Shopping anyone?

It's the funniest thing to watch . . . Kamryn will walk around with a shopping bag and put her toys in it. Then she'll hang the bag over her arm and look at me and wave "goodbye" like she's all done shopping and going home! It's the cutest thing . . . and honestly, I have not shopped with her too often since she will not sit long enough to endure a real shopping trip. It must be in the girl DNA.

P.S. Happy Birthday Linda!

A Day at the Fair

Kamryn went to her first Indiana State Fair on Thursday. I probably wouldn't have braved it on my own, but once we were there we met my friend Jeanette and Alice. I don't know why I even attempted to bring the stroller though because Kamryn wouldn't sit in it, and if Alice's daughter Jenny wasn't in it, I was carrying Kamryn and pushing the stroller! She can definitely be so stubborn at times. At lunchtime, Kamryn wanted the lid off her sippy cup. I gave in to avoid the tantrum, and she spilled water all over my lap. So then I walked around hoping to dry fast! The cutest part of the day was when Kamryn and I shared a yummy ear of corn on the cob. When she'd go to eat it, I would too on the opposite side and she thought that was funny. Hearing her giggle is music to my ears.

Kamryn loved seeing the baby ducklings and baby chicks but was very intimidated by the loud roosters! We happened to see a momma cow and her baby only one hour after giving birth. We saw the baby walk on wobbly legs. The day was great practice for Kamryn making her animal sounds. (She can moo, quack, and tries to oink)

As if a morning at the fair isn't enough for me, I went back that same evening with the boys. It was nice to walk through the fair without 21 pounds on my hip! The boys climbed a rock wall, played mini-golf and did some rides. Again, I got a little wet since I did the waterlog ride with them. It was a fun day!

Say Goodbye to Summer

Well, today is officially the last day of summer vacation for the boys. We managed to get in some fun times this past week however. We went to Great Times with my friend Carol and her kids. It's a fun family place with bumper boats, go-karts, mini-golf and an arcade. We also went to the zoo one more time, again with Carol and her family. Of course we wanted sunny weather all week, but we weren't so fortunate. So I pulled out the play-doh "for Kamryn" and the boys played with it all day long! Kamryn enjoyed squishing it since she really loves getting her hands messy and feeling new textures.





Kamryn is really babbling more, and it sounds to us like she is saying more words. Besides hi, dada, momma and gege (brother in Chinese), she now makes the animal sound for duck and cow and says "hi guys" we're sure of it! Oh, and she loves eating corn on the cob!



Matt played his first fall baseball game yesterday and his team won! Matt pitched 3 innings and had 2 hits. His team is the Chicago Cubs! How wonderful for him to have a Cubs jersey now too.

Our neighborhood got redistricted, and therefore Brendan will be attending a new school this year. The district gave the 5th graders the choice to finish elementary school at their "old" school so Matt opted to stay with his friends and not go to the new school. So this year will be interesting as both boys will be in different elementary schools and getting on two different buses and bringing home separate fundraisers, etc. We went to Brendan's school last night to meet his teacher and she seems wonderful. Luckily there is another boy from our neighborhood in his class so the transition should be easier. Tonight is the night we get to meet Matt's new teacher.

Tomorrow it's getting up early again to catch the 7:40 am bus . . . we're all dreading that. But it will be good to get back into some sort of routine I guess even though that means adding homework into the mix.

A Day at the Lake

On Sunday we went to our friends Jim & Jeanette's lakehouse for the day. We all had a great time enjoying the sun and water. It was Kamryn's first time on a speedboat, and the boys' first time to go tubing. Kevin even went tubing, but I was chicken and opted not to. My excuse was that I was holding Kamryn, and holding onto her tightly! We videotaped the boys tubing, but I just realized that I don't have any still shots of them in the water. They are looking forward to visiting the lakehouse again! Kamryn loved going into the lake, but was even happy playing with a bucket of water on the dock too!

What a Difference a Week Makes

Didn't I say that Kamryn does not like the water? Well, she's made a liar out of me now. All of a sudden, she LOVES it! Last week the kids and I drove up to Chicago to spend time with family and friends. We went to the Naperville beach pool down by the Riverwalk and she absolutely had no fear and loved playing in the sand and water.

It was great seeing everyone, but you know how that saying goes, there's no place like home? Kamryn didn't sleep very well away from home so neither did I. I just noticed yesterday that she did get her first "pointy" tooth though so she may have been teething last week too. Plus, we didn't stay at one house too long so the moving around was a bit crazy.
Kamryn and her friend Lilly (from Korea) played great together! We've been friends with Tina and her family for many years now. We're friends, our boys are friends and now our daughters are friends too. I'm posting a picture of our younger boys when they were tots (they're the same age) and now a picture of them as older brothers with their new younger sisters. I'm also posting a picture of me and Tina from last year when she had a baby shower for Kamryn. Tina's my "helper" in that she forewarns me about the stages our kids will go through since her older son is one year older than Matthew and Lilly is one year older than Kamryn. She's special for lots of other reasons too;)






My friend Heather has three children. Her son is three and she has twin girls who are only one month older than Kamryn. Kamryn was in awe of the two of them since they are identical and especially when they tried to lift her dress and pull her bow out of her hair! As my friend Sue said, Kamryn was probably saying to herself, "hey get these clones away from me!" Wouldn't it be great to really know what goes through a toddler's head?

My sister snapped a picture of me with my niece and nephews and my gang. Look at baby Gavin! He's such a joy to be around since he so quiet and content. We laugh because he is only 5 months old and feels heavier than Kamryn. We had the extra joy of seeing my Aunt Bernice who is visiting my parents from Arizona.




All in all it was a great week, and we were glad to also see my friend Jeanne, Joanne, my first time momma friend Sherri and her new baby Emma, Marc, Cathy, Andrew, Jack and Maddie. Remember our doors are always open and everyone is always welcome here too!

Whew what a week!

It all started during the heat wave we were having at Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN. It's an amusement park and water park about 3 hours south of Indianapolis. The boys LOVED it but Kamryn would beg to differ. She got no breeze from riding the rides and being strapped in the stroller was not her idea of fun. Plus, she doesn't like being in the water either . . . the most she did was sit on the edge of the baby pool and splash her feet. She was a trooper though and went on her first kid-friendly train ride around Mother Goose land.



Our agency reunion picnic was today. It was so much fun to see some of the families that we traveled to China with plus the other families that we've come to know during this journey too. Since we live so close to the park where the reunion is held, we had a little ice cream party at our house last night with the families that came into town early. It was fun to see the girls play together. We are glad that this is an annual thing and already look forward to next year!



The boys took Kamryn on her first carousel ride today. She didn't like it too much. What she loved the most was dancing to the band that was there! The boys enjoyed the mini golf and rock climbing wall so fun was had by all.

Put Your Hands Up

This is what happens when a little girl has two older brothers!

She is constantly amazed at the things they do . . . even the simplest of things like blowing bubble gum and watching Harry Potter movies.

Just say hi

Isn’t it amazing how God brings people into our lives at just the right time when we need them or they need us or we need each other? Meeting the Crandall’s was definitely a Divine appointment. I pretty much stalked them in the hallway at church because they were a family with 3 boys and a little girl from China! This was while we were waiting for Kamryn so I felt a nudging to say hello. Good thing I didn’t shy away and just hope to run into them again. We instantaneously connected and had lots more in common than almost identical looking families.

Sadly, I took them to the airport last Sunday because they moved back to Colorado. We are all missing them so much already. Last weekend was a rough one, with lots of tears and questions from the boys like, “why do they have to move?” We moved here three years ago, and had lots of people asking that same question about us. Heartaches are hard to witness and hard to go through, but in the end, it means that you have loved and been loved, and that’s what we need to keep doing. We need to keep connecting with people.

Interesting enough, connections can also be made without even physically meeting each other. Through this adoption journey, I have special friends that I haven’t even met, but only “talk” to online. These gals simply emailed us congratulations, and through many, many more chats, I can truly say that they are as special as the friends that I spend time with on a regular basis.

If it’s meant to be, you even get more than one chance at a special friendship. Thanks to second chances, Carol & I became friends. Our older boys were on the same spring baseball team. We connected and exchanged phone numbers, but life got in the way, and soon spring turned to fall. Miraculously, our boys were on the same fall soccer team too. We realized it wasn’t luck, and we’ve been close friends ever since.

So on a closing note, remember to stay in touch with those special people already in your life, but don’t be afraid to say hi to a stranger who just may become one of your best friends.

Happy Birthday America!

Happy 4th of July from all us!

A Day at the Zoo

Last Thursday Kevin had the day off, so we ventured to the Indianapolis Zoo. It was a nice distraction for Kamryn who was still not too happy because of her teeth. Kamryn's favorite animals were the ones big enough for her to see from her stroller. The boys enjoyed the meerkats, bearded dragons and the snakes most of all. A few years ago when Brendan and I visited the zoo one day while Matt was in school, we witnessed feeding time at the reptile house and saw a snake eat a mouse. Matt really wanted to see that this time, but the snake wasn't hungry since the mouse lay in his cage untouched. The dolphin show was fun, although it was a little too long for Kamryn who wanted to wiggle away from us in the bleachers and get moving again. Although it was there before the show that we were able to share with strangers (because they asked) about the most fascinating, wonderful journey we've ever taken, our trip to China to adopt Kamryn. Maybe Kamryn will someday nudge someone who is on the fence about international adoption to finally take that plunge.

Teething Agony

I so wish that Kamryn would get the rest of her teeth overnight tonight. It seems like it would be a better thing to get the teething agony overwith in one shot rather than sporadic episodes. The constant waking at night,the 5:30 am wake up times, the fussiness during the day and the drooling is just no fun for any of us. But this too shall pass. To be honest, tonight I loved the snuggling before bed and holding her sleeping in my arms. This beats the crying fits we've endured the last few nights at bedtime when nothing would soothe her. Maybe the tooth is finally coming through.

We may start calling her little playgroup "the glamour girls" since they all have these special handmade shirts that spell out their name in jewels. One of the families is moving to Texas, and the mom, Lisa, surprised us all at her going away party with these adorable shirts that she made. We will miss Lisa and Lena and wish them the best in their new home.


Kevin & I enjoyed a dinner out alone (without the kids) last Saturday night thanks to our friend Delilah. I thought maybe Kamryn would be angry at us for leaving her, but she did fine. Probably because Delilah and the boys gave her lots of TLC.

Brendan went to Boy Scout camp last week, and the whole family helped him celebrate the end of it by attending a family picnic at the campgrounds last Friday night. He loved showing us where he swam, did bb guns, archery and canoing.

We went to a local town "fest" this past weekend, and boy did it make us homesick for the fests back in the Western suburbs of Chicago. Everything is done on such a bigger scale there with hot air balloons, carnival rides, games, well-known bands & fireworks. The highlight for the boys here was either the water balloon launching station or getting the chance to dunk a local policeman in the water tank. We had fun just getting out of the house though and walking around.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, daddy! I love you! xoxo Kamryn
(this picture was taken by mommy, but Kamryn was smiling at her daddy! Just look at that twinkle in her eyes.)

This is the first year Kevin is a daddy to a daughter as well as to two sons. One of his gifts was a book about Life Lessons on Raising a Girl. It's a cute little book with 378 pages of insight. The lessons span from toddlerhood to college age advice, so I'm sure we'll be referencing this book often. One page reads, "Write this down. Girls cry. A lot."

Kamryn readily smiles and rarely cries, however, can I just say that hearing the whining gets so exhausting! I'm hoping that stops some when she actually starts talking. I know, the moms out there to daughters are probably laughing and shaking their heads no because something tells me that won't end. Kamryn sure knows how to get what she wants even without talking! She is one smart girl who has us completely wrapped around her finger . . .

Not only is her daddy a special guy, but Kamryn has a thing for her grandpas too. My parents came to visit for Matthew's birthday (which was Thursday) and Kamryn was totally happy to be in my dad's arms. When we saw Kevin's dad and Marc (her Godfather) in April it was the same way. She loves these special men in her life! Happy Father's Day to all of them!

Six Months Ago

We just had our six month post placement visit from the agency who completed our homestudy. Of course I was nervous before the gal got here, but it went smoothly and she could tell that Kamryn has adjusted and so have we! She asked us questions about Kamryn's eating & sleeping schedules, doctor visits, and generally just wanted to know if we think Kamryn is on track developmentally and we do! The boys were home for the visit too, so they talked about the trip and some of Kamryn's latest tricks. She then wanted to see the room where Kamryn sleeps. We had to have 6 pictures mounted on paper that will get sent back to China to the CCAA. It was hard to come up with the best photos, but in reality, I bet nobody in China really looks at the pictures anyway. I made sure that Kamryn was smiling big in all of the ones I used just in case.

I should have posted this sooner . . . last week Kamryn had her first official haircut! I took her to Clubhouse Cuts for Kids and they gave us a 1st Haircut Certificate and of course her first cut of hair to keep. She did pretty good during the cut. She moved around alot but she didn't cry like one boy I know did lots of times! (Brendan hated getting his hair cut!)

Some of Kamryn's newest tricks are actually doing somersaults! Now I just have to say the word somersault and she'll put her head and body down and actually somersault over. It's so cute. She surprised me the other day when I started singing "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and she actually did the motions with me! She got her 2nd molar and continues to love swinging on her swing.

Today we went to the pool for the first time, and all was well until she stumbled in the one foot deep baby pool and went face first into the water. She didn't want to go back in after that. She didn't like taking baths at first either but now loves them. So in time, probably by the end of summer, she will love the pool!

When Lightning Strikes

Tonight we had an awful storm, and I think maybe lightning struck our house again since our alarm sounded right after an awful boom. I was the solo parent home tonight and after disabling the security system in order to stop the sirens, the kids & I noticed that our house siren wasn't the only siren going off. There were fire trucks at the house two doors down. They were there quite some time too, but I don't know yet how much of a fire they had or what the damage is. This storm brought much rain and our backyard is just so wet . . . so much so that the momma duck from last year brought back her baby ducks to play in our yard! (at least that's what Matt thinks)

Storms often come without warning. Personal storms and trials in our life sometimes come without warning too. My dear friend Sherri and her family are going through a huge personal storm since they found out that Sherri has breast cancer. Please keep them in your prayers and everyone else going through this same "storm." Jesus proclaimed "I am the Light of the World" (John 8:12) so we trust that He will guide them through this difficult time and bring comfort, strength and healing.

Kamryn brings comfort every time she gives a big hug because with her hugs, she squeezes you tight. Mmm, it feels so good. Sherri is special and knows how it feels, since she gets hugs from Kamryn every time we get together.

Kamryn Meets Alvin . . . and the rug at the bottom of the stairs

Unfortunately Kamryn tumbled yesterday. Not a somersault (which she loves when I help her do one) but a tumble down a couple of stairs. Luckily she landed on the carpet landing inbetween the two flights of stairs to the basement. She did however get a battlescar, a nice rug burn on her eyelid. She had learned to go down the stairs on her belly and slide down, but now that she is walking, she thinks she can walk down those stairs! She was okay, just sitting on the stairs. I told her to turn around, then freaked out as I remembered that Brendan had left some Magnetix on the stairs. So instead of picking Kamryn up, I ran ahead of her down the few stairs to collect those magnetic marbles that many children have died from swallowing, and she came tumbling after me. What a lesson and reminder for me that toddlers can act very fast, in the blink of an eye, and that accidents can happen in just seconds. I'm sure it won't be the last of her boo boos, but this is her first one, and I feel awful.

There is something about our house that attracts wildlife. We've had birds' nests in wreaths, we had a momma duck sitting on eggs last spring underneath one of our plants, and now we have Alvin. I walked into the family room this morning and looked out onto our patio only to see a chipmunk perched on top of our chair! Yikes! It must be the same one that visited us last year . . . he actually got into our screened in porch area then. Our neighbors generously handed down a big plastic house for Kamryn to play with that is out on our patio. Now when I go out with Kamryn to play, I will have to check for Alvin first. She loved watching him from the window, but that is close enough for me!




We're all fighting a sinus thing in our house, and Kamryn, Brendan & I are on antibiotics. Hopefully we'll kick this soon so we can enjoy the holiday weekend. Brendan & Kevin are going to the Indy 500 race for the first time this Sunday. They should have a good time. Kamryn, Matthew and I may just go for a bike ride since we just purchased one of those bike trailers for the back of my bike. Hopefully we have nice weather. The neighborhood pool opens this weekend too, so the kids are excited for that. I can't wait to see how Kamryn does in the water. She loves bathtime now so she will probably enjoy it. I still love experiencing all these "first" things with Kamryn and am constantly in awe of her outgoing personality, wit and charm.

Speaking of her outgoing personality, the other day we did a makeup music class at Gymboree instead of the gym class. There were 12 toddlers each with a parent in the room and here is Kamryn, standing in the middle of the group, dancing and clapping and yelling. She was very friendly especially with one of the few boys and his dad in the group. She wanted to hang with them instead of me most of the time. Must be that she is used to her older brothers because she's too young to be flirting already! My friend Beth was there with her son and just chuckled and said that Kamryn was just meant to be a third child because with her personality, she would have been bored just being the only child in the house! How funny and probably true!

Mommy to Three Now!

On Mother's Day, Kamryn turned 16 months old. She's been with our family for 5 months now, and I feel lucky to be a mom to three wonderful children this year. One of the best presents I got this year was a card from Brendan where he had filled in the blanks about me. The funniest one was "My mom is as tall as . . . a teenager" The one that I was most relieved and touched to see was "My mom always tells me . . . I love you."

Well, Kamryn knows how to meet her deadlines! She is officially walking 100% of the time now! Our goal was to have her walking by race weekend, and she's ahead of schedule. She looks so cute toddling around. Although now that she can walk, she doesn't want to sit still.

Gymboree is the perfect place for a wandering toddler. She just loves playing there. The boys had no school on a Gymboree day, so they came with us. They loved it more than Kamryn I think and actually thanked me for taking them with. The other moms were so impressed at how the boys doted on Kamryn and took care of her. I was a proud mom!




One of the playgroup moms and I decided to swap babysitting time, and it's been wonderful! The girls cry at first when their mommy leaves, but their crying time is down to 5 minutes or less. Usually some Cheerios or a fun DVD like the Laurie Berkner Band can stop the tears. Kamryn loves music and that DVD has been alot of fun for her.

We're waiting for this rainy week to end and want sunshine! I bought Kamryn a sand and water table for outside, and I'm excited to see her play with it. Lexi was over today, and the girls played with the sand side for a little bit. I've decided that Kamryn may still be on the young side for it since she tried to eat the sand and throw it more than really mold with it. It will be nice to have though as she grows!

Are You My Mother?

Recently one day, a bird flew in our house when we simply opened our front door to let a friend in. The baby bird must have been sitting on the wreath and then not knowing enough to not fly in, did fly in over my head. Funny thing is that the bird flew right to our “dog” that currently resides on the landing of our steps. (The boys are both allergic to cats and dogs, so this decorative dog is the closest thing to a real pet other than a fish that we will ever have.) It was comical to say the least to see us freaking out about how to get this bird out of the house! We thought if we left the front door open, he might fly out, but I was more afraid that his anxious momma bird might fly in, so we closed the door. We tried our fishing net, but that only sent the bird flying into the dining room. Since the bird was so tiny and actually preferred to walk instead of fly, I finally thought that maybe we could coax him into a paper bag. Matthew was the hero who did get the bird in the bag, and then deposited him outside by his very loud momma bird who was waiting for him.

This picture reminds me of that Dr. Seuss book, Are You My Mother? I found the book on our bookshelf, read it, and then chuckled because even though Kamryn does not look like me, I am most definitely her mother. Even though I do not look like my parents, they are most definitely my mother and father. It’s the parent-child relationship and bond that is the most important factor to me and what ultimately clinched our decision to follow the dream to adopt from China. Growing up, I never hid the fact that I was adopted, and always felt lucky & blessed that I was given two loving parents who would go to the end of the earth for me. Now I feel lucky & blessed to have been given the gift of a Chinese little girl to mother, in addition to my wonderful biological sons.

I admit it is fun to see the same characteristics in the boys as Kevin or me and to try to figure out who they look like. The whole “inherited traits” thing is fascinating, but most fascinating is how God orchestrated it all to be this way. Before we received Kamryn, I would pray that she fit in with our family and would blend with us well. She totally does, and it’s obvious to us that she just belongs with our family. It’s fun to see her liking music as much as we do and just overall having the same temperament as the boys. Again, it’s fascinating to me how God can perfectly match hearts. Our three children are all different and have unique personalities, and I love them all the same. That confirms to me that I’ve always had a healthy perspective about my adoption. Love is what is important to me, and not whether or not we look like our mothers and fathers. I do hope that Kamryn will someday feel the same way.

May All Your Dreams Come True

I wonder what she's dreaming about? Hmm, better service at the restaurant? Miss Kamryn fell asleep on the way home from a most entertaining/frustrating dinner at a restaurant that won't be named. The only good thing was that we were with our friends Sherri & Rusty and their family, so we were able to spend alot more time together that evening. Our waiter was so bad, that we had a hard time even looking at him for fear that we would either laugh at him or be too nasty which we didn't want to resort to. The whole experience was tiring, and it sure wore out Kamryn too. She has a time limit in a restaurant you know. These days she has a short time limit anywhere when a stroller or shopping cart is required too. Unfortunately she totally lives up to her being born in the year of the monkey and stands up and tries to climb out. Remind me, this is only a phase, right?

I love snuggling with my children, and bedtime has always been my favorite snuggle time with them. This song is one that I rocked the boys to sleep with at nighttime years ago, and I’m so thrilled that Kamryn and I have been able to snuggle to this song too. It reminds me that it is okay to have more than one dream, and that we should never stop dreaming. The next most important thing is to always follow those dreams, because when dreams come true, happiness overflows!

May All Your Dreams Come True
from The Rock-A-Bye Collection by Aaron Brown

I look at you here in my arms,
And I know that dreams come true.
Tonight life is sweet and
My dream’s complete,
So I offer this prayer just for you.

May all your dreams come true,
May life be good to you,
May happiness follow you your life through
May all your dreams come true.

Someday you’ll dream of a family
Children of your own
Perhaps you’ll sit in this same rocking chair
And sing your baby this song.

May all your dreams come true,
May life be good to you,
May happiness follow you your life through
May all your dreams come true.