Beautiful Life





Hey child up and go; A big world is out there waiting for us to live in every day. Outside you will find, there is love all around you; Takes you, makes you wanna' say; That it's a beautiful life and it's a beautiful world and it's a beautiful time to be here, to be here, to be here. -Fisher

Friday, June 24, 2011

A Boy and His Cars

One Boy


Plus One Car


Equals Happiness.


1 boy + 10 cars = Bliss!


This boy had the opportunity, thanks to a ministry at our church, to spend a little moolah on anything his little self wanted.  Guess what his little self wanted.  Can you?  I'll give you two chances....



Not just one car....


Or two new cars.



We went for the whole shabang!


'Cause you just can't have enough cars, right?


Yes, I think we have a little obsession on our hands.  Our little man went through the toy department and inspected everything Cars.  He settled on this gem.  And he has not regretted it one bit.  It has been his constant companion for days!



Thankfully, he loves his sister enough to share with her!

Guess who has a birthday in just a few short days? 
He is getting very excited.  Unlike Claire, he seems to have a little understanding of what his birthday might be like.  Claire had no clue and clearly had never had her birthday celebrated before she came to us.  Asher seems to know already that it will be all about him! 

Take a wild guess what will be the first movie Asher will get to see in theaters!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Photo Upload!

So we made it home and I was finally able to upload the pictures from Isabel's very first flight! She had complete control of the camera for this trip and I did not even take my Big Camera.  Just the little point-n-shoot.  Without Further Ado.....Isabel's Photo Collage:  First Flight.





Two excited girls.....one a little nervous.



Take-Off
Obviously, this is not our plane...
or we would have bigger problems than not being able to upload pictures.



Our plane!
Looking a little worse for wear, I must say.



Boarding!


Can you see the excitement?  Can you?
'Cause let me tell you, I could see/hear/feel it!


Southwest is so cheap because they let the kids volunteer to pilot the planes!

No.

But, when Isabel asked for a a quick picture of the pilot, they invited her up!
You think she was excited before!


Future pilot?


Trying to enjoy a little in-flight entertainment.






And a little snack along the way.

This concluded our two flights on Sunday.  We flew Southwest because of the fact that the tickets were so much less expensive.  It's how I was able to afford to get Isabel a ticket.  Shriners paid for mine and Claire's.  But, I have to say, even if I had money I think I would choose Southwest.  We had a wonderful experience.  The people from the check-in staff to the plane crew and pilots were all so very nice!

I'd say that even if they had not let Isabel in the cockpit.  But, they did.

So there!

Once we landed in St. Louis, we were shuttled to our beloved Frontenac hotel.  Why do we love it so much?  I have no idea except to say that we have had so many good memories made there in the last three years.  It is where we stayed on our first trip to see Dr. Dobbs and we made a family vacation out of it.  Our first vacation as a family with 4 kids.  We stayed there numerous times that summer while Dr. Dobbs worked his magic and then next summer before going on to see our friends in Chicago.  Last summer it was the stage of our travel group reunion.  So. Much. Fun!

Monday was the doctor day and for the first time, we did not actually get to see Dr. Dobbs.  We did see Kristina (his right hand man woman) and the brace guy and another doctor.  All were in agreement.  No more night brace!  YAY Claire!  Continue with AFO's and PT.  Feet lookin' good!

As much as we love St. Louis, St. Louis without a means of transportation.....is just not the same.  Each day we walked up and across the street to the one shopping strip that is near enough for Miss Claire to walk to.  We visited Starbucks and Poptions.  We ate ice cream and popcorn.  We walked back.  We watched TV.

Eh.

Not much else to do.
It was exciting for the girls just to eat in the hotel room.

And really, the trip was all about the flying parts for them!



Tuesday, it was back to the airport!


This travel thing is old hat for these seasoned girls now so they were much more relaxed.


Isabel rode the people mover just to ride it. 

Several times.


The whole thing wore Claire slap out and she got on the second plane, covered her head with her blanket and was asleep before we took off.  Slept until we were landing in Charleston!


Isabel decided on this last leg of the trip that she was brave enough to hang out by the window long enough to snap some pictures.  I thought these were really cool. 

She did not like the idea of being stuck by the window so she would only sit in the aisle seat.  But, she did enjoy seeing the clouds up close!








 
The End!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

First Flight

Or we could have titled this Isabel's Adventure!



After a month of counting down the days.
And tearing off links from her paper chain...


Isabel got to check something off her Bucket List.

She got to FLY!

Every year, we trek to St. Louis for a visit to our favorite Doctor, Dr. Dobbs.  And every year we make a family vacation out of it.  And every year, it takes us on a 9 day adventure across the US.  An awesome adventure that we love, because we get to see some of our favorite friends along the way! 

But this year, we found Paul's vacation bank a little short on days after three weeks in China and our bank account a little short on funds, what with the gas prices right now! 

So, we called up the Shriner's and they graciously offered to fly us out this year!  When I went online to find a couple of tickets, I actually found a great deal at Southwest.  So great in fact, that we decided to surprise Isabel with her own ticket to fly! 

Talk about excited!  She has been beside herself for weeks.  And driving us a little bit crazy too.  We were thankful that this day finally arrived.  Seriously! 

And this turned out to be the perfect adventure for her.  No delayed flights or cancellations!  Two flights that were just long enough for the girls to be excited, but not so long that boredom and restlessness could set in.  We flew from Charleston to Baltimore and then onto St. Louis. 

It also turned out to be perfect because the people at Southwest are so nice!  Isabel asked a flight attendant if he could take a picture of the pilot for her and he took her right up to the cockpit!  The pilot turned everything on so she could see how it worked and they cut up with her for a few minutes. 

Funny thing though, she would not sit by the window.  She totally loved flying, but really didn't want to see how high she was.  She took the aisle seat and was happy.  She even got to use the bathroom....which of course, is totally part of the experience.  And, she thought she would be sucked out of the plane when she flushed! 

So, where are the pictures of Isabel's adventure?  Well, they are stuck on my camera.  See, I didn't bring the big camera.  Just my little point and shoot.  And that camera?  Has a tiny memory card that requires an adapter to fit into the card slot on my laptop.  Where is said adapter?  Yep.  It's a home. 

I knew I'd forget something.  At least it wasn't my underwear, right?

Pictures to come....Tuesday!


Thursday, June 9, 2011

New Shark in the Pool!


Can anyone spot the newest baby Shark on the Shadowmoss Swim Team? 



Well, there is Claire....but, she was a Shark last summer.  This is old hat for her!


How about now?  Can you see him now?

No?



What about now?  Just there in the splash.  Can you see him?


Now?
No, no.....not the girl in orange goggles.



THERE!  There he is! 

The newest Shadowmoss Shark!


With big sis as a role model Asher is diving right in!



He seems a little nervous at times, but is doing really well.  We knew he was ready when we let him jump in the pool to me with no life-jacket and he just took off! 

And you see him there next to that sweetie?  That is precious EV, newly adopted from Rwanda, along with little brother, MV!  I just love our swim team.  There are a handful of adopted children and several kids with special needs.  The coaches are GREAT with all of them!  I mean, who lets kids on a team when they speak little and no English?  Shadowmoss does!  Who lets kids on a team when they have to use a floatation device?  Shadowmoss does? 

Have I mentioned that I love our swim team?


This is such a good experience for him.  He gets to do something without mom, but I'm nearby.  He is doing well with the instruction of the coaches!



And follows Claire's lead.


Claire is learning backstroke this year!


Working one-on-one with Coach Kimmie.



Asher is not exactly Grace in the Water....if you know what I mean!



But, that's okay!  We are just thrilled with him.

So, surprise!  

We love our littlest Shark! 


Thursday, June 2, 2011

Three Months



Okay, it's really pushing 4 months since we made Asher a Gour.  But as usual, I haven't had time for the update.  Now that my summer has officially unofficially started, I hope to be more on the ball. 

Officially unofficial? 

Yeah, that is what happens when you can officially call it a year, but one of the kids still has some school work to finish before you feel like you can be done.  Gotta love homeschooling!

So, what have the last three almost four months looked like from here? I guess you remember the handful of a kid we picked up in China, right?  Well, he has settled in quite nicely!

Is he still a handful?  Sure.  But, we wouldn't have it any other way!

The little guy that screamed out in the night without fulling waking, now sleeps soundly on his hand-made dog print pillow every night.  As a matter-of-fact, he has graduated from Mom and Dad's room to sleeping in the room with the girls.  Why not the boys?  Well, after much consideration, we thought that since he went to bed at the same time as Claire, it would make more sense to put his jr. bed in there for now.  It will probably only last a few months and then we are hoping to move the big boys downstairs and give Asher his own room. 

The fella that would shake his head no at everything thing on his plate, now eats many American dishes without so much as a second thought.  There are things he doesn't care for, but he will usually take a bite or two anyway.  Could I ask more of a three year old?  I think not!  And he gobbled up my weak attempt at making a Chinese dish.....so maybe his palate isn't all that refined anyway.  Hmmm................

You remember the boy that threw an absolute fit every time we told him that he could not have something he decided he wanted? 

Well, he still hangs out here some days.

But, other days, Asher is just a big sweetie!



He and Claire are usually found playing together as best buds.  They enjoy many of the same things right now and that is working out great......except when they want the same toy at the same time.  But, since I have already been there done that with twins, I knew this was bound to happen. 


He has learned to say "Yucky" when we pass by the golden arches!

He expects me to say "no" when he asks for junk and toys in the stores.  He rarely makes a fuss anymore. He loves his doggies and his kitty cat!  He loves to jump on the trampoline, ride his bike and play whatever Claire is playing.  His trucks and cars are his favorite toys and he is all about Lighting McQueen! 

He loves his Mama and his Daddy.  He also loves his fingers and his Woobie.  Woobie is a rag.  Just a rag.....you know, like a wash cloth.  He came with Woobie.  It was explained to us that he could not sleep without Woobie.  But, he has.  Some nights he seems to need Woobie more than others.




When Woobie comes out, the fingers go in.  For that matter, so does Woobie.  He sticks his fingers in him mouth and his Woobie in his ear.  His ear?  A little strange maybe.  I'm sure we will never know why.  But, then why does Claire chew on her blankie?  No idea. 



Why do we call it a Woobie?  Ummm......yeah, I do not know.  I think I heard a lovey called that on tv and it stuck in my brain.  I started calling it that and now he does too.  At least it's more creative than blankie.  Isabel and Claire both have blankies.  If you ask me, that is akin to naming your cat, Kitty.  Of course, you didn't ask me and maybe you did name your cat, Kitty.


He loves the pool too and that is a good thing since we spend just about every afternoon there!  He is a little more cautions around spray pools and fountains, but eventually gets into the action. 









And his English?  Oh. My.  Immersion does wonders for language development, I tell you.  He is all English, all the time now.  Which is kind of sad.  He won't even say a word in Mandarin now and he gets upset if we ask some local Chinese to speak to him.  We hear this is normal when they are first fitting into the family and developing their English skills, but I'm sad just the same.  Of course, I wanted him to speak English, but I would have loved for him to hang onto his Madarin as well.  IF I had the money, we would have a tudor!

That's all for this update, but check back tomorrow!  I do intend to keep this up and I have something really cool to show you!  Plus also,  three of us are about to take a little trip that is exciting......at least to one of us and she really wants you to hear all about it.  So news of that coming soon.  And also, the big boys are on an adventure of their own right now that I might get to share about.  And, for my friend Andrea, more recipes!