Fair time......

My lovely little 8 year old niece spent a few weeks with us this summer, and we had a great time with her. I wanted to do something fun with her before she left, so I decided to venture off to a local country fair that I've attended just about every year since I was a child. Everyone has a great time! Miss A' and D' waiting for Miss M., Dunk, and Syd to finish up their ride. I really need to invest in a double stroller! Pushing two stollers thru bumpy grass was......interesting.
"Hey Cowboy Dunk!"

Miss M' riding her pony

Cousin Syd

Uncle Mark, Mr. J, Darling D., and Miss A.

Who is this girl??

I can't believe the progress that Miss A' has been making lately! When we met her for the first time, we were instantly in love. Her smile was infectious, and her giggle melted our hearts. She was pretty passive, though and didn't seem too interested in toys, moving around, or playing with other kiddo's. She also seemed happiest when she was lying on her back in her hotel crib staring at her fingers.....alone.

She, thankfully had been moved into a foster care center outside of her orphanage a few months before we arrived, and they had made great progress with her both socially and physically. Before her move, she was very resistant to human contact, among other things. She received regular meals, love, and care from ICC, and we will be forever grateful to them! If you are interested in finding out about their mission, you can google International China Concern. They are an amazing group of people!

Fast forward 1 1/2 months.....Anna is now "army crawling" everywhere, getting into a seated position from her tummy, rocking herself on all fours....close to crawling, is quite annoyed when we are not nearby and expresses it rather vocally, doesn't like to be in her crib because she is afraid she may miss something exciting, and loves to chuck her toys across the room for attention. She is also becoming quite obstinate about certain things, so it has been fun to see her personality come out. She is definitely a typical kiddo in a lot of ways :).

She is currently trying to get her 3 year old brother to play with her by rolling over next to him and kicking him. D' is surprisingly patient with her and just responds with, "bushi (no in Chinese) A'."....too cute!

Miss A' on "gotcha day."

So excited for my dear friends.....

I just needed to use my blog as an "outlet" to share some news that I can't seem to contain. I love babies! Hearing about pregnancies, deliveries, "paper pregnancies", forever families, adoption stories, etc. fills my heart with joy!

My dear friend, her husband, and their beautiful son welcomed a baby to their family today via c-section. I won't give any details as they are hers to share, but both mother and baby are doing well. We thank the Lord for a safe delivery and a beautiful new blessing to their family!

We do what we have to do.....

Miss A' is quite a picky little eater, and we have spent many hours worrying about her eating habits. She doesn't seem to want to eat anything, except for Ensure, and my own high calorie concoction (don't ask because you may get a gut ache thinking about it!) Because of her small stature, her pediatrician has made it a point to let us know that it is NOT ok for her to loose any weight. Well, duh, and thank you very much for the increased pressure, Doctor K'!

The only problem is that she doesn't enjoy eating, and getting her to eat is an ORDEAL! It sometimes takes her as much as two hours to eat a few small bites of food (1/3-1/2 of a banana), or to drink a cup of Ensure. You may be thinking that she may have a swallowing disorder, but it was quite apparent in China that the girl can eat and eat A LOT at a time. Now that we are home she must realize that the meals will continue to come and why eat when she can play. The only problem with her way of thinking is that her mommy and daddy are loosing sleep over it!

Anyhoo, we have basically made meal time into a festival of craziness at the Vk ranch. After the kids have finished their meals, they will parade around the table acting like clowns to distract Miss A' from the task at hand. J-man is quite proficient in his antics, and he is usually the only one who has any success getting her to eat. The other day, I decided it was time to try some good ole' American junk food and headed out to McD's for a happy meal. Yes, I was that desperate! Much to my surprise, she ate about 1/3 of the hamburger and fries. That evening, while enjoying her cousin O's second birthday bash, she munched on a piece of pizza and some watermelon (the diet of champions, as you well know!)

I thought we were finally making some "eating progress," but she has reverted back to her Ensure and Gut Bomb drink ala Mommy. Alas, there is always tomorrow.......

D' feeding fries to his "China meimei"
A' having all kinds of fun with her McDonalds cup:)

Yes, her bib says she's the little brother. It's just a bib people! :o)

Oh, and THANK YOU cousin Jupe for the adorable hair bows!

My little Dragon Slayers....

While we were in China, we bought J' and D' matching Chinese Dragon outfits. They were good sports about dressing up for a photo oppy with Mommy....such good boys! :o).

A week w/G'pa and G'ma S'

My folks were over this entire week to celebrate the "delivery" of their newest grandchild, and boy did the kiddo's ever have fun with them! They got to do all kinds of fun activities, and they even learned to shuck clams from G'pa.
G'pa and G'ma wrapped up the week by taking the kids to the beach with Auntie A. They are leaving soon, and I will certainly miss my mom's help around the house and with the kids. I wish they would just move back home:)! Eye-dee-hoe is just too far way!

D' and Dunk....bff's

D' digging in the sand
Chips anyone??

G'pa showing the kids how to shuck clams. They loved the shells!

D' relaxing in Papa's chair.

Miss M. assuming her position on the couch....DS in hand :)

Miss A' giggling for G'ma

G'pa and D' checking out the cows together.

Catchin' up......

We are back home and settling into life as a family of 6! A' is a darling little peanut, and we are so thankful to have her as our daughter:). Her smile lights up the room, and she is so content all of the time. She really has only had one "three year old moment," and it lasted only a few moments.

Nothing was a sweet as seeing all four of my munchkins in the same room. Miss M' LOVES having a baby sister and packs her around like a doll. Mr. J' is Mr. J', and he seems to be impressed by his meimei. He even offered her a snack today (if you know Mr. J', you know he doesn't share his snacks very well!) D' is pretty possessive of his "China MeiMei," yet isn't too sure about sharing his mommy and daddy's attention. I think every day is a little bit better than the former for him, and I even caught him playing with her today.

Some have asked how the flights went.....very well, thank you very much! A' just sat in her seat, and kicked her legs around. I, on the other hand can not stand to fly and was feeling a tad claustrophobic. I tried to calm myself by watching all of the movies offered by our airline. I also caught up on all of the 80's music I could stand courtesy of satellite radio. I thought for a moment that Guns-n-Roses was staging a comeback because I must of listened to Sweet Child of Mine and Welcome to the Jungle 20 times from San Francisco to Shanghai. Who knew that hearing songs from my junior high days could be so uplifting? I had forgot about most of the "hair bands," but thanks to United Airlines I am now caught up on all things leopard striped, aqua-netted, and neon colored :). I think I may have offended the Chinese businessman sitting next to me when I busted out to the melody of "Love Hurts," by Nazareth.....nice!

All in all, our trip was great, but heart wrenching none the less. This trip to China was far more emotionally difficult than the first. There are so many children that will never know what it feels like to be part of a family, nor be provided with basic needs that we are accustomed to. Many lie in their beds hungry, but do not cry because they know nothing different. Some have virtually no human contact during the day and don't even know what toys are. I wish I could bring them all home, but I know it isn't possible. I know that our country isn't perfect, but we have WAY more than these orphans will ever have.

Miss A'....day 1

Miss A'....our little sleeping angel

Miss A' chillin' with daddy.

The first time Daddy held Miss A.

The first time I held Miss A.

Mr. J', sr., Miss A', myself, and our favorite flamboyant doorman:)

Miss A' flirting with her Hunan-man.