Hangin' With the Coopers

Backtracking a little, the weekend after camp we were able to spend some time with my sister and brother-in-law in Pennsylvania. We had a great time, but the trip was too short. Thanks for everything, Jen and Andrew!

Meet Me In St. Louis

We had the most marvelous mini-vacation this past weekend in St. Louis, and one of the most special things we got to do was to attend was our adoption agency's annual reunion picnic. Three other families from our travel group were there, so we got to spend time catching up with each others' lives before and after lunch, comparing notes on how the girls had progressed, and reminiscing about our time in China. Wanting more time together, we met again for supper at a delicious Chinese restaurant (more traditional than any we'd been to since our return home), recommended by our local hosts, Chris and Melissa. It was wonderful to see these families again and to see how much their girls had grown and progressed. Spending the holidays in China with these folks and meeting our girls at the same time was quite a bonding experience for us, and treasuring beautiful daughters from China will always be an blessing we'll share. Thanks to the Decks, Bradshaws, and Farmers for sharing their lives with us again this weekend! We had a blast! Hoping, too, that more of our Jiangxi families can join us in the future - we missed you!

My American Girls

The girls and I enjoyed wonderful Independence Day festivities with our Fowlkes family and kin in Nashville while Lee was at camp. I was particularly thankful this holiday, since it was Hannah's first July 4th as an U.S. citizen. To celebrate, I dressed Jaycie and Hannah in matching dresses, and they looked mighty cute (if I do say so myself), despite Jaycie's being a little short and Hannah's a little long. I think this was the first matching outfit I purchased for them (way back in late summer 2005), so I think I did pretty well for the most part. Jaycie loves to identify with her sister, and she really got into the whole thing. I'm so proud of my lovely American girls.

Saying Good-bye Is Never Easy

Good-bye, house. You were an amazing house, with lots of room and lots of character. You gave us good shelter and really great times. You hosted wonderful gatherings, helped us build wonderful friendships and provided wonderful welcomes for family and friends. You gave us the world's greatest neighbors and Jaycie a built-in best friend. Unfortunately, your yard gave Lee too much work and too many weeds and triggered Ashley's allergies too many times, so we won't miss it much. However, we will always love you, and we'll miss you when we're gone, but we know it's time to move on. Take care of the next crew. Au revoir!

HBTM! (Can You Guess Which One?)

Verse of the day: "Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace." Number of the day: The fifth lucky prime, the first irregular prime, and the third unique prime. Cool factoids for today.

Happy Summer Solstice

Today is the longest day of the year - hooray, sunshine! Hannah drew a picture for the occasion. Her friend, Mr. Sunbeam helped.

Mommy Cut Hannah's Bangs

Now, ain't she cute!