Journey To Kate

Chinese New Year

2010-04-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

Chinese New Year brought an invitation from friends, who also have 2 daughters from China, and the FCC catered CNY event. Both were very fun, and had Kate sporting 2 different outfits. The red one, I'm pretty sure is too short (but the next size up was very...roomy!)

I love this picture of Kate. I think she looks so beautiful!

Silly Poses!

2010-03-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

Kate with her silly poses. I think she is so pretty that every picture or different expression is fun for me to see.

Bye-bye!

Katie Pootie Pie

2010-03-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know how she got the nickname Katie-pootie-pie, but I often sing to her,"Katie Pootie Pie, you are my little cutie pie...Katie Pootie Pie, you are so cute!"
One time, Aunt Shannon joined in singing it with me and Kate was in awe and just smiling! It was pretty cute.

These are pictures of Kate after I picked her up from preschool. I didn't think about the rain the previous week when I dressed her in a cream dress and tights, and Kate does not let her apparel slow her down on the playground! From the looks of it, she had a good time!!

Kate is using her new baby carrier! It's exactly like the one I carried her around China in, but made for a doll! Her small baby is the one she got for Christmas.

What Did Santa Bring You?

2010-03-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

On Christmas morning, after we open our presents, we all bring food to Aunt Shannon's house for a big brunch/lunch. There's a lot of people...aunts, uncles, cousins, and my Grandma and Grandpa. Everyone eats (and eats and eats!) and we open presents for each other and laugh and talk together.

After we're there for a couple hours, we head down to the park a couple blocks away, and everyone plays soccer. My Dad and Uncle Sebastian are usually leading the pack. There are a lot of boys in our family, big ones and little ones!
We head back to the house, and someone inevitably turns on the 24 hour marathon of A Christmas Story and we watch it together plopped on the couch or on the carpet. It's a good day. :)

Murphy gets a new bone every Christmas. He sometimes doesn't even chew it, but will go and bury it, making sure that no one is watching him.

Ryan, and the other little boys, all got a new transformer from Grandma.

Cousin Brian trying to open her toy.

Cousin Evan trying to open the same toy!

Aunt Shannon finally got it open!!

Tinkerbells fairy friend from Grandma. (yay!)

Yay! It's almost Christmas!!

2010-03-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

I know I'm behind on the blog, but I've got lots of cute pictures to put up!

A giggling Ryan and Kate rockin' around the Christmas tree!
(Just ignore the Christmas boxes and stack of clean laundry that are not put up yet! :)
I'm not anticipating either of them performing on Dancing With The Stars anytime soon! :)

Kate's Christmas performance.

The funniest thing about preschool performances is how many things go wrong...kids yawning, laughing (or crying), falling down. Sometimes I'm laughing so hard I can hardly hold the camera straight.

I think this was the last song (aside from We Wish You A Merry Christmas) and a few of the boys got a little...overzealous! A couple of the quieter kids had their fingers in their ears! The little girl in red and black is Kate's best friend. She is actually a Korean adoptee!

After the singing was a Christmas party for Kate's class. She was the official napkin-passer-outer.

The mom who owns a bakery made all the kids a cookie with their name on it. Very sweet!

Night Mommy

2010-02-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

A couple days after Kate's comments about China, Kate woke up with a bloody nose, then came in my room.(She gets bloody noses a lot when it's dry out.) I decided to migrate downstairs because someone (who shall remain nameless) was snoring. Kate of course followed suit.

She was wrapped up in a cozy blanket at one end of the couch, and I was on the other.
"Oooohh Mommy. I like this...I'm all snug-uly, bug-uly!
I love you Mommy...and Daddy.
You make my heart happy."

"You make my heart happy too, Sweetie."

It's 4:00 in the morning and I'm sooo sleepy.
Just as I'm drifting off, I hear a whispered,
"I'm glad God picked me out for you."

"Me too. I'm glad God picked you out for me too.
Night little girl."
"Night Mommy."

I Want To Go Back To China.....(I'm sorry, what?)

2010-02-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

So after church, we went to Souplantation. Kate is very nicely eating her macaroni-and-cheese, and in between bites says, "I wanna go back to China."

She has said this to me before, once or twice, very calmly and matter-of-factly.
Instead of listening to her words, I try to "hear" what she's feeling.

"What do you think you would do there, Kate?" I ask.
"I would go in my crib and play with my Chinese friends."

"Well, you actually have a lot of Chinese friends here." (There is also a new FCC activity/play group for Kindergarten and pre-K kids starting up in a few weeks that we'll be taking Kate to.)

As she puts another big bite in her mouth, I have to listen closely as she says "I'm starving for Chinese food and for
ChineseLand. I want to go back to China."

Ryan pipes up cheerfully with "You'll never go back to China, Kate." and nicely pats her leg reassuringly. Kevin quickly adds, "Well, we can go back to visit." Colton says "Won't you miss us Kate?" and (Kevin leans in and whispers "She's only 4, and you're confusing two separate issues. It's not a matter of being right or wrong, it's just a matter of being supportive of what she says and how she feels.")

"It's sad my Chinese parents live in ChineseLand. I miss them, Mama. I want to go to China and see my Chinese parents. I just miss them."

"I know, baby."
And then it was over. She went back to eating her lunch, and on to another topic,...I think it was 'can we get ice cream'.

So we have officially begun the emotional journey Kate will be on to understand her life, her heritage, and how she came to be living in San Diego with a house full of brothers.
Before when she had brought it up, I asked her who would take care of her, and she said 'the Chinese ladies at the orphange'. (Good answer). I tried to explain to her that most, if not all of her "friends" have probably been adopted and are now living in America. I pointed out that her brothers and Mommy & Daddy, Murphy, the cats, her preschool, her new ballet/gymnastics class are all here in San Diego.

How do you explain to a 4 year old that while your "life", and family who love you are here, your biological family and heritage is in another country, across the sea. Somehow, I think she already knows. It's confusing to her, but she knows something isn't the way it was supposed to be. She looks at me and smooths the hair away from my face, the way I always do to her, and smiles at me.

I'm glad she talks to me about her feelings of China and her biological parents. I don't ever want her to feel this is a "taboo" subject. I try to help her understand, without giving her an overload of information. (Like when she asked me if she came out of my tummy, and I said, no, you came out of your Chinese mommy's tummy. I don't want her to feel like she just fell out of the sky one day.)
I just began reading "Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child", and one of the points they make early on is that "a child is never "too young" to remember losing a primary caregiver who represented the world and safety when he was an infant, baby or toddler."
How was that for timing!

ps. Two days ago, Kate told Kevin and I, "When I get old and grow up, I'm going to have a Chinese baby....just like you!" What a great kid!

Thanksgiving Day

2009-11-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

A great day was spent with family at Aunt Shannon's house. Behind Kate is the "grown-up" table. The kids and grown-up "kids" sat at another table. The little ones were so busy playing with their cousins, it was hard to get them to sit down long enough to eat!

Thanksgiving at Kate's school

2009-11-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

Hey Kate, you look so cute, let me take a picture of you outside. And then the sillies start.

I have about 5 or 6 pictures of her being a goober, before I got one of her just standing still and smiling!

Kate at her Thanksgiving "feast". It doesn't change much from year to year...chicken dinosaurs, a small muffin, fruit and apple juice. But everyone is in a festive mood and happy.

One of the moms has a bakery business and makes the kids cookies. Kate is holding up her turkey cookie that she already bit the head off of! :)

Kate (4 1/2) and Mommy.

Now we need some playground time to burn off the sugar and the wiggles!

I love this picture...her face reminds me of her as a baby/toddler, and I love the look of excitement.

The playground is covered with big shady trees, and is a very pleasant place to be.

Hi Mommy!

After we sign her out, Kate often asks to go walk on the bridge, that goes out over the stream. I said 'yes'.

We used to bring Murphy, but a while back Murphy tinkled on some kids shoes (while he was wearing them) through the fence, so now he waits in the car, much to his dismay.

I love you sweetheart.
I'm Thankful for you!

An Autumn Cutie

2009-11-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

It will be a sad day when she outgrows Gymboree clothes!
Somehow Kate inherited my long, lanky build!
Actually, I'd give anything to see how her Chinese parents were built, and how tall they were. We hear constantly how tall she is for her age. Since our boys hear the same thing (McLaughlins tend to be big, tall guys), she sees this as a good thing. I still wonder, will she grow until she's 14 or so and then just stop, or will she end up being 5'10". I'm curious to see!!

Monkey see, monkey do.
(Mommy was sewing a lot in November and December!)
Out little sweet pea outside the playground at school. Her smile makes me happy. And she smiles a lot.

This Is Miss Kate, Can I Help You?

2009-11-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

Hello, can I help you? Yes, I work here. Uh-huh, uh-huh. Okay. Yes, that's fine. Okay, bye-bye.

Hi Daddy. Yes, I'm busy working. I on the phone. I work here. Okay, see you later. Love you more. Bye.

Yes, I see your problem. Maybe you need lunch, or a nap. Are you hungry? Okay what do you want? What else? We don't have tacos. And what do you want to drink? Okay. Comin' right up. Thank you.

I'm busy, Mommy.

(Do you want lunch, Kate?)

whispering - Yes. I want yougurt, too.
(into phone) Okay, I have to go now, bye-bye.

Halloween

2009-10-31T10:58:00.000-07:00

Well, here they are in all their glory...Mr. Incredible (without the mask), and Minnie Mouse!

Kate trying to help with the scooping part of jackolantern carving. She draws a face and does some of the scooping, and some of the cleanup, but not the carving.

Mom and Colton in the backyard.

Ryan showing off his pumpkin face. We actually had to make it bigger, you couldn't see any light coming through his little eyes and mouth!

Autumn

2009-10-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

It's that time again...pumpkin time. It was so close to Halloween, that we snuck and took the guys out of school to join me and Kate at the pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful day.

Ryan, Kate and Colton with their chosen booty.

Ryan inevitably confiscates my sunglasses whenever we come here, it's so bright!

Ryan and Kate both asked (actually, begged) to right the ponies, so here we are. :)

Two years ago when we came here, Kate was very afraid of the ponies. Not now!!
Kate and Ryan checking out small farm animals.

Kate-4 1/2, Ryan-6 and Colton-11 on a pretty day.

Ryan thought he looked very cool as the fat farmer!

Carousel and the Zoo

2009-10-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

There's a carousel in front of the San Diego Zoo that my mom used to take us on. My kids love it as well. So when we went to the zoo, Ryan and Kate asked, "Can we go on the Merry Go Round?! Please, please please?"

They're so sweet holding hands...

Mom and the little guys. Ryan -6 and Kate 4 1/2.

The gorilla looks kind of annoyed. : )

Ryan, Kate and Dad.

FCC Picnic

2009-10-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

In early autumn, the local FCC has their Mid Autumn Moon Festival at a local park. Everyone brings their own dinner or small barbeque, or if you're having a hectic day, your own pizza! It's very low key, and lots of fun.

This year we finally got a group photo. Yay!! Kate is in the orange in the middle in front.

Kate and her friend Mae, who lives down the street.

The oldest girls you usually see are about 12 years old. There used to be lots of babies, but what with the adoptions being so much more difficult, and the wait being 3-5 yrs.!, you don't see many babies. I hope that changes. Recently, many people hoping to adopt from China have looked to other countries, due to the difficulties. You can see all their cute faces if you double click on the picture (then just hit the 'back' arrow). I don't know how I used to think Asian people all looked alike. They're so different!

A bunch of sweet little girls, waiting to have their picture taken .

It's a nice enclosed park, where people can "catch up" with the other parents, and the kids can play on the playground.

Moon cakes donated for tasting. They're very expensive. I usually try a quarter piece of one, can't bring myself to finish it, and give it to Kevin.

Kate with her new Halloween shirt, 'Welcome to My Website'.

Mooncakes come in all different flavors.

Colton is a little girl magnet.
I don't know what it is, but they head straight for him and he will play with them or carry them around, like a big brother.

Kate always has such love in her eyes for Colton.

Dad and Kate in the lantern 'parade'.
When the sun sets, everyone gets out their lanterns, store bought, or homemade, and walks around the sidewalk loop, that goes around the park. It looks pretty.

Colton and some very cute little girl he "found". :)
Her parents kept telling her not to bother Colton, or make him carry her, but she and Colton remained buddies throughout the evening, with Colton carrying her through the whole "parade".

Brendan, Ryan, Dad and Kate, all being silly for the camera.

I love this picture of Kevin and Colton, with Kate tucked in between them.

Someone had brought their telescope and let the kids look at the full moon. Kate and Ryan were trying very hard to look, without bumping it at all. If you move it even a tiny bit, you can't see the moon any more. (This was unfortunately learned through experience.)

A Trip to the Birch Aquarium @ Scripps

2009-09-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

Brendan had been asking to go to the Birch Aquarium at Scripps. It's about 20 minutes from our house.

4 year old Kate loves places like this. Actually, she loves any new adventure.

Kate and Dad

Brendan is the man behind the camera. :)
(Colton was at a friend's house and wasn't with us).

After you walk through the huge aquariums, you can walk outside to the tidepools, and the view looks over Scripps Institute of Oceanography and La Jolla Shores.

To the left is La Jolla Shores; this is where we usually go in the summer. It's a nice, clean beach, and the currents don't tend to be as strong as at other beaches.

Kate and Ryan feeling a Sea Cucumber with a Birch employee. They don't really do anything, except feel wet and squishy.
The Sea Cucumber, not the employee! LOL! :)
Kate showing off her little muscular legs, trying to look through the binoculars!

Ryan found another Sea Cucumber and a star fish.
I'm pretty sure Kate is wiping her wet hand on the rock!

What did you say? Somethings behind me?
The hands-on part of the aquarium, teaching about water currents.

Kate and Brendan in the shark's mouth.

So, yes?, we can go to McDonald's or Souplantation when we leave?
I'm hungry.
And I'm thirsty!

Rock On Kate!

2009-09-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

Colton had been in the garage,digging through the box of Halloween costumes, and couldn't resist pulling out the 'rocker' wig.

After trying it on Murphy, (which he did not appreciate, and kept trying to roll over to get it off), he put it on Kate, and we could not help laughing.

She is signing 'I love you', popsicle in hand.

SPLASH!

2009-08-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

Wanna see what I can do?

First you climb up on the side of the pool.

Stand up and get your balance...

Ready?

and... JUMP!

Weeeee!

Woo-Hoo!

Who says you can't have fun in a blow up pool? :)

Mommy says I'm a natural athlete, and that I'm head-to-toe muscle. She says it's 'cause I never stop moving or dancing.

First Day of School

2009-08-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

It's the first day of school, and Kate's in the big kid class for the 4 yr. olds.

It was really warm out, so first order of the day...dress cool and pretty.

I'm excited!!

Hurry up Mama! You're takin' too long!

Okay, one more picture, then let's go!!
Cheese!

This is where we hop.

This looks like a fun table.
Kate's new teachers...Both of these women were just made to be preschool teachers. They're wonderful! The one on the right was Ryan's preschool teacher.

In the background, you can see Kate's new best friend. Her name is Katelyn, and she is a Korean adoptee! Her adoptive parents are also Korean.

At the end of the morning when I pick up Kate, she shows me her picture. (I didn't know she could draw that well!)

I think this picture is so funny. Reminds me of Mr Potato Head and makes me smile when I look at it. Kids are so funny.

A hot, tired and sweaty little girl plops down in the chair at school.

It was a good first day!

A Summer Cutie

2009-08-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

As soon as the bow went in her hair, I said, "Oh, we gotta take a picture...you look really cute!"

This picture went on her 'About Me' poster for school, under the heading, 'This Is What I Look Like'.

Kate and Ryan watching a cartoon movie on Netflix on the computer.

A Chance Meeting

2009-08-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Kate's Aunt Shannon and I took the little ones to the Visitor's Center shop, and did a bit of shopping before we left Mammoth, and as we walk out with packages, who is out in front but Kevin and the boys on their bikes.
Oh, uh, hi! Hello.
Shopping again?
Nooooo! Not us. Why would you even think that?

Kate with her new black kitty (she wasn't goin' for the bear I tried to get her), posing with Smokey.

(L-R)Our friend's son Nate, cousins Brian and Evan, Brendan & Bryson.

The guys biked down the mountain...you start at the ski lodge and ride down, then a tram takes you back up and you can do it again. They said it was really fun.

Brendan, Kate, and of course Black Kitty and Smokey the Bear.

Aunt Shannon & Theodore (trying to hold his new bird with his neck), Ryan, Kate, Mom & Brendan.

Colton and cousin Charlton spending a few minutes in front of the Visitor's Center.

Colton & Brendan

Kate holding onto Daddy's hand, smiling up at him.

Ryan conked out in Mom & Dad's bed.

I stuck this picture in just so you can see what it's like to take a picture of Kate! Ryan and cousin Everett are already being silly, and Kate just can't stand it and starts dancing...which she does A LOT!

Is That A Bear...AGAIN?

2009-08-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

The McLaughlins must be a wildlife magnet!
Remember last year's Mutual of Omaha's Wildlife Kingdom adventure in Mammoth? There were huge deer on the golf course, a black bear (that was actually brown) while the guys were fishing, and to top it off, a pack of wolves or coyotes howling on the front porch in the middle of the night.

Well, this year, we all go on hike after hike up in the mountains, by lakes and rivers...and....no bears. (Which was, just fine with me!)

Then, it's about 8pm and Brendan and I walk out of the condo to get a load of laundry out of the dryer. Kevin is about 30 seconds ahead of us. The one gate closest to the pool and laundry room was locked, so you had to walk through the small parking lot, and come in the other gate. Right as we get to the parking lot, about 2 car lengths in front of us, a big fat dog goes trotting by. It's dark, and I'm squinting...what the heck? Is that an afghan hound? That is the fattest......"IT'S A BEAR!" Brendan excitedly says. I'm sure it's not a bear, I answer, it's just a really big,...fat...dog. Just then, Kevin comes over to us inside the gate, and says, be careful, there's a bear in the parking lot. Yeah! Got it!
After a few jokes with Kevin about him being more attractive to the bear than me or Brendan, we headed back to the condo. Kevin stayed inside the gate with his friend Dave and chatted, giving the bear time to move on, before coming back in.

A local told me the ranger station knows the names and locations of all the local bears. He also said 5 home break-ins a year is a lot. This year, they have had 40, 23 by the same bear! I guess they stand up, push on the front door a few times until it opens, then they walk into the kitchen...instant food. No berry picking or fishing. The bears will often have a regular route worked out...like a milkman in reverse, and they aren't wise enough to vary their route so as not to get caught. So I asked if the bear would come back to the condo parking lot looking for food. He said probably, yes. Sure enough, Bryson drove up in his car the next night with his cousins, and he said it was just as I had described...a really furry, big, fat dog trotting through the next complex parking lot, then climbed over a rock and through the bushes to our condo parking lot. Ah, yes, life in Mammoth.

Visiting A Ghost Town

2009-08-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

The last time we were at Mammoth, the one thing I wished we had seen (but didn't) was Bodie, the ghost town. So this time we made the trek. Oh, my gosh! This is one of those places that the more you learn about it, the more interesting it gets! Located northeast of Mammoth, Bodie is out in the middle of NOWHERE, and used to be a gold mining settlement.

Bodie's glory years were 1877-82, when it had a population of 10,000! and a bawdy downtown crowded with saloons, stores and brothels.

In 1869, a miner named Waterman S. Bodie found gold there, 2 years later opened a mine with 20 miners, and less than 10 years later, there were 10,000 people living there!
Bodie, himself, unfortunately had died in a blizzard after building the mine, so he never saw how the town grew.

There were over 2000 buildings, Main Street was a mile long, there were 2 newspapers, 3 volunteer fire departments and 65 saloons!! There was also quite a few "houses of ill-repute". Bodie even had it's own Chinatown, having a large Chinese population.

The town produced $34 million worth of gold! The combination of money, gold and alcohol though, was often a fatal one and it was said that a man was killed everyday in Bodie.

Today, it is a state historic park so authentic that rusty mining gear and buckboard wagon parts are left scattered in the streets. It's as if the people of the town just all left one day. You can peer in the windows of the schoolhouse and see dusty primers sitting on desks, a pen in an inkwell and a teacher's final instructions written on a blackboard, as if the children had merely stepped out for recess.

The rangers and crews who work there mend roofs and prop up sagging buildings, but do little more to change the way the town was left.
Bodie has no snack bar, no campsites, and no modern amenities (except a bathroom), giving the town a bit of an eerie feeling. The drive is down a deserted 13 mile road. How this guy ever found gold way out here is beyond me. Bodie is scheduled to be closed and placed under "caretaker" status to preserve the remainder of the ghost town.

Colton checking out the buildings, and a small outhouse.

Brian and Kate.
The valley was actually quite pretty when you sat and looked at it.
Kate giving me a thumbs up. The walls, roofs and doors of the homes were so thin, I do not know how the people did not freeze to death. (Actually, I bet a lot of them did!) The day we were there was quite chilly, and it was August! Kate has on 2 light jackets, and Ryan has confiscated Colton's new 'Mammoth' sweatshirt.

Looking into the corner "goods" store....really interesting to peer in here. (sorry about the reflection on the glass)

Ryan and cousin Theodore giggling together.
Sitting on the steps of someone's home. Inside, a lot of the homes had the same wallpaper. Shannon and I found it interesting that no matter what period of time it was in, women tried to make their house a home, and make it pretty. Some of the houses still had lace curtains up, and one had a baby crib in a small room off of the kitchen...probably for the warmth.

Mono Lake

2009-08-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Mono Lake. Did you know Mono is oldest lake in North America? It is at least 760,000 years old, and probably more like 1-3 million years old!

In 1941, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power began diverting Mono Lake's tributary streams 350 miles south to meet the growing water demands of Los Angeles.
Deprived of its freshwater sources, the volume of Mono Lake halved, while its salinity doubled.

It is now 45 feet below the level of the lake, pre-diversion. That is why there are tufa towers above ground. It gives you a very clear picture of how much deeper and wider the lake used to be.

Kate hitching a ride from cousin Brian. He's home from college and joined us for the trip to Mammoth.

I really like this picture. I'm not sure what it is, but the sky always looks so interesting/dramatic at Mono Lake.

Brian and Kate became buddies by the end of the week.

Double click on this picture (then hit the back arrow). Kate just looks so happy, completely oblivious to the guys in the background. I think she has a piece of licorice in her hand.

Sometimes Ryan and Kate are exhausting together, and sometimes...

Time With Dad In Mammoth

2009-08-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

While we were hiking to Devil's Postpile and Rainbow Falls, Kevin stayed with Kate and Ryan. Kevin wasn't feeling up to hiking that day, so even though I was disappointed not to have him with us, he offered to take Kate to the park and get an ice cream.

Well, it wasn't long before Ryan joined their party, and opted for food and the park, instead of a hike.

I can tell from the pictures they had fun being together with Dad.

After the park, came the pizza and milkshakes. Ah, life is good.

Boy, it's getting chilly!!

Hold on Dad. Oh, these are beautiful!

Yup, this one right here.
Back in the entry hallway at the condo, Kate practice her skateboard moves.

As one who also had 4 brothers, I remember riding a skateboard, climbing trees and fences, and riding minibikes. Brothers have a way of toughening you up. You've gotta be kind of tough if you want to 'hang out' with them, especially older brothers...cause...they're probably not going to play dolls or Barbies with you.
(Except for my youngest brother who would play with me, my sister Shannon, and our best friends Ingrid & Kendra; go get his G.I. Joe and Big Jim, complete with a Big Jim truck, and pretend he was the next door neighbor, or Barbie's boyfriend! If we were playing in the backyard, he would dig a hole, lay a plastic bag over it, and fill it with water to make a pool for Barbie.
I love men who can do cool stuff around the house!)

Hiking to Rainbow Falls

2009-08-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

After Devil's Postpile, we hiked on to Rainbow Falls. It was approx. a 2.5 mile hike. Some places we walked were so beautiful, it felt like you had just stepped into a dream...like it wasn't real.
I was wondering how we go day in and day out, living our lives without seeing this.

Well, this was our goal...Rainbow Falls.

And this was the walk to get there.

Super Brendan is on the bottom, holding up the tree with 3 of his cousins on top!

Everytime I look at this picture, I'm thankful I did not have Kate or Ryan with me that day.The ridge was very slippery on the sand, and you are very high up, with no railing, nothing to keep you from falling. The view was so pretty though, it almost called you to lean over and look. Lucky for me I'm terrified of heights, so was able to overcome the urge to peer over the edge. See? I knew my paranoia would come in handy some day!

About 15 yrs. ago there was a big fire that burned these trees, just over the ridge from the falls. It was actually really beautiful in it's own way, and you couldn't stop looking at it...like Stonehenge or some type of monument, it just kept your attention. Everytime you thought you saw it all, you would step a bit further and see more and more hills covered with the remains of these trees.

Walking down the last leg of the hike to the falls...my sister Shannon and 2 of her boys.

Here is the ledge you look over to see the falls. When we backpacked here with a church camp when I was 16, we hiked into the bottom of the falls, and I don't remember there being any look-over point. You are pretty darn high up here.

The funny thing about these pictures, is that everything looks...smaller than it did in real life. The falls are very big and loud!

Good-bye Rainbow Falls. Hopefully we'll be back next year.

Devil's Postpile

2009-08-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

On the second full day we were there, we went to Devil's Postpile. My sister and I had both been there before, on a backpacking trip in our teens, but couldn't remember it clearly.

You start out here at a ski lift area.

I would always see this huge mammoth statue on postcards or magnets, and wonder where it was. Well, it was at the bottom of this ski resort/lift area. A week with 8 teenage boys and three little kids has it's own unique challenges! :)

The buses that take you 13 miles to the different mountain stops were backed up about an hour, so we sat down and ate a packed lunch while we waited.

The bus drops you off at a Ranger station about 1/4 mile from Devil's Postpile. It's an easy hike in, through a beautiful area, with an ever-widening stream and lots of pine trees.

It was nice to see the older boys, who have gotten so busy with their lives, kind of rebonding with their cousins, and hiking and talking with their brothers.

Here's the view from the top of the Postpile...It is very famous for looking like floor tiles.

There were definitely people there speaking different languages. I was very glad we had taken the kids there.

Can you make out Brendan at the bottom of the picture? He looks camouflaged.
From this point we hiked on to Rainbow Falls...

Summertime in Mammoth!

2009-08-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. You've probably all given up on me updating the blog!

We've been taking pictures, they just haven't quite made it this far. Uugh. Well, here's to a fresh start. It's the perfect time, as we're in Mammoth for a week, and should have some cool pictures.

We're in a condo in Mammoth Lakes,with my sister Shannon and her family, (4 sons), and my brother Bret's 2 teenage sons.

We started the first day here, at Horseshoe Lake,

then hiked here, to McLeod Lake. You can't really tell from the pictures, but the color of the lake was amazing, like a brilliant aqua colored jewel.

Kate, Daddy, Ryan & Theodore hiking around the lake. Kate was a trouper, and seems to love the outdoors.

Aunt Shannon, Kate & Dad

It was WINDY!, but not too chilly. Good thing Mommy and Aunt Shannon brought snacks! :)

Our troup...10 boys, and Kate.

Kate in a silly mood will make faces, especially if Dad is asking her to "show me your pretty eyes, show me your princess eyes, show me your silly eyes..."

Hiking back down to the car.

On the drive back down the mountain, we pulled over to look at the view of Twin Lakes. This is where the guys had seen the bear last year while they were fishing.

A Day in San Pasqual

2009-06-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

A friend of Kevin's from high school called out of the blue, and we found out he was no longer living out of state, but was living as a single dad with 3 teenage kids, in San Pasqual. So we loaded up the kids in the van and headed out to his house (way out in the boonies).

It was a fun day! They had a great pool on the edge of a canyon, ATVs for the big kids to ride, and lots of food and good company. What's not to love? Oh, and they had a new puppy! The kids were in heaven!

Basketball & Bubbles

2009-04-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

Colton and Kate being silly at Colton's Championship basketball game. They came in second in the league (missed first place by that much!). Kate has quite the little dramatic streak, and Colton is very willing to indulge her.
Just blowin' bubbles in the back yard. It's getting warmer. Spring is here!

Kindergarten Field Trip to the Zoo

2009-04-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ryan's Kindergarten class went on a field trip to the San Diego Zoo. Everyone of the boys has been on the same field trip when they were in Kindergarten, and I always bring the younger sibling along.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and could not have been more perfect for a day at the zoo.

This was our group, and I somehow hadn't notice until looking at this picture that Ryan was the only boy. (It doesn't seem to be bothering him!) This was right outside the polar bear exhibit.

A cute couple near the flamingoes, when you first come into the zoo...don't they look like little tourists? :) They're both wearing 'San Diego Zoo' hats from previous trips to the zoo.

The kids are actually standing on a bridge, looking at the ducks and flamingoes. Right after I took this, a mother duck swam out from under their feet(!) with 4 or 5 baby ducklings, all about 2 1/2" in length, from the tip of their bill to their tail. They were absolutely darling!

Kate was a good little trouper, and asked to walk quite a bit. We were there for 5 1/2 hours, and when we left, Kate was asleep in her carseat, before we even got on the freeway (1/4 mile away!)

Me and Colton

2009-04-03T11:06:00.001-07:00

I saw Colton in the backyard with Kate on his back, running around the sidewalk. Kate was just laughing, and waving her arms in the air.
"Come here and let me take a couple pictures of you guys." Well, a couple turns into eight, and I couldn't decide which ones to delete, so they're all here. Colton and Kate are definitely buddies.

Colton reads Kate books and puts her to bed sometimes (especially when Mommys' really tired), and he likes to cradle her like a baby and hold her on the couch.

He has a way of letting her know she's loved....even when he may get frustrated with her, she knows he still loves her very much.

I have a picture of Kate when we had been home from China for about 10 minutes, and Colton is holding her. They're both smiling...Kate looks secure, and Colton looks ecstatic. I should've taken that as a sign!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Top of the mornin' to ya!
Oh, holidays are such fun! Where are the green bagels?

I came to pick up Kate from speech, and she was wearing this hat she (and the teacher) had made. Too funny! She went off to preschool on St. Patricks Day, the next day, wearing it.

When I pick up Kate at lunch time, she will often ask to take a short walk, signing 'bridge' and pointing. So we go back up to the parking lot to get Murphy, who is anxiously wagging his tail in hopes that he will be invited along. Okay, Murph, come on. Then we all head back down to the wooden bridge over the stream.

The other kids on the playground all came running as one kid yelled, "Wolf! I see a wolf!" Kate let them know, "That my dog, Murphy". It wasn't said very clearly, but the other kids seem to understand her just fine. Murphy ran across the bridge and then down into the stream, with water above his chest. He looked like he was at doggy summer camp, and I swear he was smiling.

Kate has slipped a couple times on this hill before, so she usually wants me to carry her down it. She was being adventurous today though.

I wish I had my camera handy when I first picked her up. The playground and climbing structure were covered in green-clad preschoolers. It looked like a bunch of leprechauns.

These are the days, in particular, I love being a parent. When your kids are so funny, and happy, and you know they're making memories they'll look back on fondly. Parties at school or preschool, green frosting cookies and construction paper hats.

"Cheese!" :)

Goin' To The Park

2009-03-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

Kevin and Amanda took Kate, Ryan and Murphy to the park, a block from our house.

Kate, marching along, having no trouble keeping up with Dad and Murphy. If in the stroller, Kate will say/sign, I want out, I want to walk.

Kevin and Amanda with the ol' self portrait.

I'm coming Amanda!!

A sweet guy, almost 6 years old.

Doesn't this picture just cry out for a caption? I just love this picture. I keep looking at it. What was she looking at? The clouds? The tops of the Eucalyptus trees? What was she thinking or feeling when this picture was taken?

Sit down Kate and let's spin you!

This is fun, Ryan! You gotta try it!

Oh, I love this!

Wow! This goes pretty fast if you lift up your feet!

She looks so tiny in that big swing!

Every kid in the park eventually makes his way to this tree. It's a big, shady tree, with nice low branches. What's not to love?

This is our Kate...perfectly captured in a picture.
Funny, energetic, cute and full of life. What a great kid! She fits in perfectly in our family. I wholeheartedly believe she was part of our destiny as a family. I hope she looks back on these pictures and remembers the joy she felt as they were taken. What a great feeling to be 3!

Amanda's pictures of Kate & Ryan

2009-03-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

While Amanda was here visiting, she borrowed Kevin's camera, and instantly figured out the bells and whistles, (without looking at the directions), taking one great picture after another of the little kids. I didn't even know our camera could take black and white photos with a color at the same time!

There's so many pictures in this group that I love. I don't even know which one is my favorite. I think this one is destined to be framed, though. They both look happy in these pictures.

My Big Sister Amanda Is Here!

2009-03-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

My big sister Amanda is here to visit!
She's 19, and lives with her mom in Washington. I like when she comes to our house.

When Amanda came down, she liked my polar fleece Christmas blanket,

so I taught her how to sew one for herself! (Mommy helped) She even made a second one. They looked really good.

When Amanda is here, she takes me to the park, and we play.

She lets me help make the brownies, and then I get to lick the bowl and spatula. (I like that! :)

She takes me Starbucks and buys me a Strawberries and Cream Frappacino...with extra whipped cream. We laugh and take pictures of ourselves.

This is me, Manda & Mommy at Souplantion. We always go to Souplantation at least once, while Amanda's here. Manda likes the salads, I like the macaroni & cheese. We both like the frozen yogurt!

We took pictures by the fisherman's wharf, near all the boats. Manda and Bryson wanted to go to Pt. Loma Sea Foods, and I'm always up for eating! Bring on the food!

Bryson was playing a hiding game in his hands.

I like it when Bryson spins me around. I always sign 'again! again!'

We have fun with Amanda!

Let's Go Eat!

2009-03-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

We're goin' out to dinner - yay! Everybody get in!

My Uncle Erik owns a restaraunt (sports bar and grille) called the High Dive, and they have the best pizza. My brothers and I love going there to eat.
This is me and my Dad. He's silly.

This was a different day at home. She looks so sweet.
Kate has started to be somewhat difficult to put to bed, or rather to have her stay in bed. So we cut out the naps, and Kate quite happily stays up in the afternoon. The only thing is that every third day or so, she just can't last until bedtime and will fall asleep in the car, or like in this picture, conks out after eating dinner. An early bedtime has become quite effortless though, with Kate more than willing to climb into her cozy bed, hug her favorite baby or stuffed animal of the day, and go night-night. (Hurray!)

Wild Animal Park

2009-03-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

A day spent at the Wild Animal Park with Grandma and Grandpa. They like to get out and get some exercise, and the kids love the animals.

The first thing Ryan & Kate notice when we enter the park is the carousel. Colton was, I think, pretending to be 007, shooting at things as they went by,

and Ryan and Kate were just smiling and giggling the whole time.

Hanging out in the petting zoo with the deer...Brendan, Ryan and Kate.

Brendan and I started laughing in the petting zoo...Doesn't this look like Murphy?
Same sweet face, same color fur, same big eyes, big nose and crooked ears.

Colton is often lugging Kate around on his back. He makes Kate feel safe and secure.

Yeah, baby! Bring on the ice cream!

Boy, this ice cream melts fast!

Now it's time for the tram. I wanna see the giraffes!

A Day in Pink

2009-03-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

We have one more haircut until the few remaining (self-inflicted) short pieces have grown out. Then we can decide whether or not to keep it short, or grow it out. I have enjoyed the shorter hair with blunt bangs on her though.

Happy little cutie.

Ryan saw me taking pictures of Kate and wanted to get in on the act. He has his little black and white kitty as his constant companion.

I love when he hugs her sweetly like this. Is it unrealistic to hope they will always be this close?

Kate hugging her Chinese baby doll. Her baby is usually to play with indoors, but we made an exception for the picture.

Okay, sit next to me baby.
Kate's new thing is "I the mommy, you the gramma". This is usually said with her baby in her plastic shopping cart and a purse over her shoulder. "Come on!" she'll say. "Where are we going?", I ask. "Shopping?" She smiles big and says "Ya! Let go!" and walks off pushing her baby in her cart with "gramma" following behind! "Should we go out to lunch when we're done?" "MmmHmm!" She smiles, happy, that for the moment at least, I'm the gramma and she's the mommy.

Man, it was a long day, and I didn't take a nap!

It is rare that Kate falls asleep in my arms. She is such a light sleeper that if there is any stimulation at all, she stays awake. I like holding her when she's asleep.

Kate's 'Gotcha Day'!

2009-03-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

I found these two video clips in our pictures of China. I didn't know how to put videos on the blog at the time, (don't know why, it was not hard), then just forgot about them. I was happy to discover them yesterday. Kate, here, is 20 mo. old.

Kate's first night with us in China.

Kate crawling on bed - our first morning in China.

A few days ago, our family celebrated Kate's 'Gotcha Day'. She has been with us for two years! It does not seem like it has been that long. We love her every bit as much as we thought we would. She is most definitely our daughter, and has filled our hearts with love.

After one of Kate's favorite "dinners" of pancakes, bacon and eggs, we lit 3 candles. The first was for her birth family, because they gave her life and brought her into this world. From the first candle, we lit the second candle...that was Kate. "Then we went to China on a plane and brought you home, and now we're all a family" and we lit the 3rd candle.

Yaaayyy!

Oooh, I just love presents! (One was a little plastic Dora, one was miniature fuzzy horses, and one was a little pink coin purse bought while we were in China.)

Ahhh...cupcakes with sprinkles. It just doesn't get any better than this. It's your special day, Kate!

It's A Chilly Day!

2009-02-25T11:41:00.001-08:00

Kate on a chilly morning San Diego.

I love this hat and sweater. People would smile at her as we walked past (mostly other mommies who wanted to know where we got the hat! :)
Kate signing 'it's cold!'

Chinese New Year 2009 - The Year of the Ox

2009-01-27T15:52:00.000-08:00

A block and a half away we have some friends with 2 little girls from China. Each year they have a potluck Chinese New Year party where the people are fun, there is so much GREAT food, and lots of little Chinese girls are all playing together. Most of the parents there are Caucasian, (and I believe belong to the FCC - Families with Children From China) and the girls typically range in age from approximately 12 years old, down to about 2. Two years ago was the first time our family went to the party and we were "a waiting family", meaning we were in the process of adopting a child.

A different friend took these two pictures of Kate, and I just love them. Her skin looks so fair and beautiful, and she looks very Chinese. She had an owie under her mouth, but still looked like a cutie.

Practicing with scissors...in case your wondering about Kate's scissor cutting prowess, check out "Kate's Adventures in Hair Cutting".

I love the motion in this picture...you can almost feel the breeze on her.

Kate is so tall (the 95% in height), sometimes she looks like an older child, but she's still only 3.

Brendan, Mom & Bryson

Brendan and Kate

Brendan will always ask, "Are you my best friend Kate? Yeah, you are."The funny thing about this picture, besides Kate giggling, is the background. There's a little girl at a table doing art, kids on the swing set, and one little girl laughing as she is carried away by her dad on his shoulder.

Kate and her security blanket, Ryan.
She still follows Ryan, looks up to him, thinks he's the best and the funniest guy around.

Tickles and kisses always make Kate laugh.A few weeks later the FCC had their Chinese New Year celebration. 300 people come to celebrate their children's Chinese heritage and get together with their friends who have adopted children. It's also a wonderful support group for the children...having friends who have a very similar life and history, many of them having come from the same orphanages.

The food was catered (and great!), and there was a children's dance group. There was also a young girl playing an instrument that I'd never heard of. She was absolutely incredible, could have played with the symphony, and had no music in front of her! There was a standing ovation!
The little children were invited to come out in the dragon head and tail. Very cute. There was a big raffle, and every child was given a beanie baby ox with golden horns, because it's the Year of the Ox. It was a good day, and even Ryan ate with chop sticks!

Kate and Mommy made a lantern in the art room. Kate thought it was a necklace, and kept putting it on! :)

A Sweet Face

2009-01-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

Kate is sitting next to me right now...she points to this picture and says, "That me! That me! I cut my hair."
Yes, I know you cut your hair.

My sister asked Kate "What did your Mommy do when you cut your hair?"
Everyone started laughing. Yup, that was pretty much how I looked!

There's a lady at church who always smiles when she sees me coming, knowing I have more clothes & shoes that Kate has outgrown. She volunteers at a community service agency that gives the clothes to families that are really in need. Kate grows so fast that she tends to outgrow her clothes long before they look worn.

A sweet smile. Sometimes I have a glimpse into how Kate will look as an adult, and wonder if she looks very much like her Chinese mom or dad.

Okay, I just had to throw this one in.
We thought we were going to lose Murphy in January. Turns out he had a tumor on his liver. A shaved front leg, a shaved tummy and lots of moolah later, Murphy's tumor is only a bad memory, and he looks younger than he has in a long time. Good dog, Murphy. You're a good dog.

Kate, the Captive Sports Fan

2009-01-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

While trying out Kevin's new Chrismas camera, Kate, who was sitting on Dad's lap, leaned back and looked up at me.

I was showing Bryson and Colton how sweet she looked in this picture, and they let me know it looked like her head was not attached to her body. Nice.

Colton has moved from soccer to a recreational basketball league. Kate is the captive sports fan, attending each game.

While "watching" the basketball game, Kate was mothering her kitty, wrapping it up in her red sweater.

Christmas

2008-12-28T13:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning, Kate shows her new ballet Barbie with a cheesy grin...Kate's cheesy grin, not, the Barbie's cheesy grin.

Ryan pausing briefly from his bowl of cereal, Kevin, Brendan and Murphy.

Brendan and Kate check out the new wheels. Brendans' a good big brother.

A still-sleepy Kate with Barbie and new bath foam in hand.

The biggest hit of the morning was the pretend/plastic makeup, blowdryer and fingernail polish set. I never wear fingernail polish, and yet Kate seemed to know exactly what to do with it, including blowing air on the nails when she was done!
Sometimes she will put some makeup in her little purse, grab her plastic keys (that really make the 'chirp-chirp' sound), and say,"Let go!" :)

Kate's School Christmas Program

2008-12-23T12:10:00.000-08:00

Here is Kate at preschool, all dressed up for her Christmas program. She saw me waiting with the other parents, and came running.

The program was complete with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" and "Away In The Manger", real Jingle Bells with red or green velvet handles, and lots of squirmy kids waving and saying Hi Mommy! or Hi Grandma! All the parents had smiles on their faces.

In her class there are 3 & 4 year olds. The funniest thing during these "performances" is to watch what the kids are doing. Sometimes I'm laughing so hard, I can hardly hold the camera still.

Here we have Kate eating her dress as Mary and Joseph lay baby Jesus in the manger.

Can You Say Tiger?

2008-12-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

Kate and I were waiting outside the portable classroom for her speech and language therapist to arrive, so I decided to use the few minutes to work on her latest goal...the 't' sound.

Kate, can you say tiger? T...T...t-i-g-e-r?
Kate replies puh, puh
No, tiger...Tuh...Tuh...tiger.
She tries again...thu...thu.........lion.

I started laughing, and hugged her. "Oh you smart little cookie!"
She may have trouble making certain sounds, but there is a smart kid inside there!! Way to think outside the box, Kate! :)

I laughed to myself all the way out to my car, and immediately called Kevin (and maybe a few other people) to tell him about how cute and funny Kate was!

Kate's Adventure in Hair Cutting

2008-12-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

So the boys are up in their room playing a game, I and was sewing a Christmas present downstairs. Kate came down in one of her costumes (she loves to dress up). "Hi Kate. You playing dress up?" "Uh huh." Then she turns her head a certain way and I realize her hair is not up in a pony tail, but not there! "Kate, where's your...what happened to....where's your hair?! Did you cut your hair?!" Kate cheerfully nods yes, but is beginning to realize her bold new look may not be well received. "Show me where your hair is!" (I think I'm in denial at this point, hoping maybe it isn't really cut off, that maybe it's all an illusion) But as I walk up the stairs and see a lock of silky black hair on the step, reality is setting in. Then I see the carpet on the hallway, and I'm afraid to look in the bathroom...AAAHhhhh! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. (Okay, I'm not going to hyperventilate...) I went and got the boys from their room, and we all had the same look on our faces...mouth hanging open, trying to decide how to react. I was torn between cracking up, (because it really was very funny), and wanting to cry. Brendan hugged me, and Colton was trying hard not to laugh. At this point, Kate had jumped onto Ryan's bed and pulled the comforter over her head. (I picked up the hair, smoothed it out and put it in a ziplock bag to put in her babybook.)

The haircutting episode took place Sunday night, and Kate had speech first thing Monday morning. So we set up an 11:00 hair appt., and off she went to speech with crooked hair. Her speech therapist said she was her third kid this year that had come in with a do-it-yourself haircut.

Well, we headed down to the cutest little kid's hair salon in La Jolla (that my sister-in-law used when her daughter gave herself a haircut!)

They asked Kate if she wanted to sit on the motorcycle or in the jeep to get her haircut...Kate picked the jeep. Every chair had a flatscreen tv monitor in front of it. Ours had on the cartoon of the Backyardigans. Kate was in heaven.

In less than 10 minutes, the one remaining long piece was trimmed off, it was evened out, and the too-short pieces were well camoflauged. Before we left the salon, 2 different people complimented Kate on her cute haircut!

Kate seems oblivious to her hair length. The short hair is growing on me, and it seems to suit her.

While still at the hair salon, the stylist said they get about one child a week that has cut their own hair. "We don't usually get such an extreme example though. She was very thorough on her hair! Usually the kids are older before they decide to give themselves a whole "new look".

That's my Kate!

Holidays Kids

2008-11-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

One day I pick up Ryan from school and he's an Indian...

and the next day he's a Pilgrim!

Smile with your Santa hat on, Kate!

The day we got out all the Christmas decorations, Dad got Mexican food for dinner. Kate is quite the ethnic food eater. She's very open to different foods. (That is brother Brendan's broken arm in the background!)

Mommy and two of her elves :)

Bigfoot found a cozy spot with one of the Santa hats!

Thanksgiving At Kate's School

2008-11-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

They have a Thanksgiving "feast" at Kate's preschool, and the parents are were welcome. The "menu" consisted of oreos, dinosaur chicken nuggets, baby carrots with ranch dip, and Cheetos.
The plates and napkins did have a Thanksgiving motif, however, and there was a basket of fake fruit, so, ya know, there was that.

Kate didn't care about the funny menu, though. She was just enjoying herself and kept getting "seconds" on the carrots and ranch dip. You wouldn't have been able to pay the boys to eat carrots when they were three (or probably even now)...with or without the dip. I'm so glad she's still a good eater.

Thanksgiving Day, a week later, was a wonderful, family-filled (rainy) day, and Kate was in her element, happy as can be. Lots of kids and people who love her, we all watched 'A Christmas Story', and of course, there was lots of food and Sparkling Apple Cider! What's not to love?
Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween Was Fun!

2008-11-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

(I know this is a bit out of order - I'm backtracking a bit to catch up! :)
Our Halloween tradition begins with carving pumpkins in the backyard. We usually get the pumpkins at a pumpkin patch, making a morning of it,then pick up a couple (for whoever didn't go with us) at the grocery store. Then Mom and the kids start scooping out the goop, drawing faces, and carving them.
The older boys usually carve some gruesome face on theirs, but some of the best and funniest pumpkins are the most simple...ie. check out Ryan's pumpkin. I couldn't look at it without smiling. He drew the face and helped clean it out, Mom carved it.

Everyone loves to draw the faces and carve, but for some reason no one likes to help clean up! My goal - if it could possibly come into contact with pumpkin goop,line it with paper, and make cleanup as user-friendly as possible!

Kate's a sucker for holidays. She definitely gets the whole "festivities, food, excitement" thing.

Just me and my big brother Batman.
(Ryan's shirt says 'Do I really have to explain myself?)

Batman Colton, Princess Kate, and Ryan Kenobi headed over to Aunt Mimi's house a couple hours later for pizza and trick-or-treating. They live a block from my parents house, so the kids go trick-or-treating in the same neighborhood that Kevin and I did as kids. A lot of the same people answer the doors, too, which makes it fun.

Kate picked out her own outfit! She loves the whole 'princess' thing, and she knew what she wanted!

It's Pumpkin Time!

2008-10-17T14:49:00.001-07:00

Kate and Ryan in a sea of pumpkins!

It's mid-October...must be time to go to the pumpkin patch!

Kate, Ryan and cousin Theodore. Ryan and Theodore are only 8 days apart in age. He is also one of 4 boys! His easy-going personality gets along well with Kate (and Ryan).

Unlike last year when it was quite chilly, this year we went during a heat wave with the Santa Ana winds blowing. This October has just been one Santa Ana after another. I'm ready for some cool fall weather.

I didn't tell Kate to sit down...she just walks over to the bales of hay, sat down, folded her hands and smiled up at me. :) It was funny because usually when taking her picture, it's all I can do to get her to look at me/the camera.

Mommy and pretty Kate.

Even though it was going to be warm, I put Kate in pants because last year she cried from the hay scratching her legs. It was so bright, Ryan kept borrowing my sunglasses!

3 year old Kate with a silly smile.

Buddies, Colton and Kate, ready for school. Kate doesn't really take a backpack, she just likes to wear it.

Is it just me, or is this picture a glimpse into Kate's teenage years?

It makes me smile to see her wearing her Dora backpack that is so big it goes past her rear end! She doesn't care though. She packs it with all different things...her stuffed cat, a coloring book, her tea set, or food. Once I couldn't find the bag of lunch meat, and found it 2 days later with some string cheese and a yogurt in her backpack. She must've been planning a picnic.

Kate Dressed For The Morning

2008-10-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

Kate on a preschool morning.

Two mornings a week Kate has preschool, and Mom cleans house (yay), and two mornings a week she has speech, and Mom goes to the boys' school (5min. away) and works in their classrooms for an hour. One morning a week we're free agents until we pick Ryan up at lunch time.

It was such a hot week in early October, it felt like summer all over again. Actually, it was hotter than summer had been, so I was trying to keep her hair off of her neck. For some reason this picture looks cool outside, but you could tell in the morning, it was going to be a blazing hot day (and it was!)

This is the first time I've braided Kate's hair, and she smiled and signed 'pretty' in the mirror. Then we turned on the TV to the new, very cute cartoon 'Ni Hao Kailin' about a little Chinese girl and Kailin has her hair the exact same way. Kate did notice her hair!

My sister-in-law laughs that I iron Kate's clothes. I know, I laugh back, I don't even iron my own clothes unless I absolutely have to, but with her clothes, it never seems to be a burden.

The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

2008-09-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

(Okay, I'm going to try and pedal really fast to get caught up on the blog.)
In China, they celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. It's the biggest celebration they have aside from the Chinese New Year. It began about 1300 years ago, and is a bit like our Thanksgiving in that you spend it with your family and friends and visit. It usually involves time outside, gazing at the moon and reflecting on nature, its very low key, you hang out with friends, drink wine, and eat moon cakes. In the adoption community, I've read that it is a nice time to look up at the moon with your child and say a prayer for their birth parents, realizing that their parents see the same moon. I like that.

Well with FCC (Families with Children from China), they have a fun get-together every 3 months or so, one of which is the Autumn Moon Festival. There's no wine, but lots of moon cakes (they're kind of...well...yucky), lots of little Chinese girls, and lots of lanterns. Everyone brings their own picnic, the kids play on the playground at the park, and when it gets dark, out come the lanterns.
There's a "parade" of little Chinese girls and their families, holding their lanterns and walking around the park at night. It looks pretty to see all the lanterns lit up, and the kids love it!

Brendan and Ryan together after the parade.

Kate has been picking flowers and giving them to Mommy lately. She'll say "Here Mommy!" and sign 'flower'.

This silly lantern keeps sliding up and down on the stick!

I like this picture because you can see the full moon in the background, and there is just one autumn leaf on the ground, right near her lantern.

Kate Begins Preschool!

2008-09-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

Here we have Kate on her first day of preschool. She will be going two mornings a week. It was a cloudy, but warm morning, as Kate started at a local church preschool. It is the same preschool that Brendan and Ryan went to, and we just love it. I especially love the playground, with it's big shady eucalyptus trees, and a stream running nearby. Feels like you're up in Julian (the local mountain community).

Kate's teacher, Mrs. B., (who was also Brendan's teacher!) said she did wonderfully on her first day, and you would have thought she had been going there for three months she looked so comfortable.
I'm not surprised. She has been interested in school since I first took Ryan. During the summer, she would put on her pink Dora backpack and sign 'school'. I would smile and ask, are you ready to go to school? She would smile back and nod 'yes!' I believe she thought, all you need is a backpack, then you can go to school!

When we got there in the morning, Kate & I got out of the van, and I asked "Are you excited about your first day of school?" She smiled and said/signed "MY school!", with her hand on her chest, as if to say, it's my turn now! and this is my school!

Kate was also excited for Ryan to start his first day of Kindergarten a week earlier. Kate is now 3, and Ryan is 5 1/2. Both Kate and Ryan are the tallest kid in their class!
Brendan's first day at middle school didn't start until after 9am, so Dad was able to come with us to get Colton (4th grade) and Ryan off to a good start on their first day (and to help carry all the supplies they ask you to bring!) Kate seems to enjoy all the bustling excitement of days like this.

Rock Creek, Mammoth

2008-08-11T21:51:00.001-07:00

Mommy, Ryan and Kate at Rock Creek. It turned out to be a bit more of a hike in than we had thought but was so beautiful, we were very glad we had made the trek.

So I go into this t-shirt shop, and there is my picture on a magnet! This picture, with the same perspective, and it looked like the same season. The magnet is now on my fridge, and has the words 'Rock Creek' written on the grass.

This trip made us realize we need a new, (faster) camera with a wide angle lens on it! :)

Kate and Ryan are very close, and look to each other as playmates and friends, and for security. Kate will do whatever Ryan tells her to do, and she copies him often...(which may not always be what you would want her to do!)

Mom and Dad.
Check out how clear the water is! I kept visualizing myself in the water on one of those floating pool lounge chairs! Sweeet! It was so peaceful there.

Kevin showing Ryan how to fish. I think Ryan was just happy holding the fishing pole!

Okay, everyone smile and think
'Christmas card photo!'

This picture cracks me up. It was taken by Ryan (as you can probably tell be the perspective). I am saying 'can you see my hands?' Kevin says 'can you see my eyes in the viewfinder?' If we would have just put our silly hands down, it would have been a great picture!

Kevin and Brendan fishing. If you double click on this picture, you can even see Kevin's line being thrown out. (Then just hit the 'back arrow'.)
This is my new computer-screen saver!

Hanging out near the condo in Mammoth

2008-08-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

Just walkin', walkin' on the small street outside the condo.

The condo that we stayed in was small, but had three levels. Two sets of bunkbeds on the top "loft", the living room, a very small kitchen and front door/mud room on the mid level, and two bedrooms on the bottom level (w/king-size beds).

Kate decided naps were not to be taken in Mammoth, and that she would wake up during the night and very early in the morning. Loudly. The boys let us know they would prefer to be as far away from the human alarm clock as possible. So, by our last night in Mammoth, she and Kevin were downstairs, and Mom and the boys were upstairs. Sounds fine so far, right?

Well, it's a warm night, so we leave the sliding door of the upstairs loft (above the front door) open during the night. A pack of wolves or coyotes decided the front porch (again, directly below the bedroom window) would be a good place to start barking and howling. I don't think I have ever been that startled out of sleep, and about jumped out of my skin! I told Kevin, (who slept through it-his window being on the back side of the condo) that it sounds ridiculous in the light of day, but this was no peaceful sounding, nature-film howling off in the distance, where you think to yourself 'it's kind of eery, but beautiful to hear them'. This was creepy, scary, screaming sort of howl...like something out of a rated-R werewolf movie! I know, you're laughing, aren't you? But when you're awakened by a pack of 'something' 15 feet from your head, in a dead sleep...not funny!

I think I know why they chose our front porch to start their escapade; we had left the mudroom (where people leave their wet skis, muddy boots) light on and the blinds open, and closed the interior door. I think they stopped to look and see what food may be in there.
After they left, I could hear them barking and howling their way down the street. The boys stirred and mumbled in their sleep, but didn't wake up. Well! That was fun.

Kate, Colton and Ryan (I think we've got a Spiderman pose goin' on here.)

If you walk up the street about a block, there is a ski lodge and runs/lifts. This is where Kevin and Kate went for a walk one morning while Mommy took Ryan out alone for a trip to some of the shops. (We got a small stuffed bear and a 'Mammoth' hat, then hit up the Rocky Mtn. Chocolate Factory next door!)

Standing by the condo complex next door.
A grizzly bear statue at the ski lodge up the street. Here we have a nice shot of it's rear end.

One of the ski runs a block away from where we were staying. Can't you just picture it covered in snow?

Most people who meet/know Kate comment on how tall she is...and how happy and bubbly she is. Both comments are good to hear...that she is healthy and happy.

Is that...A BEAR?

2008-08-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

So Kevin takes Brendan and Colton to Twin Lakes fishing, about 10 minutes from the condo. They sit there for 2 hours, enjoying themselves, but don't catch anything.

Then, hearing a loud crunch crunch sound of branches breaking in the bushes, look across the knee-deep lake, and see a (brown?) bear, walk up to a boat!

Whoever had used the boat also left their stringer in the water, with 2 med.-size trout attached. The bear pulled in the stringer with his paw (see pic. #2) and ate the fish, as everyone sat there amazed...and a bit nervous! The bear then walked over to the bush to the left of the boat, stepped in the water by the bush, watched the water for less than a minute, then put her head in the water and pulled out a 12" fish! Brendan was duly impressed with her fishing ability!

He realized it was a "her", because it was at this time that everyone noticed a tiny bear cub following along. Brendan said he was so well camouflaged & absolutely dirt colored, that if he hadn't moved, you would have never seen him! (It must've been, because I can't see it in the pictures, and Kevin and the boys assure me there was a cub with her!) She left the same way she had come with baby-in-tow, not along the trail, but crunching branches right through the bushes!

Mono Lake, Mammoth, CA

2008-08-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

A sweet, happy little girl, enjoying the afternoon at Mono Lake.

Brendan (13), Colton (9) & Kate (3) with the tufa towers in the background. Doesn't Kate look like a little tourist? :)

Mono Lake has an interesting, but very simple circle of life, and is one of the single most important bird habitats in California.
Besides the 300 species of birds that have been sighted in Mono Basin, about 85% of the nesting population of California sea gulls have their babies at Mono Lake!

The whole tribe (minus Bryson). It was so bright you could hardly see! (as you can tell by me, Kate and Ryan!) It was also very warm, despite the clouds and rain we could see on the other side of Mono Lake.

Kevin and his little buddy.

Kate "adopted" our friends' son Nate, and seemed to look at him as just another brown-eyed brother who showed up.

It wasn't cold, but, that warm breeze could really get going!

The tufa towers behind Brendan took 200-900 years to develop!

Kate imitating our friend Elisabeth walking in the sand.
Kate loves to copy adult behavior.

Mono Lake is one of those places that gets more interesting the more you learn about it. I would like to go back and spend a bit more time reading the info. plaques about it.

Mammoth Mountain, CA

2008-08-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, I had a dream I updated the blog! (This is the same guilt as those unfinished baby books!!)

We're on vacation at Mammoth right now, renting a condo with another family! We've never done anything like this, and it's so fun!, and it is so beautiful!! Every day trip we take has a different look to it. It took us about 7 hours to drive up from San Diego, and we're staying for a week. The area we're staying in is called Mammoth Lakes, CA.

These first 3 pictures were taken on our first day trip was to McLeod Lake; about a 20 minute drive up the mountain, and then a mile long hike further up the mountain (leaving from Horshoe Lake).

One of the things we did the next day was to go to the San Andreas fault line. You know in San Diego, everytime you hear about (or feel!) an earthquake, you hear on the news some reference to the San Andreas fault line. It was weird to actually be standing on the fault line, where the earth had ripped in two! You can't tell from this picture how deep it is (20-60 ft!). There was a patch of show at the bottom that had not melted, and it is August!

Kate trying to look cool. :)

I love this picture of them together. You can tell they love each other.

Afterwards, we went to the Inyo Craters, which were only minutes away.
Kate was a pretty good little trooper about walking the 1/4 mile walk through Jeffrey Pines, and didn't want to hold your hand, but rather march along on her own.

...but by the time we made it to the top of the volcanic crater, a shoulder ride from Dave (her new best friend) was sounding pretty good.

The Inyo Craters are known as "explosion pits", and were formed by volcanic explosions 5-600 yrs. ago. There are two funnel shaped craters (1 and 200 ft. deep), right next to each other. Melted snow and rainwater collect to form a small lake at the bottom of each pit.

We were watching Kate like a hawk afraid she would slip and fall right under the railing. She moves so quickly and is constantly skipping and dancing around. (She always reminds me of a Hummingbird!) On the second crater, there was a second railing put up, as the earth had given way under part of the first one!

Disneyland Fun!

2008-05-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

Guess what ride this is?
Yup...it's the Jungle Cruise! Kate was so interested in everything she about hopped into the water. The only thing that made her pause were the piranhas that jump out right next to the boat, and the headhunter guy.

Mommy and Kate when we first got there. First the bathrooms, then to Harrison Ford.

Uh, I mean, Indiana Jones. (hee hee).

Kevin and the guys outside the Jungle Cruise ride. This was one of the few rides we all went on together. Typically, Amanda took the two big guys on the racier rides, and Kevin and I took Kate and Ryan on the younger/more mellow rides...you know...Peter Pan, Snow White, and I think we took in the Carousel 3 times!

Disneyland always puts everyone in a good mood.
The boys enjoyed being with Amanda down for a visit.

Mommy doesn't know it yet, but I can undo my seatbelt!

You just push really hard right here and the whole thing POPs open!
I'm sure Mommy will be very happy to know I can get myself out!

Kate with Brendan and Ryan outside the Silhouette Shop.
Doesn't Kate look cute and happy?

Sit still for a moment, we need your profile...
We had each of the kid's profiles put into one picture, which we picked up later in the day.

Look at the way Kate is looking at Ryan. Very sweet. :)

Frontier Land in the afternoon. You almost don't notice, but Kate is sacked out in the stroller under my red fleece jacket. She must've been exhausted, because normally she doesn't fall asleep if there is any stimulation at all.

Amanda and Kate looking at the moon.
"Can you say 'moon' Kate?"
"Moon"
"Yes, that's right! Moon!"

The Pines

2008-05-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

Our family has land in the San Bernardino mountains just south of Big Bear. We always just call it 'The Pines'.

It's in the Santa Ana River Valley, and takes about 2.5-3 hours to drive north from San Diego. It sure makes for a nice day, especially with a picnic lunch in tow. Early April, while Amanda was down from Seattle, seemed like a great time to go.

Kevin and his tribe (Ryan post-run-in with the stream...how old are they when you can stop bringing an extra outfit for them??)

Colton with his pirate sword. Ya know, you never want to be in the mountains without your plastic sword! (We had gone to Disneyland/Pirates of the Carribean the day before).

Goin' for a walk.

The quickly moving stream is to the left and down the hill.

(Mom or Dad was carrying Ryan's soaking wet jeans and shirt!)

After finding the metate stone, I was curious about the Indians who used to live in these mountains, so I looked them up on the internet. The different peoples who lived in the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys and mountains were collectively called by the Spaniards, the Serrano...a term meaning highlander.

Their creation story is interesting...it tells of the first people who tended to their creator Krukat as he laid ill and dying high in the mountains.
When the creator died, the people began to mourn and in their grief, turned into pine trees. The nuts and acorns these trees scattered became food for the Serrano clans who would follow these first people.

Have you ever seen a metate stone? It's fun when you come across one. It's a stone block with a shallow concave surface used with a mano (a hand-held stone) for grinding corn or other grains. Here, it was probably used for acorns. They're usually smaller, but this one is about 4 ft. across! The holes are deeper than they appear in this picture. Everytime we go, we try and remember where it is and show the kids.

Grandma Shirlee, Heather, Amanda, Colton,

Kate, Ryan and Brendan (Bryson unfortunately had to work and couldn't come with us.)
Kate and Grandpa Doug waiting for the picnic lunch to be broken out :)

Brendan hugging on his little sister.
Kevin and Amanda

It's a very peaceful day being at the Pines. You should hear the wind in the trees. It's so beautiful, it almost sounds like water. The only building anywhere nearby is the Ranger's station. No cars or noise. Just nature. It's good for the soul. I always feel like I'm at peace with the world when we're camping or at the Pines. I hope the kids grow up with the same love of being in nature. Not that I don't love my creature comforts, believe me, I do. But you can feel your self de-compress when you come to a place like this. It was a good day.

Healing On It's Own

2008-05-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry to keep you in suspense, but the past week has been really busy!

We took Kate back to see the surgeon 2 weeks after discovering the hole in her mouth, for her 3 week post-op checkup. He asked Kate to open her mouth real wide and look up at the ceiling (which she did...a growth moment!) and he said, "Ya know, I think it's gonna be okay. It's trying hard to close up on it's own, and is almost there!" Yahoo!! So he wants to see her back in a couple weeks to check it again, but felt very hopeful that the fistula in her mouth would close up on it's own. Whew!

So, at least until then, NOTHING BUT SOFT FOOD IN THE MOUTH!

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

Pretty little Kate on Mother's Day, 12 days after her surgery.

The day was spent at a brunch with family, lots of kids, and lots of good food.
(...and lots of attention being paid to make sure nothing bopped Kate in the mouth!)

These are 3 of the kids in the family that are closest in age to Kate.
Ryan is in the middle (Darth Ryan), cousin Theodore is the frontiersman on the right, and cousin William is the Jedi on the left. William shares with Kate the wonderful distinction of having joined our family through adoption. Uncle Erik and Aunt Ingrid adopted William from Liberia approximately 3 years ago. Grandma Shirlee lovingly refers to her 20 grandkids as her little United Nations. :)

Post-Surgery Update

2008-05-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well, within a week of her surgery, a small hole worked it's way into Kate's palate. At first I hoped he had used black stitches, but then I realized it was receded upwards a bit (that's why it looked darker), and sure enough by the next day, there was a hole there. It's approximately where one of the two holes were before surgery, about the size of a pencil eraser, right behind her teeth. The other side looked like it was stressed, but was still intact.

Here we go again, with mentally going over the past 6 days; what could have gotten into her mouth?, did she eat anything other than liquids, yogurt & jello type things? Oh my gosh this is stressful! My heart is just pounding, phone call to Kevin crying...

It reminds me of that period when you have a little one who is learning to stand up and/or walk and it seems like everytime they try, they're falling and banging their head (or you're afraid they're going to) so you can't relax, because you're on alert. That's what the past week was like. Afraid that Kate would fall and hit her stitched up mouth and lip, or that one of our household Jedi's would bop her in the mouth with their constantly waving light sabers. Putting on her no-nos (velcro arm restraints) when she sleeps so no fingers make it into her mouth, and trying to feed 6 people out of sight of Kate. (She can only have liquids the first week, then only soft foods; eggs and such, for the next few weeks.) I'm beat. And to find out her palate opened up anyway.

The surgeon was disappointed but explained that he had closed it up on 2 layers (not sure if that's what he did in the first surgery?). Since there was no liquid coming out of her nose, he felt that the first, inside layer was probably still intact, and with any luck, the opening will close up on it's own. (I hope, I hope). Otherwise, he will probably just leave it until he does her bone graft when she is 8 or 9. At that time he will be working on the gumline.

I have heared this is very unusual, and for it to happen twice? Actually, not twice. This is Kate's third surgery (remember we found out they had closed her lip in China, and it had reopened) and all three times, her stitches have at least partially reopened. There's got to be something going on with her skin, or the way she heals.

I had actually planned this to be a really short post! Please pray with me that Kate's mouth heals up quickly and correctly. While she's very smart and she tries to speak, her speech is still quite unclear. Thanks! :)

Kate's Surgery

2008-05-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, April 29th, Kate had surgery at Children's Hospital. She had the remaining 2 small holes in her palate closed up (it was approx. the length of a dime, right behind her front teeth), her frenulum, the little piece of skin under the tongue, clipped, because it came out too far (this is actually pretty common), and her lip touched up. Yikes! Sounds awful doesn't it?

Well, typical to form, Kate has taken it with her usual toughness. She amazes me sometimes. The surgeon came out of surgery earlier than expected and told us everything went great, and there were no surprises. He touched up her lip by removing some of the scar that was present, going from her nose to her lip, and putting in a shot of steroid in hopes that it would scar less in the future.

Only one parent can go into recovery at a time, and this time I was prepared for what it would look like, and smell like. But when I went back, I was pleasantly surprised at her appearance. It was much easier to deal with than last time: she physically looked better, less swelling, less blood noticeable, and she seemed to be more coherant when they took us back. I actually heard her before I saw her. She was crying...LOUDLY...and would only stop if you were leaning over her, hugging her in a protective sort of way. Then she would drift off to sleep and upon awakening, it was like she was scared and upset all over again as she would scan the room, her eyes coming to rest on the nurse as if to say, "and who the heck are YOU?!" After a few more minutes, Kate started to frantically sign 'daddy', making no attempt to speak. "You want Daddy?" Kate nods with tears, "Okay Baby, I'll go get him." 10 minutes or so later, Kevin came to get me..."O.K. Mom, you're on. She's signing for you." This went back and forth until she was out of the recovery room, and into her own room.

This cuff feels familiar...seems like I've been here before....

The nurse had to check my blood pressure while I was getting checked in.

Ya know, you'd think they could come up with a better design for a hospital gown. Everyone smiled when I walked with my Mommy and Daddy into the waiting room...

Mommys' silly. The hospital gave me a bunny to hold, to take my mind off being hungry and tired.(No food the morning of surgery, and I didn't go in until 2:15 in the afternoon...way past my lunchtime and naptime!)

What do you say we just leave??

"Reading" a Jack & Jill magazine to pass the time, waiting for the nurse to come and get me.

I shoulda left when I had the chance... oooohhhh.
I could only sleep if Mommy was holding me...or I was very sad and scared and I cried. But if Mommy was there, I felt safe.

The only problem is that my crib was about 4 1/2 feet long, and Mommy is almost 5'10".

They have funny cribs in the hospital. The nurses said it's because kids are different than adults...they don't "milk it" and enjoy the attention, and having people wait on them. Once they feel better at all, they're attitude is "I'm outta here" and they try to climb out and leave! So up go the sides, and down come the plastic curtains.
Kate proved her right about 24 hrs. after her surgery when she tried to climb out and let us know she was ready to leave! (I had left the end curtain open, so she could see the TV, and sure enough, that was where she tried to climb out!)

Here is Mommy's deluxe bed in the background! At least we had a room to ourselves.

I love you little girl.

Poor baby. She was pretty uncomfortable and they had given her tylenol with codeine.

Going home.
Kate was singing and humming on the way out to the car. Typical Kate...she's a resilient, tough, but sweet little kid.

I Have A New Friend From China!

2008-03-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have a friend from China whose name is Cheyenne (in the pink). She's 4. Our moms became friends when they discovered Cheyenne and I were from the same SWI (Social Welfare Institute) in China.

A couple weeks ago, Cheyenne's mommy & daddy went to China and brought home her little sister. In China her name was Long Fu Qun. Her new American name is Cassidy. She just turned 3.

This is Cassidy
"talking" to her mom, Tamara. Cassidy speaks Mandarin.

Cassidy and Cheyenne were looking at the picture of themselves on their mommy's camera.

I figured out why Kate does this on the swing (other than it's just fun)...she's not tall enough to get herself onto the swing sitting, so she just leans over it. Pretty funny. :)

A sunny day at the park...life is good.

We're on our way to the park.
Smile Kate! (Cassidy looks suspicious!)

(L-R) Kate, Cheyenne & Cassidy.
3 pretty little Chinese faces.

I just want to tickle all those tummies!

I love this picture of how happy they both look together! Kate definitely has a feeling of security if Ryan is helping her do something.

Easter Weekend

2008-03-25T13:58:00.001-07:00

Dying Easter eggs with my cousins and brothers at Aunt Shannon's house.

My brothers Ryan, Brendan, Colton and cousin Theodore share in the eye dying.

This 'egg-scooping' thing is kind of tricky...

See Kate, you go like this... you can use a spoon, or just hold it in, but don't put your hand in the dye.

(That's my brother, Bryson)

Well, I'm just gonna do it my way...

Oh, very nice yellow. :)

I'm sure I saw an egg in here!

You're funny Daddy!

That's me and Ryan on the hammock. He's silly!

Here I am with my family at a friend's house for Easter dinner.

The morning after Easter, I came straight downstairs and headed for the baskets on the table.

I signed 'I want candy', but Mommy says we don't eat candy for breakfast. :(

It's Springtime!

2008-03-22T11:56:00.001-07:00

Happy Spring everyone!

My new hat feels funny. Mommy laughed when she tried it on me in the store, and said, "Oh, we gotta get this!"

O.K., I know this is Kate's blog, but look how darn cute & funny Murphy is in this picture! It makes me laugh everytime I look at it! :)

I wish I could see him as a puppy...I bet he was absolutely adorable! We didn't get Murph from the pound until he was about 10 mo. old, and was already a big guy! I can no longer picture our home without him in it.

Say 'Cheeeese' and look at Mommy!

I love you, Murphy.

Wild Animal Park Friends

2008-03-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I got this picture. I was focused on her to take a picture right as she looked at me for a split second, then looked away again.

You ever have that feeling someone is behind you?....

Hmmm. Must be my imagination.

Kate signed 'food' and walked over to the deer-food-pellet machine.

Hold on, I know how to work this...you just turn the knob, and look in there, and out come M&Ms!

How come M&Ms aren't comin' out of this thing?

Hey there. You have very pretty eyes.

St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a beautiful mornin'!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! And may the luck o'the Irish be with'ya!

Well, Chinese-Irish!

Yay! I love holidays!
Where's the food?

Kate pretending to take a picture of me!

Standing on the tree in the front yard...new pink shoes,green pigtails.

Kate tries on Independence

2008-03-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

We went to buy Easter shoes a couple days ago. Mommy found a very cute pair of shiny white shoes with a little tiny satin bow above the toe. Perfect little girl Easter shoes.

While I was trying to find the right size, Kate spies a pair of pink "foam clogs" (that's not the right name, I'm sure) that have Dora on them. OOoohhhh. Her eyes are dancing as she pulls them down and puts them on her own feet. They fit perfectly! Not exactly what Mom would have picked out, but Kate looked up at me and was trying to say Dora. It was very cute. Do you want those? You may get them. She looked so proud, and wanted to wear them out of the store, even though she was wearing brown suede shoes that matched her dress. Wow...giving herself a haircut and doing her own shopping all in one week. We're getting to be a big girl!

Very proud!

Kate signing 'shoes'

Did I mention Kate is potty trained? O.K., I don't wish to cast aspersions on the male gender here, but she was done with potty training before any of the boys even started. She just seemed to 'get' what the whole goal was. The ticket seemed to be filling up a bubble gum machine with M&Ms. Everytime she was successful, she was allowed to go turn the knob and get herself a few M&Ms. She picked up on the association immediately, and it was a powerful incentive! She can even take a nap (in her new little Dora or Elmo underwear) and wake up dry. You go girl!!!

Kate Gives Herself A Bang Trim

2008-03-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm combing Kate's hair back and think, what the?... What happened to your hair?!
This is one of those times when Kate looks at me as if to say, "Uh, I sorry, I only understand Chinese. Don't know what you're talking about."

I quizzed each person in the house, Did you cut Kate's hair? No, no , no, and no. Even Ryan looked believable when he said he had not touched Kate's hair. Are you sure you didn't cut her hair with scissors? No. Could she have cut her own hair that straight? She has seen Ryan and me using scissors, and I've taken them away from her before...Hmmm.....

Gotcha!

2008-03-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

On February 25th, 2007, the orphanage director handed Chang Qiu Lu (Kate) to us, and we held her for the first time. This is known in the adoption community as her "Gotcha Day"! I love that term...it's so cute and cheerful, and is a yearly cause for celebration, somewhat like an anniversary or birthday. I cannot believe she's already been here for a year! The comments I hear most often from friends that see her is "She's very pretty/sweet looking." and "Oh my gosh, she has gotten so tall, and looks like a big girl."

I like that you can see Kate's name on her windmill.

We included my nephew William in the celebrations. William was adopted from Liberia 2 years before Kate. We all grabbed a glass of sparkling apple cider and said a toast to Kate and William, thankful that they are a part of our family, and sending postitive thoughts, remembering their birth families, who made it posible for us to raise these 2 neat kids.

There's something about her sweet little face in this picture I just keep staring at.

Here we have Kate's hair before her self-inflicted-bang-trim a week later.

Hey! How's it goin'?

I'm just walkin'.

Walkin', walkin'.

But don't blink, 'cause I'll be on the other side of the park before you can open your eyes!

Try me!

Homemade chocolate cake. Mmm, Mmm, Mmm.
Mommy gave me a extra big piece, 'cause me and Daddy were going to share. (Daddy let me have most of it though!)

We got home late in the afternoon, and decided to just let Kate stay up from her nap, and we'd put her down for bed a bit early. She didn't quite make it that long.

About 5 bites into her food, she was out, and didn't even wake up when we got her down, cleaned her up and put her into her pajamas. It had been a very full day...but a special one!

What A Difference A Year Makes!

2008-03-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Here is Kate's one year progress report...She sure looks little here!

Updates:
Speech - Kate is a pretty quiet girl. She still struggles with speech, but will try to imitate what you're saying to her. Mommy, no, milk (meeilk),ligh(t), hi!, and nun-you (love you) are pretty understandable & clear. Ryan is still y-an, Bryson is y-ton, and she still signs C next to her cheek for Colton and B for Brendan.

Her sign language vocabulary has increased to about 100 words(!) that she is comfortable using. She will sometimes sign a word I wasn't even aware she knew! Kate started speech therapy 6 weeks ago, and goes once a week for about 45 minutes, and seems to love going! Her current goal is to say (and/or sign) 2-3 words instead of just one. After her upcoming surgery, when they close up the remaining hole in her palate, it should be much easier for her to make the sounds that require a burst of air...b,d,t,p,and c. We discovered that the little piece of skin under her tongue (frenulum) also comes out too far, keeping her from easily making certain sounds, and as this is pretty common, they'll take care of it at the same time in her surgery.

Growth - When we first brought her home, Kate was on the 50-70th percentile in height (meaning if there were 100 kids, she would be taller than 50-70 of them). The last time she was measured, she was on the 90-95th percentile in height! I asked the pediatrician if that meant she would be a tall girl, or if she'll grow until she hits about 14, then just stop. He said it could go either way, so I guess only time will tell! But for now, she's a tall 2 1/2 yr. old!

Food - When we picked up Kate, she amazed us at how much food she could eat. She basically just over-ate for about 4 to 6 weeks. She never ate to the point of throwing up, but you would be amazed at how much food she could pack away. When she was done (or I thought she was done), Kevin would give her a banana, and she would eat that too. She would eat until her little tummy was as tight as a drum. Our thinking was just feed her as much as she wants until she understands that there is no shortage of food, and if you're hungry, we have food for you. I'd say it took her a good month before she called 'uncle'...I give up! I believe you! I can't keep up! She still is the best eater we have, including salad and vegetables, but will no longer gorge herself. She's pretty good about finishing what's on her plate, but if she's not hungry will sign 'finished/all done'.

Loves - Kate loves chocolate. A lot. Chocolate frosting, peanut butter cups, M&Ms...she's not picky. She also loves warm baths with floaty toys and bubbles. Music, music, music. It doesn't matter what kind! I've never seen a child who enjoys & is attuned to music and dancing so much. Warm, cozy footy pajamas and towels fresh out of the dryer will usually get an 'oooohh' and a big smile, and for some reason, loves trying on shoes. Looking at herself in the mirror after I put a bow in her hair and we say/sign, "Oh, very pretty!" Cats...real, stuffed or in a book, and horses & cows. Fruit snacks!! french fries, and anything that Ryan loves. Books and more books. If she's in her room, she's probably reading a book, then she puts it down and pulls out another book. Dora The Explorer, Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse club, but mostly Dora. Going on an errand with Dad, and being tickled by Dad! Oh, and we've just discovered, the joy of girl scout cookies. :)

Life is good.

To sum it up, Kate has fit into the last little niche in our family. She is definitely just 'one of the gang'. We've always had extra little kids around, so I think it wasn't much of a stretch to have Kate around. She has a unique relationship with each of the boys. Bryson is the one she's most likely to wave & say "hi (y-son!)" to, Brendan often times bathes her and buckles her in her car seat and she definitely looks up to him as a 'big kid'. Colton is the one she is most likely to go to for comfort...she adores him, and the feeling is mutual. Ryan is her playmate and antagonist, the one she looks up to and wants to do whatever he is doing (or eat whatever he is eating!) She thinks he is SO funny and looks at him with so much admiration and love in her eyes, then looks at me with smiling eyes as if to say, "Isn't he great?!" Kevin, she runs to when he comes home, as she tries to say 'daddy' like Ryan does. Daddy is the little-kid-tickler, and is the patient one when is comes to sitting next to her at dinner time, or at a restaraunt, and Mommy is Kate's personal assistant....hair stylist, potty trainer, photographer, carseat & naptime enforcer and the bringer-of-food.

The whole family is the giver and receivers of hugs.

It's been a full year at out house, and in another way, it seems to have flown by.

I've Been Here For 6 Months!

2008-02-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I wrote this entry, then left it as a 'draft'. Since Feb. 25th, 3 days ago, was her 1 year "Gotcha Day", it seems fitting that I post this one!! Look for her 1 year update in the next few days! :)

As of September 7th,2007, Kate has been here for 6 months! She has put on 4 pounds, grown 3 inches, and has outgrown a 4 1/2, 5, 5 1/2 shoe and is about ready to outgrow a size 6 shoe!

Her hair has grown and has gotten shiny. I told Kevin, I don't remember her hair this silky & shiny when we first got her. She also has this cute patch of brand new hair on the top of her head about 3 inches long. When you put her hair in a pony tail, it works it's way out and leaves her looking like a little dandelion.

Most people ask me if she talks yet, to which I answer no, not really. She seems to understand pretty much everything we say to her, but still speaks about like an 11 month old. She says Mama, or Mommeeee, and once in a while will say 'go'. She can say no-no, and light (ligh). Murphy is something like on-hee and she will pat Murph at the same time. Ryan is y-an, Brendan she does not even attempt but holds a sign language 'B' up to her cheek. She still signs 'father/Dad' for Kevin, and as Colton is her security buddy, she will sign a 'C' up to her cheek, but it's usually more franticly done because she really wants him!

She signs to get her basic needs met: water, milk, owie!, hungry, thirsty, hot/cold, sign (meaning put on my sign language dvd), shower, bath, more, please, doll and baby. Oh, and I almost forgot, read and book. She loves books! and cat and dog. She tries to 'meow' when she signs cat...pretty funny. We are in the process of getting her signed up for speech therapy, and when she is 3, we will go through the school district.

We will go back to the surgeon in a couple weeks to see when Kate will go back for surgery to close up the opening in her palate. She still has a small area in the shape of a paisley behind her front teeth that is open, and the small hole in the middle, back, is trying hard to close itself up. Aside from her palate, she has been very healthy, and is a great sleeper. She is quite a bit more rambunctious than we had thought, and is very smart. I wish I could be her for a while and see what she's thinking.

Not feeling too hot

2008-02-21T16:23:00.001-08:00

Did the flu hit your house? Well, it definitely made the rounds at our house! First one down was Colton, then Kate, then it hit Mommy. Yikes!! It was the ol' fever-and-you-feel-like-you've-been-run-over-by-a-truck, kinda flu, with a terrible cough. Once hit, you were down for a good 5 days.

I gave Kate lunch and turned on Dora the Explorer for her. I went to make Ryan's lunch, and came back to Kate asleep, with her forehead resting on a banana.

Coming to momentarily...

...and, then...out again.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T14:40:00.000-08:00

We saved her 'Cutie Pie' outfit for Valentine's Day, and she looked very cheerful & festive as we dropped off Ryan at preschool! Mommy was wondering who had been dipping into the bowl of Reeses Peanut Butter cups on the table, wrapped in red and gold foil...Hmmmm.....

Taking Ryan's "ride" for a spin...

Last Post-Placement Visit....Whew!

2008-02-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, our social worker, Loren, came to the house to complete our last post-placement visit. For China, you need a homestudy (pre-adpotion), and two post-placement visits. After the visit, the social worker writes up a report including such things as Kate's recent height & weight, her upcoming surgery, any milestones, changes in the family or our living conditions, etc., and 6 pictures from us. One of the reports goes to All God's Children in Portland, one to us, and the last is sent to the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs). The social worker tries to "paint a picture" of how Kate is doing and her life here.

Rumor has it that they aren't there to see how clean the house is, but I still feel obligated to make sure we put our best foot forward, so spring cleaning ensues! From what I remember, each postplacement visit & report costs 250.00, which needed to be paid before the adoption took place. China is very adamant about the postplacement adoption reports being done and in on a timely basis, and understandably so. They do want to make sure that these children are being well taken care of. If people fail to get the post-adoption reports done, it could affect future adoptions from China, and that's not fair to those people adopting, who don't have their little one yet.

It feels good to have completed this last post-adoption visit, and passed that benchmark! Kate is taking a nap as I write this.

Chinese New Year - in February

2008-02-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

On Sunday afternoon we celebrated Chinese New Year at our friend Lisa's house down the street. She and her husband have two beautiful daughters from China. It was a potluck buffet, and there was so much good food, I'm sure I came home weighing a couple pounds more than when I had left our house.

I think there was probably 15 little Chinese girls there, only 1 or 2 of which actually had Chinese parents! Most little girls (and a few of the parents) were decked out in traditional Chinese dresses, and looked very sweet. (Kate being the cutest, of course!) Chinese music played in the house. Did I mention there was a ton of great food?? It was a very happy, cheerful environment, and felt like a celebration of these beautiful girls in our lives.

Kevin plays a game with Kate and Ryan...he hugs them and when they try to walk away, he grabs them and pulls them close again, as they giggle. Then to shake things up a bit, after a few times of this, he lets them get a bit away, and they will turn around to look at him, like, aren't you going to grab me?? which he does as they squeal with laughter.

Kate feels secure when the boys hold her, and goes to them when she's tired or needs comfort. This is Kate with Brendan.

The two giggle boxes with Dad "trying" to get away. I love the look on Kate's face in both these pictures.

Ryan talked Kate into climbing up the ladder and going down the slide, assuring her that he would help her. "Come on Kate!"

Naked feet on the grass...It's been a busy year!

As the afternoon went on, shoes and socks came off, pigtails began to droop, and her shirt with it's traditional closures refused to stay "buttoned".

I think this is one of my favorite pictures of the day.

My mommy says I'm 'very 2 1/2!'

It's a good day when you're with your big brother, and you know he loves you.

Don't You Just Love Autumn?!

2007-12-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

2007-12-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

Ryan had a Thanksgiving "feast" at his school...dinosaur chicken nuggets, cheetos, carrots and dip, and oreos. Ryan didn't eat anything but the Cheetos, and Kate ate pretty much everything.

Kate's favorite part of any holiday...the food.

I don't know who this kid is, but his hat was cracking me up!! LOL!

Of course we can't leave without a pass at the preschool playground.

I'll race you down!

Come here Kate and smile real big!

Thanksgiving Day at Kevin's brother's house. It was a fun day.

Mom, Dad, Kate & Ryan.

I feel kinda wild and crazy in my leopard skin pants. Come and dance with me!

The tradition at our house is that the day after Thanksgiving, down come all the Autumn decorations, and up goes the tree, outside lights, and all the Christmas decorations. It's a 2 day undertaking.

We're gonna help you, Mom!

Just think of us as your little elves!

You can trust us!

Do you think she was serious about that no-skateboards-in-the-house' thing?

A little cutie in front of the finished tree. (well, minus the tree skirt). She's been pretty good about not pulling the ornaments! Good girl. :)

The October Fires

2007-11-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

It was Sunday, "almost-Halloween" time. We were at a little girl's birthday party down the street (a friend who has adopted 2 little girls from China, and lives a block and a half away!) I had been in the house for a bit and came outside to a "cloudy" sky in the afternoon. It had been a warm day, so the clouds caught me off guard. "The sky looks kind of funny...almost looks like smoke..." The few people standing outside smiled at me as if to say, 'where have you been...haven't you heard the news?' Come to find out there was a fire in Ramona...20-30 minutes away. I hoped that it was no where near my friends' houses up there, and had no idea what was in store for us that week. I looked down and saw ashes on the princess astro-jump.

We were near the Witch Creek Fire, the largest one in California. I wish I had taken a picture of the sun late that afternoon. Colton (almost 9) and I went to the grocery store and were amazed to see the sky when we came out. The sun was red. Not orange, or even a deep orange, but red. Colton said, "I don't think that's the sun." It didn't look real.

The fires still seemed pretty far away, so I went to my sign language class that evening. Our 4 year old, Ryan, opened the door to say good bye and turned his head as if standing near a bonfire. I didn't realize it was that smoky until I got 20 minutes away and closer to the ocean and got a good look at what I had just come from. Half the sky was glowing a smoky orange, and the rest of the sky was a beautiful blue at dusk. As ominous as it looked, it was really quite beautiful!

Usually a Santa Ana means it will be hot, when it shouldn't be hot, and with a bit gusty winds. Well on that night, the winds were just howling. Windy like you would expect with pouring rain and thunder. Except there was no rain and no thunder, and it was warm. My poor windchime on the balcony about blew off the hook, and the trees were bending in the wind. A horrible time for a fire.

Well the Santa Ana winds blew from 50-70mph, and within 8 hours had blown the fire westward from the Witch Creek, (east of Ramona), to Escondido...10-15 minutes away. So 5:am I'm watching the news wondering if I should call my sister about her evacuating, not realizing that we were the ones who were going to have to evacuate. Kevin goes to work (!) with a casual 'Let me know if anyone has to evacuate' comment on the way out the door. The phone starts ringing....Are you guys OK? did you know they're evacuating your area? Need a place to go? I'm really tired and just want to fall back asleep. Getting up, packing up the tribe and all my worldly possessions was not on my list of things I was hoping to do today. (Kevin came home an hour and a half later.)

Well the Lord was watching over us and we went to my brother and sister-in-laws house that morning. They live near the beach, and have 3 kids. Our little ones had cousins and toys to play with, the big kids had a lovely pool to swim in (I know it's almost November, but don't forget it was a Santa Ana, and very warm). Kate had a crib to sleep in, and the rest of us sacked out on the couch or in sleeping bags. I think it was more of a campout for the kids! Murphy and the three cats were welcome, too. (We took Murphy and the kids to 'Dog Beach'...pretty funny. Murphy kept trying to bite the waves. It was his first time in the ocean!) It could not have been better, but was still an exhausting week. I kept wondering what it would have been like if we had had to go to the stadium. (Yikes!!!) I'll always be grateful they let us move in for 3 days. Their neighbors all seemed to have a houseful of people staying too. I guess that's what happens when you evacuate 25% of a city the size of San Diego!

By the time the Witch Creek fire was out, it had burned more than 200,000 acres, and destroyed about 1500 homes. We drove home in a "dusty" car, to what looked like a dusty house, where ash had made it inside. But when you would clean, the dust rag was black, as were the bottoms of your feet. Oddly enough, even near the beach, where the air was relatively clear, everyone's feet were black from the soot in the air/on the ground...even inside the house!

I drove to the mall the other day in Escondido, a 15 minute drive. On the way, you drive past the spot where the fire jumped Hwy. 15, an 8 lane freeway, with a width of 400 feet....greater than the length of a football field! I realize we were very lucky that the fire was stopped by all the firefighters in San Diego, and all the f.f. from different cities and states who came to help. My heartfelt 'thanks'!!!

Even at the beach, the sky was hazy with smoke.

Murphy making friends at the beach! :)