Breaking us in easy...

Funny thing...after we narrowed down our list of possible places to stay in DC, we discovered from Kristi and Ian that our hotel of choice was just minutes from our adoption agency, AWAA. We, of course, took advantage of that opportunity and stopped by for a quick visit.

THE conference room at America World...

We would have loved to meet our Family Coordinator, Amy, but she has moved on to another position. As it happens, we were unable to connect with any of the China coordinators...little did we know they were busy with the arrival of REFERRALS that day! Duni, the Africa Program Director, stepped up and served as tour guide through AWAA's cozy, pleasant, yet demure, little office space. Not a word of referrals was mentioned, but there was a noticeable preoccupation in the China coordinators room. I played the consumate tourist and made everybody pose for pictures...no apologies...it's all in the name of blogging, right?

Duni and the girls...

It was kind of nice to complete the mental picture...this is the place that received the all-consuming dossier that was our ticket to Caroline...this is where THE package was opened and blessings poured out in the form of 34 REFERRALS! This is where THE CALL was made, just a few minutes after 2 pm that blustery November afternoon, and our lives changed forever. I think it was worthy of a few photos, eh?

Next on the agenda was lunch at Wegman's, an eclectic gourmet grocery story with a fabulous buffet, with another of our Guangdong families! Kristin, along with her mom, Maria, and big sister, SuSu, met us for a quick visit after a morning at Vacation Bible School. We knew we'd see them at the reunion later in the week, but we couldn't turn down the chance for a little extra time with friends. We stuffed ourselves on everything from Italian to Chinese and had a relaxing lunch time chat while the little ones played. I had to laugh when we attempted a group picture of the little girls...Mickey just couldn't resist the temptation...what is it with my kids and rabbit ears???? Someday I'll have to revisit the infamous Christmas photo shoot of 2006...it wasn't pretty and there were way too many rabbits present.

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After lunch and a little gelato, we headed to the National Air and Space Museum Annex at Dulles Airport. And, yet again, my stellar organizational parenting skills were demonstrated when we pulled into the parking lot and I realized we had left the stroller back at the hotel. WHERE IS MY BRAIN??? Oh, and Caroline passed out about 30 seconds before that. Soooooo...Kylie graciously shared her stroller and saved my back. Caroline power-napped and a while later, Kristi and I were chasing two cute little Chinese girls who were squealing their way through the museum! Ian and Jon were in hog heaven, and we spent more time looking for them than chasing any of the kids! Mickey had a pretty grand time, as well.

We did have a run-in with one of the security guards at the end of the day. Mr. Congeniality was actually the one who inspected our bags at the beginning of the day and specifically told me NOT to get my sunblock out of my bag while I was in the building. Yeah, 'cause I was planning to slime it on all the planes. And, later on, there he was in all his glory, blocking our way in our attempt to meet up with our husbands about ten minutes before closing. And wouldn't you know it...he was the one who nearly had an aneurysm when poor Abby accidentally knocked over a queue line pole in the entry way. He was so rude that I facetiously replied, "Maybe we should just wait outside!" He agreed a little too enthusiastically. Stand back, buddy, or I'll pull out my sunscreen.

Believe it or not, the best group shot...

Bad lighting, TIRED kids...

For a little hilarity, check out the bloopers on the slide show...

And my most favorite part of the day? A little front seat scuffle between two sisters. Of the China variety. The girls had gotten along famously all day and had even cuddled up in Kylie's stroller for a good 30 minutes, smiling and laughing all the while. And while we were chatting up a plan for the next day's sightseeing, the girls decided it was time to start acting more like the sisters they are. You gotta love Kylie's indifference in the face of Caroline's indignance. I cannot tell you how hard I laughed when I saw the video. Just in case you haven't seen it, here it is one more time...pictures of the rest of the day are below that.

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And just a few shots of the museum's attractions...

The Breakfast Club...

Our months-in-the-making Guangdong Girls Reunion trip kicked off bright and early Sunday morning, the 6th of July. We headed out around 7 am, already more than 30 minutes behind schedule, thanks to my son....who couldn't find ONE of his good tennis shoes. Seriously, our ENTIRE family spent at least half an hour searching for the shoe...we finally gave up and threw his old, yucky shoes in the car. Thankfully, we made good time from Indy to Dayton, and pulled into the Cracker Barrel for our rendezvous breakfast with the Millers, one of our Guangdong families.

Back in the planning stages of this trip, we discovered that the Millers would be heading to Dayton from North Carolina for a 4th of July family celebration prior to attending the reunion. A few emails later, Kristi and I had cooked up our plan to vacation in Washington, DC, on our way to the reunion. The plan was to meet up in Dayton and head east together. Just a few days before we left, Kristi discovered that another one of our China travel group families would also be in Dayton. Now this might just sound like a lovely little coincidence, but it was actually a really sweet God-sized coincidence. The Wheelis family happens to be the family that we spent time with in Hong Kong at the end of our trip to China. They were in our travel group of 42 families, but they adopted their daughter Jadyn from another province. We made fast friends and spent a fast two days having a blast exploring a new city together! They also happen to live in ALBANIA! It just so HAPPENS that they were home on furlough from their missionary assignment and were also visiting family in the Dayton area! We just couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit, so we made arrangements to meet for breakfast!

Just as with any true friendships, within minutes, it seemed as if no time had passed. We compared notes on the girls, reminesced about our adoption experience, laughed about our adventures in China, and watched as our girls sized each other up. Caroline and Kylie seemed comfortable with each other fairly quickly...they've seen each other a couple of times since China...and after a few minutes, Jadyn opened up to show us the little character she's become! The big kids melted into a group at the other end of the table, and before you know it, Mickey was teaching the Wheelis boys all about blowing spitwads through straws. Oh, yes, I am SO proud. We thoroughly enjoyed our fellowship over breakfast and then headed out for some serious photo shooting.

Does this fall into the category of spiritual gifts?

Here's where it gets funny. If you know anything at all about our adoption story and our youngest daughter, you would put serious odds on the chance that she would be the one to act up. HEE! My sassy little spitfire was ever so cooperative for the pictures, and Kylie and Jadyn gave their mamas a little run for their money! They were funny and wiggly and TWO. It was hilarious. We got some great ones, especially when Jenny pulled out the big guns and gave the girls push pops. Now, why didn't I think of that? I applaud bribery in almost any parenting situation.

Oh, they are REALLY into this photo shoot, eh?

Sweet, funny girls!

"Helloooooo...the camera's over here, girls!"

Gotta love the reflection of the "Parent Paparazzi"...

Caroline


Kylie


Jadyn

Sizing each other up...

It was tough to say goodbye...it was such a short visit...and I know it will be a while before we get to visit with the Wheelis family again. They are such a neat family, and I am in awe of their willingness to serve their God in such a selfless way. I am so thankful, though, for the chance to see them and properly say goodbye this time...we never got the chance in Hong Kong, after Jon got so sick.

Check out Jenny's blog, Grace for Today,

and Robert's blog, Journey to Albania...

Jenny with the girls...July, 2008

Jenny with the girls...Hong Kong...February, 2007

Caroline in Hong Kong...February, 2007

Jadyn in Hong Kong...February, 2007
How is it that our girls grew so much in just over a year??

Then it was time to hit the road for Washington, DC. We had some time to make up, so we tried to stay focused on driving. Between potty breaks, fill-ups, driver switching, traffic jams and a picnic lunch, we managed to make an obscene amount of stops and pretty much lost all focus...but we had a great time being together! At one point, Kristi and I were taking our turns at driving, and we had been weaving through the mountains of West Virginia for some time. My apologies to any West Virginians...but GOOD. GRIEF. I've never seen so many trees and hills in my life. I started to lose my mind. It was almost as monotonous as Kansas. I know, lots of states have trees and hills, but it all just started to look the same after a while. So as I'm getting into that zone of trying to convince myself that I am not sleepy, despite the snores from the back seat, I notice some movement up ahead on the right side of the road. As the object came into focus, we realized it was a HUGE black bear! In the span of what couldn't have been more than five or ten seconds, we watched in seemingly slow motion as it jumped the guard rail, barreled onto the highway and headed straight for the Millers' car! We didn't even have time to speak as we watched Kristi slam on the brakes to avoid a collision. I know she didn't miss that bear by more than a few inches! And on he went, blazing a path across the median and the other side of the highway. He must have crossed at least six lanes, and, thank the LORD, he made it without a scratch and disappeared into the woods on the other side. And comes the age-old question, with a twist..."WHY DID THE BEAR CROSS THE ROAD?!"

Okay, Kristi...it's a LITTLE funny...right?

We were all awake now! The ones in my car that were asleep awoke to..."LOOK, IT'S A BEA...WHOA, IT'S HEADED FOR...YIKES...I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE MISSED...OH, THERE IT GOES ACROSS THE...I HOPE IT DOESN'T GET...AND THERE IT GOES!" Not one complete sentence, and yet ever so descriptive of the scene of the crime. Wouldn't you know it, my phone was on ROAMING, so I couldn't call and check on Kristi. I sped up, and we exchanged looks that really needed no words. And a few miles later, we crossed into Maryland and beheld this sign.

Yeah, thanks for the warning, West Virginia!

Click here for Kristi's account of our day...

"Get back in the car????"

We rolled into the outskirts of Washington, DC, around 9:00 or so. We stopped for a quick dinner and then parted ways for the night. Ian's dad lives right outside DC, so they stayed with him while we crashed at the Embassy Suites. I have to say, I love the sideshow we must create when arriving at a hotel with all our kids, especially after a road trip. Things that were neatly packed in tote bags and organized in coolers have managed to fling themselves all over the van in the course of the day. And my troupe of road warriors happily drag blankets, pillows and the like through the lobby while I hope and pray they at least have both shoes on.

I think I've seen this look before...

Tons of outtakes in the slide show below...

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Wasn't that just yesterday?

Even though the holiday has rolled past again, it seems like we were just celebrating Caroline's first 4th of July as an American citizen. It was such a sweet celebration. As I was blogging this year's events, I realized I never got around to blogging LAST year's 4th of July...so here are some highlights and lots of photos...

Click on the slide show to view photos individually.

Not only was this Caroline's first 4th of July celebration, it was the first parade our kids have been in! Mindy marched for the first time with the Spirit of Central Marching Band, and Abby was chosen to carry one of the banners for the band. Several of our friends and family joined us to cheer on the kids...okay, well, embarrass the kids. We ended up having quite a wait, as the parade time was misprinted in the paper and, therefore, delayed. The weather last year was quite the opposite of this year's...it was beautiful! Our dear friends, the Harrises, were prepared and pulled out some kid-friendly fireworks to entertain the troops. That and Caroline's new hippo bubble blower, and it was practically Disney Land. There's never a dull moment with Andre...he does have a day job but is a very entertaining magician on the side! My kids love his magic tricks! They also love his goofy side, and the kids got a kick out of his efforts to stop the parade so that they could grab some parade candy!

By the time the parade started, Caroline was already tired and ready for her morning nap. After a little cuddle time with her Mama (I sadly can't remember when she stopped calling me Mama and switched to Mommy), she was fine and took in the parade with wide eyes.The only thing she really didn't like was the siren brigade at the end of the parade. She is fairly fearless of anything but sirens and train whistles. When the firetrucks and police cars went by, she was not amused and clung to Abby...who also doesn't like loud noises and doled out lots of sympathy.

We had a cookout and a birthday celebration for my nephew after the parade. The weather was actually fairly pleasant most of the afternoon. Caroline was so funny to watch. She decided she wanted to go up the slide, and she had a little help from Daddy the first time or two. Then she insisted on doing it by herself, and she methodically clambered up and slid back down until she finally made it to the top. I love the picture of her sitting at the top! She has such a look of accomplishment. It's one of my favorite photos.

Unfortunately, the weather did not hold out, and we left for fireworks as rain settled in for the evening. The company of friends and family made it fun, even with the rain...although we got some really funny looks from our little one...pretty sure she thought we were nuts.

It was such a special day...I couldn't help but think of the new meaning this holiday has for us. I am grateful for those who came before our generation...who made it possible for this great country to be what it is. I am thankful for those who stand on the line to protect our freedom. It is no cliche...I am proud to be an American and happy to be able to share that great blessing with our daughter.