their first...

Believe it or not we are still experiencing some "firsts" with the girls. This one usually comes when they are pretty young. But they have been home 3 years and they just got their first hair cuts. They weren't in a hurry to get their hair cut and so a while back we all talked and agreed that they would donate their hair to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for little girls that have cancer or long term medical hair loss. They require at least 8 inches of hair to be donated so it took a while for the girls to have their hair long enough to be cut and have some left to look decent.

P. and I took them to the hair dresser and they each had their own separate hair dresser to cut their hair. it seemed to be a whirlwind, I had one on my lap and P. had one on his and within a few moments they were rubber banding and cutting. I only got a few pictures of them getting their hair cut. Within a few minutes they were mostly done and they were standing in front of each other looking at the other. The hair dressers followed them to the floor and were still cutting and trimming while their stood and watched each other. They both did so well, not at all scared or worried. I think they actually really liked all the attention and looking so beautiful. Paige had 9 inches cut and Phoebe had 8 inches cut. Phoebe said that we should do it again tomorrow. :)

I took a few before pictures and I will upload some older ones that we had too. Just so you can see how different they look and how much was cut. They seem to really love their new hair cuts. they also look about 3 years older than when they walked in to get their hair cut. The cut makes them look so much older, my little babies are growing up so fast!

 

 These are some before pictures that you can see the length of their hair, this was around Christmas time so it might have been a bit longer. Below is Paige waiting to get her hair cut.

the first cut

the first cut

 

I know a little weird, but that's a lot of hair, right?

 

These pictures were taken just after we got home from getting their hair cut. They were both very happy! No more rubber bands, barrettes or pony tails. Mommy is happy too.

Merry Christmas

We have had a wonderful Christmas this year. I hope you and your family had a special day too. I think the kids are at an amazing age right now to really love this holiday and all that it brings. They believe!, and were very excited for Santa's visit and waking up to a pile of presents under the tree. They also know the real reason for the season, and we talk all the time about who's birthday it really is and why we celebrate. Nate asked how old Jesus was, 2,013 years old, what!?

We are trying to make the most of this time with the kids, we are doing some really fun things this week and enjoy our family time.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving. Here are a few of my favorite pictures so far from this summer. We have so much to be thankful for!

Ditto on this, why i won't buy Unicef holiday cards

I came across this article a few months ago and completely agree with the idea of staying away from Unicef holiday cards. As an adoptive parent I feel it is my right and responsibility to educate others about Unicef's unacceptable treatment of orphans. The writer says it better than I ever could so I am reposting her article!

NEW YORK, December 5, 2011 — UNICEF holiday greeting cards have been an iconic symbol of the spirit of the holidays since 1949.
Ubiquitous during the holiday season, you can buy them on UNICEF’s own website, or at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and many other major retailers.
And who can resist images like cute multicultural cadre of kids, smiling and holding hands as they circle the globe? Who can’t get behind the idea of children from all nations coming together across borders, showing the one-ness of the human race?
Well, actually UNICEF can’t.  It has declared national borders sacred; country of origin rigidly defining.  Sadly, all that’s left of UNICEF’s “we are one people, one world” message is what’s found in a twelve-buck box of paper cards.
To sell their charming assortment of holiday cards, UNICEF writes “When you send UNICEF Christmas greeting cards and holiday cards, you help bring hope, health and happiness to children around the world.”
They should have disclaimer at the end, specifying “just not to orphans.”
UNICEF has been very successful in marketing its cards to unsuspecting Americans, who do not know about its stance against the world’s orphans finding permanent families in the U.S.  In fact, UNICEF rakes in about $16.8 million from sales of cards and related products, according to a United Nations report for 2010.
In recent years, UNICEF has taken a radical position against orphans, insisting that life in the country of birth is always preferable than life with an adoptive family in another country even when that means children are condemned to orphanages.  So much for those handholding holiday cards.  Good-bye, one-ness.  Hello, border patrol.
Their tagline is “Shop for a cause and help children in need.”  While no one can argue with the fact that UNICEF does work to improve living conditions for some children in need, their assistance goes to those who already have families.  Those without, not so much.
Until UNICEF’s campaign against inter-country adoption is stopped, I won’t be buying their greeting cards, and I urge everyone who is concerned about the world’s orphans not to buy them either.  And, as delightful as the cards may look on my mantle, when I receive a UNICEF card I will not keep it in my house.  In fact, I’ll take it as an opportunity to educate the sender about how UNICEF has chosen to turn its back on parentless children again this holiday season.
This year, if the spirit moves you to send holiday cards that will make a difference, there are many other alternatives to supporting UNICEF, which has lost its moral compass and has turned orphans into collateral damage in service of a political agenda.
Instead, choose an organization that champions a cause you believe in, that has a positive impact on the world.  For one of the best places to find a huge selection of beautiful holiday cards that support worthy organizations, go to http://www.cardsthatgive.org.


Read more: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/red-thread-adoptive-family-forum/2011/dec/5/why-i-wont-buy-unicef-holiday-cards/#ixzz2k0Jsc88F
Follow us: @wtcommunities on Twitter

Halloween

It was an amazing Halloween this year. All three kids were totally into the holiday and wanted to get dressed up and go trick or treating. We went to many different events this year; a fall pumpkin festival at a local farm, a community Halloween event with vendors and trick or treating and a truck or treat event at a local church. They dressed up for school and each had a school parade in the morning. Then we finally went out trick or treating on Halloween evening. The kids got full use of their costumes this year.

Each was very specific in what they wanted to dress up as for the holiday. Nate, as usual, changed his mind several times, fireman, armadillo, transformer fireman, and policeman. We decided on policeman because he really wanted to have the handcuffs (and put us in jail). Paige and Phoebe were very sure of their decisions, Paige wanted to be Doc McStuffins and Phoebe wanted to be a Princess in PINK of course. Thankfully, I was able to find each of their requests!

Halloween night they came home with so much candy, we overflowith. the kids don't eat candy, so this year we bought lots of small items and set up a chuck E- che*se like store and the kids used their candy as currency to purchase what they wanted. It was so much fun to come home and do this after a long night of working for their candy.

Also, happy birthday to my sister! Born on Halloween day!

 

 

Autumn Moon Festival

The kids had a wonderful Chinese moon festival celebration this year. We went to a community festival and watched dancers, singers and artist from many Asian countries preform on stage. We got to enjoy some amazing food and had a great time celebrating. Then we went to dinner with other families with adopted children and had a great meal at a Chinese restaurant. We enjoyed moon cakes, the kids got dressed up in their festival clothes and celebrated with friends.

Back to school

The kids had a great first day back to school. Nate started Kindergarten and the girls go 2 days a week to preschool. They were all very excited to wear their new clothes and bring their back packs and lunch bags to school. Things are going so well and they are all learning so much.

Paige is very much into purple, as you can see, and Phoebe likes pink and black. Nate just wanted to be cool and wear a fun shirt.

Also, happy 11-12-13 day!

July Holiday

We had a great July 4th holiday. the kids participated in a bike parade. it's the kick off to the events in our town and all the kids usually (but we didn't) decorate their bikes and then ride around in a big group around the big lake. We did it last year too, but the girls were only 2 years old and couldn't ride their tricycles all the way around the lake. This year they did great, they dressed up in their red, white and blue and rode their bikes around the entire lake, they were the last ones to finish but they did it!

The girls won a trophy for doing such a great job. I think we were all in a bit of shock, they hadn't even decorated their bikes this year but they won, probably on cuteness alone:). They were so proud, they both loved holding the trophy and each commented that they could be like Nate, because he has trophies in his room from the sports he plays and now they would have one too.

The rest of the evening was great, a little bit of dinner from the food trucks, walking around visiting vendors and listening to live music. We all had a great night. We watched the fireworks from our house and then the kids went to bed. here are few pictures from our day. hope you all had a great holiday too.

Family Vacation

We went on our first family vacation this summer.  We haven't been on a big trip since we went to China a little over two years ago. We have been trying for some time to get up to see some family, especially my great aunt who is in her late 80's. Finally we had the time and finances to do so. We flew up and landed in NYC. The kids did great on the flight, all were very excited.  We were thankfully it was only a 2 hour flight instead of 20+ hour car ride. We spent a half day in the big city; the kids had fun at the American Museum of natural history. They loved seeing all the dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, and the giant whale. We spent several hours there just roaming around having fun. Drove thru central park, then we went to FAO Swartz toy store. Ended our tour with a drive thru Times Square.

We had a fun time showing the kids all the places P and I enjoyed while we lived there. We showed them our colleges, where we met, where I grew up, the house I lived in and my high school. They weren't totally interested but it was great for P and I to reminisce. We celebrated our 20th anniversary just before we left too. Of course Nate loved staying in the hotel and the free breakfast was probably his favorite. Here are a few pictures of our trip.

Phoebe and Paige got to sit in the captains chair of the plane

nate at the museum, his favorite dino

paige

phoebe found a panda and was very excited

the giant whale

 

Phoebe

 

 

 

We went to a family picnic and the kids got to meet their cousins. They were so excited to meet them and they had a great time playing and hanging out with them. It was cold and rainy so no swimming in their pool but they got to play ball in the front yard, eat good food and eat cake. :)