Another First

We have a very nice boat that has become a thorn in our sides over the years. 

Having said that, we finally uncovered it and took it out for the 2011 maiden voyage yesterday. 

 It was a beautiful day by any standards, 90 degrees and the lake water was perfect. 

Olivia knew we were going "boating" but she didn't have a clue what that meant! 

Oh but when she figured it out..she had a blast! 

 She didn't like watching the boys tube as much as swimming

BUT when the girls got to tube with the boys, they both liked that VERY much!

It was an exhausting day as you can see below from the view of the back seat of the truck, but oh so fun!

Fourth of July - Independence Day

We had a wonderful, busy weekend; gotta love three (and 1/2) day weekends! 

The girls spent 8 hours in our friends pool on Sunday, we are so blessed and thankful for that gift of friendship! 

Then we capped it all off with a visit to watch fireworks {even though it was late on a work night, the joy in watching their faces as they watched the fireworks was worth all the tiredness today}

(I can say that because its early in the day, check with me later on that opinion).  Enjoy!!

The girls were watching Mulan II on daddy's laptop while we patiently waited for dusk. 

Can you hear the ooohs and aaaahs? 

 Extraordinary!



I need to blog, I need to blog, I need to blog...

So much has been going on that I'd like to share, I just haven't had the energy to sit down and formulate my thoughts.  Things are going very well with Olivia, she continues to expand her language and her comprehension of what we are saying is awesome!  She has been going to an early intervention "school" from 9-12 every day, just to help her assimilate better.  They have a field trip every Friday, which is very cool for her.  She got to go to the library and the Akron Zoo so far.  This week is the McKinley Museum.  She is finding her way in the family, bit by bit.  She still imitates EV.ERY.THING. Abigail says and does a lot of the time, which at times can be very annoying.  We have to step back and remember that she is learning and just wants to fit in. 

I took a day off last Friday and it was all about the girls!  First we went to the mall and had Olivia's ears pierced {she didn't bat an eye}.  Then a trip to Build-a-Bear was in order, they both picked out new animals and appropriately dressed them. First time for Olivia and she had a ball...then we went to Panera for lunch and off to the grocery store and home...but wait!  Abigail had the option of getting her ears pierced when Olivia did, and she declined.  It scared her!  Well, of course, after we are miles away from the mall, Princess changes her mind.  Being the good mommy, I take her back, we wait a bit and she too gets her ears pierced {she balled like a baby}.  In the end, she recovered nicely, her "little ear" looks adorable pierced and we went home to show daddy what we were up to!  They've both been very good about cleaning and turning them!

 

Fathers Day turned out to be a nice day.  We had the family over for some ribs on the grill and all the girls (3 cousins + my two) played very well together.  All were full and exhausted by days end!

See here it is another week gone by...oy vey.  I'll be back!

Updates on Olivia

Olivia has made huge leaps and bounds in many areas since we've been home and I feel the need to document some of them:

1. She can ride a bike (which she could not do AT ALL when we came home)
2. She can say I Love You in English (sometimes to everyone she meets)
3. She is seeming to prefer English over Chinese right now (which makes us very sad) and is saying MANY things in English, sometimes too fast for us to catch it!
4. She wants to grow her hair long like "sister's"
5. She loves school
6. She loves to do anything "Sister" does
7. She loves to swim and is FEARLESS...scary, huh?
8. She goes full tilt until bedtime, no down time for this girl
9. Her sullenness (is that a word?) is getting less and less
10. We love her very much.

First Time Swimming?

We have some very good friends who have an inground swimming pool and they are gracious enough to have us over frequently during the summer.  We had our maiden voyage for 2011 this past Sunday when the weather was finally nice enough to go!

Let me back up and tell you that Abigail has been taking swimming lessons these past few months and Olivia has gone to watch a couple of times.  This past week, Olivia expressed the STRONG desire to "yo yong" like her sister does.  We held out hope that the weather would break and we could let her try it out. 

Well, let me tell you...she took to it like a fish to water, after the initial "wildness" since she was nervous and excited. 

As I've said before, she has a tendency to copy everything Abby does, so she tried it ALL.  She even jumped off the diving board, no wings, a few times until she stayed under just a.little.too.long.  It was a great day and I am certain this is the first time Miss Olivia Zijing has ever set foot into a swimming pool...what a joy to watch!

Abigail has come a long way in her swimming abilities over the last couple of years.  She is moving up to "EEL" now at the Y and is very excited!

Here's to a very warm summer this year, so we have lots of opportunities to swim!

Not Just Any Mothers Day...

Four years ago today, we became a family of five with the adoption of our precious Abigail Xin Ru. 

God knew what a blessing she would  be to our family, even when we didn't.  {He told your baba!}

 It hasn't always been easy; in fact, looking back, it was darn hard. 

Having recently adopted Olivia Zijing, many of those hidden away, long forgotten "sore spots" have come back as reminders that this road is NEVER easy, but the joy we have received from having Abigail in our lives is immeasurable. 

 I can't even imagine what life would have been like without her in our family, ours...or hers...

THANK YOU Lord for this gift we love so very much.  You've come along way baby!

Happy Gotcha Day, Abby!

One Month

One month ago today we were greeted by a nervously giggling little girl who was chanting "baba, baba"...

and now...shes's still that nervous giggly girl who loves her baba, but she's becoming more self assured.  She loves LOVES school, she loves our dog Zeus, she is generally happy, sleeps well and loves being outside.  Her obstinence shows up when we don't expect it.  "No" is a favorite word, whether she understands its meaning or not...food is a challenge at times, and she has a bit of a mean streak where her sister is concerned; not always, but not expected so it cuts deep.  Abigail has been very patient with her, but Ab's a bossy gal and that isn't helping the bond.  We are working with Ab to not be such a mother to Olivia, its hard for her.  The idea that just because Abigail has something, Olivia should as well is difficult too.  We are working through all this, loving on her whenever possible, trying to keep in mind where she came from, what she's been through...life is a bit hard right now, but there are glimmers of the sweet little girl we know is in there...

We are reminded in Matthew 18:5 that "whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me."