Mom2Five

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

2009-01-26T21:46:00.003-05:00

The Birthday Celebrations Have Begun!

2009-01-03T14:16:00.003-05:00

Too Rainy To Ride Outside

And are not over yet. Emma wanted to go out to eat yesterday on her birthday. Her request? Anywhere with a big bowl of Mac-N-Cheese! She cleaned her plate, got a big bowl of ice cream and came back home to open presents. She is so excited to be 4 years old. She says, "I am a big girl now!" Sam is trying to understand still being 3 (they have been the same age for quite a while now) and the fact that right after Christmas, he is not getting the presents too. He is so sweet about it but he is questioning it a bit. Now he says, "It's Emma's birthday, not my birthday. My birthday - Baseball!" So we will plan on a baseball birthday for Sam this Spring. Emma got a big girl bike for her birthday from Mommy and Daddy. She got a Barbie Bus and Barbie walkie-talkies from Mamna and Popaw. Tomorrow she has her Cupcake Birthday Party!

Happy Birthday Emma!!!

2009-01-02T23:38:00.002-05:00

4 Years Old!!!

3 YEARS!!!!!

2008-10-24T21:02:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe that it has been 3 years since I first got to hold this precious creature, my daughter, Emma Grace SiYue. She took fortune cookies to Preschool this morning to celebrate with her friends. This evening we ordered Chinese and spent some time together as a family. We gave her a doll that we had bought in Guangzhou. Many of you will recognize it - the Passport Doll. She was so excited and just kept hugging her new doll. She called it Emma Day and we often call it Family Day, but the name isn't as important as the meaning behind it. I spent some time today looking back at all of the photos from our 2005 trip to China. It was an amazing journey and it still is today.Holding her referral photos.

We usually like to take this picture in September but Russ had an emergency appendectomy around that time and things got so hectic that we missed taking the picture. Emma was happy to see how much she had grown. I love you so much baby girl!!

Preschool Career Dress Up Day

2008-10-23T10:24:00.000-05:00

Emma and Sam got to choose what they want to be when they grow up. Can you guess??

My Crazy Friend Sam

2008-10-21T21:27:00.000-05:00

You never want to cross Sam. Sometimes just being nice to her will get her all worked up. She is so talented when it comes to the art of photo shopping (Is that even a word?). But it is a double edged sword - she uses it for good and for evil. Regardless, she always keeps me laughing. Here is some of her latest handiwork.

http://samcampbell.blogspot.com/2008/10/wow-just-when-you-think-you-know.html

Now I just need to decide what my next move will be. I welcome any and all suggestions.....

Do you think they have a 12 step program for this??

2008-10-16T18:14:00.001-05:00

It has been 4 months since my last post (thanks to those of you who keep reminding me). I have

been busy - kids, activities, keeping my sanity,..... Sam is getting Speech three times a week,

Emma is in ballet (soooo cute), Coleman has already been in 2 plays this year, numerous

Scouting activities and all the other things that constitute life with 5 kids. And then there is the

other thing. My addiction. It is true. I am addicted to Facebook. I am finally admitting it. Many

of you already know this because we have found each other over in that other world. And for

those of you who have not yet ventured out, make sure you are ready because it is so much fun

and you will be attracted to it like a moth to the flame. And once you do wander on over, feel free

to friend request me so that I can SuperPoke you! I have really enjoyed reconnecting with old

friends. I have even gotten friend requests from my aunt and uncle, but the ones I enjoy the

most are old neighborhood friends, people I knew in middle school, a random college friend...It is

so great to see where they are in their lives, etc... Well, enough about this. I know you are not

here for a Facebook testimonial. So let's get on with the show....

I will just post some pix of the kiddies because I know that is really what you want to see!

Sam cooking it up in the kitchen

Meet and Greet at our Preschool

First Day of Preschool

Will we ever catch a break??

2008-06-12T14:21:00.001-05:00

No pun intended. Sam broke his arm - it is a level one growth plate wrist fracture, to be exact. Prognosis is great and he will spend the next 3 weeks in a cast. If all goes well, that is all the treatment that he will need. I have no idea how it happened - there was no catastrophic event, no big fall with lots of tears....... He told me on Monday that he had a boo boo. I kissed it and asked him if it felt better, he said yes and continued to play. This is an event that happens several times a day everyday (sometimes it happens following someone elses boo boo just because we like the attention) so it was no cause for alarm. Sam woke up Tuesday morning, very quiet and holding his arm. He said "ow" and held it up to me. It was swollen at the wrist up through the elbow. We called the advice nurse to get an appointment and she wanted to know what Sam says happened - then we have to explain that although he is 3, he is still developing the language, learning English and overcoming the fistula that has formed in his palate..... So we have no idea. She gave us a work-in appointment for the morning (code for Long Wait) so that I would not have to take all the kids to the appointment - Jack and Robbie are in VBS this week. I arrange with a neighbor to get them to VBS, and head off to the doctor. Our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric orthopedist. Sam was so brave. I know he has got to be so confused about all of the things happening to him. Ironically, we had a visit with the Craniofacial team last week and they told us to take the summer off. Dr. Thomas said that with the volume of his caseload, it was not a good thing that he could recognize me and did not even need to look at Sam's chart - it meant that we had been up there way too much recently. He said to take a break and enjoy the summer and come back in September and we would make a plan for the future. Now not even a week later we are facing medical issues again. It's funny. But on the bright side, we have more time for the orthopedist now that we are no longer traveling back and forth to Sc*ttish Rite.

Cleveland Zoo

2008-06-08T15:12:00.001-05:00

Robbie and his best buddy Kevin

Uncle Zhou!
Karla from EAC

China Reunion

2008-06-06T14:52:00.000-05:00

Every year our agency hosts a weekend picnic and party for all of the families that have adopted with them. We made the 12 hour drive (yes, I said drive) to Ohio (Suburban + 7 people + 1200 miles = a paycheck's worth of gas!) and made the most of every minute. Friday night was the China Party at EAC with food, moonwalks, a Chinese Raffle, jugglers, balloon animals,...... Lots of fun for all of the kids. Saturday was all day at the Cleveland Zoo. Several years ago we had our Wuhan Super Group tshirts made up for all of the families in our group (with Emma in 2005) that adopted from Wuhan, Hubei. Members of our Agency named us that because we were very lively and vocal and the first of our kind to be so close. We are close to every family in that group. And when we agreed to adopt Sam, I told Karla at EAC that I just knew one of the Wuhan Super Group was adopting too and sure enough it was the Duryeas. So now our families are extra close having 2 children adopted together. It was great to get all of the girls together but it was especially sweet to see Sam and Nathan get back together because they had lived together for 2 and a half years in the orphanage. Nathan was not even recognizable! He has changed so much! He has gained atleast 15-20 pounds since we got home in August. He was almost 3 and was even smaller than Sam in China. Emma really enjoyed the girls. It was the first trip where you can see their personalities coming to life when they are around each other. Emma kept talking about her China Sisters. We also got to spend time with Zhou, our travel guide and of course our dear Chris and Karla who helped make our adoptions come to fruition. After the zoo, we went to dinner in the flats of Cleveland. On Sunday everyone met at our hotel for breakfast and then we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Really great museum if you are ever in Cleveland. We drove to Kentucky that evening and then finished driving home on Monday. It was a whirlwind but we loved every minute of it. Two families from our group are going to stop by this summer on their way to Florida and we are so excited to get to host them in our hometown.

Sam and Uncle Zhou

Emma and JackieOur dear friends, Jane, Kori and Roxy - I have a feeling we will be seeing them more in years to come (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, Jane....)

Last Day of Preschool

2008-05-18T12:22:00.000-05:00

Emma and her baby

Emma thought this day would never come, but school is finally out! Their class celebrated with a luau. It was so cute! They had a music program. Emma was slow to warm up, but finally got into the groove. Sam, meanwhile, sat glued to his carpet square, wanting to know where mommy was at every second. Emma has the sweetest, most serene and peaceful look about her face and we are all convinced that her relief over the end of school has washed over her and left her content! :o) We tease because she loves school and has the greatest time while she is there and is overflowing with stories when she gets in the car, but she never wants to go and tells us repeatedly that "I not like school!" She is such a drama queen! Sam does love school and is always excited about going, but I think he was a little overwhelmed with all of the classes being in one big room and having all of the parents there. He really always had to keep tabs on me. Emma and Sam were not sitting together (in fact they were sitting across from each other) so I kept having to move around to get the best pictures and video. In the end, we had a luau in their room and said our goodbyes. One mommy had brought her baby daughter to the party and Emma was obsessed with the baby. She was very sweet and gentle and even asked if she could go see the baby. The baby truly adored her and Emma kept saying, "The baby loves me" and she would just beam and giggle. We had a great time. Now what am I going to do with all 5 of them home for the whole summer???????

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

2008-05-11T21:16:00.000-05:00

My favorite candy is a Nerds Rope (Tropical Flavor) and they are very hard to find. Russ asked me what I wanted for Valentine's Day and I said a Tropical Nerds Rope - he looked and looked and could not find them. He frequented gas stations and called local candy stores but to no avail. You would have to know Russ - he will not be outdone. The rare Tropical flavor will not win!! He has been looking for them ever since then - 3 months!! He finally found them on Amazon and when I came into the kitchen this morning, I found this candy greeting. He ordered 2 cases so I will be enjoying my Tropical Nerds Ropes for quite a long time to come! All 48 of them (One for almost every week of the year, but, really, do you think it will even last me a month?!)
Happy Mother's Day 2008

Tagged

2008-05-09T16:56:00.001-05:00

I have been tagged by my dear friend Shelly.

So here are the rules...post three things about yourself...link to the person who tagged you and tag 5 other bloggers (let them know by posting a comment on their blog).

1) I am a closet control freak - all of our clothes are hung in our closet according to color, collar and sleeve length. Every one in my family has a different color set of hangers - Coleman is red, Jack is blue, Robbie is green, Emma is pink and Sam has the white tube like kiddie hangers (when his clothes get bigger he will get his own color of coated wire hangers).

2) I am a TV junkie. My favorites are The Office, My name is Earl, American Idol, the entire CBS Monday night line up and all of the crime dramas - Law and Order (all of them), The CSIs, Criminal Minds, Numbers.....We have 1 TiVo and 2 DVRs and they are always recording, pausing, being watched........

3) I just started a new blog dedicated to preserving our past, present and future Family photos. A place for me to share with you, reflect on memories, and treasure in years to come. The address is http://www.photosofemmaandtheboys.blogspot.com/ Don't forget to bookmark it!

I am going to tag:

janice http://www.momtoo3.blogspot.com/

michele http://buddalicious.blogspot.com/

lisa http://loosclan.blogspot.com/

becky http://jiangxigirls.blogspot.com/

jennifer http://www.gahardin.blogspot.com/

It's a Small World

2008-05-09T12:21:00.000-05:00

I wrote a post last week about our day at the Taste of Marietta and a comment was left by a mom in the area. We emailed privately and found out that we had met at a mutual friend's house in the fall of 2006 - her husband remembered everything about our visit even the fact that we had just decided to adopt a Special Needs boy from China. She sent me a picture of her daughter and a little girl named Emma to see if it was our Emma - and of course it was! We met them for breakfast this morning and look forward to many more "play dates" in the future.

Emma and Sam getting ready for breakfast with their new friend

Emma and Lili - NOW

Emma and Lili - THEN

Sneaky Emma

2008-05-08T21:05:00.000-05:00

We were finishing lunch in the kitchen when I had to walk away for a moment. Emma had already finished and was playing with her little kitchen. I walked back in to find this.......

Emma had put Sam in the corner. She was smiling and playing in her kitchen. Funniest thing was that Sam really didn't seem to mind!

Taste of Marietta

2008-04-27T15:17:00.000-05:00

Every year we go up to our town square for The Taste of Marietta. We LOVE going! Over 60 restaurants are represented and there are lots of activites set up too. We go around from tent to tent sampling food, spinning prize wheels and visiting with our friends and neighbors. When we first arrived, we visited a few booths that offered games for the kids. They all took turns hitting a baseball, spinning a radio station wheel to win prizes and Jack played Guitar Hero for a chance to win an electric guitar. At that time he had the High Score (when we went back later, his score had been beaten by a few points)! Then the bottom fell out and we all ran for cover under a tent. The rain was too hard even for our umbrellas. As the rain lightened the big boys went to "bowl" in a mobile bowling alley. Everyone won a free round of bowling, but Jack won a 2 hour US Play bowling party for 6! We laughed because that isn't even enough for all of us! Maybe we can leave Sam and Emma at home and let Jack invite a friend. We decided it was time to sample the food - samples run anywhere from Free to about $4. We stopped off at Starbucks, Harry's Farmers Market, Taco Mac, several local restaurant tents and then we went by the Buffalo Wild Wings Cafe. While waiting in line, they too have a prize wheel that we all took a spin on. Russ, Coleman and Robbie all won a free dessert or appetizer coupon. When Jack got up to spin, Russ said that he thought with Jack's good luck today, he will win the Big Prize - a YEAR of free wings. Jack spun the wheel and it landed on Free Tshirt. They were out of free tshirts, as Russ found out when he spun and landed on that 3X before winning his coupon. Jack too got another turn and landed on.......Yes, you guessed it...... A YEAR OF FREE WINGS! Woo Hoo! I know where we will be eating for the next few months!! Atleast until we never want to see another Buffalo wing again! ;o) They made a really BIG deal about it and took his picture. Jack was so proud. Is there a lottery for tonight? We should check and let Jack pick our numbers! We rode a little Fun Train that drove around the Square and took turns on the Bouncy slides. There are so many things to do that it is hard to fit it all in. As we were walking back to the car, the boys all wanted to make sure that we are going to do it again next year. With all of the range in age between our kids, I love it when we find something that makes everyone HAPPY!

Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks

Sam still LOVES the rain
Mobile Bowling

Morning at Mimi's

2008-04-26T12:09:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, Emma and Sam spent the morning with Russ' mom. They love going to her house and always have so much fun. Emma loves to sit with her Mimi and put on make up. She always ends up with lavender eyeshadow and sparkly lips. Mimi was getting ready for an appointment and had her curling iron on. Emma got a new hairdo and not to be left out, Sam insisted that he get one too. They looked so cute when I picked them up - but also vaguely familiar.....

Mohs

2008-04-24T15:22:00.001-05:00

I had my Mohs surgery today. It took several hours, but they were able to get all of the affected cells. I have such a clear peace of mind finally having this ordeal over! When my doctor was finished, she came in the room and said "Congratulations! It is gone!" What a great feeling! The Mohs procedure is precise and takes so long because they remove the lesion and surrounding skin and then freeze sections to examine the cells microscopically. If they see that there is not a clear margin around it, they will come back and take more. The stitches took the longest amount of time. Dr. Chiller was amazing - very sweet, witty and definitely qualified. She really wanted to try and keep my scarring to a minimum, but she also needed to take out all of the cells. At the end of the surgery, the site was an inch wide. She warned that the scar would be 3:1 larger than the site. Once they were finished and showed me the incision, I can say that I was truly shocked at the size of it. But at this point, I am just thankful (scar and all) to have this whole ordeal behind me. I have to be very careful about lifting, exercising, etc. for the next couple of months - any tension or exertion can cause my incision to pull and can cause a larger scar. At the beginning of all of this, the "nubbin" was a little larger than a dime, close to the size of a nickel, but as you will see below, the incision is MUCH larger. (sigh)

We got out just days before the Pope arrived.....

2008-04-16T12:46:00.001-05:00

Seriously, I cannot imagine how crowded Washington DC is right now! We spent Spring Break in DC and got home late Sunday night. Our oldest son, Coleman, was nominated for the People To People program by a teacher at his school so he spent the week touring and studying while we spent it pure tourist style! When he was invited to participate in the program - before Sam was even home, we decided that if we had to get him there and back, we might as well go up ourselves and enjoy the week. As the trip got closer, we started to question touring DC with children ages 2, 3, 6 and 10. Things were great though. Russ' mom even went with us, so all 8 (yes, I said 8) of us stuffed ourselves and our luggage into the Suburban and DROVE to DC! We spent the first night in South Hill, Virginia and then drove into DC the next day. Coleman was not released from the program until late so we had to drive the full way back home (about 11 hours) on this past Sunday. It is a pleasant drive, though - especially when you aren't driving! Ha! Russ did a great job getting us there and back without complaint. Our hotel was right on the Metro so we bought a weekly pass and did not even get the car out until the last day. We had arranged with our congressman, Phil Gingrey, to tour the White House, the Capitol, Bureau of Engraving and Printing,..... We went to the Smithsonian museums, the Holocaust Museum, Washington Monument (this is my 3rd time to DC and my first in the Washington Monument!), and hit all of the Presidential Monuments. Although we are not Catholic, the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is one of my favorite things in Washington. It is stunning and more amazing than words can ever describe! The kids behaved and loved every minute of it. The 2 little ones just went with the flow and even sat quietly in the House Chamber of the Capitol while the House of Representatives were voting! I was so impressed with them. Jack is at the perfect age to appreciate all that Washington had to offer and Robbie surprised us with his interest and knowledge - including his rote memory of the Metro stops! He even bought Washington Trivia books for souvenirs. It was truly a great trip. I even stepped outside of my comfort zone and got into it with some protesters - but that is another story for another day!

Sam sees a tiger at the Museum of Natural History

How many $$ tall are we???

Relaxing in the hotel room

I LOVE this face!!!

Waiting to go in the Washington Monument

Jack's New Career

Perspective (you might want to click on this one to see it better)

Cherry Blossoms!!!

This is Me. I am Happy.

2008-04-05T20:49:00.003-05:00

Very Happy! I have not made much mention of my "Nubbin" lately. It has been the cause of some really bad days for me recently. My initial biopsy results showed atypical cells. My doctor had concerns that I had Lymphoma and sent me for Xrays and blood work. I also had been experiencing back pain that in combination with the other factors, had her quite worried - and she did not mind telling me all about it. She was really upfront with me about what I could be facing. I tend to be a bit of an anxious person on a normal day so this did not sit well with me at all. Well, all of my tests came back normal and after repeated doctor visits, my dermatologist decided to do another biopsy and send it off to Emory. This time I had about 6-8 stitches and was off to Disney World with my family to get my mind off of this whole ordeal. We had a wonderful trip and I will post about that soon. I had my stitches removed the day after we returned home but there were still no biopsy results. Later that week, I got a call from my doctor, saying, "Do you have a minute where we can talk about your biopsy?" The rush of panic shot through me from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. Russ had not been feeling well that morning so he was still at home when I got the call. I remember from past biopsies that the nurses would always say, "You want a letter, not a call" regarding any test results. They found more atypical cells, this time specifically T Cells. She had spoken with an oncologist (my head was spinning at this point) who had ordered extensive blood work and a PET scan. A dear friend's daughter has recently had a bout of cancer so I was very familiar with what a PET scan is. The one thing I remember my doctor saying during this call was, "The good news is that it was not totally diagnostic and the bad news is that it was not totally diagnostic." At least there was some good news to hold on to. I went the next day for my blood work and they took vial after vial of blood - I even asked if I would be able to drive home without fainting! They were really sweet about it and told me that they had to call and confirm the orders on one test that they were not entirely familiar with. Then the wait came. My mind drew all sorts of conclusions based on comments, lengths of time between calls from my doctor,....You name it, my mind was working overtime to try and read between the lines. I prayed and talked to God all of the time. I realized that with my busy mom of 5 life, I had gotten away from my daily talks with Him. He is always there for me, walking beside me, and He knows what my day is going to be like before it even starts. I thanked Him for this difficult walk as I knew that He would strengthen me with each step. I felt honored that He thought I could handle this because there were days when I was convinced that I could not. The days passed and still no call from the Hospital to schedule the scan. The oncologist's office called to go over everything with me and to make an appointment to come in for the results. Northside Hospital called to schedule the scan and fortunately they had an evening appointment - I had been so worried about how I would fit several hours at the Hospital into an already bursting schedule. Sam had a follow up appointment with the Craniofacial team and Emma had an appointment with a micro hand surgeon (I will follow up with details soon) and then there are all the carpools and normal activities, our anniversary, my mother's 60th Birthday, ...you know - LIFE! It was overwhelming, but again, God was in the details and I was able to easily fit everything in. Russ took me to the PET scan while my parents watched the kids. I had already talked to my dear friend Laurie who is a doctor and she told me about all of the many possibilities that were out there under the umbrella of Lymphoma. I just had to put my big girl panties on and face this head on! For the scan, they took some blood to check my glucose levels, put in an IV and then gave me a glucose shake to drink. Then I went to the Nuclear Medicine mobile unit outside of the hospital - I had to walk across an opening at the end of a hallway ramp and it looked just like I was getting on an airplane. Joe, the dear sweet (I cannot say enough good things about him) technician who injected the meds into my IV and did my scan was so clever and quick witted and really made me feel at ease. I laid on the scan bed (maybe 8-10 inches wide at the most) and he put my hands above my head in a loop to keep them together. I was in the machine for maybe 20-30 minutes, moving back and forth. I decided to keep my eyes closed so that I was not tempted to look around. You have to stay still during the scan much like an MRI. Right as I was about to go into the machine, my bangs fell into my eyes, but it was in just enough time for Joe to push them to the side - I could not have imagined trying to be still for so long with hair poking into my eyes. When you are still and quiet you start to perseverate on things like that. I had chosen to spend my time in the scan, praying to God, thanking Him for the attributes of my children. It was a precious time for me - focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of my children (and of myself in regard to the way I interact with them) and praising God for His creation of all 5 of my kids. It is something that I need to do more often. My mind was clear off all of my obligations and lists of things to do. I was vulnerable and open and was able to turn my fear into praise. Once it was over, I was starving - no food for 4 hours before the procedure and it had been several hours since I had gotten to the hospital. I was also exhausted - I have had so much on my mind that I had not gotten a good nights sleep and I had been without caffeine all day due to the scan. I did sleep well that night, but woke up with my mind racing the next morning. I was really good at turning it over to God, but I needed to work on not taking it back! Now I had to wait a whole week for my results. My dermatology office called to check in and told me to follow up with them immediately after my oncology appointment. Well, my appointment finally came this past Thursday, April 3rd. The oncologist walked in and the first thing he said was that my scan came back "PERFECT!" and that my blood work did too!! He diagnosed the lesion as Early Stage Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma with no indication of disease outside the skin. Thank you Jesus!! He was precious, truly precious with a great sense of humor and a wonderful demeanor. He explained it all to us and even did a quick exam before he released me back into the care of my dermatologist. He said that he wanted me to have the peace of mind knowing that I was okay. He reminded me of an silver haired Dave Foley (News Radio). We stopped off at my dermatologist (her office is in the same building) to give her the good news. We also discussed my treatment options which include radiation or surgery. The radiation is a commitment of about 10 visits with the potential for side effects and the surgery will leave me with a scar front and center and can possibly take more than one attempt. We also discussed the possibility of a Mohs surgeon, which is the option we have decided upon. It is a very precise surgery that will remove the lesion, formerly known as the nubbin, taking only enough skin to have clear margins and leave me with minimal scarring. With this procedure, only one surgery is needed to get all of the affected skin. I am not looking forward to it, but it is way better than what I could have been facing!! I have not been posting about this as it was happening and only sending out email updates to my closest friends because we had decided not to say anything to the kids until we knew for sure. Both of my oldest boys (and many of their friends) check the blog often so I just wanted to be the one to share my story with them first. Thankfully it has a happy ending!

Easter Activities

2008-04-02T12:05:00.000-05:00

Easter Egg Hunt
Baskets Full of Goodies
Sam's First Easter Bunny Sighting

I am behind on posting and pictures, as usual. Part of the problem is the fact that we have about 5 different digital cameras and we do not always download them all at once. There is always one in the car, my purse, Russ has one, there is my favorite "takes the BEST pictures EVER outdoors, but don't even think about using it inside," and of course the good ole Digital SLR which takes great pictures but is a little too bulky for everyday. Here are some shots of Sam and Emma that we just downloaded....

How did we spend our 15th Anniversary???

2008-03-26T09:08:00.000-05:00

Bet you didn't guess at a Flag Football game! Jack's first game was last Thursday night (the 20th) so we all packed up (after Jack's guitar practice) and headed to the field. It got really cold when the sun went down but our team won the game and we had a great time. In all fairness, Russ and I went to dinner at Atkins Park (YUM!) on Wednesday night to celebrate our anniversary and then went shopping at TJ Maxx. You can tell we are getting old!

Official Easter Pictures

2008-03-23T21:40:00.000-05:00

Hopping Down The Bunny Trail.....

2008-03-23T21:11:00.001-05:00

The Easter Bunny always leaves a trail of eggs leading the kids to their baskets from their rooms. Sam was so ready when he woke up - he grabbed his basket and started to gather his eggs. When he saw his brothers picking up their eggs, he paused and just watched them, taking it all in. He really learns by watching, and he is always so eager. He was delighted with his basket goodies. Emma's favorite treat was a crown of roses for her hair. She immediately put it on and even wore it to church. She just looked beautiful!

Mamna's Annual Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-23T20:00:00.001-05:00

Sam would not pick up the eggs that were open - he skipped them all until we showed him how to snap them back together

Finders of the Golden Egg

Every year my mom has all of the grandchildren to her house for a big egg hunt. This year things have been a little different because my mom's 60th birthday falls over Easter weekend. I planned a party for her on Saturday with friends and family so she had thought that she might just skip the hunt this year. The kids were so upset when they found out! It is great to see that the 10 and 12 year olds still regard this as one of their favorite family traditions. She had treats for every one and they grilled out hotdogs. The greatest prize is to find one of the golden eggs. Robbie was so ready for the eggs this year - he ran out screaming, smiling, his golden hair lifting with each bounce. It just made me smile. The kids always enjoy the time with their cousins - they are best friends. Sam was so thrilled - this was his first egg hunt and he kept up with all the others. It is a joy to see him finally getting to experience all of these little family traditions.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2008-03-17T19:33:00.002-05:00

Today was all about GREEN! We had so much fun - we spent over an hour at the dinner table. We did not have any activities or obligations this afternoon after Cub Scouts so we were able to have an evening all together. Emma helped me turn the apple sauce green, and she was so proud of herself. We had an all green dinner and we also made Lime Freezes (lime sherbert and 7-Up) like my grandmother made me when I was little. We really enjoyed slowing down and just being together. And Sam finally learned his first color - GREEN, of course!

MMmmmmm.....

2008-02-12T20:56:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to wish you Happy National Pancake Day! We, of course, celebrated with a trip to our local IHOP. A free shortstack for each guest along with a suggestion that you consider donating to the Children's Miracle Network. We have a few locations to choose from and we had to pick Coleman up from school at 8 p.m. (he had been there since I dropped him off at 7:45 a.m. - middle school has a lot to offer, and it is a lot of fun, but somedays are way too long) so we narrowed it down to 2. The one closest to the school is really small and has a funny smell. It is not in the best part of town, but tends to not generally be crowded (probably for the reasons I just mentioned). Then there is the bigger location that is newer and in the mall area, so generally pretty busy. We decide to go with a possible wait at the busier location over taking our life and our health into our own hands. The place is packed as it would be on free pancake night - but with college students. We were not thinking about the local University and all of the starving students there for free pancakes. It was pretty funny - they all ordered the free pancakes and a water. I remember those days all too well!

There is a funny story about the way this all started. In trying to find a variety of soft foods for Sam, I decided we would have pancakes for dinner last Tuesday night. The kids came home from school and were so excited because someone in Coleman's class had told them it was National Pancake Day. I thought it was really coincidental that I was already planning on making pancakes. That was also Nubbin Day so we decided that instead of making pancakes, we would go out and get some. We show up to IHOP (really not somewhere we regularly go, contrary to the past week) and I jokingly remarked that the parking lot was really empty for Nat'l Pancake Day. I really thought that it was just one of those random holidays that you only know about if you have a free Hallmark pocket calendar. We get to the table and see the sign about free pancakes and think "Bonus! Everybody is stupid but us - we are here at IHOP on Nat'l Pancake Day and we get free pancakes.......But wait, Robbie what is it that you are reading? The 12th? No, it can't be." But yes it was - we were a week early for this National Holiday. So then and there we swore to brave the crowds and celebrate for the 2nd week in a row. Honestly, you would think we have all the time in the world, the way we galavant around from IHOP to IHOP. We ate our shortstack, donated to a good cause, and I hope you will join us next year!

My Nubbin

2008-02-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

(1995) Chandler Bing from the Friends TV show. In The One With Phoebe's Husband, he refers to his third nipple as his "nubbin", but eventually has it removed via an operation he calls a "nubbinectomy" (the word implying surgical removal of a nubbin). When asked by another character (Ross) if it could "do" anything, he replied that it could "open the delivery entrance to the magical land of Narnia." Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernumerary_nipple

The welt/bump/lump that we affectionately call "My nubbin" appears to be looking better. Not so much smaller, but less angry. I think that the antibiotic the dermatologist gave me is working and that is a good sign. We still have no test results back, but after a week on the meds, I do notice a difference. Although not technically a "nubbin," I wonder if a nubbinectomy would do the trick!? One more week and we should know something - thanks for your concern!

Creature of Habit

2008-02-11T22:57:00.000-05:00

My little Sam is such a creature of habit. To explain, he had to wear arm splints in the hospital to keep him from touching his mouth. We were instructed to keep them on him at home unless he was being watched. Well, he is always being watched because he is such a busy little bugger and gets into everything, so he just wore them at nap and nighttime. Now when he gets in bed, he automatically holds his arms out. Enough time has passed and his stitches are out so he really doesn't need them anymore, but still every time, he stretches out those little arms for his splints. Try and explain to him that he doesn't need them anymore! He gets very concerned and will insist that you put them on. Every day after nap, he gets up to go potty, wash his hands and get in the car for carpool. If he weren't so little he could do it all himself. And don't try to skip a step or change the order. He often uses a potty chair instead of the ring in the big potty (he is not big as a minute ~ almost 3 years old and wearing 12-18 month clothes). After he goes, I take the "pot" out, dump the contents, add some soap and water and rinse it out. After observing, he will go potty, jump up and try to pull out the "pot" and try to do it himself. I am all for independence, but this crosses a line for me. Again, it is that independent and habitual behavior. When he gets to the car, he expects a snack. For a while, we had those big industrial Sam's club size snack boxes in the garage. I would pull a snack out of the box to give him in the car. Since his surgery, he is only allowed to have soft and pureed foods, which is quite a challenge for a little guy with food issues and who expects things to happen the same way every time. We are very schedule oriented as much as possible (with 5 kids it is pure survival) so it only feeds his need for habitual behavior. This only adds to his frustration. I have now bought and baked softer snacks, which are kept inside. He would become very upset that the snack was not coming from the usual box. And he holds a grudge. He will cry for 30+ minutes over this and all the while refuse to eat the new snack, even though it is something that he loves. I don't push the issue. I find that if I just walk away and (figure out how to) deal with the tantrum, he will eventually calm down and accept the new way of doing things. Sometimes it takes a few days. There are some things that we can not give in to like the soft vs. crunchy food. Sam cried for days over not being able to eat goldfish after the surgery. That is what most of his tantrums have been over. The doctor says only soft and pureed food, and we are not veering from that. The long term is more important than giving in, creating a new habit and dealing with the effects. The kids have been great by not asking for or eating snack in front of Sam, and Emma is no worse for the wear eating lots of yogurt, pudding, applesauce and muffins. Sam has had little to no control over all of these huge changes in his life and he is exerting what little power he has left - and then to lose the foods that make life so wonderful and that were in great supply since coming home from China. It is sad and it tears at your heart, but then I think of the surgery and what opportunities will come his way as a result. Thanks to the tubes, he can now hear. Thanks to the palate repair, muscle pad build up and frenulectomy, he will have a chance to speak as clearly as you or I. Thanks to the stint, his surgical site has been protected from trauma and his pain has been lessened. Thanks to the plastic surgeon his scar has been cleaned up and lengthened to accomodate his growth and his nose is symmetrical. It is amazing how "in perspective" things can get after a few good nights sleep (for mom). And speaking of sleep, the poor little things still gurgles and rattles and snorts and snuffs (We read Moo, Baa, LaLaLa by Sandra Boynton ~ the rhinocerous snorts and snuffs so Emma says that Sam is our rhinocerous), so Jack has moved out of their room and now sleeps on an air mattress in Coleman and Robbie's room. The doctor said that this will pass as soon as the swelling goes down. Sam is such an amazing kid - resilliant as many kids are. His spirit is amazing. I am lucky to be his mommy!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2008-02-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

Gung Hay Fat Choy ! Happy New Year! This year we celebrated the Year of the Rat with our dear friends Carrie, Celia and Sonya (yes, Robbie's Sonya). They came over for dinner. Carrie stopped by Penang and brought us the most amazing food - I felt like we were in China (but with no squatty potties), the food was so authentic. We had ordered a few things from a local Chinese restaurant that were clearly westernized so it was really cool to eat things that we would not normally try here in the U.S. She even ordered us fish served in all it's glory just like in China - no waste. It was looking at me, teeth bared. I should have taken a picture. Carrie speaks fluent Chinese, something that you would not expect from this fair skinned, blonde haired, blue eyed Midwestern girl. She spoke to Sam in Chinese and told him a few commands which he followed! I was so happy to know that he still remembered. Carrie and another friend of ours, Francis, who is from Taiwan, have talked with me about starting a Chinese play group. I am hoping we can get this going soon. I want my older boys involved too. We had a great time and just enjoyed being together. We exchanged red envelopes and the kids played. It was very low key which is where we are at right now. Maybe next year we can go to a big celebration, but for now we kept it simple. Go and check out the cake that my friend Michele and fellow Chongyang mom had for their New Year celebration - it is amazing!

many thanks

2008-02-11T21:09:00.000-05:00

I really want to thank everyone for the comments, emails, phone calls and offers to help. Just knowing that you are here is so amazing. Writing the previous post was very cathartic - I really felt better just to get it out there and out of my mind and heart. And so many of you made me laugh, and I really needed to laugh. A family member commented that my posts are usually so upbeat and this was so unlike me. I am a positive person by nature. It is as much a part of me as my nose. But sometimes things are tough. I do not want someone reading this blog, following our story to get a false idea of what it is like to adopt and parent a toddler. It is not easy. Would I change a thing? Not in a million years. It is as fiercely amazing as it is difficult. My kids are wonderful. We get compliments on them everywhere they go - from their behavior to their intellect to their sense of style. But they are kids. They make messes and talk back and cry (oh how Sam cries....) and make me want to pull my hair out. I sometimes find that my jaw hurts, and I realize it is from gritting my teeth. I visited a blog tonight and this mom was honest about an encounter she had with her daughter that she felt weary about. Most moms have felt this way one time or another. And if you haven't, you probably aren't being honest with yourself. I do not want to parent Emma and Sam differently than I did my 3 older boys just because they are adopted. I love each of my children deeply. Do I take into consideration their life experiences when I react to them? Sure I do. When Sam was having those tremendous tantrums recently, I really thought about the 2 major life changes - adoption and surgery - this little creature had endured (and endured well, I might add) in the last 6 months of his life and who knows how many others in the past 2 years. Was is still frustrating? Absolutely!!! Talking to friends and sharing with other moms is so helpful. Your advice, support and listening was really what I needed to get over my slump. I am back to feeling good, laughing and enjoying my children. I have a good life.

Overwhelmed

2008-02-05T16:56:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel so overwhelmed that you just don't know where to start? I feel that way about my blog and my life right now. I have so much to say and so many photos to share that I don't even know where to start. I have so much to do that I don't even know where to start. I have started getting back into the swing of checking out the sites of people I have met online. There is a great debate going on over at 1000 blogs right now about Super Tuesday. Her blog is new to me, and I have really enjoyed reading it over the last 2 days. I am drawn to people who have the courage to say it the way it is and who aren't afraid to get "snarky," as Senja would say. Even if our views don't always agree. All right - it is catch up time. Since last October, 4 of my 5 kids had a birthday. I know am the proud mom of a 12, 10, 6, 3 and 2 year old! And that leads into being OVERWHELMED. Things have been really rough with Sam and his recovery. His medical recovery has been picture perfect, but along with that are numerous doctor appointments, some at 7 a.m. (about 45 minutes away) and with that comes trying to get all of my other 4 kids to 4 different schools, grandpa's house,.....at the crack of dawn. My kids are in private school and there are no busses. My dear friend Carrie drove to my house to get my kids to school one week during my appointments. Now that is a friend! We have had colder than normal temps and lots of rain (good thing) but it just adds to the mess. Atleast our snow issues are over - we love snow in the South, but not while my baby is in the hospital. As good as the medical issues have been (Thank you Jesus), the behavioral issues have been horrible. I can not even begin to describe how bad things have been. These fits and tantrums are like none I have ever seen or experienced (and I have experienced a few). I feel so bad for him, but at the same time it is so frustrating. From the day of Sam's surgery forward, I went nonstop for 10 days, with little sleep, trying to keep up with Sam and keep our daily life on track. If we skip a day of laundry it takes double time to keep up. I was looking forward to the weekend where I could share some of the responsibilities with Russ. As the weekend approached, plans for Russ and our 2 oldest boys to go to Charleston with Boy Scouts were finalized. I was so upset. I was exhausted and needed a break. I really thought we were going to talk about it. It had been planned back a few months ago but when Sam's surgery was scheduled we were going to "reevaluate" things as the weekend got closer. Russ' birthday was the day before they left and I lightly expressed my opinion, in respect for his special day. I could not believe he was going on this trip, knowing I was exhausted and starting a migraine. He still doesn't really understand what I was upset about and I still have yet to get a "break." While they were in Charleston, Robbie started running a 102.5 degree fever, so I was tending to him while helping Sam through his tantrums and of course all of the attention to the boys caused Emma to seek more Mommy Time for herself. I could not even speak to Russ when they got home. And here we are a week later, and still no true break for Mommy. I know that being a mom is 24/7 and I welcome it, love it, However..... sometimes our bodies and spirits just need some respite. Things with Sam are looking up. For the past 4 days, I have seen a dramatic improvement in Sam and his frustration. He had a little setback today (I will get into all that soon). I had a dermatology appointment and he went to stay at MiMi's house. He just loves going there, but he was uneasy today and had some trouble. I picked him up this morning and it continued to be a difficult day, but by this evening he was back to our sweet little Sam. While I was at the dermatologist, I got some unexpected news. I have a bump on my chest that was not a mole, more like a hive that you would get if you were having an allergic reaction. My doctor was puzzled by it. She tried to lance it (OUCH!) but to no avail so she biopsied it (OUCH x 2). We will get the results in about 2 weeks. She is concerned about it but told me not to worry (yea, right! has she met me??). I have had basal cell issues in the past, but this could be more than that. I would appreciate your prayers. There is a good chance that it is a MRSA cell, just a superficial abcess related to the strain that Emma and Sam had in the fall. I will keep you updated. She put me on an antibiotic and is hoping that it will cause the bump to flatten and go away. That is my prayer.

Sam is HOME! (Finally!)

2008-01-19T18:09:00.000-05:00

We went into this surgery knowing that Sam would need to stay one night in the hospital, but Mommy was so not prepared for that one night to turn into three!! Honestly, once I got used to the idea that he was not coming home on Thursday, I was relieved that he was able to stay and get the pain management and care that he needed. He was having trouble eating and he was holding saliva in his mouth because it hurt too bad to swallow it. He rattled and snuffled in his sleep and could only sleep between 15-45 minutes at a time. Russ and I had decided before hand that he would stay with Sam at the hospital the whole time and that I would be there for as much time as possible, but that I would take care of the other kids since I know their schedules, get them ready for school, etc... All that "Mom" stuff that is too hard to explain to anyone else. When I went to spend the day with him on Thursday he was still groggy and in a lot of pain. He was happy to see me though and moved around in his bed for the first time since the surgery. I left at carpool time to pick up the boys, Emma and my mom and dad to go back up to the hospital for the evening. He lit up when he saw everyone and seemed to feel so much more at ease. I cannot imagine what was going through his little mind. This huge experience so soon after leaving China. You could see the concern in his eyes. He was so funny trying to "explain" to me what happened to him. He would make all sorts of grunting sounds and then point at his lip to show me. By Friday when I was up at the hospital, I could see a significant difference and my sweet, lively little Sam was coming back to me. I was so encouraged to see him starting to get back to his old self. He still wasn't eating much and was still "gurgling." I guess I should explain all that was done during his surgery. The ENT put tubes in his ears and performed a frenulectomy (correcting his tied tongue), the craniofacial surgeon revised the scar on his lip by lengthening it to allow for growth (the scar had started to pull his lip up and his nose down because although Sam is growing, the scar is not), reshaped his nostril, closed the palate and created a muscle pad in the back of his mouth using muscle that was already there (causing his difficulty in swallowing food and saliva), and the dentist placed a protective stint (like a clear retainer) that covers his teeth and palate, but did not have to extract any teeth like he originally thought he might. In fact he told us that Sam's teeth look great! They may be in funny locations all around his mouth (he even has one that is completely sideways), but they are all extremely clean and healthy. Dr. Williams came in this morning and discharged Sam just in time for him to get home as the first snowflakes started to fall. We rarely get snow and for it to happen so much during this time in our life was a little unnerving, but we were really able to enjoy it today. We played outside while Sam was napping (i.e. knocked out from the pain meds) so I am hoping it will still be snowy tomorrow so that he can experience his first snow. The forecast says it should get down to 17 degrees tonight. We are not really used to those temperatures! We are all so glad to have him home. The boys all made signs to post around the house welcoming him home and when he walked in the door, Sam ran up and gave everyone a hug! It was so sweet, and he was so happy to be back at home. He has been a happy little guy today. We love him so much and are so glad that this is behind us! Thank you so much for your prayers, emails,..... They have meant so much!

Sam's Surgery

2008-01-16T22:26:00.000-05:00

He is actually smiling in this picture, but his little face is so swollen it is hard to tell!

Our little guy had his BIG surgery today. He was so good. I cannot say enough about our hospital, Children's HealthCare of Atlanta, Scottish Rite. The nurses are amazing and the amenities are equal to a nice hotel. They even have room service and family activities. Our team of doctors, Dr. Williams (Craniofacial/Plastic Surgeon), Dr. Thomas (Craniofacial Dentist) and Dr. Aiden (ENT) were comforting and more than competent. Each visited us before and after their part in the surgery and promised to treat Sam as is he were their own. Sam, of course, has charmed everyone he comes in contact with. I have so many details to share, but I need to get some sleep first. I will update tomorrow. Oh, and by the way, it RARELY ever snows here, and wouldn't you know it - it was like a blizzard. I left the hospital (Russ is still there) to get my other children settled and then go back up, but now I am snowed in at home. As much as I look forward to even a flake of snow, I am hoping it will be warm enough tomorrow so that I can get to my baby!!!

Emma Then and Now

2007-10-25T12:16:00.000-05:00

October 24, 2007

October 24, 2005

Today is Celebrate Emma Day!!!

2007-10-24T19:55:00.000-05:00

Celebrating Emma is not all about presents, but more about family. We did decide, however, that on each anniversary of the day we received our sweet daughter, we would present her with something of significance from China so that we could use that opportunity to celebrate her heritage as well!

(Please notice her RED shoes in the picture above!)
We bought this for her while we were in China with Sam
Silly girl

Two years ago today, this precious child, Chong Si Yue, was placed in my arms for the first time and at that moment I was changed forever. As amazing and wonderful as she was on that day, I had no idea just how amazing she could be. She delights us and brings us pure joy EVERY DAY!!! She is so funny and witty and stubborn and moody and DRAMATIC and lovable and charming and beautiful and full of grace and delightful and sweet and I could go on for days. I know we have all heard it a thousand times, but she is the perfect child for our family. She loves to dress up and LOVES flip flops. If she cannot find her flip flops, she must have on her pair of RED patten leather Mary Janes. Her giggle is contagious and her spirit is overflowing. When they first handed her to me, she came to me willingly and without reservation and our bond as mother and daughter has continued to grow each day from that point. She knew I was Mommy and I knew without a doubt that she was my little girl. Emma is everything we could have imagined and so much more. I am so thankful that we followed the lead of our Lord and put all of our fears aside and went on the journey that led us to our precious daughter. Happy Emma Day my sweetie!

Student Council!

2007-10-22T11:18:00.000-05:00

Helping Mommy Cook
Mr. Student Council
Celebrating with My Brother

Jack was elected Student Council representative for his class this year! We are so proud of him! Ironically, our older son Coleman was elected during his 4th grade year also. The first thing Jack said when he got in the car was - "I won student council, do I get a cake like you made for Coleman when he got elected?" It's all about keeping score.... and keeping it fair! That's Jack for you! Of course, he got his cake and a party too!

Through The Eyes Of A Child

2007-10-22T08:29:00.000-05:00

This is the coolest thing I have ever seen
No, mom, I mean it - Come look!!

The littlest things just delight Sam and it really helps to keep life in perspective. We had been home from China with Sam for several weeks before it rained (Welcome to the Drought Ridden South!). The day that it did finally rain, Sam was so excited! He kept grabbing my arm and pulling me to the window and pointing with all of his might. I am sure that he has seen rain before, but definitely not since we had been home and never with this much freedom. It just melted my heart to see his excitement over something that most people take for granted. He stayed at the window for most of the day, admiring the rain.

First Day Of School (back in Sept.)

2007-10-22T08:25:00.000-05:00

All smiles in the Parking Lot
Sam at school and loving it!
I may have to be here, but I don't have to like it!

Where in the world have we been?????

2007-10-14T11:38:00.000-05:00

It’s been a long time, I know. Busy doesn’t even begin to describe it. Emma and Sam have both been battling staph infections. It started with Emma the week after we arrived home from our wonderful weekend in Kentucky. It was the Friday before Labor Day and we went to the doctor because she had an angry looking bump on her back. Having been around the block as far as kids (and all of their ailments) go, I knew something wasn’t right. He pierced the lesion with a needle (poor Emma!!) and took a culture. He told me that the MRSA staph (very resistant) was going around and they were seeing a surprising number of cases in toddlers. He gave us a Sulfa based antibiotic and told us to call over the long weekend to get the results. Everything else on Friday was fine. I took her to Dunkin Donuts to celebrate her bravery, gave her the meds and all was well. Saturday morning (after having taken 2 doses of the medicine), she woke up and looked as if her entire body had been scalded. She had streaks going down her face from her forehead, through her eyes, and down her cheeks. All of her joints were slightly swollen and red with a scalded looking rash. Her feet and hands were peeling as if she had been burned and were actually painful. She appeared to be having an adverse reaction to the medicine. I read the Patient Advisory Leaflet (for those who know me, you are saying “Of course you did”) that came with the meds and it mentioned Stevens-Johnson syndrome which is a potentially fatal skin peeling disease. We went to Urgent Care where she confirmed that she was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. She did test her for strep just to rule out a scarletina rash that can accompany strep which of course came back negative. She also showed me how to draw the infection out of the staph lesion to the surface with warm compresses and gently squeeze the infection out - we were to do this 3 times a day and then apply a prescription antibiotic cream on the area. The doctor said that the results showed that Emma did in fact have MRSA staph and the antibiotic that she could not tolerate was the best course of treatment for the strain that she has. She conferred with the Infectious Disease Center and then swapped her to an antibiotic called Cleocin, which is the children’s version of Clindamycin, an antibiotic that I was on last fall. It was horrible, and my doctor took me off of it after only a few doses. It too can have very frightening side effects. The Urgent Care pharmacy did not have any so we went to our local pharmacy who also did not have it. We finally located it at the 4th pharmacy we visited. (The first time I have been thankful that there is a pharmacy on every corner in our town). They only had half a prescription’s worth of it so we took what they had and they would order the rest of it to arrive in a few days. The pharmacist asked Russ if Emma was still in diapers to which Russ replied “Will it upset her stomach and give her diarrhea?” The older pharmacist slid his bifocals down his nose and peered over them at Russ and said, “Oh, it’ll give her diarrhea!!” Wow, something else to look forward to! The Urgent Care physician called us that night just to check on her. It was a very sweet gesture, but also concerned us about how serious this was. The next day, the other doctor on call for the weekend called us and said that they had tested the culture against antibiotics to see what it was resistant to and found that it was resistant to the Cleocin so she was swapping us to yet another antibiotic (I truly was relieved). She had talked with the other physicians and Infectious Disease again and they were prescribing a Cephalosporin antibiotic. She tolerated it beautifully and we really saw an improvement within days. She was to take the antibiotic 4 times per day which is really difficult with a toddler who goes to bed and sleeps for about 12 hours, not to mention her daily nap. We would try and stay awake to give her the last night dose but we were exhausted by that point and would sleep though and wake up at 4 a.m. too close to her 6 a.m. dose to give it to her. We were able to finish the course of treatment and then 4 days after she finished the antibiotic, the staph came back with 5 lesions this time. Of course, backing up in our story, Sam developed a staph infection as well just a few days after Emma. He tolerated the first antibiotic well and healed much more quickly than she did. But I also knew what to look for and caught his really early. Right before this happened they started Mother’s Morning Out at the church where all of my children have attended preschool. That is a sweet story. I really was concerned about sending Sam this early after coming home from China and had decided against it. I spoke with the teacher at length about our decision and how, when I signed them up in February during Registration, I had not expected it to take us until late summer to bring Sam home. She understood and said she would welcome him whenever we chose to send him. Now Miss Emma on the other hand, was set to go from day one. This year I am a Kindergarten room mom for Robbie’s class and also hold a position on our school board and I needed a few hours a week to give my attention to those roles. I am such a softy, I had already decided to take her late and pick her up a little early so she is really only there for about 2 hours on the mornings that she goes. Between the school activities and my 5 kids, I was thankful for any time I could get just to go to the grocery store by myself!! All this aside, right before our staph episode, the first day of school arrived for the divine Miss Em. We had already visited the classroom and we had been talking about singing and painting and play doh and the playground and the playroom, etc… and Emma had been talking a good game. “For me???” she would exclaim. “Yes, for you, sweetie” was my response. All of this fun can be yours if you just go to preschool. She picked out her “bee-U-ti-ful” dress and had her backpack and as Sam and I walked her in, we talked about all of the fun she would have and we got to the door of her classroom, and WAIT….Where’s Sam?? In the classroom? Smiling, giggling, having fun?? Why, yes, that is him - not wanting to leave - running up to hug me and then back to all the toys and fun with but a mere wave at his mom! I am aghast! And Emma?? How is she doing? Oh, yes, that is her, sprawled out on the floor in her bee-u-ti-ful dress screaming - seriously, SPRAWLED out on the floor in the most unladylike fashion, making a ruckus like none they had ever seen (oh yes, they politely told me that nothing surprises them, that they have seen it all, that comparatively this is mild….I did not believe a word, but it did seem to help a bit). They scoop her up and as I watch from behind the two way glass, I see her drama melting away to a tolerance of the fun. The director, who I have known for over 10 years, tells me that they will call me if they have any concerns. I say, "But what about Sam??" She says "I’ll call you, I promise, but they will be fine." I feel like I am a first time mom again sending my first baby away to preschool for the first time, but wait - I am a veteran mom of 5(!!!!) and the director is holding my hand through it all yet again. My babies are growing up. I of course worried that maybe Sam wasn’t bonding - that he didn’t care to leave me, but he had acknowledged me before he went on to play, so then of course I worried he would think I was leaving him, but he didn’t seem concerned. They will call me - they know our story and they know me. Things will be fine. I stayed close and ran a few errands and went to pick them up early. They were playing so nicely and having so much fun that I did not have the heart to stop them. I waited a little longer (still wanting to get them home and fed and napped before Robbie’s Kindergarten carpool) and picked them up. They both ran to me with big hugs and kisses with a Great First Day report from their teachers. So far so good. Then the staph strikes and we miss the next few weeks of school. However, I am happy to report that now that we are back in the routine of going to school (last week was our first full week back) everyone is doing great! They love it - Sam always runs ahead once we are in the building to get to the classroom, Emma hangs on mom for the last few steps before her big goodbye. By this time, Sam is already playing, but always runs back over for one last hug, kiss and a wave before going back to the fun. And there are ALWAYS big hugs and kissed when mommy comes back to pick them up. And I finally have some time to make doctor and hair appointments, work up at the other kids’ school, have breakfast with a friend or just go shopping. It is only a few hours a week and I miss them like CRAZY, but it is good for all of us! This week they had picture day and the school photographer even took some of them together. I can’t wait to get them back! Their teacher said that they should be precious. I never dreamed of sending Sam so soon and look how wonderful it has been. He is so very smart! Even with the speech issues relating to his cleft palate, he still tries to imitate what we say. He will even say “Go Dawgs!” and it is the sweetest thing you have ever heard. He understands just about everything we say to him and we have only been home for 2 months. He really is spooky smart! We just love him so much and cannot get enough of him. Blogging-wise, in the midst of all of this, my network card in my laptop goes out, so no internet there. We buy one of those cards you just put into the side of your computer and my laptop has a special configuration (of course it does) and the standard size won’t fit so we have to order a special one. Then our home computer starts to run slow, we get that fixed and the mouse goes out, we get a new one and then the monitor starts smoking - literally! There was smoke literally coming from the monitor along with a “zztt-zztt” sound. We got a new monitor and there is something wrong with it, so we get another new monitor - only we have to order this one. Well, finally on Friday, the new monitor and the special card for my laptop both arrive and I am back online and ready to go!!! The rest of our family is doing great! Their activities keep up going all the time. There are cub/boy scout camping trips, work days, meetings, school projects and lots of school programs lately along with homework, piano, student council,….. It is never ending, but I am so proud of them and all that they have achieved! I am including pictures of Emma during the staph episode. Even all red-faced, she is still a beauty! And Sam is so handsome!!!!!

2007-10-14T11:21:00.000-05:00

My Poor Little Baby Girl
Never too sick to cheer on the Dawgs!
Breaks my heart
Sam says "Go Dawgs!"

Our Day with Anslee (Oh, yeah, and her mom and dad too!)

2007-08-29T18:49:00.000-05:00

Our Delta River Boat Ride

Water Girl Annslee wanting out of the boat

Welcome to America where we give BIG hugs!!

Joy

Brotherly Love

Annslee checking out this new bib thing

The water mesmerized them all

Annslee being cautious after slipping on the stairs

Robbie explaining how this whole "fountain thing" works

Sam joining in on the fun

Annslee sure does love her daddy!

Big Hugs

Monkey See Monkey Do!

I am not really sure what this is all about......

What a good big (by 4 months) sister

Yes, that is Annslee the Pole Dancer

More Pictures Of Our Trip

2007-08-29T18:38:00.000-05:00

Robbie and Olivia
MMmmm....Banana Split!
Two Cuties
The Tricycle Safety "Race"
And rounding the corner....It's Sam!
Robbie is checking out to make sure his wheel crosses the line first - I had to remind him that this was about safety not winning!!

I have so much to share and don't even know where to start!!!

2007-08-28T12:07:00.000-05:00

Little Miss Attitude

The most incredible balloon jungle!!

Are they checking each other out??

Come on Emma, Sophia is smiling!

Sam, Emma and Sophia

Look up quick Sophia so we can get the picture!

All Dressed Up

Jack, Robbie, Sam, Emma, Olivia, Sophia and Coleman

Things have been non stop since we got home as you can imagine! Getting adjusted to life with 5 (yikes!) kids, starting back to school, homework, after school activities, going on our family trip to the Horse Show in Kentucky, blah, blah, blah....

We went to Kentucky last week with Russ' family for the World's Championship Horse Show. We visited all of the exhibits and even spent a night riding rides and playing games at the Kentucky State Fair (too HOT to go during the day!) Our dear friends, The Proctors, live just a few miles away from where we stay and we were able to meet up again this year. We met David and Becky from our DTC yahoo group when we were waiting to adopt Emma. They have a 4 year old daughter Olivia who is the cutest stinkin' thing you have ever seen, and a 2 year old daughter Sophia who is so beautiful and reserved - at least around us anyway! :o) We met last year also and hope to continue the tradition for years to come. Robbie and Olivia velcroed themselves to one another again this year like they did last year. It is so cute!! They still look the same as last year, only taller. We walked all over the exhibition hall and had lunch together (yum - fair food!!) We had so much fun with them and cannot wait to meet up with them again next year! We did not watch as much of the Horse Show this year as usual because we just have so many kids now! Ha! Sam did amazingly well - he was very friendly and social. He waved to and interacted with anyone who was near him. Emma tends to be more on the shy side with a heart full of emotion ready to spill out at a moment's notice. She did warm up to everyone before long and was her sweet charming self. Taking pictures with the Proctors was really funny - Sophia would smile and cooperate when Emma wouldn't and vice versa. I think we may have still gotten a couple of good photos. On Sunday we drove home and stopped in Nashville along the way to meet with the Ladybugs and Dragonflies Family . We also met them on our DTC yahoo group. Their daughter Annslee is so precious and full of pure joy! She is a real hoot! She loves to run and jump and climb, meanwhile Emma just watched her from her stroller while making sure her headband was in the right place and she still had her purse! They were so cute together and have the bond of both being from the SPICY Hubei province, but their personalities are so different (except for the stubborn spiciness!! Ha!). They really complimented each other well. Laura said that Annslee had never worn a bib before and the minute she saw Emma wearing hers (Emma likes to be clean and tidy!), she wanted one so we let her wear a spare one that was in the back pack. It was so cute! Then when Annslee was jumping and dancing around the fountain, Emma decided that she needed to join in. I loved seeing them look to the other for ideas on what to do. We took a boat ride through the Delta at the Opryland Hotel and had lunch before playing by the fountain. Little Annslee fell and busted her lip but she was a wonderful "patient" and let us doctor her right up. We are hoping to be able to meet up with them again soon!

We Are Back!

2007-08-20T11:08:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a journey this has been (and still is)! The older boys are back at school - I cannot believe that I have a middle schooler!! Aahh! Also one in 4th grade, and my baby is in Kindergarten. Time just goes by too fast! But I know everyone wants to know about the newest addition to our household - Sam! He is just wonderful. Things are going better than I ever dreamed they could. He is so sweet and obedient and so smart! He learns more and gets more comfortable every day!! The bonding has gone really well. In China, it was all about Daddy and now that we are at home, it is all about Mommy. Emma has adjusted well to being a big sister and of course Robbie, who is always full of joy, delights in having Sam for a little brother. Coleman and Jack continue to be amazing big brothers. The only issues we have relate to food, with the occasional potty/sanitary issue. It will all come in time. Sam wants to eat ALL THE TIME! Bless his heart, he eats (and poops) nonstop. It has become his security blanket. Instead of a lovey, he will carry around a sealed snack pack of Spiderman Cheez Its all day long. Just having it with him, knowing he could eat it at anytime, makes him feel comfortable. He calls me Mama already and when he dropped something the other day he said "Uh Oh!" He signs for more (when he wants more food) and has recently begun to say it too. He has a great sense of humor and laughs a lot. He is very loving and happy. He loves to go to the pantry and point out what he wants to eat. He gets so excited and will squeal and clap. He will say "Ni Hao" (very nasal sounding voice with the open palate) and wave, and then he will wave if someone says "Goodbye." He is potty trained, but we put him in Pull Ups because in China he had the freedom to relieve himself wherever he was. We decided with all of the flights and bus rides and the language barrier, not to mention some tummy issues, to go with Pull Ups. He still wears them here at home as we all try to get on a schedule. He will occasionally have an accident, usually during carpool when we don't have access to a potty and he is still not vocal enough to let us know. He doesn't seem to mind - I am hoping that he does not get used to it. He really is good about using the potty, but for the past 2 weeks, with the increased food intake, I feel like that we spend a good portion of the day pottying. And he does not have the potty etiquette issues (for lack of anything better to call it!) that we have so we are really working on that. Mommy will not compromise on sanitary issues. He is a really good listener, and he is not getting as upset anymore when I try to redirect him. He responds well to "No" and does not get upset (I wish the same were true for his sister). We had our first visit with the pediatrician who thinks he is great and really healthy. So far, we have gotten the results from one of his tests and everything looks great. We should receive results from the other tests soon. His motor skills were always good, but he did not have a lot of muscle strength. Now we can really see an improvement! I took Emma and Sam to the playground and they played on the swings, slides and stairs. They had a lot of fun, and it was great to see how far Sam has come in the past 2 weeks! We have our first appointment with the Cleft Team in November. At first, I was really upset that it was so far away, but I have realized that with our schedule, it is probably a blessing. This will allow us to get used to all of our activities and schedules before adding this very important aspect of our lives. He eats well and has learned how to adjust the way he eats and drinks to accommodate the unrepaired palate. Well, I am sure there are a thousand other things that I want to tell you, but there is plenty of time for that. Enjoy the pictures!

Away We Go

2007-07-26T08:57:00.000-05:00

Having trouble posting- we will try again later. The link to our Story of You site is http://www.thestoryof you.net/SamuelRay.html.

Rainy Days, Packing, and Excitement

2007-07-24T13:11:00.000-05:00

So Sweet

Just hanging outMarching to the rain
Is it still raining????

We finally got some rain this past week (back to warm and sunny today) and we were really happy to have an excuse to stay in our jammies all day! The kids just hung out reading, watching TV and bugging each other. I tried to get some packing (ironing!) done because we are leaving on Thursday - yes, this Thursday! The grandparents are coming to take care of the little ones left at home, while us big kids GO TO CHINA! The wait has really gone on for so long, that we are now scrambling to get it all together. I am trying to have us ready to go back to school before we leave because it will start back the week after we come home. We are getting our back to school haircuts, shoes, books, etc. so we don't have to try and get it all done jet lagged with a new son who has never even seen a car seat before! We got all of our travel meds, snacks, and yes, new suitcases and in a little over 36 hours, the limo will arrive to take us to the airport. We will post to The Story of You (another thing I can finally scratch off my To Do List) - I emailed her all of the info today and we should have a link by tonight. Without the link you go to The Story of You and click on In China Now (that will happen after we leave of course) and then click on Samuel Ray. You can email us from that site. It will link to our Yahoo email account because we know we can access Yahoo from China. We would love to get email from you while we are there. When we traveled for Emma and were feeling tired, overwhelmed and homesick, it was great to have words to read from our friends at home. You will never know how much it means! I will also try to update this site as well, but I know blogger can be persnickety at times - especially in China. We really appreciate any and all prayers - we are praying for a hedge of protection around every aspect of this trip - travel, nerves, health, anxiety over leaving little ones at home, our transition with Sam, his anxiety and fear of the unknown, jet lag, and on and on......We cannot wait to be home and post pictures of Sam with his new family!

We Were Starting To Think This Day Would Never Come......

2007-07-16T14:46:00.000-05:00

It's Official - We received our TA today!! Thanks be to God for only His timing is perfect! Our agency has requested for our travel to be from July 26-Aug 4th. We will know tomorrow if they got their requested consulate appointment which is what really determines when we travel. We are so excited!!! I notified Russ by text message on his phone because he was at the endodontist having a root canal. Maybe our celebratory dinner will have to come later this week! :o) We are all jumping around doing the snoopy dance. For the past week, I have felt as if my feet were bolted to the floor - like I could not pack or move forward with anything until our TA arrived. It has been a strange feeling, and I finally feel free - no longer on pins and needles, but able to plan and pull my packing lists back out. I am hoping that we will really find out our exact travel dates tomorrow. There was a chance, as we got closer to the start of the school year (first day of school is August 14th), that one of us might have to stay home to get the kids registered and ready to go. I had to turn it over to God and try not take it back (which is always the hardest part) - that everything would work out the way it was supposed to. As you can see from the picture above, our little Sam has truly grown up into a boy before our eyes as we have waited for him. His mommy (and daddy) cannot wait to give him a hug!! We are hoping for more good news tomorrow!

A Really Funny Coincidence

2007-07-12T13:50:00.000-05:00

We were eating lunch on my birthday on our way home from the beach at my favorite little local hangout, The Coastal, in the sleepy little fishing town of Panacea, Florida. Coleman spots a pink Coastal can coozie for sale on the counter and goes with Russ to buy it for me for my birthday - really sweet. I can always count on Coleman to look for ways to make my day just a little brighter. He surprises me with it, and of course Miss Emma wants to have it. I hear her saying "sticker" while I am hugging Coleman for being so thoughtful. I turn around to find this:

My Beautiful Emma

2007-07-11T13:20:00.001-05:00

How Many Pictures Did I Take????

2007-07-11T09:29:00.000-05:00

Jack is holding the moon in his hands
Robbie is tall enough to touch the moon
I took this picture of the boys in the dark as they were walking back

Well, I am hoping to finish up our Beach Trip so that I can move onto all of the things we have been doing since we got home. I love to take pictures and have a room in our basement where I keep all of my photos (pre digital camera) and have a desk and tables to scrapbook and do all sorts of crafty things as well as wrap gifts and just get away. It is decorated in a Beach theme - I will have to go down there and take some pictures of it to post - but first I need to download all of my cameras (yes, plural - I have one for every occasion). For now, enjoy the rest of the pictures from the beach.

The Traditional Kids' Photos

2007-07-08T16:49:00.000-05:00

Every time we go on vacation, I always "warn" the kids that one night we will take pictures on the beach and that they need to show their best smiles. They always indulge me because they know it is one of my favorite things and how much it means to me. I love taking photos - especially when I have such beautiful subjects! Emma loves to get her picture taken so I can always count on her to be a good sport! ;o)

More Beach Pictures!!

2007-07-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

Coleman on the Boogie Board

Jack is always looking for something to catch.....

Robbie thinks he is as BIG as his brothers!

Playing Yahtzee with Mamna

Coleman was so sweet with Robbie in the water and stayed right with him, always reminding us that he earned his Swimming Merit Badge at Boy Scout Camp and was certified in Swimming/Lifesaving. You can really see how much they resemble each other!

Sweet, Sweet Robbie

Brothers

4th of July

2007-07-04T21:18:00.000-05:00

We spend every 4th of July with my family celebrating my grandfather's birthday. This year we celebrated his 88th (!!) Birthday. We really enjoy visiting with our family, cooking out and eating good ole homemade ice cream. We came home and watched fireworks and enjoyed the freedom our country allows us. It just doesn't get better than this!

2007-07-04T12:53:00.001-05:00

Emma On The Beach

2007-07-03T17:58:00.001-05:00

I just can't believe that this precious creature is my daughter!

More of the Bathing Beauty

2007-07-03T17:23:00.000-05:00

Who Taught This Girl To Pose???

2007-07-03T17:12:00.000-05:00

What kind of pose is this? I mean, really..... Is she having visions of runway modeling or the Miss America pageant? Either way, she knows she looks good.

What A Day! Or should I say What A Weekend!!

2007-07-02T21:52:00.000-05:00

My husband and kiddos (along with my parents) took me to the beach this weekend to celebrate my birthday!! It was an amazing weekend! The weather was beautiful and the beach house was more than I ever dreamed. We played on the beach, jumping waves, boogie boarding, hunting for shells, fishing and just spending time together. We ate and ate and ate..... At night we put the kids to bed and watched movies, we read on the porch in the hammock in the afternoon, and played Yahtzee in our spare time (as we always do on vacation). At night we would watch these amazing storms out at sea. The lightning was beautiful and lit up the whole ocean. It was just what I needed to get away from all the worries of TAs, packing, blah, blah, blah..... Just time with family doing nothing but making memories. I couldn't have asked for more! I did have to drive home on my actual birthday today, but we did eat at my favorite local restaurant before leaving the beach and I got to celebrate all weekend, so what is a little driving today? Thanks so much for all of the birthday wishes! I will post more pix later but these are from this morning.

Our Precious Son SAM!!!!

2007-06-26T15:50:00.000-05:00

Our agency received this picture of Sam from his orphanage late yesterday afternoon. We are beyond emotional at the first sight of Sam smiling!! All of his paperwork spoke of what a happy child he is, but, with all of the pictures we have received of him, we had yet to see him smile. I cried and laughed all evening! He is so precious!!!! And he is a BIG boy - not a baby. I feel like I have missed so much of his little life. This week I have seen LOAs coming to waiting families after only 70 days, and I am so happy for them and at the same time, I am so sad that we waited 93 days. I know it is all in God's timing, and I know his timing is so much better than mine, I just feel frustrated. I saw that a TA has just been received only 15 days after the LOA was returned, and I am anxious to see when ours will arrive. It has been 1 week since we returned ours. Maybe we will only wait one more week (or two, gotta be realistic)! I hope you enjoy seeing Sam's smiling face as much as we do!

Music, Music...

2007-06-25T20:32:00.000-05:00

I have added music for my little Dancing Queen so if you want to watch the Smilebox slideshow below, you need to scroll down and turn the music off at the bottom of the page. Otherwise it won't sound very pleasing and you might leave with a headache. When I made the slideshow, I didn't have the music player!

My Dancing Queen

2007-06-25T15:43:00.000-05:00

Who knew that the Divine Miss Em will even dance to a little 'ole music box. Robbie wound up her Pink Poodle Jewelry box and the Dancing Queen emerged with twirls and swirls and even a pose or two. What a girl!

Our Beach Trip

2007-06-23T20:31:00.000-05:00

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

LOA!! OH HAPPY DAY!! LOA!!

2007-06-22T07:56:00.000-05:00

Our LOA arrived at our agency on Monday morning! Only 93 days since our LID (but who's counting.....). We received it Tuesday, signed it and overnighted it back to our agency for receipt on Wednesday. Now our wait for TA (travel approval) officially begins. Our agency said it usually takes about 2-3 weeks to receive that and they think we will be in China sometime next month!! When we travel we will be posting here a bit, but I think we are going to use The Story of You again this time. It was so easy to use while we were in China with Emma and then she made us a c.d. of our journey to keep, and we would like that for Sam as well. As soon as we have our page up and running, I will post the address.

5th Grade Graduation

2007-06-21T20:24:00.000-05:00

I can NOT believe that my baby, Coleman, graduated from the 5th grade! That means he will be in middle school next year and EVERYONE knows I am NOT old enough to have a middle schooler!!!!!! Next year, I will have one in the preschool building, one in the lower school, one in middle school, and two sweet Chinese 2 year old babies who want out of their carseats while I run carpool at all 3 schools! Fortunately they are all on the same campus and the carpool lines are staggered every 15 minutes. Anyway.... Coleman has made us so proud! His teachers all call him a JOY to have as a student and that really sums him up very well. He loves school, loves to learn, is very motivated and puts 110% into everything he does. He is an amazing child who is growing into a wonderful young man!

Our Beautiful Backyard

2007-06-21T20:07:00.000-05:00

It may get hot here in Georgia during the summer, but the Spring is mild and the greenery is gorgeous. My azaleas last for a few weeks and the blooms are just beautiful!

2007-06-21T19:58:00.000-05:00

Me and my sweet Robbie

Robbie's Preschool Tea Party

2007-06-21T19:42:00.000-05:00

The teachers paired Robbie and Sonya together, of course
What a gentleman!
It's never to early to learn your manners!
Sweet Couple
They just love each other so much
Am I seeing visions of a future wedding (or atleast a prom)?

2007-06-21T19:34:00.000-05:00

All Dressed Up For Easter

2007-06-21T19:12:00.000-05:00

FINALLY!! Easter Pictures!

2007-06-21T18:55:00.000-05:00

Following the trail of eggs the Easter Bunny leaves to lead us to our baskets
Let's see what the Easter Bunny brought us...
We LOVE our Easter Treats!! Thank you Easter Bunny!!!

Robbie in his "tomato chip" shirt as he calls it - it's a carrot, though....
Lots of kisses for my new little bunny!!
Love for the Bunny!

Getting All Caught Up

2007-06-15T15:16:00.000-05:00

I am really behind on all of the activities that we had this Spring - I never even posted Easter pix, so bear with me as I stroll down Memory Lane and get caught up. We are still waiting to receive our LOA for Sam. We are on Day 90 and most people before us received theirs on Day 76-79. We know that this is all in God's timing, but we really want to know when we are going to be traveling!! I remember being so concerned that the kids would still be in school when we traveled, and now I am concerned that they will be going back to school when we travel. Our agency still thinks it will be July because our LOA should be here ANY day and then the wait is generally only a few weeks until you get your TA (travel approval). Being a small SN group (only 3 families) we are hoping that it will be fairly easy to get a consulate appointment with the US embassy in Guangzhou. In the meantime, Coleman has been at Boy Scout camp (he is now officially a TenderFoot), Robbie has started his swimming lessons with Ms. Irene, and Jack has gone to piano camp and spent time with his cousin at Russ' parent's house. Emma finally pee peed on the potty for the first time today. She was so excited and started screaming "Elmo Panties!!" because she knew that was her reward for going (along with some M&Ms). She wore them with pride and has gone potty twice since. I am hoping (and so is my dad - he'll be keeping her while we are in China) that this is the start of the real thing. Only time will tell.......

We are so excited that the Queens from our Wuhan Super Group (travel group to get Emma) are coming to stay with us this weekend on their rive back to Ohio from Florida. We just saw them at the Memorial Day picnic and weekend in Ohio, but it will be great to spend time with them just hanging out with nowhere to be. The kids have been counting down the days! Only 2 more......

Beach Pictures

2007-06-14T20:19:00.001-05:00

Sam's 2nd Birthday

2007-06-08T18:23:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Sam's 2nd Birthday on May 4th with a Mickey Mouse party. We ordered Chinese food, sang happy Birthday, and ate cake. The kids really enjoyed celebrating for him, and we cannot wait until next year when he is home to enjoy his cake. We did get confirmation that the two cakes were delivered to his orphanage for his birthday, and we are hoping that the nannies took pictures with the cameras that we sent.

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-06-04T11:05:00.000-05:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Cleveland, Ohio. Why Cleveland? We were asked that many times..... Our adoption agency hosts an annual reunion picnic at the Cleveland Zoo. We drove there from Atlanta. We attended the China Party on Friday night and were able to visit with all of our friends on our agency China yahoo group as well as see all of our travel buddies. We had so much fun! The girls from our Wuhan group have grown so much since last year. Emma was the youngest and one of the smallest when we adopted in China and now she is a head taller than all the other girls and around 10 pounds heavier than they are, weighing in at a svelt 32 pounds. It took her a few minutes to warm up, but then she joined right in the fun. On Saturday we spent the day at the zoo with our travel group, walking in the parade, visiting the animals, eating and being rowdy. Last year we had Wuhan Super Group (we were named by people from our agency group) tshirts made and we wore them again this year. We spent Saturday night with our travel group eating Chinese in Cleveland's ChinaTown. We visited with them again on Sunday before driving to Lexington, Kentucky for the night. We took the kids to the Horse Park and played at the Cambell House (our hotel) before heading home. Our hotel room was beautiful and had an adjoining kid's room with bunkbeds, a desk, bookshelf full of books, games and puzzles, a tv and bean bag chairs. We had such a great time and hope we are able to go again next year!

Mother's Day!

2007-05-16T13:15:00.000-05:00

I am so lucky to have 5 wonderful children (including Sam!). They bring more and more pure JOY to my life everyday!

2007-04-27T15:42:00.000-05:00

Coleman Crosses Over into Boy Scouts

Coleman has had a great year in Scouts. We are so proud of how far he has come and all that he accomplished. He wants to try to become an Eagle Scout, and he has the determination to do it if he decides to. Coleman's Pinewood Derby car won for his grade and for the entire troop, and he went on his first Boy Scout campout where he rowed a canoe for 20 miles and camped on an isolated island overnight. We are so proud of the young man he is becoming!

2007-04-27T15:38:00.000-05:00

She is so stinkin' cute!!

2007-04-27T15:32:00.000-05:00

A Funny New Hair Do For Emma!

2007-04-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

We have really received a lot of blessings surrounding the adoption lately. We had a really rough Fall and Winter with lots of unexpected medical and financial issues and, thankfully, we are making up for all of that this Spring. Our dossier to China was sent to our agency in December and then delayed in Washington for authentication so it was not sent to China until February 5th (our DTC date). We just found out that the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) did not log in our paperwork until March 16th (our LID - log in date). We realized at this point that we would not be traveling to China in the Spring as we originally expected. The estimated time is to travel 3-4 months after your LID date which puts us in June or July (though we will probably only be given a week's notice for travel - our TA (travel approval) will arrive at random and then we will leave anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks later). As much as I would love to have Sam at home with us today, it was a relief to find out that we would travel over the summer as April and May are extremely busy months at my children's schools. If the trip to China came in May, I would have to stay home. God's timing is truly perfect, and I knew he would work this out for us. And the pictures they keep sending us have really helped to pass the time. Seeing him grow is sad (we are missing it!) and exciting (he is thriving!). We were also contacted by our AMAZING adoption agency about a Special Needs grant to help us offset the costs of the adoption as well as a LOW interest loan, if we wanted it. They said that they knew we were not planning on adopting again (and were not financially prepared for it) when they contacted us and the least they could do was help us out as much as they could. I cannot say enough wonderful things about EAC! They are wonderful and are truly in it for the kids and the families. Chris, Karla, Kim and Zhou are like family, and we cannot wait until we see them at the China Party next month! Karla calls us out of the blue just to check on us. They really go the extra mile! So, I am counting my blessings as they continue to pour in. We are just SO THANKFUL!

2007-04-27T12:52:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone! I know it has been a long time since my last post..... I really have no excuse, just life. I did sit down to post one day and after repeated attempts at uploading a picture unsuccessfully, I finally gave up. So here I am, weeks later, finally catching up. We received updates on Sam yesterday and he has grown up so much since the last picture they sent. He is just beautiful. In addition to our referral picture, the orphanage has sent us 3 other sets of photos of Sam. We are so grateful! His hair has grown out a bit and he looks more like a little boy than a baby. He is gorgeous!! His 2nd birthday is a week from today and we have sent 2 birthday cakes to the orphanage so they can celebrate. I met a wonderful woman online who is also adopting from Luoyang and she took a birthday present to Sam for us last week. They should receive his cake on his birthday. We used Blessed Kids to send it. We sent a package to Emma after her referral through Adele at Blessed Kids and were very pleased with her service, so we are using it again for Sam.

Updated Picture of Sam (late April 2007)

Picture of Sam sent to us early March 2007

2007-02-21T13:51:00.000-05:00

BOB!!!!!

Bob is our sweet little spotted dachshund that we have had for almost a year. We had 4 dogs, but our 2 oldest - Sydney and Enchilada - passed away. Trixie is the German Shepherd that Jack picked out from the pound for his birthday several years ago, and Isabella is the Papillon that jumped out of my Easter Basket 2 years ago. When Syd and Ench died, Isabella became sad and lonely. I happened to be in the right place at the right time to find Bob who is a Katrina Rescue dog that was brought to Atlanta after his owners were not found. He is so precious and we love him dearly. I gave him to Russ for our anniversary last year and we love him more and more each day!

2007-02-15T16:54:00.000-05:00

Robbie is 5!!!

2007-02-15T16:50:00.000-05:00

Emma Is Officially A Southerner!!!!

2007-02-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

The Varsity Party!!

2007-02-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

Robbie's Build A Bear Party

2007-02-15T16:00:00.000-05:00

Robbie's Birthday!!!!

My sweet baby Robbie just celebrated his 5th Birthday! He invited his entire Preschool class to Build A Bear for his party. Afterwards, we met up with family to celebrate his birthday at the Varsity, an Atlanta tradition in and of itself. Many purists will only visit the Varsity in downtown Atlanta, but they also have locations in Athens where I went to college (Go Dawgs!), in Norcrosss near where I grew up, and the latest being near our local mall in Marietta (well, actually Kennesaw). We had so much fun and Emma got to wear an official Varsity hat! Robbie wanted a CARS birthday cake so my amazing "Cake Lady" friend Amanda made one for him. It was wonderful!!

2007-02-15T15:59:00.000-05:00

Wonder Works Museum

2007-02-07T13:54:00.000-05:00

Our Trip to Gatlinburg

For almost 15 years, Russ and I have traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee around his birthday. It has become a family tradition. It is a cheesy little town, but we love it, and the kids look forward to the trip every year. We usually cross over the Great Smoky Mountains (unless the road is closed due to snow and ice and then we go all the way around) and have a contest to see who can guess how low the temperature is at the top. The winner gets a magnet from Magnet World (sounds really silly as I type it, but it is great fun when it's happening!). We always go to the Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen to see the candy being made, Treasure Golf, outlet shopping (yea me!), dinner at No Way Jose's Cantina and some form of overpriced Ripley-esque entertainment. This year we went to the Wonder Works museum which I must say was a pleasant surprise. It had interactive learning activities and experiments that the whole family enjoyed. We all laid on a bed of nails and learned why it would not puncture your skin, Russ rode a self propelled carnival type ride demonstrating the effects of air compression, and too many others to list....We spent several hours there and would love to go back. The boys also all rode Nascar gocarts and had a blast! Emma enjoyed herself too although she was just really along for the ride. We skipped the Ripley Aquarium this year but it is always a family favorite. It really beats out the Chattanooga Aquarium, but is not quite as awesome as the new Atlanta Aquarium. We visited a lady at the Mountain Woodcarvers shop that we have seen there every year since we started going. She always remembers us and anything we have ever told her. I think about all of the tourists she has encountered over the years and she still remembers us and details about our life. She is retiring in March and we will miss her very much! We really had a wonderful trip, and we arrived back in Marietta to attend the family celebration for Russ' and his sister's birthdays.

2007-01-26T14:09:00.000-05:00

Flowers!

Emma loves to touch and "sniff" flowers! We were recently in a shop that sells Yankee Candles and had a large disply of the scentd votives. Emma had to stop and smell each and every one of them! It was too sweet. She will even make an "ummm" sound for the ones she really likes.

2007-01-26T13:47:00.000-05:00

Beaux et Belles

My dear friend Lisa sells children's clothing for a company called Beaux et Belles. I have bought clothes from her for my sons but I was so excited when I could shop for all of the smocked dresses for Emma from her. In the fall, I ordered this sweet little pink lollipop outfit for her. She looks so adorable! This month I ordered from their Spring line and I cannot wait for it to get here!!

2007-01-26T13:39:00.000-05:00

Beauty

2007-01-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

ABC - All About Me!

I found this on a friend's blog and decided to play along.......

A - available or taken: taken
B- best friend: Kimbo (Kimberly, my best friend from college who married my husband's best friend from college - could not be better!)
C- cake or pie: depends....which kind? why can't I just have both??
D- drink of choice: Coke - not Pepsi,but good 'ole Coca Cola
E-essential item you use everyday: cell phone and now my new laptop
F-favorite color: red (okay also pink)
G-gummy bears or worms: worms, as long as they are not sour (which happens to be my kids' favorite!)
H-hometown: Atlanta, Georgia - grew up in Stone Mountain, now live in Historic Marietta (both suburbs of Atlanta)
I-indulgence: Starbucks Green Tea Frappuchino (Venti!)
J-January or February: January - My third son was born in January and we were DTC for Emma on January 31, 2005 and our dossier will go to China this month so we will have a January DTC for Sam as well!
K-kid's names: Coleman, Jack, Robbie, Emma and Sam
L-life incomplete without: family
M-marriage date: March 20, 1993
N-number of siblings: 1 brother
O-oranges or apples: again, don't make me choose - love them both
P-phobias or fears: flying (didn't make the LONG and MANY flights to and in China real fun for me or anyone around me!)
Q-favorite quote: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
R-reason to smile: my beautiful children
S-season: Fall - love the leaves and the pumpkins, BUT Spring is wonderful with all of the flowers and the rebirth of nature
T-tag 3 people: Kimbo, Leigh and Janice(you know who you are "our 3 kids")
U-unknown fact about me: I have a hard time making a decision - I'll bet you didn't know that about me! HA! See letters C, F, S and Y! No, seriously, I am an obsessed closet organizer - we all have different hanger colors for each family member and I hang our clothes according to sleeve length, collar and color.
V-veggie I don't like: carrots - bleck!
W-worst habit: spending too much money
X-xrays: sinuses, lungs, lots of dental lately
Y-your favorite food: ?Choices, Choices? Anything Mexican, pizza, popcorn, steak fajita quesadillas from Chili's,........
Z-zodiac: Cancer

2007-01-07T15:51:00.000-05:00

Emma's 2nd Birthday!!

| View Show | Create Your Own

2007-01-06T22:18:00.000-05:00

Emma's Pink Poodle In Paris Birthday Party

Help with the candles from my Aunt Jama

Emma with her twin cousins Mattie and Grace

Papoo and Pals

2007-01-06T22:09:00.000-05:00

We told her to blow out her candle but she blew it a kiss instead! :o)

2007-01-06T21:27:00.000-05:00

Our Little Girl Turns 2!!

Emma celebrating with her Mamna and Popaw

Emma got a cute hairdo from her Mimi (Russ' mom)

I cannot believe that our little Emma is 2 years old! She has grown and changed so much in the last year - even in the last week! She sings along when you sing "Happy Birthday" to her and her fabulous lips are showcased everytime she sings "you." Then she claps. We will ask her, "Who wants to open presents?" and she'll say "I do!" And "cake" has become one her favorite words. In fact, below are pictures of what happens if Mommy isn't getting the cake to Emma fast enough! Priceless!

And one for the Memory Book.......

2007-01-06T21:16:00.000-05:00

Funny Funny Emma - she still loves this hat but now the Bunny Slippers she got for Christmas are a "must wear at all times" item as well. As a child, and admittedly as an adult, I have always had a penchant for bunny slippers so it was only fitting for my daughter to carry on the tradition - I actually still have all of my bunny slippers. I guess I'll pass on the collection to Emma.

2007-01-06T20:24:00.000-05:00

My Sweet Family

.......And last but not least, my personal favorite - Robbie is smiling in the next picture we took, but he is in a snit about something in this one! We have laughed and laughed over this!

2007-01-06T19:56:00.000-05:00

Emma All Dressed Up On Christmas Eve