It's Better to Give....

Since returning home from China, and reflecting on our experiences there, our family has decided to donate items back to Sophie's orphanage to brighten the lives of the children who are still waiting for a forever family.

We want to bring these children happiness and love that every child deserves. Our goal is to send packages for Christmas. If you would like to help us out, we are looking for clothing for children newborn to 10 years old- both girl and boy, coloring books and crayons, matchbox cars/trucks, dolls, card games, travel etch-a-sketch or magna-doodle, small stuffed animals, handmade or store bought blankets, crazy socks and anything else you can think of that a child would love.

If you would like to donate, original packages and tags left on clothes is requested. I am hoping this charity project is a success and that we can continue this yearly. My goal is two-fold~ to bring joy to the kids living in the orphanage and to introduce " charity work " to my kids at an early age.

If you are interested, I can arrange to pick up your donations, you can drop them by, or you can ship them to my home ( Amazon has free shipping ). The donations can be as easy as a $5 toy from the grocery store....I know the kids will be elated with anything new of their own!

Thank you in advance for you generosity! I am really excited about this project and welcome you involvement if you so choose!

Xiamen City Social Welfare Center~

Xiamen is located in southeast China, in the Fujian Province~

Our family thanks you for your support!

Sophie's First Babysitter~

Tonight Scott took the boys out to dinner and to see the new movie Planes, Fire and Rescue. I had to work. So, that means Sophie had her first babysitter, and she was alone- without her brothers. Our sweet friend, Nadine, from the kids preschool, came over to watch Sophie. She also brought along a little friend, Piper. Nadine is so great. She has what she calls her " Mary Poppins bag of goodies. " The last time she was here with the boys, she put the boys in front of our easel, turned the lights off, shined her phone flashlight against the easel and sketched the boys silhouette. I mean, how cool?!

So although I was happy Nadine was coming, I was nervous as to how well Sophie would do. Nadine arrived at 4pm, just after Sophie got up from her nap. Scott and the boys stayed until Sophie more awake, until about 4:30pm.  Meanwhile, I am in my office at home, listening for her to start crying, throwing a fit, screaming....you name it. But, all was quiet. I heard giggles, I heard them playing, I heard her running on the tile and laughing! Yesssssss, music to my ears ;)

Sophie has been seeing Nadine at school ever since she came home. Most days when we drop off or pick the boys up, Nadine is there. Recently, Sophie has been saying bye-bye to Nadine. So, I was pretty sure that Nadine's familiar sweet face and comforting ways would soothe Sophie being left alone with her. Yep, they were a good match for the night. Nadine even brought Sophie a gift and a pink ball to play with....that's just how sweet Nadine is!

Here are a few pictures of the night. Look at these smiles ;) Thank you, Nadine, for making our little girl so happy and feel so loved tonight! Xoxo

As you can see, Sophie LOVED having Nadine here tonight! Another successful "first!" Thanking God and counting our blessings...

First Day of Preschool~

Today was Sophie's first day of preschool.  She is going to the same school as Connor and Hayden, at least until August when they begin Adams Traditional Academy. I can't believe she is starting so soon. My FMLA time is up at work at the end of July, so we are slowly introducing her to school~ half days, 2 days per week, until August.

She was really excited about taking her backpack! She had extra clothes, wipes, a sippy cup and her blanket inside. So cute ;)

The school is having Connor and Hayden visit her the first couple of days she's there, to be sure she's adjusting well and so that she knows that they are there, too. I think this will help. I feel she has attached to us so well, which gives me confidence in sending her to school just 3 months after our Gotcha Day. However, this momma is still a little sad and nervous.

Picture with the boys out front before school~ she would only stay in the picture if she was on my lap!

Here she is on our way there~

And...this is outside of school~ she was not feelin' it. Sweet Hayden sat down to tell her "it will be fun!"

We dropped the boys off in each of their rooms first. Then we went to room 4. She was clinging to me. I took her over to play with the baby dolls and a few new friends, quietly got up, and that's when the screaming began ;( Praying her day gets better!

UPDATE:

It was 45 minutes after I dropped Sophie off, and I was calling school.  " How is she doing? Is she still crying? " You would have thought this was the first time I have been down this road ;) After 10 minutes of solid crying, she stopped. Her best friend, Addison, was there to take her under her wing. She painted, played outside, saw Hayden at the fence on the playground, and ate lunch like a big girl in the cafeteria. Overall, the day was a success! Here area  a few pictures from lunch at school~

And because she did so great at school on her 1st day, we baked some homemade chocolate chip cookies! Here she's making sure they don't burn!

Peas~

Yeah, this is a crazy post, I know. What's the big deal about peas? Well, this mom of two boys who detest veggies, will tell you that her daughter LOVES them. Loves.

A few weeks ago we were at the splash pad with friends of ours, and Abby brought a bag of sugar snap peas for a snack.  Hayden tried them, said they were okay. Connor tried them, and threw it up. Sophie tried them and finished the entire bag! She eats peas once, if not twice, per day.  They are usually her appetizer before lunch or dinner, and she has even eaten them for breakfast. I love this girl for loving her veggies ;)

When I ask her is she wants peas, she usually yells, " peas, peas, peas! " I will put them on her tray and she will break the pod open using her teeth. Then she pics out the peas with her tiny fingers. She only likes the fat ones...the skinny little peas get tossed into the trash pile. She is in total concentration when she is cracking open the pods.  I love watching this girl eat her peas~

Forever a Little Sister~

We bought this shirt on Shamian Island, while in Guangzhou.  Mei-mei ( little sister )  for Sophie and ge-ge ( big brother ) for the boys. I recently took these pictures of Sophie, in her mei-mei shirt.  When I look at these pictures, I see a transformation in her. Sophie is happy, she is smiling big, she is a little sister. She is also a daughter, a grand-daughter, a cousin, a niece, a friend.

Sophie is fun-loving, sweet, and sassy with her ge-ge's. She gets excited to read stories to her bunny and hippo at naptime. She is now very comfortable in the pool and taking baths. She loves story time, taking walks ( even when it's 112 degrees outside ), playing with Addy, and riding bikes out front with her friends. Her ge-ge's adore her, even though they pester her. She is loved by many...

Sophie's Letter, Translated!

My dear friend, Misty Rush, pulled a few strings with some friends of hers to get this letter translated for Sophie. God love her, this is such an awesome gift...

So, here is what her foster mom had to say:

Hello,

I am Li Nai Xin. I don't know when you will receive this letter. Our family loves Xu Jing Yun ( her nickname: Xu Duo Duo ). She is adorable and has brought lots of happiness and love to us. We thank you for taking her in because you have made us very happy and fortunate. Tomorrow we will have to bury the love we had for her deep in our hearts. We hope that she will be happy in your family. Thank you for adopting Duo Duo, we welcome your visit to us at any time.

( She then lists her address, home and mobile phone numbers ).

Li Nai Xin
2014.4.21

Xu is her last name, Jing as in "crystal" and Yun as in "cloud"


So amazingly beautiful.