Pearly whites!

J got his braces off last week. We've been learning how to care for retainers and trying to remember to wear them!!!

He just finished his basketball season. Dad coached again and really enjoyed it. There was a celebration Friday night to end the season with a bang.

J has been focusing on Cub Scouts a lot in the last couple of weeks. Thank goodness Dad knows about scouts because I'm lost. They are out today working on a patch. The pinewood derby is coming up soon and there is a banquet this week. I'll report more on that later...once I figure out what's going on. When I was in Girl scouts it was completely different than this! We mostly sang songs and coerced folks to buy expensive cookies (which I have bought 10 so far this year!) Thanks for checking in!

Happy New Year !

We celebrated Chinese New Year with the local chapter of Families with Children from China. We've been a member of the group for about 2 years but now we officially have the child from China! They are an oustanding group of people. It's fun to share stories of our travel to China and our follies back home as we raise these beautiful girls.

Our hosts rolled out the red carpet of hospitality for us, opening their beautiful home that was decorated to the nines for the celebration. A student from the local university who is from Tianjin joined us for a second year. She's quite a resource and is so sweet with the kids. We had a plethora of delicious dishes to share. The kids played great together. Later in the evening we went upstairs to the theater room to watch episodes of a new cartoon, Ni-Hao, Kai-Lan! It's similar to Dora the Explorer but the main character is a Chinese-American little girl. The families hope she will become as popular as Dora, complete with all the merchandise available in stores.

Happy New Year to you all!

J - The Weapon!

J received his level 1, first degree black belt in taekwondo last night after a successful testing on Saturday. Once again, he has achieved something that neither of his parents have achieved. We are SO proud of him!

J - the man!

J won second place in a county-wide art contest. The theme the kids were supposed to illustrate was "Bee Amazing". The artwork would be used to decorate the adult spelling bee in February. He won a $75 savings bond. We were so proud of him! There were several winners from his school, too.

Fun Playdate!

The first photo is of Sarah in a sweet dress that our friend Julie got her. The rest of the photos are of a playdate with her friend who was adopted at the same time, same place, same travel group. Rarely do you know the folks you travel with. We were blessed to know two families before we ever left. The three of us live close so we hope our girls will be forever friends. We hope to keep in touch with the other fabulous families with whom we traveled too.

First snow

Sarah discovered her first snow Monday morning. I took her out on the patio and she held out her hand to catch the snowflakes. I wonder if she's ever seen snow before.

She loves to find Daddy's hat and wear it.

Fashion plate or female Linus?

Sarah has been given so many cute outfits! Some are so cute you have to take a photo of not only the front but also the back! Accessories, such as a purse, are also a girl's best friend.

She reminds me of Linus. She has become enamored with a particular blanket and likes to carry it around. It's a must to have it at bed and nap time.

We started Musikgarten classes Monday. She enjoyed it. Her little personality is just shining.