Our Little Hair Dresser

Featuring Holly!!

Featuring Elly!!

Featuring Mollie!!

Featuring Emma!!

Roasting Marshmallows

It's A Cupcake Walk!

Cool Clowns and Face Painting

Splish Splash

Just Swingin'

Mollie Has A New Look!

It's A Photo Shoot!

Playing Hard

Such Beauties!!

Round-n-Round We Go

Our Laundry Helper

The other day when Shawna was doing some laundry, Emma decided she'd like to help out.  It wasn't long, though, when helping with the laundry turned into dress up time as she puts on (with a little help from Shawna) one of dad's t-shirts.  What a beautiful dress it makes, right Emma?!

Hey, this is pretty fun Emma thinks!  We've learned never to leave neatly folded laundry unattended, for any length of time, within Emma's reach as she assumes it's play clothes!

Okay, I'm done now!  A little help please!!  It won't let go!!

Noodles!! Our Favorite!

Suncatchers Fun

What's a girl to do on a too hot to go outside or rainy weekend afternoon?!  Paint suncatchers of course!!

Holly's working hard and paying close attention to detail so her suncatcher looks great.

Elly thinks painting is great fun!  Lookin' good Elly!

Elizabeth, or "Lizzie" as she likes to be called, thinks this is a pretty cool project!

Wow Elly, what a beautiful butterfly!!

And Lizzie also painted a butterfly.  Can't wait to see these up in the windows!

Holly, that's a beautifully colored bird!

Just Kickin' It Around

All the girls enjoy a game of Chinese hacky.  Elly decided she'd like to join in this time.  She was pretty good.

She gets lots of help from her older foster sisters. Shawna and Elise love helping out the girls.  Emma wonders when it's her turn :)  She likes to play too and is actually able to kick it pretty good.

Emma gets a closer look as Elly gives it her best shot!  Way to go Elly!!

Videos Of Our/Your Babes

These videos were taken just a few days before Hannah left.  Oh, we miss her soooo!  And will for a loooong time!

Notice Mollie obtained a complete stranger's keys! No, she didn't take them, he handed them right over--because she asked!  That cute face of hers pretty much gets her what ever she asks for--at least out in public.  Not only did she get the keys, but she also got the riding toy too!!  Better watch out mom and dad--Molly knows what she wants and seems to have the knack to get it!!

Elise is practicing her iceskating rollerblading skills.  Notice Mollie doesn't give up easily.  She didn't want to give back the riding toy and keys and had to be carried back.  

A Bad Hair Day!

"Why you hiding your face Elizabeth?!"  Shawna asks as she's snapping away with the camera and all giggly :)

"Ohhhh, I see!  You got the comb stuck in your hair!"  Elizabeth doesn't look very happy does she?!  It doesn't help when your sister insists on taking pictures at your expense does it?!  Don't worry Elizabeth, the reason she can laugh is cause her and Elise has already experienced this, well..Elise anyway, but Shawna clearly remembers it!!  Sometimes sisters can be annoying can't they?!  But most of the time, they love and will fiercely protect you.  Not easy to remember that right now though, right Elizabeth?!

Mom tries for quite some time, as dad watches, to remove the comb from her hair without cutting any of her beautiful locks!

However, after quite a bit of time, the comb seems forever stuck in her hair!  We decide instead of cutting her hair, just cut the comb out piece by piece.  Horray!!  After cutting it into multiple bits without cutting a single hair, it is out!!  I think that is a lesson well learned, right Elizabeth?!! Hopefully for everyone in the house too!!

I'll bet some of you have the same or similar experiences with your kiddos, huh?!

A Little Outdoor Fun

Holly is learning to ride a bike without training wheels.  Shawna is helping her out today.  While she can clearly do it on her own, she lacks the confidence.  As soon as she lets go, she's done riding :)  Soon she'll be able to ride, just need to boost her confidence a bit and she'll take off and be riding everywhere!

Really Elise, a bike and roller blades?!  That's a new one!

Hey Elly, is doing bubbles while driving even legal?!

Mollie is one determined little girl!  She's through with the little trike, give that girl a BIG bike!

Elizabeth loves to ride her bike!

Mollie clearly loves heights.  She loves to spin, hang upside down, etc. I think she might be a roller coaster girl!!

Who needs toys?!  Just leave Elly's walker ungarded for a second and it turns into a cool toy!  Right Mollie and Emma?!  First, Mollie pushes Emma.

Then Emma reciprocates. It's great fun!!

Ever see such a looooooooooong truck before?!  I hadn't seen one this long EVER that wasn't somehow connected in the middle with the ability to flex and turn.  Not this one! It's solid from front to end! Imagine turning that thing around!  Or even just turning from one street to the next!  Only in China!!

Mollie wonders what all the to do is about!

Emma loves to hop on the back and let Elly give her a stroll around the square. Elly always gets tickled about it but never seems to mind giving her a ride!

Grandpa, isn't it supposed to be the other way around?!  I think you're confused perhaps.  You are supposed to push the little boy!

No, we don't know these people but couldn't pass up the picture.  I thought it was so cute and quite unique.

A Dream Come True

One of the biggest things we hope for all our girls is that they find their very own forever families.  In the meantime, we do all we can to help them medically, physically, emotionally, academically, socially--and in every other area--prepare for their forever families.

Hannah has been with us now 2 1/2 years and that makes it especially hard to say goodbye.  It is always a very bittersweet time as it is the very thing we've wanted for them since the day they came to our home.  But it is also difficult letting go when you've taken them into your home and loved them like one of your own children.  Like I said, very bittersweet :)(.

We've been celebrating (and continuing to prepare her) Hannah's soon departure the past few days. On Saturday we fixed her favorite foods, jiaozi (dumplings) and baozi (steamed buns stuffed with meat and veggies).  Then on Sunday we went to a restaurant and she got to pick some of her favorite foods.  One of them being fish.  Did we mention that she LOVES fish and seafood?!

As is the custom here, the honored guest--Hannah in this case--is given the head of the fish!  That's right mom and dad, your girl actually ate the fish head--AND LIKED IT!!

Another of Hannah's absolute favorites is the spicy snacks here.  She LOVES the spicy straw mushrooms and spicy tofu!  Randy and I wanted to send her off with a few of her favorite snacks, but then all her foster sisters--knowing how much she loves them--decided to buy some out of their own allowances and send her with some more!  NOW she has lots of them. We decided she could enjoy a few before she left :)

Another tradition in the Forever Home is to send the girls off with a beautiful cake of their choice.  Hannah chose an ice-cream cake. (yes it says "happy birthday" but sometimes you just have to take what you can get--they don't always get your order right here. Sometimes it isn't even the same flavor of ice-cream you asked for!)

Hannah loves her ice-cream!

Holly didn't mind celebrating with some ice-cream cake, but has kept saying continually that she doesn't want Hannah to go.  I know we tell her, but she's got a wonderful family waiting for her and she's gonna be soo happy in America!

Elly, who is also anxiously awaiting her turn to go to America, celebrates Hannah's departure.

Emma just loves ice-cream!!

 Mollie, are you frowning cause Hannah is leaving?!  Na, she just wants more ice-cream too!

Several of the girls colored Hannah some nice pictures to take with her on her trip. How sweet girls!

Last minute hugs from all of us who love you sooo much!  

Can't forget a hug from Elly too!

One last picture with foster mom and dad before she goes.

Anxiously awaiting her ride to the train station.  We can't wait to hear how you're doing in America and hopefully see some pictures from time to time of how fast you are growing up!!  We have no doubt you'll do wonderful in your new family and both of you will be a blessing to one another!!  Farewell Baby!!!

A Visiting We Go!!

It's the Forever Home girls on the move again--gone visiting!  We were invited to dinner at a friends house and the girls were excited to go.  A little rain surely didn't keep us away!

Now Elly, how'd you end up with the biggest umbrella of all?!  Why, we wouldn't want our walker to get wet either I guess?!