Journey With Kaitlyn Ying

A Life Given... A Digital Story of Our Adoption

2009-07-03T15:03:00.004-07:00

Be Sure to scroll down to the bottom of the screen and turn off the background music before watching the video!

The Tooth Fairy Visits...

2009-06-19T12:50:00.013-07:00

Kaitlyn the first day we met in China

Kaitlyn Now...

Kaitlyn 1st lost tooth in the US.

Kaitlyn & I at Summer Movie Fun each week

As I look back at the pictures of when we first got Kaitlyn, I'm amazed at how she's grown. The difference is quite something! She's absolutely thrilled to have long hair and we're continuing to let it grow out! She's almost "obsessed" with it. I guess that's part of never being allowed to have hair longer than her ears. She's truly growing up on the inside and out! She's slowly becoming more mature and living day-to-day within the boundaries, rules and guidelines we've set for her. She has come such a long way in this area of growth too!! The first 6 months were extremely difficult. I almost thought I wouldn't make it. I describe her as "Helen Keller before she learned to communicate" - wild, ill-behaved, lacking manners, no boundaries or respectful of personal space. She is still jealous of Kailey's every move, but even that's gotten better and she's learning to control it. We stopped counseling the beginning of May. It just seemed like a waste of time and we did the same thing week after week after week with little results. Discipline (even with Christian counselors) is a touchy issue. I think many counselors are brain-washed in secular psychology in college. The Bible speaks loud and clear in MULTIPLE passages about discipline. "Behavior Modification" is not in the Bible (how many counselors refer to it). I think there is a balance - and we've found it on our own which seems to be working a lot better. After nine months, she's truly a new child now. We still have our days - don't get me wrong, but it's much more managable! On occasion, I still have to speed-walk several laps around the block to relax and give myself a time-out - but it's not nearly like it was back then... PRAISE GOD!!

She lost her first tooth since being in the US. We explained the "tooth fairy" to her and her response was, "Really? Seriously?" with a huge, eager, smile from ear to ear! The next morning she comes running out with her dollar bill tickled pink and jumping around with excitement! However, she dragged me to her room and was quick to point out the tooth fairy forgot to take her tooth! I guess "she" couldn't find it at 4:00 am!! Apparently Kaitlyn slept with it clutched in her hand! We told her to put it back under there when she looses her other molar! Ooops!

Her English continues to AMAZE everyone around her! She's learned our language incredibly fast and now just works on proper verb tense, subject-verb correctness, pronouns, and longer complete sentences. Other than that, she understands and speaks very well. As many of you know, she was only educated through 1st grade in China. She is old enough to be going into 6th grade. In 7 months of English education in the US, she not only completed first grade curriculum but is almost done with second grade standards too!! She will be enrolled in 5th grade in the Fall, but will come down to 3rd grade for the Reading and Math block. The rest of the time, she will be with her peers. She's smart, eager to learn, and is an extremely fast learner!!

Kailey and I are traveling up to Washington July 7-19th to see family and attend my grandma's "Celebration of Life" reception. We're very excited to go! It will be really good for Kailey and I to have time alone together. I have Kaitlyn enrolled in two weeks of day camp with the City while we're gone. She'll be busy doing crafts, going on field-trips, playing games, etc. and spending the weekend at her friends house! I've learned she's one that needs to keep busy!! Hopefully all will go well in our absence! Thanks for all your prayers over these past few months! I think we're finally on the upswing!

Kaitlyn's Mother's Day Dedication

2009-05-10T20:57:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day

We Dedicated Kaitlyn to the Lord

She cried her eyes out

Mother's Day BBQ at the House
Fearless Kaitlyn

Austin All Bug-Eyed!

Kailey "The Pool Feels Great!"

After the dedication and service, a total stranger that was visiting church tracked us down to talk to us. She said she felt such a strong tugging on her heart to offer help to us and Kaitlyn. Her name is Chris, and she's a certified teacher, ESL endorsed, does animal therapy (Kaitlyn's fear of large animals), understands and has experienced abuse, has a daughter to play with Kaitlyn and her mom teaches swim lessons!! She offered to tutor Kaitlyn a couple days a week for FREE!!! I stood there and it was all I could do to hold back the tears. God sent her to us...... us! He is listening and seeing what's going on afterall!!!!! Lol! Thank you Jesus! Just what we needed and when we needed it! For those of you that don't know, Kaitlyn was denied summer school by our school district simply because she doesn't attend a "Title 1" school.

Kailey's Spring Formal

2009-05-03T21:57:00.004-07:00

Kailey Before Leaving For The Dance

Brother Austin

They're Becoming Such Good Friends

Kailey With Friends

What an exciting day! This was Kailey's first formal school dance. Oh, the memories it brought back as I helped her get ready :) She looked so beautiful... my baby is growing up. I wish she could stay young forever - it seemed like yesterday she was only 5 years old and starting Kindergarten. Now, she's getting ready to start High School. Where do the years go?!!

April News

2009-04-22T20:24:00.005-07:00

Tim and Austin Easter Morning

The girls and I before Easter Service

Kaitlyn's bone scan came back showing no old fractures. That's really good news! We're glad there wasn't any broken bones in her past. She continues to adjust with our family and work through her jealousy issues of Kailey. I think this is going to be an ongoing struggle for a long time. School and Church are two of her favorite places to go. She enjoys learning and continues to amaze us at how fast she is picking up on things. Kaitlyn is extremely drawn to music and dancing. She can't wait for Sunday when she gets to sing "Jesus songs!" She can't contain herself and is dancing all over the place! I surprised Kaitlyn and took her to Disney on Ice and lunch a couple weeks ago. She really enjoyed watching all the characters, but didn't understand much of it. You really had to have been to Disneyland and seen the Disney movies to "get it". Now that she understands English better, maybe she'll sit and watch a movie soon. That would be really nice :)

Both Austin and Kailey had their sports physicals last week for high school next year. I can't believe my baby is going to be in high school in a few months!! Kailey and I went shopping last Saturday for her 8th grade graduation dress. What a fun day! She looked so pretty in everything... it was hard to choose! Her promotion/graduation ceremony is May 21st.

The doctors discovered two brain tumors in my mom when they thought she had a stroke and did the CT scan. You can imagine the shock and emotions that went with that news. One tumor is in her Occipital Lobe and the other in her Frontal Lobe. They're both over 4 cm, which concerned the doctors. Finally, the tests came back that they were benign and operable. Thank you Jesus! However, when she went in for those tests, they found a ginormous blood clot in her leg. It goes from her hip to her ankle! My dad has to give her two shots a day in her stomach and she's on an oral medication for thinning her blood as well. Needless to say, she won't be having the tumors removed for a couple months or so. Please continue to pray for her... and my dad. He's exhausted.

My mother-in-law, Marlene, (it's her birthday today!) had a total knee replacement about 4 weeks ago. She's been doing really good and is determined to heal quickly. Marty (Son #2) came down from Washington to surprise everyone, help mom out, and be here for her birthday... pretty cool.

Spring Break

2009-04-05T17:27:00.001-07:00

2009-04-05T15:55:00.004-07:00

My parents left last month after spending 2 1/2 weeks with us. We had a great time with them and it was so good to see them! My mom's back and her leg were in a lot of pain, but hopefully that will eventually get better after her surgery. She had corrective back surgery on the 30th of March. They even discovered a herniated disc while they were in there. She came home last Thursday from the hospital and seemed to be doing fine. However, she was rushed by ambulance to the hospital last night after being disorientated, incoherent, non-responsive and not able to answer simple questions. At first, it was thought she might have suffered a mini-stroke. Thank goodness it turned out to be a very bad reaction to her new pain medication. She's home and resting now. Thanks for you prayers.

Austin and Kailey are doing well. Kailey still struggles with Kaitlyn's jealousy and constantly wanting to do and have everything she does... right down to the style of hair for the day, but it's been better the last couple weeks. Austin is serving his last day of his 2 week sentence of being grounded. He will finally get his beloved phone back tomorrow morning. It's been actually nice having a decent conversation with him when he's not texting or talking!!!

Thanks for your prayers and support with Kaitlyn. Her behavior is improving and she's doing amazingly well. She passed 2 out of the 5 stages of testing levels for ELL students in only 5 months of school and speaking English...and it's a hard test! She's eager to learn, and really enjoys school. Kaitlyn tells us the reason why she didn't go to school beyond 1st grade in China is because of the injuries she sustained from her foster mother's abuse. Kaitlyn goes to Phoenix Children's Hospital on April 13th for a complete bone scan to see any possible old fractures, etc. The CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) has been notified of the accusations of abuse. Once we get the report from the hospital, it will be faxed to our agency and forwarded to China with the full report. From there, it goes to her providence for the Civil Affairs Office to investigate. This is going to take awhile to process.

Jobs and forclosures are crazy in Arizona!! About 175 teachers and all assistant principals in my school district were notified of their "pink slip" status for next school year. Out of 1300 teachers, I'm 131 on the seniority list, so I'm safe. However, they will be cutting Career Ladder back and some other things that will directly effect my income. Looking at the glass half-full, I'm thankful I have a job next year! Thousands of teachers in AZ will be without one.

Quick Update...

2009-03-10T17:02:00.007-07:00

Family Updates in a nutshell: Kailey got her braces off and won a digital camera from the orthodontist! She gets fitted for a retainer in a few weeks. Austin made honor roll for 3rd quarter again! Kaitlyn is doing better and we've learned even more about the horrible abuse she endured in China this week. We're pursuing what actions to take against the foster mother and/or the orphanage. It gets really tricky when it's international and the laws are different there. Let's just say, her foster mother would be in prison for a very long time if she did the things she did to Kaitlyn in the United States! It's definitely shed a new perspective on things. Please continue to pray for her healing on the inside, as well as the outside. Pray for my own anger towards this women right now. Part of me wants to hop a plane, track her down, and beat the crap out of her! I know that's not the most Godly attitude to have, but it's how I feel at the moment.

On a much lighter note... my parents are here visiting from Washington for the next couple weeks. It's been great to see them, spend hours talking and just being together. I'm hoping to talk them into buying a winter place down here!! They seem more open to it, they just need a little push :) I will post more pictures later. I just wanted to give a quick update so you didn't think we fell off the face of the earth!

Flying Home

2009-02-20T21:48:00.001-07:00

I went back home to Washington on Saturday, February 7th - the day after my Nanny passed away. My good friend, Denise, picked me up at the airport and I stayed with her my first night. We stayed up until 1:30 am (2:30 my time!) just talking and catching up on life. Denise and I have been friends since high school- it was great to see her! She was a terrific hostess and treated me to brunch at one of my favorite resturants on the Kirkland waterfront - Anthony's Homeport. Yum! Then, I stayed with my sister the next few nights. It was so good to see her and her family! The boys have grown so big! My brother and his family came over and I got to see them and spend time chatting with them as well. His girls have gotten so tall! Three years is a long time not to see your nieces and nephews! I wish I could come visit more often. As usual, my sister spoiled me rotten with her fabulous cooking! She knows how much I love seafood and made a delicious seafood pasta dish.

The Viewing made Nanny's death a reality for me. I have never been to a Viewing before and wasn't sure what to expect. It was just my immediate family that went together, others came before and after us. As I stepped into the room following my parents, I suddenly lost control of my emotions. My mom fell apart and that made my heart ache even more to see her crying so hard. I went to Nanny and whispered once more I loved her. She looked so pretty and peaceful. The drive back to my sisters was difficult - I couldn't seem to stop crying. The harder I tried to pull it together, the worse I got.

The next day was the funeral at St. Spiridon Orthodox Catherdral in downtown Seattle. My grandma was a Russian Orthodox Christian. (Not sure how many of you know I'm part Russian). The service was nice, but very different from what I'm used to. It was very ritualistic, so I spent my energy trying to follow what the priest was saying and not focussing on her passing. As my mind would drift to flashbacks of time spent with her, my eyes would well with tears. Then the priest stopped his portion and began to talk about Nanny as a person and addressed our family directly. I think every single family member "lost it" at that point. Thank goodness Karen had lots of tissues! Afterwards a private commmittal was at Evergreen Memorial and then we all went to my cousin, Tracy and Karen's house for a traditional Russian dinner called Piroke. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with my extended family, some whom I haven't seen in 8 years!! I really miss them. A celebration of Nanny's life is being planned in a few months. I really hope our whole family can fly up to Washington for this...just not sure how yet.

I stayed at the Ranch in Cle Elum with my parents the remainder of my trip. My parents live on 12 acres with two horses. Spending time with them was great! They treated me to a western concert in Ellensburg and made the most incredible Valentine's Dinner! We had barbequed prime cut filets, rebaked potatoes, asparagus, incredible salad, and for dessert, tiramisu. Wow! My mouth is still watering! The steaks were so tender and juicy, you could cut them with your fork! My parents are coming down to Arizona next month, so it made saying goodbye slightly easier, but we still cried at the airport. We're just an emotional family!

2009-02-20T21:42:00.001-07:00

Tribute To Nanny 1910-2009

2009-02-19T18:26:00.005-07:00

My grandmother (Nanny) went home to be with Jesus Friday, February 6, 2009 in Seattle. We knew this day would come, but it didn't make it any easier when that call came in. Nanny suffered a massive heart attack on January 5th. The doctors said she probably wouldn't make it through the night. Well, she actually made it through 30 more nights with only 10% of her heart working! She's a strong women, and as she would say, "I come from good stalk!"

Words can't begin to describe what a wonderful person she was. She was a godly women, strong in her faith, and she always put other people's needs before her own. When I would visit her, I never left empty handed - she ALWAYS found something to give me. She was a giver and it gave her great pleasure to send ya out the door with this or that... and a few cookies! Nanny loved to tell stories of her days in Alaska. We would sit and drink tea and I'd just listen to her talk. The last time I saw her, I video tapped her telling a story of catching a salmon with her bare hands! Like I said, she was incredible. Nanny was married to my grandpa (PoPo) for 63 years. You sure don't hear that now-a-days! She stood by her man through thick and thin and set an example for her legacy to follow. I am truly honored to be her granddaughter and I will miss her something terrible. However, I'm comforted in the fact she knew Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior and I WILL see her again one day. Bye Nanny.... I love you so much!

2009-02-19T18:25:00.001-07:00

Christmas At The Christians' House

2009-01-13T22:00:00.001-07:00

2009-01-03T21:00:00.003-07:00

First, I'd like to thank so many of you for your private emails of encouragement, your prayers, and comments on our blog. It truly means a lot to have so many people praying for us!! Please keep it coming! It's a process, and will be a long one at that. We seem to take one step forward and three steps back. We've made progress with the "boundary" issue with me, but continually work to teach her appropriate behavior with Kailey & the dogs. It's hard and sometimes very conflicting because our parenting style tells us she needs to have clear, logical & natural consequences for her poor behavior choices - yet counselors tell us not to spank, flick her in the lip when she mouths off, or put her in time-out. We'd love to hear from families who are experienced in adoption on the subject of discipline!

Other news... we had Tim's two older brothers and their families from Washington down for Christmas and New Years this year. It was the first time in 11 years all 5 siblings were together! We had a great time spending time with the whole family. Tim's brother, Marty, has been battling leukemia all year, but his latest test showed no cancer in his body! He will get checked every other month to make sure it doesn't reoccur. Tim's oldest brother, Steve, married a beautiful gal from the Philippians 14 months ago. They are expecting a child in August!

My 98 year old grandmother, Nanny, had a massive heart attack last week. It's been 8 days now and she is doing amazingly well. She's in a Christian nursing home and seems to be doing better. She only has 10% of her heart functioning, so she has completely shocked the doctors and family with her strength. She knows and loves the Lord and says she is ready to go. As much as we know that day is coming, and I know I will see her again someday, it still breaks my heart. I plan to fly up to Washington soon.

Austin continues to like High School and made Honor Roll this semester! He's spends a lot of time on his phone with girls and is very involved with the High School Group at Church. He leaves this weekend on a retreat in Flagstaff and will snowboard for the first time! Kailey also did very well and made Honor Roll this semester too... as well as the Cheer Squad. She is a typical girl and begs to go to the mall often. She is also involved with the youth group at church and leaves for Prescott in two weeks for a winter retreat. We are so proud of them - from the inside out!

Trials and Tribulation

2008-12-27T20:43:00.005-07:00

Well, it's been awhile since we've posted anything. I've thought about writing several times, and then decided to wait another week or so. To be very honest, things have been kind of tough. I keep thinking it will get better and I'll have encouraging things to say on our blog. Adopting an older child has proven to be very challenging on the entire family. Kaitlyn has been consumed with jealousy of Kailey for the past two months. She has taken it out on her physically, emotionally and verbally. It's been especially hard on Kailey and myself. Kaitlyn doesn't want me to love Kailey and she makes that very clear most everyday. She gets very agitated when Kailey and I talk to each other, sit, stand or walk next to each other. She wedges herself between us and gives Kailey the evil eye. She yells at Kailey, tries to hurt her and cries. She understands English pretty well now and we tell her over and over again that we love Kaitlyn, Austin and Kailey. She doesn't want to hear this, or understand it. Kaitlyn is also very physcial with me and doesn't have appropriate boundaries. She's extremely insecure-I can't leave the room without her following me, she has to have me in her sight at all times, and/or be physically stroking me in some way. She's paranoid of me going anywhere. She askes, "Ma Ma go driving? Ma Ma stay home?" multiple times a day. Tim has been trying to bond more with her, and takes her on errands to give me a break. The counselor in Mesa turned out to be a total whack! He told me to tell Kaitlyn, "Oh, I like the way you are massaging my back", as she is violently kicking my chair, screaming and crying because Kailey is sitting in the front seat of the car and she isn't. Needless to say, we never went back to him. Our agency found a Christian, Chinese, Mandarin-speaking female counselor that we've starting going to. Thank you Jesus! Her name is Frieda. She's been great, but says it's going to be slow going and we're in for a tough challenge. We knew that the second day we had her in China!!! However, we made a lot of excuses for her behavior in China and thought things would get better once we got settled back home. We were wrong. I'm sorry if this is brutely honest and offends or worries some that are reading this... especially those that might be waiting for a referral. I don't want to be discouraging or scare anyone off from adopting. That's why I haven't written anything in weeks. In our experience, we've learned adoption isn't always a bed of roses. It's actually the hardest thing our family has ever gone through. We're trying to see God's plan in all this. Your prayers for our family would be greatly appreciated!!!
'

Kaitlyn's 11th Birthday!!

2008-11-30T18:41:00.003-07:00

We celebrated Kaitlyn's 11th birthday this weekend! We've been talking about her birthday for the last few weeks trying to prepare her a bit. She has no clue what a birthday party or gifts are! She thought the Christmas tree was a decoration for her party! She is completely obvilous to Christmas and all the Christmas traditions as well.

Anyhow, we started the weekend off by taking the girls to get their ears pierced. Kailey got one diamond stud on her cartilage, Kaitlyn got both ears pierced for the first time and so did their baby cousin, Carly! All were brave... even Carly. Kaitlyn invited 5 friends from school to come to her party. We took the girls to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch and games. Then we met the family back at the house for cake and presents. She had a great time and it was really cute to see her interact with her friends. This was the first time she's had friends over to the house. She did really good, but would come check on me ever so often to see if I was still close by. I redirected her to visit with her friends and she would skip out of the room and go play with them. Riley especially dotes on Kaitlyn and has taken a special interest in teaching her and showing her things.

Thanksgiving '08

2008-11-29T18:35:00.001-07:00

Six Weeks Home

2008-11-08T19:11:00.011-07:00

The last couple weeks have been met with wonderful times and challenges. Kaitlyn has continued to share things about Lanzhou and her foster mother. Now we know there was an older girl and boy in the home that she called her brother and sister. There was also a grandmother who walked with a cane, but it is unclear if she lived in the same house... we think so. She told me her Lanzhou Ma Ma put her hair in ponytails and cooked her dumplins for dinner. She also has shared some very sad and heartbreaking information as to how she was treated in the home. Each time she opens up, she ends up in tears by the end of the conversation. I will never forget when I was completely stressing out at school before leaving for China wondering why - after 2 1/2 years of waiting, why things went into lightning speed mode all of the sudden for us. My friend, Natalie, told me..."God has a plan. Maybe there is a reason why you need to get her NOW and not wait another month or two." I believe we know the answer to that now.

Kaitlyn loves her older sister, Kailey. She likes to watch her do her hair and make-up in the morning, play soccer with her, copies her cheer dances, cartwheels and plays games with her. However, she has also become quite jealous of Kailey and doesn't like the fact I have another daughter. It has been much, much better the last few days. I continually, and very firmly explain to her that Ma Ma has two daughters. I love Kaitlyn, and I love Kailey - it's okay. Like I said, this week has been better. She actually pushed me toward Kailey and insisted I hug her & kiss her. That was a good sign! I hope we're over the worst part of that!

We have been in close contact about all this with our adoption agency and they are working with us to find appropriate counseling for Kaitlyn... and for the family, to help us with these issues that have come up. We have a good lead on a doctor in Mesa (about an hour and 15 minute drive one way from our house), that specializes in adoption issues.

Kaitlyn is full of funny phrases! She's always been a good eater and usually out-eats us at the dinner table! Some of the things she says at the dinner table are, "Slow it down; Take it easy, Wait, Wait, Wait". Obviously, these are the things we often say to her as she shovels the food in her mouth! I was also holding my little niece, Carly and turned her around for a picture. Kaitlyn yells out, "Turn the page!" It was too funny! She refers to one of her teachers, as "Mrs. Smith... Excuuuuuse me, Turn the page, I'll wait". Then with her math teacher, (Natalie) she dances and sings, "Days-Of-The-Week" to the tune of "The Adams Family". I thought for the longest time she was singing "Desiree" not "Days of the week!" Kaitlyn is doing 2nd grade English work in reading, writing and math. We're hoping to get her into 3rd grade curriculum by February/March. She's smart and is learning rapidly!

Well, that's about it in a nutshell! Please continue to keep Kaitlyn and our family in your prayers as we continue to work through things. We know God is in control and has a plan for our expanded family. Philippians 1:6 "Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it onto completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Life's Joys... And Tears

2008-10-25T13:35:00.006-07:00

It's hard to believe we have been home for a month already! The time has just flown by! Austin is all caught up with his classes and football season ends next week. Kailey seems happy at her new school and has already made a bunch of new friends in 8th grade. She is very helpful to me after school to keep Kaitlyn occupied while I finish up work in my classsroom. Kaitlyn continues to do very well in school and has so many friends. She is known throughout the school across several grade levels. It's so cute to be walking with her and every-other kid we come across says hi to her and wants to talk to her. The other kids are very facinated with her and want to be apart of teaching her things. She is very receptive to this and loves the attention she's getting! She is a very outgoing, friendly, smiley, funny, bubbly kid that likes to be in the center of all the action!! All her teachers say she is doing amazing and is catching on super fast. Kaitlyn mostly speaks in chopped English phrases now and we all play a lot of what looks like "Charades" when we communicate. We truly understand most of what she says and vice versa. There has only been a few times where we can't figure out what she's trying to say. We have learned more Mandarin words as well, so that helps too. Thanks Coleen for the DVD!

Kaitlyn's Arizona birth certificates came in the mail this week as well as her Certificate of Citizenship! We will pursue getting her social security card this week.

This has also been a week of emotions from Kaitlyn. As she continues to adjust, she has grown increasingly attached to Ma Ma and cries her heart out when I leave to go anywhere without her. She's going through some separation anxiety issues that have escalated over the last week. I continually reasure her I love her and will be back soon. It's hard because we just don't know much about the last ten years of her life and what she has been through. However, she started to tell me things about her "Lanzhou Ma Ma", (her foster mom for the past 2 or so years) just within the last few days. I know her Lanzhou Ma Ma didn't like coffee, but likes tea. I know she has a green couch. I know there was only a Ma Ma and no Ba Ba. She had her do a lot of housework and didn't make her brush her teeth at night. It is unclear whether there were other children in the house. I also know she had yucky feet and "bad" shoes! Over the course of an hour, Kaitlyn continued to tell me more, and then sobbed in my arms saying, "Lanzhou Ma Ma bad" and gave a thumbs down. It just broke my heart. Please pray for Kaitlyn as she works through this and for us to help her with God's love and healing power. She is safe now and has a forever family that will love her for the rest of her life!

Kaitlyn's 1st Field Trip

2008-10-18T21:10:00.001-07:00

Week Two At Home

2008-10-12T11:39:00.004-07:00

This has been an even better week! We all feel back to normal with our days & nights - with the exception of Tanya still not falling asleep at night real well. Too much on the mind I suppose! The week started with confirming Kaitlyn's dentist appointment only to discover we have a new dentist at the office that speaks Mandarin! What an answer to prayer that was! She still didn't like getting her teeth cleaned and would not cooperate to get X-Rays or floss, but the dentist said he thought she did well for her first visit and surprisingly she didn't have any cavities they could see! The next day, we went to the doctor for a full physical. I spent about an hour with the doctor talking about Kaitlyn and then she gave her check up. Kaitlyn didn't like her pressing on her stomach feeling her organs and became a complete wiggle box. I shared our concern about Kaitlyn's gait when she walks. Dr. Hoff had her walk the halls and observed her. She agreed, and referred her to a pediatric orthopedic. We have that appointment in December. Other than that, her body checked out great, and her blood and urine tests came back fabulous!!

Thursday, she and Kailey started school (Austin went back the week before). Oh, boy were we ever excited!! She had an awesome day too! She is registered in 4th grade, but goes to a English Language Development class with K-3 for about four hours, does math with 2nd grade and has lunch and recess with her peers in 4th grade. This is how we will work things until she gets caught up and her English develops. She didn't get much attention, stimulation or an education until the last two years when she went to a foster home.... breaks my heart.

Friday, we went to school and met with the Principal to discuss her schedule. Kaitlyn called my name and showed me her arm where she had her TB test done. It was red and really swollen. Therefore, we had to leave school and go back to the doctor where she ordered a chest X-Ray Stat. Kaitlyn didn't like that too much either.... I'm beginning to notice a pattern with her. Any doctor, dentist, etc. she doesn't like too well. Anyhow, her chest X-Ray came back clean (thank goodness!) and we went back to another successful day at school!

That night, we had some family over to play Rock Band on the Xbox. Tim, Austin and Kailey disappeared for awhile and came running out to the living room dressed like metal rock stars! It freaked my nephew, Carter, out and startled Kaitlyn for a minute until she realized who they were. Then she jumped right into singing and dancing all over the place!

Saturday, was a strange afternoon. I had to put Kaitlyn in time-out in her room for pulling Milo's (our tan dog) legs and dropping him in almost a "throwing" motion. She has been talked to many times about being gentle with the dogs. I was very firm speaking to her about this on the translator. I went back in her room and talked to her some more after about 10 minutes. She seemed remorseful and understood completely. We came back out to join the family and then I left to take Shelby (our white dog) to the groomer. When I returned a few minutes later, she seemed sad. I went in her room to get her sweater and knelt down to hug her and told her I loved her. She burst into tears. That really took me back - she never cries. It wasn't like her at all. I just kept holding her telling her over and over again I loved her. We put on our shoes together and her cousin brought me the translator and I told her, "Ma Ma loves you very much!" She burst into tears again so I just sat on her bedroom floor craddling her and repeatedly told her I loved her and everything is okay. We both got it together emotionally and came out to join the family to get some dinner. We haven't seen this side of Kaitlyn before - I know the emotion was a good release for her, but it was really hard on Ma Ma to see her so upset.

She's super happy and extremely helpful today. She disappeared for awhile and made everyone's bed, folded the clothes out of the drier, rinsed and stacked all the dishes in the sink and cleaned Kailey's room!! She likes to clean and we think this really makes her feel part of the family to help out. Austin & Kailey are liking this WAY too much!!! Enjoy the pics and video below!

2008-10-12T11:29:00.001-07:00

2008-10-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

Party of 5

2008-10-06T17:28:00.004-07:00

I apologize for not doing this sooner for all of you that got addicted to reading this blog the past few weeks!! It has been a lot harder adjusting to our time zone than I thought! We've been home a week now, and we still feel like we want a nap in the afternoon!

It is weird getting use to the fact we have five in our familly now. When we eat out, we now have to say "Party of 5". Kaitlyn is doing exceptionally well. She's adjusting very well to our household and now loves our dog, Milo. She carries him around like a baby, wraps him in a blanket and wants to sleep with him! Big attitude difference from the last few weeks!! Kaitlyn is also very helpful. She likes rinsing the dishes and stacking them on the counter, making everyone's beds in the morning and keeping her room in order! Austin and Kailey love the fact she likes doing the dishes! Her balance has improved and she's able to stand in 3 feet of water unassisted now. Before she was this floppy fish in the water!! I don't think she ever had the opportunity to be in water other than a bathtub in the past. She has an English vocabulary of over 50 words now and her receptive language is much higher. She understands most of what we tell/show her. We continue to work on "school" stuff and she knows just over half the letters and is learning to count from 11-20. She still refuses to do math problems though! She continues to test her boundries on occasion and sometimes will do things to deliberately get a reaction from us. Those are what we call "Kaitlyn Moments" and our travel group will know exactly what we mean! However, she is doing much, much better than she was in China!!

We went to school the end of last week and registered her. She was thirsty so I showed her the water fountain. Of course she looked at me like, "What am I supposed to do with that?!" I showed her how to take a drink and then she tried it only to get water all over her face and up her nose! It was pretty funny and yet another reminder of just how much she has to learn. We toured the school and went to a lot of classrooms where she felt like a celebrity! She's pretty excited about starting school Thursday!! She will be registered in 4th grade, but will go to a K-3 English Language Development class for most of the day. She will join her 4th grade class for lunch, recess, specials and math (however she will start with 2nd grade math until she catches up).

We went downtown and applied for her Arizona birth certificate today. After two hours of waiting, she will get one in the mail in about 3 weeks. Then we will apply for her social security card & we'll be good to go for our taxes this year!! Tomorrow is the dentist and Wednesday is the doctor! Pray it goes well!

2008-10-06T17:20:00.001-07:00

2008-09-29T21:47:00.001-07:00

Home Sweet Home!

2008-09-29T20:31:00.006-07:00

Well, after a very long 24 hours of travel, we got home safe and sound! The long plane ride from Toyko to Oregon was extremely difficult on Kaitlyn. It was late at night for us, she hated sitting for that long, and dispite my attempt to "drug" her, it didn't work. She stayed awake and restless the whole way. It was actually the first time she ever cried. When we arrived in Oregon it took about an hour to go through customs and immigration to make Kaitlyn an official US citizen. Then my brother picked us up and took us to a nearby hotel to hang out with him, his two daughters, my sister and her two boys. It was so great to see them!!!!! It had been almost 3 years - the kids have grown up so much!!! It was about 1:00 am for us, so we were very tired.

The flight to Phoenix was much better. The seats were a little wider and we had much more leg room. Kaitlyn, Kailey and Austin slept almost the entire way. Tim and I got a cat nap in. When we arrived we were greeted with family and friends, lots of welcome banners and many tears of joy! It was pretty awesome and emotionally overwhelming. We hit the drive through on the way home and everyone ate at our house. When we came through the front door there was big banner stretched across our entry that said, "Welcome Home Tim, Tanya, Austin, Kailey and Kaitlyn!" It was fabulous! Then, all the bedroom doors were shut with a sign on each door saying welcome home and our bedroom door said "There's No Place Like Home". There were welcome balloons and a card in Chinese telling Kaitlyn welcome to her new home. My mother-in-law cleaned our whole house, cleaned out my refridgerator and stocked it with food. My sister-in-law Audrey, made us a lasagna too! Our neighbors, Micah, Alyssa and their two kids stopped by to meet Kaitlyn and bring her a gift. It was all so touching and we felt so loved, missed and cared for. It truly was a great homecoming from a long trip!! When it was time for everyone to go, we had to explain that they don't all live here - they have their own houses. It think that was weird to her. Kaitlyn slept in her own bed in her own room the whole night! Praise God! I don't know if she'll do this every night or she did last night out of being too exhausted to argue about it!!

Today, Monday, Kailey and I slept in until almost noon. We were completely and utterly exhausted. Tim and Austin got up early, but Tim crashed right after dinner. Kaitlyn had a really good day exploring more of the house and getting used to our dogs. (she has a fear of animals). We had to teach her to throw her TP in the toilet, because in China and Japan you can't flush it - you put it in the waste basket. We also demonstrated you could drink the water from the sink and brush your teeth with it. The water is not drinkable in China - even for them. My in-laws took us the the Olive Garden for dinner tonight and bought her a doll she could play with, feed and bathe! She gasped with joy, got the biggest smile on her face and was all hugs!

Thanks for all your prayers and comments!! I'll write more later this week and let you know how things are going at home. Bye!

2008-09-27T08:45:00.001-07:00

2008-09-27T04:50:00.002-07:00

Leaning Chinese Chess with Dont - Great Guy!

Kailey's New Shades!

2008-09-27T04:38:00.003-07:00

Last Day in China

2008-09-27T04:12:00.004-07:00

Well, this will be our last post while in China. We will be getting up tomorrow at 4:30 am to get ready to head to the airport. I will continue to post updates on our blog once we're home, but probably not everyday.

After breakfast, Kaitlyn got a long lesson in how to use her translater by our guide, Rosa. Rosa said it is complicated, and she will have to spell things correctly in pinyin. Chinese children are not taught uppercase letters, only lowercase. Therefore, since the keyboard is in capital letters, it makes it more difficult. Rosa made an enlarged copy on the keyboard and all the functions, then wrote in Chinese characters what each button is for.

Then we hailed a cab and drove about 15 minutes to Shamin Island again. The driving is still a bit crazy in Guangzhou, but not nearly as bad as Lanzhou!!! We arrived in one piece and set off to do a little more shopping. Tim picked out the BEST shirt for Kaitlyn and she will be wearing it home! Leave it to Tim!! :)

When we got back to the hotel, we talked about what we wanted to do for our last dinner in China. We all unanimously agreed to go back to the Japanese/Chinese resturant! How our family loves our sushi and seafood!! It was an awesome treat! We went around the table asking how everyone was feeling about leaving. Again, we unanimously had the same answer. "I'm not ready to leave." There are still things we wanted to see and do. We have made some good friends: Guides in Gansu; Megan and Steed, Guides in Beijing and Guangzhou; Maggie and Rosa. Even "Donk", the shop owner of "Susan's Place" on the Island. Tim enjoyed learning how to play Chinese Chess with him. We spent hours in his store both days we were there. We have had the best time here and have thoroughly enjoyed the culture, customs and food. We thank God everyday we were given such a wonderful opportunity to adopt a child and visit some majestic places! Kaitlyn finally has a "forever family" after waiting ten years of her life! She is a joy and a blessing to us and has really blossomed these past few days. It's so hard to leave and I'm even starting to get choked up just writing this. China will forever be a part of our hearts and lives.

2008-09-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

2008-09-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

Our Travel Buddies!

Consulate Day & Starbucks!

2008-09-26T05:50:00.005-07:00

Our day began with group pictures on the back stairs of the hotel lobby. Then if was off to Starbucks for some much needed coffee! We introduced Kaitlyn to a creme based mocha frap and she liked it once she got over the initial cold! After that, it was Kaitlyn's first time ever in a swimming pool! She got extremely excited when we acted out swimming and pulled out her bathing suit! They have rules in the hotel that you must wear a swim cap. Some friends let Kailey and Kaitlyn borrow there's. She did really good! She seems to like the water - once she learned to keep her mouth shut and nose plugged when going under! According to Kailey, "she was more wiggley than a fish flopping around out of water!" They had a great time!

Next, our whole group piled in the bus and drove to our Consulate appointment. The room was packed with many other groups adopting as well. It was a snap. An English speaking lady got on the microphone and explained the envelope we would get and then we all stood up as one large group, raised our right hand and said, "we will" after she asked a couple short questions. It was a total piece-of-cake, and the FINAL step to our adoption! We are FINALLY done with everything! Yeah!!!!! Once we touch down in Oregon, she will instantly be an American Citizen and be know legally as Kaitlyn Ying Christians!!

We went to dinner with 3 other families from our group tonight. We wanted to have something a little more daring before we come home. It took almost an hour to order our food! There was MUCH confusion with the staff and we ended up calling our guide, Maggie, to come down and help explain our order to the servers. Austin ordered Eel, which was pretty good - a little salty. I ordered a chicken with the head on the plate! It was really good! Kailey played it safe and ordered ribs from some animal. Tim, on the other hand, was the most daring and ordered Snow crab and Frog. It looked a lot better in the picture! When it arrived, it was more like slimy jello and tasted like it looked! No thank you!! Tim was a good sport and ate the whole thing!

After dinner we got Kaitlyn in the bath and then Tim and I went to say our goodbye's to our new found friends (don't worry... Austin & Kailey stayed with Kaitlyn). It was sad and of course the women got choked up as we hugged goodbye. We especially connected with the McBeath's and both Lois and I cried a bit as we hugged goodbye. Next summer they want to come do the Grand Canyon with us which will be great to see them again! Our Austin's exchanged cell numbers and email as well. The Ehmann's have family in Arizona and they used to live in the East Valley, so we will also get to see them again! Susan (Ehmann) collected everyone's address, phone, email, etc. and photocopied it for the whole group. We hope to stay in touch with everyone - you feel like a "new family" after being together for two weeks in a foreign country!

Saturday, we will be the only ones left :( We will go to Shamian Island again and spend a bit more time looking around - then start packing to leave Sunday at 5:30 am to the airport. We figure our travel will be about 24 hours. We are coming in Northwest Flight 0006 to Portland, OR from Tokyo at 8:10 am Sunday. (Dad, Chris & Cari...I will turn on my cell phone once we land). Then, we will arrive in Phoenix NW flight 4129 Opperated through Alaska Airlines at 4:40 pm Terminal 2. Looking forward to seeing you!

2008-09-25T07:02:00.002-07:00

"Colorful" dancers trying to get a reaction from both Austins!

Dancing at the Banana Leaf Resturant

I love my Panda Bear Ba Ba bought me!

2008-09-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

Paperwork Passed & Shopping!

2008-09-25T07:00:00.001-07:00

All the families had to hang out in our rooms this morning just incase we were needed if something was wrong with our paperwork. Maggie, our guide, just called (11:30 am) and said everything was perfect and our papers passed! Yeah!

Did I mention that our hotel has 45 floors? We are on the 32nd floor and our ears pop going down to the 1st floor! The breakfast buffet is on the revolving top floor -kinda like the top of the Hilton in Phoenix or the Space Needle in Seattle! It's a spectacular view of Guangzhou that seems to go for miles. Our room has two bathrooms, a master bedroom and a large living room where all the kids sleep. It is so nice having two bathrooms with 5 people!!

We went to Shamian Island today to do some shopping. We were only given 2 1/2 hours, which was not enough time to walk around and see the island. All we did was barter for souvenirs! I think we're going to brave it and take a cab there Saturday to explore more. The rest of our group leaves for home Friday or Saturday. I think we're the only ones staying until Sunday. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here in China and I will try really hard not to cry when we say goodbye!!

Kaitlyn (who we call ,"Dang Ying Kaitlyn", until we can drop the Dang Ying after awhile) had a really good day! Only a couple small episodes, which she got over fairly quickly. Thank you all so much for your continued prayers!

Okay, I have got to tell you about our dining experience tonight! We ate at the famous "Banana Leaf Resturant". It came complete with delicious food (we wished there was more!) and hilarious entertainment. I took pictures and video from my camera and I'm going to attempt to load the video of Austin and Kailey dancing with the dancers. It was too funny to watch! Austin's new friend, Austin (15) and our Austin were the constant tease by the "colorful" dancing staff there. It was quite the experience! We had a fabulous time! The pictures and video say it all!

2008-09-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

2008-09-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

Rain, Rain Go Away

2008-09-24T02:28:00.008-07:00

Kaitlyn being a ham!

I'm too cute for words!!

Alyssa... I love my new clothes! Thanks!

We all piled onto the bus and were all set to go to the island to do a little shopping today, but due to the typhoon that hit Hong Kong, we are getting torrential rains and the island is flooded! It was standing in about three inches of water this morning... I'm sure even more by now! Everyone was bummed out and looked forward to spending a few hours wheelin' and dealing for some souvenirs. We are going to attempt it again tomorrow. Instead, our guides (Rosa & Maggie) took our group to a little musuem for about an hour. Two of our friends forgot their cameras, so I said no problem... I will just download my pics onto your laptop. I went to take my first picture and discovered I left my memory card in the computer from the night before!!! Ugh!! So, no pictures today, sorry. While we were at the musuem, we felt like we were part of it... we got a few photo-ops with some of the locals that seemed fascinated with our looks, especially when we stood next to our blonde friends! The man was trying to be sneaky and not obvious he was taking our picture, we all (9 of us) turned around on the count of 3 and smiled giving the piece sign and it just made his day!!

Kaitlyn's behavior was much better today. Thanks for all your prayers!!!! Keep them coming! Our guides sat her down and had a little chat with her about it. "She needs much training and boundries" they say. I have been concerned about her academically too. She is old enough to be in 5th grade, but struggles with her 2nd grade work. She didn't get hardly any stimulation, attention or an education at the orphanage and has a lot to catch up on. She has mastered counting to 10 in English, know the names of about 8 body parts, 4 colors, about 10 letters and several words now. For example, "be gentle", "I'm hungry", "Are you hungry?" "shoes", "bath", "bathroom", "please", "more", etc. It's coming. We've also picked up on a few key phrases in Mandarin as well.

We ate dinner again with our friends, the McBeath's, tonight at an Italian restaurant. We ran into two other families there as well. We're enjoying exploring all kinds of foods. Tomorrow night we have a group dinner planned at a local Chinese restaurant... something to do with "banana leaves". We have absolutely loved the food! Lorraine... it's not bad at all, I think you will really like it. You just have to be open to trying it! The guides have been very good with the group meals and helping us order things they think we'll like.

Tim seems to be getting his fair share of attention too. There's been a handful of Chinese people that come up to him and rub is "budda belly". The first time it happened it really caught Tim off guard!! It was hysterical! I guess big bellies on westerners is a sign of great wealth and happiness! Well, for us, the happiness part works! :) Oh, one more crazy thing we've learned. Coffee shops are not "coffee shops" - they're bars! Interesting.

McIntyre Family... I really liked your "priceless" comment! That's great! Miss you!

To all that have either emailed me or posted us a comment supporting us through Kaitlyn's challenges - thank you so, so much! I can't tell you how much that means to us!

We're almost home! I will let everyone know our flight information in a couple days. I know we get in on Sunday, the 28th around 4:40 pm. We'd love to see ya'll there at the airport!!!!!!!!! I'm so incredibly excited to see my family in Washington that are planning on coming to Portland to keep us company during our 6 hour lay over! It's been way too long since I've see you and I can't wait for you to meet your new grandaughter and niece!

2008-09-23T07:45:00.002-07:00

Delicious Dinner!

Don't even ask me what's in this soup!!

Fun Times at the Medical Appointment!

2008-09-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

Paperwork and Medical Appointment

2008-09-23T06:52:00.005-07:00

Today was a big paperwork day and Kaitlyn's medical appointment. The paperwork took about 1 1/2 hours to complete, but we are finally done with all that!! Yeah! Next was the medical appointment where she had a physical, ears & eyes checked, got weighed, etc. She was being very difficult. This has been pretty typical for the past few days. We feel like we can't disciple her too much here, but we had to do something. Can we just say, "presure points". Please pray for us with this matter. It has been extremely challenging having a 10 year old act like she's going through the "terrible two's". I know this is only a phase, and we'll get through it. "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." As I sat here praying about this, it came to me that maybe she is being so naughty to test us to see if we will still love her and accept her no matter what she does to us. Hmmmm, I wonder?

After the medical appointment, we went to a "Wal Mart" type of store and stocked up on bottled water, soda, some oreo cookies, pringles and some snacks Kaitlyn picked out... I have no idea what they are, but it is some kind of a cracker with what looks like carmel filling that comes in a purple bag (Audrey - it's in Chinese, so I don't know how else to explain this. Tim says a red super hot sause would make her day!). Then, Tim and I finally had some coffee at Starbucks! It was fabulous!

Later, we had an incredible dinner at a Japanese resturant in our hotel. We went with another family and sat around a u-shaped table with the chef cooking in the center. We ordered sushi, prawns, salmon, and the biggest king shrimp we've ever seen (longer than Tim's hand!) It was phenomenal!! Tim even got to eat the heads! That was a first! Kaitlyn had her spicy noodle soup and sucked it down no problem! We were given the "red carpet" treatment! There was 3 chefs and 3 servers just for us! One chef seemed to really like serving Kailey and devoted most of her time making sure she constantly had everything she needed! Kailey thought this was pretty cool!

2008-09-22T08:51:00.002-07:00

Here we go!

Take off!!

Lay-over Somewhere in China!

Street Kaitlyn Was Abandoned On :(

Leaving Lanzhou City, Gansu

2008-09-21T21:15:00.004-07:00

We woke up early, got ready, and had breakfast in the hotel. Our guide came to pick us up and drove us an hour away to see where Kaitlyn was abandoned. It's a small part of town next to a huge oil refinery. It seems like a very, very poor community. I didn't get emotional about it until I sat here to write this journal entry. It's heartbreaking to think she was just left in a box or bag on the street in front of a store when she was only a few days old. I'm so thankful she was found rather quickly. Our guide made many stops to talk to the locals to try and find the man that discovered her... but with no luck. He has been great and really bent over backwards for us this morning!

Interesting facts we've learned: Men can beat women without getting arrested, there is no drinking age in China (beer is sold in vending machines like coke), marijuana is legal and grows in public, the average income in Lanzhou is about $350/month, the death penality is immediate (no waiting around in jail for years), Military people cannot have any religious beliefs or they get discharged, kids go to school in the morning - come home to eat a hot lunch - take a nap, and go back to school until about 4pm. Kaitlyn has some BIG adjustments with school once she gets home!! The tooth fairy doesn't come in China. Instead, if the tooth came from the top row, you throw it on the roof. If it came from the bottom row, you throw it in the ditch! Weird, huh??

We're packing getting ready to drive an hour to the airport and fly to Guangzhou at 2:00 pm. Kaitlyn has never been on a plane before and she is EXTREMELY excited! She sees us packing and jumps right in hastily putting things in suitcases, backpacks and dragging them to the door!

15 hours later... now we are here in Guangzhou! Yeah!!!!!!! Civilization!! Praise God!! Our hotel is absolutely beautiful! Wow! I heard there is a Starbucks around here somewhere and I cannot wait for a good cup of coffee!!! I have been drinking Lanzhou coffee and it just isn't the same. The flight was good. Kaitlyn did really well for her first flight. We thought she would scream, but she did pretty good. Her ears hurt both times we decended and we gave her more gum to chew. I think we'll give her a little benadryl (sp?) for the long flight home! LOL!! We had a lay over in some other providence between Gansu and Guangzhou (I have no idea!) - hense, the late post... Sorry Drea!! It is currently 11:45 pm and everyone just settled into bed. Tomorrow is paperwork day!

Oh, Savannah - yes, we kept the tooth! Nicole, you're too sweet to have got Kaitlyn a gift! Don't worry, I didn't tell her! Yes, they gave her something on a cotton ball to numb her gums... thank goodness!! Tiffany, I miss you guys tons too!!!! Colleen - love getting your posts!! Denise - I miss you and it was good to hear from you!!! Mom and Dad, I know you probably cannot post comments, but you can email me - the internet is WAY FASTER here!! Everyone - I treasure your comments and I cannot tell you how much they mean to us! It is like waking up Christmas morning everyday to read them!! Bye for now, I'm off to sleep in a king size, much softer bed :) Love you all!!

Sunday At The Park

2008-09-21T01:36:00.003-07:00

Our day started with a trip to the "dentist" office. It was not as clean as US dentist offices by any means & she's probably is a self-taught dentist. Kaitlyn had a loose tooth with decay and they pulled it out for her. She was refusing to have this done, so I asked the guide to tell her, "Either we do it now in China, or we will do it in America. Either way, it is coming out." She quickly cooperated! Plus, I like the price tag in China MUCH better! LOL!

Afterwards, we headed to a city park. We went with two other American families. Thad Ehmann is 6'5" and was a big hit with the local spouting his slam dunks! The kids played a little soccer, used the exercise equipment and had a great time! Who needs to pay for a gym membership in Lanzhou?! Kailey was being constantly "checked out" by all the teenage boys. It was kinda humorous, but made Kailey feel a bit uncomfortable! She got her picture taken with another girl about 18 yrs old that practiced her English with her. Austin got his pic taken as well, some thought he was 20 years old! Maybe because his height? Oh, did I mention we were approached by a Chinese man and given his Amway business card... too funny!

We ate lunch at another delicious resturant today and had lamb. The tea was very different tasting, but good. The dessert was pumpkin wedges with these sweet root pieces in the center. I think I ate more of that then anyone! Kaitlyn once again piled on the heaping spoonfuls of spice on her lunch. Tim took just a tiny bit of it and starting sweating like crazy. Kaitlyn doesn't like Tim's sweat and started wiping it off. Sweet moment!

Back at the hotel room we watched some Chinese TV. Of course Tim makes up the dialogue to go with it and we just sit there rolling with laughter!! It's pretty funny!

Kaitlyn definitely prefers Ma Ma to anyone else, but is warming up more and more to Ba Ba (dad). Her clinginess and constantly wanting my touch just shows me how insecure she is. She needs to be by me at all times - I guess I'm her security blanket for now, and that's okay :) She continues to test us and does naughty things to get a reaction from us. I just continue to pray for her and her adjustment... and our patience!! She seems much younger than 10 1/2 years old. Everytime we go to eat, she out eats everyone else. She grabs food and fills her plate. I sometimes wonder if she does this because she thinks she won't get her "share" or enough. She also does something else quite interesting. Things she came with, things we sent in her care package, and anything else we've given her (including the phone number to our Chinese guide), she hides in her backpack. She draws a clear line that these are her things and they are special to her. It's kinda cute :)

2008-09-21T01:25:00.002-07:00

Getting Tooth Pulled Costs $1 American Dollar!!

Notice... No gloves?!

Chinese Elliptical!

Kailey Working Out!

All the rocks in cement are suppose to give you foot and back massage!

2008-09-21T01:20:00.000-07:00

Just Hanging Out Today...

2008-09-20T04:52:00.004-07:00

We were on our own today without our guides. We walked around outside and got many stares and people talking about us. We have no idea what they were saying, but some seem to be friendly if we said hello first. We crossed a large intersection and thought we'd be okay if we followed the crowd... uh, NO! Cars don't stop for pedestrains until they are two inches from you!

We came across some entertainers and watched a show for a few minutes. Kaitlyn seemed to like this until she got too hot... time to go! I got a few pictures of the city around our hotel. Some of it was sad to see. A homeless boy/man crying, laying on the sidewalk and many run down buildings and people begging us for money. Parts of the city are in such poverty, and other parts seem okay. I think it's been an eye opener for Austin & Kailey.

Kaitlyn has been complaining about her tooth hurting her. "Tong" is pain in Chinese. It's loose and looks like it has a pretty bad cavity. We called our guide and he is taking Kaitlyn and I to a Chinese Clinic tomorrow morning to have it checked out. I hope it is sterile!! This should be interesting!

Eating at the hotel is always hysterical! Our joke is... How many Chinese staff does it take to figure out what we want to order?! They all gather around the menu after we try to explain what we want. Sometimes the electronic translator translates accurately, sometimes not. Austin asked for a Sprite and got Orange Juice!

2008-09-20T04:46:00.000-07:00

2008-09-20T04:44:00.002-07:00

Learning ABC's on Starfall.com

Horse Ride on Dad With Sister!

Mom... The Human Jungle Gym All Day!

Chinese Table Tennis - We think we were not supposed to be in here.

2008-09-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

2008-09-19T01:15:00.003-07:00

We had Kaitlyn read the Chinese words to us

At the Museum in front of a Dinosaur!

Yellow River on a Sheep Skin raft

Playing "Frogger" crossing the road!

Day At The Museum

2008-09-19T00:23:00.007-07:00

For my 3rd grade class: Some of the food is WAY more spicy here. Think of the hottest food you or your parents have ever eaten and times that by 100!! Kaitlyn's soup made her sweat to death at lunch today, and she can handle a lot! We plan to bring back a jar of that crazy hot stuff Kaitlyn likes so she can add it to her Top Ramen! We will also bring back Chinese money for you to see as well. I miss you all very much and look forward to sharing pictures and more of our experience here. I think the first day I come back we won't do any "school" work and just talk about China!!! Sound good to you?! I know you cannot see the still-shot photos from the school computers, but you can on your parents computer at home. Ask Mrs. Barter to give you our blog address. I cannot access "photobucket" to make slideshows, but have asked my sister-in-law to try and load them from Arizona for me. Hopefully it will work soon!! Funny fact: Did you know toddlers don't wear diapers here!? They wear pants with a big slit in them and they just open the slit wide and go to the bathroom without taking their pants off! Crazy-funny huh?! I will try to get a picture if I can!

Today, we went to a famous museum. (We only had a heart attack several times as we drove there!! Holy smokes! It is totally insane the way they drive here! The is no stopping for pedestrians and they just cross the street in front of traffic weaving in and out. The drivers don't pay too much attention to lanes-I thought we were going to have a head on collision several times and they like to tailgate about 12 inches behind other vehicles!! Crossing the street is like the video game, "frogger"!!! ) The museum had dinosaur bones and replicas, pottery, Chinese artifacts, etc. It was really interesting, but Kaitlyn got bored and tired of walking. Then we went to the famous waterwheel park and Austin and Kaitlyn got to float on a raft on the Yellow River... which actually looks more like Brown River! LOL! We ate lunch at Pizza Mira - the pizza was really good (and I don't really like pizza too much). Kaitlyn had a bowl of spicy noodles and all kinds of "other" things in it! She eats like a horse! :) Eric & Lorraine: We haven't been able to find scorpion or starfish on a stick to try, but we're still open to it!

Kaitlyn slept in the other room on her own bed last night and stayed there the whole night! Praise God! I got a full 8 hours of sleep last night which was beautiful. I was so tired, I actually fell asleep at the computer waiting for pictures to load! Tim saw me all hunched over the desk and called me to lay down. Who knows how long I was like that - there aren't clocks in the room! I slept great, dispite our bed that's like sleeping on a box spring without a mattress... try it at home, and you'll get a small taste of what Chinese beds are like. They say the harder, the better quality. We're in a "quality" hotel! LOL!! We finally got smart and asked for two extra comforters to sleep on top of!

2008-09-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

2008-09-18T07:14:00.002-07:00

In front of the Chinese equivalent of Alexander the Great

A First Time for Many Things!

2008-09-18T06:24:00.005-07:00

First, we just want to say thank you for all your comments. We look soooooo forward to reading them each morning - it's really good to hear from everyone! It means a lot to us!

We had a busy morning and afternoon today. Our guides took us to the park and zoo in Lanzhou City. Kaitlyn has never been to a zoo before and freaked out at many of the animals! She liked the smaller things like birds or fawns, but the jaguar, tiger, and bears were a little more than she could handle. She told our guides she was afraid they would bite her (even though they were in cages away from people). She liked the monkeys and of course the rides! She had never been on any rides before either and her face lite up like a light bulb! She was in heaven!

We had the most incredible lunch today! It was Lanzhou's famous beef noodle soup - which we later found out wasn't really beef... it was Yak!! It was probably the best noodle soup we've ever had! Kaitlyn put 3-4 heaping spoonfuls of this super red hot spicy stuff in her soup and gobbled it down. She loves her spice, vegetables and noodles!

It was also a day of testing mom and dad to see just what she could get away with. She has resorted to the behavior of about a 3 year old and wants me to do everything for her but feed her. I've read that's pretty normal and she'll get over it.... I hope soon. Tonight she will sleep in her own bed in the same room with Kailey and Austin. We can't take another night of constant movement, poking my body (if you know what I mean) etc. Everyone who knows me, knows I don't function too well on 3-4 hours of sleep!! Our guides came up to give us some important documents about an hour ago and explained many things to her on our behalf. The electronic translator works good for us to say short phrases to her, but she doesn't know how to communicate back to us. Our guides have shown her a couple times how to us it, but they say it's difficult for her to learn it. Thanks for your prayers! It all takes time.

We went to the local bookstore and picked up a few Chinese/American books, coloring books and markers. She likes to have things to do when A & K are reading or doing homework. Plus it helps with the down time in the hotel room. (Sheri... take some stuff like this when you come for your 10 yr. old next month! Also, get "The Oxford Picture Dictionary English/Chinese"on Amazon. I really wish we would've had time to order this before we left!). We also spend time having English lessons each day on starfall.com She's learning how to use the mouse and really enjoys using the computer! Well, we're off to some much needed sleep now... all has been quiet in the other room, so hopefully it will be a good night's rest for everyone.

It's Official... She's Ours!!

2008-09-17T02:37:00.005-07:00

"jvu;wrm,.asd sftuieesnponhyfgd adj". Those are Kaitlyn's words saying hi to everyone! She loves pushing the keys on the computer!

Today we went to get our family photo done and then off to the Civil Affairs Office to sign the offical adoption paperwork! It was much easier than we expected! Everyone was so nice and really took their time with Kaitlyn as she had to write in Chinese how she wanted to be adopted by us and wanted to come to America. She was all smiles and giggles... especially when she got to make her handprint on the official documents! When we left, I was overcome with emotion and got all choked up as we walked out the doors to the bus. I was telling my friend Susan this in the elevator back at the hotel and the tears started to well up again! I just can't believe this is finally it! After such a long wait - our family is complete! The joy is overwhelming! She is doing incredibly well! I thank God constantly for His blessings upon Kaitlyn. She seems so happy and thrilled to have us as her family!

She arrived with a sore throat and we were able to buy both "Western" medicine in the form of capsuls and Chinese medicine she drinks mixed in warm water. She swallows pills no problem and she likes the green, smelly powder mixed in water. It seems to be already helping her. Chinese kids are not used to drinking anything cold. They like warm water and warm milk. I guess she told our guides our water is too cold. Now we heat everything up and she loves it!

We went shopping at the mall today as well. What an adventure!!! We get many stares from everyone. They seem amazed that we have blonde hair and three children... especially one Chinese child! She literally dragged me to the stuffed animals, then the pretty clothes and toys. We got her a pair of jeans - she is much smaller than we thought. She looks about the same size as some of my third grade girls... maybe even second grade. She calls us Ma Ma and Ba Ba all the time and it's just music to our ears! Tim was even the first one to get a kiss from her! It was so sweet... it was a touching moment as she started giving kisses to Tim first, then me, then Kailey and Austin. :)

Her night time routine cracks me up! She pulls my arm to the bathroom and points to the bathtub. She wants me to give her a bath, then she dries off and gets dressed in the bathtub. She smiles and giggles the whole time! Then she wants me to comb her hair and carry her out of the bathroom. It must of been her routine in her foster home... oh, did I mention that earlier?! She has been in a foster home for the last 3 years and was only returned to the orphanage 10 days before we got her. I'm glad she had the experience in a home. They said it was a kind home. She's known for about a month that she was being adopted. I'm being fed potato chips by her as I type! Too funny! Tim is being a total ham with her! She's VERY ticklish!

She sleeps between Tim and I and is a total wiggle-box. Can I just say Ambien?! When she settles, she is very cuddly. She laid on my chest and flopped her leg over mine. At other times she like her head right next to mine. Again, we're so thankful she is this comfortable with us so fast - it's truly amazing.

2008-09-17T02:30:00.000-07:00

2008-09-17T02:28:00.002-07:00

Kaitlyn signing adoption papers!

More paperwork and thumbprints!

She is an official "Christians" now!!!

I'm so happy to have a family!!!

Loving on my sister!

Gotcha Day Pics!!

2008-09-16T06:01:00.002-07:00

Trying on her new shoes!

She loved the light up toothbrush!

She really likes her Ge Ge!

2008-09-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

2008-09-16T05:52:00.003-07:00

Gotcha Day!!

2008-09-16T04:39:00.003-07:00

The day was filled with high emotions as we waited patiently for 3:00 pm to roll around! We tried to keep busy up until then. We went to the store with our guide and bought two electronic translators! Then at 2:30 we gathered as a family and prayed for Kaitlyn that she would have a smooth tranistion and the 1st round of paperwork would go smooth.

We eagerly waited outside the room where we were to meet. It was all I could do not to cry! Then we were asked to come in the room with the other family we're with. Their baby was waiting in the room with them and they assured us Kaitlyn was coming soon. In less than 3 minutes she walked out of a room across the hall and we all made eye contact. Instantly I welled up in tears! She is so beautiful and very smiley! The guides told her I wanted to hug her and she came to me right away and gave me a long hug... I lost it! I told the translator to tell Kaitlyn I wasn't sad, I'm just so happy to finally meet her and have her as our daughter. She smiled when they said that. She immediately took out our photo album we sent her and started to go through each picture one by one with me saying, "Ma Ma, Ba Ba, Ge Ge (brother), Giejie (sister) then she skipped to Carly and asked something in Chinese and did the same with Hannah. I said, "Your cousins" They translated that for me and she smiled. We took a ton of pictures (Karen, you will be so proud of me!) I can't seem to load photobucket right now, so I will include several still shot photos.

After we signed about 12 documents and added some information, we went up to our room. She wanted to hold my hand and Austin's. It was so touching! When we got to the room, she was all over the place investigating everything! She even pulled some of my panties out of my suitcase and said something and smiled. I showed her a pair of hers and guestured those were mine and these were hers! LOL! She wanted her nails polished and her hair in ponytails. She listened to Kailey's ipod and watched a couple minutes of Nemo. She seems very, very happy and fascinated by everything... even her light up toothbrush we bought her!

We later went to dinner and she pointed at everything she wanted to eat at the buffet. She has a little sore throat, so some of it was difficult for her to eat. She started to look tired and I used the electronic translator (a must have!) to talk to her. I told her I was sorry she had a sore throat and I wished I could make her feel better. She didn't like the Halls sore throat medicine we brought... a little too "spicey."

Once we came back up to our room, I asked her if she was tired. I showed her the PJ's and she excitedly put them on... she is so cute! We just love her! She fits like a glove in our family already! Rosa our guide in Beijing called to see how things were going. She spoke to Kaitlyn on the phone and then she insisted I give her a shower. It was the funniest thing! She's not shy, that's for sure! She keeps coming to me wanting me to lay down next to her. I'm explaining I'm writing a story about her and how much we love her and are so happy she is our daughter. That made her feel very happy... now she has discovered the Top Ramen and wants some. Ge Ge (Austin) is making some for her... now she has found Kailey's book and seems like she wants to be read to... this is too funny! She's eating the Top Ramen and gave the thumbs up! Communication has been a little challenging, but we're figuring out most things.

I'll stop talking now and load the picture I know you are all dying to see! We love all of you and appreciate your prayers. God is soooo good!

2008-09-15T19:01:00.001-07:00

Hotel Lobby in Beijing

Sweet Ride to the Airport!

On our way to Kaitlyn!

Chinese Coke and Sprite!

Day 3 Leaving Beijing

2008-09-15T08:45:00.002-07:00

Sorry for the late post! It is almost midnight and we had major technical difficulties with the wireless connection tonight.... Where is Scott Harris when I need him! LOL! Anyhow, we are very tired and tomorrow is the BIG day, so I will make this short and sweet!

We traveled to Lanzhou City, Gansu today. Nothing too eventful on the flight and the 1 hour bus ride to our hotel... other than the fact we thought many times our bus driver was going to hit another vehicle or a person...or worse, get us killed!! Busses and cars do not stop for people or other cars crossing the street! AHHHH! They just lay on the horn and hope everyone else moves out of the way! Crazy! We had to upgrade our hotel room here because it couldn't sleep 5 people. Its very nice and comfortable.

It was dark when we got here, so we couldn't see a whole lot. However, we could tell this is a much more rural providence - lots of run down buildings mixed in with the tall sky scrapers. The outskirts of town are mountianous and farm/desert like.

We get to meet Kaitlyn tomorrow at 3:00pm China time! We all have butterflies (Kailey has it the worst), but I'm surprisingly calm. Must be everyone's prayers! Tomorrow might be another story! :) Well, I'm off to bed after I download a few pics of our hotel in Beijing and our travel to Gansu. Please pray for Kaitlyn today (your Monday) and if you happen to be awake at midnight - one o'clock in the morning, that's when we will actually meet her. Goodnight everyone!

2008-09-14T17:46:00.001-07:00

Day 2 The Great Wall

2008-09-14T07:40:00.002-07:00

It is so good to read everyone's comments! The first thing we do in the morning is sign on to see what comments we have from you!! Austin was totally fine and felt much better by morning. Thanks for your prayers. Also, I know some of you are very curious about the toilets... they flush just like our toilets and you have to straddle them and squat like you're sitting in the air. We haven't had to use these yet, most bathrooms have also had "western" toilets in them as well.

Today we started our day by going to church that was both in Mandarin and English. The worship was absolutely beautiful! We sang in both Mandarin and English many familar worship songs. We sat there and just prayed for Kaitlyn's heart as she is getting ready for the biggest change in her life! We're almost there!

Next was the Jade Factory and lunch. We bought a carved, jade "family happiness ball" and some small pieces of jewerly for Kaitlyn. My dad would love this place! I wish I had a lot more money to buy everyone something! Lunch was very good and we got to eat "moon cakes" for dessert. Today is the moon festival here in China. It is the celebration of the full moon.

Then we went to the Great Wall of China. This was everything we imagined and more. The pictures don't do it justice! Absolutely breath-taking! I'm still pinching myself at the fact we were actually there today! Talk about a workout! That beats the gym by a long shot! Special note to my students: For extra credit in social studies, write me a 1 page paper about the Great Wall. Tell me at least 5 facts about it! This will be worth 25 points. You may also write one on the Forbidden City!

Our duck dinner ended the evening. I think our family tried just about everything on the table! There were several dishes that just kept coming and coming! It was absolutely delicious! I included pictures in the slideshow, but I seem to be having technical difficulties with photobucket tonight. Internet is VERY slow and I've been waiting over two hours for it to upload onto my blog. Hopefully it will be there soon!

2008-09-14T05:20:00.002-07:00

Jade Factory - Beautiful!
Kailey at The Great Wall
The view was spectacular!

2008-09-13T07:17:00.001-07:00

Day 1 of Sight Seeing!

2008-09-13T05:28:00.007-07:00

Wow! We totally love being here! It was overcast all day and much cooler than Arizona... but more humid. We got about 6-7 hours of sleep last night and went downstairs to a delicious breakfast. We ate a combo of western foods and asian foods and it all went down smooth as silk! Then our group (11 families) got on a nice charter bus and went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace! Lots and lots of walking! Kailey and I felt like celebrities all day with many stares and people wanting to take their picture with us. Kailey really got into it! They love blonde hair and blue eyes over here!

We spent most our day at the enormous Forbidden City. It's over 1 million square meters! The outer courts have three throne halls which are very ornately decorated - the detail to architecture is amazing! This is where the Emperor presided over important ceremonies. The inner court is where he lived. It would take a few days to see it all! We took a "dragon" boat ride across the lake to the Summer Palace. Unfortunately my camera battery died, so we just got video of it. The gardens are beautiful! Next was lunch at a tradional Chinese resturant. Nothing too crazy at the buffet - however, Austin ventured into the little room next to the buffet and helped himself to an very interesting bowl of noodles and "stuff" on top. He later paid the price for eating this. Poor guy - not how he wanted to spend the bus ride home!

We drove right past the Olympic's Bird's Nest and Water Cube - Pretty cool to see it in person! I got video of it. Dinner was fabulous! Not sure what all it was, but it was delicious and we feel fine! I think it was mostly pork, beef and duck? One dish looked like fish skins over some noodles in a watery sauce. Tim was the only one who ate that at our table (this was about the time Austin's lunch started to kick in... needless to say, he didn't eat anything for dinner).

The other families we're traveling with are so nice. It's been fun getting to know them and their kids. Our guide is great and she speaks English very well. Our room has four beds in it, so we all have our own to sleep in! I don't think Tim and I would fit too well in the same bed - they're a little wider than a twin bed. It was an amazing day and once again, everyone else is already asleep! Time for me to join them!

2008-09-13T05:13:00.001-07:00

In Tiananmen Square
On our way to the Summer Palace

We Arrived!

2008-09-12T08:41:00.002-07:00

We are finally at our hotel in Beijing after 26+ hours of travel! Everything went well - when we were at the airport in Phoenix, just after going through checkpoint security, an announcement came over the PA system reminding us of 911 and asked everyone to take a moment of silence. We were at a food court type of area and it was though time stood time. Everyone stopped in their tracks and it was silent for about 2-3 minutes. Pretty cool.

Going through the airport in Toyko was really easy... way easier than we thought it would be. Everything is labeled in English under the characters. Getting from gate to gate is easier than in the States! We saw are first strange toilet and I just couldn't resist taking a picture of it! Coming into Beijing was a snap too. After we went through customs our guide was right there with a sign ready to take us to our hotel. Another family from our group was on the Toyko flight, so we piled into this interesting looking white van (sorry didn't get a pic) and drove 45 mins to our hotel.

Tomorrow is a big day of sight seeing. We won't get back to our room until late evening after our Duck dinner! We have to eat breakfast and meet our whole travel group in the hotel lobby in 9 hours, so I'm going to get some much needed sleep and sign off. The rest of the family is already crashed. Thanks for your prayers for safe travels!

2008-09-12T08:39:00.001-07:00

Big Plane!

2008-09-11T16:53:00.003-07:00

Those were Tanya's words in her text message to us as she boarded the big plane earlier today. She got settled into her seat with her blanket, pillow, headset and excited to have her own video screen. They should arrive in Tokyo around 1:00AM and will have a 2 1/2 hour layover. Then onto CHINA!

Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser

2008-09-06T23:49:00.006-07:00

We are so grateful for those that came to our fundraiser! We are also thankful for those who couldn't make it, yet gave a donation. You've helped bring our daughter one step closer to home! We had a great time an appreciate the support you showed our family!

Over the next couple days, we will be busy packing and getting all our documents in order to take with us. On Monday, we have a Travel Conference Call to Virginia with our travel group to go over more specific details of our trip. We did get an ininerary of where we will be each day:

Thursday, 11th Begin the long Travel to Beijing
Friday, 12th Arrive in Beijing
Saturday, 13th Sight seeing - Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall
Sunday, 14th Church Service and visit The Summer Palace
Monday, 15th Fly to Gansu
Tuesday, 16th GOTCHA DAY!! We'll meet Kaitlyn Ying Christians :)
Wednesday- Thurday Legal Appointments and Sight Seeing
Friday, 19th Fly to Guangzhou
Saturday 20th - Saturday 27th Legal Appointments to Finalize her Adoption & Sight Seeing
Sunday 28th Begin the long travel back home! We arrive at Sky Harbor Northwest Flight NW4129 at 4:40 pm. You are welcome to meet us at the airport to celebrate the homecoming of Kaitlyn!!

Thanks for your continued prayers for Kaitlyn as she enters our family and adjusts to America.

2008-09-06T23:16:00.001-07:00

Travel Approval!!

2008-08-22T20:04:00.006-07:00

We're coming Kaitlyn!! I was just about to give my students a vocabulary test when my classroom phone rang. I saw "America World" on the caller ID and knew in an instant, this was the call we have been waiting for! The emotion was high and my class sat eagerly starring at me as I was obviously ecstatic about the news I was receiving. Their excited little faces were dying to know the news! All I can say is that I'm so thankful I have a fabulous student teacher that just took over the class while I called my husband and family members with the news!

We are leaving on Thursday, September 11th and will be back the 28th. We will fly into Beijing and stay there for about three days. We will tour Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and the Great Wall before going to Gansu to meet Kaitlyn Ying for the first time!

Thank you for your continued prayers for us and Kaitlyn. Please pray for our fundraiser on September 5th and the numerous details needing to happen in a short period of time!

Mark Your Calendar!

2008-08-19T16:01:00.003-07:00

Click To Enlarge

Hope You Can Come!!

We Got Our RA!!!!

2008-07-31T16:28:00.003-07:00

We got got our Referral Approval from China today!! This is unheard of to have all this happen so fast! It usually takes at least 1-4 months! What this means is that the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) has finalized & approved the match between Ying and our family and has accepted our letter of intent. Now, we will be able to get in contact with Ying and send her photos, letters, and care packages. This is so exciting! We are just bouncing off the walls over here! We could get our Travel Approval (TA) in the next few weeks....depending on whether the CCAA shuts down for the Olympics or not. We should know more about that within the next week. We could possibly travel as soon as September! AHHHH! We have been waiting so long for this moment... I can't articulate in words how surreal this feels!

There is so much to do and so many things to think about - it can be overwhelming at times. Thanks for your continued prayers that all these pieces will fall in place as we get even closer to bringing Ying home!

About Kaitlyn Ying

2008-07-23T10:27:00.003-07:00

Wow! This is finally happening! It's offical now and she's really ours! The emotion is overwhelming as we are letting down our guard and allowing our hearts to celebrate the referral of Ying! Tears of joy are streaming down my face as I write this!

Ying (Kaitlyn) is a healthy, 4'1", 55 lb. 10 year old little girl. She was abandoned on December 8, 1997 and was found late that night when a store owner was closing his shop in the market. She didn't have any papers indicating her birth nor had any objects with her. A search was conducted to find her parents with no success. Her DOB was estimated as December 1, 1997. She is labeled "Special Needs" because of a very small scare on her head and another on her arm. Ying is said to be extroverted in character, smiles a lot, gets along well with others, concentrative, polite, loves praise, sometimes helps her caretakers sweep the floor but likes watching TV the best (Kailey and Ying will be two peas in a pod!! LOL!) She has her own thoughts and opinions about how to solve problems and likes to talk a lot. One of her favorite things to do is try on new clothes and pose in the mirror! We'll have no problem at the mall!

It is unlikely she will know any English, so we will have some challenges with communication! Once we have our Referral Approval, we can send her care packages. We are planning on putting together a small photo album of her new family in America, along with disposable cameras so she can take pictures of her friends, caretakers, the orphanage - the only life she's known for 10 years. That way we can put together a scrapbook for her when we get home. Tanya met a Chinese woman in a class she took last week who speaks, reads and writes fluent Mandarin and said she would be happy to help us with translating. What a blessing!! We plan to label our house (i.e., door, window, bathroom, clock, table, chair, etc.) to help with English. Tanya is also going to get out her old Kindergarten and First grade materials to help her learn letters, sounds, etc. She will go to the same school Tanya teaches at and will get some ELL (English Language Learner)assistance part of the day, as well as in her main 4th grade class. Please pray for her transition into our family. I'm sure it will be very overwhelming for her! We eagerly await with anticipation, excitement, and a bit of the butterflies, for the day we get to hold her in our arms as our forever daughter!!

China Map

2008-07-18T22:18:00.002-07:00

Click on map to enlarge
She is in Lanzhou City, Gansu

Got The Call!!

2008-07-15T19:27:00.001-07:00

Many of you know our family has been in the very L O N G process of adopting a little girl from China. We were almost ready to pull out of the China program and pursue a local state adoption through another agency, even though deep down inside our heart was in China. We have spent countless hours praying for God's direction - 'cuz we're not getting any younger!! :) Tanya was particularly struggling with adopting an infant or toddler at her age and the ages of Austin and Kailey. We decided in May to change our application to a school-age child. It just seemed to make more sense with our stage in life. On Monday, June 16, 2008 we met with an adoption specialist from Christian Family Care Agency to start the ball rolling in the state direction. We left the door open for China, and just prayed for God's will. However, we feared the unknown of a child coming from the State Foster Care system and the trauma and abuse most these kids suffer. The next day we got the call about Qi Li. All looked good and we proceeded with the adoption. Then, on June 25th we got the most heart-breaking phone call. It turned out the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) made a horrible mistake. Qi Li was already being adopted by another family and someone in their office forgot to pull her off the available child website. It was one of the most difficult things we've had to go through. The CCAA was extremely apologetic and our agency began avocating on our behalf for the CCAA to somehow remedy the situation. After almost three weeks pass, we got another call! We were presented with Ying's referral! We were excited, yet in "cautious" mode. She was a "shared referral", which meant her picture and bio went out to multiple agencies. I finally got a hold of Tim at work and shared her info in a nutshell. It is required by our agency to seek medical advise from a doctor before we can "lock in" her referral. So, Tanya drove the medical report to our pediatrician. Then it was another agonizing five hours to wait for the doctor's call. Ying was healthy as a horse! Tanya immediately called our agency to lock in the referral. Tuesday, July 15th, we sent all the signed documents to Virginia and our agency sent our Electronic Acceptance (AE) along with our Letter of Intent (LOI) to China. Now, we wait a couple months to get our Referral Approval (RA) from China followed by our Travel Approval (TA). Once we have that, our agency makes all our appointments in China and our travel arrangements. We anticipate traveling sometime between October and December 2008!!