Playground!

It was a beautiful day to play at the playground while big sister had her tennis lesson.

Tennis and Birthday!

Jeff rushed home from work yesterday and we jumped in the car to try to make it to Kaitlyn's first tennis match.  A few minutes down the road, Kaitlyn called to say she had already played and won 6-3!!!  WOOHOO, Kaitlyn!!  We were sad we had missed it!  She said we could still come see her and watch the other matches... What she really had in mind was to show off her baby sister to the entire girls tennis team!  Everyone thought Elli was so cute.  :)  After the games were over, we went out to eat to celebrate Brady's 14th Birthday!!  He enjoyed some barbecued ribs, and we enjoyed seeing him get embarrassed as a group of waiters sang "Happy Birthday" to him.   They had asked him his name, then a waiter said, "So it's Brady, like the Brady Bunch"?  uggh..."Yes, that's right".   Then they changed the line of the song as they were singing to "Happy Birthday to Bra--dy.....but not the Bunch!!"  It was so funny...and the best part, they really got Brady! 

Elli folding her hands in prayer

We read stories to Elli from her toddler Bible at bedtime.  We talk about all the pictures of animals, and she loves to look at the picture of baby Moses in the basket.  She also can point to Jesus in the pictures.   At our evening meal, we say a prayer before we eat.  We tell Elli, "Let's talk to Jesus", and we had been trying to get her to fold her hands in prayer.  She wouldn't pray with us before the meal, but eventually began to fold her hands in prayer at various times during the meal.  Of course, we all joined her at anytime to "talk to Jesus".  Last night as we were all sitting down to eat, Elli looked at all of us and folded her hands in prayer first!  We were so proud of her!

China trip pic...Silk Factory

We toured a silk factory when we were in Beijing.  We were given a demonstration of the silkworm cocoon and how silk is harvested to make fabric.

Care package

After getting our little girl's referral in March, we sent her a care package that included some clothing items, a blanket, toy, and camera.  We were instructed we had to send the package to her original orphanage in Zhengzhou, but we knew she was no longer there!  Because of her need for a heart surgery, she had been transferred at two months old to New Day Foster Home in Beijing who cared for her and raised funds for her surgery.  Then this February at thirteen months old, she went to live with a foster family.  Our adoption agency told us that her orphanage might send the package to New Day, or she might just receive it when she returned to the orphanage, since the director would be bringing her to the registration office to meet us.  We searched New Day Foster Home's website and blog every day to see if there were any new pictures of our little girl, or maybe even one of her wearing the outfit we sent her!  A few days before our trip, we were positive there was a pic of her wearing the pink top we had sent!  We knew then that she might have seen the first pictures of her forever family!  The photo album we sent had pictures of our family and the Chinese characters for Mama, Dada, big sister, and big brother under the pictures.  We knew that seeing pictures of us before we met would greatly help her with the transition.  When we met her on "Gotcha Day", she was wearing the outfit we sent her!  I am sure she must have recognized me from the album because she walked right into my arms!  We were given a bag that had our photo album, the camera we sent, another camera, a big photo book, a calendar with New Day kids pics, and a cd of pics and monthly updates from New Day!  What a special gift!!  Elli loved to look at her photo album and could point to us when we said our Chinese names for Mama, Dada, big sister, and big brother!  We are so thankful that her foster mom took some pictures on the camera and also took the time to look at the album with her and tell her about her family that was coming.  Here is a picture from one of the cameras that we had developed.  I almost cried...

Our puppy dogs

Elli loves puppies and will squeal "woof woof" and pup"py" in delight when she sees them.   She loves to look out the window or go on the deck several times a day to see our two puppy dogs, "Raindrop", our Dachshund, and "Glory", our Golden Retriever.  She doesn't like to get too close to them yet though. :)

China trip pic...More Acrobats

Here are some more pics from the Chinese Acrobatics show we saw in Beijing.

1st Day of School

Brady and Kaitlyn went back to school on Wednesday.  Brady is an 8th grader, and Kaitlyn is a Junior.  Kaitlyn drove herself and Brady to school for the first time.  I can hardly take it. :'(  Elli and I hugged and said a prayer.  Jeff said Elli will be the Class of 2028...oh my.

Elli's 1st Cardiologist Appt. ~ 2011

Thanks everyone for praying for Elli!  Our prayers have been answered!!  The cardiologist said the heart surgeon in China did a great repair job!  He said Elli had not had a severe case of Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), as she would have needed her surgery before 8 mons. old if it had been severe.  The surgery had not required the pulmonary valve to be stinted, so it was still intact and functioning!  This was excellent news!  The constriction of the pulmonary valve was minor.  The doctor believed that this narrowing had probably helped blood not to pool back into the lungs before she was able to have her surgery.  She probably won't have very many limitations on her activities and should live a normal, healthy life!  She may or may not need another repair later as she grows, so she will need to be monitored again in 6 months, and then yearly.  We are so thankful for our families' and friends' prayers and for God's healing hand on our sweet baby girl.

Prayers for Cardiologist Appt.

Elli sees the cardiologist tomorrow.  Please pray that everything still looks great.  She had heart surgery last Sept. in China when she was 8 mons. old for a serious heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).

China trip pic...Chinese buffet

When we were in China, our travel group had a few authentic Chinese buffet-style meals.  Many types of dishes including chicken, pork, duck, shrimp, egg drop soup, rice, dumplings, vegetables, and watermelon were placed on a turntable in the center of a large round table that accommodated 10-12 people.  Waiters continued to bring more dishes throughout the meal until the turntable was full, and there was always more food than we could eat.  Kaitlyn and Brady were always happy to see white rice and watermelon served.  :)  Green tea, Coke, and Sprite were drink options on the table.

Play kitchen

Elli likes to play with her tea set and play kitchen.  She pretends to stir, drink from her tea cup, and eat food.  She will also share her "yummy" treats.  :)

China trip pic...Great Wall

Here are some more pics from the Great Wall of China! The weather was very hot and humid when we were there on July 9.  We were at the Badaling area, which is a very well-known section of the Wall.  The Wall was a combination of ramps and steps.  The farther you went, the steeper it got, and the steps became very uneven and varying greatly in height.  Jeff and Brady climbed to the fourth tier, but discovered it was even harder on their legs to come back down because of the steepness.  

Swinging!

While Kaitlyn was swinging her racquet at her tennis lesson today, Brady and Elli were...swinging!!

Sisters

 

Our precious daughters...

Going for a ride!

It's fun to play with the Duplo building blocks...but it's more fun to ride on top of the bus with a boost from big brother!! :D

China trip pic...Gotcha Day

Today is the one month anniversary of our precious Elliana's "Gotcha Day".  Our family has been beyond blessed having this sweet little baby girl in our lives.  We thank God for all his amazing blessings!

China trip pic...Rickshaws

Here we are on bicycle-pulled rickshaws in Beijing where we toured the old Hutong District housing.

Haircut!

Elli got her hair trimmed today!  She did so good!