Hi Everyone--
We've had a blur of activity over the past few days... Chelsea has had massively long track practices, followed by either dance or 4-H stuff in the evenings. Emmy finished five sections for AWANA tonight so she only has four more sections of verses to complete and finish her book. She's planning to say all of them next week to be done-- yeah, Emmy!! Ellie-Kate had a great time playing with AJ at church tonight. She really loves to be with other kids, and she just received yet another birthday party invitation. At two years old, she's clearly the social butterfly of our house :) Britti is working on her thesis and preparing to leave for an eight day visit to Grandma B. and Great-Grandma in Indiana.
Speaking of flying, at this time last year, we were settling into our hotel room in St. Louis after flying for more than 20 hours and back over the International Date Line from our trip to China. We arrived in Chicago around 4:30 p.m., and Ellie-Kate became a U.S. citizen. We were exhausted, but the moment still seemed anti-climatic. So many people crowded the immigration area, and we couldn't even take a picture to preserve the moment. Still, we filed and processed the paperwork, pressed through the lines, and headed for our domestic flight to St. Louis. Our precious little girl was a U.S. citizen, already "our's" but one more step closer to finishing all of the necessary details and paperwork. Once in St. Louis, we walked slowly through the nearly empty airport and checked our phones. Finally, we could do so without incurring international charges. One funny story-- we called Lindsey, our house sitter, and she told us that Emmy had been reported as a missing child by her school. In spite of all of our notes to the school throughout last year (and almost everyone in greater Athens knowing that we were in China), someone at the school reported Emmy as missing! (Needless to say, we called the school right away on the next morning to straighten out the mess...) We took a cab to the Millennium Hotel for my conference, met Abbey (my assistant) who had wonderfully and graciously already checked us into our room, went upstairs without anyone seeing us, and tried to get some sense of order... Even though it was now around 11 p.m., the girls were still on China time (around 11 a.m.). After our time in St. Louis, they were almost back on schedule... A year later, I'm still trying to get over the jet lag:)
Hope that everyone enjoys a blessed Easter week-end! Praise God for all of the many blessings that He has provided to our family :)
More soon--
Christie
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Happy 26 month b-day (on the 26th day of March!), Ellie-Kate!
We've had a great spring break... The little girls have enjoyed lots of playtime at home and at Burger King and the rec center and, of course, COSI. The older ones just got back from DisneyWorld around 3:15 p.m., and they had an absolute blast. The band performed impressively, and the girls got to experience all four parks plus Downtown Disney. Ellie-Kate and Emmy are more than a little envious about Britti and Chelsea's fun. Ellie-Kate keeps saying "Mickey, Mickey?" Emmy has ended each evening this week by looking longingly at the mini albums that I made for her from our 2006 and 2007 trips. Although I'm also yearning to be at the "happiest place on Earth," I'm glad that we decided to wait until December for our big family trip. Chelsea would have missed out on much of our family fun if we had gone now, and I'm not convinced that Ellie-Kate wouldn't have been quite intimidated by actually seeing the characters up close and personal and battling through the crowds. Hopefully, the crowds will be less intense during our early December trip, and she'll be just a few months older and wiser :)
We celebrated Ellie-Kate's 26 month b-day (and the older girls' safe return) by going to the Chinese buffet. Tomorrow, we're headed to Walmart for our annual Easter pictures. I'll post those pictures sometime over the week-end. In the meantime, I'm posting some pics from Britti and Chelsea's Disney adventure, from our trip to COSI, and from some fun around the house. Enjoy these snapshots of our lives :)
Christie
We celebrated Ellie-Kate's 26 month b-day (and the older girls' safe return) by going to the Chinese buffet. Tomorrow, we're headed to Walmart for our annual Easter pictures. I'll post those pictures sometime over the week-end. In the meantime, I'm posting some pics from Britti and Chelsea's Disney adventure, from our trip to COSI, and from some fun around the house. Enjoy these snapshots of our lives :)
Christie
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Happy Family Day!! March 23, 2010
Hi Everyone!
A few quick notes... First, Britti is still in Orlando with Chelsea and the AHS band until Friday afternoon so she's not here to upload pictures for me. She did show me how to do so before she left, but I am not feeling confident so I'll just wait until she gets back to post pics from the past few days. Sorry for the delay :(
On a much more positive note, I want to give a "shout out" to other families who held their new children for the first time on March 22, 2009 (Lisa and Anthony) and March 23, 2009 (Joanne and Mick, Mindy and Kevin, and Mike and Michelle). Thanks to Lisa, we connected with these other families at the Grand Park Hotel in Kunming, and they enriched our experiences in Kunming and Guangzhou beyond what words can express. We truly appreciate your kindness, support, and friendship!! Happy Family Day :)
Our first day with Ellie-Kate was an amazing blur... I have high hopes of finally getting around to scrapbooking our trip to China and working on Ellie-Kate's baby scrapbook, and I took some time to go through a few packs of pictures last night. The photos reinforce some of my memories of that day... After taking a quick sister picture on the stairwell at the Grand Park Hotel, we piled in the van and traveled to an official office. We started to work on paperwork until around 9:30 a.m. when two babies arrived. One was Ellie-Kate; the other one was her cribmate, Kailan. I recognized Ellie-Kate right away-- her eyes were huge, and she wore an outfit that we had sent in a care packet. We hesitated, though, because we wanted to honor protocol. She had been "our's" since November 2, 2008, but I stood across the room, staring instead. Finally, after an exchange with our guide, the woman brought her over to us and placed our baby in our arms. The older girls rushed to capture the moment, and they did. Some of the pics are blurry, but who could hold a camera steady at a time like this one? In spite of myself, I cried and then pulled it together. I didn't want to scare her. Ironically (given that she's a HUGE Daddy's girl now), she didn't want to go to Roger at first. We think that she was scared of his beard. However, she warmed to him soon after, and she hasn't looked back. Although Kailan cried a bit, Ellie-Kate seemed mostly curious. We entertained her with Cheerios and the few toys that we had brought with us. She didn't cry until we needed her footprint on a document, and she didn't like that task one bit! While I continued to sign papers, Roger consoled Ellie-Kate and got her to sleep on his shoulder. We felt so blessed that the officials had brought the cameras, toys, and photo albums that we had sent to China. Unfortunately, Kailan's folks didn't get the same treat...
Photos also show Ellie-Kate with the older girls on the bed in our hotel room and down in the hotel play area with her sisters and Kailan. They don't show some other more memorable moments... We discovered that Ellie-Kate has an incredible throwing arm when she picked up an empty water bottle and tossed it across the room into Kailan's dad's head. (He was fine and understanding.) We learned that some folks had a bit more luck than we did with finding a stroller in Kunming. A few of the other guys found amazing deals, but Roger didn't have much success on that first day. (After our trip to a temple on the next day, we decided that a stroller was essential so we just tossed down the money for our Kunming stroller-- Ellie-Kate still likes it better than the "nicer" one that we had already purchased at home.) We celebrated our first day with the kids at Rocco's with Mason and his new family. REALLY wish that I would have pulled out the camera to capture that dinner table AND Ellie-Kate's facial expression as she had pasta and pizza for the first time!! After a diet of "meat and egg soup," her nose literally twitched as she smelled the food in Rocco's, and she ate almost an entire dish of pasta during her first supper with us. I REALLY wish that I had a picture of her in the crib on that first night, but the room was dark, and I didn't want to use the flash and scare her.
As I compare photos from those first few days with ones from now, though, I have to admit that I'm a bit sad... Based on how well that I know her now, I realize just how scared that she was. She rarely cried, especially in those early days, but a close examination of those pictures reveals a hint of tears and quite a bit of fear. Now, her eyes light up as she laughs for the camera. Then, she stared solemnly at the camera, doing once again what she had to do. Now, she's liberated to express herself, to show her opinions... I can truly say that she feels safe now.
We took lots of pictures today at COSI and Chuckie Cheese in celebration of Family Day. Both of the little girls had a blast. (The older ones enjoyed their time at Disney too, but more details on that adventure after their return.) Ellie-Kate LOVED running around the playground, in particular, looking to make sure that I was right there in sight :) A year later, she can run, laugh, play, sing, talk, and participate fully in a special day as part of a loving family. I treasure how connected that we are, and I praise God for her physical, intellectual, and emotional development. She's so smart and funny and athletic and loving, and I cannot imagine our lives without her.
Thank you, God, for the past year and for blessing us with Ellie-Kate. What a gift!!! Thanks also to all of our family and friends for your love and support during our entire journey.
More soon--
Christie
A few quick notes... First, Britti is still in Orlando with Chelsea and the AHS band until Friday afternoon so she's not here to upload pictures for me. She did show me how to do so before she left, but I am not feeling confident so I'll just wait until she gets back to post pics from the past few days. Sorry for the delay :(
On a much more positive note, I want to give a "shout out" to other families who held their new children for the first time on March 22, 2009 (Lisa and Anthony) and March 23, 2009 (Joanne and Mick, Mindy and Kevin, and Mike and Michelle). Thanks to Lisa, we connected with these other families at the Grand Park Hotel in Kunming, and they enriched our experiences in Kunming and Guangzhou beyond what words can express. We truly appreciate your kindness, support, and friendship!! Happy Family Day :)
Our first day with Ellie-Kate was an amazing blur... I have high hopes of finally getting around to scrapbooking our trip to China and working on Ellie-Kate's baby scrapbook, and I took some time to go through a few packs of pictures last night. The photos reinforce some of my memories of that day... After taking a quick sister picture on the stairwell at the Grand Park Hotel, we piled in the van and traveled to an official office. We started to work on paperwork until around 9:30 a.m. when two babies arrived. One was Ellie-Kate; the other one was her cribmate, Kailan. I recognized Ellie-Kate right away-- her eyes were huge, and she wore an outfit that we had sent in a care packet. We hesitated, though, because we wanted to honor protocol. She had been "our's" since November 2, 2008, but I stood across the room, staring instead. Finally, after an exchange with our guide, the woman brought her over to us and placed our baby in our arms. The older girls rushed to capture the moment, and they did. Some of the pics are blurry, but who could hold a camera steady at a time like this one? In spite of myself, I cried and then pulled it together. I didn't want to scare her. Ironically (given that she's a HUGE Daddy's girl now), she didn't want to go to Roger at first. We think that she was scared of his beard. However, she warmed to him soon after, and she hasn't looked back. Although Kailan cried a bit, Ellie-Kate seemed mostly curious. We entertained her with Cheerios and the few toys that we had brought with us. She didn't cry until we needed her footprint on a document, and she didn't like that task one bit! While I continued to sign papers, Roger consoled Ellie-Kate and got her to sleep on his shoulder. We felt so blessed that the officials had brought the cameras, toys, and photo albums that we had sent to China. Unfortunately, Kailan's folks didn't get the same treat...
Photos also show Ellie-Kate with the older girls on the bed in our hotel room and down in the hotel play area with her sisters and Kailan. They don't show some other more memorable moments... We discovered that Ellie-Kate has an incredible throwing arm when she picked up an empty water bottle and tossed it across the room into Kailan's dad's head. (He was fine and understanding.) We learned that some folks had a bit more luck than we did with finding a stroller in Kunming. A few of the other guys found amazing deals, but Roger didn't have much success on that first day. (After our trip to a temple on the next day, we decided that a stroller was essential so we just tossed down the money for our Kunming stroller-- Ellie-Kate still likes it better than the "nicer" one that we had already purchased at home.) We celebrated our first day with the kids at Rocco's with Mason and his new family. REALLY wish that I would have pulled out the camera to capture that dinner table AND Ellie-Kate's facial expression as she had pasta and pizza for the first time!! After a diet of "meat and egg soup," her nose literally twitched as she smelled the food in Rocco's, and she ate almost an entire dish of pasta during her first supper with us. I REALLY wish that I had a picture of her in the crib on that first night, but the room was dark, and I didn't want to use the flash and scare her.
As I compare photos from those first few days with ones from now, though, I have to admit that I'm a bit sad... Based on how well that I know her now, I realize just how scared that she was. She rarely cried, especially in those early days, but a close examination of those pictures reveals a hint of tears and quite a bit of fear. Now, her eyes light up as she laughs for the camera. Then, she stared solemnly at the camera, doing once again what she had to do. Now, she's liberated to express herself, to show her opinions... I can truly say that she feels safe now.
We took lots of pictures today at COSI and Chuckie Cheese in celebration of Family Day. Both of the little girls had a blast. (The older ones enjoyed their time at Disney too, but more details on that adventure after their return.) Ellie-Kate LOVED running around the playground, in particular, looking to make sure that I was right there in sight :) A year later, she can run, laugh, play, sing, talk, and participate fully in a special day as part of a loving family. I treasure how connected that we are, and I praise God for her physical, intellectual, and emotional development. She's so smart and funny and athletic and loving, and I cannot imagine our lives without her.
Thank you, God, for the past year and for blessing us with Ellie-Kate. What a gift!!! Thanks also to all of our family and friends for your love and support during our entire journey.
More soon--
Christie
Remembering... March 21-22, 2009...
On Saturday, March 21, 2009, we visited a Living Hope orphanage in Beijing and then climbed the Great Wall, saw the Bird's Nest, and experienced major culture shock during dinner ... a huge contrast to a year later... No longer traveling as tourists in a distant land, on this same date this year, I waved as Britti and Chelsea headed off in the band bus for a trip to Disney World. Ellie-Kate was none too happy that the older girls were going to see Mickey without her. During the afternoon, we watched basketball as Emmy and Ellie-Kate threw balls at the Little Tikes basket in the kitchen. We missed the entire tournament in 2009 so we were bound and determined that we weren't going to miss much during 2010!
On Sunday, March 22, 2009, we flew to Kunming, taking one of the oddest flights that we had ever taken. As soon as the plane left the runway and was still ascending into the sky, people started to get up, reach into overhead bins, and move up and down the aisles. We were so stunned and waited for the flight attendants to come and enforce the safety rules. However, everyone seemed to treat such behavior as completely normal and acceptable. From the unfamiliarity of Beijing and the flight, we emerged from the plane to our China version of Oz-- lush green grass, blue skys, warm weather. We felt right at home... until we checked into our hotel and went to the Kunming Walmart. Oh my... The store was chaotic, crowded, and very different from the one in Athens. I never went back, but poor Roger and Britti ended up going every day during our stay in Kunming. A bit disoriented, we craved "normal" so we asked the concierge and then the taxi driver to take us to Pizza Hut. Instead, we ended up at Rocco's, and it became our dining room away from home-- we ate there every day, including Ellie-Kate's first supper with us. We spent the rest of the evening in anticipation of our new baby...
This year, on March 22, 2010, I took the little girls to Burger King so that they could play in the indoor playground and eat a quick lunch. As I watched them run and play, I stood in awe of their natural interaction as sisters... Emmy is quite the big sister, helping her little sister through the indoor maze and down the slide. Ellie-Kate was born to be a little sister, looking up to Emmy with a quick smile, energetic laugh, and squeals of excitement as they dashed back for yet another "run" through the playground. After lunch, we sadly went for pictures with Lindsey at Walmart. Lindsey's leaving in a few days for nanny school. Our girls question why she even needs school-- she's been their beloved sitter and our house/animal sitter since Emmy was a toddler, and she singlehandedly managed our whole household when we were gone for three weeks in China and St. Louis.) We're so blessed that Lindsey was still in Athens when we traveled to China last year and that she's been able to share Ellie-Kate's first year here with us.
More soon--
Christie
On Sunday, March 22, 2009, we flew to Kunming, taking one of the oddest flights that we had ever taken. As soon as the plane left the runway and was still ascending into the sky, people started to get up, reach into overhead bins, and move up and down the aisles. We were so stunned and waited for the flight attendants to come and enforce the safety rules. However, everyone seemed to treat such behavior as completely normal and acceptable. From the unfamiliarity of Beijing and the flight, we emerged from the plane to our China version of Oz-- lush green grass, blue skys, warm weather. We felt right at home... until we checked into our hotel and went to the Kunming Walmart. Oh my... The store was chaotic, crowded, and very different from the one in Athens. I never went back, but poor Roger and Britti ended up going every day during our stay in Kunming. A bit disoriented, we craved "normal" so we asked the concierge and then the taxi driver to take us to Pizza Hut. Instead, we ended up at Rocco's, and it became our dining room away from home-- we ate there every day, including Ellie-Kate's first supper with us. We spent the rest of the evening in anticipation of our new baby...
This year, on March 22, 2010, I took the little girls to Burger King so that they could play in the indoor playground and eat a quick lunch. As I watched them run and play, I stood in awe of their natural interaction as sisters... Emmy is quite the big sister, helping her little sister through the indoor maze and down the slide. Ellie-Kate was born to be a little sister, looking up to Emmy with a quick smile, energetic laugh, and squeals of excitement as they dashed back for yet another "run" through the playground. After lunch, we sadly went for pictures with Lindsey at Walmart. Lindsey's leaving in a few days for nanny school. Our girls question why she even needs school-- she's been their beloved sitter and our house/animal sitter since Emmy was a toddler, and she singlehandedly managed our whole household when we were gone for three weeks in China and St. Louis.) We're so blessed that Lindsey was still in Athens when we traveled to China last year and that she's been able to share Ellie-Kate's first year here with us.
More soon--
Christie
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Remembering... 3/19/09-3/20/09
Hi Everyone--
We have had two amazingly beautiful spring days here in Athens!! Yesterday, Ellie-Kate kept pointing to the windows and saying "Outside, outside!!!" Emmy and Ellie-Kate LOVE playing on our playground equipment, kicking the soccer balls, and shooting baskets. As they laughed and enjoyed the sunshine, I couldn't help but reflect on what we were doing a year ago... On March 18-19, 2009, we traveled in a large plane from DC, over the North Pole, and south into Beijing. We landed around 2:30 pm., Beijing time (2:30 a.m., EST). We were exhausted and intimidated by unfamiliar surroundings, smells, and sounds. By the grace of God, we managed to get through the airport, pass through security, and meet our guide. The smells as we drove through Beijing contrasted sharply with the sweet smell of springtime that filled our house yesterday. I really thought that I was going to be sick as we made our way through the traffic to the hotel.
I don't think that I've told this story here before, but, as exhaustion caught up with us, we were overwhelmed by the lack of familiarity with our surroundings. Our rooms were beautiful but so very hot, and we called down to the desk for help with our air conditioner. A bell hop came up with an ironing board. We took the board, looked at each other, and burst out laughing after he left. We called back down, and he returned again. We tried to use crude sign language, and we think that he finally understood. His response to the heat in our room? Opening our window (without a screen on a high floor of the hotel) and leaving our room door open. Roger, Emmy, and I looked at each other after he left and then laughed... Britti and Chelsea were already fast asleep on our bed...
In a way, Ellie-Kate was in such a similar situation with us when she came into our lives. She had never heard English before, and she must have been so curious about our odd appearances, voices, smells, and food. However, I am amazed by how flexible that she has always been. Ellie-Kate has a remarkable ability to "go with the flow," and, now, she's starting to put sentences together into words, and she truly grasps what's going on in our house, who should be where, etc. She's easily the most perceptive and inquisitive of the four girls, perhaps because she needed to be from early in her life. A year ago, we wrestled with unfamiliar territory, toured Beijing, and struggled with diverse social norms about public smoking, lines, and personal space, and we eagerly anticipated our new addition. We could not have even dreamed about how perfect that she would be for our family! Thank you, God, for a safe and life-changing experience in Beijing and for our precious baby girl!!
Speaking of which, Ellie-Kate's new game is to play "baby Ellie." (We're not really sure why... One of her little friends at church has a little baby sister who comes into the nursery on Wednesday night, and we've been talking about another one of her friends who just got a baby brother.) Anyway, she cuddles up in my lap and asks for a bottle of milk. Her eyes twinkle, and her lips curl on the edges about to burst into a smile or laugh. She didn't really like to cuddle for long when we first got her, and it's nice that she feels comfortable enough to do it now. As she gets more and more potty trained, perhaps she yearns for just a bit more time as a baby. That's perfectly alright, Ellie-Kate!! You can stay our little baby for just as long as you like :)
More soon as we continue to remember our trip over the next few weeks!!
Christie
We have had two amazingly beautiful spring days here in Athens!! Yesterday, Ellie-Kate kept pointing to the windows and saying "Outside, outside!!!" Emmy and Ellie-Kate LOVE playing on our playground equipment, kicking the soccer balls, and shooting baskets. As they laughed and enjoyed the sunshine, I couldn't help but reflect on what we were doing a year ago... On March 18-19, 2009, we traveled in a large plane from DC, over the North Pole, and south into Beijing. We landed around 2:30 pm., Beijing time (2:30 a.m., EST). We were exhausted and intimidated by unfamiliar surroundings, smells, and sounds. By the grace of God, we managed to get through the airport, pass through security, and meet our guide. The smells as we drove through Beijing contrasted sharply with the sweet smell of springtime that filled our house yesterday. I really thought that I was going to be sick as we made our way through the traffic to the hotel.
I don't think that I've told this story here before, but, as exhaustion caught up with us, we were overwhelmed by the lack of familiarity with our surroundings. Our rooms were beautiful but so very hot, and we called down to the desk for help with our air conditioner. A bell hop came up with an ironing board. We took the board, looked at each other, and burst out laughing after he left. We called back down, and he returned again. We tried to use crude sign language, and we think that he finally understood. His response to the heat in our room? Opening our window (without a screen on a high floor of the hotel) and leaving our room door open. Roger, Emmy, and I looked at each other after he left and then laughed... Britti and Chelsea were already fast asleep on our bed...
In a way, Ellie-Kate was in such a similar situation with us when she came into our lives. She had never heard English before, and she must have been so curious about our odd appearances, voices, smells, and food. However, I am amazed by how flexible that she has always been. Ellie-Kate has a remarkable ability to "go with the flow," and, now, she's starting to put sentences together into words, and she truly grasps what's going on in our house, who should be where, etc. She's easily the most perceptive and inquisitive of the four girls, perhaps because she needed to be from early in her life. A year ago, we wrestled with unfamiliar territory, toured Beijing, and struggled with diverse social norms about public smoking, lines, and personal space, and we eagerly anticipated our new addition. We could not have even dreamed about how perfect that she would be for our family! Thank you, God, for a safe and life-changing experience in Beijing and for our precious baby girl!!
Speaking of which, Ellie-Kate's new game is to play "baby Ellie." (We're not really sure why... One of her little friends at church has a little baby sister who comes into the nursery on Wednesday night, and we've been talking about another one of her friends who just got a baby brother.) Anyway, she cuddles up in my lap and asks for a bottle of milk. Her eyes twinkle, and her lips curl on the edges about to burst into a smile or laugh. She didn't really like to cuddle for long when we first got her, and it's nice that she feels comfortable enough to do it now. As she gets more and more potty trained, perhaps she yearns for just a bit more time as a baby. That's perfectly alright, Ellie-Kate!! You can stay our little baby for just as long as you like :)
More soon as we continue to remember our trip over the next few weeks!!
Christie
Friday, March 19, 2010
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