Friday Field Trip

The summer is winding down.  Next week will be our last Friday Field Trip and I'm sad.

Today we went to the Science Center with Grandma and Grandpa, and cousins Ian and Elia, super fun!!!

The water room!!!





I have the best pictures of Anna with her cousin Elia. Elia always snuggles into Anna when I take out my camera. Gotta love those big brown eyes too!



Kids can play with water forever!



Anna and Abigail's favorite part of the Science Center, dancing!



Checking out the view of Hartford

Dear Chinese Birthmother

I feel like I need to say something profound but I don't know what to say.  Perhaps I can let the pictures do the talking. 



Some must think that I make to much of all of this.  (what? adoption day?  I know a ton of kids who were adopted)  But I know I'm right.  It is amazing, her life's journey.  This week we celebrate her journey.


Do you know that my child is extra special?  Do you know my child will never have the answers to questions I wish I could give her?  Do you know my child always, ALWAYS held her own bottle, and yes it makes a difference.  The reason that she's startled so easily is that she was "wired" wrong from a cycle of not being loved for 14 months. 



Letting a balloon go with a note attached is just a tiny little gesture.  It just barely scratches the surface of the situation.  But she's only 8 and it's all I can think to do. 



What do I wish I could do?  Sometimes I wish I knew the circumstances.  Sometimes I wish I could find out the where and the why.  Sometimes I wish I could just have one quick look to see what she looked like.  But sometimes I don't.  Perhaps it's too much to know.  Perhaps, well not perhaps, I know I'm not meant to know.  Not knowing makes Anna, Anna.  Not knowing makes me want to hold on even tighter.  Not knowing makes me work harder to understand who she is now and how I can help. 

I'm blessed to have "done both" as I say.  Some say, 'I just love all of my children; it doesn't make a difference that one was adopted'.  I say no.  It DOES make a difference.  I love harder, I try harder, I ache more, I want more for her and that's okay.  Abigail will always hear, "she looks just like you..." when we're together. 



Deliberate, fierce love, that's what I feel this week.  And I'm proud of it.  You are loved Anna, you are loved. 

Okay, now I'm off my soap box...

Adoption Day Videos

Scott made these videos soon after Anna came home.  It was wonderful to watch them again last night.  For all of our special China 115 friends who traveled with us, you will always be a part of our family.  When I watch the third video I feel honored that I watched your miracle moment.  Once in a lifetime...



Make sure you turn up your sound...
(but first scroll down to the bottom of my blog and pause the regualar blog music)


Video One:  Referral/getting ready/leaving

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT9P8dMI8bw

Video Two:  In China (before Adoption Day)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDxkD8iUW5w


Video Three: Adoption Day (We do have all of the "gotcha" moments from our group on here too) So cool to watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpCnAQgrdmk&feature=related

Some powerful stuff in these videos. Makes me want to do it all over again!

7 Years Ago

7 years ago today, in an office building in the busy city of Chongqing China, I became a mother.



And in that one moment I knew what I wanted to be for the rest of my life. Everything felt so clear and my arms and heart finally felt full. There was nothing like it!

"Adoption is a miracle", we've all heard that quote before. Although it seems silly to put into simple words like that it's perfectly said. Adoption is a miracle. When Anna was handed to me I just about fell over from love. It swelled up in me in such an amazing way; I would have died for her in that one monent. She didn't grow in me but she was a part of me. I was supposed to be her mother and everything that my life was up until that moment was becasue of and for Anna. Every lesson learned, every class of students taught, and even every time I played mommy when I was little all came down to this one moment. It was a miracle.

It's a miracle to love some one so intensly from the moment you hold them when they are not from you.

It's a miracle to want to take all of their pain away.

It's a miracle to watch that pain melt away and love to fill her heart.

Anna, you are the miracle in my life. Thank you for making me a mother, your mother just 7 years ago.



7 years ago she went from being an orphan here



to a cherished daughter here.



Anna, you're amazing! This day I hold so dear to me. I will never forget who you are and where you are from. You are my treasure and I'll love you forever.

Friday Field Trip

Mystic Seaport was so much fun! What a beautiful day we had, sunny and 70!





I adore this one of Abigail!





I took a ton of pictures on this bench. It was just so pretty there. Anna didn't really want to be there but I love the pictures anyway. They're quite funny1



Love Abigail's face in this one



Come on Anna, that's more like it!





Best one of Anna, that's her smile!






We met our special friends there. Anna loves Leah!






They loved climbing up and down the ships. They loved the old village. They loved arts and crafts. They loved the playhouse. I loved the library pass that got us in for free.

Day trips with my girls (and sometimes Scott when he could get away) were such a blessing this summer. I am so grateful for the happy memories we have and the huge amount of time we spent together!

Summer

Just a few things that have been happening around here that I don't want to forget. 

We love making fudge pops with the Zuko pop maker. If you have the zuko and have just been pouring juice in it for pops you're really missing out. They cam out with an amazing cookbook for pops and it's so much fun to make delicious treats in minutes. There are also recipes for healthy ones. (Anna love the banana one) Unfortunately, now that Abigail has tasted her first fudge pop there's no other one for her. I was able to alter it for her EE. I'm so happy when she can have a summertime treat!











We went to Grandpa's annual summer musical. This year it was 101 Dalmatians. It was a few weeks ago and just tonight Abigail was walking around on all fours with a homemade spotted (ribbon) tale tucked into her shorts. Lot's of fun!



July 4th... now that was a while ago!







Just playing outside. Best friends!







Abigail's first year taking swimming lessons. I love how she puts her face in the water.





Summer is going by way too quickly. Slow down summer, slow down!

Sleepovers

Sleepovers, I'm not good at them.  At all! 
Sure there are times that I think about how wonderful it would be to go out to dinner with my husband, come home and relax.  Maybe linger over breakfast out....  (usually I'm thinking this during a chaos time)

So, once a year I make plans.  Seems to be simple really, and I'm fine with it up to the day before when it all sinks in.  I start to get that panicked feeling.  I don't WANT to feel that way; I just do. 

I'm fine on the 'out to eat' part but then it all goes down hill from there.  I actually feel bad for Scott beacuase I can't relax.  And when I wake up in the morning I just have to see them as soon as possible. 

I've been a mom for 7 years.  (yes, Anna is 8, but she wasn't adopted until she was over 1)  and I've only left them overnight a total of 4 times.  Out of those 4 times I've had a mingrane each time.  The kind of migrane that makes me think I'll need to go to the hospital if it doesn't stop soon.  We're not talking just a simple headache.  (except for that last time that I took 2 extra strength excedrine before I even left them.)  I'm sure you're laughing at me now.

Scott is so patient with me and he knows me that's for sure.  None of this comes as a surprise to him after experiencing my homesickness on our honeymoon.  Good thing we were in Hawaii and I couldn't GET home! 

So for now, while they are little, I think I'll hold them close to me.  Sure, we'll do more sleepovers.  I'll do it for them.  They love it!  They adore spending time with their cousins and Grandparents.  They love the extra attention and special touches that are all part of it. 




But I feel complete when they are finally back with me.