Our Riley Dog

I hate that we are have to tell you all that we once again have lost our beloved pup.  Riley was hit by a farm pick up while we were at the farm for a Christmas party.  Matt and I were busy helping with party preparations and the dogs were busy having a great time running around the farm as usual.  Company started coming down the lane and unfortunately it never dawned on any of us to put our dogs in the fence.  Wow, do we wish we could take that back.  As people were coming in, Matt ran out to the Jeep to get a cork screw when our lives were turned upside down.  Matt's cousin caught him headed to the Jeep and asked, "What happened to the black dog?"  Riley is the only black dog in our crew.  That's when Matt looked up the lane a little ways and saw Riley laying on the road, motionless.  I was still in the kitchen prepping food when my nephew told me that something was wrong.  I asked what he meant and that's when he said, "Your dog...".  And then I saw Matt carrying Riley in his arms towards the house.   As soon as I saw Matt I started running towards him yelling and trying to figure out what had happened.  Matt was crying and saying, "I don't think he's alive."  We were both immediately in shock.  It took Matt's family encouraging us to take him straight to the vet to snap us back into reality.  The drive to the vet seemed to take forever...in some ways I wanted it to take a long time just to avoid the news I was certain we were going to hear when we arrived.  "I'm sorry, there's no heart beat."

And just like that our family has a big hole in our hearts again.  I cannot even begin to explain the pain we have felt over the last week.  Honestly, it seems so unfair to be having to go through this again so quickly...we just said goodbye to Jack 15 months ago.  With Riley we miss him so much but on top of that the house is so quiet without a puppy running around.  

Matt and I told Ava about Riley when we had some time by ourselves later that night but she didn't seem to get it in the moment.  The first time that she seemed to start to understand was when we walked in the house and Riley's rawhide was laying on the rug.  Ava picked up the rawhide and said, "Where's my Pal Pluto?"  Matt and I were both immediately at her side and reminded her that Riley was in Heaven.  Ava's response was, "I miss him...  I'll call Tootles to go and bring him home."  I so wish it was that easy, baby.  Ava brings up Riley nightly now often saying about the same thing so it's hard to know for sure what she is thinking and to know what she understands.  She usually brings him up by saying, "My dog is gone...we are sad...we love him SO much."  But over the weekend she started bringing up specifics that she missed about Riley.  While walking down the stairs on Saturday morning Ava mentioned that she missed Riley's kisses when she woke up.  She also talked about missing playing ball with him.  Our sweet girl definitely misses her pup as much as we do.  We continue to try to reassure her that Riley loves her too and even though we are sad now, together we'll get through this.    

Riley dog was a great dog.  He loved his family but most of all he loved Ava...she was always number one in his book!

He loved when he was able to ride along to pick her up from daycare!  As soon as she got to the care he would attack her with kisses from head to toes.  We'd often find Riley snuggled up with Ava in her bed as Matt and I got ready for the day.   Ava could do anything to Riley and get away with it.  She loved his tail and if she ever pulled too hard he'd just give her hand a lick as if to say "that's enough".  Riley loved his family and as long as we were together he was happy.  He loved hiking, camping, tailgating, running, chasing ball, and playing with his cousin dogs.   Riley, we miss you!  No dog will ever be able to take your place.  Thank you for loving us with your whole heart!   

Dreaming of "Baby Ella"

I can't even put our excitement into words as we await to meet Ella, but having Ava be as excited as she is truly makes our hearts smile and long to have Ella home as soon as possible.  Ava talks about having a baby sister every day and often brings her into the conversation.  Ava made sure that Ella has a stocking on the mantle and even ensured that Ella has a stocking on the Call Santa app.  Ava talks about what her and Ella will do and play when they are together.  Ava can't wait to run with Ella, play dolls with Ella, race cars with Ella, watch movies with Ella, and the list goes on and on.  Love these 2 sweet girls who will meet soon and then will have a lifetime to play and make so many memories together!  My heart is so full...very thankful!

   

The Call We've Been Waiting For

We received the call around 12:45pm on Wednesday, November 26th...a day before Thanksgiving. Matt and I were both at work, Ava at daycare.  Just a normal day for us.  Bonnie had left me a message just saying to call her as soon as I could.  I wondered if this is was going to be the call we'd been waiting for but I tried to remain calm and not get my hopes up until I knew for sure.  Thankfully, Bonnie answered right away when I called back.  Bonnie proceeded to tell me that they did in fact have a sweet little girl who they thought would be a perfect match for our family.  Our beautiful girl is currently in Hubei, China and is 18 months right now.  And she lives with a foster family!  She looks healthy and clean, happy, and a little sassy ;)  Matt and I can't wait to see her and Ava together but we know that together, they are going to give us a run for our money!  

Because Holt is amazing and truly cares about their families, they had previously told us that with any further referrals they would have Dr. Kolb review the file before they called us on a child.  We are so thankful for that.  So when Bonnie called us she not only had the medical information from China but also from Dr. Kolb.  Our baby girl has a repaired cleft lip and a cleft palate but otherwise looks really healthy.  She appears to be a very resilient baby girl because even with the cleft palate she is eating well and when I charted her on height and weight she actually is on the US chart.  It's obvious that she is a very tough, determined girl.  

For months now we have been talking to Ava about her little brother or sister in China and consistently she has told us that she would love to have a baby sister.  So on Wednesday evening we shared with her the good news, a baby girl was joining our family and she was going to have a little sister.  She is so excited!!  We pulled up pictures of her to look at and it was fun to watch Ava get closer and closer to the computer screen to get a better look until she had crawled up onto the table to get as close as she could.  Then she got to a picture of her baby sister in tennis shoes where it looks like she is running and Ava yells, "I want my running shoes on too so that we can run together!!" Ava then asked to have the picture printed off which she carried around all night :)  I doubt that Ava fully understands what all this means but it's so fun to see her so excited!!

Ava suggested that we name her baby sister Princess Ana, but Matt and I decided to go a different direction :) We seriously threw around 3 names but ultimately felt that Ella Chun suited her the best. Ella means "light" and Chun is her given Chinese name meaning "spring".  

This weekend we were celebrating Thanksgiving with Matt's side of the family and it was so fun to celebrate, Ella with family!  They are so excited to have another sweet girl join the family.  I walked in on a very serious conversation that Ava and Grandpa were having about flying on a big plane to go meet and bring home Ella.  It was so sweet and brought me to tears to hear the love and excitement in their voices.  If all goes well Ava, Nai Nai, and Grandpa will be on that big plane with us to meet Ella for the first time.  I can't wait for that day!!

Baby Ella, we have waited what seems like ages to see your beautiful, smiling face for the first time.  We are beyond filled with joy and excitement to know that you will soon be joining our family.  We pray that you are loved, cared for, fed, and sheltered until we can get there.  We pray that you are safe and snuggled by your foster family.  I am filled with unreal emotion as I think about your foster family and all the time they are getting to spend with you but on the other hand I am so thankful to a family whom I have never met.  They are taking care of our sweet baby girl until we can get there.  For that, we can never repay them.  Until we see your beautiful face in person, we will be praying for your health and safety.  We cannot wait to hold you in our arms and tell you how much we love you!!

  

Princess Elsa...And Sven

Our Princess Elsa and Sven (Riley was not as excited as Ava was to be dressed up, LOL!)

Ava has been looking forward to Halloween for weeks!!  She asks to put on her princess dress almost nightly and refers to herself as Princess Elsa and corrects us when we call her Ava.  She calls Riley, Sven and gets frustrated when he doesn't pay attention when called Sven ;).  Oh, and Matt is also known as Christof and myself...Princess Ana.  It was so fun to see her get really excited for Halloween and understand what it meant.  She woke up Halloween morning singing, "It's Halloween!!"  I can't wait for Christmas with our peanut.

Ru Has a Family

Today we learned that Ru has a family!!  Some of the best news we've ever had.  We are so thankful that God always has a plan.  Even though we don't always understand the plan, we do trust that Ru is with the family he was always meant to be with.  Ru and his new family will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers always.  

Our Girl

Ava is our fun loving, goofy girl with a beautiful heart who keeps us laughing on a daily basis.  As her vocabulary seems to be growing at an exponential rate, the things that come out of her mouth just get funnier.  I'm always trying to catch things that she is doing or saying on video or at least write them down because as quick as she is growing up, I know that I will not be able to remember everyone of these precious moments.  Sometimes I would just like to bottle up little parts of her so that I can keep her little forever...probably won't work no matter how hard I try...right moms?

Some of my favorite "Ava Things" lately include:

"Baba Man"  This is what she calls her dad on a regular basis.  Baba means dad in mandarin and she just added her own twist to it!

Ava loves her friends and cousins.  It's so fun to sit and listen to little people conversations.  But my favorite is seeing Ava's huge heart through these relationships.  She loves the time she gets to speed with her friends and cousins.  She greets them with hugs, gets a few hugs in throughout the day, and then again to say goodbye.  The other day she was heart broken after daycare because one of her best buddies had left for the day and she wasn't able to say goodbye.  I pray she always has a kind heart that the world cannot squish.

Ava hugs are the best!!  She is so good about wrapping her arms all the way around you but then she just pats her hands on your back until she is ready to let go...the best!

She is in awe of the moon.  Every time she sees it, she points it out and we talk about it's shape for the night.  I love the time we spend outside together as a family looking at the moon in wonder.  I love that she reminds us how amazing those things are that we take for granted daily without the reminder for our 3 year old.  

Ava sings ALL the time!  In the car, on walks, in the store...you name a place to be and our girl will be singing!

The girl loves her KState Wildcats!  Tonight as we were tucking her into bed and talking about how great the weekend was, Ava quickly added, "And the Wildcats win!"  That's our girl!

     

Waiting for "The" Call

Sometimes the waiting can seem so long.  Every time the phone rings you wonder, "is this the call?" The most amazing call that lets us know that our family is about to grow again.  We have heard that adoptions out of China have recently slowed some and we wonder why when we know; we have seen with our own eyes thousands of precious kids just waiting for a forever family to come and get them.  We are praying that the next time the phone does ring and it is the call that things go smoothly and without any major hangups.  We pray that the Lord would give us wisdom and a peace when it is our time.  Until that time comes we will continue to pray for our baby in China; praying that they are loved, healthy, receiving the care they need, that they have a warm bed, and a roof over their head.  Until we receive that precious call we will continue to trust that God knows what He is doing and trust that His timing is much better than ours.  

We love you already baby and cannot wait to have you home!!    

A Little Vacay with my Hubby

Matt and I were able to get away for almost a week, just the 2 of us.  Planning these trips is stressful; we're packing for us, packing for Ava and Riley, missing them before we are even apart, wondering how Ava will do without us, and the dreaded drop off.  We are beyond blessed to have grandparents fighting for one on one time with Ava (and Riley as they are a package deal now ;)).  But it is still so difficult to leave her...thank God we are able to leave her with grandparents.  No matter how much work it takes and how hard it is to say "see ya later", Matt and I committed to each other long before we were parents that we would always make time for each other.  We value the relationship we have established too much to not work to keep it strong.  Because the truth is, one of the these days it will be just Matt and I again at home and I don't want to be staring at a stranger across the table.  I want that person to still be my best friend.

We had a blast in Charleston, SC...a place I have always wanted to go.  I really think that if I would have lived in a different time period it would have been the old southern, big dresses, horse and carriage era.  Matt loves history and appreciating what we've come from (I enjoy Matt then filling me in on the highlights that I need to know).  Charleston is full of charm and history so it was a win, win for us.  We enjoyed our days together just meandering around, getting lost in the historic district.  A highlight of the trip was swimming with dolphins in the waves at Folly Beach.  We also loved the food from fresh fish and seafood to delicious southern cooking.  We always feel rejuvenated as a couple after some great one on one time.  So thankful to have him by my side through life.  So thankful he values our relationship as a couple so much that he puts time and effort into maintaining it.  

Meet Riley

Riley joined our family in May and what a perfect fit he is!  He is a clumsy puppy who makes us laugh daily!  He loves his family and already knows exactly who his family is.  He LOVES Ava most of all! He is protective of her but also just loves being right next to her. Ava is mostly okay with this but has quickly learned the phrase, "back off, Riley!"  They are going to be best buddies. 

Riley is now 9 months old, 38 pounds, and all hound dog...isn't he a handsome boy?!!

Our Dossier Finally Made it to China

I know I have been quiet regarding our adoption process this go around and honestly that is because things have been very difficult over the last few months.  Many of the things that came up prior to us making the unbelievably hard decision to halt the adoption are private, but also we still don't have a lot of answers regarding the situation.  We are so thankful to Holt for helping us to get the information we could and have been very supportive through all the issues. 

Ru still has a huge part of our hearts. We think about him, pray for him, pray for a miracle, and shed tears over the situation on a daily basis. Through many conversations with friends who know us well, we feel that the best way to describe our pain is to describe a miscarriage. He was our son, we love him, we think of him and wonder "what if", and he will always be a part of our hearts and souls. 

The dossier processing has also been a struggle this go around having several documents notarized incorrectly...one of those documents taking 3 times to be done correctly!  So frustrating and tested my patience big time!  The good news is that our dossier is now certified and authenticated and in China. Thank you Lord!  

Even though many doors have been closed at this time, we have peace to press on.  Trusting that when God does open the door we are meant to walk through that all this other heartache will make sense in some way. We KNOW that we have a child out there and that when we finally meet it will literally be a match made in Heaven. 

Ava Is 3

We celebrated Ava's third birthday this month.  It was such a fun time with family and friends.  We are so thankful for all of those who came to help us celebrate our sweet girls third birthday...she's three!! How is that possible?!!

We spent her birthday at the zoo.  Ava had asked to go to the "water park" but it was an unusually cool July day with high temps in the low 70s so we opted for the zoo instead.  We love hanging our with Ava one on one on her birthday.  Making such special memories.  

Over the weekend, we celebrated Ava's birthday with family and friends...and Mickey Mouse came to celebrate with Ava.  "Oh Tootles!!"  

You can't have a birthday without cake and if you're Ava, you get two cakes ;)  A chocolate cake that Lau Lau made and decorated for Ava and an ice cream cake from Tootles. 

Mickey worked hard at Ava's party and was a big hit...however, he paid for all that hard work...

So much fun celebrating our girl!!

Heavy Hearts

The last month has not been an easy one.  It's been a month of sad news regarding Ru along with lots of miscommunication.  It's been both devastating and frustrating.  Over the weekend, we sadly had to make the decision that Ru would not be coming home with us.  This was the toughest decision we have had to make so far.  

The last month has tested us in unbelievable ways.  And at times I have questioned what God was doing and why would He "take" Ru from us.  But He always brought me back to my favorite verse, Jeremiah 29:11.  "For I know the plans I have for you.  Plans to prosper you and NOT TO HARM you.  Plans to give you a hope and a future."  God's still got this: the situation, us, Ru, and our baby...wherever they may be.

Ava-ism "Oh Tootles"

For all you moms out there who have 2 year olds, I know you get in your fair share of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as well.  This happens to be Ava's favorite (and only) TV show.  The basis of "Oh Tootles" is that Tootles brings the tools needed to help with whatever adventure Mickey and friends are facing for the day.  This has quickly become one of Ava's favorite sayings and it cracks us up.

"Maybe Tootles can help...Oh Tootles"

Needing her blanket that is in the other room:

"I need my blankly...Oh Tootles"

Leaving the splash pad:

"I have wet shoes...Oh Tootles"

A very sad Ava with her balloon animal Nemo:

"I broke Nemo...Oh Tootles"

While playing in our kiddie pool that is not big enough for everyone to get in:
"We need a bigger pool...Oh Tootles"

When saying goodbye to Baba for a couple of days:
"I want to go on an airplane with Baba...Oh Tootles"

Have I said how much we love her?!!!

Easter 2014

Easter 2014 was another one for the books!  It's hard to believe that Easter 2013 was Ava's first holiday at home, what a difference a year makes.  

Ava and Lau Lau showing off their dyed eggs

Nai Nai and Lau Lau hunting candy

Uncle Craig with Ava, Kaden, and Carson at the farm

Ava checking out some of her Easter eggs

Daughter Dates

Matt and I love our one on one time with our sweet Ava.  And make a point to have one on one time with her at least monthly.  After Ru gets home we will still divide up at least once a month for "dates".  Dates with Ava and Ru have been something that we have talked about since before the kiddos existed.  My parents used to do this with me and my brother and they are some of our favorite memories.

Matt and Ava often end up at Red Robin for their dates.  Another favorite of theirs is the zoo.

Eating donuts before hitting the zoo during their last daughter/Baba date

Ava/Mama dates usually end up a little more girly.  We like to head out shopping and often end up at Orange Leaf for some yummy frozen yogurt.

Ava and Mama getting pedicures during a recent date day...of course followed by Orange Leaf.

Matched...With a Baby Boy!!!

That's right...our family is growing again!!  This time our family is growing by a baby boy...we are beyond excited!

We received the call from our social worker on Friday evening at 4:30pm that we were being matched with an 18 month year old boy.  Matt and I were both on our way home from work when I checked my messages and noticed that I had missed a call from our social worker.  She simply said "I have good news, call me back asap!!"  Since I was driving I knew I just needed to get home to call her back so that I could safely absorb the information.  I called Matt and told him to hurry home as well and we could call Bonnie together.  As I loaded Ava up in her carseat at daycare, my phone rang again...Bonnie.  I couldn't help myself, I couldn't wait anymore!!  So I answered and that's when I learned that there is a healthy, 18 month old boy at the Holt Peace House in Beijing waiting for us.  She gave me a brief over view of his file and then asked if we wanted it sent our way..."Yes!!"

I did wait until Matt got home to open the file ;)  Luckily he wasn't far behind us!!  I shared with Matt what Bonnie had told me and then we both agreed that he sounded perfect and we definitely wanted to review his file.  When we opened the file, tears of joy came...he is a precious, beautiful little boy who has been through more in his young life than any one person should ever have to endure, especially as a baby.  He was abandoned as a newborn and immediately needed surgery.  At this time we don't have a lot of the details of his abandonment nor where he was found.  But we do know that he was in Guangdong Provence for the first part of his life.  He spent 6 months in the hospital for intestinal atresia repair which required several further surgeries as things did not go as planned.  The intestinal repair resulted in a fistula which required further surgery and a temporary colostomy.  But it appears that he was well cared for and is now doing very well and thriving.  He has a surgical scar that is the width of his abdomen that proves his strength.  All I want to do is kiss him all over and let him know that he will never have to endure something like that again, alone.

After the hospital, Ru was in an orphanage in Lianjiang City from April 2013- February 2014.  In February, Ru was moved to the Holt Peace House in Beijing.  It is amazing to know that until we can get to him, Ru is in the best place possible.  The Peace House is run by Holt and is usually for kiddos who are preparing for major surgeries.  Being at the Peace House allows them to gain strength prior to surgery and a safe place to heal afterwards.  We learned that they had several openings in February and Ru was one who was selected...God is SO good.

Because of where Ru is currently we not only were able to review his chart and pictures but we also got videos!!  I can't tell you how exciting that is nor can I keep track of how many times we have watched the videos :)  As we were watching the videos, Matt said with pride, "that's my boy!" as Ru was being silly with one of the caregivers.  Ava loves to watch the videos of her brother.  She watches intently and says baby brother over and over again.  She is excited and will quickly learn what having a baby brother means.  

It took us only an hour to know that Ru was meant for us and to send in our letter of intent to adopt him.  Now we are waiting for his medical file to be reviewed by Dr. Kolb to advise us on questions we should further ask.  The other amazing part is that our dossier is not yet in China.  It is still in Oregon and Holt is working quickly to have our paperwork certified and authenticated.  As soon as that is done it will be sent to China.  We have emails out to Holt asking how not having our dossier in China yet will affect our travel time frame.  Obviously we are anxious to get there as soon as possible.

Talk about meant to be...again...Ru being matched in our family is truly a God thing.  Our paperwork isn't even in China but they still thought of us and thought of us as a perfect match for each other.  We cannot wait to meet this little guy!!      

Ru, we are so excited to meet you and hold you in our arms!!  We pray that until we get to you that you are safe, fed, happy, learning, laughing, smiling, and loved.  We promise to get to you as quickly as we can.  We love you beyond words and continents already.  May God keep you healthy and safe until we can be together.  We promise you will never be on your own again.  We love you!!  Mama, Baba, and your big Sister!

Dossier is Done!!

"Hot diggity dog!!!" as Ava would say!  Our dossier is put together and on it's way to Oregon where Holt's main office is.  Once there, they will take care of getting all the paperwork authenticated and certified.  If memory serves me correctly this part took approximately a month last go around, so if all goes well our paperwork will be on its way to China in a month!  Cannot wait!!  One more BIG step closer :)

We are getting more and more excited to meet Baby.  Matt and I have been talking about names and dreaming about who they might be or what they might look like.  We are constantly talking to Ava about her little brother or sister and even though she doesn't really understand, we think she's excited too :)  It's so hard to know that Baby is most likely already in an orphanage, already going through more in their little life than any of us ever have to endure, already searching for love, and already wondering if there's anyone out there who can meet their needs consistently...time cannot go fast enough until we have you in our arms Baby.

Baby F we pray for you constantly that you are loved, safe, have a shelter over your head, cuddled and hugged often, fed, have a warm place to lay your head, can go outside and enjoy the sunlight, have other kids around to listen to and learn from, that you smile and laugh, and that you know that we are coming to get you as soon as we can...once we have you in our arms we are never letting go.  We love you more than you can imagine and haven't even seen your face yet.  Love you Baby F

Immigration Appointment...Check!!

We had our Immigration appointment on March 6th for fingerprinting.  One more big piece of the dossier.  We are moving right along with gathering our paperwork for the dossier.  Just waiting on a few more pieces of required paperwork and then getting things notarized.  Like with Ava's adoption we are once again having Holt help us with the certification and authentication of our paperwork.  This is a big job and requires being able to monitor where every piece of paper is.  Most of the paperwork has to be hand delivered to either Chicago or Washington DC where the China Embassy is.  Holt helped this process go so smoothly last time that we decided it was definitely worth the money.  We don't want our baby having to wait any longer than necessary for them to join their forever family.  We are anxiously waiting and praying for our baby every day!!  Can't wait to be a family of 4 :) 

Fingerprinting Done!!

US Re-Finalization

On March 3, 2014 we officially finalized Ava's adoption in the US.  What an exciting day!!  It was a day filled with family and lots of love.  We had a fantastic lawyer who walked us through the entire process.  He had adopted 2 boys from Korea himself, so he really understood what this means to an adoptive family.  

Waiting for the judge to enter

The US re-finalization allows us to obtain paperwork equivalent to a birth certificate.  This paperwork allows easier access to school as well as allows us to obtain a US passport for Ava (we'll need that for our trip to China next year to meet Ava's little brother or sister!!).  It is all rather confusing since she was officially a US citizen as soon as we passed through US customs coming back from China.  The re-finalization is not something that we were required to do, but it was highly recommended to make things easier down the road.  We're so glad we did it as it was such a cool experience that a lot of our family was able to be a part of.

We had an 11am court time.  We arrived at the court house in plenty of time and it was a good thing we did...we had no idea where to go once inside!!  But we were quickly pointed in the correct direction.  The courthouse itself was a really cool old building with lots of paintings, marble, and woodwork.  Just after the Judge walked in, Ava started crying.  As I'm whispering to my mom to pass me some fruit snacks, our lawyer kindly asked if Ava could have permission to run around the court room.  The Judge replied that he learned a long time ago that he was not in control of these hearings and that Ava had permission to leave the table.  Thank you Judge!!  During the court hearing we were sworn in and then asked several questions by our lawyer and the Judge.  I don't know why, but I was rather nervous.  I've never been in a court room before and have definitely not been the one answering the questions!!  It was over quickly though and the judge came down to give us all big hugs, take pictures, and congratulate us.  It was definitely more of a celebration.  

After pictures, we all headed to Upstream were we had an awesome lunch followed by cake to finish off the celebration!!  

Our house is way to quiet now without this group filling it up

One Year Together

I cannot believe that we are at the year mark...an entire year since we first held Ava in our arms.  An entire year since we first saw those sweet lips and big eyes face to face.  An entire year since we first saw that beautiful smile.  My heart is so full of joy today as I think back over the last year with all the firsts we have been able to experience together, as a family.  

Ava, you have a beautiful soul.  

You give the best hugs and I always know that your hugs come from deep inside you because you wrap us up as tight as you can.

You are funny.  You make me laugh on a daily basis just with your silly ways.  I never know what you are going to do or say.  I love how once we start laughing then you do too like you have accomplished your goal.

You have the most beautiful smile that lights up an entire room.  You can make any situation better just with your smile.  Never forget that as you grow.

You are unbelievably smart.  Sometimes too smart for your Mama!!  You blow me away with the things you are able to learn on a daily basis.  

You have a contagious laugh that seems to start from within your belly and work it's way out.  I find myself laughing right along with you because of the joy you exude.  

You have a tender heart.  You never want to disappoint us and will break down and cry when you feel that you may have.  We are working hard to reassure you that you do not have to be perfect and we all make mistakes.  

You love to be around your cousins and friends your age.  When you get the chance to be around them you love every second and hang very close to them.  Goodbye always includes one of your best hugs.

You seem to understand the special times like weekends when we get to hang out in our PJs all day or trips to grandparents houses.  You are all about soaking up those times and loving on your family as much as possible in any moment given.

Simply put, I cannot imagine life without you.  

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord."  This has always been a verse that I rely on but I can't say I fully grasped the reality of what the verse was saying until recently.  I had my life going in a completely different direction. Adoption was not on my radar in the beginning.  Now that plan makes me cringe to think that if it had been about my plans and not His, I could have missed out on you and the years that God used to prepare my heart for you.  "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you." He knew exactly what I needed and even though I didn't always trust Him completely, He saw us through to the most perfect plan for our lives.    

11 Months at Home :)

11 months home. That means that a month from now I will be writing that we have been together for an entire year. In my mind that doesn't seem possible but when I look through pictures and see how much she has grown and changed I don't see how she could have grown up that much in just one year...it has to be more like 2 or 3 years, right???!!

1. Ava is the sweetest 30 month old I have ever met. When we are helping her do something like find a movie or pick out a book she leans next to us and gives us a back rub/pat. And as she's giving a back rub/pat she looks us right in the eyes with the sweetest “I love you” face. She doesn't hesitate to give hugs and gives great big bear hugs. Some of the sweetest words out of her mouth are “wo ai ni” (I love you in Mandarin)
2. Ava continues to do well at daycare and they are moving her to the “toddler 3” group next week. This is the next and final toddler group before moving on to the preschool group. Preschool sounds so scary to me but I really do think it will be good for her: help her to further develop her language and hopefully the biting will end for good. Ava continues to have very random rough days at daycare when she will bite. This last time she did I knew she wasn't feeling well but we ended up sending her to daycare so that we could go to work. Talk about a big regret now :( But in tune with my first point, after time out for biting her teacher showed Ava the mark she left on the kiddo and Ava was so sad that she then cried the entire rest of the day...she is a tender heart.
3. Ava celebrated her first Christmas during the last month. As previously noted, Ava was spoiled rotten but loved every second with family and friends. It's hard to get used to not having family together every weekend after so much time together. It was so fun to take in all the firsts of Christmas with her; the lights, the food, the Christmas tree, family together, presents, and lots of fun.
4. Ava went to her first 2 movies in the theatre this last month. The first one was at the dollar theatre to make sure she was ready for her first movie. We didn't want to spend $20 if she couldn't sit still for that long ;) We saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and Ava did great! Since she did so well with that movie we also went and saw Frozen last weekend. Both really cute movies. Ava loved going to the theatre. And it was a really fun family date.
5. Ava also celebrated her first New Years Eve. Another fun family night with movies, popcorn, pizza, and games. I plan to soak up as many New Years Eve nights like that as long as I can get them!!
6. Unfortunately we had 2 visits to the pediatrician this month. Once for an ear infection and then again for a cough and fever that required breathing treatments. She is still currently on breathing treatments but the fever is gone and her cough is steadily getting better. Praying for no more doctor visits in the coming month.
7. Ava continues to love movies. We have to limit how much time she is spending watching them. The good thing is that even when she does want to watch a movie she is still running around like a crazy girl playing!! Some of her favorites lately are: Monsters U, Planes, Epic, and Madagascar.
8. Ava loves to play and has some new favorites since Christmas. She loves her games: Hungry Hippos and Don't Break the Ice, Mrs. Potato Head, Basketball, windup cars, and her new baby doll.
9. Ava also loves her books. She has a couple of new Mickey Mouse books that she loves. We also like Salt and Soap, I Love You So, Home Sweet Home.
10. Ava has brought so much joy to our lives. I wish I could bottle up a little bit of her sweet laugh, the laugh that comes all the way from her belly and is uncontrollable...the best sound in the entire world.