Finally catching up...

On all these posts - I was getting so far behind!

This is a victory pose and let me just tell you why!


We attended a school fundraiser called the "Turkey Trot". It was a mile run/walk to promote family fitness etc... So we decided we would give it a try. Hanna and a friend pretty much ran the entire way, but I had serious doubts about Rylee being able to make it. I considered bringing a stroller, but we have been really working on her muscle tone and stamina for gymnastics so I decided against bringing it.

We started out with Rylee pretty much trotting along trying to keep up with her friends, but it wasn't long before she started to lag behind. At the half mile mark there was a water stop. We grabbed a cup and encouraged her to keep going. She was really starting to drag and try to hang by our hands, but I just kept telling her "come on Rylee, you can do it, you can make it - let's go all the way Rylee - come on!". She complained, whined, said she couldn't do it - but I had my eye on the finish line. I was the major cheerleader - Come on baby lets go!!!! Just when I thought she wouldn't make it, a teeny tiny puppy caught up to us - well passed us. At this point out of a few hundered people we were almost dead last! She took off RUNNING after the puppy. It was just the incentive that she needed to keep going!

Several yards from the finish line she stopped and said she couldn't go any further! I grabbed her hand and told her "Let's GO, we can do it Ry!!!!" Her teachers spotted her and were cheering for her along with many other people. At this point I couldn't speak anymore and my eyes were threatening to overflow - you see just one year ago this girl, my sweet baby girl, could not go up one flight of stairs without having jello legs for the rest of the day. This little girl that tired so easily, had really almost no muscle tone in her legs when we met her - had just jogged, trotted, walked and trudged along for the entire mile ALL BY HERSELF!!! Yeah Rylee!!!!!!!

I know it doesn't LOOK like much of a reward - but she asked to - really she did!

I tried to tell her that it was really too windy to pick up leaves, but she insisted on trying. How could I turn her down after she worked so hard to finish that mile? :)

The challenge is...

Getting all four to look at me and look good all at the same time!

The solution: Crop one out!

Beautiful Alabama Fall!

Sometimes you just need to stop and admire the beauty around us to remember what an amazing creation our earth is. Amazing and stunning beauty surrounds us right now as fall colors are in full force. We see so much uncertainty, suffering, desolation and just plain ulginess every day on the streets, in the news and even in our own lives that it can become difficult to remain focused on the things that are really important.

Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice
and be glad in it."

School Parties and Rylee's First Recognition!!!

We had some fun fall parties at school with both girls. I was a little nervous about Rylee's because she has such a hard time when I leave after seeing her at school and I usually have to peel her off me to leave. It might be harder on me than her, but I sure do feel terrible every time it happens. However, when I got to school she was thrilled to see me and I got to see her interact with her friends, sing a group song and talk with her teacher a bit. Below is a picture of her with her best friend. We are so lucky because she also lives just down the street from us and Rylee yells for her every time we drive by her house. Aren't they just so cute????

In the afternoon it was Hanna's class party and all the kids were very creative with their pumpkin decorating. I enjoyed watching Hanna read a story that she had written to the class. She is growing up and maturing so fast these days. It seems more and more that I feel her slowly pulling away and becoming more independent and while knowing that it has to happen, it still makes me a little sad. It was a real treat for me as I sat in her class and watched the other kids with their parents. Hanna sat on my lap during the party and her teacher gently teased her about being a Mommy's girl. She grinned real big and nodded her head and said "Yes, I am still going to sit on my Mom's lap!" She gave me a great big hug and her teacher laughed and admitted that it is okay to be a Mama's girl because he is still a Mama's boy even at his age! I have to say that I liked him even more after admitting that - being a "tough" retired military guy and all :)

Now about that "Reckondation"! Rylee came running off the bus one day telling me that she had gotten a "Reckon Dation - MAMA I got one!!!" This is a real accomplishment for Rylee as she has struggled so hard with starting school. We have received many notes home from school about things like - excessive talking and interrupting ("But Mama, dis teacher no stop talking - she talka too much - I need talk my friends!"), not listening and staying on task ("this is borin for me Mama!" actually my opinion is that this happens when she has reached her limit on learning new things), not following directions ("Dis school is too much rules Mama!"), and yes even the occasional pushing/throwing things at someone (Why would you do this to your friend Rylee? "Well Mama she was being ANNOY-INK!"). So when she hopped off the bus, bursting with excitement and her eyes dancing with pride, telling me how she is a good girl now, she got reckondation - I picked her up and swung her around, hugged her tight and thanked God that she finally got one! I looked down into that shining face as she asked me "You proud me Mama?" I said "You bet I am proud of you, my good girl!!"

Local FCC Gathering and a "Horse-corn"

Yes, this is a Horsecorn! We attended the local Families With Chinese Children get together and Rylee wanted to go as a princess UNTILL we came across this costume - which Rylee immediately informed us was a Horsecorn!

Rylee had a lot of fun meeting the other girls and playing with them. She also enjoyed her first time roasting marshmallows and making s'mores - which she LOVED!

Most of the girls are close to Rylee's age or younger, but all have been home so much longer than Rylee. I am really glad that we got in contact with this group. Rylee enjoyed playing with the other kids, but still mainly stuck close to her Sist.

Celebrating one year together!

What a year this has been! We celebrated with dinner out and Rylee got to choose where we went. We all thought her choice would be "China" (really our local Chinese restaurant) but she surprised us all with going to Logan's and she would go in a princess dress! She munched on her popcorn shrimp, drew pictures on the kids menu and we spoke casually about meeting her one year ago. She told me when I was helping her get ready "Mama, we celebrate dinner for one year dat we meet at China. Dis is when China say I can have my Mommy! They say I can have you right Mama?" Sometimes she just amazes me with how she really just gets it! She tells me we are a family and she is so proud to tell everyone whenever we are out somewhere "Dis my Sist! Dis is MY Mama - Dis is MY Daddy!!!"

When we were waiting to be able to go get her, I worried endlessly about whether she would like us? Would she even want to be part of our family? Would she love us, love me? Now she tells me many times a day "Mama, I LOVE you!" I tell her that I love her too! She says "Say, I love you too BABY, Mama!!" "I am you little baby Mama, right?"

She knows, just like I do, that we missed a lot while we were waiting. Her and I both look a little wistfully at tiny babies. One day we were watching a family with a little baby, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I was wondering what Rylee would have looked like at just a few months old, what she would have felt like nestled in my arms, and hoping that someone comforted her and held her when she was that tiny. I never wanted to put these wistful thoughts into words but Rylee did it for both of us. "Awwww, I wish I could be a little baby and you could feed me and hold me like that Mama" as she looked longingly at the Mama and her little baby. I put my arms around her and told her that I wish I could have been there when she was a tiny baby, because I am sure she was the most beautiful baby and I would have loved to have been able to have her then. But we have each other now, and I am so thankful that we are together now!

One Year Ago Today...

We met our beautiful and spicy Jiangxi girl for the very first time! She has grown so much in the year that she has been with us and is so much a part of our family that it is hard to remember a time when she was not here and yet I can vividly remember the timid little girl that waddled through that hotel door with such a brave little face. She sighed so deeply with resignation and accepted without tears that this was her fate. She studied us so intently for the next few days and spoke very little. I was certain though a few times that she was telling us off but our guide said , "Oh no she has very good manners, very polite girl!" As the days passed I suspected even more that she was not the timid little girl that she was acting like. By the time we got to Guangzhou, she was opening up more and more. Within five minutes of meeting our guide there, she told us "Oh my, do you ever have a bossy one!" I KNEW IT and she has been trying her best to boss us ever since!

This is the first photo we ever saw of her and she looks so serious and somber. I wondered the first time I looked into these eyes, why someone had not just scooped her up! I stared into those eyes knowing and wondering at the same time if this was finally our daughter! I stared at her wispering "Is it you?"

The day finally came when we met for the first time! She was so resigned, so scared and stunningly beautiful! We thought that she handled everything so well, but knowing her now we know how truly scared she really was. But she made up her mind that she would make the best of things and she has blossomed ever since!

Today she is a happy, affectionate, loving - but still bossy girl that LOVES life. She does everything with 100% conviction. She is always described to us as having such a commanding personality. Someone that demands and attracts attention when she walks into a room. She loves people, animals, gymnastics and horseback riding. She adores her sister, her puppies and her Mama! We just simply adore her!

Rylee has taught us so much about love, life, family and parenting. She has challenged us in so many ways and yet, she fits in to our family so perfectly! We are amazed everyday at this miracle that is our daughter and grateful beyond words for the trust we have been given to call her our own.

Happy Family Day Rylee - We love you so much!!!

Pumpkins and a hurting Daddy!

As much as we love the south and the perfect fall weather, we do miss the apple orchard/pumpkin patch tradition we had up north. There is no fresh cider and donuts when we go to the pumpkin patch - however, you can pick cotton and stuff it in your pockets to give to your Mama later as a sweet and special gift!

The girls have been wanting to decorate pumpkins, so we did that today. Here are our results:

Poor Daddy has a muscle spasm in his back and has been hobbling around pretty good today. He told us that it felt like a knife was in his back. Rylee looked at him very serious for a minute and then lifted his shirt to study his back. Finally she announced "Daddy there is no knife in there - you is fine Daddy! Now come on get up, you is fine!!!"

When is it too much homework?

Rylee was working at the table and Hanna was working on the computer, both doing their homework. I left Rylee at the table writing letters and went to help Hanna, right around the corner in the other room. I was gone about five minutes before heading back to see if Rylee needed help. It was strangely quiet as I rounded the corner and there I found her sound asleep! So sound asleep that she didn't even wake up when I picked her up from the chair and laid her on the couch. These kindergarten days sure can be exhausting!

What the letter "Nn" looks like

We are working hard on learning letters and their sounds here. Rylee wants to know why Mama laughs every time we get to the letter "N". She has to read the letter, and then make the sound. This is what "Nn" looks like - EVERY TIME!

Typical Dinner Conversation

We always have dinner together as a family and since Rylee joined us the conversations grow more and more interesting as she increases her understanding and uses her ever increasing vocabulary.

She starts the way she always does - "What this food Mama, is this fish?"
Me: "No Rylee, it's not fish. Why do you think we are always having fish?"
Rylee: "WELL, in China I have fish once - I don't like fish!"
Me: "This is a burger"
Rylee: "I don't want this - I want rabioli"
Me: "You had ravioli after school, you can't have ravioli for every meal"
Rylee: "BUT I WANT TOO MAMA!"
Dad: "Rylee try your burger"
Rylee: "OKAY FINE" as she stabs the burger with her fork and lifts the entire thing to her mouth, "This too big - I can't eat it! AND I don't like COW!"
Dad: "Ravioli has cow in it and you like it!"
Rylee: "EEEWwww NO's NOT Daddy, look!" She holds out both hands raising one finger at a time as she lists off all the things she will not eat - "I don't eat cow, fish, pig, duck, cat, dog, turtle, or all the stuff - I just eat this and this" as she points to her bread and french fries.
Hanna pipes in now: "You eat bird"
Rylee: "DON'T SAY THAT HANNA!"
Hanna: "In China you did - you ate a bird! Didn't she Mom?"
Me: "Yes, Rylee in China you did eat a bird"
Rylee: "Hey - Hanna and Mama you being mean me - both you be mean me!"
Hanna: "No we aren't you really did eat the bird - you ate the head and you liked it - right Mom?"
Me: "Well you really did like it Rylee, in fact you were very excited about it and seemed to think it was a big treat!"
Rylee: "We not talk this anymore - you not nice me!"


Here are some pictures from July and August:

"I no have my China little Mom now"

Rylee nonchalantly started the conversation as I was getting her ready for bed. The rest went like this:

Me: "No, not anymore"

Rylee: "Now I have you Mama" she turns to face me and places her small hand on the side of my face. She looks me in the eye and continues, "Now I have you and my Daddy and my Sist. I likea you Mama, I love you! I really happy you my Mama now. I don't wanta go China all the day Mama. In China I don't have you and Daddy and my Sist. I happy now Mama, you not in China an in China I no have a Mommy. Can I stay you Mama?"

Me (talking over the extremely large lump in my throat): "Oh sweetheart, Mama loves you too and I am so happy that you are here with us forever. You will always have Mommy and Daddy and your Sister, always, everyday no matter where we are or where we go you will always have me and Daddy and Hanna. You are my baby now and Mama loves you forever. You stay with Mama today, tomorrow and all the days! You will always have a Mommy now, I love you so much my sweet baby!"

Rylee: "Thank you Mama, thank you I stay you Mama!"

Rylee goes to Kindergarten!

Hard to believe that summer is done already, but Rylee was so excited to go to "big school" on Thursday. She rode the bus with the big kids and Hanna made sure that she found her classroom. We got up extra early and the girls were ready about 40 minutes before it was time to go catch the bus. So much to their annoyance, I had plenty of time to snap pictures before they left. Once it was time to go we got half way down the driveway and Rylee said "Okay Mama see you later - you stay here, I big girl - I get bus myself!" I said WHAT??? Mama goes with you to the bus stop and I will wait there until the bus comes! Her response: "Awwww Modder!!! I can do it myself, oh man - Mama you wait here!" So I went with them to the bus stop and gave them hugs and kisses when the bus got there. Once she spotted the bus Rylee never looked back. She got on the bus holding hands with her big sis and carrying a backpack that looked about the same size as her. As the door closed behind these sisters, my eyesight blurred and their words from the morning rang through my head "Are you going to cry Mom? Don't do it - don't you cry!" (Hanna) and Rylee echoing her "Don't do it MAMA - you cry Mama?"

Yes Ry - Mama cry - just a little bit!