. Unfortunately, it has come to their attention that some of the children attending one of their sponsored schools were being abused at their orphanage (not run by Stepwise). Through a series of tender mercies those girls are currently being transferred to a safe house by a partner NGO which Stepwise has agreed to fund. This has been an extremely delicate and costly – but absolutely necessary – endeavor for them.

After hearing about this saddening situation I wanted to do anything I could to help, so I have volunteered to help alleviate some of the financial stress by fundraising and begging for donations to help support Gracie Junior School this year. This will help Stepwise focus all their time and energy on getting the needed help for the rescued children.

The financial breakdown is as follows:

Financial Breakdown -- $233 a month ($2,800 a year)

Rent – This covers two classrooms and a kitchen

Salaries – This covers the head teacher’s salary, one teaching assistant, one sustainability assistant and a cook. They are able to receive yearly raises by completing classes at a local educational center.

Supplemental Fees– Fixing or replacing uniforms, school supplies, books, teaching tools, extra desks, etc

The Food Program – This covers one meal/snack a day for each child. This is an incentive program to keep the children attending on a regular basis and for some is the only meal they’ll eat that day.

Sustainability Program – This instructor teaches the children/parents life skills: growing/tending a garden, nutrition, basic health and sanitation, crafts, etc.

How to Help

If any of you feel it in your heart to make a donation to this very effective and efficient organization, all donations are to be made directly through Stepwise on their website: http://stepwise.org/. Just click on the PayPal button to use your credit card or PayPal account. They area a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit in the US, and all donations are tax deductible. Any questions you may have about their organization can be made to the US Director at sallyh@stepwise.org.

Please email me at denisemrobertson@yahoo.com If you choose to make a donation. I need to keep track of how much money I still need to raise, and make sure that your donation is set aside specifically for Grace Junior and not applied to any of their other East African initiatives.

I am so thankful for the love and support from each and every one of you. Please keep these children in your prayers as they find safe and loving homes to help them heal.

Pioneer Children

I love this hand-me-down dress Abby got from her friend. It reminds me of something a pioneer would wear. She left me put this adorable flower in her hair for 15 seconds, so I had to get a picture.

Abby loves to squint her eyes when I tell her to smile. It's a happier version of the stank eye.

This is how Abby gets the ribbon out of her hair -- she shrugs her shoulders and pushes the ribbon off the back of her head.

She is so pleased with herself.

Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked!

Congrats, Sadie!

I'm going to go ahead and guess that many of you missed this season's Westminster Dog Show. I had to follow the action online because three of the nine English channels I get to watch here were all things Olympics, which kind of bends me a little. Seriously, the Olympics are great but the real competition went unnoticed.

Here are some reasons why dog show dogs deserve to get some love:

Dogs have to hone their skills by 12, because after that they are usually dead. Could you imagine how awesome the half pipe would be if Shawn White had to hammer out his moves by the age of six. I'm going to go ahead and guess that the speed skating wouldn't be so speedy.

Dogs have to look good after running around the ring a few times. That's like asking the downhill skiers to walk the runway after a few bunny hills in the helmet. I don't think any of them would make it into the Olympic calendar. Don't even get me started on how bad they might smell.

Dogs have to rely on a human counterpart to "lead" them in a circle. They get no say in how uppity that person runs or how they choose to color coordinate their lame pant suit. No one asks the Olympic competitors what their coaches wore to the competition.

This year's best in show winner had shaggy hair, so he did that run with hair in his eyes. Let's see if you can make it to the bathroom with super long bangs.

Olympians shouldn't feel the urge to bite the other competitors. I can't get my dog from the house to the lawn without busting out some ninja restraint moves to save the little critters that live around us. Gracie just couldn't handle that kind of pressure.

Little Bo Peep

Abby loves to play hide and go seek, but she doesn't really get the rules. First she yells, "Abby's hiding." Then I yell, "where is Abby?" After about five seconds of giggling she yells, "Abby's hiding under the sheep." Mystery solved. I'm better than Sherlock Holmes.

Here are some shots of her "hiding."

Notice her big girl panties. I can't get enough of them. I can't believe how fast she's growing and changing.

You can't hide that smile!


Sneaky eyes

She's so much harder to find when she's deep in thought.

Game's over! Time for nighty night.

Baby Annabelle

Today we have the shower for baby Annabelle. It was so much fun to see the girls, chit chat and eat super yummy food. I was the only one with a camera, so I posted tons of photos for everyone to see. Enjoy!

This cake was delicious. I wish I could steal it for Abby's birthday this week.

Jill has an eye for flowers. These were beautiful.

Jill and Allison doing the signature Japanese photo pose.

Guess who's having a baby shower next?