Home is Where Your Story Begins

December catch up continued

2012-01-05T23:14:00.000-08:00

Sophie had her 5th Gotcha Day!! Wow, that was fast. She chose to go ice skating and I happened to have two for one coupons so we headed to Pelham. After ice skating we went to Golden Corral. Well, that was my children's first time there. THEY loved it. Trying to feed and fill up teenage boys is quite the challenge in this house of hollow legs. Well, my boys ate to their hearts content!! It was also here that I discovered Jax does not like my cooking. He always eats a ton if we go to a chinese restaurant so I just assumed he loved Chinese food go figure. But NOOOO at Golden Corral all AMERICAN buffet the boy eats like he has been starved.

Did I mention

the chocolate fountain?

Micah and EG were in our church Christmas play titled "Up in the Air About Something" super cute and they did a great job thanks to their great director Sis. Michelle.

Then we had our Christmas with Boo and Cindy and that is always loads of fun! Eating food and playing games! They also were so sweet and took Jax and Sophie to the Springville Christmas parade, I am not sure who had more fun..the adults or the little ones!!

We headed over to my parents on Christmas eve and enjoyed a wonderful Italian meal and a lot of fun and fellowship. My niece Kristen was not able to attend this year and we really missed her. Please say a prayer for her, she needs physical healing and God knows exactly where she is!

And finally Christmas Day. It was a wonderfully relaxing, joyful, celebration day! After Bert read us the Christmas story the kids opened their gifts one by one. Bert cooked a outstanding breakfast and then we just vegged out the rest of the day. Bart and Laura came over that evening and we had our Christmas with them and the day after Christmas we drove to Dothan to have the Pierce Christmas.

CLUSTER

2012-01-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

I have decided that I blog in clusters. A whole lot at one time and then a whole lot of nothing at one time. I am going to try and catch up on the month of December.

Tyler was looking at my camera today and was appalled at all the pictures that were still on the camera and not on the computer. So, being the sweet son that he is he went and loaded them onto my computer. And here I sit at 12:08 am not able to sleep so I figured I would update.

The beginning of December we attended our first SCA(society for creative anachronism) event. This is a group of people that enjoy reliving the midieval times so they get together in that type clothing and do there thing. Well, this is Tyler's thing. He is all into the fighting part of it. He is slowly amassing his suit of armor. I kid you not. His Christmas list was a sugarloaf helmet(that is not a type of bread), a gambeson and some protective gear. These guys beat the snot out of each other. So Micah and EG and I all attended the "event" with Tyler. I personally am enjoying the here and now. Bert was conveniently on call that weekend.

Armor fever!

calligraphy scroll work stuff

Tyler built this chair

I sat in this chair

Once I returned from midieval paradise Bert and I attended our church Christmas banquet ..sans kids.

Notice my triple chin effect going on, AND I have a big eye
I think a midieval spell did that to me.

HAHA my crazy Bro in law

and sis in law

Then one day during the month, Bert made ornaments with the little ones.

ANyone still reading? Well, Micah got his braces off in December after 3 LONG years!

To be continued...

Reunion

2011-11-21T16:33:00.001-08:00

Kara & Sophie 2006

Kara and Sophie 2011

Kristin and Sophie 2006

A little Phase 10 competition

The crew

My kids at their best!

We were so blessed by a visit from the Renfer family. Our families met in Chengdu, China almost 5 years ago when they adopted sweet Kara and we adopted Sophie. They live in California but were somewhat in the area (Nashville) and we were so excited they were able to detour and see us. It was such a treat to meet Dean and Kaitlin since they did not travel to China. Let me tell you this is an extraordinary family that loves the Lord and I feel blessed to call them friends. Their girls are so sweet and polite and very talented! From cooking to sewing, musically inclined, they can do it all! It was especially a blessing to see sweet Kara transformed from a scared little 6 year old to such a confident beautiful 11 year old. Thanks for the visit!!!

Taylor's Birthday

2011-11-18T10:59:00.001-08:00

Hard to believe our sweet friend Taylor has already turned 5!! We had a great day with friends at the mall and Build A Bear to celebrate Taylor's special day. Happy Birthday big girl!!

Reptile field trip

2011-11-18T10:54:00.001-08:00

Sophie is growing up!!

BRING ON THE SNAKES!

Here come the snakes

Baby Snake

Big Scary snake

What do these snakes eat?

yep!

pregnant rat

Madison loved the pinkie mice!

No fear in our group!

MeiLeigh is home!

2011-11-18T10:30:00.001-08:00

Remember wayyyy back almost 5years ago when we adopted Sophie? Well, my sweet friend Kim was also in the process of adopting. She held on for 5 long years and this past week came home with her beautiful daughter. Kim was the one who updated the blog for us when we were adopting Sophie. I was so happy to see them come home and I also enjoyed getting to see Robin and Gina and meet Gina's sweet daughter Jamison. We missed our friend Christy! Hopefully she will be getting her referral soon! We all started this adoption journey together in February 2006. Well actually, Robin was the leader of the pack with 2 adoptions already under her belt when we started. It's almost come full circle! Congrats to the Mintz Family! (click here for their blog)

Loving Fall..

2011-11-08T06:25:00.000-08:00

So many reasons to love this time of year...

1. Bonfires

2. Boo's Birthday

3. Math with daddy
(year round not just fall)

4. Lucas's 3rd Birthday

4. Pumpkin Patch

5. Fall Festival

6. Cute Outfits

7. Fixing Friends Hair

8. Cuddly Dogs and kittens

9. Puzzle Time

10. Cute puppies!

Beach trip

2011-10-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

We returned home from the beach last Sunday. I really, REALLY miss owning a house down there. I have so many wonderful memories of just escaping with the kids. Escaping our hectic, busy life is such a rarity these days.

Bday Post part 2

2011-09-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

Jax 8th birthday part 1

2011-09-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Jax turned 8 this week. He was very excited about going to bed on Monday night so his birthday would get here quicker! Unfortunately, he was a little disappointed when he woke up and the older siblings were gone to CORE and daddy had not slept the night before. I held him and Sophie off of Bert until noon then they finally woke him up and off we went to Mr. Chen's for lunch. BUT before we left he got to open one present.
Jax has grown so much emotionally, socially and spiritually since we adopted him. Unfortunately he has not really grown physically. He and 6 year old Sophie are very close to the same size. They both weigh 42 lbs and he is a hair taller. I cannot tell you how well Jax fit's in our family. I cannot imagine our life without him. He has such a great sense of humor. He has the cutest little chinese accent and still can't get the pronouns going for him. He is really starting to learn/understand who Jesus is and takes his prayers very seriously. He seeks out hugs and really likes physical contact. He is not spontaneous at all with saying I love you, but he show's you that he loves you. He is doing very well in his schoolwork. He is doing Bob Jones first grade Phonics/English/Reading and he is doing the BJU second grade math. We finally moved him into his own room right before school started. He loves having his own space! He has bunk beds in there and 5 out of 7 nights someone is always sleeping in there with him. He has learned to ride his bike so well! Not near as much as a daredevil as Sophie but he does take little risks. I am so in love with this boy! Wish he wouldn't grow up so fast!

waiting for daddy to wake up

first present

he opened this mask and cape

Milk tea in the cup! Loves this stuff!

my pig feet and tofu will be here soon!

We went and got Jax a new bike for his birthday. Then we went and picked up the big kids from Core.

Then it was home to open the rest of his gifts

waited ALLL day for this!!

He has wanted a DSI so bad!!

loves lego's

loves remote control vehicles!

our friends the Kings always did this with their kids
(sure miss them)

Yes, just a cupcake b/c he would have a cake at his Chuck E Cheese party.
That will be Part 2

Tyler showing him the ropes

Sophie models the cape.

Weekend

2011-08-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday it was gorgeous!! The younger 3 and I went for a walk on our property across the way, I hate I forgot my camera! Then we came home and did a little groundskeeping. Let me tell you my kids were so happy to help out they just love to work....ok prepare for lightning to come zap me b/c that is very far from the truth. One of my "children" wants me to take him to the gas station to get worms for fishing, the other "child" wants to go to Harbor Freight to get some kind of tool. So then we started the bargaining...."you trim my bushes...I take you places."
The younger two had a great time skinny dipping while the rest of us worked. They were joined later by the rest of the crew but no one wanted to swim with naked little ones so they decided to get their bathing suits on. Grandpa and Grandma dropped by for a little bit. I was able to read part of a book outside, but then I was squirted by someone,,then I was mad because my book and my camera got wet. Oh well, I got over it.

skinny dippers

My fig tree

Sophie is a natural poser

Mom did not want me to post this picture..I don't know why..

family night

2011-08-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

On Thursday's my parents have us over for family night. The kids enjoy seeing their cousins, swimming and this time they made delicious homemade pizza's with Grandma.

Grandpa watering

Jax checking the temp...90*

She's taking her eye test
CZXM

The big boys enjoyed this so much!

Does your day...

2011-08-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

Start with corndogs? Because that is what my two little ones want for breakfast EVERY morning!! And not just one...usually 2 but sometimes 3. Breakfast of champions around here!

Here are more pics from our day today. The pic of the "big" kids is from there first day of CORE last Tuesday. It is something offered through our homeschool group where they go once or twice a week and are taught their classes and then follow a syllabus for each class during the week. It has been an absolute life saver for me. It doesn't start until the 7th grade so this is EG's first year. So far she loves it and Tyler and Micah enjoy it for the most part. EG said her teachers at CORE are much nicer than her teacher at home! WHAT!!!!

Jax (back post)

2011-08-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

Not sure if you remembered Jax having to have surgery a few weeks back. I took pictures to post and as usual never got around to it. Jax had reflux in his kidneys so they corrected (hopefully) that issue. The urologist also thought circumcision was a good idea to cut down on his UTI's. WOW....that was some kind of painful recovery. Remember that story in the bible where all those men had to be circumcised because somebody "had his way" with somebody else's sister and the only way to atone was all the guys had to be circumcised and then while they were trying to recover they were all murdered?? (yeah, you didn't hear THAT one in Sunday School). I really feel sorry for those guys. I wasn't sure if any of us would ever get over Jax and his "choe-choe" issues. The boy was naked for days and it didn't matter who was here!! Yes, I know there is a possibility he will not be happy I posted this years from now...but this memory will trigger some hilarious comments the boy made that I cannot post here!

Sleep deprived dad made use of the wait!

Versed before surgery

After the Valium

Blue Bell makes yummy orange popsicles

Homeward bound!

On a more serious note the waking up from surgery was very traumatic, and nothing could calm him down. It was very heart-breaking. I think there was some PTSD going on from his abandonment situation. Finally one of the anesthesia docs offered him some Valium...phew..that really did the trick and seems like a drug I might like to try :) hee hee jk. After that he was on to popsicles and not too much later on our way home.

EG is 12

2011-08-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

When I started my blog EG was 7...now 12?? From Tomboy to girlie girl! She wanted to go to 6 flags for her bday, so we grabbed some cousins and some friends and off we went!!! It was soo hot, but soo fun!

too funny not too add

he loves this dorky hat..

"the face"

can you believe they cut me out of this pic!!

say what?

still loves her daddy

Keeping busy...

2011-08-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

Digging holes

Daddy's helper

The heat is really bad here!

unpacking school books

getting their school space ready

Big HELP!!

my cuties!

Atlanta

2011-07-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

We took a road trip to Atlanta this past Saturday with some friends. We have been meaning to take Jax to the asian marked over there ever since we brought him home. He was so excited to see all the familiar food! We came home with a lot of tasty items including a seasoning packet for his fave....yes, the chicken feet. Now, I can finally cook the chicken feet in my freezer...I wish I was kidding but I'm not...there are these sad little feet frozen solid.....I digress
We went to 3 different markets and if you ever go, the one on Buford Hwy is the best. They have food from every country you can imagine. We bought so much food we will be having a chinese feast soon,,my favorite are the dumplings!! Bert has been dining on Kimchi since we came home.(yuck) The produce was absolutely, totally amazing!! We bought several different things i.e sugar cane, mangos, plums, peaches, dragon fruit, star fruit, jack fruit and we bought a coconut. Yes, I know I can buy a coconut here at Publix but we were just caught up in a "fruit frenzy" (fruit ninja, anyone). Jax has went on and on about wanting to drink the milk from a coconut, we have tried to explain to him that the milk is gross, at least to me. Well, he tasted and finally believed us.
On a side note, keep us in your prayers, Jax has outpatient surgery on Friday for reflux..the urine into the kidneys kind of reflux.

Eg does these horrible faces on purpose
We were showing Max how to take a "chinese" picture..peace sign.

EG eating duck at the asian food court

Micah and Genesis

A huge wok, I am so glad Bert did not buy

loving this yummy food

opening the coconut

still opening

and still..

Finally!

July, so far...

2011-07-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

We came home today from an awesome Alabama Revival Conference. Definitely life changing services for me! Made me reevaluate some things in my life I had let slip and just overall was awesome!!
My crew was all snazzed up but unfortunately over the course of 4 days these are all the photos I took. (above) That is, until I got home and Micah found a big copperhead under our jon boat...then I took these pics.(below) I debated doing a live capture and relocating it. (HA those who know me, know that is a joke). Bert was working so I had the kids call Grandpa ASAP and he came over and blew it's head off. No, really it's head was GONE! Thank you dad! Even though we live in the boonies we really don't get a lot of snakes, but this one scared the bejeebers out of me! I read you should plant Marigolds wherever you don't want snakes, well it is 2.5 miles from my house to interstate and I am wondering how many Marigolds I need!!

Camping

2011-06-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

Summer is going by wayyyy too fast, I think I am dreading school starting back more than the kids. I know I sound like such a great homeschool mom. ;) We just got back from a week of camping and boating and it was so much fun, and it was so much HOT!
Tyler learned to ski!! All the kids tubed like crazy. Bert did the wake board and slalomed ..what a show off, right? I did get up on the ski's and Misty and I had our lives flash before us on the tube! Wow, I was really scared and rededicated my life to the Lord several times! Jax tried to ski and almost had it, he and Sophie both skied with Bert and that was pretty cool. I didn't take a lot of pictures b/c I kept forgetting my camera in the camper but I do have a few pictures to share.
The remainder of our summer is packed. My older 3 are going to be all over the place in July. I am going to miss them. They have camps and Peak and children's revival and then WHAM...August is here and well, no more sleeping in!!

Jax and O in the camper

Micah and Nick

KK and V...before

KK and V...after

EG and Nick

EG and KK

V, Savanna, EG and KK

all 4 at once!!

Sophie is 6

2011-06-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am a little late but not a whole month late yet!! Sophie turned 6 on June 13th! She never thought the day would get here! She and Jax had big plans for a day with friends at Pump It Up. Unfortunately, due to a long sickness and a night at the ER Jax did not make the birthday party. He is still dyeing to know what Pump it up is all about. (back to Jax later). Sophie really wanted a DS, a guitar and a Rapunzel wig for her birthday and she was SOOO happy to get all 3!! Her friends also brought great gifts and she had so much fun! She now tells me she wishes she was still 5 because she does not want to get old and die...seriously, she said that. She has grown leaps and bounds. I cannot imagine our life without this chatty little girl. She is such a helper and she is the "finder" in our home. Does your home have one of those? If something is lost Sophie either knows exactly where it is or will do her best to find it!! And 9 out of 10 times she is successful! She is such a blessing and has adjusted really well to Jax coming home. There have been some hard days for her b/c sometimes it seems she is the older sibling leading the way...even though he is 2 years older than her. She is my sweet little girl and is truly loved by everyone who knows her!!

Jax's One Year Gotcha

2011-05-31T18:19:00.000-07:00

The first thing Jax said this morning was..."it's my one year.... but I still remember "ertofia" (chinese word for First Childrens Welfare Institute..i.e.orphanage). Jaxin has grown leaps and bounds this year. We looked back at old pictures and videos today. He is sad now that he has forgotten most of his Chinese. I truly feel we did everything we could to help him keep it. He can still read some but can speak very little. His english is great and his comprehension of things is hilarious! He asked me last night did daddy use to be in my belly!! He still likes to mimic people, and sometimes that comes across as very rude. He also has VERY selective hearing when it comes to people outside our immediate family. He is very aware now that there is a God. He will ask me an outrageous question and if I tell him that no one could do what he asks he always lets me know that God can....God can do anything!

He started his Gotcha day with pancakes at grandma and grandpas. Then he got to pick beans and squash from the garden, he was so excited because he helped plant the garden. He had his first trip to Chuck E Cheese today and he LOVED it!! Then we went and picked out a toy at Target. I hope he knows how special he is to us and we love him so much!

Stuff

2011-05-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

Lorin's Mcwane birthday party

Taylor

Look at my little girl all growny!

Jax ad Madsion

Jax was a little scientist!!

They love this water table

Lucas

Guys playing airsoft

sweet Sophie

"Micah man"

This skinny guy has only gained 2 lbs in a year!

all dolled up

Tyler

Bow and arrow from Homestead Hollow

We have been busy as usual! The kids are doing well and are already enjoying summer! Tyler and Micah finished up school about 3 weeks ago. EG still has a week to go. Sophie had her 5K graduation last Thursday and I will do school with she and Jax off and on during the summer. We are nigh on the one year mark of Jaxs' adoption. Wow, do we love this guy. He has been such a blessing to our family and has fit in so well. His English has improved leaps and bounds....still struggling with the pronouns..I think Bert will forever be a "yes mam". He still loves to eat noodles and he has them at least once a day. A local chinese restaurant made him some chicken feet last week. They also gave me a big bag to freeze and the lady there promised to come teach me how to make them. (oh I wish you could hear my lack of excitement in typing that)...(they stink). Anyways, Tyler got his permit back in April and is driving all over the place. He has been doing an excellent job!! We have an exciting summer ahead of us with trips to the lake, camping, boys going to Tulsa for a youth conference, and hopefully a lot of time at home vegging out at the pool.

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T04:46:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. It has been so awesome as Jax has learned how God came down from heaven, robed himself in flesh and died for our sins. The hardest part for Jax is that he is not happy that Jesus died for "bad guys" too!!
He loved the Easter egg hunt and coloring the eggs, it was all a new and wonderful experience. We also had our annual Easter bash which includes wonderful friends, awesome food and a huge egg hunt!

Spring pictures

2011-04-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

15

2011-04-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

Tyler turned 15 the end of March. He is going to get his permit tomorrow. This all seems so surreal, and of course can only mean one thing.. BERT must be getting older.

I haven't forgot

2011-03-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

to post. I am just in a desperate search for the battery for my camera. We took it out to charge it. Charged it and.....~~lost~~ misplaced it. I think posts without pictures are so boring. I try to at least upload something. So I don't want to bore you with nothingness. So the search continues...

I could eat her up!!!!

2011-02-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

They're available....

2011-02-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

Our church youth group had it's annual "Thrift Store Formal" on Valentine's weekend. I am the proud mother of a second place winner.

Jax's tooth

2011-02-10T03:13:00.000-08:00

'13'

2011-01-26T15:19:00.000-08:00

Today I had another kiddo transform into a teen. My sweet boy Micah. For those of you that know Micah, you know what an awesome spirit he has. I am so proud of all he has done and I am so excited to start this next journey together. I love you Micah!!

Monday night party with friends

Cake said, "Happy Birthday Micah and Bret"...sigh...they spelled Bert wrong.

Today getting ready to go to 5 Guys

Micah's fave hamburger joint

Guess who we got to babysit??? :)

Do we look good with 6 kids or what!

Is it just me or does he look ashamed to be seen with us??

More catching up..

2011-01-19T20:41:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post some pictures of the snow we had last week. It was awesome!! The kids had a blast. The only bummer about it was as a homeschool family we didn't get the usual "no school snow days", I know mean mom, right? But the snow was fun and we did take one or two days off.

READY..

SET....

oops...looks like we lost one..

On Saturday we celebrated Bert, Micah and Anthony all turning older. BUT before we celebrated, Bert glued together a cut on Gabe's head. Yes, he is lying on the kitchen table eating pizza as Uncle Bert doctors him up...this is one tough kiddo!!

looked much worse in real life,,,this is after the "surgery" :)

Yes, we are now eating at that same table...

Then one day this week I has the privilege of ~~hogging~~ I mean babysitting Kylie Grace

And then today we went ice skating with our homeschool group

2011-01-17T21:46:00.000-08:00

Staying caught up is where I like to be.(especially when it comes to laundry) So I am back logging and going to rejoin blog land. To be honest it is hard to stay up with blogging without checking on all my adoption friends blogs. Well, checking their adoption blogs reminds me I am not currently in the middle of an adoption which lies heavy on my heart. So though truly adoption is NEVER out of my mind or heart it is easier to deal with when you stay away from blog land...at least for me. So of course then the next obvious question that I/we get asked quite often, "will you adopt again?" I don't know. If we had the money in the bank right now the answer would most likely be Yes! If we qualified for the adoption tax credit, then again most likely, Yes! I don't know If I am even ready mentally to adopt again. Because although it is financially taxing it is also very emotionally taxing. Although thankfully, for our family, all the good has outweighed the bad!! And even tonight during our prayer time Sophie is telling me she is ready to adopt again and her "new sister" can sleep on the top bunk, and EG is telling me the next time (like it is a given in her mind) we adopt she wants it to be a black baby! And at the same time Micah and Tyler feel "we have enough kids". But as for today as for right now I am just loving and enjoying the life God has blessed us with! (although I must side with EG) :)

"... for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content. " Phillipians 4:11

They are STILL sleeping in the tent!!

waiting for Jax and Sophie at their Chinese school program

What a doll!!

Ms. Joe, their teacher

My BFF of 25 years!!

Christmas baking

Our tree

Sophie was an angel for her school program

Sophie and Mrs. Laney

5K Christmas party, Jax was her guest

We went to see Beauty and the Beast

Christmas with Boo and Cindy

Surrogate Grandparents

Christmas morning

Auburn fan 1 of 2

Auburn fan 2 of 2

Tyler bought me a "Worlds greatest mom cup!"

First white Christmas

LAte night snack

Ice skating

EG and O

Gorgeous girl!!

Princess Sophia

Jax and my niece, Baby O's dedication

EAT HIM UP!!!

Jax's dedication

I know, I know, LONG OVERDUE!!

2010-11-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

Ok so Jax is doing great ( I wont even go into my LONG list of excuses of why I haven't blogged in forever..it's just that...oh yeah I am not going there).
What have we been doing since Oct? Did I already post pumpkin patch? I am too lazy to look back and see. So he ~~loved~~ liked the pumpkin patch. It was kinda hot and he just wanted to eat his pumpkin. Then he was kinda sad then I didn't make him pumpkin something. I mean pumpkin pie is the only thing I know to make with pumpkin and that is from a can. So his pumpkin sat in the window sill with the other pumpkins until it turned moldy and green.
Fall Festival- he loved that and all 5 of my kiddos dressed as clowns and I have NOT ONE STINKING picture of all of them together. No mom of the year award for me! ARGH Cotton candy,snow cones, corn dogs and nachos, prizes..what is there NOT to love.
He went ice skating at his cousin Makenzie's birthday and that he LOVED!!! He wants to go ice skating again very soon.
He was able to be a part ( I mean not like at the hospital, just knowing they were preggo and then going and seeing the baby)of two of my dearest friends having babies, although the whole pregnancy/ have a baby thing caused a lot of questions and confusion and a lot of tears on my part trying to help him understand he was not in my tummy. That needs to be a WHOLE other post.
Ok then he loved Thanksgiving but that may be b/c he thought it was Christmas. When I cam-corded the kids gettting in the van to go to grandma's I asked Jax what day it was and he said "Christmas!!"...so yeah he liked the turkey.
He was jumping up and down with excitement as we decorated the tree. And then again I am found crying on the couch as he wonders and asks several times why all the kids have a lot of ornaments and he doesn't....he just does not get it sometimes and it totally breaks my heart. Of course Sophie helps out the situation by making sure he knows she has SEVERAL ornaments compared to his two. (one from last year while we were waiting.) So that night he draws a picture of our family..(minus Sophie..imagine that and yes, I made him add her) pokes a hole in the top and hangs it on the tree. We then spend the next several days making homemade ornaments for him to hang on the tree.
What does he want for Christmas? Well it depends on what toy catalog or store we are in. He wants everything.
He had a minor surgery somewhere in all of this time between Oct 11(last post) and now to get something in his nose cauterized b/c of his frequent nose bleeds and that has helped tremendously.
Still going to Chinese school and yes he can still read and write chinese although we rarely here him speak it anymore. His English is A M A Z I N G!! He is reading some English now too..whoo hoo!
The past two nights he and Sophie have been camping out in a tent in Sophie's room, they love sleeping in there!! see my facebook page for those pics.
Oh I hope I haven't forgotten anything. Just ask me if you are wondering anything. I am sure I will post again sometime in January and I can answer then. ;)
Oh yeah, and it was exactly 6 months ago today that our sweet boy walked into that meeting room in the orphanage and became our son! God is good.
Oh yeah again, the rest of the family is doing great. Eg was in a play at our homeschool group, Emperors New Clothes, she did a fabulous job and the stage loved her! Tyler is elusive from the camera but he is now wearing a size 14 shoe and 36 length pant and is thinking about going into Pathology as a career choice. He did not WANT to go to the pumpkin patch this year and I was seriously heart broken, I mean he is almost 14.5 what's wrong with the pumpkin patch?!! Micah told me today he wants to go to Culinary school and is wondering if they will let him in before he graduates high school. He still has the sweetest spirit and will soon be a teen, his younger siblings do tend to get on his nerves sometimes! Sophie is still loving 5k and is very busy and has decided she goes for Auburn instead of Alabama but she still loves us. ( for real that's what she said).

What have we been up to?

2010-10-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Oh wow, so behind once again!! Let's see we will start with all Jax's firsts..

Trip to the zoo, trip to the beach, putt-putt golf, can now ride his bike without training wheels, helped me make chicken and dumplings, actually outgrown some clothes, 42 lbs, attended his first wedding, opened up to Mama and Baba and told us about some of his life in the orphanage, looked at his pictures from the orphanage....

Ok we have been BUSY...Jax has been busy. He is still doing awesome. English is improving everyday!! He and Sophie are still attending chinese school and so far he doesn't seem to have lost too much of his native language. As far as homeschooling we are more than half way through with the Abeka K Math and he knows all his letters and sounds and today read 3 words in English for me!! He reads great in Chinese. I truly think he could be farther along in his English reading but that is my fault. Some days it is all I can do to get the older 3 through school!! I will go ahead and post some pictures although our really good beach pictures are on the laptop and I haven't transferred them over yet.

Whoo hoo

2010-09-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

Ken's family found him! Whoot whoot! I am so excited. You know this is the same way we found Jax. Someone advocated for him, we inquired..and then 10 months later he is home!!!

I have a ton of catching up to do as we just got home from a 9 day vacation to the beach. I have awesome pics and we had so much fun relaxing and enjoying life together. I will blog about it soon.

Praising God again for all His mighty works!!!

How cute is he???

2010-09-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

Ok here is another ADORABLE little boy with VERY minor special needs (already corrected). He is only 3.5 years old and cute as a button. Believe me I am going to be praying for God to tug on my hubby's heart strings. This little one needs a family! Will you pray one comes forward for him? please contact me sh0ptildr@aol.com or xqcai@comcast.net for more information on darling Ken.

For Esmerelda

2010-09-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

Esmerelda thanks for getting in touch with me via my comments. I don't have your email so here is mine.
sh0ptildr@aol.com I would love to see the picture you have of Jax.

Thanks
Tina

Sweet 4 year old needs a family.

2010-09-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

Has God been tugging at your heart? Do you want to adopt but don't know who, how or when? Are you in the process and just waiting on the Lord to direct you to your new child? Maybe you haven't even started the process but you want to.
How about sweet Gang Gang. He is from Chengdu which is the same orphanage as Jax and Sophie. In fact Jax recognized him when he saw these pictures.

Gang Gang has a repaired cleft lip and palate and will be 5 this Oct 11. He is in the Half the Sky foundation's little sister program. Please prayerfully consider adding this little one to your family or please pray that a family will come forward for him.
He is also on the individual list of the same agency we worked with, BAAS. They are awesome and will help you bring him home as soon as possible. Their SN coordinator is very nice to work with and seems to answer your emails 24/7. Please contact me for more info at sh0ptildr@aol.com, I would be happy to help you anyway I can.

A little more info:

He has normal motor
development. He runs and jumps freely and he is nimble
and quick to react. In terms of his language ability, he
understand what is said to him and he can accurately express
himself. Because he is postoperative cleft lip and palate, the
pronunciation of some words are not completely accurate but
it has no effect on the communication.

Gang Gang is very self-sufficient. He feeds and dresses
himself, goes potty on his own and cooperate when taking a
shower. He is very capable. He makes his bed every morning.
Before going to bed at night, he helps to put the shoes of
other children in order. Gang Gang is studying in the program
provided by the CWI. He is bright, lively and loves to play with
other children.He likes to eat sweets and fruit. He is not a
picky eater He likes to watch T. V. especially watch cartoons.

Love this boy!!

2010-09-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

K5

2010-09-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

Sophie had her first day at K5 yesterday and told me she didn't like her teacher she LOVED her!! lol. She came home very bubbly and excited about her great day. I was able to get a lot of school accomplished with Jax without their constant competition and fighting over who is going to get the biggest sticker on their worksheets.

Did you feel it..

2010-09-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

or smell it?? FALL is in the air!! EG ran into the house Saturday morning, "MOM, me and Micah smell fall!!" We spent the whole and I do mean WHOLE day outside. We just couldn't bring ourselves in, then we decided to celebrate falls arrival with a bon-fire so we cooked hotdogs and s'mores and had a great time around the fire with our great friends!!

This is how Tyler spent the majority of his day

Coffee time with mom

Watching Baba

He liked burning the marshmallows

rednecks at heart

goofy girls..

My friend made this for me..

2010-09-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jax

Thank you Sis. Hagadorn!!

Ever had one of those

2010-08-31T07:11:00.000-07:00

Nights? Oh I had great plans all right. I told all the kids bed by 9:00 lights out by 9:30. Sophie was even asleep by 8:30, fever and headache, bless her heart. I even talked my mom into spending the night with me! So mom and I are laying up in the bed talking, enjoying a little rare mother daughter time...at 9:45 I hear little footsteps..it is Jax....using the bathroom then sneaking his way into my bed. So, ok he can sleep in here, how can I say no to that adorable impish grin. I hear more footsteps about 10 minutes later, EG's finger hurts and I know she wants to sleep with me and grandma but NO. Then mom and I turn the lights out and continue to talk...it is now 11:00pm and I hear something else.
"Mom, do you hear that?"
"No"
"It's me" says the deep manly voice of my 14 year old who can't sleep. He decides to get a glass of milk and head back to bed.
Fast forward to 4am and it really gets fun.
I hear little feet again. This time it is Sophie. She stands at the side of my bed.
"Who's in there with you?"
"grandma and Jax"
"dang-it" lol she really said dang-it! I mean EVERYTHING is a competition between she and Jax and obviously he won this one!! So I told her it was ok to crawl up in the bed and I would get her some Tylenol b/c her mean old fever is back. So, as I am getting the Tylenol Jax wakes up and realizes Sophie is in the bed....and...he. is. not. happy. I get back in the bed. At this point I am hanging off the edge trying to cover up with a blanket the size of a piece of toilet paper b/c my mom and the kids are hogging it all. I have to keep my back to Sophie because she has already told me at least 5 times how BAD my breath stinks. Well she keeps hollering out b/c Jax touches her, Jax is all scared b/c Grandma is snoring/humming...(my mom thinks she hums instead of snores..but believe me she snores) and he thinks she is gonna eat him or something. Finally, Sophie decided she needs to go potty and tells Jax to "save her spot" and actually slaps her spot to save it. Well, the minute she gets out of the bed Jax rolls right to her spot, I see this as my opportunity to get more blankets so I scoot him over and decide to sleep between to the two to reduce further friction. Sophie gets back in the bed, tells me one more time how bad my breath stinks and then finally falls back to sleep.
Ever had one of those nights?

Happy Birthday Jax!!

2010-08-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Jax's birthday on Saturday and it was FUN!! He loved getting so many gifts!! He now is the proud owner of 6 remote controlled cars, he has been using his siblings like crazy and is so happy to have his own. We also bought him a train table and we ALL love playing with that. And he finally got his own Leapster he and Sophie have been sharing(against her better judgement)

Cool pirate cake

The happy pirate!!

The happy couple

Sweet Baby "O"

think he's happy??

The much coveted and longed for remote control boat.

Sophie was only too happy to help him open gifts.

checking out the train table

The big kids played in the rain

I think they were ready for this picture..

Thanks to everyone who came and helped us celebrate Jax's special day!!!

I need a blog makeover..

2010-08-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Bushel and a peck Go to this site and you might win one!!! If you don't win there is still a great deal on a makeover and 30% of the profit's goes to Amazima Ministries!!!

Out of the mouth of babes...

2010-08-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

As I sat on the porch swing drinking my coffee, watching my son ride his scooter, and Sophie leaning against me...I hear a whisper..

"Mom?"

"Yes, Sophie?"

"Your boobs are going "tick-tock, tick-tock"

hmmmmmmmm

Sweet baby O

2010-08-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

My greedy sister-in-law FINALLY gave in and let me babysit my new niece! Talk about eat her up, "baby O" is the sweetest thing ever! I so loved getting to keep her but between Bert and Sophie hogging, I mean holding her I barely got a chance to hold her! Sophie loved playing the babysitter part, she fed her, and read to her and talked to her!! So sweet!

Auntie Fran this post is for you!

2010-08-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

I had a very important message from my Auntie Fran via my mom that my most important priority right now should be my blog!!So forget this messy house, Mount WASHmore and cooking, I have a blog to update!! By the way for those of you that don't know her my Auntie Fran is ONE of the sweetest, kindest, gentlest people you will ever meet. I have so many fond memories of visiting her, my Uncle Tom and my cousins over the years! You will always leave their house with a full belly and a jar of her wonderfully canned pickles in your hand!

Where to start? Well, Micah went fishing and caught a 17 lb striper and he was SO stoked!! Bert and the boys joined a hunting club so I see a lot of free weekends in my future.

We had to make a trip to the Eye Foundation ER because Sophie got poked in the eye when one of her brothers was playing with her in the pool. She got a really nice shiner but all is well.

Jax went to the adoption clinic for a check-up and gained 2 pounds..whoo hoo! I think I gained 4.
They are very pleased with the progress he is making thus far.

My friends have come over with their kids and they swam in the pool and then played in the mud in the pond. They love catching tadpoles and squishing mud in their toes.

Jax and Sophie started Chinese school this past Saturday. Sophie absolutely LOVED it!! Jax was more reserved and shy but they both did great!

We started school last week. The kids are doing great so far. I am doing Abeka Kindergarten math with Jax and we do several pages a day, I hope to finish the book in the next few weeks and move on to the first grade. For language we are just doing alphabet flash cards and the sounds. And of course a lot of reading, the kids take turns reading to him everyday. Sophie does counting, workbooks and flashcards and she will start 5k in September. Tyler and Micah are both going to CORE which takes a load off of me and they really enjoy it. And EG has her schedule full here at home. So far we are off to a great start! Have some pretty cool things
planned for this year.

I forgot to add on my past post about things Jax says. Well, we are Pentecostal and our church is very loud and exuberant. When it is time for church I tell Jax, "It's time for church..hallelujah". He says, (in the most hilarious accent) NO HALLELUJAH! He likes Sunday School but he is still getting used to the church service part!

Where does the time go?

2010-08-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

Yet again I am a slacker blogger. We have been so busy I don't know if I am coming or going! We have been camping and fishing and just busy with doctor appointments and church and life itself! It is hard to believe we have had 2 months with Jax already. His adjustment has been so awesome! His English is slowly but surely coming along. I am pretty sure he understand about 90% of what we say. He can say a lot of words, and even puts some sentences together. His sentences are:
You want some?
Can I see?
My turn!
Thats Mine!
Watch a movie?.
Where's the charger?
It needs batteries.
Say cheese.
Sophie say no.
noodles, please.
I am sure there are plenty I am forgetting! But overall his English is exceeding our expectations.

Behavior wise he is also doing good. He does have his moments as we all do. But he truly wants to please us and is truly sorry when he does something wrong. He has us all wrapped around his sweet little smile!

The constant competition between Jax and Sophie is truly making me crazy. It is from the minute their eyes pop open until they go to bed. Sophie is SO worried that Jax is going to get something and she is not. If I cut up an apple or a peach they both better get the same amount or else! I try to make everything as even as possible. They both are going crazy for my attention. If I walk around my house they want to touch me and hold my hand constantly. This is only if the other one is around. If the other sibling is not right there they are fine doing there own thing without me. But seriously the tattling and competition makes me want to run out of my house screaming...or just go hide in a closet. Any hints on how to save my sanity here? I laugh at myself when I think I had it all together...b/c I so don't have it together right now...and then school is suppose to start next week.....ok I am going to my happy place now.

Ok on a side note. Do your kids come watch you exercise like you are some kind of freak show? When I get up and exercise in the morning all the kids come sit on the couch and watch me do my video? Sophie loves to tell me how I am not doing it like the person on the video. But there I am in my living room, swinging my kettlebell all over the place, grunting and sweating and gasping for breath. And there they sit staring. humph!~ It gets on my nerves ;)

Happy Birthday EG!!

2010-08-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well today(that would have been Monday, see how long I have been trying to post!)is a very special day for a very special girl. My sweet EG is 11. I so cannot believe it! As each year passes it's both rewarding and heartbreaking to see your children grow up. Rewarding in the fact that she is realizing who she is and what she wants out of life. Rewarding in that she loves the Lord and has her own relationship with him. Rewarding in the fact that she will at least try to fix her own hair now, and sometimes I can even convince her to wear lip gloss.."gasp" :)
Heartbreaking to see this little girl who my heart ached for before there were any baby girls in my life, grow up and realize she doesn't need mommy all that often anymore. EG you are such a precious gift from God, you have the best laugh ever, a AWESOME sense of humor and we love you so much!!

showing the love...

2010-07-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

Busy week

2010-07-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy week! Sunday was Jax first time in Sunday school and I am thrilled to say he LOVED it!! You can tell being around other kids is definitely his forte.

All the kids had dental appointments on Tuesday. Everyone looked good. We had Dr. Parker guess Jax age and he said dentally he is between 6 and 6.5. His teeth looked great and he tolerated it all very well. After the dentist it was a quick run through Chic-fil-a drop the older kids off and head to his chinese tutor. He was very quiet at first but then began to really open up to her in the last 15-20 minutes. She is a very sweet teacher and he told her he is happy he will keep his chinese language.

Then Wednesday we were off to the IAC. JAx is still only 38 pounds and 45 inches. The visit went really well. They thought he was adjusting great! He did have to have a renal u/s and one if his kidneys is bigger than the other so we will be seeing a urologist in September, so we now have vision appointments, hearing tests and urology to go!!

His adjustment at home is going really well. MUCH better than I expected. He is learning to follow rules and obey. He is a great little helper(when he wants to be). He has donned my big backpack vacuum and helped with cleaning the kitchen. He empties the silverware. And he and Sophie enjoyed working with Baba on the deck. He is such a sweetie. When he gets up in the morning he comes and crawls in the bed and snuggles and then he whispers "coffee" to me a hundred times b/c he knows the temptation will get me out of bed!! He ate roast tonight and all of his texas toast and rice. He still likes to have noodles at least once a day. He loves cookies and loves to dunk them in milk! He has a great sense of humor! He also knows how to show empathy which I am very thankful for. He LOVES and I do mean LOVES his baby cousin Olivia. He was so upset today when he saw O's band-aids from her shots. He made sure La La saw them and that she knew he was sad for O. He wants to feed, touch and hold her all the time!! Just between Sophie and Jax I don't think Olivia will ever learn to walk!! He also loves one of my best friends little boy, Lucas. Lucas is about 20 months and Jax loves to hold him too! He really enjoys playing with his older siblings. They are very sweet and gentle with him. They are currently all running from room to room shooting each other with nerf guns! Oh and one more thing. How did just adding one more child add S000000 much more laundry? I just don't get it!

Ignore Bert's bald spot and enjoy the show!

2010-06-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to?

2010-06-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. Life has been busy. Hard to believe that I cannot get anything done! Jax is still adjusting well. He has only had one major fit since we have been home and that was Saturday so we decided it was best to keep him home from church Sunday and let him get more adjusted. We went to the doctor last week for this rash he has on his hands. They said it was some kind of sweat gland thing, and it makes little blisters on his hands but they don't seem to bother him. He was 45 inches tall and 40 pounds at the doctor. He wears between a 5t and a 6, but we HAVE to have adjustable waist. Ok what else. He loves our pool, and we swim at least once a day. He loves squirt guns. He got a new bike and now has scabby knees. He really likes batteries. I mean a WHOLE lot. He thinks they can fix anything and he is always taking things apart and putting new batteries in them. He can add, subtract and write in chinese and then translate it into the English letter's. He loves to be held. He gives me kisses on his own. He sleeps in the bedroom off of the study instead of the boy's room. We feel it is best to keep him closer to us right now. He likes the book Brown Bear Brown Bear and says most of it right along with us. He likes Archie's(go figure). We have picked blackberries together, he has been to Wal-Mart twice and Mcdonald's once. He loves them both! He loves our little dog Banjo..almost too much, Banjo has been so patient! He loves to go swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's. We use google translate several times a day and that has been a life saver! I just wish there was something he could type in to to tell us things. I have found a chinese school here in Birmingham that he will go to once or twice a week. And we will still homeschool him when school starts back. We just don't want him to lose his chinese over the summer.

So how is Sophie adjusting to her new brother? She is doing as well as can be expected. She tattles on him constantly (and vice versa). She is sad that we hold him so much and everything he touches she decides she wants to play with too! So, we are seeing a new side to her but all in all she is doing great we just make sure we reassure her that just b/c Jax is here we don't love her any less he just needs a lot from us right now. They mimick each other constantly and Sophie keeps making up her own language (she thinks is chinese) so we have to tell her to stop b/c he will never learn English!

Tyler, Micah and EG are really doing great with him. I was worried b/c in China the boys didn't interact with him as much as I had hoped but now that we are home it is good. Tyler and Jax play ball together. Jax LOVES to watch Micah play video games and tell Micah how to play(all in chinese of course). He and EG have played cards together(he really knows how to play, but the kids say he cheats!), legos and a lot of other fun stuff. The older kids get so tickled at him! They ALL enjoy swimming together.

I would say Jax favorite English words so far are Mama, Baba, eat and "NO Sophia!" (for some reason when he says Sophie it sounds like Sophia).

Jet lag be gone!

2010-06-16T04:56:00.000-07:00

Still hanging in there. I am hoping the jet lag will soon be gone. I actually slept all the way till 4:45 this morning so that is a good sign. Sophie didn't get up until 6 am and Jax is still sleeping. EG fell asleep at 6:30 pm last night and was up at 3:30am but did fall back asleep. Bert is back to work at nights( I don't even know how he is functioning) and the boys left for church camp yesterday. So life goes on and stays busy wether we are sleepy or not.

Sunday morning when we were up early, Bert and I got some puzzles out for S and J. Well, I don't think Jax has done puzzles before b/c his spacial reasoning seemed off to me. He would just try to make the pictures fit where ever wether they were edge pieces, middle pieces etc. Well, yesterday morning he and I were up at 5 and he pointed to the puzzle and he wanted to do it himself. AND it didn't take long and he HAD done it himself! He was so proud! Unfortunately, he has been watching his older sister make faces at the camera so now he thinks it is funny to do the same...thus these pictures.

Video of Jax

2010-06-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is so dark it was just about dark outside.

Happy Birthday Sophinator!

2010-06-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, the day after we get home from China we have a birthday! Sophie is so happy to be 5. She keeps asking me is she really 5. She so thinks she is taller and stronger now too!

We are still having some serious jet lag issues. My sweet friend Brooke left Starbucks and a coffee mug in my mailbox for me today! AWESOME! Then Sunday Amber sent us lunch! Tonight I cheated and went and picked up......CHINESE! lol. I love American chinese food so much better than the real thing.

Jax is adjusting well. We have had a lot of company and he has done good so far. He met a lot more of his cousins and extended family yesterday. We have been using google translate very often. He is curious about everything! He is becoming much more affectionate and even gave Baba a kiss goodbye tonight as he headed out to work.

Be it ever so humble...

2010-06-13T02:16:00.000-07:00

We are home! We made it home at 1:00am after MANY delays on the way . Thankfully no flight attendants or pilots were killed during the delays. We landed in Chicago on time, went through the pain of customs and then we were suppose to be on our way back to Bham at 7:35. Well, the first delay said we would leave at 8:05, then 8:30, then 9, then 9:30...well we did leave at 9:30pm BUT the plane didn't take us to Bham it took us to.... NASHVILLE! There was something wrong with the battery on the plane so we had to stop and change batteries then get more gas...so finally we landed in Bham around 12:45am. We are all so happy to be home! Needless to say we did not get up until 3pm Saturday afternoon. Then we went to bed at 11pm...and here it is 4:20 am(been up since 3am) and Bert, EG and Sophie and I are in the school room playing with play-doh. I love America and I love Alabama and I love my bed and I love potable water! AND let me just tell you how GREAT my friends are. Not only did we still have a good crowd at the airport at 1:00am BUT we came home to a clean house, home cooked meals, re-stocked fridge beautiful flowers and sweet notes. Thank you so much to everyone who helped clean the house...Cynthia, Laura, Girls and Jessica ( I know what a BIG job that is). Thank you Melody for the soup (eating the watermelon right now)! Thank you Sutton family for dinner last night! Thank you Laura for those yummy cupcakes, in fact think I will go eat one right now!

There's no place like home.

Having fun...

2010-06-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

Hi, sorry I have not been blogging as much. Everything is going good. Jax is still adjusting well which means he has good days and bad days. He is definitely testing limits which is very normal. We are so happy he has joined our family.

Our time in Guangzhou has been very easy with just shopping and hanging out. No touring. (thank heavens). Our guide has taken us to some great chinese restaurants. All the kids and parents are definitely ready to come home. Our first flight tomorrow morning has already been cancelled and that is actually a good thing b/c our layover in Bejing will go from 6 hours to 4! Whoo hoo. We would love for anyone who wants to come to the airport to feel free to come. We get in at about 9:15pm Friday night. I can't promise you that we will look or smell good, but we will be VERY happy to be back in Alabama.

Thank you everyone so much for all your prayers and all your help while we were away. My dad and Butch and Cynthia took care of our dogs and home and I know that was not an easy task and I really appreciate it. We know so many of you have been praying for our family and we have seen our God faithful once again to answer all those prayers! When I look at Jax and how he is adjusting I am just truly amazed. In my mind and heart I had prepared for the worse and he is (so far) way better than I expected him to be. He comes and gives me hugs and kisses every now and then!! His eating has slowed way down I think he feels pretty confident at this point that we will not let him starve! He loves EVERYTHING mechanical. If it can be taken apart believe me the boy will take it apart...watches, flashlights, handheld, fans and remote control cars are on the list so far! He is very aware of things that are his..meaning not Sophie's. He has no problem letting us know if she is touching his stuff. But he is getting better at taking turns and sharing. I feel so bad that he can't understand us, he sees all of us talking yet no one understands him. I imagine that can get pretty frustrating.

Anyhow, we come home tomorrow, I am going to miss my friend Kim and her family so much, we have had some fun adventures together. See you all soon!!

Shopping Day

2010-06-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

We started today with our usual wonderful breakfast buffet. Then we all loaded up and headed back to the island for Jax and Cai to get their TB test read. Thankfully they both passed. Then we went and did some shopping. We went to the market where the locals shop for medicine..that was pretty interesting. We are about to go eat thai food tonight at the Banana Leaf. Yum!

Safari Park

2010-06-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

Guangzhou at last!

2010-06-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

I will start with Friday. Our guide from our first trip to Chengdu came and took us out for lunch. Her name is Susie and we really love her. She is so sweet and we were so honored that she took us out too lunch and introduced us to her two year old son. She was so happy to see Sophie...and thanked us over and over for coming and adopting Jax. Then Peggy, our guide for this trip came and took us to another temple = boring.(sorry Sis. Sutton I tried to be interested) Then it started to rain just as we were getting to the ancient street. The kids and Bert found some disgusting things to eat at a street market and yes some kind of squidy, fishy thing was part of it.

Then we were off to the airport for Guangzhou. I wish you could have seen Jax face as the plane took off. PURE delight. He was so excited. The funny thing is he pulled out that little card in the back of the seats that tells you what to do in case of emergency. He kept pointing to the ones that showed the plane going down into the water and gasping! Then he pointed to the one where you do the emergency exit down the inflatable slide. I think he was somewhat disappointed that we didn't crash. lol

I was so happy to be in Guangzhou. Laine, you were not kidding about the Garden Hotel, it is the BOMB!!! We love it. My boys found a room here with a ping pong table so they are in heaven. They are also so happy that my friends Kim and Carla have their kids here so now they have someone to hang out with. We ate lunch at chinese fast food. Jax was very adamant about what he was pointing out he wanted on the menu. I just nodded my head yes so when they finally brought out the chicken feet everyone wondered whose they were. Well, let me tell you that boy can eat some toes!

We also had our medical exam today. He did really well and thankfully only had to have 2 shots. He did not even cry..just whimpered a little. Then he liked showing his siblings his band aids and battle scars. He knew he had been so tough and that we were all proud of him. Oh yeah, it was also so neat to see Lilly and Rebecca again. They are the coordinators for the Lifeline families and we were with them our first trip to China. Ok, so now on to Jax's favorite part of today. Yo-Yong. Swimming. You should have seen his face light up when he saw the pool. He was just squealing with delight and as I am sure you can tell by the pictures he is going to love our pool at home!! He is so funny. He would squirt Sophie with the squirt gun, I mean all in her ears, her eyes and she was finally getting fed up. I told her to splash him when he did that. Well, the first time she splashes him he starts hollering "MAMA MAMA..SOPHIA, dkgfjhsdfgkaf,jffjflkjdsf" (that's chinese) Oh he was just a tattling on her! lol. He loves to dish it out. (sounds like someone I know).

Tonight we also had dinner at a Italian Restaurant called Bongiornio's. How cool is that? Our favorite italian food at home is also Bongiornio's! Jax is really starting to understand us more and he really wants to please us. He tries not to use chopsticks and uses a fork and spoon together like chopsticks. I WANT him to use the chopsticks but he sees all of us without them and want's to be like us!!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. When we first left our room to go to the pool Jax could not believe we were leaving our room without shoes on and kept going on and on about Sophie and EG not having shoes on then he finally gave in and took his off. Then we get to the elevator and he reminds me again that the 3 of them now do not have shoes on. Well, we get down to the pool and to the water and I take his shirt off..well he proceeds to take his swim trunks off too!! So, we got those pulled back up but as soon as they were done swimming he wanted them off. So I took them off and wrapped him in a towel so now he is butt naked. Well, of course he doesn't mind and loses his towel several times much to his oldest sisters horror! She said she is never going back to the pool with us again!!