Wow - how time changes things, and what blessings we've found in this year's changes. Hannah has grown and flourished in ways too many to list since our first Christmas as a family of four in 2006. She came to us with smiles and laughter, and has since that time brought us incredible joy. She is an amazing daughter and a precious little sister. We love her more than we could ever express. Thank you, Lord, for the former Feng Fu Er, Miss Hannah Li Fowlkes.
Christmas Eve marked a very special anniversary, as it was the first anniversary of our meeting Hannah Li. In honor of the occasion, her daddy cooked Beijing (aka Peking) Duck, which was really delicious, despite the disgusting looking preparation process (shown above). We shared our meal with the Cosby crew - parents, siblings, siblings-in-law, and nieces - and thanked God heartily for all the joys we've experienced as a family over the past year.
....except from the Fowlkes Family of Four. Ours won't likely go into the mail until tonight or tomorrow, even though I've had them for over a week (and the postage, as well). I also didn't order enough for all of our friends and family, and I'm certain I'll be using Christmas stamps far into the New Year. Oh, well; 'tis the season!
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My girls really know how to use their noodles! In our house, pasta is one of the four (or is it five) major food groups. Long live carbs!
Then, we were freshly home from China, adjusting to our transformation into a family of four. Now, we're managing quite happily and comfortably - albeit incredibly more actively - as a family quartet.
If only the life of adults could be as simple as the lives of children. We'd listen to happy songs all day long and take care of all of our loved ones with yummy animal crackers.
This past weekend we shared a wonderful time with family at Cumberland Mountain State Park. Lee's family and the Stanton and McInteer families have shared times like this since some time in the 1950s. We love getting together with the extended crew, and we have lots of special cousins' time as well.
We finally visited Jackson's Orchard this past week - in the freezing cold, I might add. I don't remember why we weren't able to visit earlier in the season, but at least we got in before all the pumpkins were gone (the scarecrows, however, had already disappeared for the season - go figure). This is one of my favorite places to visit; the photo ops here abound! These are just a few of the fun shots we were able to get in before the wind chilled us to our bones.
This past weekend was our 15 year reunion at Harding University. The funny thing about a reunion that falls mid-decade is that - except maybe for the 25th one - few people attend! We had a great time anyway, even though the only folks there from our "era" were our close friends whom we planned to meet ahead of time. We had fun at the Piper's 20th anniversary show (I was the oldest Piper there), the family picnic, the student center, the Harding House, dinner, and the Homecoming Musical. I even got to see my two favorite professors, and the weekend's weather was perfect, so -- despite the icky conditions at our should-have-been-remodeled-ten-years-ago hotel -- the weekend was wonderful.
Future roomies?
My leopard princesses had tons of fun tonight at Greenwood Park's "Trunk-or-Treat." They were sugared up and running on full tilt by the end of the evening with all the other costumed characters. (I plan to post a collage of all the ghouls and guys soon, but I couldn't wait to get this post up.) The only damper to the evening's event was having to say a final "good-bye" to Kate and Cole after the devo. We are really going to miss them and Gilbert, but we may be able to resume our weekend-away-with-friends during Labor Day weekend in West Lafayette, like those we had years ago with our friends Jen & Scott White. We'll miss you, Kerrigans, but you'll still be close in heart.
The Cosby crew is never at a loss for things to do, no matter where we are. This montage shows how much fun my brother and nieces and Jaycie had with some of my mom's old hairdos.
I would absolutely love to be able to soar above Bowling Green like this (particularly over my new neighborhood). Maybe someday I will.
P.S. This video was created by the Bowling Green's Park City Daily News, and I thought it was cool, so I posted it from their site. Gotta give credit where credit is due!
My sweet Hannah had a kind of minor, somewhat major mishap in the parking lot after church on Wednesday night. She and Jaycie were walking ahead of us to the car, and they were out of my eyesight on one side of the van, when all of a sudden I heard this terrible wailing cry. Hannah was screaming her head off, and Jaycie said that she'd just fallen down. I could tell that she'd scraped her knee, and I dabbed it with a wet wipe, but when I got her in the car, I noticed a big drop of blood dripping from the side of her nose. It was dark, so it was hard to see, and I thought it may have been from an internal nose bleed. When we got home, I realized it was much worse and that she'd actually scraped what looked like every layer of skin off the side of her little nose. She also has a few scrapes under her eye, too. I've no idea how a child can fall and scrape her nose at this angle, but apparently mine can. Jaycie said that Hannah had been stepping up high like she was marching and lost her balance and fell on the concrete. It was a nasty spill, and it looks even more terrible than the picture shows. Half of her nose looks like Rudolph, and it's going to take quite a while to heal, I'm afraid. I'm sure it hurt incredibly, and I feel very sorry for her. That spill plus her four little new teeth coming in has made for a fairly grumpy little gal around here. However, hurts heal, and there's always popsicles to distract her from the pain! (By the way, we're almost out of popsicles.)
I love this photo - the girls look so sweet, and they were having lots of fun when I snapped this photo. But the other reason I like it so much, was that while Hannah was growing in my heart during our long wait to adopt, I spent some time baby-sitting Allison. I enjoyed getting to see her develop through stages that I knew I'd never be able to observe Hannah in. Those were a dear, precious moments, and they make the bond that these two little friends share all the more sweet.
Hair up,
Come September 21, this lovely house will become our home, and we will bid adieu to apartment living. I am most looking forward to the backyard patio, and when fall begins I'll be out there praising God for cool breezes and seasons of change. I will thank Him, too, that Hannah will finally have a room of her own, that Jaycie will have a big yard to play in, that we'll have more room to entertain in, and that He provided all of it within our new pared-down budget. We are excited and hugely thankful!
My baby's growing up - she's a third grader now, which blows me away. She started school last Wednesday at a brand new school and did a great job transitioning. She's got a wonderful, imaginative spirit and lots of creative energy. She's got her own cool fashion sense and loves Hannah Montana way too much (she quotes the show all the time). We're working on keeping her attitude sweet and her emotions in check. She is very smart and loves to dance, read, write stories, play pretend (she's got lots of children - around 10 at last count, some of whom are adopted), and play Webkins online. She's a great big sister, who makes her little sister laugh her head off and has begun to teach her little tricks. I am proud of Jaycie.
she's making her "ain't I cute?" nose scrunch.
Jaycie loves to play on the balcony, and today Hannah wanted to be out there, too. Instead, they played this sweet game. I particularly like the kiss through the glass.
...you must visit the City Museum. It was an awesome adventure and right up Jaycie's alley. I was in complete awe of it's uniqueness; it was like something from a dream. I highly recommend it, but I don't suggest taking a toddler into the labyrinth of the maze system there. Our family almost got stuck in a tight spot with Hannah (a wire "tunnel" that led out of a wire ball - see photo), so Lee and Jaycie went off to explore things while Hannah and I investigated the "safe" spots.
