LINK TO OUR JOURNEY TO JILLIANA

LINK TO OUR JOURNEY TO JILLIANA
CLICK ON JILLIANA'S PHOTO TO FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY TO CHINA

Thursday, July 21, 2011

I know I cannot adopt them all!

BUT MAYBE I CAN HELP THEM FIND A FAMILY..........PRAYING ESPECIALLY FOR

HOLLY (WHO BEARS A REMARKABLE RESEMBLANCE TO MEILYNN)

Could you be her Mom?

UPDATE: A FAMILY IS SENDING IN A LOI FOR HOLLY!!!!!! PRAISE GOD!

 AND JULIANNA

Looking for a family...

These children are on the BAAS agency Individual List

Friday, July 15, 2011

A couple of random conversations

I don't know what it is about the car, but I have the most enlightening conversations with the girls.  The wheels in their heads seem to really start moving when we are moving in the car.  For example;

The other day this is the conversation I overheard going on in the backseat.

Meilynn- "Emma you eat Pig."
Emma- (giggle) "I know, I love it!"
                            "I love sausage!"
                           "Mommy what else is pig?"
Me- "Umm, ham, bacon, pork chops"
Emma- "Then I love to eat pig!
Meilynn- "Emma you love to eat cow too!
Emma- "So do you Meilynn, you eat hamburger."
Meilynn- "No, Emma I only love special cows."
Emma- "What are special cows?"
Meilynn-" I only love WENDY'S cows!
Emma-"Oh, yeah (giggle) you only like WENDY'S cows!
(Wendy's is a fast food chain and Meilynn only likes the hamburgers from Wendy's right  now.  Oh and Lily was in the car too, but I am not sure she got it.)

And then there was this one....
We are at the beach house in Carlsbad and we have been talking about all things Ocean.  The girls are just learning to boogie board and had their first wipe outs the other day.  They were in the backseat talking about how bad the water tasted.  I explained to them that it was salt water and not good for drinking.
 Then as our conversations usually do they took a little turn.
I thought, OK, I will add a little information here.  I am always looking for ways to teach them things that are important.
Me- "You cannot drink salt water, if you get a little in your mouth it won't hurt you but you would not want to deliberately drink it.  Let's say you are on a deserted island (I know why did I go there, but when I am driving and distracted these things just come out.")

Meilynn- "What is a deserted island?"
Me- "An island that nobody lives on?"
Lily- "What is an island?"
Emma- "You remember we just went to Coronado Island"
Me- (I am thinking, OK, this is not where I was going with the topic, but we will go with this)  So I say, "An island is land that has water all around it. OK, what I was trying to tell you is that if you were ever out in the ocean on a boat or on an island and you did not have any water you would not drink the ocean water.  Do you know what you could drink?
Lily- "Apple juice?"
Me- "You are on a boat and there is nothing to drink.  You have been on the Ocean for days and you have run out of anything to drink.  In a situation where you are lost in the Ocean or in a desert you can drink your own pee.
Girls- "Oooh! Gross!
Me- "If you needed to you could drink it.
Emma- "Has anyone done that before."
Me- "Yes, people have done that to survive or to live when they had nothing else to drink.
Pause...................
Meilynn- "Then if you are hungry do you eat poop?"
Me-  thinking  (OK,  I got myself into this)  No, it is not safe to eat poop.
Me- (quick change the subject)
I did but I don't remember what it was.  Sometimes I get in over my head.  I thought I would just share that little tidbit, but when I started talking about deserted islands and being lost, I wanted to get off of such a scary subject.  Emma has been having nightmares and the last thing I need to do is add to it.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Lily and Lyla together again!

When I first saw the picture of these two little girls,


Lily
Lyla

and heard the story and saw their video I knew that they needed to be together.  They had grown up in their orphanage together.  They were sisters.  Maybe not biological, but still sisters.
I asked my agency if it was possible to adopt both of them.  They told me that China would not allow the adoption of two healthy 6 year olds.  
So I decided that I would try to find the family that would adopt Lyla and try to keep in touch.
As it turns out they live in Arkansas and they are the perfect family for Lyla.  
Lily and Lyla were adopted in February 2010.


Last August, 2010, Lily and I flew to Arkansas to meet Lyla's family.  

Then in December 2010 Lyla and her mom flew out to California to spend time with us. 


Last week for the 4th of July week Lyla, her Mom and Dad and her awesome brother Liem came to California to spend time with us.  I am so happy that we have been able to keep these two in touch with each other.

 Welcome to California!
 There they are!
 Lyla and Lily
 Together again!

 So happy!
 Jilliana just loved Liem. She decided that he was hers and Liem was so sweet with her and all of the girls.
 Meghan and Nick came to the Welcome BBQ
 It was so hot!  Everyone was enjoying the pool.
 Visiting in the pool

 Mike giving Liem a little help.
 Lunch on the patio





 Visiting
 Liem got to lick the beaters.
 After a day at our house we went down to Carlsbad to the beach.  This was our first walk on the beach.
 Lyla and Jennifer
 Emma testing the water
 Happy 4th of July!
 Goofy faces
 We went to the Pancake House
 This was Jeff's omelet.
 Decorating the bikes for the little parade that they do in our little beach community.
 Meilynn with her pinwheel
 Emma cutting the plate to put in her bike spokes.
 Lyla
 Jilliana getting in to it for her first 4th of July

 Silly Lyla

 Getting ready for the parade
 Cute baby at the parade




 In line for the body painting after the parade
 Snow cones after the parade

 Happy 4th!


 At the fireworks

 Legoland
 We got Jilliana on the cars but when she found out I wasn't going that was the end of that ride!

 Lily and Liem
 Daddy and Jilliana
 Jennifer and Meilynn
 Oh this was so funny.  Lily and Lyla went out on these boats alone.  They got their boat turned around and could not figure out how to go.  After trying to tell them what to do the worker had to jump in with them to get them back.
 Getting boat driving lessons.
 Liem
 Emma
 Lily
 Jilliana
 Lyla
 Meilynn
 Not loving the log ride
 Lily talked Jeff in to taking her on this ride
 The group on the way to the beach
 Beautiful kids


 Emma learned to boogie board on this trip
 So did Liem and Lily




 And Lyla
 I love this one even though you cannot see Lyla's face, you can see her happiness
 And Meilynn too!

Friends and Sisters
We miss you!