Red Thread Notes

Happy Snow Day!

2012-02-13T08:46:00.000-08:00

After a winter of not-at-all wintery weather, we were delighted to wake up to 5 inches of snow and an official Snow Day! As soon as we let them, the girls bundled up and headed out to play in it.

This was Maggie's first snow and I am happy to report that she is a Snow Dog and LOVES it!

For Christmas, one of my students gave me a Snowman Kit, with everything you need to build a snowman.

We've been waiting ever since for the Just Add Snow part. And today was the perfect Snowman Day.

Rachel had never made a snowman before and she was SO pleased about this one.

He IS pretty cute!

We tried sledding, but it was tough going in the wet snow.

Especially with Maggie's "help".

But the snow sure made a couple of kiddos happy!

I made everyone come in after an hour, but I'm sure we'll be out again later. Because we have SNOW!

Not for the Squeamish...

2012-02-12T13:23:00.000-08:00

My friend Kim brings out my ornery side. Kim used to work in my school and is a master of good-natured teasing. So I learned to dish it right back. She especially loves slightly rude, earthy humor. I have given her silly presents (like a plastic reindeer that poops out brown jellybeans) and once made her a kitty litter cake (with tootsie roll "surprises") and they only endeared me to her even more. Last summer, I saw an unusual cupcake idea and just KNEW that I would make it for Kim. So I stuck a sticky note in my calendar and waited.

Kim's birthday was this week. There is a certain irony in her being born days before Valentine's Day, in the Season of Love. It makes her roll her eyes and make gagging sounds when this is mentioned. Friday I didn't have students, so some other friends and I invited Kim to come and have lunch with her. We provided the dessert.

And what, you may ask, is on those cupcakes?

Why those are cockroaches.

Edible ones.

It's kind of amazing what you can do with a date, a caramel, and a little chocolate icing.

Kind of creepy, too.

But quite tasty, if you don't think about it too much.

And Kim? She thought it was the best birthday cake ever!

Crazy Hair Girl

2012-02-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

Today was Crazy Hair Day at daycare. I'm pretty sure Rachel took the prize!

Chinese New Year - One Last Time

2012-02-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

We are stretching our Chinese New Year celebrations out the full two weeks this year. This evening we met with other families who have adopted from the same agency as we did to bring in the Year of the Dragon. We have known some of these families since our very earliest days in the adoption process. Tonight we marvelled at how many of us have added children since then! And we gave lots of encouragement to other families who are waiting to receive their children. This group is a big part of our family's support system and we always love being together.

Tonight we started off by breaking up into groups based on the zodiac animals for our birth years and acting out our animal in a sort of Chinese-themed charades. Here are the pigs!

We had a potluck dinner - lots of Asian dishes and a couple of Mexican casseroles mixed in. Rachel had two tea eggs and asked for a third...

A high school Asian club arrived and performed for us. The kids went nuts when they saw the drums and cymbols!

The drumming started and the lion appeared!

Buddha came to wake him up (and mug for the crowd).

And then everything was a blur of motion, accompanied by the pounding heartbeat of drums. Magic.

Rachel didn't quite know what to think. She was content to sit on Daddy's lap at a distance and just watch.

But Katherine wanted to be right in the middle of it all. She has loved dragon dancers since she first saw one at the age of 12 months. And tonight she was thrilled when the lion came right up and danced for her!

Once the lion dancers wore themselves out the kids pretty much mobbed them.

And inspected the lion up close.

For years I have brought crafts for this groups gatherings. (Someone reminded me tonight of the year everyone made pig snouts and curly tails!) We made dragons, of course.

Katherine made hers and then helped other kids. She totally enjoyed helping/bossing little Abraham through his!

As usual, no one really wanted to leave the party and we hung around later than we'd planned. But eventually the hong bao were passed out and we headed home.

It was an evening of good friends and great fun. May the Year of the Dragon bless us all.

Tea Eggs

2012-02-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

When we were in China, we stayed in fancy hotels with amazing breakfast buffets. There would be Western fare like scrambled eggs, bacon, and french toast and then there were Chinese dishes, too. I tried many of them - a rice porridge called congee, steamed greens, assorted dumplings, dragon fruit (which looks fabulous and tastes as good). One of my favorite finds were tea eggs. They were hard-boiled eggs marinated in some way and tasted of salt and spice. I loved them. And I have missed them.

Last week I stumbled across a recipe for tea eggs on the internet. It turns out they are very easy to make! So tonight, I made some.

I boiled a batch of eggs the usual way. Once they were cooked, I cracked, but didn't peel, the shells. Then I simmered them for hours in a "sauce" made of water, black tea, soy sauce, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and orange peel.

They looked pretty weird at this point, but the smell was wonderful - spicy and salty and something un-nameable. Soon, the house smelled like China...

After a few hours of happy simmering, I drained the eggs and let them cool. They looked so interesting - tea-stained brown and covered in spiderwebs of cracks.

Then it was time to peel them. Aren't they beautiful?

Even the shells are pretty.

I'm in for some good eating now! Comfort food, China style.

8

2012-01-31T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today is Katherine's 8th birthday. One minute that seems perfectly realistic and the next I think how can she possibly be that old?

Her dinner request was to have a fast food picnic at the park and then to play. Since it was her warmest birthday ever, we happily agreed. (It was 64 degrees here, one degree warmer than her birth city of Yangjiang which is on the South China Sea and has a tropical climate!)

The park is one of her favorite places. At 8, she loves to list her favorite things: books, American history, sausage, the color turquoise, doing math problems, playing the violin, the Titanic, dogs, sewing with Granny, going to school.

She dreams about living on a farm and raising horses and going to a one-room school. She can't wait until she is old enough to cook all by herself and do her homework in cursive and play real songs on the violin.

Sometimes she wishes that she had a dozen brothers and sisters. And sometimes she wishes she was still an only child. But mostly, she likes being Rachel's big sister.

I look at Katherine and am continually astonished at who she has become. And that she is mine. Sometimes I wonder what ever happened to that sweet, scrawny baby I first held in China. Then the light catches just so...

...and there she is. Happy 8th birthday, Katherine Guo Dan.

You are amazing...

Chinese New Year

2012-01-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

After our owl party Saturday, we changed into our silks

and headed off to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.

Every year we get together with other families who have adopted from China to celebrate the biggest holiday in our children's birth country. We miss the biggest parts of the real holiday, but we do get dressed up and eat Chinese food and enjoy being together. And we always have fun.

Often I bring a craft of the year's zodiac animal, but dragons are hard. We just colored instead.

Rachel was delighted to hang out with her buddy, Jacob, and boss him around a little. There is WAY too much orneriness in this pair!

Rachel also had fun letting the bigger girls carry her around and make over her. She SO loves a crowd.

Kate was all smiles most of the evening.

One of families brought in the most amazing cupcakes! They looked just like lo mein and fried rice, but were decorated entirely in frosting and candy!

Have you ever seen anything like it? Rachel thought it was quite tasty.

I never tire of seeing all of these beautiful faces together...

What a Hoot!

2012-01-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

Katherine's "friend" birthday party was today at Aunt Robie's. It really was a lot of fun!

Kate and her unusual mix of friends (some from school, a fellow Chinese adoptee, and her old daycare buddy) are all craft lovers, so we had lots of craft time. We painted boxes and added felt owl sticker on top.

I had hidden these little owls all over the house and sent the girls to find them. There was lots of giggling as each girl searched for a mama and a baby owl.

Then we played pin-the-beak-on-the-owl. It was a huge hit!

We even had an oh-so-lovely owl mask!

There were owl cupcakes and ice cream to eat.

And more giggling, of course.

Then we did more crafts - felt owls this time.

The perplexus made an appearance.

And gifts were opened. They consisted almost entirely of craft kits, which the birthday girl and all her friends are eager to try. It is almost always cold and snowy on Kate's birthday. But not this year! It was nice enough to end the party playing outside.

As she left, one friend commented "I should have had an owl party." It was a hoot, indeed!

Look Whoooo Is Having a Birthday

2012-01-27T19:20:00.000-08:00

Katherine had her "family" birthday party tonight. Granny made her a terrific owl outfit to match the owl party theme.

We ate some pizza and chatted and then munched our way through an owl cake.

I found this owl cake on-line and I must say, cupcake cakes are really easy and very cute! And Katherine was quite pleased with it.

Months ago Katherine asked for a pair of cowgirl boots she'd seen in a store - turquoise ones with embroidery. Rachel and I bought them a couple of weeks ago. Rae, of course, can't keep a secret for more than about 30 seconds, so she told Kate. Luckily, she has a hard time keeping all of the details straight. She told Katherine that she was getting "pink scary snowboots". Kate didn't quite believe her and asked about it, but I could honestly tell her Rachel was wrong. So today Katherine was delighted to find turquoise, non-scary, cowgirl boots just for her. And they even match her owl dress.

Katherine's one gift request was a Perplexus, a sort of ball-shaped three-dimensional maze. She asked both sets of grandparents for one and received two different kinds. She was a happy kid.

And they were popular (and addictive) gifts. Everyone ended up playing with them!

Stay tuned - there will be more owl festivities tomorrow!

History

2012-01-25T15:12:00.000-08:00

January is Kansas History Month, so like elementary school kids all over the state, Katherine has been coloring meadowlarks and cottonwood trees and singing Home on the Range. Her second grade teacher decided to have the kids do an oral history report to learn more about Kansas history. And that simple assignment caused some drama at our house.

Katherine climbed into the car after school last week and announced, "I can't do my homework." This is not her usual attitude, so I asked why not. Kate replied, "I have to interview an ancestor and I can't! I don't HAVE any ancestors! Well, I do, but I don't know who they are and they're in China. They were never IN Kansas!" She was crying so hard that I pulled over to sort it all out. I have long lived in nervous fear of the dreaded family tree assignment, but I never expected history interviews to be our downfall. I looked at the assignment sheet and it said "Interview a grandparent or older adult." No mention of ancestors at all. But that's not how Katherine saw it. Something about this assignment had brought her face to face with the huge black hole that is her history. And it hurt.

I managed to calm Kate down that day, but it took most of a week before she could discuss her history assignment without getting emotional. I finally convinced her that it was not about ancestors, this was simply learning how people in Kansas used to live. Then we had to choose someone to interview. Since relatives were too close to "ancestors", I ruled out grandparents and great aunts. I gave Katherine a list of "older adults" that she could talk to. She finally chose our good friend Roger. Roger was a college acquaintence of my parents, one of my college professors (we spent hundreds of hours in theater practice together), and a church friend. He loves my girls and has great rapport with Kate. He was a perfect choice.

One afternoon this week Katherine and I went to interview Roger. As it turns out, Roger went to grade school at one room school a few miles from town. He suggested we take a little trip out to see the school, which is now a house. So we did. The little limestone school had an official name, but the students always called in Frog Hollow. [Isn't that a fabulous name?] Roger told Kate all sorts of stories about his childhood and the daily life of Frog Hollow School - being in class with 8 grades of kids, playing on the delightfully dangerous playground equipment, catching frogs in the woods, the barn where kids once left the horses they'd ridden to school, the outhouses, the joys of being a farm kid. Katherine just soaked it all up. It was wonderful.

When we got home, I looked up Frog Hollow on the internet. I found pictures of the building and students and a list of all the pupils from before 1950 (including Roger's dad). Katherine has pored over them all. I am quite certain that Frog Hollow would be her ideal school, outhouses and all. And I am grateful to Roger for giving her a glimpse of this part of our local history and letting her feel a part of it all.

Katherine turned in her project yesterday. There was no mention of ancestors and no more grief. She was just excited about her interview with Roger and eager to share the details of one room school life. Today on the way to school she told me she was saving all of her money. To buy a horse.

Chinese New Year, 2nd Grade Style

2012-01-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

I talked to Katherine's class about Chinese New Year today.

I first did my Chinese New Year presentation when Katherine was in kindergarten. There was a story about Chinese New Year in the little weekly newspaper the kids read. Katherine is the only Asian child in her school and no one was at all familiar with the holiday, so her teacher asked me to come and talk about it. Katherine was all for the idea. And the kids loved it. They loved seeing items from China. They loved learning about red envelopes full of money and dragon dances and luck. They loved eating noodles with chopsticks. They loved admiring Katherine's beautiful silk clothes. They loved everything about Chinese New Year. As other teachers saw how excited the kids were, they asked me to come and talk to their students. This year, I am doing Chinese New Year with both kindergartens, both 1st grades, and the 2nd graders. Eventually, the whole school is going to celebrate Chinese New Year. And that's a good thing.

When I started the Chinese New Year events, I was just trying to expose the kids in my school to a different culture. I never realized how good it would be for Katherine, too. Katherine loves having me visit her room (I'm sure that will change someday...). Chinese New Year has been a good way to affirm her history without making her the center of unwanted attention. And because of my visits, Katherine has become the envy of everyone 8 and under at her school. She gets to wear those fabulous silk clothes. She has real Chinese things in her house. She has a cool lion puppet. She knows how to use chopsticks. She has a Chinese name. She gets to watch a real dragon dance. Her whole family celebrates Chinese New Year. At least for today, she is a star.

Today we looked at hong bao (red envelopes) and some of Katherine's silk clothes. Then we read a story about dragons and made dragon puppets. The kids thought it was grand. And Katherine? She was one happy girl.

Xin Nian Kuai Le

2012-01-22T18:11:00.000-08:00

Xin Nian Kuai Le! Happy New Year!

Tomorrow is the beginning of the Spring Festival in China, what we call Chinese New Year. It is the Year of the Dragon, which is seen as particularly auspicious. Dragons are very wise and very powerful. To celebrate, we all wore our Chinese silks to church.

As you can tell, it's sunny and windy in Kansas! The girls are always thrilled to wear their Chinese clothes. They know that they are especially gorgeous in them. And I have to agree.

Wheels

2012-01-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

We have had a week of sunny, but unpleasantly cold weather. We've been stuck inside and we are all ready to be OUT. So today, despite windchills in the 20's, we went to the park to scoot/bike/walk. It was just what we needed.

Katherine loves her scooter.

She loves finding a long stretch of path and just...flying.

Rachel chose to ride her "new" bike (which was handed down to Kate by a cousin).

Rae is terrific at peddling. And good at balancing. But steering still gives her some troubles. It requires more attention and coordination than she can quite manage (and to be fair, it is harder to do one-handed). So she spends a lot of time like this.

And even this.

But she doesn't seem to mind. It's a good thing she wears a helmet. And probably a good thing that I am not one of those moms who panics at every little stumble. Rachel just hops up and drags her bike back on track.

Again...

...and again.

She is nothing, if not determined.

I admire that about her.

It is supposed to be warmer this weekend. Maybe we'll go wheelin' again.

Getting Creative

2012-01-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

I have been getting things ready for Katherine's upcoming birthday party. Now I am NOT Martha Stewart. Not even close. In fact, I don't really like parties. I am never quite comfortable in big social gatherings, whether I am the host or a guest. That being said, I love planning parties for my girls.

Katherine chose an owl theme for this year's birthday. I was kind of surprised, but owls are really popular so there are lots of ideas out there. Kate and I went shopping for all of the paper goods and craft supplies (I can dream up art projects for any theme!) and I made a great pin-the-beak-on-the-owl game. Today was the day for invitations. I have made invitations for most of the girls' birthdays and I always have a good time doing it. Today was no exception. Both girls helped and it ended up being a great mess.

But aren't they darling?

Now we just have to wait for the (wild, exhausting, and probably fun) party.

Painting

2012-01-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a day of non-stop tattling, whining, and "I'm bored". And so, it's been a day when two girls spent a lot of time sitting on their beds hypothetically reflecting on their behavior. To save my sanity, I declared this evening to be Painting Night and dug out some craft kits from Christmas. It was exactly the right activity. Thank goodness!

My girls' are SO different. You can spot their personalities in everything they do, including painting. Katherine is a perfectionist.

She planned her dolphin's color scheme before she began painting and then planned which part she would paint first and which part last.

She painted oh-so-carefully, taking her time and being as detailed as possible.

She loves doing crafts and loves the final, perfect-as-possible project.

Rachel is a whole different kind of artist. For starters, we have learned from experience that it is best to paint half naked. It saves time and shirts. (Check out the giant goose egg on her forehead, the result of a run-in with a book shelf this evening.)

Rae picked her paint scheme, too. After all, everything, even an ant, looks better if it is pink. If there is no pink paint in the house then purple and blue and silver will do. Oh, and painting is a full-body activity, requiring some gymnastic moves.

Rachel's goal in any art activity is to use as many colors and as much paint as possible. She could care less about the finished product. Art is about the doing.

Rachel happily described the evening's projects. "Katie's is pretty. Mine's not. It's got a lotta colors, though!" That pretty much sums it up!

You've gotta love Painting Night.

Hello Kitty Girl

2012-01-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

Rachel loves the Hello Kitty character. It's pink and sparkly and features a kitty - what's not to love? Aunt Robie gave her a fabulous Hello Kitty outfit for Christmas, complete with a frothy, glittery pink tutu skirt. She wore it for the first time today.

I think she was pleased with the whole ensemble, don't you?

Goin' to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

2011-12-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

We had a busy day in the city - lunch, some shopping, Rachel's check-up with the ear doctor (her hearing is perfectly fine, so the constant "what?" comments are just to be annoying), and dinner at Steve's uncle's surprise 60th birthday party. Oh, and in the middle of it all we went to the zoo! The weather was gorgeous - 63 degrees on December 30th!

Lions

and tigers

and bears - oh my!

I'd brought snacks, including some cute little lollipops the girls got in their Christmas stockings. (Yeah, I was planning the photo shoot...)

Happy New Year!

Sisterhood

2011-12-29T17:03:00.000-08:00

People often ask Katherine if she likes having a sister.

Kate never quite knows how to respond. It's really a rather complicated question. She usually answers "Sometimes." She loves Rachel (more than she would probably admit). She likes being her teacher and protector and sometimes friend. And bossing her around, of course.

But there are times when I'm pretty sure she wishes Rachel would just go away.

No one ever asks Rachel is she likes having a sister. But she would know how to respond. YES!!

Rachel adores Katherine. She follows her around. She seeks out her attention. She endures her endless bossing and directing. She wants to be just like her big sister. Even when they are fighting (which happens a lot), it is clear that Rachel enjoys the interaction.

Rachel refers to Katherine as "my sister". As in "Where is my sister?" Or "My sister gave this to me." Sometimes she even calls Kate "sister." "Sister, where are you?"

Rae knows that I have a sister and that Granny has a sister. She loves it when all of the sisters are together. Once she asked about Daddy's sister and I explained that Daddy didn't have a sister, only brothers. "No sister?" she asked sadly and her eyes teared up. Sisters are important.

The girls are each other's best friend and worst enemy. Sisters, in every sense. Despite the seemingly endless bickering, they have an undeniable bond with each other. They are true sisters. And sisterhood is powerful.

It's Christmas!

2011-12-25T19:28:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Rachel expended so much energy anticipating Christmas yesterday that she wore herself out. Katherine had to wake her up to open presents this morning! It has been a busy, family-filled day.

Christmas, Part 1
Santa came and left a letter for Katherine and Rachel.

Santa also left scooters!

The four of us emptied our stockings and opened gifts and I took some awful, blurry pictures. Then the girls had to go try out their scooters.

Christmas, Part 2
We went to Granny and Poppy's for brunch and then opened more gifts. Can you tell that Rachel is excited?

Katherine got an interesting doll that comes with information and on-line games about girls in Laos. Kate has never been much of a doll kid, but she was really interested in learning about real girls in other countries.

Rachel and Granny both got dolls, too. Rachel's doll has a "little hand", just like hers! (Thanks, Granny!)

We played some new games (Sneaky Squirrel is quite entertaining!) and had our traditional Christmas dinner - homemade pizza.

Christmas, Part 3
We went to Steve's brother's house for Christmas with the other half of the family. Katherine, who appreciates all things "old", got DVDs of 9 different Shirley Temple movies.

Rachel was pleased with a Hello Kitty backpack and pink snow boots, but her last gift was beyond her wildest dreams - 7 princess dolls!

More princesses than she could hold!

The three youngest cousins all received matching jackets and finally agreed to pose in them.

Then it was time for games, more food, and watching The Christmas Story.

We came back home, tired and filled with family (Rachel still clutching her princesses). It was a delightful day!

We're Ready...

2011-12-24T17:51:00.000-08:00

...for Christmas to arrive! We have been to Christmas Eve services (and were awed by the candlelight, as always).

We've opened one present - pajamas. (Okay, not much of a surprise, but fun anyway.)

We've left milk and cookies and Good Deeds for Santa. (Katherine even left tiny cookies for all the reindeer, although she debated about whether or not they should eat sprinkles!)

Katherine even added a personal letter to Santa.

We are ready!

Good Deeds

2011-12-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

We have been busy around here doing Good Deeds.

   I started the Good Deeds project last Christmas. Every day in December, each girl drew out a slip of paper with a "good deed" on it. Once she finished the deed, the slip of paper went into a special box. On Christmas Eve, we left the box full of good deeds for Santa. It was a lot of fun and really helped reinforce the concept of giving at Christmas time.
   When I dug out the Christmas decorations this year, Katherine immediately asked if we were going to do Good Deeds again. So our project is now officially a tradition, and one I love. The girls are excited every day to what their next deed will be. Some days we don't have time to do it all, so the deed slip waits in front of Baby Jesus until we are finished, little reminders of how to honor Him.
   Since the girls are only 4 and 7, the good deeds are simple. Send a card to someone. Put money in a Salvation Army Bucket. Make a Christmas craft for someone.

A lot of the good deeds are little chores to be done around the house. The girls actually think cleaning is fun, and I am always happy to have someone tidy up our (usually cluttered and slightly grubby) house. Mop the kitchen floor. Clean the front door. Scrub the fronts of the oven and dishwasher.

Today we tackeled Make Christmas goodies and deliver them to the neighbors.

We're down to one more Good Deed. Our special box is getting full.

I'm pretty sure Santa will be pleased.

Illuminations

2011-12-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to the botanical gardens to see their amazing light displays. What fun! There were lights EVERYWHERE, including some that were set to music and binked off and on in patterns to the beat of Christmas songs. It was fabulous! We got really cold, but had a great time.

Violin Dreams

2011-12-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

Katherine has been begging to play the violin for months, more than a year. When she hears music with violin parts she comments on it. When we watch orchestras play, her eyes are riveted on the violin section. She even loves pictures of violins. It is evident that Katherine has a deep love of music and it is time to feed her passion. Today, I took her to be fitted for a violin.

Our local orchestra teacher measured her arm length and fitted her with a 1/4 size violin (which is adorable!). The she gave Kate her first lesson in how to hold the violin, how to care for it, and how to "piccata" or pluck the strings one at a time.

Katherine practically glowed with pleasure. Kate's teacher will be a high school violinist who has taken on students of her own and we are still arranging lessons. But I know one girl who can't wait to play.

We're Party Animals

2011-12-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

This has been a CRAZY weekend. Since Friday evening our calendar has looked like this: Christmas party with church friends, run errands, return library books, go to the Nutcracker, go to a wedding, go to extended family Christmas party, go to Sunday School, bell choir performance, Christmas play performance, another extended family gathering. It was all fun, but we are so tired we can't wait to go to school tomorrow so we can have a break!

This afternoon we went to the Christmas gathering of the other side of my family. We played games...

were entertained by the dog...

decorated cookies...

and made crafts.

Rachel even found time to snuggle with Granny.

Instead of a gift or ornament exchange, everyone brought items to donate to a foster care children's home. We filled several huge boxes with clothing, toys, pajamas, bath items, and wrapping paper. The kids had fun sorting through all the stuff and were excited to see what some other children will enjoy. It was such a nice change from the endless gift giving - I hope we continue this tradition!

My aunt gave all the kids (9 of them from 4 years to 5th grade) puzzles and wonderful little lanterns.

This little light of mine, shining at Christmas time!

The weekend is over and we are looking forward to a calmer week, Christmas and all!

Ballet and Santa

2011-12-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

We have had a busy day! This afternoon Granny and Poppy and I took the girls to see The Nutcracker.

This was an annual local production, with kids 3 through college age dancing all the parts. Since it's strictly an amateur performance, it has been condensed - the story is shorter and just the famous parts are included. It's the kind of ballet where baby angels get dizzy and fall over, the pre-recorded music sometimes stops abruptly, and no one minds if your 4 year asks 297 questions during the show. The perfect beginner ballet! The dancing was impressive, the costumes were lovely, and all the important characters were there - Clara, the Nutcracker, snow fairies, the dance of the wildflowers, Mother Ginger and her little cookies, the Sugar Plum Fairy. We had a terrific time.
Katherine has seen The Nutcracker several times and read endless versions of the story. She knows enough to compare and contrast the dancing. But this was Rachel's first ballet. She was totally enthralled with it all (and asked questions non-stop). I'm not sure she really followed the plot, but she "got" the magic. She was concerned about Clara dancing around in her pajamas for most of the show. And she was quite disgusted with the toy soldiers who shot all those poor little mice! (To be fair, the mice were way too cute to be at all threatening in their frothy gray tutus with pink bows on their tails.) I'm thinking we'll be seeing some dancing from Miss Rae in the near future!

And now for Santa...

This evening we went to my mom's extended family's Christmas gathering. There was time to play with the cousins and lots of goodies to eat. And then it was time for Santa. Santa has been coming to this party since before my memory. And it's a tradition my cousins have made sure to pass on to our kids. Because we love seeing our children sitting on Santa's lap.

This was a day full of Christmas traditions that I hope will never end.

She's in the Play

2011-12-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

A woman in our church has written a play called "The Christmas Tree Ship", based on a true story from the early part of the last century. She asked Katherine to be in it and Kate agreed. The play tells a sad, but sweet, story. A shipping captain in Michigan cuts evergreen trees every winter and takes them to Chicago to sell (and give to the poor). One year he and his ship are lost in a terrible storm and never return. To deal with their grief, his widow and three daughters decide to continue the Christmas tree service and arrange for the cutting of the trees. They take them to Chicago by train and sell the trees in memory of the captain. Katherine plays one of the captain's twin daughters. She is in a number of scenes and has a few lines. She and her good friend Hannah are having fun being "twins". Here are a few pictures from dress rehearsal.

My Singing Girl

2011-12-12T19:01:00.000-08:00

Katherine had her school Christmas program tonight.

She has been singing the songs for weeks. She knew every word.

And all the actions.

Her music teacher is terribly creative and makes all sorts of instruments and decorations for the kids. Katherine loved using streamers during one song.

And she was really excited to learn sign language to sing We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

My girl loves music. And I love watching her perform.

Camera Happy

2011-12-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

It was Sunday morning. The girls were wearing their beautiful red dresses. I had my camera. So pictures were in order, whether the kids liked it or not.

I sure do love my Christmas girls!

Decorating

2011-12-04T17:54:00.001-08:00

We put up our Chirstmas tree this afternoon. Katherine helped Steve unpack it, "fluff" the branches, and assemble the whole thing - a big job. Then I pulled out the ornaments and the girls decorated.

Katherine wanted to know the stories behind some of our ornaments. It was fun to talk about them. There are ornaments that have been hanging on my tree since since my pre-memory childhood.

And ornaments that I have bought to commemorate special occasions. And lots of beautiful ornaments from China. I love the ornaments that the girls have made over the years.

Rachel didn't care about the stories. She did like finding things she had made. And she loved anything glittery.

She goes for the you-can-never-have-too-many-ornaments-on-one-branch style of decorating.

It's not the most artistic arrangement, but it makes me laugh so I leave them as they are. It's proof that Rae was a part of the process.

I made the girls pose in front of the tree, of course. And that quickly got silly.

Tonight, we carried on another Christmas tradition. Steve grew up hearing his dad read How the Grinch Stole Christmas every year on Christmas Eve. His dad has read the story to Katherine and Rachel at Christmas time. But this year, Katherine wanted to read to him. So, Steve called his parents and held up the phone and Kate read. Grandpa chimed in on the parts he knew by heart. It was really kind of sweet.

Sweet Christmas

2011-12-03T18:40:00.001-08:00

The girls and I ran through pouring rain (yeah!) to got to a local Gingerbread Festival. We've attended this the past several years and always have a lot of fun.
There were all sorts of fabulously decorated gingerbread houses to look at and everyone voted for their favorite.

Then it was time to make our own houses. We picked up trays of everything we would need, already cut and mixed. This is the way to make gingerbread!

We "glued" the houses together with icing and started decorating.

Or rather, Katherine started decorating. Rachel tasted everything and tried to lick as much icing as possible. Of course.

Can you tell whose house is Kate's and whose is Rachel's?

They both had a great time and were pleased with their creations. Rachel observed "Katherine's house pretty. Mine crazy!" An accurate description, I think.

Apparently, I didn't think Rachel had had enough candy today because this afternoon we made dipped pretzels.

This is the only remotely candy-like that I have ever attempted. It's quick and easy and the girls LOVE shaking sprinkles on the top.

Tonight we started a new Christmas tradition - putting mini Christmas trees in the girls' rooms. They were thrilled!

All of Rachel's ornaments are hanging on two bottom limbs of her tree, but delighted with it. Both girls fell asleep tonight in the twinkling glow of their trees. It's starting to feel like Christmas around here!

Bittersweet

2011-11-29T15:56:00.001-08:00

On Rachel's birthday I was struggling with my emotions. I finally sat down and wrote. That is my way of processing what I am feeling. I always feel better after getting words down on paper (or a computer screen). I decided that the piece I wrote was too melancholy to post on her birthday, so I saved it for today. Be warned - you may need a hankie, because it is kind of sad...

Birthdays Are Bittersweet

   Today is my Rachel's 4th birthday. My baby is 4 now. She, of course, is convinced that she is BIG. And, like all birthdays, the change from one year to the next is always a little bittersweet. Last night Rachel and I celebrated her last night of being 3. She put on her pajamas for the last time as a 3 year old. She did her last 3 year old tooth brushing. And I read one last story to my last 3 year old. We snuggled in her bed and sang Happy-Almost-Birthday-to-You. And then I went out to the living room and blinked back tears.
   When we were going through adoption training, one of our social workers explained that birthdays are often hard for adopted kids. That made sense to me. It would be difficult to know, on an emotional level, that the person who gave birth to you chose not to keep you. That loss would seem especially huge on the anniversary of your birth. What the social worker didn't explain is that birthdays can be hard on adoptive parents, too.
   Like many people, I grew uphearing my mother tell my own birth story every year on my birthday. I listened to her tell how excited she and my dad were to be having their first baby. How as soon as she saw me she know that I was "exactly what she had always wanted." Year after year those stories piled up layer upon layer, filling me with the knowledge that I had been loved and wanted from before my very first breath.
   Last night, snuggling with Rachel, I wanted so much to be able to tell her sweet little stories like those. But I couldn't. I don't know the name of the woman who bore her. Or where she lived. Or if she labored all alone. Or even if today was really the fourth anniversary of it all or just somewhat close. I don't know why she chose not to raise her newborn, whether it was because of gender or disability or some other reason entirely. And, truly, I feel nothing but gratitude toward her for the decisions she made. But I know, and someday Rachel will know, that the birth of this tiny girl was not "exactly what she had always wanted." And that leaves a sad spot in my heart. One that is tender to the touch.
   I think birthdays remind me of what adoption really is - a tangled web of joy and grief, sorrow and blessing. And in our house, the birthday cake batter may always be salted with tears.
   So today we will celebrate Rachel and all of the joy and laughter she has brought to us. There will be presents and a pink birthday cake and as many pictures as she will tolerate. And I will tell her the stories of all of her birthdays so that layer upon layer, she will be filled with the knowledge of how much she was loved and wanted from before we ever saw her face.
   And tonight I will go outside and look at the moon and tell Rachel's birth mother "xie xie". Thank you. Your baby girls is exactly what I have always wanted. I promise.

Growing

2011-11-27T11:32:00.001-08:00

The big news in our house is that my sister is getting married. It IS exciting and I am so happy for her! The whole situation is long and complicated, but here is a condensed version of the story.

Robin and Brandon met in college. They've been friends for 19 years. I've know Brandon since then, too, and he is a great guy - caring, funny, intelligent, and always willing to be a little silly. Brandon married one of Robin's childhood friends. When their three children were born, they asked Robin to be the kids' godmother. When we first moved to our town, Brandon's family became good friends of our. But then they moved away. And Brandon and his wife split up. And things got really crazy for all of them. Robin and Brandon had stayed in contact and became close facebook and e-mail friends. Robin went to visit Brandon this summer and they discovered that there was something more to this relationship. So they are getting married in June. And everyone is pretty happy about that.
Brandon and the kids were at our big family dinner on Thanksgiving. I hadn't seen the kids in several years, so it was fun to spend a little time with them. They are such good kids.

Eymber is 13 and a fantastic artist. She was very patient with Rachel's endless questions. Eymber loves to draw and it is clear that she carries her heart around in her sketchbook.

Orion will be 12 next month. I think he wished we'd all just leave him alone. Which is pretty much what I thought at 12.

Anthem just turned 9. He was happy to join in the Thanksgiving festivities. He's a funny, social kid and just makes himself at home wherever he is.

The kids live in the city now, and they were fascinated by the farm. Especially the hay barn. They laughed and played and swung on the rope, screeching in delight. It was fun to just watch them and know that they are now a part of my family, not just some friends that I once knew.

My sister is marrying a man who has long been her good friend. And that is a wonderful way to start a marriage. She is adding three step-children, but they are kids that she has known and loved all of their lives. And they have known and loved her. They will be a unique kind of family, but they will make it all work. I'm sure of it.

I am thrilled that my sister has found the partner of her life. And I welcome Brandon and his children with open arms. The only difficult part is that Brandon lives in Chicago. My sister will join him as soon as she can find work there. And Chicago is a long, long way from Kansas. I have so loved having Robie close... My heart already aches at the thought of having her so far away. But that is what she needs to do and I understand.

Our family is growing. And that is good.

Party Girl

2011-11-25T13:17:00.001-08:00

Today was Rachel's long-awaited birthday party. Granny made her a most fabulous cupcake dress and we had cupcake plates and napkins and I made 7 minute frosting this morning, so Rachel was READY!

For the past couple of years Rachel has been totally obssesed with I Spy books. We have at least a dozen of them and she looks at them every day, even though I'm sure she has memorized the location of each object on every page. She loves to play I Spy at church or around the house. She loves it when I hide little objects and she has to find them. Let's just say her visual scanning skills are excellent! I decided that it might be fun to have an I Spy birthday. So we did! Here are the invitations:

And here is the cake:

(And how did I collect all those different candies for free? I raided the girls' Halloween buckets and I sent an e-mail out at work, asking my teacher friends to share a piece or two of any candy they had at school. They brought me whole piles of it!)

Rachel thought it was all a terrific idea. Now she could even play I Spy on her cake!

But first, there were presents to open.

She found lots of clothes and some games and another I Spy book.

And then there were three more pairs of "click clack shoes"! She wears her plastic dress-up shoes as much as possible. In fact, she has loved them to pieces. Literally. Click clack shoes were her one request for her birthday. So she was a happy kid.

There was time to hang out with the cousins and Aunt Robie...

...and Grandpa and Grandma.

And then it was time for the I Spy cake!

Happy 4, Rachel!

Everyone chose which section of the cake they wanted by the candies on top. Rachel picked the gumball eyeball. Of course. But it was pretty tasty.

It was a festive day. And the Party Girl was pleased.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T15:46:00.001-08:00

We went to my uncle's house for the day. As usual, there were 40-some relatives and enough food for an army. The adults stood around and chatted and packs of children roamed everywhere. After an enormous dinner, the kids worked on a turkey craft (thanks Granny!).

And then my cousin saddled up her horses and took the girls for a ride.

It was Rachel's first time on a horse. She was nervous at first, but then she loved it!

We brought XiaoYue and MengTing with us. They were excited about seeing horses. They are city girls and had never been close to an animal that large. With some coaxing, we convinced them to try riding. They had so much fun!

Then we explored the old hay barn. I had not been there since childhood. My uncle lives on the old dairy farm where my mother grew up. I have fond memories of playing with calves, watching my grandpa milk cows, and playing in that very same hay barn. The cows are gone now, but there is still old hay in the barn. And it is still a great place to play.

I was so glad that my daughters got to experience the hay barn. Now my memories are part of the next generation.

My Uncle Don has always loved old cars. He has "fixed up" several of them, quite beautifully and takes them to antique car shows. He brought them out to show us. They were amazing.

It was a wonderful day. I am thankful for many things, my big, warm, complicated family is one of my greatest blessings. And the time with them today was perfect. Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm 4 on my birthday!

2011-11-23T17:01:00.001-08:00

Here is what 4 looks like...

Okay, it's a little cheesy, but poor Rachel hasn't felt well for several days. She had 3 days of fever and now a bad cold. It's the second year in a row that she has been sick on her birthday. (And the second year in a row that she has missed her preschool Thanksgiving feast.)

Rachel started off the day by climbing into bed with me, holding my hand, and saying, "You my friend, Mommy." I can't think of a better way to start the day! We spent a quiet day at home. There were presents to open.

Shiny pink shoes...

...and two new games.

We visited Granny and Poppy, read books, and took a nap (which Rae didn't even protest). We did make a quick trip to a local drug/gift store, where Rachel announced to everyone that today was her birthday and was rewarded with a sucker from the store ladies and a quarter from a total stranger. AND she got to ride in a booster seat instead of her strap-em-down carseat. Rachel picked a Mexican restaurant for dinner and ate mostly chips and cheese dip, as usual.

Rachel keeps repeating, "Today is my birthday! I'm 4 now!", as if she can't quite believe it. Neither can I. Happy Birthday, Rachel Fu Shen! You bring us so much joy and laughter. I am so thankful that you are mine.

Greetings

2011-11-19T17:03:00.001-08:00

In the next five days we have someone's 4th birthday, Thanksgiving, and a an I Spy themed birthday party to celebrate. It's going to be a crazy week! So, in case I don't find time to blog - Happy Thanksgiving!

(Don't you love preschool art projects?)

Chinese Food

2011-11-18T18:18:00.001-08:00

The Chinese students at our local collage made a big dinner this evening and invited the community to come share it. This was not the American version of Chinese food. It was the real stuff. Comfort food for a bunch of kids a long way from home.

I filled my plate with some of everything. I have no idea what most of it was. (Just like in China.)

It was all good. I especially liked the asparagus and the wonderful hard-boiled eggs soaked in tea. (Just like in China.) The bright yellow mango flavored "aloe juice" was new to me, but quite tasty.

It was crowded, so Rachel sat on my lap to eat. (Just like in China.) There were noodles, so she didn't care. I don't think Rachel remembers China or the people who loved her there. But she most definitely has food memories. Just the sight of rice noodles cooked with a little cabbage makes her quiver with excitement. She doesn't do that with any other food. Noodles make her happy. They are her comfort food.

And Katherine, who refused to eat much of anything while we were in China, tried all sorts of unusual dishes and had seconds.

The Chinese students can cook for me any time. That was some good eating...

Leaf Pile

2011-11-17T16:56:00.001-08:00

Granny called today and left a message saying she had a very large leaf pile in her front yard that really needed jumped in. So we headed over for some leaf jumping. It was a huge pile - much taller than Rachel!

The girls flung themselves into the leaves until they were completely buried.

And then Granny jumped in, too. Of course!

Leaf pile jumping is an active sport, and involves lots of leaf throwing so most of my pictures look like this.

But other pictures were good.

And one was great.

(If you are on Granny and Poppy's Christmas letter list, I think you'll be seeing this one again...)

Red Dresses

2011-11-13T16:03:00.001-08:00

My girls always look forward to Sundays, because they get to wear their "fancy" dresses. Last Sunday, they both picked never-before-worn new dresses. And, as is often the case, both dresses came from Aunt Robie. I am continually amazed at the beautiful clothes my sister manages to find, usually at a fraction of their original cost. And my girls LOVE Aunt Robie dresses!

Rachel's red and white dress (with matching striped tights!) is just too cute.

And so is she. (But don't tell her!)

(Although I'm pretty sure she knows.)

Katherine's dress was this year's Gotcha Day dress.

I love the classic design. And the butter-soft corduroy fabric. I told Katherine that I could have worn a dress like that when I was little. And so could Granny. And so could Granny's mother. She was impressed. "Old fashioned" is a good thing in her mind.

And she always looks good in red.

And this picture is just for me. Katherine does not understand why I love to see her with her hair down. But my 9 year old self is so jealous of her hair... This is what I wanted my hair to be like. So I could look like Laura from Little House on the Prairie. (I thought "old fashioned" was a good thing, too.) But even when I grew my hair long, it never looked like this. Katherine has beautiful hair and she still lets me fix it for her, so I'll admire it while I can.

Happy Endings, Dentist-style

2011-11-10T17:43:00.001-08:00

Rachel has never been a big fan of the dentist. She has warily tolerated teeth cleanings, as long as they are fast. But she doesn't much care for in depth dental exploration. This past summer, the dentist found a cavity in one of her molars and scheduled her in for it to be filled. So began the dental saga...

Steve took Rachel in for the tooth filling. She wasn't happy, but she allowed the dentist to clean out the tooth. But when it came time to fill it, she clamped her jaws shut and refused any further dental procedures. So, the dentist rescheduled her and gave her a prescription for valium. Surely that would do the trick.

I took Rachel back to the dentist, dosed with valium. She started crying before we walked in the door. We sat around waiting for the valium and nitrous oxide to kick in. They never did. Apparently, neither laughing gas nor valium have any effect on my 3 year old! Rachel eventually calmed down and happily explored every piece of equipment in the dentist office, but absolutely refused to open her mouth. The dentist commented, "She's strong willed, isn't she?" Um, yeah. We finally gave up and the dentist suggested we find a pediatric dentist who could sedate Rachel.

I started calling pediatric dentists, all of whom were in the city, an hour from our house. One dentist said she could get Rae in some time in March. Somehow, since she has a hole in her tooth, I thought that was a bit too late.

On Monday, I found a dentist that could work Rachel in. Today! I was shocked and quite relieved. It took a lot of paperwork and many phone calls, but we got everything in place. So, today was the big Dental Adventure Day. Since she was going to be put clear under with anesthesia, Rachel couldn't have anything but clear liquids to eat this morning. She couldn't believe her good fortune when I announced that she could have all the popsicles she wanted - for breakfast!

After three popsicles (in three different flavors, of course), some jello, and part of a slush, we picked up Granny and drove to the city. We did some shopping to distract Rae from the fact that luch time was fast approaching and she wasn't going to get anything to eat. Granny needed to stop at the pet store to buy cat food. Rachel discovered the tiny shopping carts there and was absolutely delighted!

We made a couple more quick stops and then killed time in the toy store. Rachel found some fabulous princess glasses to try on.

Then it was time to go see Dr. Mike. We were the only people in the office and I was really impressed with the entire process. The dentist and anesthesiologist came out and chatted with Rachel, who was happy to put on her charm. The anesthesiologist gave her a quick, unseen shot in the behind and convinced her that the office had a bug problem and a big mosquito had just bitten her! Within two minutes, Rae was out cold.

Rachel's surgery went beautifully, and it turns out that it was a good thing we'd brought her in. The dentist took x-rays and checked out her teeth. She had another cavity that needed filled. And while he was poking around, one of her molars cracked into pieces! It seems some of her molars are not properly formed and are really fragile. (Genes or maternal nutrition can have a huge impact on tooth formation - yet another reason that it is sad and frustrating to know nothing at all about my girls' birth parents.) So, a simple filling turned into a filling, 3 crowns, sealants, and flouride treatment. I am SO glad that Rachel could just sleep through all that!

After two hours in never-never land, Rachel woke up. She was happy and flirty and totally loopy. It was pretty funny to watch! She knew where she was and who everyone around her was. (One of the first things she said was "Hey, Dr. Mike!" But her words were slurred and she had no motor control. She has like a noodle, her balance was way off, her eyes were droopy, and she couldn't hold on to anything. She commented that she "must be dizzy". She remembered nothing at all of the surgery, was in no pain, and was convinced that "We only been here a little tiny while" instead of nearly 3 hours. Here is Granny and Rae in all her drugged glory.

Rachel hadn't eaten anything (except popsicles) for over 20 hours, so food was our next priority. Rachel, of course, asked for noodles. So half an hour and a big bowl of noodles later, she was back to herself.

Rachel is very proud of her "shiny teeth" and will happily show them to anyone who shows the slightest interest. Dental Adventure Day was a smashing success. Now we just have to pay off the bills....

Spin

2011-11-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

We went to the park this afternoon and the girls spent most of their time there spinning on this swing. I get dizzy just watching...

... but they obviously can't get enough spin!

Leaf Pile

2011-11-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

It was rainy and windy one day this week and our maple tree decided to drop all of its leaves at once. That means we have enough leaves to make big leaf piles. Rachel dressed herself to go play in them. She was quite proud of being all in pink!

I'm not sure who had more fun in the leaves - the kids or the dog!

Gotcha X 7

2011-10-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago, on a sultry Sunday afternoon in Guangzhou, China, I was handed a beautiful baby girl named Yang Guo Dan.

She was nine months old, to the day. She was slick with sweat and covered in spots (scabies, which she promptly shared with Steve). She weighed all of 15 pounds. She was gorgeous. And she looked up at us and smiled.

And, just like that, we were a family. There were seven other families in our group receiving babies that day. I didn't see any of the other first meetings, because our DanDan was the first baby and after she was in our arms we never looked up. But those other families were a part of the whole experience and somehow, they all became a part of our family that day, too.

The emotions in that room were so intense that I can never begin to describe them. All I can say is after that moment, none of us would ever be the same again.

I remember leaving that building, with Katherine Guo Dan in my arms. It felt so surreal. We had waited so long and been through so much that it was hard to wrap my brain around the physical real-ness of her. I kept thinking, "I can't believe that they just gave us this baby, that she is really ours!" Sometimes I look at her and I still think that, the incredible miracle of it all.

These seven years have flown by. Some days have been wonderful and some really difficult, but all of it has been amazing. I can remember those first minutes with Katherine as if it were yesterday. And when I look at my tall, strong, beautiful second grader, I can still see that sweet baby in her face. Happy Gotcha Day, Katherine Guo Dan...

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

We started the Halloween celebrations this evening.

Rachel wanted to be a pink butterfly this year.

The "pink" part was very important. And she is VERY proud of her wings.

Katherine decided months ago that she wanted to be a colonial girl. She picked out the fabric for her costume and helped Granny sew it.

I'm pretty sure she'll be the only 2nd grader around in period costume.

But she is perfectly happy with that.

Our church hosted a Trunk or Treat party this evening. The girls have been SO excited about it - far more so than for the usual Halloween trick-or-treating. There were lots of cars decorated and people in costume passing out candy.

Granny and Poppy decorated their red Prius to look like a ladybug and Poppy wore a lovely ladybug costume. (I'm not sure I remember ever seeing my dad in a Halloween costume, so it was pretty exciting!)

There were s'mores and games and a cupcake walk. The girls liked the old fashioned fishing game and managed to go through more than once.

Then they discovered the face painting.

Rachel was thrilled with hers, and it did add to her whole costume.

The girls ran around and talked to people and ate as much candy as they thought they could get away with. We stayed until it was almost dark.

Tomorrow we'll have school parties and trick-or-treating and more candy. But my little pink butterfly and my colonial girl think that THIS was the best part of the holiday. And I have to agree.

The Zebra Sisters on the Town

2011-10-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

The girls (who decided to wear their matching zebra striped clothes) and I spent a delightful day in the city.

We met our friends Amy and Anna and their mom for brunch at IHOP. Katherine and Amy spent their first few months as orphanage "sisters" and have been good friends since they re-met in Kansas 5 1/2 years ago.

We did a bit of shopping and then headed to the zoo. Here are the Zebra Sisters in all their glory!

Aunt Robie joined us and offered to carry Rachel on her shoulders. A nice idea, but Rae didn't ever want to get down again. Robie will be sore tomorrow!

The zoo was decorated for Halloween, so it was even more fun than usual to explore. The weather was gorgeous and hardly anyone was at the zoo - perfect!

It was a delightful day!

Carvin'

2011-10-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Katherine and I didn't have school today, so we went to Granny and Poppy's to carve some jack-o-lanterns.

Last year, Rachel wanted nothing to do with pumpkin guts. Nope, no way. So we were all a little surprised when she jumped right in and cleaned out her own pumpkin!

She made a face every time she grabbed a handful of slime, but she kept working.

I was impressed!

She didn't stick around for the actual carving, though. When she found out she wasn't going to be allowed to use the carving knife, she ran off to play. She was pleased with her completed kitty jack-o-lantern, though.

Carving jack-o-lanterns is one of Katherine's favorite things to do.

She adores pumpkin guts.

She begged to carve her own jack-o-lantern this year, so I let her.

Carving was harder than she had imagined.

Oooh... He's got slime coming out of his nose!

Kate managed the eyes and nose by herself, but decided to let me carve the mouth. She was pretty proud of her jack-o-lantern!

Maple Leaves

2011-10-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

We have a maple tree in our front yard and one just like it in the back. They are beautiful trees year-round, but in the fall...well, sometimes they take my breath away.

Right now, the leaves are turning. When you stand right beside the trunks and look up, you see mostly green.

But if you step back, it is clear that the trees are aflame.

I love how individual leaves do not change all at once.

And how leaves that are tattered and torn, still put on their best colors.

I love how so many different colors exist at once on a single tree.

I love the contrast of scarlet leaves against blue sky. It reminds me of Japanese watercolors.

And I love, love the way the leaves look as if they were lit with fire from within.

And so ends my visual ode to the maple leaf.

These Boots...

2011-10-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

...are made for fun!

When Katherine was 4 she started begging for cowgirl boots. She asked for them almost daily. It was late spring and I really didn't want to buy boots, especially since it would soon be too hot to wear them. But I did ask one of my former students if she had any old cowgirl boots and she donated this fabulous pink pair. Katherine wore them proudly until she couldn't squeeze her feet into them anymore. So now the pink boots are Rachel's. And she thinks they go with everything.

I must say, they do add a certain flair to the flouncy skirt and polka dot leggings! Rachel is trying hard to learn to dribble a basketball. It's pretty amusing to watch her practice.

Basketball and boots are made for fun.

Don't you think?

The Fall Shoot

2011-10-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

Mom wanted to have a fall photo shoot at her friend Dorothy's house. Doesn't it look like the perfect photo op?

The flowers were gorgeous and the girls were relatively cooperative, so we have some good pictures.

There was even the perfect gate for a Secret Garden (and I could actually see Katherine imagining Mary Lennox and Dickon and Collin!).

Of course, no photo shoot would be complete without Katherine showing off her goofy faces.

Or without Rachel running wildly when she was supposed to be posing.

But on the whole, it was a good "shoot". And a beautiful place to spend some time.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch this morning with a group of friends. The weather was perfect and the pumpkins were beautiful.

We never actually got around to riding out to the pumpkin patch and picking a pumpkin, because there were too many other fun things to do! Like going down the giant slide.

And jumping on the giant "bouncy rainbow" (as Rachel called it).

And when you lost your balance, you could just lay on the bouncy rainbow and giggle.

Then there was the corn maze.

And the little train.

And the teeter totter, of course.

Then I insisted on picture time. So we did a group shot (okay, lots of group shots but this, believe it or not, was the best one!) of all the kids. Most of them were born in China, but South Korea, India, and Taiwan were also represented! We love hanging out with other adoptive families...

We even managed a rare family pose!

Rachel is going through an I-refuse-to-smile-for-the-camera stage, but Steve found a solution.

By then, we were tired and hungry and the trek out to the pumpkin field seemed too much. No one really minded, we'd had fun. Happy Fall!

Dog Days

2011-10-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

I tried to take some pictures of Maggie tonight. That's always a difficult task, since Maggie moves constantly. Most shots look something like this.

So I talked Katherine into distracting her. Over the past month or so, Maggie has finally grown into her nose and gigantic ears and impossibly long legs.

She really LOOKS like a collie now, instead of some sort of fox.

I have come to realize that I am not a puppy person. I have no patience for jumping and chewing, endless barking and potty-training. Maggie mostly drives me nuts. But she is beautiful. And, at 6 months, is leaving the puppy stage and moving into her teen years. So I have hope. I'm looking forward to the days when she'll just lay around napping and begging to have her ears scratched. But right now Maggie would rather jump on people or pester the girls or eat inappropriate objects. Like this grasshopper we were admiring.

(I managed to rescue him from her mouth after about 5 minutes, slobbery and a bit shaken but otherwise unharmed.)

But, to her credit, Maggie is learning. She is always happy to see the girls (or anyone else). She doesn't jump quite as much. She is slightly calmer. She can walk on a leash. She comes when you call, at least some of the time. And she plays a mean game of fetch.

Katherine is always happy when Maggie is near. She hasn't learned to be assertive enough, so Maggie bullies her around, but she loves her. And since my girl loves the dog, I will learn to love her also.

Tonight was a big night for Miss Maggie. She started doggie school! Steve and Katherine took her for "orientation" at her first session of obedience training. So Maggie gets to make some doggie friends and maybe learn to be a good dog. I can hope, can't I?

Parade

2011-10-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

This is Homecoming weekend for our local college. Rachel's daycare had a float in the parade, so Rae got to be in the parade. She was all excited until she realized that Katherine and I were not climbing on the truck with her. She didn't cry, but she was pretty apprehensive.

We hurried on downtown in time to see the float come by.

But when Rachel spotted us, she at least waved.

I think she was glad the whole event was over. Later, we went to Granny and Poppy's and Rachel skipped off to swing. This girls LOVES to swing! She can pump herself and she goes high. After 45 minutes of swinging, she was a happy girl again.

Something to Think About

2011-10-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

I learned something that made me go hmmmm.... this week. It's kind of long, so let me explain.

We started the process to adopt a second child on January 1, 2006. Katherine was not quite 2 and had been home for just over a year. We knew it would take several months to gather all the required paperwork, but we joked about how the timing would be just perfect if we got a referral in the late spring, just before school ended. We'd have kids two years apart, could travel right after school ended, and would have the whole summer together to bond. Katherine's referral came just 7 1/2 months after we were logged in and we expected things to go much the same this time around. We were wrong. VERY wrong.
Our paperwork was "logged in" with the Chinese government on July 28, 2006. By that time, we had been warned that there had been a sudden slow down in the adoption process and that we would wait at least a year for a referral. We were mildy disappointed that our dream plans would be a bit delayed, but didn't worry too much. But as the months rolled by, we realized that the slow down was much bigger and much slower than we had ever imagined. Months turned into years and we still waited. Eventually we requested to be considered for special needs referrals, partly because we really felt that our girl would have some sort of special needs and partly because there was no end in sight to the wait. Katherine was getting older and we weren't getting any closer to a referral. In fact, the longer we waited, the longer it seemed the predicted wait grew.
We received Rachel's referral on April 27, 2009, more than 3 years into the process. We traveled to get her in September, more than 3 years after we were logged in. The wait had been so long and so difficult and we were so thrilled to have Rachel (and so busy chasing her around) that we just breathed a huge sigh of relief that the whole process was over. Thank goodness!
I was browsing websites yesterday and discovered that families that were "logged in" through July 28, 2006 were matched this week. If we had not moved to special needs, we would finally have gotten a referral this week! This bit of information has given me a lot to think about. Even without contemplating life without our Rachel, the "what ifs" are disturbing. We would have waited more than 5 YEARS for a baby! 5 years and 10 months from the time we began the process until we knew who we had been waiting for. Our daughters would not have been 2 years apart, as we originally planned, or 4 years, as they actually are, but 7 years apart. I can not imagine the patience and strength it must have taken for the families who got the referrals of their beautiful babies this week. I know that I could not have endured such a wait. 3 1/2 years nearly destroyed me. Those families have a faith that is stronger than mine.
I watched Rachel skipping ahead of me on a walk this evening and marveled about how our lives have turned out and about what an amazing kid she is. I thought about waiting 5 1/2 years for my child. And once again, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

September Celebration

2011-09-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

We had the longest, hottest, nastiest summer ever this year. It was just endless. But September? It has been the perfect month. We have had an entire month of sunny skies and temperatures in the 70's and low 80's. It just doesn't get any better! So to celebrate the last day of a gorgeous month we stopped by our local carry-out-only hamburger joint and took a picnic to the park.

And then we just played.

Well, played and struck cheesy poses for the camera.

And Mom didn't enforce the usual school rules, so going down the slide head-first was acceptable. And way more fun.

Rachel the Determined (or Rachel the Daredevil) insisted on going up the 7 foot tall climbing wall by herself. And did.

Eventually things got kind of silly, with lots of giggling and sitting on each other.

But it was the perfect way to end a beautiful month. Goodbye, September!

Cleaning Spree

2011-09-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here's how my children are happily spending their evening.

Despite Rachel's fake smile, she's having a great time. They both are! I know it won't last, but right now both girls LOVE to clean. Well, clean anything except their own rooms. This is evidence (or maybe blackmail) for their anti-clean teenage years. So I'm going to enjoy it now!

Student Picnic

2011-09-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

We went to a picnic this evening for the international students at our local college and their host families. The girls were excited, because they knew they would see XiaoYue. I think she felt the same.

When I was a student at our small college 20 or so years ago, there were never more than a handful of international students. Now there are dozens and dozens. The college set up an exchange program in China a few years ago and now there are more than 50 Chinese students on campus. That's pretty amazing! I love the cultural exchanges that occur when people of different nations get to know one another. And I love that there are all these bright, eager Chinese students for my daughters to look up to.

Rachel, as usual, worked the crowd. And the Chinese students doted on her, passing her from one set of arms to another and laughing at her antics. She was in her element.

I didn't feel at all bad about carrying around my camera, because every time I turned around I saw this!

There was a fireplace and a fire pit for making s'mores. Although the girls have eaten s'mores, I don't think they'd ever made them by themselves.

Many of the Chinese students had never heard or s'mores, or even marshmallows. They were quite fascinated by it all.

And everyone agreed that the results were yummy.

What a fun way to spend a gorgeous evening!

A Day on the Town

2011-09-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

We spent the day enjoying the beautiful weather and making a trip in to the city.

Steve ran in the Race for the Cure early this morning. He had run this race many years ago and started it back up last year, after his sister-in-law was disgnosed with breast cancer. Maribeth was there today, walking with other survivors. The girls and I met up with them after the races. Rachel was delighted by the crowd of many thousand, all dressed in PINK! There were pink clothes, pink balloons, pink tutus on dogs, pink golf carts, and a pink fire truck.

The fire truck was pretty cool. It was entirely covered with signatures and messages about cancer victims and survivors.

The girls and I met Aunt Robie at one of our favorite "special" restaurants - P.F. Chang's.

Noodles are always a welcome meal! Before we went inside we admired this praying mantis and talked about what cool bugs they are.

Then it was off for some shopping. Last week's sudden cold snap made us notice that the girls were rather unprepared for winter, as neither of them had long-sleeved T-shirts or leggings. So we took care of that today.

Now we're back home, spending a quiet evening at home. Ahh....

Bluegrass Festival

2011-09-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

We went to the 40th annual Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival today. I first discovered this 4-day music festival when I was in college and have been back all but two or three years since (two years ago we missed because we were in China). It's a wonderful, laid-back experience with musicians every place you turn and some fabulous people watching. There are four stages playing bluegrass, folk, old-time, cowboy, Irish, and acoustic music of all sorts. People bring their lawn chairs and wear their tie-dye and wander from stage to stage to hear performers. We look forward to the festival all year.

We were late getting there this morning, as a major storm rolled though and it poured for two hours. Once the rain quit, we went to hear some music. The festival is at the county fair grounds and we ended up sitting in the pig barn. It wasn't the best place to see or hear, but it did keep Rachel contained!

Later we moved up in to the grandstands.

Rachel tolerated her confined space by chatting with anyone within talking distance, but this is where she would have preferred to be.

Eventually, Rachel got sent home for a nap. It was certainly not her idea, but made the rest of the afternoon more pleasant for everyone else. We sat in the sun and enjoyed John McCutcheon, Tom Chapin, and Michael Mark - three of my very favorite musicians.

Our friend and pastor, John, came and sat with us. Katherine somehow managed to talk him into letting her borrow his i-pad.

Katherine's favorite part of the festival had nothing at all to do with music. In the crafts building she discovered a woman spinning wool into yarn and was absolutely fascinated.

We had to go back and watch the woman twice. She was very friendly and talked to Kate about what she was doing and how this was the way people made yarn in "the olden days". She gave Katherine tiny bits of soft wool and Kate carried them around all evening.

We had fair food for dinner (Kate and I shared a huge baked sweet potato and a grilled reuben sandwich - yummy!) and left just before the next big storm hit. Happy Bluegrass!

Gotcha!

2011-09-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today we first met Rachel Fu Shen.

We had waited so long for her and were overjoyed to finally hold her. She was just scared. And sad. And really, really mad.

But that only lasted a little while. Before long she was flashing smiles and checking out her weird new family.

And by that night she had claimed us. Well, at least me. I remember being amazed at how strong and brave and funny she was. And how fiercely I loved her. Already. The next day, we woke up to this. (Steve's dad's favorite picture ever of Rachel, and one of mine, too.)

I knew that Rachel would change us, but it wasn't until that first morning with her that I understood that our lives would never be the same. Not even close. Rachel has made our lives busier, and funnier, and far more interesting. She has made us more outgoing, more willing to take risks, more affectionate. And she has made us laugh every single day.

Our lives are infinitely richer because of her. So today, on the anniversary of Gotcha Day, I remember the pain, hers and mine, of leaving one world to join another. But I also celebrate the joy that shines through the grief. Rachel is the peice that completes us. And we love her beyond measure. Happy Gotcha Day, sweetie!

Poor Rae had dental work done yesterday and is still swollen and sore today. She was so pleased about Gotcha Day, though I don't know how much she actually understood. Every year on Gotcha Day the girls get a small gift, a little present that we bought in China to remember our first day together. This year Rachel got a silk outfit for her baby. She was pleased. Aunt Robie sent her a fabulous pink kitty dress and Granny and Poppy gave her a funny little stuffed ladybug.

This morning Katherine asked me, "Do people who are born here, I mean from their mother's belly? Do they have a Gotcha Day?" I said no, just a birthday. "You mean we get more special days?" I said yes, adopted kids get more special days. Kate was quite pleased! Definitely a plus for adoption in her book!

This evening Rachel, despite the swollen face, felt good enough to go out for dinner with Granny and Poppy. She picked Braums. I'm thinking it was just for the ice cream.

Here's to two wonderful years. May there be a lifetime more to come.

Remembering Referral Day

2011-09-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago today we first saw this sweet little face...

It was one of the sweetest, most exciting days of our lives. We thought then that Yang Guo Dan, soon to be our Katherine Guo Dan, was the perfect little girl for us. And she has been. We love you Katherine!

Kate doesn't quite understand the nostalgia of Referral Day, at least not hers. (She does remember Rachel's referral.) But she was VERY excited that today was Grandparents Day at school and Granny and Poppy came for lunch!

School Bus Girl

2011-09-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

Granny has been on a sewing kick lately. My girls have been the happy recipients of about an outfit a week. The latest was inspired by these adorable school bus barrettes from our local farmer's market.

So Granny just HAD to make a school-themed dress to match. Rachel loves riding the school bus and she loves this new dress!

Moon Festival

2011-09-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to a nearby city's Chinese Association's Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. (And no, I don't understand why it is called the "Mid-Autumn festival" when it's in September. Chinese New Year is called the "Spring Festival" and it's in January or February. Maybe the Chinese are just hopeful for the endless summers and winters to pass?) We had never been to one of this group's gatherings before, and the only people we knew were another adoptive family, but it was kind of fun.

There was Chinese food, silly riddles to solve (in both Chinese and English), drawings for prizes, and lots of time for conversation.

A woman played a traditional Chinese stringed instrument - beautiful! The girls were delighted that she had the same hairdo as Katherine.

There was a performance of middle-aged women doing a fan dance. We saw women do dances like this every morning in the public parks in China - they've just added American exercise costumes.

The girls were pleased to be in a crowd where they looked like everyone else and we all enjoyed the pleasant hum of Mandarin surrounding us. When we left Katherine asked if we could come back next year.

This morning the girls wanted to put on their Chinese silks in honor of the Moon Festival. So they did.

In China the Mid-Autumn celebration is also called the Moon Festival and it occurs during the full moon. We were in China two years ago just before the Moon Festival. Shops put up decorations and bakeries and hotel sold fancy moon cakes (which aren't actually cakes). People get togther with family, re-tell ancient folk tales about the moon, eat moon cakes, and look at the full moon. For our family, the Moon Festival has become a time to remember our girls' birth families and the nannies and foster family who cared for them in China. Tonight we will go out and send our prayers and good wishes to the moon. We know that the people we left behind are probably looking at that same moon. Maybe they're even thinking of us.

Uniform

2011-09-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

Katherine was all excited about getting dressed this morning. She picked out this outfit weeks ago.

Yup. That's a school uniform. And no, they don't wear uniforms at her school. Kate is in that awkward stage where she is too big for the cute, little girl style clothes (that she really wants to wear) and not at all interested in the cheap, clingy, awful clothes available marketed for her size (thank goodness!). When school uniforms appeared in back-to-school displays, she begged for one. Repeatedly. So I bought her one. She was the only happy kid in the uniform section! I like the uniform, too. It's cute, well-made, inexpensive, and covers all of her. And, I suspect, we are both secretly nursing storybook little-girl-with-braids-going-off-to-school fantasies. I hope it lasts for about ten more years.

On a side note, two years ago today we left for China to get Rachel. That was a flight I'd rather never live through again. I'm so glad that we're not traveling today.

First Day #3

2011-09-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

Rachel finally started back to preschool this morning. Daycare "school" has been fine, but it's not real school. Rachel was eager to go back to her beloved Miss Kylee and her preschool class. And she was even more excited to ride the school bus again. After all, going to school and riding the bus prove that she is BIG.

Tea Party

2011-09-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

I convinced the girls to bring Felicity and Bitty Baby to a tea party this afternoon. Katherine was a little doubtful, but warmed up to the idea. Rachel thought it was great fun. And it was.

The Heat Is Gone

2011-09-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

A long-awaited cool front moved through last night and turned the weather from 100+ to 70's. Yeah!!!!!! I cannot begin to explain how sick we have all been of hot weather. Today was simply fabulous. And it is supposed to stay this way all week.

Our little local college has a lot of international students, including many from China. The college tries to find American host families for them, to help explain American culture, feed them the occasional meal, and give them ties to people other than college students. We volunteered to be a host family and were matched with XiaoYue from China. This evening we had a cookout and invited XiaoYue and her roommate MengTing, my Aunt Sharon, and my parents and their Indonesian student Raisa. We had a grand time. We ate hamburgers and watermelon and then just played in the backyard.

We introduced the Chinese students to our favorite outdoor game - bocce.

They loved it.

Rachel decided that Raisa was her personal entertainment for the evening and Raisa was happy to oblige.

As the evening wore on, things got a bit sillier.

We laughed a lot. And took lots of pictures.

Rachel took this one - not bad for a 3 year old!

It was a fun evening. And we are looking forward to spending more time with XiaoYue.

Happy Labor Day!

Back to Routine

2011-09-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

We have survived the hottest summer on record (which has persisted into September) and are now back at work and school and back into life's routine. It's been a long week.

MONDAY: Rachel has not been pleased about being at daycare. She's whined and cried and pouted. She started out the week by getting in trouble for hitting a classmate. Steve and I talked to her and asked what happened. At first, there was no answer. Then she said, "I peenched Austin. Inna face." [Makes pinching motions with her fingers.] When we asked why she replied, "He in my spot!" Then followed a lecture about the evils of pinching friends and some brainstorming of more appropriate responses.
   Katherine came home from the first day of 2nd grade all excited because she had homework. There were 3 stories to read before Friday. Of course, she read them all Monday evening.

TUESDAY:   Rachel announced "No like Miss A____." [Her daycare teacher.] I asked why not. "She mean." I asked what she did. "She do mean things." Like what? "Miss A____ say 'Lay down!'" Was this during nap time? "Uh-huh." Were you laying down? "No." But I tell you to lay down all the time! "Yeah. Daddy, too." Hmmm.... I don't think Miss A____ is mean. I think you need to listen to your teacher.
   We went to Meet the Teacher night at Rachel's preschool. There are 15 different sessions of preschoolers in the school, but never more than 6 classes are ever there at the same time. Except on Meet the Teacher night, when they all come. Total chaos. Rachel was thrilled.

WEDNESDAY: Rachel pouts about going to daycare, but does not cry. This is progress.
   Steve's students are sure that his no-food-no-drink-in-the-classroom policy is a form of torture. Never mind that it is a functioning chemistry lab, they're positive they'll faint from hunger or thirst in the 90 mintues they spend there.
   The girls hurry home from school so that they can play, well, School.

THURSDAY: Rachel skips into daycare and runs over to show Miss A____ her show and tell. She waves happily when I leave.
   I add up the chores of the first week of teaching preschool:  comfort 5 crying children, gently (but firmly) push 3 mothers out the door, break up a fistfight, mediate 17 disputes over toys, and repeat the classroom rules 8,000 times. Week 1 is done!
   On the drive home Katherine ponders whether she should get a horse and buggy or horses and a "pioneer wagon" when she grows up.  A lengthy debate about the pros and cons of each followed.

FRIDAY: I perpetuated my slightly-crazy reputation by finding a newly hatched bull snake at school and carrying him in so all the kindergarteners could touch a snake. [He was a remarkably docile little snake.]
   We went to see a wonderful local production of Godspell. At intermission I asked Rachel if she was enjoying the show. She nodded. I said, "There's lots of singing and dancing, isn't there?" Rae replied, "Lots of talking, too."

I'd say we're back in the routine!

1st Day, #2

2011-08-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

Katherine FINALLY started 2nd grade today. She was SO ready to go! She was the only 2nd grader in school wearing a skirt that she made herself! She went over to Granny's to sew yesterday afternoon and came home with this new skirt. Not everyone can make their own clothes at age 7. I'm impressed.

Katherine's Big Day

2011-08-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

Katherine is going to "Granny School" this week. This means hanging out with Granny and Poppy until Monday rolls around and she can finally start 2nd grade. Today they had all sorts of big plans and ended up experiencing even more.

My parents bought a new-to-them vehicle this week and stopped to pick it up today. That meant that Katherine got to be the first to ride in the "new" car AND it had a TV and DVD player. They then drove the new car to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. Katherine had a grand time exploring the museum and learning all about space. I had given her my old camera and she took all sorts of remarkably good pictures. (She even remembered what they were all about this evening.) They stopped in Yoder for lunch and to have a quick lesson in Amish culture. Kate was quite fascinated by all of the old fashioned tools and buggies.

But the best and most exciting part of the day was totally unplanned and it is a marvelous story! Over the past year Katherine has discovered the American Girl book series. She's not been particularly interested in the American Girl dolls, but the books enthrall her. She has read all the books she can find and is so interested in the history they describe. Her favorite character is Felicity, a girl from colonial times. We have looked up information and talked about colonial life often. Last week Kate discovered sewing patterns for colonial style dresses. She immediately decided that she wants to dress like Felicity for Halloween. Today, Mom decided to stop at a quilt shop so Katherine could pick out fabric for this Halloween dress. And that was when the magic started...

The shop keeper was a young woman who struck up a conversation with Granny and Katherine. Granny mentioned that the gold fabric she was buying was for Katherine's colonial dress. The woman's face lit up and she asked Kate is she had read the American Girl books. Then she asked if Kate knew about Felicity. When Katherine said that Felicity was her favorite, the woman explained that she had some American Girls books, mostly about Felicity, that she was getting rid of and did Katherine want them? Kate, of course, said yes. The books were at the woman's home, so my parents agreed to stop back on their way home to pick them up. When they retured to the store, not only did the woman have a stack of books for Katherine she also had a Felicity doll and a large trunk full of clothes and shoes for her! The woman said that she had decided that it was time to get rid of some of her childhood things. The American Girl doll had been one of her favorites and she wanted it to go to someone who would appreciate it. Just last night she had prayed to God and asked for some sort of sign as to where the doll should go. And today Katherine walked into her shop, looking for cloth to make a dress like Felicity's. Isn't that amazing?

Katherine is absolutely thrilled with her new doll. When I got home she was talking so fast that I couldn't understand. She finally drug me in the house and pointed at the doll and trunk and her face just shone. Granny told her that she had "found a gold mine" and Kate understood that. This was an amazing gift and Katherine is so appreciative and so delighted. There will be many, many hours of Felicity playing at our house! And that sweet quilt shop keeper will know that her beloved doll has found a good home.

Hanging Out with Friends

2011-08-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

The girls' good friends, Hannah and "Buddy Isaac" were over last night. They were so excited to have them here! I'd set out some different things to play with and pretty much knew which kids would play with each thing. I was wrong! Hannah and Rachel made a beeline for the crafts table.

Rachel stayed at it for a remarkably long time and Hannah cut and glued and drew all evening. This girl loves crafts!

Katherine was Isaac's playmate/boss for the evening. He didn't seem to mind.

Later, there was a dress-up show, some singing and dancing, and several tiny stretchy frogs getting wild rides in the doll stroller. The evening ended with popcorn and a little Dora watching.

And four happy kids!

1st Day, #1

2011-08-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Rachel started her new "daycare school" today. She has moved from a little home daycare to a larger preschool/daycare that is the lab school for the early childhood majors at our local college. She was very excited to go and quite proud that she was the first one of the family to go back to school. Katherine is rather jealous. And I am kind of relieved - it has become evident that Thing One and Thing Two need some time apart!

Katherine came with me to work in my classroom this morning. The kindergarten teacher next door put her to work sorting and cutting for her and then paid Kate $2 for her work. That made Kate's day! I go back to work full-time on Wednesday and Steve on Thursday. Katherine will have "Granny School" for the rest of the week - sewing, cooking, and a few adventures. She finally starts back next Monday. So, the journey back to school has begun.

Summer's End

2011-08-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost over...

And, quite frankly, I am glad. I'm not looking forward to getting up at 5:30 AM again, but we're all ready for more routine in our lives. And we're all pretty sick of being cooped up with each other. This morning, Steve contemplated yet another day at home listening to the kids squabble and suggested we make a quick trip to Oklahoma. So we called up Granny and Poppy and headed off.

We had lunch at a terrific Mexican restaurant at the airport. We ate our tamales and gorditas and watched planes taxi down the runway just outside the window. That always makes for an entertaining meal!

We did a little shopping and drove back home. One last little summer fling!

The Big Cook

2011-08-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to go back to school (which also means going back to work). Today was part of the going-back routine. Today was my Big Cook. I am a passable cook - I rarely burn things beyond recognition and my family happily eats what I put in front of them - but I don't love cooking. I don't mind it if I have plenty of time and energy. But when I get home after a full day of wrangling preschoolers only to face my own kids demanding supper, preferable half an hour ago, cooking dinner is about the last thing I want to do. Several years ago, I heard about one of those businesses where you go in and make a month's worth of meals in an evening. I thought "Hmmm... I could do that." So began the Big Cook.

Every August (and usually again over Christmas and at Spring Break) I send the girls to my parents' house [We love you Granny and Poppy!] and spend a whole day cooking. I shop the day before and cram the pantry and refrigerator full of food. Then I get up early, crank up the stereo (or just enjoy the quiet), and cook meal after meal. I prepare and divide everything into meal-sized portions and put it in the deep freeze. Today I made burritos, enchiladas, lasagna, calzones, two different casseroles, pizza, and pre-cooked, chopped, and bagged chicken and hamburger. It was a lot of work, yes, but not at all stressful and there were no kids hanging on my leg. I can stand in front of the freezer and feel satisfied by a good day's work and blessed by the bounty of food. And the best part of the Big Cook? There are 29 meals that I am not going to have to cook later!

Zoo Statues

2011-08-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the zoo this week. We had not been all summer, because it has been too darn hot. But we found a day where it didn't hit 90 degrees until noon. We saw a lot of animals (the year old chimpanzee baby and a trio of Galapagos tortoises nosing each other's bowls of "salad" were our favorites) but all of our pictures were of the girls and the zoo's wonderful statues.

Children's Garden

2011-08-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

The botanical gardens we visited this week have a brand new Children's Garden that is just fabulous! There were SO many fun things to do with kids aged 1 to 12 and even the adults though it was great.

The entrance is through a cool rainbow.

Rachel loved the little water pumps and watering the flowers and vegetables. There were lots of great water activities at the garden.

Katherine loved the giant Swiss Family Robinson style tree house in the Monster Garden.

I loved the giant Very Hungry Caterpillar sculpture. It had doors in the back with compartments full of dress-up clothes and a cocoon sculputre with writing and drawing supplies inside.

Both girls adored the fountain. The water flowed in a thin layer over the sculpture, but if you leaned on it frontwards and backwards it was possible to get totally drenched. So they did!

We left through the rainbow tunnels, but we'll be back.

After all, we'll need to spend more time in the treehouse and hanging out with the Very Hungry Caterpillar. And then there's the playhouse and the dinosaur sandbox. We hardly touched the chimes and drums. And we haven't yet explored the giant dragonfly or the painting center by the stream or...

Botanica

2011-08-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

Mom and I took the girls to the botanical gardens for our annual photo shoot yesterday. As always, we got some great pictures.

Rachel wore her favorite dress. She just loves it, and I can see why.

Although I get tired of the endless comments from well-meaning strangers, I have to admit that they are right. She is so CUTE!

And Katherine is suddenly so grown up...

Whatever happened to my sweet little baby?

I still love seeing pictures of my girls together. Just thinking that they are sisters makes me smile.

Even when they're goofy.

At the butterfly house, there was a monarch that had just hatched? out of her cocoon. She was so tame that we could hold her in our hands.

Rachel was completely entranced. She would have stayed there all day. And so I.

Hand Stories

2011-08-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Rachel has become aware of her hands this summer. Obviously, she's known about them since infancy but now she understands that her hands aren't like everyone else's. She has realized that she is different.

There have been lots of hand incidents over the summer, some good and some pretty bad. In June, we were at Katherine's soccer practice and Rachel was playing with a little girl about her age. They'd been running around for 15 minutes or more when the other child noticed Rae's hand. "What happened?" she asked. Rachel glanced at me and answered "I born that way." The little girls shrugged and they skipped off to look for bugs. I was startled at first, and then proud. That was the first time I had heard Rachel explain her hand by herself. I had spoken for her many times, but now she could handle it herself. That was a good day.

A few weeks later, Rachel and I were sitting in a summer class. The teacher was distracted and there were too many kids and not enough adults and even Rachel looked a little daunted by the crowd. A 4 year old boy at our table suddenly shouted "Hey! She has a little hand!" Rachel clung to my arm. I stepped in and told the boy the usual yes-she-does-she-was-born-that-way story. But he wouldn't let it drop. The kid kept trying to grab Rachel's hand, stared at her, asked endless questions. I noticed that Rachel was hiding her hand, pulling it behind her back or wrapping it up in her dress. My heart sank. Rachel looked up at me and her eyes were full of tears. I turned to the kid, moved so my face was at his level and firmly told him that it was NOT nice to stare or touch people and that I did not want to hear him say anything else about Rachel's hand. He shut up. After class Rachel and I talked. She thought "that boy" was mean. I tried to explain that he was just curious, but he had bad manners and was really annoying. That was not a good day.

At China Camp Rachel met a little boy with a hand very much like hers. She was SO excited! She ran up to him at the hotel pool, held out her hands, and shouted "You have hand like me! Same!" She talked about that boy for days, always with a tone of awe. I realized that although I know there are lots of people with hand differences, she didn't know. She just thought she was alone with her hand. Meeting that other child made her understand that she's not the only one and that was a big deal to her. She's hold up her hands and say "I have one big hand and one little hand. Just like that boy." That was a really good day.

We are so used to Rachel's hands that these little incidents are startling sometimes. We just think of her as "normal". I'll admit that I dread the questions from other kids. Sometimes they are so hard to deal with. And we're traveling without a map. No one exactly explained this part of parenting. And, hard as it is, I have to step aside and let Rachel learn to deal with all the questions and stares. This is the reality of her life. So we'll move along and try to find our footing and discover ways to deal with the hand issue. Rachel reminds me often that she is brave. And she is. Way braver than I am. Today we made books about Rachel's hands for her to take to daycare and preschool. She loves them. Maybe they will help.

Last week we were on a playground when some kids came over. One little girl noticed Rachel's hand. Rachel just said "Yup. I got one big hand and one little hand. Let's swing!" And they did. That was a good day.

Snow Cones

2011-08-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

Katherine has been begging to go to the local snow cone/shaved ice place all summer, but it has been so hot that I've never had the enthusiasm to take her. Tonight it was still 104 degrees at 6 PM, but cooler temperatures are forcasted for later this week. So, in celebration of the possibility of cooler weather, we went out for some shaved ice.

I can't remember if Rachel had ever had snow cones or shaved ice, but she thought it was great.

Of course, we all had to taste each other's ice.

Rachel's Hello Kitty flavor (cotton candy and wedding cake syrups - chosen because it was pink) was so disgustingly sweet that even Katherine wanted only one bite.

Rachel, of course, didn't care. And Hello Kitty made for a great overly pink tongue!

The Many Faces of Katherine

2011-07-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Many Faces of Rachel

2011-07-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

Orphan Lit

2011-07-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

Katherine has been reading a LOT this summer. That's no real surprise, of course, but it has been fun to see what she reads. Over the past year she discovered the American Girl books and has fallen madly in love with historical fiction (which I am happy to encourage!). She's read nearly every book in the entire series and we've had some interesting discussions about the characters and events that happen to them. Late this spring she mentioned that one of the main characters in one of the books was an orphan and we talked a little about that. This summer, she discovered simplified versions of classic children's books (which are often rather difficult to read, although the stories are wonderful). Her bookshelf now holds The Secret Garden, Ann of Green Gables, Heidi, and The Jungle Book. All are fabulous books and all are about orphans. Katherine has discovered Orphan Lit. When I thought about it, the theme of orphan overcoming obstacles is huge in literature! And while I love the characters in these books, Katherine connects with them in a very personal way. We have had on-going conversations about orphans and even the meaning of the word "orphan". We've talked about how Mowgli and Mary Lennox were a traditional kind of orphan, someone who parent's have died, and how she was once a different kind of orphan, one who's birth parents could not care for her. We've talked about how important it is to have a family and how the orphans in those books found or created their own kind of families, even if they were different from most people's. It has been a great way to talk about her life and it is clear that she has taken on these characters as part of her support system. Samantha and Mary, Ann, Heidi, and Mowgli are her friends. I think the subject of orphans will continue. At least I hope it does. Because down the road there are so many other wonderful orphan characters to introduce Katherine to. There's Harry Potter, of course, and Ponyboy in The Outsiders and Lily in The Secret Life of Bees and.....

Partying in the Heat

2011-07-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

The girls went to a 4th birthday party today for one of their friends. The party started at the pool, which was nice as it was 102 degrees. But, when thunder and lightening (no rain) moved it, the swimming part ended. So we went to the park to wait for the rest of the party. We had time to kill, so the girls found some duck/goose feathers and entertained themselves.

Finally, the rest of the crew showed up and the party continued. There were sandwiches and fruit and then the birthday boy blew out his candle. Don't you like the sweat beaded over his sweet face?

Then there was cake and popsicles and a little King of the Mountain on some rocks.

After that it was time to open gifts. Check out Rachel creeping in to see the goodies.

The party moved on to the playground, but we went home. It was still 100 out and we were HOT. We ended our evening with nice, cold showers and went to bed!

Water Playdate

2011-07-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

The girls had a much-anticipated playdate with their friends Hannah and Isaac yesterday. The kids played in our sprinkler/water hopscotch/slip n' slide backyard wonderland and the moms sat in the shade and chatted.

Katherine and Hannah love to spend time together. They take turns bossing each other and giggle a lot.

Rachel always refers to Issac as "Buddy Isaac". He calls her "Raech". They are way too funny together! The friends brought water guns and let's just say that the 3 year olds sporting guns was a bit dangerous!

It was nasty hot out, even in the water. But there were always creative ways to get a drink.

What a fun way to spend an afternoon!

Heat Denial

2011-07-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

It's 99.3 degrees out and this is how my girls are spending the evening.

Katherine is lying on a fleece blanket, wrapped in her heavy bedspread, and cuddling her baby blankets. Rachel is under no less than 9 blankets of various sizes. 9!!!! It's sort of a Princess and the Pea effect in reverse. The really amusing part? During the winter, when it's negative 5, neither of them will stay under a blanket in bed.

Book Worms

2011-07-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

It's 102 for the umpteenth day in a row. It's too hot to even think about going outside. So this is how we spent the afternoon.

It's a good thing the public library has air conditioning!

Aquarium Visit

2011-07-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we visited the Oklahoma Aquarium. It was a wonderful place!

There were gorgeous displays of coral reefs and jellyfish and all sorts of ocean animals.

There was a cool shark exhibit with a tunnel through the shark's tank. That meant the sharks were swimming all around us. (Rachel was a bit worried about that.)

All of us marvelled at the fabulous shapes and colors and designs of fish.

But the best part of the aquarium was that there were lots of animals that you could touch! We touched and admired horseshoe crabs, shrimp, sea urchins, starfish, and hermit crabs.

And then we discovered the manta rays. There was a big, shallow pool full of rays and small, harmless sharks. If you put your hand in the water, the rays would come up to be petted! They were incredibly smooth and soft.

Katherine was utterly fascinated. She and I must have petted rays and sharks for 20 minutes.

By the time they closed the ray tank to give the rays a little break, Katherine's dress was drenched and her pigtails dripped water. But she was grinning ear to ear.

It was a wonderful way to spend a morning.

As we left, Granny told the girls they could pick out something from the gift shop. Katherine immediately headed for the stuffed animals and chose a ray, the same kind that we had petted. Rachel wandered around until she noticed an underwater I Spy book and then wouldn't even consider looking at anything else. I couldn't have picked better gifts for them myself!

The Yangjiang "Sisters"

2011-07-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

We travelled to China with 7 other families when we adopted Katherine. All 8 girls were from the same orphanage. 7 were born within a month of each other. I remember looking around at all those gorgeous babies and hoping with all of my heart that they would remain in contact with each other. I wanted Katherine to maintain ties to these girls who were her first friends. Who knew her before we did. It still amazes me that those hopes came true.

6 1/2 years have gone by and the Yangjiang Sisters are still friends. We see them only once a year, but it always feels like a family reunion. And in some ways it is. This year we met the evening after China Camp at a big pizza/game place. And, as always, it was wonderful.

6 of the 7 girls were there with their families. They are all 7 years old now and have lost their little girl looks. They are tall and snaggle toothed and silly.

They have so much fun together. They compare their heights and show off their "tricks" and play little hand clapping games. And they giggle. A lot.

They also touch each other constantly. They hold hands and stand with their arms around each other and lean on each other's shoulders. Katherine doesn't do that with her other friends, or even her family. But with these girls, she is utterly at ease.

I don't know if it is from deep-seated memories or from picking up on cues from their parents (who are always delighted to see each other), but the relationship between these girls is different, special. They have a deep bond with each other.

And seeing all of those gorgeous little faces together always makes my heart sing. I don't think I will ever get tired of that.

China Camp

2011-07-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

We spent part of this week at China Camp. It is one of our favorite places on earth. Well, not the place exactly, but the collection of people. We have been going since Katherine was 4 and we talk about China Camp at least once a week all year long. It is just an amazing event.

Katherine (and Rachel) loves China Camp because for 3 days, everyone's family looks just like hers. No one asks where she was born. Or if she is adopted. Or if Rachel is her "real" sister. For 3 days, she is just like everyone else.

And everyone else means a LOT of kids - 361 campers, nearly all born in China. For kids that normally stand out in a crowd, it is fun to see pictures like this.

The parents stand in front, cameras in hand, playing Where's Waldo to find their child!

Rachel spent her time in the nursery. She was not at all pleased about this. She told everyone she met "I get 4 on my birthday." 4 is how old you have to be to join a real class at China Camp. She's looking forward to that.

Katherine did lots of things in class. She learned a lullaby in Chinese. She practiced kung fu. She made spring rolls. She practiced holding a calligraphy brush and tracing characters. She made a peddlar's drum. She learned a dance. But mostly, she hung out with other kids like her.

A few of the girls, like her buddy Sophie here, were in the orphanage with her when they were babies. Some of the kids have been in class with Katherine at China Camp year after year. Others are brand new friends. But they all have a lot in common and they are so much fun to watch together.

On the last afternoon of camp, the kids put on a program for all of the parents. Each class does something - sing, dance, drum, speak in Chinese, do kung fu, perform a dragon dance. The joy and pride of the kids is almost tangible. It is a beautiful thing to watch.

China Camp is an amazing three days. The memories of those days we keep in our hearts to sustain us in the rough times. We will go back every year, as long as we possibly can.

She's in the Black

2011-07-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day.

Today marks 21 months and 23 days since Rachel has been with us. That is as long as she was without us.

Today she has been Rachel longer than she has been Fu Shen.

Today she has had a sister for longer than without.

Today she has had a family for longer than she was an orphan. And, quite frankly, we can't imagine what our lives would be without her.

Today marks the point that "after" with be longer than "before". Today her life is "in the black".

And that is something to shout about.

Odds and Ends

2011-07-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Katherine went to day camp at Camp Horizon today. It was her first taste of church camp and she loved it! It was brutally hot, so I think they spent most of their time indoors. Kate said they'd made s'mores - Poppy was there volunteering and said he didn't think they needed a fire, they could have just laid the chocolate and marshmallows outside and they'd have melted/browned nicely.

Much to her disappointment, Rachel had to stay home with us all day. We watched a movie about bugs (her request) and went to the library, but everything is boring without a sister to fight with. Her Rainbow Bright look still makes me smile.

This afternoon, after naps and snacks and book time, things got a little silly. Maggie is intrigued by the electronic beep of my camera, so she was willing to pose for about 1.2 seconds.

Then we decided to see who is taller, Maggie or Rachel. Rae thought this was hilarious!

That led to some doggie dancing.

Okay, the heat is getting to us!

Celebrating the 4th

2011-07-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

My dad's family all got together this weekend at my aunt and uncle's house. We talked and laughed and ate some terrific food and watched the kids play. As always, we had a great time. There was a 4th of July theme for this gathering and at times, it was a bit silly. Like posing for family pictures wearing lovely wax lips.

There were 8 cousins between 3 and 10 years and they had so much fun playing together.

Uncle Gary and Aunt Sonja have a swimming pool, so we made good use of it. It was HOT and the water felt so good. Katherine learned to dive down to the bottom to fetch toys, to swim across the pool, and to jump in deep water from the side - all things she never would have dreamed of just a couple of months ago!

Rachel was her usual fish-like self. She jumped in off the side, swam everywhere with floaties on, spent as much time as possible underwater, and tried her best to dive. She's still waiting for her gills to grow so she can breathe underwater, too.

At some point, the kids discovered the musical instruments in the play room. When someone suggested a parade, they jumped on the idea. So we had a wonderful, loud, almost-4th of July parade through the backyard.

Granny brought red, white, and blue nail polish, so the girls did their nails - so festive!

The girls even had 4th of July dresses. Granny made Rachel's. Katherine made hers herself! Granny has been teaching her to sew and she loves it.

Happy 4th of July!

Good Eatin'

2011-06-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

Katherine and I were in the city this evening. We went to a little mom and pop El Salvadorean restaurant my sister introduced me to. It's a bare bones place, where the tables are sticky and the air conditioning only kind of works, and it's deep in the barrio. But, oh my, is the food ever delicious!

We had fried plantains, the best refried beans in the world, and pupusas, ground pork, cheese, and mild chilis sandwiched between thick homemade corn tortillas and grilled until brown and melty. Pure Central America comfort food. It was soooooo good....

Tennis Time

2011-06-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

We had an impromptu tennis match on the driveway this morning. Well, some tennis ball whacking, anyway. Steve pitched and the girls hit. Kate managed to connect with the ball a few times, but Rae just swung wildly. It was pretty fun!

My New Toy

2011-06-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

I made enough at my garage sale to buy a new camera. It's a lot smaller than my old one, but it can actually do more. I'm having fun just playing around with it, seeing what it can do. And so far, I'm impressed. Here's a mini photo shoot in the front yard this morning (eye-popping jungle dresses are Granny's design).