June 12th, 2010
Through our FCC group (Families with Children from China) we heard about a Dragon Boat Festival picnic going on in town yesterday. It was sponsored by a local Chinese Association which we learned is basically a group of local Chinese that get together once in a while and put on special events. Since Dragon Boat Festival is one of the three top holidays in China we thought it would be fun to attend. Well, other than a paper dragon boat on one of the picnic tables, there wasn’t anything else relating to the holiday. It was just an excuse for the group to have a picnic. There were only three other Caucasians there, but we were warmly welcomed and enjoyed chatting with some of the folks. The kids enjoyed eating some Chinese food and learning some paper folding.
We want to celebrate parts of Chinese culture in our family and be around Chinese people when possible, yet it seems like our most awkward times as an adoptive family are when we are surrounded by Chinese people. We get so many questions, people try to speak Chinese to Elijah (which he can’t even comprehend anymore), and we get the usual “lucky kids” or “it’s unusual to get a Chinese boy” comments. We want all of our kids to be comfortable around these kinds of events, yet this or even going to a Chinese restaurant make us all feel a bit uncomfortable because of the comments. We just have to pray and ask for wisdom to know how and when to “culture” our kids.
I love how intently Ami is working on her paper folding!
Posted in Ami, Elijah, Family | 1 Comment »
June 11th, 2010
A lot more progress was made on our deck this week, but it still feels like it’s been slow going. We’ve had a bit of rain to contend with and a lot more predicted in the next few days. Hopefully in another week we’ll have it completed.
The cedar smells so good and looks gorgeous!
So weird to see bodies just outside our living room windows!
Posted in Ami, Benjamin, Chris, Family, Johanna, Michaela | 5 Comments »
June 11th, 2010
We’ve had a busy and fun week. Aunt Alicia, Aunt Kate, Elle and Zane came over to play for a couple of days. It had been too long since we were last together and the kids were chomping at the bit to play together.
It was fun to chat about our new cousin, Titus, and to hear more details. We are hoping and praying that he will be home in early August. Isn’t he too cute? He fits right in with our family with those dimples!
3 months old
More rides in the "carriage"
Zane practiced his new climbing skills and discovered the top bunk
Still cute when crying for mama
Mama makes is all better
I love how Zane is holding onto Michaela's hand. He did get brave enough to pet the kitty.
After a rough winter it was so good to see Zane healthy and happy
The aunts were relentlessly teasing Benjamin about his beloved Kitty, but he took it all in stride and dished it right back.
The second our cousins were leaving down our driveway Ami said, “Mom, I miss Elle and Zane. “ Hopefully we’ll see them sooner than later this time! Thanks for coming guys, we had much fun.
Posted in Ami, Benjamin, Elijah, Family, Johanna, Michaela | 6 Comments »
June 6th, 2010
I thought I’d try to get in a post before the week got started and got away from me this time!
Yesterday we enjoyed getting together with our local Families with Children from China (FCC) group. Elijah and Benjamin are vastly outnumbered by all the girls, but they all had fun together. There was a Hollywood theme and Ami wanted to dress up in her cheerleader outfit. It’s neat to ooh and aah over all the kids and watch them grow. Even though we all just want our adopted kids to be regular kids, they do have a special background and it’s often noticed by outsiders who don’t see beyond the fact that you are a Caucasian with an Asian child. It’s good to be with similar families and just enjoy playing together.
Also, thanks to those of you who left comments on my last post. I appreciated reading your thoughts and insights. They were great food for thought.
Posted in Ami, Benjamin, Elijah, Family, Johanna, Michaela | 2 Comments »
June 4th, 2010
We haven’t had a lot going on to post about. It’s been really nice to enjoy being home more without so much of a schedule. With school out and some of our regular activities finished it’s been a breath of fresh air. We’ve finally seen a little bit of progress on our deck and hopefully it will be finished next week. We are really looking forward to the outdoor living space and to sharing our home with visitors this summer. Here are some pictures from the week.
Screaming Eagles landing to start the Memorial Day parade
It felt like a hot July day despite being May for the parade
Elijah enjoyed being patriotic by waving his flag. After he understood what Memorial Day was about he said, "I want to be a soldier so I can help my country."
Day 1 of progress
Day 1 - Exciting to visualize things better
Today's progress, starting to get a look at the cedar
The kids have already spent hours on the rope swing this summer
Oh the ladder always scares me, but they get so much air from the top!
Such a pretty girl!
I want to ask adoptive parents about this last picture. When we were in China last we bought two of these shirts, one for Ami and one for Elijah. It seems like a bad joke, but at the same time it’s cute in a way. If someone outside of the adoption realm were to have given us these shirts I honestly probably would have been appalled. They seem tacky to me, yet cute enough that it was okay for me to buy them. It’s still a dilemma for me. I haven’t allowed the Ami or Elijah to wear them away from home. I love that two of my kiddos were born in China and I want them to be proud of that fact, yet I don’t want these shirts to degrade them as if they were a commodity that can be purchased. Know what I mean? So any of my adoptive friends that are reading this, feel free to share your thoughts!
Posted in Ami, Benjamin, Elijah, Family, Johanna, Michaela | 8 Comments »
May 29th, 2010
We are enjoying our first week home with no school. Ahhh, summer break is nice. Here are a few pictures from the week.
I'm sure this is the only time you or I will ever see our boys holding hands. Benjamin was pretending to be blind and Elijah was guiding him down the library steps. They were mortified when they found out I had taken a picture!
We've had a busy week trapping coons in our garage. They come in the cat door and have become quite an annoyance. We've caught four now and relocated them.
The four youngest have played a lot in our mini pools this week. Thankfully the big pools open this weekend and we can go to a "real" pool!
We spent quite a bit of time in our local Amish area yesterday. We bought lots of FRESH strawberries, eggs, and other goodies.
Our favorite BBQ rib place
We enjoyed our local Memorial Day Air Show today
Posted in Ami, Benjamin, Elijah, Family, Johanna, Michaela | 2 Comments »
May 23rd, 2010
We got loaded up and headed out early this morning. We hit a lot of rain and traffic along the way, but made it to the Coomers for a yummy dinner. It was great to see them again. This is our third visit and each time we’ve added a kid. Ha! It was neat to have Elijah with us this time. They took us out to their new farm property where they plan to build. It is a gorgeous setting in the rolling Kentucky hills. We can’t wait to visit them there next time.
Posted in Ami, Elijah, Family, Johanna, Michaela | 1 Comment »
May 20th, 2010
Today was our last and best day at the beach by far. We were out early by about 8:30 and it was clear, the water was warm, and we saw lots of sea life. We saw dolphins, dolphins and more dolphins. I guess that’s a pod? Anyway, it was just breathtaking and exciting to see them jumping and flipping and playing around in the not so far distance. We oohed and aahed for quite some time. We also saw a huge school (?) of large manna rays swimming by just 6 or so feet from where we were jumping the waves. The kids also caught a large crab and a small hermit crab in his tiny shell. So fun!
We did our usual lunch break and then headed out in the air conditioned van to do some geocaching. After three strikes we decided to get ice cream and cold drinks before heading back to the beach in the late afternoon. It was hard to leave the beach this afternoon since it was our last time there. We will head out early tomorrow for Kentucky to catch up with some friends there. We’re looking forward to visiting with them and then heading home on Saturday.
If you look closely you can see a black spot that is a dolphin
Posted in Ami, Benjamin, Chris, Elijah, Family, Jocelyn, Johanna, Michaela | 1 Comment »
May 19th, 2010
We took a break from the beach and spent most of our day in Pensacola. As much fun as we are having at the beach, I think everyone was ready to do something different.
Our first stop was to check out a dealership where we are hoping to purchase a larger conversion van. It was nice to see things in person and meet the folks we’ve been working with. We then spent a good bit of time at the National Museum of Naval Aviation. The highlight for the kids was the Blue Angels flight simulator. It was cool, but oh my. My hand was so ready to hit the emergency button due to claustrophobia. I think it was worse being shut up in that little thing than the pod that goes to the top of the STL arch. Fortunately I held it together and didn’t embarrass the kids!
Of course we couldn’t stay away from the beach all day, so after supper we headed out for a stroll at sunset. It was so peaceful and beautiful. The campground beach is quite long and we only saw a couple of other people.
We have one more full day here and are looking forward to getting in our last hours at the beach. The kids are loving it and we are making great memories.
Posted in Ami, Benjamin, Chris, Elijah, Family, Jocelyn, Johanna, Michaela | 2 Comments »
May 18th, 2010
Another great day at the beach. We went in the morning for a couple of hours and then took a break for lunch at our campsite. We met some friends for ice cream in the afternoon that are also vacationing this week. Then we headed back to the beach for a short bit later in the afternoon. When we got back to our campsite for supper it started to rain a little. We are thankful to have our gazebo for some shelter for cooking (yes, Kate, I did fine with the camp stove!). It didn’t rain for long. Hopefully we’ll have another dry sunshiny day tomorrow.
We even fit 3 scooters in the van. They've been great!
The low waves at the Gulf are great
Posted in Ami, Benjamin, Chris, Elijah, Family, Johanna, Michaela | 3 Comments »