Our Family

How to use your wheat to make the best bread ever!

2011-04-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have really been enjoying all the how-tos on my friend "Stie's" blog and I've been trying to think of what I could possibly contribute in the midst of such talent and brilliance. And although I can take absolutely no credit for this - I can share the BEST WHEAT BREAD EVER!!!

For years I bought my wheat bread from a bakery. It soft and chewy and delicious and so when they went out of business I was devastated. I never thought I would find a good wheat bread again but I was wrong - I found one that is better and that I can make at home. And as a bonus - for those of you who store pounds and pounds of wheat - you can rotate through your food storage.

The bad news is that you need equipment, expensive equipment. My husband was not too happy when I one day announced I needed a Bosch and then added "oh and I need a wheat grinder to go with it." But even he will admit that they are well worth the hefty price tag. I'm sure that you can make this recipe without these machines but they do make it much, much easier. If your serious about bread than I would highly recommend them.

For Karen's Famous Wheat Bread you will need:

4 cups warm water

1 TBSP. Salt

1/3 Cup Oil

1 Cup Honey

1 1/2 TBSP. dough enhancer

2 TBSP. yeast

3/4 Cup gluten flour

9-14 cups of wheat flour

(Dough enhancer can be difficult to find. Some grocery stores carry it and most kitchen supply or emergency preparedness stores will have it. If not you can always purchase it online. Wheat gluten is easier to find and is usually located in the baking aisle.)

Put all the ingredients in the bowl except the flour and mix. Add four cups of flour and combine. Then add another 3-4. The next part is tricky because depending on what kind of wheat you are using, the climate and time of year will depend on how much flour you need. Once the dough is pulling away from the sides start adding flour a 1/4 cup at a time. If you have never made wheat bread before it might take some trial and error to get the right consistency.

Once the dough is not too sticky (but not too heavy) allow to knead in the mixer for 12 minutes.

While it is mixing I pull out my bread pans. The ones on the right are my good William Sonoma pans. The ones on the left not so good. One day my dream of having matching gold pans will come true - but not today. Spray with cooking spray.

After 12 minutes remove dough from mixer and shape roughly into a square. Cut into four even sections.

To shape I take one of the balls and pound it on the counter to make a smooth surface and then roll into a loaf.

Place in pan and let rise. The rise time can vary depending on the temperature of your house, etc. I let mine rise until they are above the loaf pan rim and nicely rounded.

Bake in the oven at 325 for 35 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Here I have a double batch to share with neighbors :) If you don't want to share (and who can blame you after all you bought the wheat, you ground the wheat, you made the bread....etc.) then this bread freezes beautifully.

I have been making this bread for many years now and I love it. I finally had the opportunity to meet the Karen of "Karen's Famous Wheat Bread". It was a little like meeting a celebrity. She is just as awesome as her bread. Seriously - I'm not kidding when I say this bread changed my life!

Happy Bread Making!!!!

1st Lost Tooth for Logan!

2011-03-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

Haylee Mei Singing!

2011-03-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

Haylee loves the song "I am a Child of God". She is so cute singing even if we can't understand the words.

New Haircut

2011-03-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

Clean Desk Award - I think not!

2011-02-27T15:56:00.000-08:00

So the other day I walked into Mac's room and saw this award that she had gotten at school sitting on her desk.

But this is what her desk looked like. I think her teacher might want to reconsider if she saw this! Yikes!

Strike!

2011-02-27T15:48:00.000-08:00

For Martin Luther King Day we headed to the bowling alley for some family fun. Our kids are at such fun ages for this kind of thing. Even Haylee Mei had a great time. I wish I could freeze my family right now because it doesn't get much better than this.

Christmas!

2011-01-11T09:39:00.001-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year. So fun to celebrate in our new house. Merry (late) Christmas and a very happy New Year!

Mac's Baptism

2010-12-23T15:50:00.001-08:00

On December 18th Mac was baptized. This is a very important step in our church. We believe it is necessary in order to return to live with our Father in Heaven. We believe that 8 years old is when we can be held accountable for knowing right from wrong.

This little girl has been a joy to our family. She is so sweet and helpful. She is smart and tender, loving and kind. She is easy-going yet stubborn. She is - in a word - Perfect. She really tries hard to do what is right and we are so proud of her in deciding to take this important step.

You got to love the leisure suit Kevin picked out. He says it was the only one that fit but I secretly think Kevin misses the 70's.

We had a fun filled weekend with lots of family, food and fun. We appreciate all those who made

efforts to attend. We are grateful for the many who offered their support and love on this special day.

Congratulations Mac!!!!

Haylee's Birthday!

2010-12-22T16:46:00.001-08:00

My baby is three! Hard to believe it! Haylee had a fun day. Logan, Sissy and I all celebrated our birthdays recently and so she was delighted that it was finally her turn to open presents. We got hamburgers and had chocolate cake. This little girl is truly a miracle and we all feel so blessed that she is a member of our family! We love you Mei!

Thanksgiving!

2010-12-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome Thanksgiving this year up in Seattle. Kevin's sister, Lori, was an unbelievable host yet again. The food was fantastic, the company outstanding, combining to make a very happy four days. Here we are at the Bellevue botanical gardens. It was truly a winterwonderland of lights.

Looking at the interesting food at the largest Korean market I've ever been to in the USA -

H-Mart.

We ate lots of delicious food...

Relaxed...

Played games...

relaxed...

played in the snow...

And had a wonderful time! Thanks again to our wonderful hosts!!!

Miss Mac's B-day

2010-12-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

My little girl is now 8 years old! I can't believe it! We had a real low-key birthday because of the holiday but we had a good time going to the arcade and out to dinner - Chinese of course. She got new roller blades but such is the weather that she hasn't really had the opportunity to use them much but I know that she'll master them once nice weather comes again. When this girl puts her mind to something - she is going to make it happen! She will be getting baptized in December! We are all looking forward to the special occassion.

Miss Mac picked Pumpkin Pie for her birthday cake! She is the only one in the family who likes it so she basically got the whole pie to herself - smart girl!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T18:01:00.001-07:00

Haylee with Hair - Lots of it!

2010-10-22T18:17:00.001-07:00

Ever wonder what Haylee would look like with hair???

Here you go...

Isn't she a cutie! But I guess we'll wait for the natural locks to come in - enough though at this rate she'll be 16 before we can even do a bob.

L's Birthday

2010-10-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

L had a pretty low-key birthday this year. On Saturday we went out to lunch and then to Toys R Us so he could shop for a toy from his grandma. Then we went to the Nickel Arcade in Portland. And of course he opened presents and had cake. I can't believe my baby is 6!

A new haircut and a new appliance

2010-10-12T19:19:00.001-07:00

Sissy has a new haircut and I think she looks adorable - I love it. I have just never been good at doing hair and then all those multiple cowlicks - it just seemed impossible. She loves it too!

But thats not all she got this weekend - we took our first foray into the world of orthodontics. Luckily for us we have the BEST Orthodontist in the WEST as a member of our family. The problem is that he lives 5 hours away. But it is worth it - all that metal is expensive. (I didn't feed my brother or let him to his laundry at our house for nothing all those years he was in school! :)

Sorry Future Sis if you ever wonder why your mother posted such an unflattering picture of yourself - well be comforted to know that not many people visit my blog. Besides, grandma wanted to see it!

First Day of School

2010-09-07T12:25:00.001-07:00

My kindergartener! I have to admit I got a little teary-eyed as the bus drove away. I'm going to miss him!

It rained on the first day - what a bummer! I'm not quite ready to say good-bye to the summer weather - although we didn't have much to begin with this year.

It felt kind of strange at the bus stop. There was only one other little girl there. We are used to seeing at least twenty kids every morning. Maybe once all the houses fill in this will be the place to be. But if things keep going the way the are going it might turn into a retirement community - yikes!

End of Summer Fun

2010-09-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

Okay I did this all backwards but I'm not saavy enough to try and figure it out. We had a fun weekend starting with a trip to the zoo on Thursday. On Friday evening Kevin's sister, Lori, and her family arrived. We had a fun filled weekend of non-stop walking and eating. We also played a lot of pingpong and pool. It all ended here at Beaches restaurant.

Boys on the land bridge.

Harrison behind bars

Logan at Fort Vancouver

Haylee basking in all the attention she received

On the cannons in front of the Factor's house

Lower Falls

Inside the tunnels at Two Forests

We also went through Ape Caves.

At the Zoo.

Harrison's Birthday

2010-08-24T09:14:00.001-07:00

Harrison celebrated his birthday in the middle of our move. The poor boy has had a couple of busy birthdays in a row. Last year his birthday was the day after Haylee's surgery in the middle of a heat wave. This year it was in the middle of moving chaos. But as always he is a good sport about it and next year we'll have to make it up to him some how. He did get his favorite food when me and Kevin took him out to lunch for ribs - so according to him it wasn't a complete bust. He always looks on the bright side. I feel so lucky to be this boy's mom.

Some Pics

2010-08-10T08:24:00.001-07:00

We are In!

2010-08-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

We are in but not unpacked. Our garage is overwhelmingly full of boxes that I don't know how I can possibly ever empty them all, let a lone find a place for it. How did we accumulate so much stuff? We are beyond exhausted but grateful. My mom and Chuck came last week and helped us so much. I don't know how I can ever repay their generosity. And Tyson and his family came up for the weekend to help too. Not to mention our friends from the ward who helped us move on Saturday. We are sadly sans blinds (long angry fist-shaking story). They won't arrive until a week from Thursday. In the meantime I am noticing a million little things that need to be fixed and freaking out about scuff marks on the baseboards. All very silly stuff indeed - but did I mention I'm exhausted. It has been quite a year so far but we are in the home stretch! Soon we will be open for visitors! I'll post pictures soon.

Getting Close...

2010-07-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

We sign on Friday and it will fund in a week. Hopefully we can start moving things over next Wednesday. I've started packing up and trying to figure out what will go where. We had a fun Saturday picking out a bunch of new furniture. The carpet went in today. The hardwood floors are done. They are landscaping and putting in the plumbing. We are getting so excited!!!

ROOOAAAAR!

2010-07-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

Haylee

2010-07-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that this little sweetie has been with our family now longer than she was in the orphanage. She is such a miracle! I can't imagine our life without her. She is definitely getting into those terrible twos but along with that is a very silly personality is developing. She is expressing herself in language and although she is hard to understand she keeps cracking me up. She is a clever girl! We've just changed speech therapy programs to get her 2x a week therapy to find out whether or not she will need another surgery to be able to make air pressure sounds. At times it is overwhelming but I do not doubt that she will "get it" eventually. She is so smart and funny and beautiful. She loves to dance and copy others and she is starting to sing. I feel blessed with all my children but there is just something extra poignant about adoption. Whenever I try to describe my emotions in this adventure I always come up short because there are no words to express my gratitude. God did not create the circumstances that led to Haylee being abandoned nor did he create the hole in my heart after Ava died. These things are just part of our mortal existence. Bad things happen to us all. But I do believe that He was responsible for mending both or our broken hearts. So as I contemplate Haylee joining our family the only word I can use is a deep, faith promoting Gratitude and even that seems inadequate.

Paint and Lockers

2010-07-04T16:36:00.001-07:00

New House Pics

2010-06-30T10:45:00.001-07:00

Carpet has been a NIGHTMARE! I've been to the carpet place so often that everyone knew me. It was really hard to narrow it down to two samples. I've had them the last month or so trying to decide which one. So the carpet guy calls and says we've got to get this ordered TODAY! So me and Kevin go in and it is then that he informs me that he doesn't like either of my samples and want to pick something else out. So after months of agonizing, narrowing down and thinking about carpet, Kevin makes a split second decision and we have to pick the carpet color from a teeny, tiny sample. I'm still not happy about it but oh well. If you hate my carpet please direct all comments to Kevin.

On the other hand I couldn't be more happy with my trim. I think it all turned out lovely.

And here are the trim wrapped windows in the back. They had orginally forgotten to put them on and so they had to come back and add. They painted them yesterday and I love the way it looks.

More pics of trim.

Closet trim

Things have really picked up. They are now doing the finish work. Today when we were at the house there were a dozen people working. It is so fun to see it all coming together. They will be working on our fireplace/entertainment center and concrete today.

Father's Day and Kevin's Birthday

2010-06-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

These two holidays usually fall in the same week and it is always hard to know what to get Kevin. He likes to pick out his own toys so me and the kids went and picked him out some of his favorite snacks: nuts, chips, italian sodas and beef jerky. (Don't feel sorry for him - he'll be getting a pool table once the house is done.) The kids made him awesome cards and pictures and we made him pecan pie for his birthday cake. He is a great husband and father and we are so lucky to have him!

PS please ignore my messy house in all the pictures :(

Thanks to Great Teachers!

2010-06-30T10:36:00.001-07:00

I loved my kids teachers this year. Mrs. O'Neil and Mrs. Ensley were terrific and Harrison had a great year. They have a tough job but manage to pull it off beautifully. The end of year potluck was so much fun!

And Mr. Schiewe is one of the best teachers ever! He has a great way of making every kid feel like they are special. He was so great to help McKaylin at the first of the year when she was having a hard time adjusting. He made learning so fun! We've been so lucky at Harmony to have absolutely wonderful teachers and it will be hard to leave.

I've Got a Runner

2010-06-30T10:31:00.001-07:00

This year Harrison walked 39 miles for Harmony's Excercise Program. He would walk or run laps during recess earning "feet" for his necklace. He completed 39 miles coming in second at his school for the total miles walked. At the end of the year he got this certificate and a step counter. I'm so proud of him!

A Painted House

2010-06-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

We've got paint and we've got drywall. Things are progressing nicely. I couldn't be happier with our paint colors - I'm just hoping our rock selection doesn't mess it up. They worked on the drywall this weekend and got a lot done. Can't wait to see how far they get today. It really makes a difference. We are mostly happy with how everything turned out but we really wish we had more light in our family room and upstairs hall. Oh well - I guess you always find things you would have done differently in hindsight.

Pre-School Graduation

2010-06-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

He did it! He graduated from preschool. Isn't he a handsome boy? He is now officially ready for the Big K. Congratulations L.

Buggy Beat

2010-06-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

It's that time - End of Year programs. Mac had her "In the Garden" informance last week. As you can see she was a LadyBug. She did a great job!

My Little Munchkin

2010-05-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

This year Children's World of Music put on a production of the Wizard of Oz. Logan was a munchkin. He is a star!

The OLYMPIC PENNISULA and forks

2010-05-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed up north for our annual get-a-way with Kevin's sister and family. This year our destination was the BEAUTIFUL Olympic Pennisula. We stayed in a lovely house in Forks. But before anyone gets too excited let me just state for the record that a certain novel about vampires had NOTHING to do with our decision to stay there. It just happened to be where we found suitable lodging and NO we did not see any gorgeous vampires lurking around.

These pictures are completely out of order. I can't figure out how to get that right but this is at Clallam Bay. It was so pretty. We were told that there were awesome tide pools here and they were right but they were also about a mile away from the parking lot. After a six mile hike, not many of us were up for the additional two miler. But me and my niece Ellie took the challenge and were happy we did. Lori and Harrison walked out there too. I brought back a little crab to show everyone and then we put it back in the water. Me and Sis also found this lovely starfish. We toss that one back in too.

We had lots of fun picnics thanks to Kevin and Lori.

Cape Alava. Our destination from Lake Ozette. Aprox. 3 miles each way. Kevin carried Haylee on his shoulders the whole way.

Sol Duc Falls

Marymore Falls near Crescent lake. Those are water bottles in my pockets - not my hips - I promise. I can't believe I'm posting this hideous picture of me but I guess I have to prove I was actually there.

The beautiful Lake Crescent. Absolutely breathtaking!

The Dungoness Spit. Cool but cold.

The petting zoo at the Olympic Game Park

Since I forgot my camera I had to rely on the kindness of Lori and Elic. They were kind enough to capture the adventure. We truly have a great time with their family. It was an awesome trip!

House Update

2010-05-30T19:36:00.001-07:00

These are actually from a couple weeks ago. We now have plumbing, electrical and some siding. We should start insulation next week. We are disappointed, however, to learn that it will be done a month later than we had originally thought. We are now looking at the end of July :(. But it is fun to see that we are making progress. I'll try to post some updated pictures soon.

Trip to Utah

2010-05-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

We went to Utah April 24-May2nd to attend this lovely couple's wedding. It was so fun to see family and enjoy an evening together on this special day.

This is the first time that Kevin's mom has had a chance to meet Miss Haylee. Haylee took to her immediately.

We all love grandma Sugar!

While in Utah Chuck took us up to Kennecot. I have never been up there before and it was interesting and sad. Chuck worked there for over twenty-five years.

Aunt Lori and Mac

Shooting some hoops

Uncle Cody

Playing with Aunt Xu

We also got some free haircuts. They were definitely worth the price - but even with two people involved - thanks mom and Cody - it still took the better part of an afternoon. I think we will stick with the professionals next time... like Uncle Ty :)

Lovin' on grandma! Hope to see you soon!

Second Floor

2010-05-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

Mac and Haylee's Room

Logan's room

Harrison's room

Mac excited about the family room - notice all the water - yikes!

We just got back from a trip to Utah (more on that later) and were pleased to see the progress on our house. It is nice to be able to see the sizes of the rooms etc. I wish it would stop raining here until we get the roof on. Right now it is a swamp in there. The kids came home all muddy. Yuck! We are meeting with the carpet guy this morning to try and finalize some of our selections. It is all very fun and exciting.

Framing

2010-04-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

Foundation

2010-04-13T17:18:00.001-07:00

Yellow and Blue

2010-04-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

Leave it to me to finally buy my kids all matching outfits for Easter only to realize that Easter is during conference this year. Oh, well - there are always plenty of opportunities to dress up for church.

Not so spring break and a retaining wall

2010-04-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

This week I decided to take the kids and head down to Klamath Falls for spring break. My brother just opened his orthodontic practice down there and we wanted to go check it out. Kevin couldn't go because of work and it was the first time I've driven any where of any distance with all four kids by myself. But I was anxious to see my brother and his family and my mom and stepdad Chuck were driving up from Utah to meet us there. This was what greeted us on the 140. It was beautiful and the there wasn't too much snow on the roads. The kids did terrific! I was so proud of them. We had a good time with my brother and his awesome family and the kids loved seeing grandma and grandpa. We left to return home yesterday morning and there aren't any pictures of 140 this time because I was in panic mode. It was snowing and the road was packed with snow. It was a very scary drive and I was worried we weren't going to make it as we passed a downed tree, a car that had slid off the road, a jack knifed semi and I almost slid into a cliff. Needless to say I will only being visiting Klamath Falls in the summer from here on out.

While I was gone they removed the trees in the back yard and put up the retaining wall. I am a little disappointed about how much of our backyard we lost but what can you do?

One Year Ago Today

2010-03-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

March 27, 2009
March 27, 2010

One year ago today our lives were changed in the most amazing way as our daughter Haylee Mei was placed in our arms. What an amazing adventure adoption has been! We are so truly blessed and words cannot express my feelings on this day as we celebrate our one year anniversary together. She is so amazing and we are grateful that we've been allowed to add this brilliant girl to our family!!!

To celebrate we went out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. (I know it isn't much considering what a momentous occasion this is but we still have four little kids so we can't do anything too crazy.)

A Hole in the Ground

2010-03-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Our little lot now has a giant hole in the ground. Yay! It has begun! We went and checked it out last night and it is starting to feel real. We were surprised to see how far our lot actually went back and a little disappointed to realize that we will have four giant trees on our property. But it will give us a little bit more space. There is quite a drop off but our builder will be installing a retaining wall so that all of our backyard will be useable. Me and Kev are very excited - the kids not so much. They just wanted to head to the park like we'd promised.

Permits are in!

2010-03-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

So it is official. Permits were turned in last Friday. Our builder is saying that it will take about two weeks. We are anxious to get started.

Whirlwind 2010

2010-02-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

So we've started out 2010 with a bang! We knew that we wanted to try selling our house this year. We outgrew it a couple years ago but Kevin wanted us to wait for a while. And so we waited with the idea that we would try and sell in the spring. Then Kevin's work threw us off a bit when they announced that he could either work from home or move out of state. We knew that it would probably take a few months to sell so we decided to put the house on the market and while we waited we could decide what we wanted to do. We listed it January 13th and had sold it by the 16th! We couldn't believe it! It has been a crazy month. On February 5th we signed paperwork and by the 10th our house of 10 years no longer belonged to us. We've moved into a rental and have decided to build a new house here. We are very excited about this new adventure but sad to leave the home that we've brought all four of our children home to. There are so many memories there and I feel like I just didn't have enough time to process it all. But things are moving smoothly and quickly and so I suppose it was meant to be. We'll try to keep you all updated on our progress! Happy 2010!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T16:56:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a great year it has been! We had a lovely time with so many family members visiting but it went by all too quickly. Haylee got in the Christmas spirit fast and loved opening her presents. She is at such a fun age for all of this. So humbling to think back about Christmas time the last few years and how desperately I wanted this child. Feeling so overwhelmed at the emotion of finally having her here and watching her face light up on Christmas day. So happy to see all of my kids together but still a empty place where my sweet Ava belongs. I have great hopes for 2010 and can't wait to see what joy it brings! Happy New Year to you all!

DECEMBER 8 - SHE'S TWO!!!!

2009-12-09T21:06:00.002-08:00

Okay one day late but my baby is two! I can't believe it! We had such a fun day and here are some of the highlights.

One Year Ago Today...

2009-11-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

we opened our email to find these pictures. We knew then that this was our daughter. I can still remember the excitement and nervousness of that weekend as we tried to find a doctor to review her file. I must have looked at her pictures a million times. I couldn't wait to meet this little girl who had captured my heart so completely.

And this is a picture of our girl from last night. She has exceeded our wildest dreams in every way. She constantly amazes us and delights us. We see more and more of her sweet personality day by day. This has been one of the coolest experiences of my life. We have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving! We've been home almost nine months now and what a joy she's been!

Big Girl Bed! (Kind of)

2009-11-20T08:38:00.003-08:00

Little Miss HM is sleeping in a big girl bed - kind of. The first couple nights she did amazingly well. Sleeping all through the night and staying in bed. Well the last couple nights she has realized she can get out of bed so we've put her back in the crib. The problem is that she wants to sleep in her crib. She is so cute tucked into her big girl bed. The little girl is the sweetest and easiest baby!

Hangin' with big Sis. You got to love her jack O' lantern smile.

Finally Family Pictures

2009-11-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

We FINALLY got some family pictures. Believe me when I say it was a long time coming. We had them taken by Scarlette Richards. She did such an unbelievable job of capturing the kids. I just love the pictures of them. And it was all relatively painless (with the exception of coming up with cordinating outfits). I am so happy to finally have some beautiful pictures of our family.

Check out Scarlette's website at www.scarlette.squarespace.com.

We are now H1N1 vaccinated!

2009-11-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

After 2 and half hours of standing in line with four little kids we are all - except Kevin - vaccinated against Swine Flu. (Well, actually if we can make it through the next 21 days without exposure.) It was a nightmare and I came ill prepared but I was glad to see I wasn't the only one crazy enough to bring four kids by myself. I wondered if I should get one since I have been feeling kind of sick but there was no way I was going to wait for that long and not get something for it. Hopefully, this year the dreaded H1N1 will pass us by.

Pumpkin Carving and Halloween

2009-11-01T19:58:00.001-08:00

Most of the family had a nice Halloween with me and Kevin being the only exceptions. We are not feeling well - some sort of bug that makes us exhausted. But we did manage to make it through all the weeks holiday festivities which included pumpkin carvings, HP annual Halloween event, a ward party and multiple last minute costume changes for L. This was HM's first Halloween and I think she thought it was great. She loved getting candy and mumbled her own little version of "trick or treat". She didn't smile but she was all business. Had to convince her on the night of the big event to put her costume back on - she'd had it - hence the tears - but once we got going she had a good time. I am loving all of these firsts for her. The next two months will be full of them - her first Thanksgiving, Birthday (with us) and Christmas. A lot to look forward to. Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch!

2009-10-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

We didn't know if we were going to make it this year. The weather this week was questionable - wet, wet, wet. But then this morning came and it was a beautiful, sunny, fall day. Off to the pumpkin patch. This year we went to one up in Salmon Creek trying to avoid the crowds. There wasn't much to it but it was fun. The kids all won a stuffed animal. (I also had one of my most embarrassing moments there but I won't expose myself here.) Had lunch at Applebees before heading home. All in all it was a very fun day!

Logan's B-day

2009-10-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

In the midst of all our sickness I forgot to post Logan's birthday pictures. No parties this year. Just lots of presents. Poor kid - this is the second year in a row that he has gotten sick on his birthday.

AGGGHHH Sick Kids!

2009-10-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

So the kids have been sick. I just dread the moment when one of them comes down with something because I immediately begin to visual the next weeks as one after another cycles through it. H had it first. It started with a headache, fever and then he threw up once. Then it turned into a cough. He is now back to school. Then L came down with it. That poor kid catches everything. He definitely has the weakest immune system in our family. I think it's because I used so much hand sanitizer when he was a baby. Now HM has a fever and just isn't acting like herself. It has been almost two weeks now and we still aren't completly healthy. So far M is the only one who hasn't come down with anything. Now my brother is sick. He thinks he may have caught it from us. His doctor thinks he has H1N1. I didn't take my kids in but the nurse I talked to didn't think that was it. I love the fall but I hate all the sickness that comes with a change in weather.

Six Months

2009-09-28T12:41:00.001-07:00

Six months ago yesterday this beautiful little girl was placed in our arms for the first time. It seems like an eternity ago. I don't want to sugar coat it - it has been hard and there were times when I wondered if I was cut out for this. But every day my love for this little girl gets stronger and stronger. She is such a joy! Yesterday was our annual children's program at church. As I watch my three older kids sing and say their parts (Harrison gave a talk about attending the temple for Haylee's sealing). I couldn't help but remember the Primary Program 3 years ago. I went to church with a very troubled heart wondering what my Heavenly Father would have me do. As I sat and listened to the children sing, in my mind's eye I saw a beautiful little Asian girl singing and I knew she was mine. The next day I received some information on adoption from China. I had forgotten I'd even requested it. (After Ava died I looked for all sorts of things online.) I knew that day that adoption was something that we should pursue. It only took Kevin three months to get onboard, which if you know Kevin is lightening quick. The journey to Haylee has been difficult and there have been uncertainties. But as I sat with Haylee watching the Primary Program I was able to see just how beautifully God's plan unfolded for our family. I am so grateful for this little girl. She brings us all so much happiness...

She delights us...

She charms us...

She tickles us...

We are soooooooo very grateful that she is ours!!! We love you Haylee Mei!!!!!!

Back to the Beach

2009-09-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

So one last hurrah over Labor day weekend. At the last minute me and Kev decided to take the kids out to Lincoln City. The weather wasn't supposed to be very good but we were anxious to get away for a couple of days. We didn't send the kids to school on Friday - their third day back - and they were disappointed??? And drove to Lincoln City. We had lunch at Mo's and then checked into our hotel on the beach. We went down and played for a couple of hours - enjoying beautiful - well for Oregon - weather. We packed a lot into just a couple days. We swam in the pool, went to the lighthouse, aquarium, the beach again and of course shopping! We came home on Sunday and spent a relaxing Labor Day together. It was the perfect weekend!

Back to School

2009-09-14T09:43:00.001-07:00

I am a bad, bad mom. I just realized as I was doing this post that I forgot to take pictures of Logan's first day of school! I feel horrible! But at least I got two out of three. Here are the pictures of Harrison and McKaylin's first day of school. Mac is in 1st grade and Harrison is in 3rd. Logan is starting his second year of preschool. It has all gone by so fast! I miss having the kids around but I'm glad to get back into a schedule. And I think Haylee Mei is enjoying some one on one time.

Always Fun When Grandma and Grandpa Come!

2009-09-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time while grandma and grandpa were here. They are the best and we miss them already!

First hike of season - and it's August - Ugh!

2009-08-16T16:36:00.001-07:00

Last year we were hiking and biking every weekend but we've had other things happening this summer so this was our first chance. It was so fun! Haylee was a trooper. She loves being outdoors.

Falls Creek Falls. I love the Pacific Northwest. There is no better place to hike!

Harrison turns 9!

2009-08-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

Week Three - Almost there!

2009-08-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

Haylee is doing really well. I'm sure that she will be excited to finally get these restraints off and start eating goldfish crackers again. Tomorrow we have our post op visit. I'm hoping they will say she is done but it is more likely they will say another week. Oh, well. We've done it this long what is another week - right?

So we've been hanging low and not doing much so I thought maybe I'd bring out the little people toys for Haylee. They've been up in the attic since the other kids have outgrown them. Haylee was intrigued for about a minute. But guess who played with them the entire day - that's right, my older kids. Even Harrison my 9 nine old had a grand time. I love the Fisher Price Little People!

Loving this girl more and more each day!

Oh So Sad Post Op Pics

2009-07-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Haylee waiting to be taken in. She LOVED this little blue rocker. So innocent and trusting not knowing what was about to happen.

My poor baby in her crib once she was moved into her room. So happy that the rooms at OHSU are private.

Isn't this so sad!

But at least I get to cuddle with her - something she rarely wants to do when she is feeling well.

Putting on a brave front just before we are discharged

One more shot before we go.

Random pictures prior to surgery

2009-07-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Surgery and Heat Wave

2009-07-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

This heat is killing me! It was 106 today and it is not going to level off until Thursday. Oh well. I suppose it is a good week for laying low and staying indoors. Haylee's surgery went very well. She is still in a lot of pain and on a liquid diet - yuck! But tomorrow we can start the soft foods that will be her lot for the next 4 WEEKS. The no-nos, 0r arm retraints, are not fun but they are doing the job - keeping her fingers out of her mouth. I am beginning to think that the easy part was the surgery and hospital stay. The hard part is going to be protecting her from herself and the kids. Although she isn't feeling 100% she is already wanting to climb on things and dance around. It is giving me a heart attack. Luckily Kevin was home today but I just don't know how I'm going to keep a vigilant eye on her and deal with the other kids on my own. Haylee is such a little trooper and I'm so incredibly proud of her. She has been through so much in her young life but she still keeps going with a sense of humor and the sweetest smile. We are sooooo very lucky to have her. I'll post a few pics later.

Surgery!

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

Haylee's surgery is scheduled for Monday morning! I'm excited and nervous for her. It will be very good for her to have her palate repaired but I am so scared to have her going through this procedure although it is pretty routine. I've never had one of my children in the hospital so that aspect of it is making my heart hurt a little. We will be checking in at 7:00 am so it is going to be a LONG day. The operation will be about 3 1/2 hours. She'll have to stay overnight but hopefully if everything looks good we can leave on Tuesday.

Trip to Utah

2009-07-10T16:45:00.001-07:00

Haylee hanging with Aunt Xu

Love my family - missing Ty and Crystal

Grandpa is very brave

Handsome boy

The Belly Dance

Smores! Up in Millcreek Canyon

Haylee lovin' on Midnight

My beautiful babies

Kickin' at Cabelas

"Whose idea was it to go miniature golfing in this heat!"

Dinosaur Museum in Ogden

Keepin' in cool at Willow Park

Waiting for fireworks at Aggie Stadium in Logan. Boy -does that bring back memories!

Haylee's first fireworks!

Happy 4th of July!

We can be together forever!

2009-07-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

On June 27th we went to Utah and were sealed to Haylee Mei Guihong for time and eternity. This is a very important part of our religion since we believe that families can be together forever. It was a very special day for us to be surrounded by family. It was especially wonderful to see all my kids together in the temple. I will remember it forever!

School's Out for Summer!

2009-06-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

Blessing Day

2009-06-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Haylee Mei was blessed on Sunday, June 7th. We got the dress in China for $5. What a bargain!

Haylee with her cousin Aria.

Baby at the Beach

2009-06-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

So over Memorial Day we went to the beach with Kevin's sister and her family. We stayed in this lovely house and had a blast!

Random cuteness

Love this dress - thanks Aunt Sherri

After Milk

Before Milk. Whering big brother's t-shirt because pjs were in the wash.

Liking the sand.

Trying to keep warm

Interesting

Doing Just Fine!

2009-05-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

I was liking the pool until big brother dumped a cup of water on my head. So sad!

Looking so stylish! The day before mother's day some friends gave us a shower. This little girl got so many clothes and toys I couldn't believe it. Thanks to sooooo many!

Going for a ride thanks to big sis.

Another darling outfit!

Oh big brother - this is going to take some getting used to.

Such a pretty girl!

And look at that smile!

Story time!

Haylee LOVES music. She walks around with this little music maker pressed to her ear, swaying back and forth in a cute little dance.

Our Girl!

2009-04-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

I thought I was done blogging but it has been such a great way to post pictures for friends and family who live nearby. Xu - these are for you and anyone else whose been checking back and wishing we'd update. Things are going well. Haylee is adjusting and we are getting comfortable in our new normal. I don't have many pictures where she is smiling but she really is a very sweet, happy and funny girl!

We're Home!!!

2009-04-12T19:18:00.001-07:00

We are home!!! It feels so good to finally say that. The plane ride was grueling and it will be a long while before I decide to travel internationally again. It was torture! I began every leg of our flight with a little prayer that we would make it home safely but I always added a little addendum at the end (especially on the one from Beijing to Seattle) - that if it is His will that I go now than please have mercy on me and all these people and take us at the beginning of the flight rather than at the end! (Glad it wasn't my time to go!) And I am grateful with all my heart to be home safe and to be together as a family finally. I was so happy to see my kids and they were so excited to meet Haylee. Aside from the jet lag it has been wonderful. Haylee walks around our house just looking at everything. She isn't quite sure about the kids - I think they make her nervous. But she has really warmed up to grandma and grandpa and likes her aunt and uncle. She fits in perfectly with our family.

Since I haven't been able to sleep (last night I woke up at 3:00 and couldn't get back to sleep) I have a lot of time to reflect on a few things. I thought I would list a few of my random thoughts.

WHAT I APPRECIATE

Ice - nothing is better than a cold drink!

Clean water - I just really appreciate the wonderful blessing that we in this country enjoy - I am so guilty of taking it for granted.

A good old american cheeseburger. Oh and pizza too!

My husband - I like to tease Kevin and say that he is a "fair-weather" friend. It was hard for him to deal with my adoption related melt-downs (which were occuring with increasing frequency towards the end). But there is truly no one with more patience, kindness and loyalty. He is a rock, especially in difficult circumstances. We truly enjoyed our time together in China getting to know our newest child. He is such a fantastic dad and husband!

My babies. I knew it was going to be hard to be away from them. Holy Cow - it was painful! But they are such good, sweet kids and I am lucky, lucky, lucky!

My mom and Chuck. So grateful that they were willing to watch my kids. They even cleaned out the garage, ironed my clothes, and did some repairs. We came home on Friday afternoon to find dinner ready and the house spotless. I will never be able to thank them enough.

Blessings. Sometimes it is so hard to see Gods plan for us, especially when we are in the midst of despair and sorrow, wondering if what we want is what He wants for us. I'm so grateful that when I was able to align my will to His that our greatest blessing was bestowed. I am so grateful for the opportunity that we have to bring Haylee into our family. It has been a HARD two years but it HAS been worth it.

THINGS I MISS

Chinese people. I really have the warmest regard for the people of China. I wish I had more of an oportunity to speak with everyday people. I would like to know more about the way they think of certain things. The culture is rich and so very interesting.

Having someone make my bed and give me clean towels. The maids at the Victory were so nice!

Eating out every day. I love to eat out and we had some fun food experiences in China.

Cordelia - our guide. She was fantastic!

I may get in trouble for this but I miss Chinese efficiency. Others might not agree but I thought they were efficient in so many aspects.

The feeling of being responsible for only one child. Don't get me wrong - I missed my kids like crazy - but there is something so fun about being able to spend one on one time with your child.

Thanks to all who left comments and followed us on our journey. It was a wonderful experience and we are so happy to have the opportunity to share it with you all.

Last Full Day in Guangzhou

2009-04-08T04:54:00.001-07:00

Haylee walking around the park

But not straying too far away.

Showing us her tongue

Over and over again.

On the bus on our way to the consulate.

In front of the bus that took us to the US consulate. There were over 40 families completing the last step in their adoptions today. It took 2 large buses and 1 small one to get us all there.

Standing in front of the building that houses the US consulate. I was expecting something a little more dramatic. I was disappointed because there wasn't even a sign saying this is the place.

Me and Haylee standing in front of our favorite shop on Shaiman Island. We bought so much stuff here. They had the cheapest price on the island that we could find for t-shirts. And not only do they have good prices the shop keepers are also very nice.

What a day! It was our last full day in Guangzhou. I am anxious to get home but there is a part of me that will miss it here. It has been a very exciting experience. I can't quite discribe it because I have not had time to process everything. It seems surreal to think that this is the culmination of everything for the last two + years. Today we finished our shopping - and this time I mean it - we've run out of money! Then we took a nap (I will miss our leisure time). Then we headed up to the White Swan to meet our group to go to the consulate for our oath taking and visa gathering. This is the last step in an unbelievable process - one that is difficult to comprehend unless you've done it yourself. There were over forty other families who also went to the consulate for the same purpose. It was fun to see all the other children. There are so many of them that are older and it makes me so happy to see them finally get the families they deserve. There were so many beautiful children in so many different shapes and sizes and the families are just as diverse. We were all herded upstairs to where we had to show our passports. Then we had to go through a security checkpoint and check our backpack. They unfortunately do not allow you to take pictures. Then we had to stand in line at a window and then a man checked our paperwork and looked at Haylee to make sure we had the right baby. Then we all sat down in a huge waiting room. A woman came in (I can't remember her title but I think she was important). She talked for just a few minutes and introduced several families who were back for their second, third and even forth Chinese adoption. Then we all stood and took an oath swearing that all the information we had given in our are myriad of paperwork was truthful and complete to the best of our knowledge. That was it. As far as the US is concerned our adoption is complete. Haylee is ours! And when we land on US soil she will automatically become a US citizen. It was a bit anti-climatic but the moment wasn't lost. The people in our group are so nice and their babies so beautiful. It has been a pleasure getting to know them. We decided to all go to Lucy's and sit on the back patio which is in the middle of the park here on the island for dinner. Almost all of us ordered american (or mexican) food. I think we are all missing home. Tomorrow evening we head to Beijing. I don't know if I will have the opportunity to post again. If I'm able I will keep you all posted of our progress. If not I will be sure to post once we get home so that everyone can see how Haylee is adjusting. Thanks to the many friends and family who have followed us on our incredible journey. We can't wait for you to meet our little Haylee Mei Guihong in person.

Red Couch Photos

2009-04-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

Corn Juice - Haylee loves it! Who knew they made such a thing!

Mentos - Can you believe they are only 25 cents here. I have a pack a day habit. They also have these delicious ice cream bars that I have for dessert nearly every day. They taste a bit like dove bars and they are only $1. What a deal! Can you tell we had a slow day?

Dinner this evening at The Cow and Bridge. No up close photos - the food doesn't deserve the attention. It is the second time we've eaten there and we are NOT impressed. But the company is good.

Us in front of the White Swan waterfall.

The Koi in the pond are HUGE! So fun to watch but if you fell in I think they would swallow you whole.

Me and and an unhappy Haylee in front of the jade pagota in the lobby. She is not amused by the picture taking. She is ready for dinner.

Haylee and this darling little boy share a birthday.

Sitting solo on the famous red couch.

I love her new dress but she does not!

Friends from group number 2

Friends who have now gone home from group 1

Today was nice and relaxing. We just had to stay in our hotel room this morning while our guide attended our consulate appointment. There were not any problems and so after noon we were free. So what do we do - take a nap. I haven't been sleeping well since my cold has gotten worse - which means Kevin isn't sleeping well either. After our nap we watched a silly movie and then we went out and finished the remainder of our shopping. The shops are so fun to visit and we've enjoyed looking for the best price. We may have gotten a bit carried away but it has been our only past-time. The shop keepers are so nice and it is hard to resist their sales pitch. We've been in all the shops at least three and four times and so we recognize most of the young girls who work there. I think we are finally done but we still have a few hours in the next couple days so who knows. Tonight we had pictures and dinner with our second group of friends. It has been so fun getting to know people who have also shared our same journey. Their little children are so beautiful and sweet. Today a new family from our agency received their daughter. Cordelia was just bringing them back to the hotel when we were all meeting up. It was their third daughter from China and the two big sisters were soooo very proud of their new addition. They couldn't stop smiling, leading her around by the hand. It almost made me cry. I am so anxious for my kids to meet the newest member of our family. Only a few more short days before I'm on my way home to them.

Chen Clan Academy

2009-04-06T04:44:00.000-07:00

The Entrance. The Chen clan academy was built in the 1800s. It was a place for those in the clan to send their children - boys and girls - to school. Interestingly enough our guides family name is Chen.

Another statue inside the academy - this one of a story teller on the far right. Everyone is listening to his tale. The mother on the left has come to retreive her child dragging him away by the ear. This was made by the same artist who did the statues on the island. He is a very famous local artist and his work reminds me a bit of Norman Rockwell - he tries to capture everyday life in China with a humorous spin.

Outside the academy. It is impossible to see but the top of the building is covered in exquisite wood carvings that have been painted. They tell the stories from favorite Chinese legends.

One of the two warriors that guard the door to the academy.

Interesting sculpture at the rear of the academy.

The Chen family temple. Each step has names of ancestors that have passed on.

Workers repainting the wood carvings at the top. It is difficult to match the colors exactly and it is a bit of a lost technique. Not many people can do it.

In front of some of the wood carvings - they were amazing! The building took three years to build with 200 workers - each completing specialized tasks.

Family picture by the arches.

In front of the dragon hedge. So pretty.

This morning we slept late. Yay! We didn't have anywhere that we needed to be until later so we took it easy. In fact I went to breakfast without even getting ready. Scary indeed. I must say that I'm getting bored with our breakfast buffet. I can't help but wonder what it going on at the White Swan - knowing that their breakfast buffet is superior -and wondering if we made the right choice. However, we do like the Victory alot. The beds are soft - by Chinese standards - and the room is very large. I suppose you can't have everything. We tried skyping with the kids but it hasn't worked out very well. We just talked to them on the phone. I sure miss those kids. I can't wait to see them again. And I think they miss us too, although sometimes its hard to tell. Having grandma and grandpa around is a special treat. Haylee was kind of stinky this morning. It is funny how rather than getting easier it has gotten harder. As she feels more comfortable with us she is certain to let us know when we are not meeting her needs. But sometimes cannot figure out what it is exactly that she wants. She cried a good portion of the morning as we scrambled to figure out if she was hungry, needed a diaper change or if she was thirsty. Finally we figured out that she was tired. But it had only been two hours since she'd gotten up so it wasn't even on our list. We are learning but it is hard to figure out what a 15 month old needs. She always seems hungry and so I don't think she has learned how to regulate herself. I don't think that is surprising given her institutional background. It is a little bit of a trick since food will placate her but it doesn't help us understand the root of her problem. After a brief nap we met up with Cordelia. She took us to the Chen Clan Academy. It was a great outing. The building was everything that you would expect from Chinese architecture. It was covered in these wood carvings depicting stories from Chinese lore. The pictures do not even begin to do them justice. It was unbelievable. Inside there were a few shops selling Chinese trinkets. But the majority of it was a museum. There was an emboridery(sp.) exhibit and unfortunately we were unable to take pictures but the works were amazing. So much work and so many stitchs to produce these works of art. There were ivory carvings and bone carvings so intricate and beautiful. We really enjoyed walking around. It was a short site-seeing adventure but I'm so glad that we went. Haylee is so good to take out. In fact, every time we leave our room she claps and smiles. I think being cooped up is getting to her as well. She has been very easy for us to do things with - in fact the easiest of the group. It will certainly be interesting to see how see interacts with our crazy kids. She will probably be a bit shy at first but I think it will only be a short while before she is off running around and acting crazy with them.

Guangzhou Yu Xiu Park

2009-04-05T03:42:00.000-07:00

Some cuteness

Love those fingers!

Ancient water clock at the museum

At the Six Banyon Trees temple - again

Yu Xiu Park and the statue of the 5 rams. Local legend has it that there was a famine in the land. The villagers prayed to Budda and he sent down 5 fairies with 5 rams. They taught them about farming and blessed the land to be bounteous. The 5 fairies returned to heaven but the 5 rams stayed to help the people. Guangzhou is also known as the city of the Ram.

A relief cut into the rock depicting the legend mentioned above.

A beautiful waterfall in the park. It is so humid and temperate that it almost feels as though we are in Hawaii - or what I would imagine Hawaii to be like- I've never been there.

In front of the waterfall.

This building was built in the 1300s. It is the highest point of Guangzhou. It has been turned into a museum. Off to the left of the picture is an ancient tomb. Several years ago they were building a children's park and they found this tomb. They had to relocate the children's park because the ground was a sacred burial ground. The wooden part of the tomb was relocated to this location.

Not a great picture but you can see Guangzhou in the distance. We are on the top floor of the building pictured above.

Looking cute in the hat.

Me looking hot and sweaty.

This picture is for Lori and Xu. Fire dragon fish. So good and sauted spinach and dumplings. Yum!

Walking through the park on the island.

Around the island.

So my eye is doing better and I am very grateful. I am coming down with a cold but we are all surviving. Today we had a very nice day. We are with a new group as I mentioned and they had not had the chance to go to the Six Banyon Tree Temple and so we went again. It was so busy. Tomorrow is a holiday in China - tomb sweeping (it has a lovely Chinese name that I cannot recall.) So many people were at the temple to honor their ancestors. Our guide took us to a new park to accomodate me and Kevin so it wasn't the exact same tour. The park is amazingly beautiful. We really enjoyed it. The museum was fantastic and I wish we could have spent more time there but we are in a group with babies that won't always cooperate. It was so funny - one of the woman in our group is also LDS and knows Mona Johnson. What a small world. We went to the same restaurant as last Sunday. It was good and cheap. We got back and have been relaxing the remainder of the afternoon. It was funny this morning because Kevin checked the weather and said it was supposed to be nice so we dressed accordingly. By the time we got to the temple it was raining. We had to borrow and umbrella. Cordelia says it always rains this time of year. But then this afternoon we actually saw the sun. It was perhaps the nicest day we've had so far. Haylee has been a little pill today and so we took her out to the park for a change of scenery. She loves being outdoors. There were a lot of people on the island today as well - perhaps because of the upcoming holiday. It was fun to watch them. There are lots of young couples walking hand in hand, older people fishing in the river and playing checkers (or something like it) in the park. We even saw a couple of people swimming in the Pearl River. You couldn't pay me enough money to do that! We watched a couple of young boys doing tricks on their bikes and a playing badmitton or hackeysack. People are so very nice here and often smile and say "hi" to Haylee. Only a few short days left. I miss home but will always remember China fondly and hope to be able to visit again in the not too distant future.

Pink Eye and Qingping Market

2009-04-04T03:45:00.000-07:00

This picture is supposed to be at the end but I can't figure out how to move it. This is for Harrison and Logan. Our guide says they are not lizards, turtles or frogs. But she couldn't tell us what they are. So this may be the closest thing we can find in China to a dinosaur.

At the waterfall in the White Swan Hotel

The amazing Qingping Market. Loved it!

Live scorpions that people buy to add to food. Yikes!

So many interesting things for sale.

Everywhere we went there were these cute puppies for sale - as pets. They were so cute I wanted to pick them up and love on them but we were warned not to touch any of the animals by our guide.

Interesting sky-line.

I've never seen so many different kinds of turtles.

Baby chicks

More cute pics of puppies -these are for you Sis.

And yet more turtles.

At the central mall area. It was very crowded but we loved it.

Inside the mall area.

So today did NOT start out well. I woke up and immediately realized there was something wrong with my eye. I was pretty sure I had pink eye! I couldn't believe that I'd picked it up. I am a crazy hand-washer and neither Haylee nor Kevin have it - only me! What? So I called our guide around 8:00 and woke her up - ooops. She told me to go to the White Swan clinic - a prospect that I wasn't thrilled with due to the fact that I have not heard good reviews. But it was close and open and I wanted to get something for my eye asap. The clinic held true to its reputation. The doctors were very nice but we had a hard time communicating as they spoke no English. They called someone on the phone and I told them what was wrong and then handed the phone to the doctor. Then she took me back and looked at my eye and gave me some medicine. The whole visit and medication was 100 yuan - equivalent to $15.00. Now if the medication works than I got a deal! I felt rather annoyed that I'd come down with it and have felt a little blue all day. But thankfully it is something where I still feel well. We just are trying to be very careful not to pass it around. Me and Kevin spent some time this morning wiping everything down with antibacterial wipes. At 9:40 I walked back up to the White Swan again and met Cordelia and two other families to work on our consulate paperwork. They are all very nice and all are from Washington State. There is another interracial couple - she is from Indonesia - and people keep trying to speak Chinese to her as well. They have a two and 1/2 year old and then another woman is just here with her baby. She is 17 months and from Beijing. She was there with her whole family - 3 other kids and husband - for the last two weeks. The husband and kids headed home when she came to Guangzhou to finish up the process. In Beijing they require a long time period so I was feeling better with the 7 days required in Guangdong.

After the paperwork was done we headed to the Qingping market. It is just over the bridge and not far away from the island. It was so interesting! I loved it. There were just a million stalls selling all kinds of interesting things. The live scorpions were awesome! People buy them and put them in their drinks. The poison is supposed to be good for rheumatism. A little further on was the pet market. There were so many cute dogs and a million varities of turtles. There were birds, chipmunks - which people have as pets here, and little rodents. It was fun but we were careful not to get too close. Then we crossed the street and entered a higher end mall area that sold clothing, embordiery and food. It was very big and modern and crowded. It was very fun walking through. Me and Kevin have been seeing these signs for a restaurant called Kung Fu. all over Guangzhou. It has a picture of Bruce Lee as the logo. We asked our guide about it and found out that it is Chinese fast food. We decided to try it for lunch. It was very disappointing. We had these little short ribs with bones and something so fatty that even Kevin couldn't choke it down. While we were there Haylee was sitting on my lap and all of a sudden I looked down and it seemed like she was trying to chew on something even though we hadn't given her anything to eat. I pryed her mouth open with some effort and she has one of the little spare rib bones!!! She had managed to grab one off the tray. Me and Kevin are really going to need to sharpen our baby skills. It has been awhile and we are RUSTY. She has also fallen off the bed - on Kevin's watch. But then he is quick to point out that when I cut her nails I manage to clip a bit of skin and it wouldn't stop bleeding. We are slowly getting back in the groove. We have been having a hard time getting her to drink anything other than her formula but today we finally figured out how to get her to drink some juice - we just added warm water and she was happy. She also is starting to drink a bit of water but only if it is room temperature. That is how most Chinese people enjoy their beverages. Hoping that my pink eye recovers soon and that I don't pass it to Kevin or baby. Wish me luck!

One more week!

2009-04-03T05:26:00.000-07:00

Every morning when Haylee gets up she goes to the cabinet that has her toys on top of it.

Ready for the bath!

Enjoying breakfast

View of part of the breakfast buffet from the staircase balcony.

Haylee loves to look at herself in the mirror. She will spend a lot of time making faces at herself.

We sent some of our clothes out for laundry. They returned them to us nicely folded in these individual bags. It was fairly cheap but it still adds up. Definitely less expensive than baggage overcharges.

Fish tanks at the JM Chef restaurant. This is the second time we've been there and we never see any other westerners. I think they are afraid of the front window.

Haylee eating in her "high chair". It is not very secure but it works.

Kevin's meal. It was pork with a very crispy skin. It was good but it was not a favorite.

This was mine. It was fried pork and vegetables. It tasted just like bacon only better. So yummy and sooo not good for you.

Another interesting statue of women. Not sure if it is supposed to be grandmother, mother, daughter or the same woman in different ages.

We did some more shopping this evening and as we walked out of the shop we heard what seemed to be fireworks. It was actually this guy in one of the courtyards whipping this top. It was really interesting to watch and very loud.

Haylee walking but not really wanting to. She kept standing in front of us and lifting up her arms for us to carry her. She is starting to get heavy.

Just being cute.

So today we didn't have much to do. We were supposed to do our consulate paperwork but Cordelia called and asked us if we would mind doing it with some of the other families in the morning. It was fine but these lazy days are kind of hard. It makes me think about home and miss my kids. It is much easier when we are kept busy. I think it has been hard because there have been so many families arriving and departing at different times that it has been hard on our guide to accomodate us all. This morning after breakfast we were able to skype with the kids. They are having a good time with grandma and grandpa. My mom has finally had to get tough with them and things are seeeming to go well. It is such a long time to have to ask someone to watch your kids and I'll be forever grateful for their willingness to help us out during this time. We spent most of the time in our room, resting and playing. There are only four channels that are in English - CNN, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel and a movie channel. We are glad for the entertainment. We have been living lives of leisure. The hotel has maid service twice a day. I don't know what we will do when we return home and have to make our own beds and wash our own towels. We've been spoiled having a driver and a guide to do all of our paperwork and plan our days for us. Tonight we went out to dinner at that restaurant that we really enjoyed. It is so funny because they don't speak a lot of English there so they keep trying to communicate with Kevin in Chinese and they are so confused when he doesn't understand. The food was good again but close to the end of the meal the table next to us started smoking. Surprisingly so far, the smoking hasn't bothered me too much, but this time it was too close. I couldn't wait to get out of there. We did a bit more shopping. Kevin is getting so used to people trying to speak Chinese to him that he doesn't understand when they are speaking English. At one store the girl said "I have good quality"really fast. Kevin said, "English only." I had to laugh because he hadn't understood what she was saying but I had. I told him that she was speaking English and he felt a little embarrassed. We have bought a lot of stuff and it is fun shopping. A lot of it is probably junk but it is fun junk. I feel so bad for all the shop owners. It doesn't seem very busy right now and there is a lot of competition.

Haylee is doing great! She is very funny. Right now she is sitting in her crib just talking to herself. She makes us laugh. Sometimes it is hard to know what she needs. We are just trying to get to know each other. We are feeling like we are in the home stretch and hoping that time will fly as we complete the last steps necessary to bring Haylee home.

PS Stephanie in OK - I'm hoping you might be reading this. I got some pictures for you. I don't have your email but I sent a message through chinaadopttalk.com with my email. Please contact me so that I can forward them to you.

Orphanage Visit

2009-04-02T01:50:00.000-07:00

Some pictures of Dongguan City

Entrance to the orphanage

One of Haylee's nannies. She was very nice and sweet but Haylee was NOT happy to see her.

Bathing area. After seeing this I'm so surprised that Haylee is willing to take baths.

Haylee's crib. It doesn't feel like home any more.

Staying for lunch for "old times" sake.

Attempting to feed Haylee the congee the "right way". In layers.

Laundry facility. I cannot even imagine how much laundry they have to do. The washer and dryer were huge.

Outside the orphanage.

Haylee with Director He. Less than a week ago she was crying to come to us. Now she is crying when she goes to Director He.

This is the spot where Haylee had her referral photo. It is in a courtyard in between the orphanage and the home for elderly care.

McDonalds!

So today was our orphanage visit. We had to wake up early because Director He had asked us to come around 10:00 so that we did not interupt the children's morning schedule. I was very worried about how Haylee might react going back to the orphanage. I thought it might be an emotional experience so Kevin gave her a father's blessing before we left. The drive is about an hour and 1/2 from Guangzhou. We were surprised when they picked us up in a van. It was large and comfortable and gave us a lot of room to spread out. Dongguan city is very nice. The center medians of the road are so well kept with flowers and trees. It is a very modern city. I was expecting a lot of factories, etc. But the city, where the orphanage is located, is very modern and nice. We drove to the entrance and got out. Mrs. He came running across the courtyard - apparently she had been waiting by the gate for us. She was very kind but worried that Haylee would not be warm enough. It drives me crazy how many clothes they think babies should wear. She already had a jacket and shirt but to be polite we added another jacket on top it. Mrs. He tried to hold Haylee but she quickly began to cry and hold her arms out for me. Mrs. He gave her back and she immediately calmed down. It was really my first time that I realized just how attached she has become to us. We went upstairs and visited the babies. It was so very sad. There were so many of them and all in cribs. We visited two floors and every floor had a couple of rooms and every room had maybe 15-20 babies. There were all so cute. There were a few that completely stole my heart. There were two little boys that just smiled and smiled at us every time we talked to them. There was a beautiful set of twin girls. The director joked and said "do you want to take them home?" I would totally have snatched them up if I didn't think I would have been stopped at the door. We met Haylee's nannies and they were very sweet. They wanted to hold her but Haylee started to cry. She was definitely not happy to be there. A couple of people had asked me to try and get pictures of their babies. Unfortunately I could only get 2 of the 4. (If you asked for pictures on the blog please check the messages on your blog for my email address.) The director said the other two had been moved to the medical center. I was so sad. One of the only things that got me through the wait were the kind people who got me pictures of Haylee. I was hoping that I could return the favor. I am still very disappointed. While we were there they started serving lunch. A large bowl of congee. The director spent a lot of time telling us home to make it. It smelled a lot like chicken and rice. They gave Haylee a bowl but I was quickly informed that I was not feeding her right. The best way is in layers, moving in a circular motion around the bowl. I didn't see what the difference was but I tried to do it the "right way". She liked it alot and it seemed much better and higher quality than the congee we have purchased in the restaurants. She ate quite a bit. We didn't get to see much of the orphanage but I do feel like over all I had a good impression. It is not a good place. In fact it is very sad. But I do feel like the nannies and director do the best they can with so many children. I am hoping that all the babies will not have to wait long to have families. It was emotional but I am happy with the way that Haylee handled it. She was content as long as we were holding her and after we left she seemed relieved with no lasting effects. We also drove to Haylee's finding spot. Since one day this information may be very personal to her we have decided not to share it. Afterwards we went to McDonalds for lunch. I do not like McDonalds and rarely ever go there but going to McDonalds in China is an interesting experience. It was actually better than it was in the states. I had a cheeseburger and pineapple sundae. The cheeseburger was good but very peppery. Kevin had spicy chicken wings. They were fried and yummy. I made Kevin go back and get some more to share with me. Haylee liked the french fries. On the way back home Haylee had a very hard time sleeping although she was very tired. When she has a lot of stimulation it seems to affect her being able to go to sleep - which isn't surprising. Once we got back to the hotel she took a nap. We are just going to take it easy for the rest of the day and evening. On another note I used the squatty potties today - twice. I was very proud of myself as it is no simple feat for us westerners. They really aren't as bad as everyone says. I'll have to remember to get a photo for those of you who many be curious. Tomorrow is another quiet day. We just have to do some paperwork for the consulate. I want to say thanks to all those who leave comments. It has been fun to read what you have to say. We are missing all our friends and family but this has been a wonderful experience. Tomorrow will mark one week left. Time has gone by quickly. Haylee is so funny and we are falling in love with her more each day and can't wait for everyone to have a chance to meet this sweet little girl.

Toy Market and Medical Exam

2009-04-01T04:17:00.001-07:00

Outside the medical exam center.

Inside the exam rooms for adopted children. The flooring was interesting. It had little pictures of bears with balloons that said "happy birthday".

In the first room Haylee was measured. She weighed 18.2 lbs. She is just a little girl. But if she continues to eat like she has than she will put on the pounds in no time.

In the next phase they checked her mouth, ears and hearing. She passed them all - I guess.

In the last phase they checked her heart and skin.

Some of the beautiful shops that are along the street. These were very colorful and pretty.

Outside the "toy market".

Me and Cordelia outside the mall.

A beautiful catholic church on the busy streets. If I remember correctly Cordelia said it was built in 1830. I hope that is right.

The only word I can think of to describe the toy market is overwhelming. I have never seen anything like it.

Haylee tries her first ice cream. Yummy. They have these ice cream bars called "Magnum". They are good. I've had one for dessert two nights in a row now.

Today we had a bit of change in plans. We were going to go to the Qingping market but Cordelia called and asked if we could change plans. There are some other families coming into town and she wanted to take them there as well and so we will wait until Saturday. Since it did not appear to be a very busy day at the medical clinic, we decided to do that. We were happy because we like to avoid the crowds. The clinic is on the island so it took us only a few minutes to walk to it. Once inside we went to room marked "examination room for adopted children". We were the only ones there. Off to the side are three separate rooms. In the first one they weighed and measured her. Then they checked her hearing, mouth and ears. They told us she has a cleft palate - which wasn't a surprise. Then they checked her skin and heart. It was all very short and Haylee didn't seem to mind at all. She did start to get a little said when they laid her on the table and took off her clothes but she quickly recovered when I was able to get her dressed again. Since we weren't going to the Qingping market we decided to go to the "Toy Market" instead. But it was much, much more than that. We took a taxi and then went into a mall. It had four floors with rows and rows of stalls selling everything you can possibly imagine. There were stuffed animals, purses, alarm clocks, models airplanes, towels, blankets, jewelry and every trinket you could ever imagine. It was so overwhelming. I don't think we were much fun to shop with because we didn't purchase much. It was just too much stuff to decide and lot of it was junk. We did find a few things but often times the things we wanted were only sold wholesale and so we were unable to purchase it. We walked around and around. You could seriously get lost in there. We wanted to take more pictures but Cordelia told us that in China it is considered impolite to take pictures of individual store fronts. Even if we were able to take pictures it would hardly have done it justice. I have never seen so much stuff crammed into so much space. Haylee was getting restless but she loves Cheerios and that kept her happy for a while. Eventually she went to sleep. There was another market down the street that Cordelia told us about so we walked along the street. There were so many different vendors. Everything you could possibly imagine from spices, dried seafood, beans, fruit, etc. It was fascinating but some of the sights and smells were a little much for me. It was a lot of excercise and by the time we were done I was exhausted. I'm not used to carrying around a little baby. Cordelia sent us home in a taxi. By the time we got back to the hotel I felt like I could barely walk. We ended up taking a nap. Then we went out shopping. I bought Haylee a beautiful white dress. I was thinking she could maybe wear it when we take her to the temple to be sealed to us. I hadn't seen it anywhere else on the island and I thought I was getting a good deal. But the next shop we went into we saw the very same dress and it was 5 yuan cheaper. Kevin is not wanting to buy much but I want to buy everything. I figure it will be a long time before we get back to China. It is fun to go into the shops and look around. And quite frankly, it is our only past time. Tonight we went to Lucy's again. We were going to go to another restaurant but we took a look at the menu and it scared me a bit. Nothing looked good to me. At Lucy's, Haylee tried french fries for the first time and I'm happy to report, that like most food, she loves them! She is starting to really warm up to us. She will walk over to me and put her arms up. She loves to be carried. She is really belly laughing and smiling for us although for everyone else she only gives a blank stare. Last night I was looking at some pictures of the kids that mom sent - thanks mom - and she got excited looking at them, clapping her hands and talking. I think she will like having siblings.

Lazy Day

2009-03-31T04:10:00.000-07:00

A picture of the apartment building next to the building where we applied for our passports. I just thought it looked interesting.

These banyan trees are all over the island. They are so big and beautiful.

"Made in China"

Another awesome statue. My sister-in-law Xu tells me that they were made to remind people to be happy and enjoy life. Kevin didn't catch the fact that this lady is walking her dog. See the tail in the corner.

Traffic is amazing here. People just walk out into the middle of the street. There don't appear to be any real traffic rules. It is truly amazing to witness. The cars are so close together and merge on each other in ways that would make westerners freak out. And although drivers love to use the horn people all seem to take the seeming chaos in stride. I find it amazing and I appreciate the skill that it takes to drive in these circumstances. Our drivers have been wizards at getting us around town.

Tonight we went to a fabulous restaurant. Our guide had recommended it to us. Kevin had sizzling steak and I had pork ribs. We also had some delicious green beans. There were not many westerners in the restaurant. I think the giant fish tanks out front scare them off.

Our hotel room. It is very large and comfortable. We have been spending a lot of time here and so it is nice to have the room to spread out a bit.

Haylee enjoying her oatmeal. Yummy!

How Haylee spends most of her time. This girl sleeps ALOT!!!

Today we didn't have much going on. It would have been nice to sleep in but me and Kevin can't seem to sleep past 4:00 am. It is driving us crazy. We went down to breakfast and met some of the couples from last night. I am a bit jealous because they are all heading home in the next day or so. I am loving the experience but anxious to return home and see my kids. I miss them so much! After breakfast we came back and tried to skype with the kids. It is driving me crazy because it isn't working well. (Thanks mom and Ty for trying so hard to get it up and running.)
I had a little break down while talking to them. I wish I could reach through the computer and hold them in my arms. (But don't worry mom, I'm doing okay now.) We went out and walked around a bit and then came back and ate lunch and took a nap. Afterwards we met our driver downstairs and he took us to a government office to apply for Haylee's passport. It was all very short. We then returned to the hotel and did a bit more shopping. We found something cool for mom, but I won't tell you just yet - it will have to be a surprise. We then went to dinner at a lovely restaurant Cordelia recommended. It was yummy! I wish I had taken a picture of the giant fish tanks out front. Me and Kevin are doing a bad job of taking pictures. I'm so used to my mom being with me. I can always count on her to get the pictures that I miss. I will try to be more vigilant in my picture taking. The next few days should be a little bit more fun. Tomorrow we go to QingPing Pearl Market and then on Thursday we are off to Dongguan. I was also hoping to visit Haylee's finding spot, however, it is another hour away from the orphanage so we are still trying to decide. If we do go that will be a very LONG day for our baby. We will have to see.

Haylee is doing really well. She continues to eat and sleep well. However, lately it has been hard to actually get her to go to sleep. She will cry and cry although we can tell she is very tired. I am feeling a bit like I am hitting a little of the "not so rosy" part. While she delights and intrigues us it is becoming a more difficult than I had first imagined. While we are falling in love with her more and more each day -it is a process. I am anxious to get her home so we can be together as a family.

She is ours!

2009-03-30T04:19:00.001-07:00

The front desk of the adoption affairs office. Today we completed the China side of our adoption. As far as China is concerned - She's ours!!!

Sitting on the red couch at the White Swan.

All over the island there are these interesting statues. I'm not sure if they are ones that were added by the many foreigners that lived on the island or if they were originated by the Chinese but they are pretty funny.

The streets are all lined with trees. All the roads are one way. It creates a very nice oasis in the middle of the large city. Just across the water is downtown Guangzhou.

This is on the opposite side of the island looking out onto the Pearl River. This is a nice little park. I like walking through it because there are always interesting people. There is music coming from loud speakers and the couple on the left side of the picture were dancing. There are lots of older people playing badmitton or sitting around tables playing games. I always see the same woman standing on the waters edge doing exercise.

This is the view from our hotel window. These trees are so beautiful. They have large red blossoms on them.

Today we met Cordelia at 10:00 and headed to the Adoption affairs office of Guangdong. There we completed the adoption paperwork. First they had us take a picture together. Then we had an interview with the director. They asked us if we were satisfied with the child, which sounded strange. We said, "of course." Kevin tried to add another year to each of our ages. I had to set him straight. The director just watched us argue over whether he was 37 or 36. We had to promise to never abuse or abandon her and to provide an education for her. Then we went in to the notary who asked us a lot of the same questions. It was all really short. But now she is our baby officially. Yay! Tomorrow we will meet a driver to take us to apply for her passport.

We then came back to the hotel and tried to get Haylee to take a nap. The first few days that she was with us she would just lay in the crib and fall asleep. I was thinking it was a piece of cake. But now she doesn't go down so easy. She stood up in the crib and started to cry. It is hard to know how to handle this as I'm worried about bonding. She finally went down. I decided to go out and look around a little while Kevin stayed at the hotel with her. It was fun to explore and everyone is so nice. Many brides come to Shaiman Island for their wedding pictures. We see a half a dozen brides every day. It is fun to watch them in their beautiful dresses. Many wear very western looking dresses but there are also many that wear more traditional dresses. I bought a few things. There are so many shops and hard to know if you are getting the best price. When I got back we went to the White Swan to meet up with some other families. We took pictures on the red couch and then walked down to Cow and Bridge - a Thai restaurant. It was okay but not as good as yesterday. Our guide, Cordelia, brought her two year old daughter. She was really cute. She liked to mix the water and noodles and stir it up. Fun to watch her work. Haylee is showing more of her personality. She is very stubborn and does not like to be told "no". (But honestly - who does?) Last night she was acting silly and crazy. She is really walking around and wanting to get into things. Today she was a little weepy and sad. It broke my heart because there was not much I could do for her but rub her back and try to comfort her. I wish I knew what was going on in her little head. This whole thing must be so confusing. But I do feel like she likes us. Today at the adoption office she was looking for me. When she turned the corner and saw me a big smile came across her face. She ran over to me and put her arms up for me to carry her. One of her favorite activities is to get the stacking cups we brought and bang them against the furniture. We are trying to nip that in the bud because it certainly won't fly at home. At times she is restless and I can't blame her - there isn't much to do in the hotel room. However, when we go out she is really good. Day by day we are learning more and more about her.

Touring Guangzhou

2009-03-29T00:43:00.000-07:00

Our lunch time feast! So yummy!

Entrance to Liuhua Lake Park

Watching fish in the pond at the art store

At theSix Banyan Tree Temple grounds

With the Master at the buddist temple after the blessing

During the blessing at the temple.

300 year old bronze buddas representing past, present and future.

Pagoda at the temple. It started leaning about 10 years ago after it had been refurbished so people can no longer go to the top. Kevin really wanted to.

In front of the pagota.

I felt bad because I had wanted to try and visit the LDS branch in Guangzhou. It would have been a really neat experience however, it would have required hiring a taxi to take us off the island and we aren't quite brave enough for that yet. In addition our guide had already prepared another excursion for us and so we decided to play it safe and go with her. Our first stop was the Six Banyan Tree Temple. It is right in the heart of the city. The grounds were beautiful and full of the scent of burning incense. People light the incense in the hopes that is will carry their prayers to heaven. We went into the temple and removed our shoes to kneel on the carpet. A master sprinkled us with holy water and said a prayer blessing our adoption. I don't know if it shows in the pictures but those bronze buddas were huge! We walked around the grounds and took a few more pictures. Haylee seemed really tired although she had slept late. So far she is an excellent sleeper. I hope that continues even after we return home :) As we left there were several beggars. Kevin gave them some money as I got into the van. They were very sweet and waved at our baby. It made me sad to notice how many of them had disabilities. Our guide said that they make alot of money there. I hope that is true.

Then we travelled to a government run store offering goods from China. Me and Kevin looked around but didn't see anything that we wanted. So we played with Haylee near the koi pond. She seemed really interested in the fish. Then we went to Liuhua Lake Park. It was the grounds for a palace of an emperor. It was beautiful and serene. The older people here are very active. I love to see them playing hackey sack and doing tai chi. (sp?) They also have these areas that at first glance appear to be playgrounds for children but as you get closer you realize that it is actually excercise equipment. I wish I would have gotten a picture of that. It was fun to walk and talk with some of the other adoptive parents. They are all very nice and their babies are beautiful. Afterwards our guide took us to a lovely restaurant. It was amazing with bright green and red colors. We had a private room and our guide, Cordelia, ordered for us. It was so delicious. The best was this breaded fish in a sauce. I could have eaten the whole thing. For dessert there were these pastries with bananas inside. I loved everything and it was the best food we've had so far. And there was so much of it! It was a very fun day. Now we are back at the hotel and Haylee is sleeping. She was so tired after our trip. Tonight we will probably just relax. Tomorrow is our appointment with the CAB to finalize our adoption paperwork for China. Everyday brings us a step closer to coming home with our beautiful baby.

First whole day together

2009-03-28T05:04:00.000-07:00

I discovered that she likes to be tickled. She is very ticklish and funny.

Loved the bubbles that daddy was blowing.

Starting to laugh and show her personality. Such a cutie!

Looking cute in her bows that Aunt Crystal made her.

Bedtime. Just laid in the crib and sucked her fingers. Slept all through the night.

It is our first official day together. We didn't have anything scheduled today so we just relaxed. We slept well but I woke up at 4:00 am and couldn't go back to sleep. I suppose I'm still getting used to the time change. Haylee slept really well and surprising through the night. We just laid her in her crib and she sucked on her fingers until she fell asleep. This morning we went to breakfast and she ate a ton! She is good about trying lots of different foods. She had another bowl of congee and some eggs. She loves bread and pastries. She does not, however, like orange juice. The breakfast buffet here is really yummy. It includes all sorts of things that you wouldn't expect for breakfast like spring rolls, little breaded crabs and dumplings. Kevin loves it! We filled up at breakfast and so we skipped lunch. This morning we went out shopping and Mac we found your fan. We were so excited because it was definitely a search. There are so many fun shops on the Island. There was a man who owns a shop that wrote out Haylee's name in chinese characters. He says Haylee means "tender jasmine". It is really fun to go in and speak to the shop keepers. They all speak English and know how to flatter foreigners. They told me that I looked "very young to have children." This afternoon it rained - hard. It was also thundering and lightening. Can't seem to get away from the wet weather. It is very humid here so even when its not raining you are still very wet. The hotel provides umberellas so we braved the weather and went out to dinner. We to an Italian restaurant. It was good but expensive. I thought I had ordered a personal pizza but they ended up bringing me a huge platter. We brought home the left-overs. On the way home a taxi drove by and sprayed us completely with water. I was soaked. We are now in our pjs and ready for bed.

Haylee is doing so fantastic. She is really opening up to us. Today I was tickling her and she was laughing and giggling. She plays games with Kevin and she is talking more. She is so sweet and funny. I think she is starting to like us. On the way home from dinner I was carrying her and she kept looking up at me and then I would look at her and she would smile. She is eating wonderfully and took our bottle even though we had prepared it incorrectly. The instructions were in chinese and so we had to guess. This afternoon we ran into our guide and asked her and she said we were supposed to at 7 scoops. We had done two. So Haylee is pretty amiable to our mistakes. We were able to skype with the kids this morning and they met Haylee. It is so good to see them. I miss them terribly but we are having fun. I love China! The people here are so very kind and good. I will have to write more about that later. Emily - thanks for letting me borrow your carrier - it has been a life-saver. Will write more tomorrow.

Haylee Mei Guihong!!!

2009-03-27T04:51:00.001-07:00

Haylee's first cheerios. She loves them! She liked feeding herself and was really good about it. For some reason she doesn't use her thumb on her right hand. Not sure if it because she hasn't practice or what but she does a great job of picking up small objects, even without it.

She likes this binky. She mostly just chews on it but it helps us keep her fingers out of her mouth. She has already has two teeth and another one just coming in.

I thought I might cry but I didn't. I suppose I've cried enough over this process. When I finally held her I just smiled and felt so happy to hold her in my arms. She is so beautiful. The pictures just don't do her justice.

What a day!!! First thing in the morning we had to go exchange money for our orphanage donation at the bank. It was a very interesting experience. We didn't have a guide but so many people here speak English that communication is okay. The highest bank note they have is 100 yuan. There were so many bills that we could barely zip up our money belts. Then we met our guide and headed to the CAB office. I was excited but also surprisingly calm. We went upstairs but Haylee had not arrived yet. Our guide called them and they were stuck in a traffic jam! (Driving here is very interesting but that is another subject). We ended up waiting for about an hour, talking to our guide. Finally the director arrived and we were able to meet our daughter for the first time. The director was holding her and we tried to talk to her but she immediately started to cry. She continued to cry as we attempted to hold and comfort her. But within a few minutes she stopped. She liked the toy keys we brought her. I held her while Kevin and our guide talked to the director getting her schedule, etc. She is so sweet but very reserved. Cordelia took us shopping for diapers, etc. afterwards. Haylee just looked at everything with wide eyes. She was a little nervous but she would only whimper occasionally. Once we got her back to the hotel we gave her more toys while we did paperwork and she just sat on the floor playing. She loves all the toys we bought her and she is very content just playing. We gave her a bath, which scared her at first but then we gave her the stacking cups and she played in the water for awhile. We were all very tired by that point so we took a nap, Haylee laying between us. She loves to suck on her three fingers to soothe herself. It was kind of sad to hear her whimpering a little bit as she was drifting off to sleep. We all slept for about three hours! Much needed rest. We went to Lucy's for dinner and she ate a whole bowl of congee(soft rice) with chicken! She was so good at the restaurant. Another couple that had adopted commented on how well she was doing for this being her first day with us. She looks really good. Her skin is great and she is walking, albeit very shakily. She tolerates my hugs and kisses and goes to both of us equally. Her lip looks great and when she was screaming I got a good look at her palate. She will indeed need to have an operation once we get home but she seems to deal with it very well. She was able to drink out of a normal bottle without any problems. She really likes food, which is great because I love to feed her. She is so wonderful and I have great hope that in the next few days she will warm up to us and show more of her personality. Tomorrow we are taking easy and getting some more much needed rest.

Guangzhou at last!

2009-03-26T16:42:00.001-07:00

We are here!!! Yay!! I'm exhausted. The trip was brutal! We left Portland at 10:30 am on Wednesday and got to our hotel at 11:30 pm Thursday night. Since we didn't sleep very well the night before we left and sleeping on the plane was impossible we gone nearly three days without sleep. And last night wasn't any better. We get Haylee in just a few short hours and our nerves were frayed - so no sleep again.

Hard to leave the kids but they are doing well with grandma and grandpa. Thought I was going to loose it leaving Portland. Miss you guys so much. Can't wait to get Skype up.

Funny thing that keeps happening is people think Kevin is Chinese so they talk to him in Mandarin and he has no clue what they are saying. It has been funny because they look at me and say "juice or water" and then they look at Kevin and say the same thing in Chinese. I can't tell you it would have been helpful if he did speak the language.

Guide is fantastic - Cordelia. We will post later this afternoon when we have Haylee!

Itinerary!

2009-03-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

Just one more day and then we are on our way. Here is our Itinerary:

March 25th Wed. 10:30 Portland to Seattle

2:00 Seattle to Beijing

March 26th Thur Arrive Beijing 4:15 pm.

Beijing to Guangzhou 7:20-10:30pm.

March 27th Fri. HAYLEE DAY 10:30

March 28th Sat. Rest and get to know our new daughter

March 29th Sun. Buddist temple (may also try to attend LDS services in Guangzhou)

March 30th Mon. Interview with Civil Affairs and do paperwork

March 31st Tues. Apply for passport

April 1st Wed. Orphanage visit

April 2nd Thurs. City Tour

April 3rd Fri. Pick up Notory docs and passport

April 4th Sat. Medical exam

April 5th Sun. Guangzhou tour (see if we can get conference)

April 6th Mon. Guangzhou tour

April 7th Tues. US consulate

April 8th Wed. Pick up visa and go to consulate

April 9th Thur. Guangzhou to Beijing 6:55 to 10:00

April 10th Fri. Beijing to Seattle / Seattle to Portland Arrive 2:50 pm

Because of our quick turn around we don't have exact locations for our tours. We'll decide once we get there. I'm not sure if I'm going to ever recover from this. We are going to be EXHAUSTED!!!!