Saturday, December 31, 2011

New Years...2011..2012

As I sit here, taking time to reflect on the year gone past, it's been a rollercoaster ride of a year. We started this year knowing we will finally get to see and hold our precious daughter. That was enough to get excited about 2011.

While waiting for our LSC (letter seeking confirmation) and our final travel plans, I lost my uncle Bert. He has been ill for a while and he is in a better place. This made me stop and think how precious life and family really is. We miss you Uncle Bert!

As time approached for our departure date for Beijing, Jason and I were getting more excited as the days passed. We continued to follow our daily routines and did our everyday living musts!This was really hard. Staying focused was hard when you mind and heart was on the other side of the world. Finally May 5th came, Jason and I boarded the plane for Beijing and fell in love with a country and a little princess. We never dreamed that we would be so eager to return to a country that seemed to so far away and so different from our own country. We cannot wait to return to China, it's a beautiful country, the scenery was amazing, the people we friendly and most importantly, it's our daughter's homeland.

I read Rumor Queen religiously, I read the Inner Mongolia Yahoo group posts daily and try and stay on top of daily happening in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, just for our daughter. I remember sitting in the lobby of the Sheraton hotel, when our guide came and told us about a little boy who was abandoned the night before, in the park near our hotel. I asked Sandra if I could have the newspaper with the article regarding this little precious little boy. I brought this newspaper home with us, just to show Madisyn later on in life. This little boy is still in the orphanage that Madisyn was in, he will probley be there for another year or so before he is made paper ready for adoption. Another year without a family and another year living in a institation. This makes my heart ache, I know that my heart would love to bring another child home but things are changing in the adoption world and making it harder!

My new years resolution is to help those less fortunate and the orphans of the world. I somehow want to offer my love, life and time to the orphans of China. My heart was broken to see all the children living in Hohhot SWI, that it has changed the way I feel about life, love and family. For those people who have donated money on Madisyn's behalf to half the sky foundation and other foundations, we cannot thank you enough. This is the greatest gift you could have given us as a family.

Happy New Year to you and your family and lets remember those who have a family waiting or maybe no family at all.

God Bless,
Emily

Monday, December 26, 2011

Christmas Morning

Santa had left a note to Miss diva, saying thank you for the cookies and milk and that she was a awesome girl all year.


 Miss Diva woke bright and early and I heard from her room "look Momma la". I then went in to get her and to see if she would go back to bed. Yeah, that didn't work!
                                                                her leap frog puppy!
                                         she got a leap frog blackberry, phone and computer
                                          ladybug towel for when she gets out of the tub

 Mom bought her fleece pj's, she loved the feel of them, she was wrapping them around her neck and loving the feel.
                                                             craft supplies
 the other family that was with us in Hohhot was wearing these pants, I thought  they were so cute. They sent to Miss Diva for Christmas, thank you so much. I can't wait to see her in them.
                                                                 a tunnel
 a stroller for her baby stella, she is starting to play with this doll more and more.
                                             little people farm and she also got the purple house and the camping set.
 most of the Thomas trains that goes with her set, she was super excited to see all these trains...
miss diva's christmas loot.
I have no idea where I am going to put all this stuff. One blessed little girl.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Gingerbread House

 we are deciding what we want to do with the house...miss diva just wanted to eat the icing and the candy....silly yan yan!
                                                                    busy @ work
 putting the candy on the house to create the door. she had all she could do not to put these candies in her mouth.



 baba chips in to help us, this was so much fun, this will  be a family tradition
                                                 decorating the roof top for santa claus
                                                    the almost finished gingerbread house
                                              the finished house..this was so much fun

Oma Schraud's 90th Birthday

 Friday night the whole family was here to celebrate Grandma Schraud's 90th birthday. Again T and Miss Diva had fun eating, dancing and playing together. Rob and Anita came with presents. They both got cabbage patch dolls that they both danced with and played with, spoiled girlies.
                                                         Miss Diva dancing with her new baby.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Christmas @ Ye Ye and Grammie's house

                                                         Our niece T and her momma...
                             Grammie and Miss Diva sitting on the floor and playing together....
 T and Miss Diva building with blocks together..the first time they have played together and they played well.
                                                           Ye Ye and Miss Diva
 Opening presents..she got dress up stuff.....she is going to love it...thanks to Auntie , Uncle and T


 Ye Ye and Grammie gave the girls these Innotab, Miss Diva loves hers, thanks Ye Ye and Grammie
                                                 Drawing with Uncle and cousin T
Dancing with Baba , T and having lots of fun..these kids are so much fun...we love them so much!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Piller's Kids Christmas Party

 miss diva getting ready to have her face painted. We thought she might be scared but she was okay sitting on my lap.

                                               here she is doing a ornament craft
                                                           eating a cupcake
                                                 opening the present that Piller's gave her
                                                               my little pony
 meeting Santa Claus for the first time, he was gentle and let her come to him. He gave her a candy cane ans she was more up to having a picture taken with him.
momma still had to be with her. This  guy is funny looking momma

Madisyn's new toy

 Jason putting Miss Diva's new toy together. What a bugger to get this thing together.
                                                                   Almost done!
 She was so excited when she came downstairs and saaw this. She asked me"Maelyn's mommy?'
                                                         Her first jump on the trampoline.