Making a New Handprint Decoration for our home.

Koen singing in his school Christmas program, "Camel Lot"

Gingerbread House making with our friends.

Reading our Advent Book, like we did almost every night leading up to Christmas

Li Li singing "Go Tell it on the Mountain" with the preschoolers during our church Christmas Eve service. She sang loud like I told her and danced a little off-beat.

Christmas Eve at Grammi's. My two special monkeys, with their two special monkeys, Foo Foo and Mortimer

And the Gift Opening Began!

Li Li's new Hello Kitty hat made by Auntie Carrie

Tradition photo in front of Grammi's tree

The kids were excited about the Superhero capes I made them

Super Heros fighting fire! - Or blowing out Jesus' birthday trifle for him.

After Grammi’s house, we went home and had our traditional Christmas Ever slumber party in front of the tree, starting around midnight (yes we were a little off schedule!).  Followed by a yummy french toast breakfast, a few more gifts at home, and then packing to head to Oregon.  On the way we stopped at my aunts house, and then again at Keith aunt and uncle’s house in Portland.  We finally made it to Gramma’s around 10 pm.  The next morning we had another Christmas.

Morning after the slumber party - note who is still slumbering!

With Grampa on Christmas Day

Showing Gramma the photo album they gave her.

Papa opened a gift bag with Li Li inside!

Koen likes his new scooter!

This Christmas we were constantly reminded of the blessing that our family and friends are in our lives.  God has given us so much and we praise Him for his generosity and goodness to us!

Li Li turned four just before Thanksgiving.  She had her first little-girl birthday party, Hello Kitty style. She loved it.  5 Little friends came over to do Hello Kitty games and crafts, eat HK cake pops and yummy pink food.

Li Li's preschool class celebrated and her teacher made her a special hat.

3 Little Kitties at the Party

Even Papa got festive

Hello Kitty cake pops

Poor Hello Kitty!

Gift time was chaos! I think next time we'll have everyone sit at the table.

Then family celebrated together on Thanksgiving, and Gramma and Auntie Lara from Oregon were able to be there too.

Li Li's family party birthday cake.

This is her excitement over Hello Kitty PJs she opened.

Happy Birthday to our Energetic, Happy Little Girl!

Thank you Marybeth (teacher) and QSI students for raising funds to sponsor Ai Li’s cleft lip surgery.

That was when the tears finally started flowing.  The Hand of God was so, so obvious when I saw this picture.  He chose a class of girls in southern China, that were students from around the world, to do bake sales and raffles in order to help my daughter.  My daughter who had been abandoned, lived in an orphanage, and then was REDEEMED.  She is oblivious to the love shown to her by these beautiful ladies as she sleeps in Marybeth’s arms, but one day I hope she truly realizes it was the Lord taking care of her.

The story about this class goes on.  I saw the name of the teacher in that newsletter and contacted True Children’s Home, asking if they could help me get in touch with Marybeth so I could thank her and the class.  I sent Marybeth an email, and I learned another amazing “God Thing” from her – she is originally from Washington, from a town not too far from our home.  She was delighted to hear Ai Li had been matched with a family and told me she was about to be married and moving to another country to teach.

Awhile later, after our daughter came home, I sent her an update, and still a while later, yesterday actually, we were able to finally meet.  Marybeth and her husband and baby daughter came over for a few hours and we had a delightful visit.  They are headed off this week to be missionaries in eastern Europe, using (get this!) coffee as a way to build relationships.  I am so glad they took time out of their last week in the US to meet us and see how well this little baby that Marybeth helped 3 years ago is doing now.

Marybeth even had more pictures to share with us of that day she met our 7 month old daughter:

I love to see these students delighting in our daughter.

A great smile captured.

Li Li was the starfish they chose to save.

I am so glad they were there to cuddle you Li Li, when you were getting sleepy. This is Jenny Smith, the TCH Assistant Director holding Li Li.

Sleeping in Marybeth's arms.

My sleeping beauty!

Oh I wish I could have known her then….What did it feel like to hold her warm little body?  To feed her?  To hear her first giggles and babbles?

And this is Li Li with Marybeth yesterday:

(Li Li is wearing part of her costume - just had to make sure you know I don't normally dress her like this!)

Thank you Jesus for orchestrating such wonderful things!  And thank you Marybeth and the QSI class for the difference you made in our daughter’s life!

We celebrated the day by going to China Town in Seattle with Grammi.  We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Shanghai Garden (including dumplings and hand-shaven green barley noodles) and then walked around the area, feeling as if we were back in Guangzhou.  We stopped in at two bakeries and purchased different coconut buns from each to find which one was best.  We also visited the fortune cookie factory and bought a bag of “unfortunate” flat ones.  We gave Li Li one of the many gifts we brought home from China for her – a little pearl bracelet that she’ll probably only fit around her growing wrist for a year or so.  She was quite happy with it.

All the talk about China, and the Moon Festival (which was Monday) has made Li Li talk more about her foster family.  She still doesn’t bring up any new information when she talks about them, so I am not sure that she really remembers them.  But, yesterday she was saying sadly, “I want to go to China to see my foster BaBa and my foster MaMa.”  Someday I hope we can.

We have been enjoying conversing with the foster family via email.  We send pictures fairly often and they always seem delighted at how good Li Li is doing.  I know that it is because of them that she is doing so very well, and I am so thankful for their sacrifice.

Li Li had her first day of preschool today, which she has been very excited for since Koen started going last fall.  She went in happily and said she made two of the “best friends ever!”

And Tuesday was Li Li’s first day of gymnastics at our YMCA.  She loved it!  2024, here we come.

As for my big 5 year old, he started Kindergarten last week and loves it so far.  We’re sending him to a Christian school about 30 minutes from our home.  We chose this school because it was cheaper than the Christian school closer to us, and the class size is small.  There is a great sense of community and I like the humility of the building and staff as well.  Koen has 9 kiddos in his class and is having a great time.  I am so glad he gets to go there.  Kindergarten has changed my life – we are up earlier than we ever have been, and I am driving a good amount (thankfully we have one family to carpool with).  The new schedule is helping me be more disciplined with my time though, and I’m actually enjoying being a morning person again.

Such big kids I have!  I am so glad they both love school so far.

I feel less and less like an adoptive family, and more like a “normal” family.  We are nearing our two year mark with Liliana, and she has now been with us longer than she wasn’t with us.  The road was rough at the start, but now most of what we deal with is normal kid stuff – the tantrums, the drama, the testing of the limits.

We finally moved our little girl into her big girl bed last week.  Mama and Aunt Betsy finished the bird quilt that I started two years ago, and Li Li loves her new bed.  However, the rule is she stays in it.  If she stays in it for 7 nights, she earns a stuffed animal from her new surrogate auntie.  On night number 7 we caught her crawling on top of her dresser (!!!!) and she was heartbroken when she realized the gravity of the situation.  Hopefully she will learn.  Her big brother never got out of bed, but number 2 is a little less of a rule follower so far.

Hmmm… Other highlights of this summer so far:

Koen can ride his bike without training wheels and is out riding every sunny day (which isn’t really all that often here in the northwest). Li Li follows behind on her trike.

No camping yet, but we did spend a few fun days in Salem over the 4th.  Koen experienced the fireworks show from beneath a thick blanket with ear protectors on.  Even though he was scared, afterwards he said “that was a fun night!”

Fun day on a boat with good friends exploring Lake Washington, Lake Union and the Ballard Locks.  The kids had their first tubing experience and loved it.

Li Li and I got our hairs cut (all of them).  She’s back to the same due she had when we got her.

First theater movies for the kids – first Winnie the Pooh, then Cars 2 (I’m a poet!!).  They loved both of them, but I am was disappointed that Cars 2 was as violent as it was.

Koen played a season of T ball through our YMCA and loved it.  I was bored.

I had friends shower me with fun things for my birthday – Indian food and kayaking with one, sushi and a movie with another, fondue too!

Koen got to participate in a soccer camp run by a Christian sports group in the area – 4 hours a day of pure fun and quality training.  We both loved it.

Koen at soccer camp

This week both kids are at our church’s VBS sports camp and loving it as well.  It’s in the evening so Keith and I get date nights.

I’m training to do my 2nd triathlon (same one I did last year), and am already feeling more prepared than I did before.  Hoping I do well.

Friends just brought home their little boy from India and I am sooooo excited for them.

Lots of cleft lip and palate repairs through Love Without Boundaries that I’ve gotten to help coordinate.  I love my volunteer position!

I got an iPhone – already addicted to several games.

Keith is still working on getting the coffee business started.  The route it has taken is different that we originally envisioned, but less risky and falling into place.  He is selling coffee accessories like pots, grinders, presses, cups and saucers…. and working on getting the website ready to sell it all.  I’ll post it when he’s done.

Lots of BBQs with friends, and a nice hike to the beach.

Even though summer hasn’t quite hit the Seattle area, we have had some fun times.

Li Li is sweet and wild, silly and gentle.  She laughs a lot and makes us laugh a lot.  She and her brother have the best time together one minute and are yelling and fighting the next. They are completely normal siblings.

Li Li is a talker.  She always seems to have a need to fill a silent moment (her and her brother both – so silent moments are rare).  The funny thing is that she fills them with one of five phrases she chooses from:

1. “I’m hungry” (said in a a very whiny voice)
2. “I’m dir-dee” (translated: Thirsty, this one is used most often at bed time)
3. “When is Sunday School?” (to which I enjoy answering: “on Sunday”)
4. “When is my birthday?” (she thinks it should be today, everyday)
5. “Mama, I love you.” (this one is my favorite – sometimes the Mama is replaced with “Papa”)

The last one is said often when she and I are spending time alone together.  Sometimes it makes me concerned because it seems a little odd to say it so often.  I worry maybe she feels insecure so she needs to check in on our love situation?

The other night we went bowling with friends.  This was a first for both Koen and LiLi and they were very excited.  About half way through, Li Li said phrase #1 (see above) and I pulled out a snack for her.  She had started eating her snack when it was her turn to bowl, so I helped her down from her chair and helped her roll her first ball down the isle (at an incredibly slow rate of speed!). After releasing her ball, she went back to her snack.  When I called her back to do her second ball, she became upset.  I think she thought I was saying she couldn’t have her snack, but I was just saying she needed to finish her turn so the other kids go…..  She was unconsolable until I finally figured out what was wrong.  She rolled her ball again and then ate her snack.  When she finished her snack though, she seemed very insecure and needed to constantly touch me.  I heald her in my lap for a while (between our turns), and when I was to the point of being overstimulated (she does not sit still when in ones lap!), I put her down next to me and she needed to hold my hand.  In a way it was sweet, but also a little strange.

Victory dance after his first spare.

There are still times like that every now and then when our attachment seems insecure, but generally we are doing very well.

My volunteer role with Love Without Boundaries has been such a blessings to me.  I was recently “promoted” to Cleft Surgery Coordinator and I enjoy having more than 60 kids compared to the 10 I had before.  This work though, makes me all the more aware of the need for adoptive families for the children I am attaching to through their pictures and updates.  The desire to adopt again is growing, but we feel like the timing won’t be ideal for our family for a while.  Keith is starting his coffee business, but while he hasn’t been able to find the right location for a shop, he’s started an online distributing company, where he will sell coffee accessories like cups, saucers, presses, machines….  He’s excited about it, which has been great to see.  However, we currently have no income.  Hopefully he will start making money soon, but we will see.  We also still live in our little 2 bedroom condo, with no garage, and no private yard.  I long for space on a daily basis and can’t imagine fitting another child into this home.  We can’t even start the paperwork process to adopt another child until we have sold, moved and settled…..  So I guess right now I just need to pray.

Our “summer vacation” has started and having both kids home more, with less structure to our days, has been good adoption control (much like birth control).  By the end of the day I have been completely done hearing my children and barely able to respond to them appropriately.  Hopefully it will get better once we finally get sunshine in the Pacific Northwest.

Celebrating Li Li's half birthday with half of a peach cake on May 20th.

I’ve gotten busy and distracted with silly things.  I looked away and my baby became a 5 year old BOY.   I have a special love for my son.  Maybe everyone feels this way about their children, about their sons, about their firstborn…. I just LOVE him.  No, I’m not totally delusioned into thinking my son is perfect – but he is pretty cool.  He is funny, thoughtful, snugly, silly, smart, adventurous, curious, hopeful….and usually fun to be with.

Keith, Koen and I had a great time at Great Wolf Lodge earlier in the week.  Koen loved all the attention, loved sleeping on a couch that magically folded out into a bed, loved getting to wear his pajamas to the lobby during story time, loved sliding down those fast slides, loved eating a hot dog cooked in our hotel room microwave.  It was fun while it lasted, but coming home we realized maybe our get away wasn’t such a blessing.  Our little boy became a spoiled brat from only 2 days of spoiling!  I attribute part of it to a lack of sleep, but hopefully the rest of it is from the few days of spoiling rather than the fact that he is now 5.  All of a sudden he thinks okay to say “I’m not going to” after we ask him to do something, like wash his hands….. He is lying more too….. When I don’t give him what he requests, there are meltdowns…..  Please let this not be what 5 is like!

Thankfully, Li Li did very with with Grammi while we were away.  She went very happily.  That night when we called to say goodnight, she was happy until Grammi said the word “Papa” to her.  Keith heard a sad little girl over the phone, but quickly got her giggling.  Grammi said the rest of the time she remained happy.  I think she enjoyed some one-on-one time with her Grammi, and extra attention from her aunt too.  I’m so glad she did so well.  That means we can leave the kids more often!!! (If only we had the money to go somewhere fun.)

Happy Birthday to my little Cheeseburger!  I love you!

Koen - 4 months old.

Koen - exactly 5 years old today

Tonight the boys are having fun with Grampa at a motocross event, and Li Li and I had our first girl night in a while.  She was absolutely delightful – and this isn’t something I say often.  Remember: she is 3 and full of energy.

I was coaching and Keith dropped Li Li off at the pool for the last few minutes because they had to get to the races.  My swimmers and their parents oogled over Li Li, and she of course, took it all in.  While driving home, she talked away and kept telling me she loved me.  It continued in the grocery store….. and at home…. while painting our nails…..while eating cookies…..while getting ready for bed.  A few times she even said it in Chinese: “Wo Ai Ni Mama.”

Is my little girl just totally deprived of attention from Mama and that’s why she was so in heaven tonight?!  Or, maybe she just had the right amount of sleep, yummy food….  I’m not sure, but it was enjoyable.  I don’t slow down and enjoy Li Li as often as I should.  Usually there are two kiddos vying for my attention – both avid talkers.  The constant noise on top of a semi-full schedule and responsibilities equals one stressed out mom sometimes, who doesn’t just watch and enjoy her kiddos.

We need to do more girls nights.

Koen’s 5th birthday, and Keith’s 36th are next week, so the three of us are heading to Great Wolf Lodge for a night.  I am really looking forward to it.  This will be our first time leaving Li Li overnight though.  She’ll be staying with Grammi and I’m sure will do fine, but this is a major milestone in our bonding process and we hope it goes well.

LWB’s medical program currently has 7 URGENT children, and 17 non-urgent children in need of funding on the website.  To fund their needs, they need $38,990 for the urgent children and over $52,000 for the non urgent needs.  To help cover these costs and save the lives of some little Chinese sweethearts, LWB has an annual “Born in My Heart” Art Auction.  It started today and goes through April 19th.  Go HERE to view the items and bid happily, knowing you are making a difference in the life of an orphan.