A little pink in our blue world

Year End in review

2012-01-13T15:21:00.012-05:00

Here is our fall year end in review....I wish I could stay more up to date on the blog,

but it seems to fall towards the end of my "to do" list anymore. We had a great Christmas

and so glad everyone stayed healthy...Looking forward to 2012, Chloe will be turning 5!!

Where has the time gone? It's just so hard to believe....we are planning to head back to

Disney this year, where Chloe has her heart set on going back to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

and being Rapunzel this year(she's a little obsessed with the movie, but then again, so I am I,

it's SO cute!) It's also hard to believe the school year is half over...this fall, I will have a

9th grader, 6th grader, 3rd grader, and a Kindergartener!

Christmas morning 2011

Waiting for Chloe...

Bunk Beds Dan made for her new dolls....

can't wait to see what she got!

I Love you Kitt!~

Christian checking out his iPod Touch

Her new friends!!! Chloe(she named her My American Girl Doll after herself)

Julie, Chloe, Ruthie, and Kitt

Garrett got his wish, a Kindle Fire

A new BB gun with a scope for our little outdoorsman...

Her most wanted item-Julie!

Woo-hoo, more Barbie clothes....

Christian loves to watch and read about Ice Road Truckers...

American Girl earrings

Love this game for the Wii...no one has yet to beat my score for "Beat It", lol

Dollhouse Furniture
Mr. Baseball got a bat bag

Sittin' on Santa's lap

"I'd like a Kindle Fire, gift cards, and PS3 games..."

"I want a tree stand, camo clothes, a 243 rifle, a new BB gun...." this kid

LOVES to hunt!

Christian being a good sport, and letting me get a picture!
"I want an American Girl Doll, Barbies, and Rapunzel!"

Halloween 2011

Mr. Garrett is Steelers player, Troy Polamalu

Andrew as a werewolf-he won a prize for cartoon character?????

Little Miss Riding Hood herself...

She won first place in her age group for judge's choice

Halloween!!!!!!!!!!

Oh this girl, she always loves to pose!

Visiting the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, Pa Chloe's

Pre-school field trip was held here-very cool place...

They also had a pumpkin patch where the kids got to pick out their own

pumpkin and decorate

One of our conductors...

Waiting to board

My little model, posing before school one day....got her dress from Etsy-

which I can now say I am addicted to!

Summer Fun at a local Amusement Park

Of course, Andrew has to add some sort of excitement to the game :)

Funny how little ones are fascinated by a tube blowing out air and a

plastic ball floating above.....

Suspension bridge....not so much fun when you're being followed

behind by those lovely kids who like to make it bounce and sway as

much as possible, my husband included....

Lots of fun!
Go, go, go-we won-I'm sure because of the extra weight from momma ;)

Just chillaxin.....

Taking in our annual trip to a Pittsburgh Pirates game...

Um, cotton candy anyone? :)

The Pittsburgh Pirates #1 fan!

He's got his mitt ready!

Preschool days are here!

2011-09-20T19:45:00.005-04:00

It's so hard to believe my baby is old enough for preschool! Where has the time gone? She was super excited to go...it is a half day preschool, so it is a perfect 2 1/2 hours for her. We had a few tears after the "newness" of the whole preschool thing wore off...but it is getting much better...

Ok, how grown up does she look here?

Making our way into school

Hanging up her bookbag and coat

Putting her show and tell in her cubby

Showing off her bookbag.....

my preschooler.....

Birthdays!

2011-09-02T11:20:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe that Chloe turned 4 years old this month! Where has the time gone? She is in LOVE with Barbies~! As you can see, pink, pink, and more pink! She is a girl after my own heart..."G" man also had his birthday and turned the big 1-0! Double digits for our middle son...he is such a sweetheart and LOVES his little sister...we are so blessed! Here are a few shots from the party...

Pretty in pink

Yay-playing dress up is one of her favorite things

Looking at his new bat....not bad, he thinks..

New catcher's mitt...

A new bike with, yep, you guessed it...Barbie all over it :)

Our silly guy

The Great Outdoors...

2011-07-28T22:05:00.005-04:00

Well, the family has recently invested in a camper and we are having a blast going on our camping trips...we are leaving again in 2 weeks to go again and can't wait...it is so nice to get away from all of the electronics here at home, no iPods, PS3. nintendo, etc. We love getting back to nature and to a place and time where the hardest thing to decide whether to have hamburgers or chicken on the fire pit...Ah, the simple life...

She LOVES LOVES LOVES Smores! Definetly has a sweet tooth!

She caught a footlong catfish on her 24 inch Barbie fishing pole!

Smiles all around....

Chloe just loved to go around searching for duck feathers

Playing a card game

The kids are really into fishing now...as you can see in the pics they are super excited when they catch a fish, regardless of size and kind. They take along their bikes and ride around the grounds. So fortunate that we live close to many different campgrounds, so we are never more than a stone's throw from home incase we forget something (which happened the very first time we went!)

More catching up....

2011-07-28T21:02:00.004-04:00

Easter Sunday...although "A" man had red eyes from crying...
Bestest Buddies

So sweet!

Strike a pose!

The day she got her dance bag in the mail-so excited!

Pretty pretty ballerina!

I am going to make a concientious effort to post to the blog more...it has just been so busy since soccer started in April that I couldn't seem to keep up with it!

Chloe 2 Year Gotcha Day Pictures

2011-06-13T14:13:00.005-04:00

Whew...FINALLY been able to fix being able to post on Blogger again...something was messed up and wouldn't let me post...have lots of pics to post from various things...Here are Chloe's 2 year Gotcha Day pictures....our 2 year anniversary was May 4...it's hard to believe that it's been 2 years already, although it honestly is like she has ALWAYS been a member of our family...she is such a sweetheart and is such a buddy to her big brothers...but she and G man are bestest buddies...it warms my heart to see how well they interact with one another. She is also SUCH a performer already...this girl will go out on our deck and put on a show like none other, singing and dancing...we started her in dance classes this year and she loves it. She is taking jazz, tap, and ballet. She is also such a comedian! She can make us laugh like none other :) She is turning 4 in August and will be starting Pre-K...my baby is no longer a baby :(

My how the time in my world flies...

2011-04-04T17:01:00.005-04:00

Anyone out there who is still reading my blog? I honestly cannot find the time to sit down at a computer weekly to update! I guess life....it happens...anyways, here are some updated pics and some news about what's been happening in our lives.

My "baby boy" celebrating his 7th birthday party!

Go STEELERS!

Just tubin' it...we took full advantage of the snow to get outside and

go snow tubing in the fields around our house

Little Miss loves to do her own make-up, can you tell?

Our princess in her dress up clothes-she wakes up every morning, takes

off her pj's and goes straight into dress up clothes and wears them ALL DAY

LONG! :)

We had a great Christmas and New Year. My "baby boy "A" man", turned 7 years old. He had a Steeler birthday party, which was great considering our Steelers were headin to the Superbowl. Our "oldest baby boy" turns 13 this month! I keep asking myself-am I really going to be a mother of a teenager? Yikes!

I took Chloe for her first pre-k visit. It went really well! She is doing AMAZING in the attachment department! She now goes to her Sunday School class on her own-she LOVES church! She always wakes me up Sundays, pulling on my arm, sayin "Momma, come on, get up-it's time for church!" She is a true stickler for us getting to church every Sunday :)

It's hard to believe our 2 year Gotcha Day anniversary is a month away! Where has the time gone? This little girl is not a toddler anymore, she is a living, breathing, most definetly girlie girl preschooler with a bit of diva inside her. If you'd see the way this girl can shake her head and hips while she walks, it is hilarious.

She is also, I will call it now, a true performer who is destined to be on Broadway someday. She is ALWAYS singing and dancing around. We signed her up for dance lessons, which start next week. She is OVER THE MOON about dance! We had a mother/daughter day where we went to purchase her ballet and tap shoes and her leotards. She loved it (and I did too!) She is also a GREAT SHOPPER! She loves shopping, which is great for me-we could spend all day in Gymboree :)

I can't also believe the girl is going to be 4....YEARS....OLD! We have definetly been living in fast forward these past 2 years....

We are heading south again for vacation-Chloe is IN LOVE with the Disney Princesses. She got to meet them when we went a year and a half ago, but she really didn't get the meet and greet "experience" if you will. Heading to the "mouse's house" for a few days and just chillin the rest of vacation.

We just recently brought home a beast of a camper-SO EXCITED to go camping! Getting ready to book campgrounds and start gathering camping supplies.

Back to her pre-k visit, I stayed with her the whole visit, as it is only a half day pre-k. She meshed with the other kids so well, spoke up at times when she didn't care for something, and only looked back once to see if I was still there. We have made great strides with her coming out of shell and becoming her own little person. She will start this in September. Can't wait for her to experience the whole 'school' shopping...she will be overjoyed that she gets to "school shop" like brothers do!

Well, I hope to post to this more often, as we begin a busy summer season, with dance, soccer, vacation, camping, etc. I promise to do my best for those of you who are still interested in what's happening in the Weaver's World :)

Christmas 2010

2011-01-18T17:59:00.007-05:00

Such a sweet and innocent face! :)

Our soon to be 7 year old!

Our soon to be TEENAGER! Where has the time gone?

This smile exudes this boy's personality to a t!

One of my faves!

I look at how well these kids interact with each and it comes across

even in the photos....

Christmas morning-Chloe was SUPER into Christmas this year. I

don't think she quite "got" it last year, but she made up for it this

year. Her favorite gift? Her Barbie Townhouse!

Checking out some new Wii games

LOVE this cutie patootie! All dressed in her nightgown and ready to

open presents!

Anxious for Santa to come-I got my pictures uploaded in reverse order-

this is Christmas Eve

Lovin on her cousin!

Children's Christmas Program at our church....

Couldn't resist throwing this one in-she is SUPER EXCITED to start

her dance classes in April. Her cousin gave her a big bag of her old

dance costumes-needless to say, she was THRILLED!

And last but not least- a little more sweetness to last you until next

time!

Our future model and Santa Letters....

2010-12-08T09:43:00.005-05:00

Busy busy busy...tis the Holiday Season! We are anxiously awaiting Santa Claus to come to our house. Chloe is SUPER into Christmas this year! She couldn't wait to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what she wants. We took the kids to the mall and in Macy's, they had a station where you could write your letter to Santa and put it in their North Pole mailbox. The kids got a huge kick out of doing this.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Miss Diva psing at her best

I still can not believe how much she has grown from last year!

Riding the Christmas train with her Bubba

G man helping out little sister with her letter

Catch up post....

2010-11-10T09:48:00.009-05:00

Well, as I'm sure you can tell, if anyone's still reading my blog, kids and life has severely cut into my blogging time!

Soccer, basketball, school, field trips, Halloween, the Children's Hospital book drive, A's accident, church, homework.....I could go on and on, but who has time? Although, I wouldn't trade my life for anything! :) I am going to try to keep up with it more so now, with the holidays right around the corner!

Enjoy!

Our beautiful Snow White....

She thought parading around in front of everyone during the judging was hilarious!

Getting her prize for most beautiful....

C man went as Bo Duke from the Dukes of Hazzard (yes, he is actually wearing

Luke Duke's shirt, but the wig that went with the costume was RIDICULOUS,

so he went as Bo Duke. And would you believe he won-as best HISTORICAL

character-Danny and I got a laugh out of that one-Bo Duke isn't THAT old, is he?

G man as the bad Spiderman

"A" man as Power Ranger

Ahhhh, sweetness and light is what I think of when I see this picture!

Sports night at our church one Wednesday night......

Go black and gold!

Christian's Jr. High Soccer team did AWESOME this year....

Ok, seriously, how GROWN-UP does he look in this picture?

and so handsome :)

Fallin for fall.....

From the looks of it, G man inhaled a few of the leaves....

Yes, I believe Andrew is feeling back to his old self-can you find him in this picture?

1/4 of the books we hauled up, sitting outside of the Children's Hospital

Ronald McDonald's house. We ended up collecting over 10,000 books and magazines.

Getting ready to unload...

Children's Hospital personnel helping out

Finally done loading everything!

Just wanted to show everyone her "cuteness" in these next few pictures....

Look how big she's gotten! Where did my baby go?

Wow, it's been a while!

2010-09-30T19:36:00.006-04:00

First day of high school-can you tell he's nervous? :)
"A" man after getting home form the hospital

Birthday boy-he sure does like his money!

Random Chloe pic-simple and sweet-notice the pigtails?

She LOVES to dance-this is her birthday dress I had made for her. She is in love with Dora!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Vacation Bible School

I can't believe I haven't posted anything since August 20! I have been a slacker in the blog department lately...our family life has thrown us for a loop the past month, and can't seem to keep up. We had Chloe and "G" man's birthday parties. School began the end of August...all boys are doing well and seems to like school. Chloe is growing by the foot! I look at pics of her from last year at this time, and she still seems like a baby. We then had quite a scare with our "A"man...he was at his first ever sleepover on September 10. We got a call the next morning saying he was driving his friend's UTV, had no helmet on, and he drove it into the back of a forklift! The seatbelt was not on tight enough, so when he hit it, he hit his abdomen on the steering wheel. Fast forward to our local hospital-doing cat scans, bloodwork, and then the doc informs us he needs to be either life flighted or ambulanced to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. He had a lacerated liver. We spent 4 1/2 days in the Children's Hospital. He was on bed rest for 2 days, and also couldn't eat for 2 days. Man, that is so hard when you're child is begging you for something to eat or drink, and he can't have either! I can not speak highly enough of our Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. The care we received was amazing. While there, it was also a very emotional place to be....I witnessed MANY children, young and old, who were VERY sick...many spending so much time there, they know all of the staff and volunteers by their first name. It really makes you appreciate how lucky we truly are...While there, we visited the Hospital's Library, and in this library, they have a special section called the "Adopt Me" section. This is where patients, siblings, and even adults can take home, or "adopt" these books and magazines. While we were there, I had this feeling that God kept talking to me, telling me to give back to this wonderful facility. I got the idea to do a Used Book and Magazine Drive to benefit this "Adopt Me" section. They were getting low on books and magazines, so I though this was the perfect wayt to give back to them. Well, we have had local businesses,daycare, schools, banks, our local hospital, just to name a few collecting books for us. We are also having a specified Book Drive this Saturday at our local Hospital. "A" man was even featured in a an article for our local paper, promoting the drive. Can't wait to post on here the acutal number of books we collected! It's awesome!

"C" man is in school soccer this year, and it has been a good season for them so far, their record is 7-2. This is his first year in high school, and he seems to like it. "G" man is also doing well, he likes his teacher, and does well with school. Which brings us back to "A" man-our discharge instructions were-no bending, lifting, running, (ok, are you laughing yet? This is a 6 year old boy we are talking about here)no physical activity, no gym, no recess for a WHOLE MONTH! Oh my, what a long 2 1/2 weeks it's been already. I feel like all I get done doing is telling him to stop doing this, don't do that..he goes back to the hospital in october, when they will clear him to resume normal activity. Chloe is doing WONDERFUL! She is so grown up and is definetly her mother's child. That girl LOVES shopping, dressing up, and everything girlie.

Now can you see why I haven't blogged lately? :)

On the road again....

2010-08-19T18:01:00.011-04:00

What a sandbox of cuties!

About a week and half after returning from Myrtle Beach, we were on the road again, heading down to NC to visit our extended family, Amy and Marc and family...I think we were all anxious to see how the blending of our two broods would go....if it is anything like Amy and Marc's relationship with Dan and I, they would hit it off instantaneously...and that's exactly what happened! With 10 kids and 4 adults under 1 roof, we had a blast!

Ok Finn...what can we get into next?

Eating our delicious dessert after supper

We visited a State Park and everyone but yours truly( hey, somebody had to capture the sliding on camera, and I didn't want to mess up my back)went down Sliding Rock, a natural waterslide...as you can see from our pics, they had a great time, although the water was said to be at 48 degrees! We then went to lunch and back to the state park. We rented tubes and went "tubing" down the river...we were told it would only take an hour at the most to get to the end, but with a troop of 9 of us, in 3 inches of water at times, it took us over 2 hours! We had so much fun though, although Dan ended up being the one to push us when we got hung up in the 3 inches of water LOL! SO WISH we would have thought of buying waterproof cameras for that journey!

"G" man was the first brave soul to attempt the slide...

"C" man...

"A" man splash lands

Daddy and Chloe.....

Can we do that again Dad?

We then made our way back and stopped in a quaint little town, where we had some of the best pizza we've had in a long time! We also walked through some of the shops...

What a couple of sweethearts! "G" man treated all of the girls as if they were

also his little sisters....

If this was the case with having 4 kids-I'd be a billionaire :)

This sign says it all, ladies!

Chloe was in heaven when she saw this giant inflated Dora outside a shop

The next day, we took the train into the city, and visited a Childrens Museum...the kids of course loved this...

Man vs Wife in a Battle of Building Blocks at the Children's Museum!

So, I decided to get in on the action....

Crash!

These 2 six year old boys thought they were the "bomb" because they beat everyone

at tug of war....

Lying on a bed of nails...

Just checking my email Momma....

A cool station where you could make whatever you could think of out of duct tape-

the kids LOVED this area...I know have duct tape written on my Christmas list ;)

Rock and Roll girls....

Chloe getting her picture taken with a "princess" She saw this girl when we

were walking along the city streets...we think she was shooting pictures for a

prom magazine. I asked the photographer if she could have her picture taken with

her and she said of course....

Our trip went by all too quickly...we swore we would try to get together atleast once a year..

thank you Amy and Marc and family, for opening up your home to us, and treating us like

family...you all are simply the best! We love you!

What a face!

2010-08-12T22:33:00.003-04:00

So this is what happens when Momma leaves the room to fold laundry, only to remember 5 minutes later she forgot to put the facepaint away-this was compliments of "A" man ....all I could do was run for the camera-what a face!!!!

Beachin' It!

2010-07-26T13:47:00.019-04:00

Just got back from our wonderful Myrtle Beach vacation...had a blast with our family and friends. There were 14 of us, and all of the kids got along really well...I kind of forget now that I'm on Facebook that I need to put pics on my blog too, since alot of my followers aren't on my Facebook list. Chloe will soon be 3!!! So hard to believe! She is more like a little person than a toddler...We will soon be on our way down to visit Amy and Marc and family (aka Our Family, Our Story blog) We can't wait to visit with them, catch up on new things, and reminisce about our time in China together! Hope you enjoy our pictures.

Little Surfer Girl

Bucket # 2846

A daddy and his princess

Kristi G.- do you think I have a future gymnast on my hands? :)

Sharing a moment with my sweet girl....

She LOVED looking for clams...

Little "A" taking a break from riding the waves...

What a group shot-and notice how Chloe is the one sticking her tongue out~!

Really liked this shot!

2 of my sweet boys....

AWWWWW!!!

The Weaver clan....

The whole gang...

Kristi G-how about this one?

Yes, she has quite the balance....

Barefoot Landing

"A" took this picture-not too bad!

Put-Put!!!

Almost home!!!

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-24T20:46:00.005-04:00

We had a nice Father's Day-took the kids to see Toy Story 3 and then home to swim and cook out. I was able to capture some nice pics of the kids in the pool with him. We have a VERY busy July coming up, including VACATION! Can't wait!

One of my most favorite pictures of her

Check out this genuine happy smile

A Daddy and his princess

Ok, this picture is just adorable, IMO

"A" showing why he is referred to as the jokester in our family

And here again, "A" leaves his mark with Daddy and "C"

And here he is, one last time, oh well, boys will be boys! :)

Buddies

Summer begins....

2010-06-08T15:33:00.005-04:00

I've been lax in my posting-just so many things going on! My motto is: "When summer hits, the computer sits!" Kids won't be out of school until Wednesday, but, things are winding down at school. We've been busy with 3 kids in soccer, school activities, planning our beach vacation, having a yard sale,etc....Chloe is growing by leaps and bounds. She has grown almost 3 inches since October. She is such an amazing little girl, and find myself everyday thinking to myself how different my life would be without her in it! She is such a comedian too! I was talking about having the "chills" the other day after getting out of the pool, and this morning she was rubbing my leg on the couch and said. "mom, do you have chilies again?" She cracks me up! Here are some random pics from the past few weeks.

Happy Girl!

The girl would live on watermelon if I'd let her!

Pretty as a daisy!

Before church

Helping Dad plant flowers

Outside the adoption agency before our last post placement report

Chloe Adoption Video!

2010-05-14T15:20:00.002-04:00

Chloe's Adoption Video is FINALLY done! Hope you all enjoy it! There is music playing with the video, so if you are at work, you might want to turn your volume down :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

New pictures!

2010-05-13T16:24:00.008-04:00

Here are the new pictures we had done on the one year Forever Family Day we celebrated on May 4...we are going to start a tradition to have her picture taken every year that day...it will be neat to chronicle the pictures and see how much she has grown from year to year :)

P.S. Sorry there are ALOT of pictures, but they all turned out so well, I couldn't pare them down!

One year later....

2010-05-04T16:47:00.004-04:00

Oh my-I can't even believe it's been a year since our Gotcha Day with Chloe! It seems to have flown by soo quickly, yet it seems as if she's always been here...
I'm reposting our Gotcha Day post from China then two before and after pictures-it still rips my heart out wheb I think back to how upset she was ang how much she GRIEVED for 4 days...we felt horrible to be taking her from everything she'd ever known...to see her today, unless you were in that room that day a year ago, you would never believe us....Thanks to all of you who have been following the blog for the past 1.5 years! We are so happy you enjoy following along about our journey to Chloe and the happenings of our family. Thank you for the comments you have all left too-I will be publishing this blog into a book for Chloe soon so we can read all about the wonderful memories we've had. We went for our 1 year post placement report today and also had her pictures taken- we are going to start a tradition of getting her pictures taken every year on her Gotcha Day anniversary. I won't get them til next Thursday, so I will post them after then...

Pretty in Pink Sleeping Beauty

This was us leaving the place where we had our family photo taken for our paperwork

This is her nanny, the orphanage director, and one unhappy girl!

Trying to comfort her

Hanging out with daddy at the window

We had to give a red thumbprint on our paperwork.

Meeting her for the first time...

The Shanxi Civil Affairs Office Building

Well, what a day it has been! It started out with the two of us being so nervous, excited, anxious, scared...wondering how the adjustment would begin. We met with our guide at 8 am and he took us to the bank of China to exchange our money. What a process that was! All the bills were brand new, and she still looked over them with a magnifying glass!
We then left for the Shanxi Civil Affairs office. It took a little longer than usual to get there, because of sitting in traffic. The other couple we met who is staying at our hotel, were there also to get their little girl. She is 3 years old. Another couple then came in and we met them in Beijing, and they were adopting a 5 year old boy. The first child to come was the little 3 year old. She was of course scared and unsure, but it brought tears to our eyes watching their Gotcha Day unfold before our eyes! The next child was the 5 year old boy. He did very well taking to his parents. He kind of was go with the flow.
And then...I heard Danny say, oh my gosh, here she comes, and in she walked, holding the hand of her nanny. The orphanage director was also there. They brought back to us everything that we had sent to her, including the scrapbook I made for her. It was very hard to watch her nanny say goodbye to her..it was very emotional for her and for us. I only wish I knew what she said to her before she left...Chloe was ok at first, but then, it hit her. SHe cried and cried and cried. Once we got in the van, they turned the air conditioner off, because they thought she was still crying because she was cold. Let me tell ya, she was soaking wet from head to toe with sweat. She had me soaked. She wanted no part of Danny at first. We then had our guide take us to Walmart to get her formula and diapers and snacks. I had read about this before from other people, but, boy did we get stared at! Not to mention that she was wearing split pants, and her cute little tush was hanging out. Once we got back to the hotel, we had to finish some more paperwork, and as we were doing this, she fell asleep on me. She slept for about 20 minutes. We then came upstairs to get her something to eat. The milk she drinks is more like a yogurt milk, but they call it sour milk. It is very thick. She sucked down 2 bottles of it, then a bottle of water.
One thing we found out that she loves is looking out the window here. She sat for an hour watching the cars and people go by. She said a few things in Chinese, and I wish we knew what she was saying!
We then busted out the stacking cups, and people, if you are adopting, you need these cups. SHe played and played with these. I then got out the bubbles, and we got HUGE belly laughs from her. We also found out then that she has dimples :)
Next, we got her in the tub, and she was a little unsure of it, but I sat on the side of the tub, and even thought she clung to me, we got her bathed. I was as wet as she was! WE then put pajamas on her, and within 5 minutes, she was out like a light. Wow, I still can't believe we have her here laying in our bed sleeping. I am already anxious to get her home to meet everyone.
Tomorrow morning, we will meet our guide at 9:15 to go back to the Office to do the official paperwork. We then are scheduled to tour a park here. We are going try to upload the video soon.
Oh, and incase anyone was wondering how big she is, let me tell you, she is HEAV-Y!

From this little squirt....

To this rambunctious little girl! Can you believe how much she's grown in only a year?

The writings of an 8 year old boy....

2010-05-03T15:46:00.003-04:00

The other day in school, the 3rd graders in G's room had to write an essay about something in their life and here is what he chose to write about:

"How Chloe changed my life" by G

"My Mom and Dad were coming to the airport and I saw Chloe for the first time! Sometimes she is a pain but I still really love her. Sometimes she wants me to sleep with her. That's how much she loves me. Chloe really made my life better becasue I always wanted a little sister to look after. She is the best little sister in the world. I love her and she loves me more. She even said that. When I saw Chloe for the first time, I thought she was beautiful right away. But then, she got used to our family, especially me. When she first got used to our family, she was a little scared. But the next day she really enjoyed playing with us. She really changed my life big time. She is a one-of-a-kind sister. There's no sister like mine. She's the best sister in the world. We all really love her. She is awesome. I love her with all my heart."

Taking time to smell the flowers...

2010-04-27T20:47:00.004-04:00

We took advantage of the warm weather last week to get a few pictures of the

beautiful tulips blooming...

Our Little Bookworm....

2010-04-13T12:46:00.003-04:00

Chloe LOVES to look at books and be read to...here she is

with one of her favorite books "I Like Stars" :)

Here comes Peter Cottontail.....

2010-04-05T19:16:00.004-04:00

Sitting pretty at Grandma's house

Cute cousins

Before heading to church

Easter Egg Hunt

Blowing bubbles with Momma

I can do it!

Getting some help from Uncle Brad

We had an enjoyable and beautiful Easter Sunday...we started it out by going to church, and then to my parents for lunch...the weather was beautiful, so it provided some outside sunshine for all...

Chloe colorings eggs and yes, even herself....

2010-04-01T19:26:00.004-04:00

Getting ready to color!

She loved doing this-and was even more excited it was her favorite color pink

Getting artsy with some markers

Hard at work...

Havin fun!

A few of their creations

The finished product...

We enjoyed coloring eggs as we do every year, and of course, it was extra special this because Chloe was here to share it with us...Oh, to see the expression on her face when she lifted her egg out of her cup and it was pink-she put her hands on her face, a la Home Alone, and just gasped-it was priceless-too bad I didn't have the video camera running...she thoroughly enjoyed herself....we are planning to go church, and then to my parents for Easter Dinner...and have our annual egg hunt. We are supposed to have a BEAUTIFUL weekend, in the 70's and 80's...

And this last picture is what happens when you turn your back on a 2 1/2 year old for 3 minutes-all I can say is, THANK GOD for Crayola washable markers!!! Washed right off in the tub!

Have a Happy Easter everyone!

Some new pics....

2010-03-22T14:10:00.009-04:00

Can't believe how long it's been since I've updated-although it was brought
to my attention from Miss Lauren that she wanted to see "new" pictures
of Chloe, since she's already seen the others too many times :)

Not much going on with us lately, although busy with school and such,
we have been enjoying the warm Spring air-I love not having to send
winter coats, gloves, hats, snow pants, boots....
Waiting to hear about when soccer starts...THEN we become busy,
with 3 kids playing and 2 of them on traveling teams....

Enjoy the pics and Happy Spring!!!

"A" man took this one-

Her name written in snow...

Lookin cool in her brother's shades....

Happy St. Patricks Day!! I love my cookie from Eat-n-Park-can't you tell?

Building her "no-man"

Peek-a-boo!

" Even if I am sled-riding- i must still ACCESSORIZE!!!"

Hang on tight!

Chloe and Momma

Making snow angels....

Hangin with my bro's....

Even though my camera lens got fogged up, I still thought this was a neat

picture...

Pretty in pink....

Video

2010-02-23T19:49:00.003-05:00

Ok, for some reason, I can't get the video flipped upright...anyways, here she is cheering after watching Max and Ruby the other day-incase you can't hear it good-she says, "You can do it, there's nothing to it, go Louise"

Can someone tell me how to get this upright?

Is it Summer yet?

2010-02-23T10:47:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pics of Chloe saying Happy Valentine's Day and of her cheerleading...for some reason, I can't get any videos to upload to blogger. She loves the show Max and Ruby, and she watched one the other day where Ruby was being a cheerleader for her friend Louise...next thing I know, Chloe is shaking her pom poms and jumping up and down yelling, "You can do it, nothin to it, go Weez (shorthand for Louise for her). It was so cute! I am going to keep trying to upload it-I can get it loaded, but there's no sound, so if anyone can help me out, let me know. I also can't get it uploaded to my Facebook page either... The boys had almost 2 weeks straight off of school because of the snow days...can you say BORED???

Wordless Wednesday....

2010-02-10T09:58:00.002-05:00

S-N-O-W !!!!!

2010-02-09T19:26:00.005-05:00

Wow-this snow is as tall as ME!

"A" man having a ball digging a tunnel on OUR DECK! The snow was 2.5 feet

deep!

Chloe dug herself into a hole :)

The kids swingset and playhouse in the back yard

Front yard

Our cars buried

By afternoon, the sun was out and it was a pretty sight

Well, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, this post is going to be about the insane amount of snow we've gotten here the past couple of days-about 3 feet! Kids have had more snow days than I can ever remember, and are now up to adding days at the end of the school year.
The storm we got over the weekend was a biggie-but, it was so pretty to look at. As you can see from the pictures, it was as tall as Chloe was, so, it made it hard to go outside to play in or sled in.

If anyone down south would like some snow, I'll let you have it for free-I'll even ship it to you! We truly are walking in a Winter Wonderland!!!

Hodgepodge

2010-01-25T18:25:00.006-05:00

What you lookin at???

I love me some pink!

Silly picture-loves to ham it up for the camera!

Uh yeah, my Mommy forgot to put her makeup away, and I thought I'd try to put

some of it on myself....

Tsk Tsk Mommy!

Ain't I a stinker?

We had supper the other night at a local restaurant where they sing Happy Birthday

and they gave "A" a cake to take home. Chloe is helping him out...

A little gross yes, but they're enjoying it!

Reading with Aunt Kristi

"A" man counting all of his birthday dough

She couldn't wait to try on some of the new things I bought for her at

Gymboree-this girl is a true shopper and she is definetly my girl in

every aspect of it!

New beach bikini-please don't mind the mess in the background in

my bedroom-she dumped out all of her clothes and had them scattered

everywhere!

Worn out!

It's been a while since my last post, but, that just goes to show you that after the holidays and all of the hustle and bustle, January is just kind of ...blah. We really haven't had anything going on this month, except for celebrating A's birthday, snow days, oh, and we FINALLY got Chloe's SS card in the mail today! It took FOREVER-I think someone dropped the ball on getting it done quicker, since we applied for it in the beginning of November! Oh well, no sense dwelling on the past! I also made contact with another family who is adopting from the same place Chloe is from. I am going to send them a photo album and they will pass it off to the SWI director, who can then show the foster parents....I'm sure they've been wondering about her and how she is doing.

Nothing much else to talk about...it's been kind of boring around here-on the bright side-we booked our summer vacation with two other families. We are going to Myrtle Beach and landed an awesome beach house! We are so ready for summer-every morning Chloe wakes up and says, Mom, I wanna go to the beach! Only 6 more months to go-ugh!

Christmas!

2010-01-04T20:13:00.018-05:00

Do you love my new sunglasses mom?

This baby supposedly pees and poops-oh boy-what was Santa thinking?

Alright-a new pair of kix!

I LOVE these for Chloe-they are Melissa and Doug brand, and they are magnetic

dress up dolls-Chloe LOVES them and they are easy to dress and very suited for her age

Oh, what a great picture-I bought the boys each a ski mask to wear while they are snow tubing-what a bunch of characters!

"A" man loves him some construction vehicles

"C" man's most wanted toy-a remote controlled airplane

Waiting by the tree for Santa, wearing her new jammies on Christmas Eve

"G" man and his umpteenth Transformer

Grandma W and G

Waiting to open presents at Grandma and Grandpa's house Christmas Eve

Enjoying their candy canes

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone already and we are in 2010. Our first Christmas with Chloe home was wonderful-I remember last year hanging an ornament on the tree fo rher, since we still had a few months until we got her. It was almost surreal to see that ornament again this Christmas and have her helping put it up on the tree this year. She LOVES opening presents-everytime she'd get done with one-she'd ask-and hold a finger up and say-one more time? It was too cute!

We have also been enjoying all of the snow we've gotten here in PA-we had a major snowstorm here last weekend and now a major cold blast- so cold in fact that they canceled school today, which was supposed to be their first day back from vacation, and I just came to find out that they already have a 2 hour delay for tomorrow.... We were able to take the kids out the other day when it wasn't so cold-Chloe loves to play out in the snow, although it takes her a while to walk around-she looks like the Michelin baby with all of those clothes on.

We received Christmas cards from the families we traveled to China with-I am going to put them in Chloe's scrapbook when I take them down off of the fridge. We will forever be bonded with these families! Well, a belated Happy New Year to everyone

Miscellaneous....

2010-01-04T18:32:00.005-05:00

Love the innocence and charm this picture captures of her

Snow bunny

Peek a boo!

All dressed up...

2010-01-04T18:20:00.002-05:00

Here are some pics of Chloe before church....

This post brought to you by the letters "Q" & "T"!

2009-12-22T09:45:00.008-05:00

Cousins and friends...

What a pair of cuties!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

2009-12-10T17:12:00.009-05:00

Here are some pics of recent going on's around the household! I hope for next post I can show you all their Christmas pictures-they turned out wonderful!
Caught eating chocolate chips while baking cookies-that's flour on her face

Getting the tree ready

This was crawling on our carpet while we were decorating the tree....Hmmmm......

Big brother helping little sis put "bobs" on the tree. This is a family joke-"A" man calls the balls-"Christmas bobs" and it's just too cute to hear him say it that we don't correct him yet

Ta-da! It's a Steelers ornament

The finished product

Taking her first train ride at the mall with her brothers and LOVING it!

The view outside our living room windows-lotsa pretty white stuff

Mixing the flour

Caught with her hand in the chocolate chips bag-again!

And again!

Wow, is it cold here in PA! We've also gotten alot of snow the past couple of days. Of course, the boys were raring to go sledding. I had to buy Chloe snow bibs and boots, so we are waiting a couple of days until it warms out so she can go sled riding! She is SUPER into singing and dancing-her favorite tune these days is "Jingle Bells" I hope to capture her on video one of these days and post it. I'm talking about full-fledged Broadway singing and dancing-it's hilarious!

She's also taken a HUGE liking to Dora and Diego-she could care less about Ni Hao Kai Lan these days...she loved helping decorate the tree and putting up the decorations.

We have been super busy here-hence the lag in posting! We have been remodeling our dining room, been doing some Christmas shopping, had Christmas pictures taken, did some more Christmas shopping, put up the tree, baked cookies, ugh, I could go on and on!

One year ago today...

2009-11-19T20:08:00.004-05:00

we saw this sweet, sweet face for the first time on our computer screen! I can't believe it's been a year already that we first saw our beautiful daughter...she looks like she's grown so much in only a year...to think we traveled around the world to China, the countless plane rides, the hotels, the enormous amount of paperwork...to think how far we've come in the past year....amazing....

AAAHHHH...

2009-11-12T19:24:00.004-05:00

Gymboree....you had me (and my credit card) at hello.....

Fall Family photos

2009-11-10T16:21:00.006-05:00

Loved this pic even though I then realized "A" was clutching a Nerf ball in his hands

My kiddos

Ok, so "A" has the goofiest smile sometimes ;), not fake or anything...

Love me some black and white photos

Even though it was 70 degrees outside, we forgot how cold the water was, as the expression on Chloe's face

So, it's no secret that I love to take pictures, and that's why I am such an avid scrapbooker. I took charge of our BEAUTIFUL, WARM Sunday afternoon, rallied the troops and told them we were headed outside for some pictures. It wasn't the easiest of tasks, but we manages to get a few that are able to be developed...

For my daughter....

2009-11-05T12:56:00.005-05:00

Many of you in the adoption world have heard of the book "Motherbridge of Love". This is one of my all time favorite adoption books, and I wanted to share this special poem to those who might not have heard it. I came across the book while cleaning Chloe's room the other day...

Once there were two women who never knew each other
One you do not know, the other you call mother.

Two different lives shaped to make you one,
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first one gave you life, the second taught you to live it
The first one gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it.

One gave you a body, the other taught you games,
One gave you a talent, the other taught you aims.

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears
One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears.

One found a home for you, that she could not provide
The other prayed for a child, her hope was not denied.

And now you ask, of course you do, the question others ask me too,

This place or your birth place-which are you a daughter of?
Both of them, my darling-and two different kinds of love.

6 months....

2009-11-05T12:19:00.006-05:00

Our first face to face ....you can only imagine the level of our emotions right now!

This is her foster mother...I wish we would have had more time to spend with her

Her foster mom, the orphanage director, and an overjoyed set of parents with

a heartbroken little girl....

And here she is today....

Just lovin' life, without a care in the world

I am a day late in posting this, seeing as how Dan is in Florida for work all week, helping kids do homework, suppers, etc. so I have had little time to get much else done!

I can hardly believe I am typing the words "6 months" since we met Chloe and she became a part of her forever family... We could not imagine having any other child, as she is such a PERFECT fit for our family. Her brothers absolutely adore her, and call her "honey or honnies". She truly is a spoiled little girl! (and I'll be the first to admit enjoying doing so!)

When I first held her 6 months ago, my heart truly broke for her as her foster mom said goodbye to her, and Chloe just kept arching her back, trying to get back to her, and it is even painful for me to this day to see that picture...we have come so far in such a short period of time. We are just so blessed to have such a wonderful, beautiful adorable daughter and sister in our family.

HALLOWEEN FUN!

2009-10-30T15:49:00.004-04:00

Our Minnie

What a frightful crew!

Waiting to be judged

C man sporting the Steelers outfit

G man was a motorcross racer

A man just after eating a sourball!

Fall is in the air...

2009-10-21T13:56:00.003-04:00

We took full advantage of the most beautiful fall day here in PA-it's actually sunny and warm! Chloe loved the leaves-I think this may be a first for her playing in them!

Typhoon Lagoon

2009-10-20T12:00:00.005-04:00

Here's how our day started-smilin with her friends

A daddy and his princess

Ok, she rode this kids tube ride all by herself, and it wasn't the slowest of things, but

she kept getting off and holding up a finger and saying-one more time! about 50 more

times!

Splash down!

Look ma! I did it! This girl is not afraid of ANYTHING!

Wow! How ornery does he look right here?

It doesn't get any better than this!!!

Love this picture I got of her-happy and serious all at once!

Sitting pretty on a rock...

G man takes time out to pose

One of the beautiful sand bottomed pools at the Beach Club

We had a fun day at Typhoon Lagoon. Then again, anytime there is water involved with our family, we always have fun. The afternoon became a little overcast, but never rained... After we got back to our villa, we had supper, and then went swimming at one of the pools at the resort-did I mention to you that we like to swim?

Enjoy!

MAGIC KINGDOM!

2009-10-13T11:43:00.004-04:00

Hmmmm...what should we do first?

The park was decorated for fall

Meeting Cinderella...my princess pictures didn't turn out the greatest, but I got a ton from the photpass picture taker!

Princess Aurora

They survived Splash Mountain!

Taking time out to pose in front of the castle-the sky almost looks fake, doesn't it? That's how beautiful it was there!

Kissin Mickey..we ate at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort. We just hopped onto the monorail and had a GOOD dinner that wasn't just chicken nuggets and fries!

We love Minnie Mouse too!

C's first kiss-and it's from a mouse!

G man gettin a little Goofy!

The beautiful castle at night

We had an exciting day at the Magin Kingdom, and pretty much every ride was walk on or at the most a 10 minute wait. I never dreamed we would get through it in one day, especially since I allotted another full day here, but, everyone enjoyed themselves!

Tomorrow. Typhoon Lagoon! (Did I tell you we are suposed to be on vacation?)

We interrupt this regularly scheduled program....

2009-10-11T20:11:00.003-04:00

for a dose of sweetness and light!

Blizzard Beach

2009-10-10T18:02:00.007-04:00

Her new favorite thing-Nemo

"C" man lookin goofy!

Thought this one was hilarious

This is made entirely out of Legos-C was in awe of this store

World of Disney Store

Just chillin'!

Ok, another sign the boys just cracked up over. I'm sure you will understand why! Oh

well, boys will be boys

That was fun brothers!

They had tube rides for the little ones too

The kids favorite ride here-a zipline

Good jump!

Jumping around on icebreakers

Getting tickled from mama

Taking in the warm weather and sunshine

Cool airplane writings-look how blue the sky is...aaahhh....

"A" man doing his karate kid crane in the wave pool

The "mousekeeper" left us 2 cool towel animals

And they left Chloe a surprise on the bed with her baby

We visited one of two water parks Disney has called Blizzard Beach. The kids LOVE the water, so they thoroughly enjoyed the park. Not to mention, the weather while we were there was between 90-95 every day. I didn't mind it a bit-I love the warmth and sunshine! We then went to Downtown Disney in the evening. This is Disney shopping at its best. The World of Disney Store is AMAZING! It is huge! You could seriously get lost in there! As much as I like to shop, it was a bit overwhelming for even me...

So, do they really mean it when they say-Disney VACATION? We were on the go everyday, and had only a little bit of downtime. We did get to see and ride everything at the parks, and the crowds were very minimal. Great time of year to go!

Next stop-Magic Kingdom!

Animal Kingdom

2009-10-10T14:09:00.007-04:00

An awesome sight-hundreds of animals are carved into this tree

Beginning our Safari

For those of you who know my boys, you will know why they made me take a picture of this!

Soclose to the giraffes

Chloe and the boys getting "Goopy's" signature, as this is how Chloe says his name

Giving Minnie a kiss on the nose

Rainforest Cafe for lunch-the animals are all animatronic and are very lifelike

Finding Nemo the musical

The show was great, and very beautiful and colorful

You can spot the boys in orange on Expedition Everest, and Danny behind them with a VIDEO CAMERA!

Garrett looks a little worse for the wear after the ride

FACE PAINTING! G getting his tiger face on

Chloe and A's turn!

Pretty princess

She loved getting her face done and sat so still-didn't move an inch

a superhero, a warrior, a tiger, and a princess

upclose view of the tree

amazing detail

Chillin out back at the villa

So, the rest of my posts are from home now. SOMEONE (whoever could it be?) took WAY TOO MANY pictures(1350 and counting...ooops!) and they wouldn't all transfer to the laptop, so I had to wait until we got home to post more of our trip.

Day 2 was Animal Kingdom, and it was a really nice park for kids. A safari adventure, rides, awesome shows, and meeting more characters made for a nice day. We started off on Kilimanjaro Safaris, and this was my favorite of the day. They made it like you were on a real safari, riding over bumps and such, and we saw alot of animals. We had a giraffe come within 2 feet of our open air jeep-so cool. Chloe especially liked this, as she is such an animal lover. We then went to Camp Minnie Mickey, where you got to get autographs of characters and photos. Chloe is in love with Mickey and Goofy. She kisses them on their noses whenever she sees them. She is not one bit afraid of them. We also watched the Lion King show (which they claim is the best show in all of Disney) and also caught Finding Nemo (I enjoyed this just as much as Lion King) Next it was off to Expedition Everest, where only Dan, C, and G rode. A wasn't tall enough yet, or maybe I just wouldn't let him-pretty scary! We had lunch at Rainforest cafe-cool place to eat if you ever get the chance. All in all, a cool park that offers something different than the other Disney parks.

Tomorrow-Blizzard Beach!

Disney Hollywood Studios

2009-10-02T21:33:00.006-04:00

watching our plane pull up

part of the Beach Club Villas

Building we are staying in

Master bedroom in villa

Our pretty kitchen

Stormalong Bay-this pool is so cool-it actually has sand on the bottom, and the water isn't cloudy at all. It is so neat!

The boys playing on a sand bar in the pool area

Daddy and his girl relaxing in the hot tub

Buzz and Woody-the kids were in awe!

The boys got their pictures with all of the Power Rangers-this was the most excited I think i've ever seen them-G man said that that day was the best day of his life. they got all of their autographs too

Mike and Sully and the gang

The kids participating in the Block Party Bash parade

The Incredibles

Chloe is in love with her Micka-her mouth dropped when she saw him-and she gave him a big kiss on the nose!

Playhouse Disney Live-Chloe loves Mickey Mouse clubhouse, so she was all over this show

Havin fun at night with her light up toy waiting for Fantasmic to begin

There is actually a beach on property, and trhey have a campfire, smores, and show a movie on the beach every night here. This is the view across the lake to the Boardwalk resort. everything is so beautiful here!

Well, i'm a day late, but better than never! Just haven't had the time to post, but we did Animal kingdom today, and it closes early, so I finally have the time to post. Here are pictures from our first day! We are having a blast, and the weather has been great, 85-90, nice and hot just like I like it! We are pooped at night, but are still having fun. We went to animal kingdom today, so i will try to post that tomorrow. i need to transfer my pics. We are hitting Blizzard Beach tomorrow, which is a disney waterpark, and then going to Downtown Disney later. There is great shopping there-yeah! well, time to go get the kids to bed....

Times are a changin...

2009-09-30T12:18:00.002-04:00

Hello all! I am writing this while flying 37,000 feet above ground. They have wifi on our plane-so cool! I can check email, and everything. We are high above the clouds, beautiful and sunny, leaving dreary, rainy, and cold PA behind.

Kids are enjoying the flight....they were all a bit nervous when we boarded, but are lovin it now.
Well, that's all for now. As Chloe would say-C-YA!

Wow, it's been awhile...

2009-09-29T19:33:00.003-04:00

Our little "princess"

Yum-brownies are good!

Helping G do homework

You are sssoooo funny brother!

I can't believe it's been 4 weeks from my last post! I guess that shows me how truly busy we;ve been since the kids started back to school. Things have been crazy, but it's a good crazy! Chloe just is growing by leaps and bounds-especially her vocabulary! Her newest thing to say to me is, "I know Mom!" when I tell her to be careful. And she just says it with "the Look" on her face. Oh my, and she's only 2! We are in for it!

We are leaving for Disney in less than 12 hours! Can't wait to escape to the warm weather in Florida for the next 8 days! It has been awful weather here in PA. Today, the high was 50! And rain, and windy, and well, I couldn't think of a better vacation than being in Florida swimming, and seeing Mickey! Chloe just loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so we KNOW she is going to love Disney. the other kids are excited too-this is their first plane ride-Dan and I are flying veterans by now. A 2 hour flight to Florida will seem like a cake walk after flying 15 hours to China!

I am going to try to post to the blog each night-and I do stress the word TRY, but, I will do my best! Please pray that all goes well with the kids and our flight south. Warm weather and sunshine here we come!

Here comes the big yellow bus....

2009-09-01T18:47:00.008-04:00

Sign of summers past...

"A man" after riding the bus for the first time

What a cutie!

Here's C after getting home from school the first day-CRASHED on the couch!

Orientation!

Waiting for it to begin...my how old he looks!

Mrs. Gross reads the class "The Kissing Hand"

What a crew!

Chloe was so happy to see them and have them home!

Well, you realize summer has officially come to an end when you can hear moms shouting those two words, SCHOOLS IN! (just kidding, sort of ;) and when you see this pulling up...it's hard to believe it's September already! Our youngest son, A, started Kindergarten today. We had a half day orientation yesterday at the school, where they learned about bus safety, lunches, blah, blah, blah. He was quite upset when we had to leave at lunch time. He is MORE than ready to go. Makes me feel good he WANTS to go, and doesn't bother me in the slightest he wouldn't rather be home with me....it's just who he is! A real go-getter! C man started 6th grade-hard to believe my "oldest BABY" will start junior high next year-man, do I feel old :) G man started 3rd grade, and all is well with him also. Chloe is LOST without them at home, and doesn't quite understand that Mama has some stuff she has to tend to in the house, and can't be outside ALL DAY...

We are coming up on our 4 month mark of meeting Chloe. I have been reading a few sites about China adoption, and the direction it is heading, and it doesn't sound too promising. The C@A@ has gotten through March 24, 2006 of referrals. (Sure you all could figure this out, but it is now SEPTEMBER 2009!) A client of a particular agency posted on a forum that their agency sent out an email to everyone that they are predicting (based on the past year and a half rate of referrals going out) that they will only start giving out referrals to families who have a Log In Date of October 2006 in the year 2015! 2015? Unbelieveable. That means they will take 6 more years to do 6 months of referrals! And to think when we started out in all of this, our original Log In Date was April 2, 2008! It could very well have been atleast 15 years until we would have gotten our referral, if the China program would even still around by then. There is also another rumor that the C@A@ is telling agencies to talk to the people who are still in the wait for a NSN's child, and possibly swaying them into going down the SN's route, possibly meaning that the NSN China program will one day be done and only be SN adoptions. Again, no concrete info, just a rumor from another adoptive parent.

I thank God everyday for helping us find our daughter, steering us in the right path, helping us find Bay Area Adoption Services, and literally putting her file and life, in our hands two days after we joined BAAS' yahoo group. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and a purpose, and I truly believe she was meant to be our daughter. I tried to think back on her birth day, what I was doing that day, or where we were and I finally found out the other day by chance. Our niece, who is also adopted, was born 5 days before Chloe was born. I was going back through pictures of when we first held our niece in the hospital, and I happened to look at the date on the picture, and sure enough, it was the same day Chloe was born-coincidence, I think not...

When we first started the process of adoption, we were told the wait was 18-24 months-(ok, are you kidding me? )BUT, we said we were in it for the long haul. But after researching wait times and referral rates, we weren't sure it was ever going to happen. I FEEL for the families who are still in line for NSN, seeing as though they may have YEARS of waiting, most of whom might drop out, and never get their child they have longed for..
Not only is the line getting longer, but there are now new requirements for children to receive TB testing, and longer stays in China, possibly resulting in a 17 day or longer stay come October 1. Again, we are SO LUCKY we were able to get Chloe home safe and sound, because there seems to be alot more red tape and more requirements happening to those who are traveling now. And to think I thought that traveling during the swine flu scare and having our temps taken a million times by men in space suits was an inconvience to us...but boy, looking at what people are having to go through to get their child...we had it EASY!

Not sure how and why I this post took the direction it did...maybe just another reason to hug your children a little longer tonight, and say a prayer for those who are still waiting with empty arms...

On a happier note, only 29 days until we leave for DISNEY-WOO HOO! Can't wait to blog those photos!

Time to PARTY!!!!

2009-08-19T13:56:00.010-04:00

Happy Frosting Face!

She dug into the icing without hesitation

Happy Birthday!

Hangin with my cuz

Ok, the girl LOVES jewelry-a girl after my own heart, even if it is bright plastic...

Her favorite characters are from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She calls Mickey-Mikka,

so we know she will be in heaven when we get to Disney next month!

Grandma B got this Penn State Cheerleading outfit for Chloe, since Daddy is a PSU alumni

Ok, what presents next?

We decided to get her a kitchen for her big present...here she is admiring it

Playing with the new stroller and baby doll. I bought quite a few (sort of pricey) Asian baby dolls and she HARDLY EVER plays with them (although they are quite cute!) I bought another baby just like this one above for $2 at a yard sale, threw it in the washer, and that is her favorite toy! A $2 yard sale baby doll! I then saw they sell them at Walmart for $3.50, so if we ever lose this one, we can easliy find a cheap replacement ;)

Getting ready to blow out the candles

This was the other night at dinner. We ate out on the deck, and she really loves corn on the cob.

She gets her whole face into the act as you can see...

Eatin a pickle with silly hair

OOOHHHH, sour.....

This is the funky hairstyle she gets after having her hair in pigtails...we think it is

hi-larious!

Lookin ornery at Vacation Bible School....

It's hard to believe that our middle son, G, turned 8 years old! And Chloe turns 2 tomorrow! It seems like she's been here with us all her life...we had a great day for a party....sun, food, and a pool! And I'm sure the kids would throw in presents as being a part of that great day.

The boys head back to school in 10 days, not that I'm counting, ( how many hours is that? ;) and I'm convinced Chloe will be lost without them..she follows them around like a little puppy. Momma's not going to be near as fun as her big brothers are. Every night before bed, she asks me where each of them are, before she goes to sleep, it's her nightly ritual...I tell her they are all sleeping, and she seems satisfied with that answer for now...she loves them to death, they are her buddies....

Lollypop video

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Ok, the girl loves to sing...but, I will warn you, she is, yet again,

singing without a shirt on :)

Old McDonald.....

2009-08-06T18:25:00.003-04:00

So, any guesses as to what part of the song she likes to sing

the best?

LONG post with lots of pictures...

2009-08-06T15:07:00.009-04:00

The kids got to make their own hershey kisses in the "factory". They got badges, ID's, hats and their very own box of the kisses they made.

A daddy and his princess

End of the day picture

YUM-YUM!

G's tongue after eating his cotton candy

My sweet little girl~

I Love, Love, Love ketchup!

Yum-Hershey's syrup!

What a face

Riding on the train with my buddy

View of part of the waterpark from the ferris wheel

Me and my dad

FINALLY-we are ALL in a picture!

Ain't I cute?

Running from mama

Got water in my eyes-help!

I love to be in the water!

Trying to pose like my bro

She decided to plaster hair gel into her hair this morning...took two hair washings to get all of it out!

Can you spell fashion d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r? But still oh so cute! She gets an A for effort though, and for dressing herself!

Wow, it's been a while since my last post! We have been SSSOOO busy around here lately, I haven't found the time to post. We have had picnics, a campout, a mini vacation to Hersheypark, and tomorrow a trip to Idlewild, not to mention a family reunion on Sunday, and Vacation Bible School every night next week! Not to mention, getting ready for school to start soon, and preparing for our trip to DISNEY! Chloe is growing by leaps and bounds, not only physically, but mentally too. Her vocabulary list is growing daily. It just amazes us how quickly she picks up words. She is also into singing too. She loves "Old Mcdonald had a Farm", and you will be able to tell what is her favorite part of the song and the Dell computer commercial that sings "lollypop, lollypop...." I have a short video of her singing it, so I will post that also. She also LOVES to dress herself and do her own hair, as pointed out in the pictures. I sat back and looked at pictures from our Gotcha Day the other night, and I can't believe how much she has grown since she's been home. Her hair has grown so much too!

We took a mini vacay to Hersheypark, Pa, which is about 3 hours from where we live. This was the first time we had ever gone there, and it was alot of fun! We spent two days in the park. The waterpark was pretty cool and kept us cooled off since it was so hot there. Chloe did really well, and still took her naps in her stroller, and really enjoyed herself. It was a much need "break" from all of the things going on around here. We are so excited to get to Disney World-I am just as excited as the kids! I have been there a few times, but the kids have never been, so I look forward to seeing their faces when we land in Florida. It will also be the boys first time flying. Chloe already has them beat in that department! I will try to get these videos to load...if I can't post them now, I will try again later, because they are worth taking the time to post!

Parade Fun!

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Our pretty princess

Pooped after church-with a lollypop still in her mouth!

Oh yeah-candy girl!

"I think....yep Ma, it's more CANDY!

"You're gonna share that with me, right Brother?"

" Let me go Ma, I know I can run out there quick and get that piece of candy!

Lovin the music!

We went to a parade on Staurday our town holds every year in July. They host a festival called Somerfest (our town is named Somerset) and we always frequent the parade for the candy and sugar rushes the kids look forward to. This was Chloe's first parade (atleast back here, not sure if they have any in China). She had a BALL! She loved dancing to the marching bands music, and enjoyed running to get the candy even more.

We are almost at 3 months of meeting her, so hard to believe! Although, it's as if she's always been a part of our family.

We are counting down the days until we leave for Disney! We can't wait-it's been hard not having our annual Myrtle Beach vacation in July, but going to Disney will be worth it. Only a little over 2 months to go!

The other pictures are before church and after church Sunday-the last one, quite comical!

2 Months Home....

2009-07-13T10:56:00.006-04:00

My little "fish"

Playing with brother

You are so much fun brother!

You would never know it from this picture, but this was 2 hours before she ran a 102

degree temp

Happy 4th!

Waiting for the fireworks to begin with my cousins...

Yummy s'mores!

Hangin with our family in the backyard-Can you believe we had to wear jeans and sweatshirts on the 4th of July this year-it was COLD!

Chloe definetly has a sweet tooth-eating her first marshmallow

How ornery is this boy?

Swimmin with my dada

Finishing her first Dairy Queen dilly bar-loved it!

Wow, it's been awhile since my last post. Let's see, we had picnics, parties, doctor visits, 4 sick kids (yes, all at one time), and a yard sale, all in the last 2 weeks, so yes, I've been busy! It's also been two months home already-this summer is flying! Lets, see, where to begin? We had a July 4th picnic here at the house with family, and had more family over in the evening for a campfire, and fireworks. We have a great time spending time together! We then had a picnic Sunday at a campground, and that's when the sickness began for Chloe-she was fine in the morning, but by afternoon, was crying in pain, and running a fever. SSSOOO, off to the doctor in the morning-diagnosis-hand, foot, and mouth virus-she had a TON of blisters in her little mouth, and she was in so much pain-poor thing!She couldn't eat ANYTHING! The bad thing with this virus, there are no anitbiotics that will help, just tylenol or motrin. Yesterday, which marked a week of being sick, she FINALLY was feeling better and eating solid foods...the boys all got sick with the same virus last week, and now G has strep throat! UUGGHH! But, I think they are all finally on the mend. School starts in 6 weeks already-hard to believe!

Idlewild and Girly Girl pictures

2009-07-01T14:08:00.007-04:00

We went to Idlewild last weekend and enjoyed taking Chloe for the first time. She rode everything she could in the kiddie area, and wasn't too thrilled that she couldn't ride things her brothers could in the bigger area. She especially loved the water area. This girl is not afraid of anything! She is way too brave for her own good!

Do you notice anything different about her? I will let you take a look at the pictures and tell you the answer at the bottom...

Family picture at Story Book Forest

Getting her lollypop on the Good Ship Lollypop

Making our way to the next ride

Potato Patch Fries with Cheese-YUM!

She LOVED the ball pit!

Waiting in line for the ferris wheel

Taking time out to pose with g man

Her other favorite ride was the carousel..she rode it 4 times

My sweet watermelon girl

Yes, Gymboree had a field day with me since they came out with their new

Watermelon line! Wait til you see her Watermelon bathing suit below!

Happy girl!

So, we were cleaning her room, and she wanted to try some clothes on-so I thought

to myself, HMMM...this could turn into some great opportunities for pictures, and for those of you who know I scrapbook, my camera is never far from reach, and

this is what I captured...

Loved this bathing suit for Memorial Day and fourth of July! (Yes, Gymboree)

So patriotic! Not sure what's up with all of the pictures of her sticking her tongue out

though!

" Water"melon Baby!

Lifeguard!

So, I'm not sure if you could tell in the pictures or not, but we got Miss C's ears pierced last week. She fussed when it was done of course, but was done crying by the time we got back into the car 5 minutes later...

She will point to my earrings and say Mama, and then point to her earrings and say, like Mama? And I will say yes...she is starting to put two and three words together at a time. She is really amazing us at how quickly she is picking up the words. The only thing I am sad about is that she is really losing her Chinese and the accents. We loved to hear her speak in her language, but she is quickly losing it. She has also been starting to do something else-SHRIEKING! Oh my-I have never experienced this with having three boys, but let me tell ya, this girl has a set of lungs on her and she'd not afraid to use them! But we love her dearly inspite of this ;)

Swimsuits, Soccer, and Swings...

2009-06-24T20:56:00.009-04:00

Am I CUTE or what????

Look how much I've grown!

Liked this pic of Cman...he looks SO GROWN UP!

My soccer man!

He shoots...and he did SCORE! 4x himself!

This boy is GREAT at defense especially-he will slide tackle ANYTHING!

At the soccer field, AGAIN!

Her first BIKINI! She keep flashing everybody on purpose-UH-OH!

My wonderful kiddos

C man must've been camera shy!

Didn't I just see this thing on "Wipeout?"

Lovin' the tunnel

Not too high big brother!

How does this thing work?

So, to get out of the house a little bit, I took the kids to a community playground, to get them away from each other too. Summer can make for a long season when you have 4 kids around each other too much! They had a really great time, and the weather was perfect. We got a pizza from a pizzeria and brought it home for lunch. We then got in our pool, and Chloe got in it for the first time with me today. We turned the heater on a few says ago, and it's finally warm enough (for me anyways!) I told Dan when he got home to just pack her baby pool away, because now that she's lovin the big pool, she doesn't want anything to do with her little pool! She is getting very brave, trying to jump in. She watches her brothers do this, and she has no fear!

We then went to the soccer field for the last time tonight (THANK GOODNESS! Sshhh...don't tell anyone I said that!) We have been at the soccer field more than home in the evenings and I am just ready for a break! "A man" had his last game tonight, and he scored 4 goals himself-no kidding, this kid is a soccer player at heart!

Busy Weekend...

2009-06-16T11:41:00.007-04:00

The boys Sand Art Muscle Man

G man helps baby sister to make a sandcastle

Just thought this was a cute picture from behind

This is hard work!

Mess? What mess?

Pudding Lover

Posing with Pappy's toy

Happy Girl!

Cheering for Brother

Hangin with Pappy at the Soccer Field

Pretty girl

We had a busy weekend yet again around here...my Uncle Jeff came up to PA to visit from North Carolina. We enjoy spending time with him and hearing about things going on with his family. We had a picnic Saturday night with everyone. We all had a great time. We are hoping to see my cousin Jeffrey and his wife Brittany and their ADORABLE little boy soon,so if you guys are reading this, hope you are planning a trip to visit sometime soon! They also all got Chloe a ton of clothes-thanks again!
Yesterday we visited a local State Park and took the kids to play in the sand and swim, although it was warm outside, the water was FREEZING! The boys and I took a paddle boat out, and we had it out for an hour, and boy were my legs a burnin'! Nonetheless, we enjoyed getting out of the house and spending time together.
We got Chloe's Certificate of Citizenship yesterday! This is what you receive from Immigration certifying Chloe is an official US citizen, so we can now apply for her Birth Certificate and get her a Social Security number-big hooray for pur family yesterday!

Lazy Days...Rainy Days...

2009-06-09T13:39:00.015-04:00

This is how our day started out this morning on the deck...sunny, for once...

Playing Matchbox cars with Brothers

Yay, the sun's out!

Headin to Church

O-R-E-O!

This is how the afternoon ended-rain, thunder, lightening, and hail!

All it does anymore here is RAIN! It makes for a LONG day to sit inside everyday when it rains all the time here!