Look Who's on the Move...

We Have New Shirts!

The Louisiana grandparents sent the girls a package this week, and they got new shirts. Of course, I had to make a few pictures. So here are our 2 growing girls.

Thanks, Lao Lao and Papa!

Look at her Go!

Memorial Day

What is the Deal?

We probably eat out a little more often than we should, but the last couple of days have been ridiculous. Sunday lunch we almost always eat out, just because it is more convenient. Yesterday, we went to a family-style chain restaurant (not a Cracker Barrel) for lunch. We've been there a good number of times since we moved here, and haven't had any problems. Yesterday, my order was messed up not once, but twice... I decided just to go on and eat the second meal, as we do have 2 little kids, and they eventually were going to run out of patience. Then, as Chet started to eat his pancakes, he looked down and saw 2 hairs in his plate. We aren't ones to make a scene, but we did let the manager know what was going on, and she gave us our meal for free. (They also fixed Chet more pancakes.)

If that wasn't bad enough, after the Sunday evening service, we decided just to run through a fast food drive through. We pulled up, gave our order, and were informed that they were out of fries. Not that they were cooking more fries--they had no more fries... How does a major chain fast food restaurant run out of fries? We actually asked that, and the girl at the drive through admitted that they were trying to figure that out themselves. Then, we made the mistake of not checking our order before pulling out of the parking lot. We got home and realized that Chet's hamburger was not what he had ordered. Instead of entering combo #11 into the register, the cashier had entered #1.

But the saga continues... We went down to the beach this morning, and by the time we all got cleaned up, we decided it was too late to grill (saving that for tonight), so we would just have a pizza delivered. Chet placed the order online (which we've done several times before), and the pizza was delivered. As we were in the kitchen, Chet started to open the pizza, and said that he was almost afraid to open it, given our track record lately. He opened the box, and...no pepperoni! All of the other toppings were there, but the pepperoni never got put on. We even double-checked the order, and it was listed. So, after a call to the pizza place, we waited for our corrected pizza to be delivered.

Thankfully, we are eating at home tonight...

Perceptive, isn't she?

Another Mary Joyce story... This evening, I was with the girls in the church nursery while Chet was at the Church Council meeting. Mary Joyce was playing with some wooden alphabet blocks and picked up one with a lowercase "m" on it. She held it up to me and said, "Mama, treat!" I guess she's been analyzing the M & M's before she eats them. :-)

Just Hangin' Around...

Yes, you are seeing this correctly. Mary Joyce is holding herself up while hanging onto the doorknob. While in this position, she can turn the lights on and off, lock the deadbolt, and her newest trick--lock the chain lock. Oh, boy...

Chapman Family Updated Info

Here is a link with some updated information from the Shaohannah's Hope website:

Shaohannah's Hope

Please continue to keep their family in your prayers...

This Week's Random Photo Thread

Here are some fun pictures from the last week or so:

This is Mary Joyce with the diaper bag backpack. We use this one when we are trying to just take one bag for both girls, and it is almost as big as she is:


Katherine is Daddy's little computer gaming buddy. She is fascinated...


Love this sweet picture of Mary Joyce and Chloe Kitty. These two have been buddies since Mary Joyce came home from China.


This is what happens when Katherine has a biter biscuit--Messy!


This is one of my favorite recent pictures of Mary Joyce, and it was really a total accident. I was trying to make a picture and she started walking toward the camera. I guess you could refer to this one as a "happy accident."


And, finally, here is a still shot of our little musician.

And the Accompanist...

Katherine loves this little toy piano/xylophone. We got it for Mary Joyce for her first birthday, and she loves it, too. Sometimes I think we're going to have to get a second one, but I keep thinking that Mary Joyce will outgrow it sooner or later. :-)



On a side note, Mary Joyce was standing in between me and where I was holding the camera so that she could see in the screen. You can hear her say, "Baby I dud it," which is Mary Joyce-speak for "Baby did it!" ("I dud it!" is a verb in Mary Joyce's world...) Also, right at the end, Mary Joyce raised her head up suddenly and hit me right under the chin, thus the last part of the video.

Future American Idol?

Here is our future American Idol. I actually have several clips we were going to put together, but we haven't had time for much video editing around here. Sorry it is so dark, but you get the idea...

Chapman Family Tragedy

The youngest daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman, the Christian singer/songwriter, and his wife Mary Beth was hit by an SUV yesterday and was killed. Maria, who was adopted from China, was only 5 years old. Her older brother was driving, and this was a tragic accident. This family has done so much in the world of international adoption. (I cannot tell you how many times we listened to "When Love Takes You In" as we waited for Mary Joyce.) Please pray for this entire family as they face such heartache. I pray that God has His arms wrapped around all of them, and that His strength will pull them through this terrible, terrible time. Here is a link to a memorial website: Maria

Placing Blame...

Here's a conversation for you (and, no, potty training is not proceeding very quickly around here):

Me: Mary Joyce, are you stinky?

Mary Joyce: No (shaking her head vigorously)

Me: Are you sure?

Mary Joyce: (continues shaking her head)

Meanwhile, while Chet is home for lunch, Katherine has fallen asleep in his lap. I go and get Katherine and put her down to nap in the pack-n-play in the master bedroom. Then, I go and pick up Mary Joyce to take her to her room to go down for her afternoon nap. We stop by to say "Night Night" to Daddy.

When I pick her up...

Me: You do, too, have a yucky pull-up.

Mary Joyce: No, baby ucky dipa. (Mind you, baby is asleep in the other room...)

Me: No, I just changed baby a little while ago.

Mary Joyce: Daddy ucky dipa.

Hmmm...I don't think so, but it was a very good try. :-)

Guess What We Did Today?

We went and put the girls' names on a waiting list for preschool for 3 year old preschool a couple of days a week, and then for the Florida VPK, which is the state pre-K program here in Florida. One of the Methodist churches in the area has a program that has come highly recommended from a couple of different people who we know and trust, but both of those people told us to go on and get on the waiting list now. So, we did. Mary Joyce will be eligible for the 3 year old class in Fall 2009 and Pre-K in Fall 2010, and Katherine for 3 years in Fall 2010 and Pre-K in 2011. It seems so far away, but then again, it seems so close. They grow up way too fast...

On another note, Katherine had her 9 month well visit today, and all is well. She is in the 75th percentile for height, but only in the 25th for weight. (A little over 28 inches long, and 17 pounds, 14 ounces in weight) That is pretty consistent with where she has been before, so it looks like she will be tall and thin as she grows up. And the best news--no shots this time! :-)

Mmm...Green Beans!

I think this picture speaks for itself...

Vignettes from Life with Mary Joyce

Mary Joyce, as all who have ever met her will attest, is a real character. Most days she keeps us in stitches, laughing at whatever she has come up with at any given moment. You just never know what she is going to do or say.

A few examples...

The other day, we were in the car headed out to eat and then to the grocery store. Katherine had a band-aid on her leg where she had scratched the top off of a scab. (Keep in mind she had been wearing the band-aid for awhile before this came up.) We stopped for gas, and while we were sitting in the car and Chet was pumping the gas, I looked back at Katherine in her car seat. (We have one of those mirrors where you can see the baby when they are in a rear facing seat.) I saw her put something that looked like paper in her mouth. I got out of the car, opened the back door, and stuck my finger in her mouth to pull out the "paper." She had pulled off her band-aid and put the entire thing in her mouth! Once I got back into my seat and threw away the band-aid, Mary Joyce looked at me and said, "Mama, baby eat ben-daid!" My thought--"Why didn't you tell me that when she stuck it in her mouth?" Oh, well...better late than never...

Another time we were at the gas station (the last story reminded me of this one), and Chet got out to pump the gas. Mary Joyce was really bothered for some reason by the fact that her daddy was out of the car. I told her, as I had many times before, "Daddy is putting gas in the car to make the car go." At that, she said, "Beep, beep!" Evidently someone at church or the babysitter has taught her that the car goes "beep beep." It caught me off-guard, as that one just hadn't come up before.

At church this past Wednesday, Mary Joyce and Katherine were in the nursery while I was in choir practice, and Chet was taking care of some pastoral duties. There is a speaker in the nursery so that you can hear what is going on in the sanctuary. At choir practice, we sang "Happy Birthday" to the guy running the sound board. Mary Joyce looked at Mrs. Christy, the nursery worker, and said, "Cake?"

I love the way 2 year olds phrase things. When Mary Joyce does something, she will say, "I dud it!" or "Mummy I dud it!" (She calls herself "Mummy.") Evidently "I dud it!" is a verb, because when Katherine does something, Mary Joyce will say, "Baby I dud it!"

And now, for a few pictures of our silly, sweet girl--

This picture is one where Mary Joyce decided she was going to pose for the camera. She very carefully chose where she was going to stand so I could make a picture for the sole purpose of her being able to come and look at it on the camera when I was done. Also, note the shoes... She loves that pair of shoes, and would wear them all the time if I would let her. Never mind that they are church shoes and are almost too small...


The other day, Mary Joyce was carrying blocks very deliberately into the kitchen. When she finished her masterpiece, she was jumping up and down saying, "Yea, Mummy!" over and over. When I looked, each drawer pull in the kitchen had a single purple block sitting on it. I guess she thought the drawers needed a little color.


There is a little gap between the dresser in the girls' room and the wall. Mary Joyce thinks it makes a great hiding spot. She also loves that toy microphone that she got from a kids' meal at Subway. (We have some video to post about that later...)


I think this one speaks for itself--


And, yes, she does sit still occasionally...


That's our girl!

I've Redecorated!

I decided it was finally time to do something to give my blog a more unique look. As it turns out, it was really easier than I thought it was going to be. It was just a matter of finding the time to put it together. So, here is "Our Family's Voyage," the new and improved version! :-)

Earthquake in China

The news of the recent earthquake in China is so very sad. It is a difficult thing to watch all of the devastation in our daughter's homeland. (She is from Jiangxi Province, which is not particularly close to where the quake was centered, but we know a number of families with children from Sichuan province.) This feeling is much the same one as I felt as a Louisiana native watching the effects of Hurricane Katrina. So very tragic... The people of China are in our prayers.

If you feel so led to make a donation to help out, especially with the orphanages who are affected by this natural disaster, here are 3 reputable organizations who can help:

Half the Sky Foundation

Love Without Boundaries

Our Chinese Daughters Foundation

Spring 2008 Collage

Here is the latest collage of recent pictures of the girls from our travel group. All are from Tonggu, Jiangxi, and are around 2 1/2 years old. (You can click the pictures to see them larger.):

**This is an updated copy, as I just got a picture of the 8th girl from our group to add to it today.**




And, for comparison, here is the collage from Spring 2007. Wow, have they grown! (This one only includes 7 of the girls.)


We are spread all over the country, but we're planning a reunion for next spring. Imagine how much the girls will grow before then!

A Morning at the Beach

Mother's Day

Happy (belated) Mother's Day to everyone!

(Gotta love Mary Joyce's cheesy grin in this picture, especially paired with the fact that normally smiley Katherine was absolutely not going to smile for the camera...)

Dedicated to the Lord

In the morning worship service on Mother's Day, Mary Joyce and Katherine were both dedicated to the Lord. We had never gotten around to having a dedication service for Mary Joyce at our previous church, so we decided to wait and have the dedication for both of them at the same time. It was a very special event for our family, as we took the time to reflect on the importance of raising our children in a Christian home, teaching them about the Lord, in the hope that one special day, each of the girls will come to know Jesus as her personal Savior. Wow--what a responsibility!

Big Girl Car Seat!

Our baby girl, thanks to our stimulus check from Uncle Sam, has now moved up into a big girl car seat. It is convertible, so it is rear-facing now, but we can turn it around when she turns 1 in 3 months--only 3 months? Where does the time go?--Anyway, we got another Britax Marathon like Mary Joyce's, except with a different seat cover. These are excellent car seats--rather pricey--but worth the money for the peace of mind. Katherine took a nice nap in her new seat today, and looked very comfy. :-)

Girls in Blue

Here are some pictures of the girls that I made yesterday. I dressed Mary Joyce first, and she was wearing a different shirt. Then, I dressed Katherine. Blue is Mary Joyce's very favorite color, and she was none too happy that her sister was wearing a blue shirt, and she wasn't. So, back to the closet we went to find a blue shirt for big sister. (One of those "choose your battles" kind of moments.)





On a side note, please pray for our China travel buddies, Robin, Chris, and daughter Alivia, who are currently in Vietnam to pick up Alivia's mei-mei! (They sent Katherine's outfit to her when she was a little baby, and now she has grown into it. The picture reminded me to post this.)

Mary Joyce-Proof Sunglasses?

Mary Joyce is rough on sunglasses, as in she likes to break off the earpieces, so they are no longer wearable, but then she constantly asks for her glasses. Her first pair lasted awhile until she got bored in her car seat one day. She had a pair that came from the clearance bin at Gymboree that actually lasted quite awhile because the earpieces were rubber instead of hard plastic. It took her awhile to break those. The most recent pair lasted from the mall back to the highway. At that point, I said, "That's it. No more sunglasses unless I find the perfect pair." Yesterday, I seem to have found a relatively Mary Joyce-proof pair. There are no plastic earpieces. They have an elastic strap that goes around her head and fastens with velcro. They came from Wally-World and cost a grand total of $2.86. So-far, so good... We'll see how long they last...

9 Months Old!

Our sweet Katherine is 9 months old! I can hardly believe that. I guess you could say that we are back in "charted territory" on the parenting map since she is now the same age as Mary Joyce was when she came to us. That said, their personalities are so very different that things still aren't the same. Of course, if everyone was just alike, this would be a very boring world. :-)

Katherine is growing fast. She is wearing mostly 12 month clothes, although she can still do some 9 month pants and a few larger 9 month outfits, and 12 month capris fit her like regular pants. (She is long-waisted like her mama.) She has started feeding herself, and has gotten better at it since I shot the video that I posted earlier. She is trying lots of new table foods, and I have a feeling that baby food will soon be a thing of the past, with the exception of fruit puffs and zwieback toast. She is not crawling yet, but she is scooting pretty well on her tummy. It shouldn't be too long now, and I'll never have a chance to sit down while the girls are awake. :-) Katherine still loves her big sister, and Mary Joyce can make her laugh and laugh. Katherine also finds it quite funny when we help her play "patty cake."

What a joy she is!

Pictures to Share

Look What Katherine Can Do!

Counting to 10

Laughter (Especially for Kim and Nicole)

The other day, my friend and travel buddy, Kim, mom of Jaiden, posted a video here of Jaiden laughing. It struck me how much that Mary Joyce and Jaiden sound alike when they laugh. Then, another of our travel buddies, Nicole commented that her Isabelle also had a similar laugh to Jaiden. We found this similarity to be pretty remarkable, as all of our girls are from the same little SWI in Jiangxi province and are all in the same travel group.

I finally was able to sneak up on Mary Joyce and get a video of her laughing. (As you can probably tell, I started out with the camera on Katherine, but switched to filming Mary Joyce when she started her belly laugh.) Please excuse the world's most annoying talking doll, but that is what Mary Joyce was finding so hilarious.

Watching Jaiden's back, the pitch isn't exactly the same, but the two are definitely similar.