Zoe and Joana- Chinese Chefs

Zoe and Joana made us a wonderful Chinese dinner!!  There were no leftovers!  John was out of town and is very upset he missed this great meal.  It was great meeting Joana who is from Zoe's home town. 

Chloe Comes for a Visit

Chloe, John's second oldest daughter, visited recently and it was a wonderful weekend.  Chloe and Anna met for the first time.  Both girls loved her and had a great time.

Chloe will be a sophomore at the University of Oregon in September.  Go Ducks!

Born to Be Wild

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Xuzhou Family Reunion, Atlanta GA

Several weeks ago several families from the US and Canada joined in Atlanta for our first Xuzhou Family Reunion.  This reunion was especially meaningful for Anna as she was reunited with friends she hadn't seen since leaving the orphanage at Christmas.  Here are a few memories of that very special weekend.

Off for Atlanta

Swimming at Trena and John's

Marika & Lily

Anna sees her orphanage friend Jaike.

Jia

Zoe reading to April & Lila Lee

Arlie, Sue, Jia, Juni

Anna & Lily

On Stone Mountain

Mark, Lisa, April, & Bennett

Anna plays with her orphanage friend April

Lily is tired and hot

Zoe is on top of the world!

At the Atlanta Aquarium

Zoe enjoys the aquarium.

Jaike

Lily as mermaid.

Xuzhou Family Reunion

I have been counting down the days for months and now it’s finally happening! Tomorrow we head for Atlanta to meet up with a dozen families from all over the US and Canada who, like us, have precious little children from Xuzhou. For the past two and half years I have laughed, cried, dreamed, prayed, waited and celebrated with the moms, dads, and children I am about to meet. Our children ate, played and slept together during the first years of their lives while waiting to join their forever families half way around the world. I have been so blessed to be a part of our extended Xuzhou family and am beyond excited that we will all be together soon! Happy travels everyone!!

Zoe Has Arrived!

Zoe has arrived!  Our Au pair from China arrived a week ago, and has quickly become a member of our family.  Lily and Anna bonded with her in a matter of minutes.  Zoe is so good with them and they so enjoy playing and learning with her. 

Zoe was anxious to cook a traditional Chinese meal for us, and on Saturday she dazzled us by making the most scrumptious Chinese dumplings imaginable.  We hardly took time to breath as the four of us devoured the dumplings in minutes that had taken her hours to make.  We responded by grilling chicken and asparagus over charcoal for her two days later to give her a taste of American cuisine.  She loved it as much as we loved the dumplings.

Here are a few pictures of our first week with Zoe.

Zoe

Zoe helping Anna on her bike

Lily riding a two-wheeler for the first time

Zoe and Anna rolling out the dumpling dough

Boating fun

Zoe takes the helm

Zoe with Seattle in the background

Our girls in their tutus

Anna Enjoying Her First Summer

Anna is having a ball on her first summer in America!  She is healing beautifully and her legs are getting stronger every day.  She still loses every race up the stairs to Lily, but our guess is that one of these days Lily will taste defeat!

The bond with the two girls gets stronger and stronger.  Lily is still the more assertive personality and certainly the most creative.  But Anna watches Lily's every move and is gaining confidence.  She even at times takes a  "big sister" role, especially when watching out for Lily's well-being.

Anna's English language skills continue to amaze us.  She can carry on a conversation without missing a beat.  She is also showing a knack for solving challenges such as puzzles and games.  She is very observant and curious and not patient with Mommy or Daddy if we aren't quick to explain something or answer questions.

Lily is starting to show an interest in being fashionable.  She likes to pick out her clothes and shoes and likes things with a bit of flair.  She gestures flamboyantly at times when she is making a point, and likes to sit in her car seat, legs crossed, with her big round sun glasses perched on her nose.

Here are a few summer pictures:

Riding their rocking horse.  Check out the hat.

Visiting with Dru Groves, our Adoption Home Study Social Worker

Riding the Bainbridge Island Ferry with Nana Barbara

Friendly visiters in our back yard

Flying the colors of America and China in our yard