Audrey's Horseback riding Adventure

Ok, am I crazy putting Audrey on a horse at 4.5 yrs old? This was actually just one of those fateful things that happens. I really had thought she was too young, but I had talked to several different people recently who had experience with horses and all informed me that it's not uncommon at all for kids to start riding after age 3.5-4. We just happen to have a riding/boarding stable literally within walking distance of our house so I have been inundated with requests from Audrey to ride over the past year.

Long story short, she is a natural and she had the time of her life. I myself love horses as well so seeing her learn to ride was wonderful. She takes another lesson this Wednesday and we are really looking forward to it.

We have our PA for LEI !!!!!

Although the PA (preapproval from China) is only one small step in our adoption process, it offically makes Lei ours as long as our dossier supports the information in our Letter of Intent (LOI), which it will. We finished up our homestudy last week and our SW is working on writing it up now. We just received our fingerprinting appointment Saturday and it is for October 26 so just a couple weeks away. If all goes as planned, we should be DTC early December. I still cringe when I think about Memphis USCIS though. They can take anywhere from 5-8 weeks to process our I-600A once they have the homestudy and prints. It only took 5 weeks with Rachel so I will be happy if it is the same for Lei.

Happy Birthday Rachel !!!

Rachel's Birthday was actually the last week of September but I'm finally getting around to posting. We celebrated with a small birthday party at home and it was perfect. I didn't realize how in touch Rachel would be that it was her birthday but she totally got it and she wanted us to sing Happy Birthday to her all day long. The only word she can say from the song is "Happy" so she just went around singing "Happy" all day lol. We picked her up a special little birthday cake and a Princess Balloon that sings "happy birthday" and she was thrilled. Throw in last years "carebear" birthday decorations and you have a great party ;-) The most memorable thing about Rachel's birthday party was the fact that she blew out her candle without any help whatsoever. This should not have suprised me though since she is very often full of hot air !

About Our Boy !!!!! Our hearts already ache for him

Since I last posted about Lei, I have learned so much new information about his orphanage and caregivers thanks to several families who have visited the orphanage contacting me after I posted on the Zhejiang orphanages yahoo group. We now know that Lei is at Jiaojiang SWI which is on the China Sea where it meets the Shujiang river. There are only 14 children at his orphanage and one was just adopted in the past week by a Dutch family who actually have contacted me while in China. They visited the orphanage just a few days ago so they are sure they met Lei. I sent them his referral pictures and they are going to look through all their pictures to see how many he is in and send them to me. As you can imagine we are so excited that we might see recent pictures !!! One family did send me a picture of her daughter with him in the background in July 2006. He just looks like an angel from heaven, and I'm not kidding :-) We also now know the director of the orphange's name and we have a direct contact in China thanks to a gentleman who's son is adopted from Jiaojiang SWI. The recurring theme from all the families I've been in contact with is that this is a very good orphanage with loving nannies and a director who really cares about the children. The families who have told me this have all been to the orphanage and have met the director and caregivers.

Our LOI should be on it's way to CCAA by now because it was being translated last week. I also filed our I-600A today and our homestudy is moving at warp speed. All this said, I still know realistically that we probably won't travel until next May. Knowing who our son is and having to wait so long is just going to be heartwrenching ............ It already is. I will post any new pictures and information I receive. Hopefully I will have new pictures soon !

Soccer Girl !!! WAY TO GO #14

Ok, well today was only Audreys 2nd Soccer practice and game but we all sure had a good time and we can already see her improving. ( She now knows to kick the ball when possible and which goal to kick it towards ;)) Of course there is this phenomena that is quite humorous to watch in which the opposing team member will stop with the ball and then Audrey and her teammates aren't sure what to do. They stand there and wait for their opponent to move. I guess you can't play soccer if your opponent doesn't move lol. Anyway, our first soccer game with Audrey we weren't sure what to think but today it was great. Sunshine, fresh air, exercise for the girls, and oh, the junk food at the concession stand wasn't bad either ;-) Rachel really enjoys soccer now too and she is going to be a natural when she's old enough to play. She can already kick the ball great !

It's All About Audrey and Rachel

Actually Audrey has a fleece blankie from her "Rae" (grandma) that says "It's all about me, Deal with it". Audrey asked me what it said last night and I told her and she seemed quite pleased and kept repeating this phrase sigh lol. Thanks Rae !!! Haha

What is new with us? Well everything is always new, sometimes fun, sometimes exhausting and most of the time both !. Rachel is still as headstrong as ever and tests us daily. She doesn't have great speech skills yet, but she has no problem getting her point across. She is our little "spitfire" putting it politely ;-) Her main words these days are "one mo" and she puts up one finger. She learned this quickly because no matter how much you give her she isn't satisfied so it's always "ONE MO PEAS". She can also say "GUM" quite plainly. (a whole other story there). She also says "BAD" perfectly lol. Guess maybe her mama has said that one more than once. Whenever any of us do anything that displeases Rachel, she is the first to raise her finger and scold us with "BAD". Rachel feels inclined to do exactly what Audrey is doing at all times which is a great challenge. I let Rachel play with Play Dough the other day and you would have thought she had gold. She sat there mesmerized for at least 45 minutes using the little plastic scissor that came with it. I think she felt like she had arrived because I let her use what appeared to be real scissors ;-) Rachel has been doing some crafts at her new preschool and the teacher says she is really really into it. I told them that I believe it is because she is "craft deprived" at home. I am about the least crafty person you will ever meet lol. Rachel is finally starting to pay attention to security items, ie, baby dolls, stuffed animals, etc, although she still doesn't act like she has to have them. Rachel twists the hair on the back of her head at night to self soothe which is great except that when she wakes up the back of her head resembles a brillo pad ;-) needless to say I am still trying to push stuffed animals off on her. We are making progress slowly but surely.

I could write a book on what Audrey says on a weekly basis. Actually what she says begins from the moment her feet hit the floor (unfortunately this is usually quite early) until after her feet are back in the bed at approximately 9pm. Audrey is in the "Sassy", I have conquered the world and know it all" phase now. I'll start first with the talking. Audrey currently reminds me so much of that VolVo commercial where the man picks up the daughter and puts her in the back of the SUV and she never stops talking the entire time and he just has this numb smile on his face ;-). This scene would be our daily life now lol. Audrey doesn't have to have anything to say to talk now and if nobody will listen to her then she will sit and talk to herself, it is too funny ! Audrey can write her name now and a few other choice words like "MOMMY" *grin* ;-) She can count to 40 and I think if I would take a little time and sit down with her she could count to 100 in no time. Audrey is a stuffed animal junkie and we are seriously considering intervention soon !

Audrey is still taking gymnastics and she starts playing soccer next saturday so I will be sure to post pictures of that. I will be starting Rachel in gymnastics next fall when she turns 3. They have mommy & me programs for under 3 but I am just too old and tired for that one lol ;-)

A little about Lei

Lei is his first name and Liu is his surname. Alex is taking his sweet time choosing a name so until he decides we shall use his Chinese name. Who knows, Lei may tell us he wants to continue to use his Chinese name vs. a new American name so we better be prepared for either ;-) His Chinese name will definitely be included in his american name regardless. Lei is from Zhejiang province which is just south of Shanghai and north of Fujian province on China's eastern coast. He is from a place called Taizhou City. From what I can tell so far, this is a fairly rural region and not close to any large cities.

Lei is described as restless, energetic, likes to imitate, and play with toys. He sounds exactly like his sisters ! His update from the SWI also mentions more than once that he gets along well with other children and especially likes to help the younger ones. It states that he likes to help feed and take care of the them. Hearing this is one of the things that just really stole my heart for him.

I will post more as I know it and of course more about the girls !

Latest Pics of Girls

I just got these back the other day and thought I'd share them. I am going to try to post more about our goings on tonight when the girls are to bed ..........

The Latest .............and then some !

Ok, first of all, if you haven't seen the video I just posted, please watch it. I copied it from anothers blog who copied it also who probably copied it haha. It is great and so expresses how most parents feel quite frequently ;-) Secondly, I have some big, big, very big news ! I never post so no telling when anyone will read our news but I'll post it anyway because I'm soooooooooooooooooo excited.

WE ARE GOING BACK TO CHINA A THIRD TIME :-)

WE HAVE FOUND A BEAUTIFUL 4 YR OlD BOY ON A WC LIST AND HAVE ACCEPTED HIS REFERRAL !

IF ALL GOES WELL WHICH IT SHOULD, WE WILL TRAVEL TO BRING HIM HOME LATE SPRING 2008 !

HE WILL BE 5 1/2 WHEN WE TRAVEL AND MOST LIKELY SPEAK LITTLE TO NO ENGLISH SO IT'S GOING TO BE VERY INTERESTING AND CHALLENGING WE ARE SURE.

OK, I'LL POST PICS NOW BECAUSE THAT IS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE I'M SURE ;-) I THINK THESE PICS ARE PROBABLY FROM AGE 2 UNTIL PRESENT.

Must See !

New Slideshow on Myspace

Just wanted to let you know that I posted some updated pics of the girls on our Myspace page. The link to our page is listed at the top of the links on this page. I tried posting the slideshow here but it wasn't formatting properly. I will post more about life here as soon as I can !

Audrey's May 2007 Mother's Day Out Program

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Audrey Just turned 4 !

Audrey's Birthday was last weekend but we haven't celebrated it yet because she is having a party this Sunday. I thought I'd post her Gotcha Day Video in honor of her Birthday. I'm going to try to post a short clip also taken from her Spring program from her Mothers Day Out group. It is so cute ! Can you tell I'm a little biased lol?

Audrey's Gotcha Day Video

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Catching up !

My posts are few and far between, but thought I'd try to share what little I can retrieve from my tired brain ;-) We have all been very healthy since April and just enjoying life. Audrey is growing up so fast and will be turning 4 this month. Yikes ! Rachel isn't even 2 yet and wants desperately to be 4 lol. She is in constant competition with big sister and she is now obsessed with sitting on the potty whenever I mention changing her diaper. I will be buying some pullups very soon to seize this opportunity ! Rachel is also transitioning into the "No" phase. I really think I liked the "yes" phase alot better haha. If you ask Rachel most things now, you will get the reply "no, no, na, no, no". It's usually a series of no's for emphasis I'm guessing. She is really starting to try to talk and say quite a few words. Among them are bird, duck, cat, dog, star, hi, bye bye and quite a few others that escape me. Rachel is our grumpy child too which is actually humorous sometimes. She is already imitating Audrey everytime Audrey pouts or gets mad. Rachel will cross her arms and pucker her lips to show her displeasure anytime things don't go her way. It is so funny to watch but of course we try not to smile ;-)

Audrey is currently working on writing her name and she is starting to know most of her lower case letters too. She can finally count to 20 now. The reason I say finally is that we have been working on this off and on over the past year and she seemed to have a mental block about it but now is a counting fool !

I'm still bouncing around the idea of "homeschooling" but haven't made a final decision yet. Next week I am going to contact some homeschoolers and see what kind of networking there is in our area. The only way I will consider homeschooling is if we do it as part of a network of families so that the girls aren't isolated. Homeschooling is extremely popular in TN so it may be a totally feasible idea. Alex's sister homeschools 2 of their boys in KY and is somewhat of an inspiration to me. I'll post more when I know more.

The pictures that I posted below are from our trip over Memorial Day weekend when we visited both our families. As you can see the Kiddie Pool was quite the rage ! The girls really love visiting their Rae and Grandpa and Nai Nai and Papa and all their Aunts, Uncles and cousins. The memories we create each visit are really priceless. The pictures towards the end were taken yesterday at a local park which I just love. It was a bit hot and sticky outside but there were lots of shady spots and the ducks were very happy to see us :)

Oh, and last but not least, I seriously have adoption fever again ............... I know I am completely insane lol, but I also know we will adopt again, hopefully starting the process next year. I'm hoping that we will be able to find a child on one of the special needs list because I really feel next year will be the right time for us to adopt a SN child. In fact, I fell in love with a little girl on the AHH list that is currently out, but It is just too soon to be bringing a one year old into our family. This little ones birthday is the day after Rachel's so I would end up with a 1 year old, 2 year old and 4 year old. This could result in me completely losing my mind lol, so I vowed we will pursue a SN adoption next year. Now I just have to get Alex on board ;-)

Check out my Slide Show!

Check out my Slide Show!

Sick and then some .................

Right before Easter Rachel came down with a somewhat nasty cold, a few days later daddy came down with it and a few more Audrey and about the time everyone else was on the mend, mommy came down with it and it didn't go away but turned into bronchitis. Why did mine go into bronchitis ? Well, my guess is that my total lack of sleep while everyone else was sick and while I was sick due to Rachel teething, being sick and staying up at least 1.5-3 hours every night might have had something to do with it :( After 1.5 weeks on antibiotics though I am happy to announce I am human again and the girls and daddy too. Unfortunately though, yesterday Audrey caught another sneaky bug and ran a 102.3 fever last night and into today. Fortunately she seems like she's rebounding well today and her fever has broke.

Due to all the illness, our Easter was definitely not the most memorable but the girls did have a great Easter at home after Audrey and I returned home from Church. Audrey was able to go on an easter egg hunt at church but Alex and Rachel stayed home since they were both pretty sick.

Saturday, my sister and her husband and his parents and brother and nephews all came for a visit to celebrate our nephews birthday. We all went to Chuck E Cheese and it was crazy lol. After about 2.5-3 hours of complete chaos and very loud noise, I found myself standing in a long line with Audrey holding our receipt for 117 points towards some unknown prize. After nearly a 20 minute wait, Audrey announced she would obtain 2 tootsie roll pops and a small round container of sparkling lip gloss. I told you it was competely insane, but Audrey thought the whole ordeal was quite worthwhile ;-)

Lastly, Right after Audrey Rachel and I were almost completely well, we made a very long treck to Etowah TN to have outdoor professional pictures made (late Easter Pictures). The trip was an hour and 15 minutes each way which I didn't realize when I scheduled the session. Long story short, it was not a good decision on my part and by the time we got there the girls had a major attitude problem. The woman who took the pictures thought that they were so bad she gave me a CD with them on it for free lol. That is how bad they were !

I'll post a few of those pictures and some others as soon as I can.

Things I love about being a family of four now ............................

Last night after we ate dinner, there wasn't anything left and we were all full but were asking if there was anything left. I can remember when there were always leftovers ............ I love empty pans and happy chubby faces with rosy cheeks.

I can remember my Grandma (mom's mom) always loved to cook for us when we came to visit and she would make an obscene amount of food and feed us until we could hardly move. I also remember wondering what in the world made her so happy about us all "pigging out" until we were miserable .......... Well last night I think I finally Got it ! She was alot wiser than I gave her credit for :-)

I love looking in the rear view mirror and seeing the two girls laughing and giggling knowing that they will always be each others "Best Friend".

I love that I am never caught up on the laundry and that I have become an expert in organic stain removal ;-)

I love it when I'm rocking Rachel in the glider chair in her nursery and Audrey comes in hugs her sister tight, says "I love you", and tells Rachel that she will be in the next room if she needs her.

I love it when we all load up in the Van to go to visit family and stop at Mcdonalds half way, Exit 70 Nashville. Our Mcdonalds visit is usually fast, furious and a lesson in surviving toddler eating habits but it sure makes for great memories lol.

I love that Audrey's Clothes can now become hand-me downs.

I love that I can't remember the last time I was ever bored or wondered what my purpose in life was !

There are many more things I am loving about being a family of four now, but I'm too pooped to think of them now.

Trip to KY visiting Nai Nai & Papa and Rae & Grandpa

We just arrived home yesterday evening from a wonderful visit with both our families. We are fairly exhausted but thankful for how well everything went ! I am very happy to report that this trip went much much better than our trip home at Christmastime. Rachel actually slept in her crib and slept through the night until 6am. 6am was a bit early, but such an improvement that we didn't mind at all. Also, Rachel played with Audrey outside most of the time we were home and had so much fun. Her legs look like she has been in a war because she's still is developing coordination and falls alot but she really didn't seem to mind. She will take some hard falls and just get up and act like nothing happened. She really is our "little tank" ;-) Audrey was a great Big Sis as always and helped take care of her Lil Sis during the trip. She is growing up on us way too fast ! The pictures in our slideshow are of two Bubblefests we had with my parents and Alex's parents. At Alex's house, the Breeding Clan came for a visit and a great time was had by all. We are really looking forward to our next visit home; the difference a few months can make is amazing.