The Randall Family

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T19:14:00.002-06:00

This year Ellie wanted to be Tinkerbell and Katie was a 70's girl. Ellie only knows about Tinkerbell because Katie has the movie! They both looked so cute and had a lot of fun! It would have been better without the rain, but kids don't care as long as the candy keeps on coming! We finished the night at our neighbor's Halloween party!

Loads of Leaf Fun!

2009-11-01T18:41:00.002-06:00

The maple tree in our front yard provides Ellie and Katie will loads of leaves to jump in! Scott just keeps re-raking the same pile for lots of jumping!

Happy Birthday, Scott!

2009-09-07T18:58:00.002-05:00

Today is Scott's birthday! Unfortunately, we have no pictures! We went to the Gwinnett Braves AAA baseball game. We sat out on the lawn, which was good for Ellie, since she could move around. It was supposed to be mostly cloudy today, but it turned out to be quite sunny and hot! We didn't make it through the whole game, but it was fun!

A day at the zoo

2009-08-25T17:54:00.002-05:00

Ellie took her first trip to the zoo on Sunday. It was in the low 80's, which never happens in Atlanta in the summer, so we took advantage of the beautiful day! She really had a great time! The gorillas were really entertaining! A few of them came right up to the glass to check out the kids. They also have a new parakeet house. The birds fly around, and you can feed them with a seed stick (that you can buy for $1 of course). We all enjoyed a great family day!

First Friday pool party!

2009-08-02T19:37:00.003-05:00

We had our First Friday group (families with children and families waiting for children from China) at Scott and Sharon's beautiful pool on Saturday! A couple of the families had left when this pic was taken, but what a great picture of those beautiful children (and their big sisters!). The newest addition to the group, a little boy named Ray, joined his family a couple of months ago. So sweet!

Feeling old...

2009-07-20T18:55:00.003-05:00

Yes, Scott and I had our 25th High School reunion this past weekend! Yikes! It also came in handy as a little family reunion, since we graduated with my sister-in-law, and she of course brought my brother with her. We had a smallish turn-out, but a great time was had by all! At the sign-in table, some "kid" who was at the bar where the reunion was held, decided to inform the people at the table that "he was born in 1984!". He was "politely" told to go away!!

Fourth of July fun!

2009-07-06T11:54:00.002-05:00

We went to our annual neighborhood Fourth of July party! Lots of fun, food, and kids all over the place! As the first firework was set off, Ellie came screaming into my arms! I sat in the house with Katie, Ellie and a few other kids during the fireworks show. We watch a bit of Happy Feet! Oh well, maybe I'll get to see the show next year!

Katie's Doctor's appointment

2009-07-04T08:51:00.002-05:00

We finally got around to Katie's 7 year check-up! She is now in the 5th percentile for height, and the 7th percentile for weight! She's our petite little girl!
She asked me the other day if I thought she would ever be tall like her friends. It seems like most of her friends are taller than most girls their age, and Katie is smaller, so the height difference really shows!

China Group Reunion in Philly!

2009-07-04T08:26:00.005-05:00

We had our reunion with the families we traveled to China with when we adopted Katie. It's so great to see how well all of the girls (and one boy!) are doing! Even though they've all grown so much, you can still see the faces of those adorable babies we adopted 6 1/2 years ago! We did some sightseeing in Philadelphia for the weekend. We went to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the "Rocky steps" at the museum, of course. There is a statue of Rocky there, and we saw two wedding parties taking pictures with Rocky. Quite interesting! We had lunch in Chinatown, too! Katie took a special liking to two of the older brothers in the group. Her feet didn't hit the ground too often!

Katie's field day at Puckett's Mill

2009-05-02T16:26:00.003-05:00

Katie had field day last Thursday. The weather was good, not too hot, and the rain held off. She stuck by her best buddy, Katie L. Their class came in second in the tug-of-war, and Katie got a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbon for the relay races.
It's hard to believe we're almost finished with school!

splish splash!

2009-05-02T16:20:00.002-05:00

Big fun in a little puddle! We had a little rain, which made a very small puddle. Apparently it was just "Ellie-sized". She had a great time!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T19:28:00.003-05:00

We had a very happy Easter this year! Katie and Ellie were both thrilled at seeing their baskets and the many eggs hidden around the house! Ellie looked at her candy for a split second, then dived right into it! The girls basically had candy for breakfast, with some apple slices on the way to church!
After church, we went for a photo shoot at the Elijah Winn house (an old house near us that is used for tours and festivals). Ellie isn't too cooperative with pictures yet, but we got a few good ones!
The rest of the day was spent just hanging out and relaxing!
Back to school tomorrow! :(

A Spring Day!

2009-03-22T20:33:00.002-05:00

We had a fun spring day at Yellow River Game Ranch! Katie has been there twice, but didn't remember it. The girls had a great time! Ellie loved the bunnies the best! We had a squirrel that followed us around! We thought that was pretty cute. After that we had a nice healthy lunch at Sonic, and then walked a trail in the woods at Stone Mountain (gotta walk off that Sonic) and let the girls play on the playground. Ellie was more fascinated by the GIANT sandbox than anything else. It's so nice to spend the day away from the house!

Snow Day!

2009-03-02T07:07:00.003-06:00

Yes, it actually snowed in Georgia! Katie just loved it of course, but Ellie didn't quite take to the idea of it. I guess it was a bit too wet for her. Katie's friend came over, and they played for a while. Since we don't have the proper snow attire, it got a bit cold for them! Scott and I were reminiscing about the days of our youth when we'd be out there for hours! Did anyone else put Wonder Bread bags over their socks before they put their boots on? Keeps the feet dry, and your feet slide right into the boots!
We were checking the school closings last night, and we weren't on the list, so I checked this morning, and it said Gwinnett County Schools! Being a teacher, I was excited, too! Right now Katie is playing Wii with our friend from NJ who got snowed in with us! He's hoping to get home today if the weather here clears up, and if the weather in NJ holds out!

Happy Gotcha Day, Ellie!!

2009-02-17T08:09:00.003-06:00

WOW! A year ago today in China, we were handed our second daughter, and Katie became a big sister! Ning RongRong (aka Ellie) came to us in a big red and yellow snowsuit. She had a buzz cut, and very red cheeks! She cried and cried when she was handed to her new family.
We can't believe it's been a year already! So many changes! When Ellie came to us, she was 13 months old, and weighed only 16 lbs.! She could only sit up if we put her in that position, no crawling or even rolling. She couldn't hold her own bottle, but she could feed herself.
Now, she's your typical 2 year old! She's into everything, can speak in 3 word phrases, loves to color and play with play dough...
We feel so blessed to have these two wonderful daughters! Sometimes we just stare at them in amazement that they're ours!
Here are pictures of Ellie on Gotcha Day and today!

One year ago today...

2009-02-13T19:06:00.005-06:00

On this date one year ago, Scott, Katie, Scott's mom and I were on our way to China to meet our new daughter, Ellie. We were very fortunate to be on the same flight as the Cryer family. Katie loved sitting with their girls on the plane, and didn't give us an
"I'm bored" or "are we there yet?" too often! We didn't actually get Ellie until the 17th, so that will be another post!

A date with Daddy!

2009-02-08T19:56:00.003-06:00

Scott and Katie attended the Girl Scout Father/Daughter dance on Saturday night. It was a princess theme, so Katie had to borrow a gown from a friend (all of our princess clothes were a size 4)! Thank you Isabelle! Katie had a great time, and her dad didn't even embarrass her!

Happy 7th birthday, Katie!!

2009-02-08T19:36:00.002-06:00

We can hardly believe that our baby is 7! Where does the time go?? We celebrated Katie's big day by taking her and 6 friends to her favorite restaurant, Ninja. After that, the girls came over to decorate their own very large piece of cake. We had frosting, sprinkles, pink sparkles... they had a great time! Well, the fun wasn't quite over! Some of the girls went home around 9, and the others stayed for a sleep-over. They watched a movie, ate popcorn, and went to bed really late! Then, at 6:30 am, they ALL came in our room to see if they could watch the rest of the movie from the night before! We politely kicked them out!

HAPPY TO YOU!

2009-01-18T14:39:00.002-06:00

That's how Ellie sings Happy Birthday! We celebrated her second birthday today. We had some of her (and our) friends over for pizza, cupcakes and ice cream. We had a lot of fun! Ellie didn't quite understand that you're supposed to blow out the candles with your mouth, not your hands! Hence, the picture with my hands grabbing Ellie! For some reason, the pictures came out backwards, but you get the idea!

First lost tooth!

2009-01-18T14:36:00.002-06:00

Katie finally lost her first tooth! (we don't count the one that had to be pulled!)
She was sooooooooooo excited! Can't wait to see what the tooth fairy brings!

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-01T15:31:00.004-06:00

Ellie just loved her first Christmas! She was the last one up, and Katie was just dying to get downstairs! She woke up at 3:00, but we convinced her it was way too early! Katie helped Ellie open her presents, but she got the hang of it pretty quickly! Some favorite gifts included dolls for Ellie and Wii for Katie. My parents were here for Christmas, and Scott's parents came on the 27th. We had one day with everyone here, too.

Following the Harkness's blog!

2008-12-29T17:31:00.001-06:00

Our friends the Harkness's are in China right now. If you'd like to follow their blog, the story is great!

http://cupcakesandhairbows.blogspot.com/

we need help!

2008-12-16T13:59:00.001-06:00

we need a catchy title for the blog, but we're not being very creative! If you have any ideas, leave us a comment! thanks!

Happy Gotcha Day, Katie!

2008-12-15T18:29:00.005-06:00

Six years ago today, Scott and I became parents! Katie was brought to us on my birthday. What a spectacular gift!! She's been a joy ever since!

it's a miracle!

2008-12-13T14:16:00.002-06:00

Katie sitting on Santa's lap, that is! It's the very first time in 6 years that she has willingly gone to see Santa. We have one picture when she was almost 2, but she's on my lap and I'm sitting next to Santa. She even talked to him! Ellie is another story. She hopped right up, and even went back for more! yeah! A picture of our girls with Santa! Hopefully we can continue this as a holiday tradition!

our little angel!

2008-12-11T18:23:00.003-06:00

Katie was one of the angels in the church Christmas program. They all did a great job!

One year ago...

2008-12-08T11:33:00.003-06:00

On December 7, 2007, we got the call saying our referral was here! This is one of the first pictures of Ellie that we saw (well, she was Ning RongRong back then). In some ways it seems like it was so much longer, but then again, it seems like it was just yesterday. In a year, Ellie has gone from sitting in one place to running amok! She has gone from not being able to hold a bottle to drinking from a real cup (only with close supervision!) She has gone from her buzz cut to a cute little bob! She has gone from constant crying, to letting us know what she wants with words! We still have some of the crying, but it's usually when she doesn't get her way! She's gone from wanting nothing to do with her daddy, to yelling out his name first thing in the morning!
One thing that hasn't changed, is we just love her!!

Tis the season...

2008-12-01T12:33:00.003-06:00

That's not our official Christmas card picture, but it shows just how taking pictures with Ellie goes! Katie, Ellie and I enjoyed our first Christmas party Sunday night at Lucy's house. She had a mom and daughter ornament exchange with some yummy snacks to go with it! Katie "stole" a pink poodle ornament for her pink tree in her room, and I got a very cute snowman ornament. Katie loved the idea of stealing! hmmm.... Not to be left out, Scott came and watched football in the basement with Doug and the dog!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T12:22:00.002-06:00

No pictures to post, but a lot to be thankful for! We are very thankful that the Randall family is now complete! Hard to believe Ellie has been with us 9 months already! She continues to learn something new just about every day, and Katie is still the best big sister ever! She considers her somewhat pesty sometimes, but that's sisters for you! We are also thankful for a healthy and happy family.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-04T13:23:00.002-06:00

Ellie's first Halloween! She had a great time! She definitely got the hang of putting out a bucket and getting candy! Her favorite request now is for a "pop". (lollipop). It was pretty chilly, so her costume was perfect to keep her warm. Katie ran ahead with the "big kids" so we only saw her for part of the trick-or-treating!

Burt's Pumpkin Farm

2008-11-04T13:18:00.001-06:00

This was Ellie's first time at a Pumpkin Farm! She loved checking everything out! It was way too crowded for the hayride, so that will have to wait until next year!

technical difficulties...

2008-10-28T20:13:00.003-05:00

We're experiencing some technical difficulties! When I try to download a picture, it comes up in the preview, but shows as a bunch of letters and symbols in the actual blog. If anyone knows how to fix this, let me know! I've searched the help section, but it wasn't much help!

Whhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyy???

2008-10-15T19:53:00.002-05:00

These are the words we're hearing around our house these days! I'm not sure Ellie quite knows how to use this question, but she says it quite often!!!

Funny Girl!

2008-09-23T19:39:00.003-05:00

Ellie now enjoys the "how big is Ellie?" game, and apparently finds wearing Katie's ponytail holder on top of her head pretty fun, too! She won't wear a cute bow, but she'll walk around all day like that! kids!

Potty Training?!?

2008-09-16T21:27:00.004-05:00

As we were hanging out in the family room before dinner, Ellie ran over to the baby gate saying "poo poo" and shaking the gate. Just to see what would happen, I opened the gate. She walked into the bathroom and started to lift the toilet seat. So, I took off her diaper and sat her down! She stayed for quite a while and actually did a tiny poop! I handed her some TP, and she "wiped" her bottom! (you have to be a parent to appreciate this story!) After this, we pulled the training potty out of the attic, and she sat on that for a while, and peed! Wheather this will last is anyone's guess!

Feeling Blue?

2008-09-16T21:18:00.002-05:00

Not around here! Thanks to the teller at Wachovia, we got blue lollipops! Ellie was extra excited since it was her first!

happy birthday, Scott!

2008-09-16T21:12:00.002-05:00

It's a little late, but hey, better late than never! Scott's birthday was actually on Sept. 7th. We spent a relatively quiet day with the family and friends. We had the Klein's over for lunch and cake, and then a family dinner at Dominick's. Yum! Scott got his set of Topps baseball cards, as always!

Katie's First Day of First Grade!

2008-08-14T19:07:00.002-05:00

Our baby is growing up!! Monday was her first day of first grade! Hard to believe! Her teacher's name is Mrs. Randall! (no relation) :) We both started at a new school this year. It's called Puckett's Mill. Scott was dissapointed we wouldn't be cardinals anymore! She loves her class, especially since her good friend, Katie L. is in class with her! Our new school starts a bit early, as you can see from the picture, it's not quite daylight yet!! We'll get used to it, I suppose. Ellie is staying with "Nana" who lives in our neighborhood. She loves it there! Here's hoping for a wonderful school year!

Ellie's first haircut!

2008-08-10T18:24:00.002-05:00

Well, we were trying to let Ellie's hair grow out, but she wouldn't leave a barette in her hair, so... as you can see in the first picture, those bangs were hanging down on her nose! Bangs it is! They still tend to go off to the side a bit, but maybe when she's old enough to leave something in her hair we can try again! She wasn't too happy about the whole thing in the beginning, but the hairdresser gave her 2 brightly colored combs to hold, so that helped! We think she's cute as a button either way!

new additions to the family (sort of )

2008-08-06T18:19:00.002-05:00

Katie had been begging and begging for a hamster, so we got one. Well, it was very unfriendly, so we opted for 2 friendlier gerbils! Their names are Midnight and Cloudy. If you look closely, you can see that cloudy only has three legs! She manages to climb the tower and run on the wheel just fine!

Katie's date with Dad!

2008-07-30T10:13:00.003-05:00

Scott and Katie had a date to the Braves game...or should I say the Cardinals game! They played here in Atlanta, but as anyone who knows Scott knows, he was there to see the Cardinals.

Katie had her face painted, ate Italian ice and cotton candy, ran the bases in the kids area, and didn't even complain about actually watching the game! It seems like yesterday that we took Katie to her first game, and she fell asleep! That was 4 years ago! How time flies!!Scott will go again with a friend on Thursday night. Hope they don't get rained out!

Ellie's 1 1/2 birthday!

2008-07-15T20:19:00.004-05:00

Since Ellie spent her first birthday in China without us :( , we decided to have her 1 1/2 party instead! My parents were here from Florida, our good friends from the neighborhood, and 3 of the families from our China travel group (the Damron's, Cryer's and Tyrell's) were able to come. It was wonderful to be able to share this with so many friends! Ellie obviously liked the icing best from her cake. She didn't want to touch it with her hands, so she went in face first! I gave her a spoon, but she still just wanted the icing! The picture of the girls on the couch was our remake of the red couch picture we took in China. Not quite as many kids, and not as many tears! Three of the four girls (including Ellie) are from the same orphanage. We'd like to think they remember each other on some level. We hope everyone can join us again in 6 months for her second birthday! :)

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-06T21:35:00.003-05:00

We had a very fun 4th of July! We went to a party in the neighborhood where we had good food, good friends, and fun fireworks! The host of the party had stocked up on fireworks and put on quite a show! Katie stayed inside (not a fan of the noise), but Ellie just watched in amazement! She even sat on Scott's lap for most of it! That's progress for our Mama's girl!

The only down side to July 4th is the fact that I only have one more month until I officially return to school on August 4th. I'll be in before that to set up my classroom, so summer really feels like it's ending for me!

Our trip to NJ...

2008-06-27T12:02:00.003-05:00

We took a trip to NJ for two very important occasions... Our niece, Taylor, graduated from high school, and our other neice, Lauren's bridal shower. While we were there, we managed a day on the boardwalk. Katie loved the games and rides, and Ellie loved the pizza! I think it was bigger than her, but so good! We had the entire Randall family for a wonderful dinner. The picture shows all of the cousins together. Scotty, Taylor, Katie, Ellie and Lauren. We also spent two days at the beach, and one day in NYC. We went to the Central Park Zoo, had a real Italian lunch, went to the M&M store, and did A LOT of walking!! It was great to see everyone, but it's always good to come home!

bathing beauties!

2008-06-03T13:56:00.000-05:00

Up and running!

2008-05-29T19:45:00.002-05:00

Well, sort of... Ellie has begun the task of walking! She can get about 4-5 steps and then she falls. She tries to run, so she tends to get ahead of herself.
Since our summer has begun, we've been to the pool about 3 or 4 times. Thank goodness Ellie loves it! Unfortunately for me, the water is cold (which I don't like) but Ellie can't go in without me! Katie has a great time swimming without her floaties!
We finally have the yard cleaned up. Now we just need to get the fence fixed and a new playset.
That's about all we have to report for now! We'll have pool pictures soon!

Backyard remodel?

2008-05-13T21:28:00.003-05:00

Well, the storm we had on Sunday night left us with a new look for our backyard! I heard a loud noise around 3 am, but I figured either the grill or table had blown over. Boy was I surprised when I went to let the dog out! We don't have an estimate for the damage yet. I never was very fond of the playset, anyway!

Ellie's Christening Day

2008-05-13T21:16:00.004-05:00

Ellie's Christening was on Sunday, May4th at the First United Methodist Church of Dacula. Reverand Matthew Mitchell did the honors for us. Scott and I first attended FUMC when Katie started going to preschool there. We have met so many nice people at this church! Scott's parents came down from New Jersey for the special occasion.

We enjoyed brunch at Lil' River Grill afterwards. Yum!!

God has blessed us with two wonderful girls.

We couldn't ask for more!

Field Day!

2008-05-13T21:08:00.003-05:00

Katie enjoyed her first field day! She did very well at the games and centers. She especially liked the rope climbing and hurdles! Scott and I were able to spend part of the morning with her and her classmates. It was a beautiful day!

new accomplishments..

2008-04-26T12:39:00.003-05:00

Well, Ellie continues to surprise and amuse us with her new accomplishments. Here are a few:

she is now crawling on all fours, sitting up from a laying position, pullling up to standing using the couch or our hands, trying to stand up in the middle of the floor, and standing up by herself (if we put her that way) for about 10-20 seconds. I know most 15 month olds do this anyway, but considering she did none of these things just 2 months ago, we're quite impressed! The PT came this week, and said Ellie has made 3 months worth of progress in the last month. WooHoo!

The biggest amazement happened yesterday, when I was on the phone with my mother. I was glad to have a witness! Ellie appeared to be saying "poo poo" and pointing to her bottom. Well, she had actually gone poo poo! I figured it was a fluke, but then she did it again a few hours later! I can't wait to see if she does it today! Whoever thought we'd look forward to changing a poopy diaper!

As you can see in the picture, Ellie decided she needed to eat her cereal today by herself. She used her spoon pretty well, but really liked getting her hands in it!

Oh, and she is also getting a new tooth! It's a back one, so we can't see it, and you have to be quick about feeling it or she may bite you!

Katie and I are winding down to the last month of school! :) She has done such a fabulous job this year! Kindergarten sure isn't what it used to be! Katie is reading and writing close to a second grade level. I love seeing the work she brings home! Even though I teach, I'm still amazed at what these little ones can do. I still think they should play more, but that's another soapbox for me to get on at another time!

It's been a while!

2008-04-16T21:04:00.002-05:00

Well, life has been pretty quiet around here, so there hasn't been much to report! I guess that can be a good thing. Ellie is doing great! She wakes up very happy in the morning, but not so happy after a nap. I know I'd be happy with a nap! She is starting physical therapy next week, although she has gone from lying down to a sitting position by herself, and she is pulling herself up while grabbing onto the couch. New progress! Her crawling is more like an inchworm move, so we'll be working on that, then moving to walking. They say they don't like to skip crawling because it develops the right/left brain function, and can lead to problems with handwriting later. I'm a stickler for neat handwriting, so we'll be working on the crawling!

I go back to work tomorrow :( Ellie will be staying with a friend in the neighborhood, so I know she's in good hands! That helps a lot!

Ellie has attended two birthday parties in the last couple of weeks! The first one was with EllaKate at build a bear. She is also from China, and turned three. The next one was with one of her friends from the orphanage, Harper. She turned one. Quite the social butterfly for only being in the US for 7 weeks!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T11:42:00.003-05:00

We had a great Easter! The weekend started with the neighborhood egg hunt, which was a lot of fun. Ellie had a couple of eggs handed to her, but she'll get em next year! Katie loaded up her basket in no time! After that, Scott and Katie went to the airport to pick up our niece, Taylor, from New Jersey. How sweet that she wanted to spend her spring break with her little cousins! Taylor and Katie colored easter eggs together!

On Sunday, we went to church, then had brunch at our house with our friends, the Kleins. After that, Katie, Taylor and I went to see Horton Hears a Who. Very cute movie!

Pretty as a picture!

2008-03-18T20:38:00.004-05:00

We took Ellie and Katie for their first portrait together, and they did great! Considering we had to wait an hour past our appointment time... Thank you Grandma Lanigan for the dresses! How lucky we are to have two beautiful, sweet girls! Ellie continues to show more personality each day! She is rolling all over the floor to get where she wants to go. We're still working on the crawling, but it hasn't come yet. I've been in contact with a local program that is offered through Gwinnett county called Babie's Can't Wait. They took our info. and will get back to me in a week or two. We just want to make sure her delays are lack of opportunity, and nothing more. We are in our routine now of dropping off and picking up Katie from school. Ellie looks confused when she gets out of the car, and breaks into a huge smile when we pick he up! I think she loves her big sister, and the feeling is mutual with Katie. She loves to make Ellie laugh and is very gentle with her when they play. So sweet!

How Time Flies!

2008-03-12T18:43:00.003-05:00

Wow! I can't believe I haven't added anything since the third! Well, since we've been home, Ellie has made a lot of progress! She has learned to roll (on command, too), she can scoot backwards, but not forward yet. She is finally sleeping through the night (I'll probably jinx this by putting it in writing). Last night she slept 13 hours! This is fine as long as my parents are here, but after they leave, I'll have to wake her up when we take Katie to school. She has learned to enjoy the bathtub. As you may recall, this was a tramatic event the first time! As we speak, she is learning to beg for ice cream! Funny how they know you have something good! She is quite a picky eater. So far some favorites are baby oatmeal with banana, sweet potatoes cantelope and saltines. She'll eat about 5 bites of something, then she'll begin spitting it out!

We had our First Friday group this past Friday. Ellie got to meet many new friends who have children or are waiting to have children from China. The girls we thought were so small now seem very big compared to our little peanut!

She is a happier baby than when we first brought her home. We're thankful for that! Katie is doing well as a big sister. She enjoys playing with Ellie for short amounts of time, then she goes about her business. We're taking the girls for their portraits on Sunday. Let's hope for smiles!

Home Sweet Home!

2008-03-03T09:34:00.002-06:00

We arrived home on Thursday evening, and boy was it nice to come home! Our friends put balloons on the mailbox and a banner across the garage door. How sweet! The thought of sleeping in our own comfy bed was wonderful! The beds in China are extremely hard, and after a while it really got to us! Getting to sleep for any length of time, however, has not been easy! Ellie and Katie are still both adjusting to the time change. I think Scott and I could sleep all night if the girls would let us! Ellie still thinks she's taking a nap at night, so we've been up quite a bit. Katie was up at 3:00 this morning eating soup! I told her if she wanted to go to school today (which she did) that she had to go back to bed! We'll see how far into the day she makes it! Ellie was quite a hit at school today. I had to reenroll Katie, so we had to go in. She's adjusted very well to people oohing and aahing over her. She still won't let too many people hold her, but she likes the attention. No new pictures right now, but we'll put some more up soon!

Hong Kong Disney

2008-02-29T15:17:00.003-06:00

The Hong Kong Disneyland was a lot of fun! We went with the Cryer family, one of the families we traveled with. The park was a mini version of the Magic Kingdom. Glad we went! It was nice to have a day of fresh air and relaxation before getting on the very long flight for home! We stayed about 8 or 9 hours, and as you can see, the babies were all worn out!

Ellie and Katie both did a great job on the flight. Sleeping is always a challenge, but we made it through!

Red Couch Pictures

2008-02-29T14:59:00.003-06:00

Anyone who is familiar with China adoption knows about the famous Red Couch Pictures! The White Swan Hotel has a red velvet couch where the families put the children in the adoption group for a picture. As you can tell, getting that many babies/toddlers to sit and look while you try to take a picture is quite a challenge! It was also nap time for some (including Ellie), so she was not happy about it! The pictures of the six girls are the friends Ellie had at the orphanage.

More shopping!

2008-02-25T05:51:00.002-06:00

Today was a "free day", which means no appointments. So.... we went shopping! Today we took a trip to a pearl market. We got strands of pearls for Katie, Ellie and Mommy! Katie also got some fancy hot pink pearls! After that, Scott, Katie and Grandma took a walk with some of our group to an outdoor market. There were lots of interesting things to see! Scorpions, turtles, snakes, frogs, these cute puppies (pets, not dinner!) and some beautiful flowers. Katie put on a fashion show with her new Chinese dress. Ellie has one, too, but since she can't stand by herself yet, she couldn't join in! Tomorrow we do the red couch picture. This is a tradition for adoption groups. Ellie will show off her dress then! We shopped today at a store whose proceeds go to helping older children in oprhanages. I could have bought one of everything! Much nicer quality than the local stores, and just slightly more expensive. We got some wonderful souvenirs!

Tomorrow is our consolate appointment, and we have to pack to leave at 5:30 the next morning for Hong Kong, so this may be it until we get home on Thursday! We're going to Hong Kong Disney on Wedsnesday, so if the hotel has internet, I'll post again. If not, it will be a few days!

Thanks for checking in with us!

Guangzhou Day 2

2008-02-24T06:34:00.002-06:00

We had a rainy day today, so we didn't do a whole lot. A bit of shopping, of course! Katie loves pulling her coins out of her pocket and saying "This is all I have" to get a good bargain for her purchases! It works! Who could say no to such a sweet face!? We played in the playroom at the hotel for a while. Katie found a friend named Katie who is getting her sister Ellie tomorrow! We ate at a Thai restaurant tonight for a bit of a change. We'll be heading to a pearl store tomorrow. That's where I want my souvenirs to come from!

Guangzhou... day 1

2008-02-24T06:14:00.003-06:00

Our first full day in Guangzhou started out with Ellie's "medical exam". They weighed her, she was 16.2 lbs. fully clothed! They checked her hearing by squeeking a Garfield toy and seeing if she looked. She passed! They did say she had a sore throat (from all the screaming?) so we've been giving her Motrin for that. Her diaper rash was so bad the Dr. actually had another Dr. come look at it! That worried me a bit! Otherwise. she's doing great. She's going to Scott and Grandma a bit more, although not as much as we'd like. She loves when Katie plays with her, which is getting more frequent. I'm not sure she knew what to do with her at first! We don't have internet in our room anymore, so we're here at Starbucks! It's the nicest one I've ever seen! We did a bit of shopping... well, alot actually! Scott's mom bought another suitcase for her things! We'll probably add to it, too.

More pictures

2008-02-21T21:17:00.000-06:00

A day in the park

2008-02-21T20:53:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we went to People's Park. It was much more than we expected! There were a few different sections of exercise equipment, with most of the exercisers being in their 60's-80's! When you retire at 50 in China, it is customary to exercise in the park in the morning. There were women doing fan dances and some Tai Chi, too. There was an amusement park there also. The rides looked very vintage! The colors and decorations were what our parks looked like in the 50's. There was also a man there making candy. Katie is holding hers in the picture. He melted a honey-sugar mixture, then he drizzled it on a marble slab to look like many different designs. Katie's is a bird. He would make a fortune doing this in the US! Ellie is making progress with letting Scott hold her, although she's still very mcuh a mama's girl! She loves Katie, and is starting to take to Grandma, too. Ellie loves hanging her head upside down, but she has a hard time getting back up! We're off to Guangzho later this afternoon for more paperwork and shopping! We bought an extra suitcase yesterday, even though we haven't bought that much yet! Bargaining here is customary, so when we went to the luggage store with Julie, another mom in our group, she did the bargaining fo us. She lived in China for a month on business. Anyway, the lady at the shop wanted 480RBM (Chinese currency) for one bag. This is about $49. When all was said and done, we left the store with 2 suitcases for 220RBM, about $30! Not a bad deal! Let's just hope it makes it home!

Nanchang.. 2 days of info.!

2008-02-20T06:55:00.003-06:00

I was too tired last night to add to the blog, so I'll combine yesterday and today.

Nanchang is the capitol of Ellie's province. Scott, Katie, my mother-in-law Joan and some others from our group took a walk around town. Ellie and I stayed at the hotel for a nap! Here are some pictures of the local town, and also a 1,000 year old pagoda we all visited. It's been burnt down and rebuilt 29 times! Lots of stairs to climb! We also took a trip to the Wal-Mart! Very interesting items to be found! Lots of the same basics, but when you get to the grocery area, oh boy! I saw a package of what appeared to be vacuum-packed moth-type things. I almost bought one just to bring home, because you just have to see it to believe it! By the check-out there were chicken paws! Didn't know chickens had paws! More tomorrow!

It's Official!

2008-02-18T22:18:00.004-06:00

Today (well, actually yesterday)was "paperwork day" in China. We had our official interview and promised to never abandon or abuse our daughter, and to educate her. Who would go through all of this insanity and not promise to do these things?! Ellie is adjusting well to our family. She is still very much a mama's girl, but I am able to walk away without her crying, and Katie is very good at distracting her! She's still a bit leary of Scott, but she has let him hold her without too much drama! Here are some more pictures of our girls!

Some things we've learned about Ellie: she is a two-fisted eater! She doesn't eat a lot, but she likes to have something in each hand! She likes carbs and watermelon a lot. She is a good sleeper, but doesn't like to be put in her crib until she's already asleep. Something tells me this didn't happen until she met us! She is also quite ticklish on her belly and by her ears. That's how we've gotten the best smiles so far. She doesn't like having her shirt taken on or off, and most of all, she definitely does not like a bath!!!! We thought it would be a good Kodak moment, but all we got was a very frightened, screaming like I've never heard before, child. Katie ran out of the bathroom!! We checked with other parents who have girls from the same orphanage, and they had the same reaction. We'll stick to a sponge bath for a while.

More pictures!

2008-02-17T07:31:00.002-06:00

GOTCHA DAY!!!

2008-02-17T07:06:00.004-06:00

Katie is so excited to be a big sister!!!

We flew in to Nanchang today around 3:00 pm. We were told the babies would be waiting for us at the hotel! Well, we all rushed to put our things in the room, and no babies! We had to wait what seemed like an eternity, but it was probably 20 minutes or so. Well, when they handed Ellie to us, she began to cry! She cried on and off for about 30 minutes, but when she got her first taste of Cheerios, all was well! She does have a terrible diaper rash, but we'll get that cleared up. She took to Katie right away. She follows her whenever she moves around the room. And if I do say so, she is already somewhat of a mama's girl! She cries when I walk away! What a sweet baby!! She is sleeping soundly now in her crib. Let's hope that goes on for at least another 8 hours! Tomorrow is paper work, and this doesn't seem like a very good part of town to just wander around ourselves! Guess we'll just have to amuse ourselves by staring at Ellie and Katie! More pictures to come!

Day 2...

2008-02-16T17:40:00.002-06:00

Our second day in China! We visited Tianamen Square and The Forbidden City. It was a long day with a lot of walking! After that we went on the Hutong tour. Hutong is a part of Beijing where the houses are kept as they were almost 400 years ago! (3rd picture) They have added electricity, but not much else. The houses are set up in a courtyard, with one building of the couryard being the kitchen, one is bedrooms, one is a living room, etc. About 40-50 families share one bathroom outside of the courtyard!

Today is actually the day we get Ellie, because I was too tired last night to write anything! We're heading to the airport in about an hour! More later!

The Great Wall of China

2008-02-15T04:18:00.002-06:00

Here we are at the Great Wall!

Well, backing up a bit, our flight was fine, and we're not quite on schedule yet. Katie was up at 3:00AM eating fruit loops!

Back to the Wall... we went up the chair lift, up and down many, many stairs, and back down the lift. We did stop at the Cloisine (sp?) factory on the way, and bought a few souviniers. Sorry about the spelling,... jet-lag you know!

We're with 13 families right now, and two more will join us in a couple of days. Very nice people, all very excited for Sunday (still Saturday for you westerners). We'll be getting Ellie on Sunday, around 4:30 pm. That will be 3:30 am for all of you. Tomorrow we do some more sightseeing, so we'll post more pictures. Hopefully the text will be a bit more exciting, too. Too tired today!

More info. on the big trip!

2008-01-31T18:06:00.000-06:00

Well, we finally have all of our information! We got an update on Ellie's height, weight, etc. She is now 27 in. tall, 17.8 lbs., she wears a size 4 shoe, and she has 4 teeth! She's 12 months old, but still in a size 9-12 months in clothing. Our little peanut! We will be in Beijing from the 14th-17th, and we will be getting Ellie on the afternoon of the 17th. I believe she'll be brought to our hotel.

Can't wait to get there!

Off to China! (well, soon anyway!)

2008-01-03T19:13:00.000-06:00

We have our travel dates!!! We'll be leaving February 13th, arriving in Beijing on the 14th. We'll tour in Beijing for a couple of days, then we'll fly to Nanching. From what I read on the internet, Ellie will probably be brought to our hotel. We don't know the date for that yet.
We're sending over a box for Ellie with some disposable cameras, a blanket and a stuffed animal. I'm really looking forward to the pictures! More info as we get it!

Pictures of Ellie!!

2007-12-08T19:32:00.000-06:00

Here are the four pictuers we recieved of Ellie! Of course we think she's just adorable, but we maybe a bit biased! She is about 8 months old in these pictures, and is currently 11 months old. Her birthday is January 15, 2007. Hope we make it to China for her first birthday!

The only information we have so far is that she's a heavy sleeper, likes to play, is sometimes obstinate (aren't we all?) and she is attached to her caregiver. We're told this is a good sign, since she's attached to one person, she is likely to do it again. Let's hope!

It's hard to believe we're looking at our daughter after all this time! Katie seems excited, too. She asked us to put her sister's picture in her bedroom. How sweet!

We'll find out in a couple of weeks when we'll be traveling. Most likely late January, possibly February. We're not sure if they'll send us over during Chinese New Year, although that would probably be quite an experience!

We got the call!!!

2007-12-06T12:41:00.000-06:00

Well, we finally have information about Ellie!!
Our agency called us today during Katie's school holiday lunch, and there was no reception in the cafeteria! Needless to say, we called as soon as we saw the message!
Ellie's Chinese name is Ming RongRong. Her birthday is January 15, 2007, so she will be just about a year when we travel to get her. She is from Jaing-Xi province, which is just about central China, near the east coast. We'll have a picture tomorrow at 2:00, so we'll post is as soon as we can! It's so hard to believe that after two years of waiting we finally can put a face to this little one we've been calling Ellie!

Ellie's room

2007-12-04T17:56:00.001-06:00

This is Ellie's room! Aside from putting the crib together (and getting the Christmas boxes out) the room is ready! (And so are we!) We owe this adorable paint job to Cindy, a very talented teacher and artist! I "won" her in a Relay for Life auction last school year. Lucky me!

Here's hoping Ellie will be using this room very soon!

Soon???

2007-12-03T21:37:00.000-06:00

Well, we're on pins and needles this week waiting to hear if we're "in". Hopefully we'll hear something either way this week. We'll have a picture of Ellie on this blog as soon as we get it!

Almost there... (we hope)

2007-11-12T18:38:00.000-06:00

Well, the CCAA has completed referrals through December 8, 2005! Our LID (the date China accepted our paperwork) is December 14, 2005. So.... we are 6 days away from being included in the December batch of referrals. We're REALLY hoping this will happen! Keep us in your prayers for this!
Not sure what happened to the original blog, it just sort of disappeared one day! Hope this one works!
We'll post again as soon as we have some news!