Happy Halloween!

Mikenna has known for a few weeks that we had been talking about halloween. She would say, for halloween, I be a lady bug. I knew that she really had no idea what she was talking about. She did not like any scary things in the stores. So the day arrived and she put on her costume. It was pretty cold here in Chicago so we had to bundle her up. She really never got the hang of saying trick-or-treat. She did open her bag and then would say thank you. She would say, 'I like candy!' She likes the idea of having all this candy around the house. Hope you all had fun with your families.

Another Unexpected Reunion in October 2009

Well, I know it's a little late to update but we had the wonderful pleasure of hosting a very quick reunion in Chicago for our friends that we traveled to China with. Let me tell you how it all started:
On September 20th, I met one of the moms with her 4 daughters that we traveled with for lunch with Mikenna. I told Vipa that Jane our Holt rep that lives in China would be coming to Eugene, OR for 6 months for training. After our lunch, Vipa called Jane and found out that she was already here and that she would be taking a break from training in early October. The next thing we knew, Jane had a flight booked to Chicago on October 1-6th. I called everyone with 5 days notice and let them know that Jane would be coming to our house for a few days and that she would love to visit Chicago. So, needless to say, I was in a whirlwind to 'clean' the house for our company. Our friends from Va. flew in on Sat. Oct. 3rd with their 3 children, the Hecky's from Ohio drove in on Friday, the 2nd and then the other family from the Chicago suburbs met us in Chicago with Jane. The other family from MI could not make it down because they had made plans already and just could not rearrange their schedule. They did send a letter and pictures of Mei Li to Jane so she could see how much she had grown. It was a fun/crazy weekend of showing everyone the sights of Chicago. We met down at Navy Pier and the kids played at the Children's Museum all afternoon. It was raining most of the day so we couldn't be outside. Jane and some of the other people wanted to go to the Sear's Tower but we decided not to pay to go up and not be able to see anything because of the clouds. We went to OvenGrinders Pizza for dinner. It was good pizza and the kids were really good. The next day, Sunday, I took Jane to our church so she could experience a church in the United States. She was quite interested. We then went home for a BBQ which Jane had never experienced. All the families joined us and it was a little chilly out but we all manged to eat outside, play in the backyard, have dessert and then head back to Chicago to the Sears Tower. It was a beautiful afternoon and evening in Chicago and we took many pictures. The Hecky's left from Chicago to head back to Ohio. The rest of us headed back to St. Charles. Melia and Meriah did not go with us downtown because of soccer games but the good thing was that they had dinner waiting for us and the Sharps. We shared dinner together and then the Sharps needed to get back to the hotel because they were heading to O'Hare by 6:15am on Monday morning.
We packed a lot of things into 2 days but it was a lot of fun to see Jane and this was the first time that she has ever been to the states and the opportunity for her to see the children that she helped place in their American home and with their families.
We had some of our family and friends stop by on Sunday to meet everyone that we have talked about.
I will post pictures from both reunions soon. We love our friends!

4 month reunion

On Thursday, August 6th, our van headed to Hartville, Ohio. Our destination was the Hecky's house. We were meeting a total of 3 other families that we traveled to China with. A few families could not join us this time but we had such a great time that another reunion is in the works. On Friday we just hung around the house and pool. Mikenna was so excited to be with Zhan-Zhan(Mariah) again. We waited for the next family to arrive from VA. Mikenna was again happy to see Qi Fu(Emmett). She was in her glory with her little friends from China. On Saturday, the 3 families went to an animal reserve that is owned and operated by the Amish community. Then we went to an Amish resturant and enjoyed some delicious food. That evening we spent our time by the pool and BBQ'ing and the kids had a ball. The 4th family arrived from MI with little Mei Li. She experienced the pool for the first time with her Dad. It was so much fun to see the kids and how they have adjusted to the American way of life. We have such wonderful new friends from our adoption. The Lord really placed each family in our group for a reason. We loved and supported each couple and child throughout the trip and that relationship continues. Most of the families had older children and all the teens hit it off really well. In fact, Brienna felt so comfortable that she even played a prank on the one and only teenage boy. All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Before we left, we shared a lunch of Chinese food. Some of the families had had Chinese food since returning to the states and some of us hadn't ventured out to ordering Chinese quite yet. But it was very good and we really enjoyed every bite. It was sad to leave our adoption family/friends and Mikenna really didn't understand why we had to leave her friends. We all can't wait until the Spring when we see each other again. We had a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LET FREEDOM RING !!!!

As I get older, the more sentimental I get. For the last two 4th of July's, I have been very emotional thinking about our future daughter over in China. It was hard to think about our daughter being born and raised in a country that very much dictates their people. This 4th of July, I find myself so very grateful that Mikenna is home in the US with us and she will grow up in a country the celebrates its freedom. She will only remember the freedom we have here in the US. Our freedom did not come without a huge sacrifice. Many men and women gave their lives for our freedom. Thank you to all servicemen and women that have protected the US. I have always loved history, but until I traveled to Russia and now China, I never realized what a privilege I have, being born and raised in this country. Our founding fathers established this country for religious freedom and God has blessed us greatly. I pray that He continues to bless this great country that we all live in. I hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July. Enjoy the pictures our newest citizen of the United States of America!

IT'S FATHER'S DAY !!!!

Well, Happy Father's Day to all you great Dads. I hope you have enjoyed your special day with your kids. Paul's day started off at church. Is there a better way than to start the day off with worship? I always feel like the Dad's get ripped off because our church always honors the Mom's with flowers but the Dad's seem to get little recognition. Anyway, Paul doesn't complain. He is now at softball(what he loves to do in his spare time) and then we are having dinner and a volleyball game with family. As far as Paul and Mikenna's relationship, some days it is going well and then some days she wants nothing to do with him. She will only approach him when he is on the ground. Sometimes we don't know if she is just playing a game with him or if she is still not ready to fully trust him. It is hard to tell because her emotions are still unpredictable and her language isn't far enough along to really express what is going on inside that little head of hers. As I wrote in my Mother's Day blog, I had a host of emotions on that day. I have to admit that I really haven't given much thought to how Mikenna's birth Dad must feel. Does he mourn the lost of his daughter? Does he and his wife regret leaving her? Have they had other children? Let's remember all our Dad's in prayer as they are such a vital part in raising our children and giving them a sense of security. Thanks Dads!!!!

Mikenna having some fun!

Mikenna is loving summer. She loved being outside in China and she longs for the nice weather when she can just be outside to play with bubbles, mow the lawn or play with friends. She is the happiest when she is allowed to be out and about. Here are a few pictures of her. Enjoy!

Welcoming Mikenna to the Neighborhood!