Happy New Year!!

Goodbye 2008....Hello 2009!! We decided to let the girls stay up to help bring in the new year. After I arrived home from work, I passed out the party favors. The girls don't quite understand the meaning of new years. They ran around the house, blowing their noise makers, with their beads, glow in the dark bracelets and 2009 hats saying "Happy New Year!" Then after a while, they wanted to know "What do we do now?" So we explained that New Year's happens at the stroke of midnight....kind of like Cinderella at the ball. When the clock starts at midnight, 2oo8 is over and 2009 begins! I think they kind of understand, but it is funny to watch their faces as they try to comprehend what I am explaining.



I have to work New Year's Day, so I am posting this early and then I will go join Kendalan who couldn't hang in there long enough. To all our family and friends here is wishing happiness and good health the whole year long! Happy New Year!!!



Update! All four girls were sound asleep before 10:45pm and in bed by 11:00. Mommy kind of hopes that they continue this tradition until they are....oh 25 years old or so!!!

Happy Birthday Zia!

The girls had a great time last night helping Zia celebrate her 1st birthday! Zia's Mommy believes in eating dessert first and my girls were very happy to oblige! After having their cupcakes, and eating them too....we ate dinner. The kids then had a grand time playing "tape the stinger on the bumblebee"! It was great fun for the girls as it was a new experience for them all.








They also enjoyed spending time with Cami. The little girls are such cuties and my girls always love to play with "babies" as ZoraLin calls them.

Merry Christmas!!

I am posting this a few days late. Christmas was here before we were totally ready for it and gone in a flash! As Mommy had sick people to care for on Christmas Day, Santa arrived the night before Christmas Eve. The girls were amazed to find that they had missed Santa. They were also very surprised to know that Santa "knew" Mommy's work schedule. Of course, we reassured them that Santa knows who's naughty and nice, who has to work, etc.! I was pretty amazed that we did not hear them ask too many times, "When do we get to open presents?" Here are photos before and after the destruction of pretty presents began. Everyone was thrilled with the choices Santa had made for each girl. ZoraLin did have one complaint, that Santa didn't bring the EXACT makeup kit that she had asked for. I think he was forgiven.

WAIT A MINUTE!!!! I don't remember wrapping a cat!!!!

RaeAnne is NINE years old!!

Here are two of my favorite photos of RaeAnne YuQi. Her referral photo and one of her on the plane home to Kansas!

It just can't be true! The little peanut of a baby girl who was placed in our arms a little over eight years ago is 9 years old! She so patiently waited to celebrate her birthday a day late as Mommy had to work on her birthday, AGAIN!

Daddy took her shopping today so she could pick out one of her gifts. (A tradition his father did with him.) It is awfully hard to decide on just one thing. She acutally picked two! The Fairytopia Barbie Doll has been a hit and is also very pretty! Tonight, as it was her birthday, she picked the Panda Express for her birthday dinner. We happened to mention to the waitress that we were celebrating Rae's birthday and after dinner they surprised us with a Chinese buffet birthday cake...complete with a candle! I was unprepared for the moment and didn't have my camera ready :( The plate had three jello squares in a row in the middle with 6 square slices of "special" cake we were told! Then mandarin oranges surrounded the rim of the plate. In the center jello square was a candle! Beautiful!!

Here she is today with her Barbie and her home birthday cake! Happy Birthday Sweet Pea! We love you!!

Happy Birthday RaeAnne!!

Since Mom had to work the last three days, we will be celebrating tomorrow. Photos pending!!
I can't believe my baby is NINE YEARS old today!!

Our mini vacation

For several reasons we decided not to take a family vacation this past summer. We were excited when we found out that the OCDF (Our Chinese Daughter's Foundation) was going to have a seminar at the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City. Not only would we get to stay at the hotel that we have driven by numerous times, but Mommy would get to listen to a seminar on something that is near and dear to my heart, Chinese adoption!

When the girls arrived home from school Friday we packed up the van and off to KC we headed. Even though it was dark when we arrived, the girls KNEW the hotel on sight! After checking in, we drove over to Bob Evans to eat with our friends. The girls had an extra treat for supper as a balloon man was at the restaurant. We enjoyed our supper and went back to the hotel with two princesses, Santa and a reindeer in tow!







The Lodge has storybook time in the lobby. I am not sure if this is a Christmas Holiday thing, but it was great for the girls! We didn't make it down early enough the first night to join in, but we did watch from the balcony.





The highlights of the weekend for the girls was: swimming, watching it snow INSIDE and seeing Santa Claus!









Of course, as with most vacations, everyone was worn out afterwards. This is what three of the girls looked like less than 20 minutes after we headed home.

I never thought it would happen!!

Several years ago, I had begun to think that this day would never come. Lo and behold....today it finally happened! All our girls were on Santa's lap at the same time! ZoraLin has long been the one who vowed not to go near him. For several years in a row, she would promise me that she would sit on his lap at home, in the car and as we were walking through the mall towards him. But as soon as we were near, she would change her mind and no amount of pleading, begging and/or bribery would work. She was NOT going to sit anywhere near this guy. I am in utter amazement! And she was mad because he did not let her read her list to him!!

It was bittersweet for me to see this. The part that makes me bitter....our neighbor girl informed the girls that it isn't the REAL Santa at the mall. I hope I kept the faith alive in most of them. I explained to them that Santa Claus is very busy at this time of the year and it is very hard for him to be everywhere at the same time. I think they bought that explanation!