My Favorites The Last Couple of Days

Sister decided one day to let me create my first "masterpiece." We had fun...I was checking out the crayons and drawing and Hannah was trying to keep me from eating them.

A closer look.

Hannah and Joshua...great smiles!

Peek-a-boo....Pee-Pie....this is one of my favorite games that makes me giggle.

A true southern girl...eating eggs and grits...and all by myself, too.
At VBS...checking out my sissies...gee, they are tall.

Hannah posing with the scripture surfboards at VBS. Hannah would love to get on a REAL surfboard.

Snowcones are the best...yummmmmm!

How do I look? I can brush my hair all by myself!

Jasper caught this shot just after Esther Marie fell asleep and I was cuddling her..I just love it!
I was taking a photo of Joshua and MaryAlyce when Esther Marie just ran over and threw herself by Joshua and grabbed his leg so she could be in the picture. This is a big step toward bonding with her siblings.

Bonding and Sleeping...What is a Schedule???

Things are going pretty well around here after a few days. The suitcases still are not unpacked, but they can wait. Bonding (click the word bonding to learn more) with little Esther Marie is the priority...oh, and rest. We are trying to get back on a schedule, although I must admit we are not that schedule oriented. The kids' school routine forces us in that direction. We like to "go with the flow" to cut down on stress, which seems to work for our family during the summer. Laundry...yeah yeah, I'll get to it. You all know most Americans have enough clothes so we don't have to worry about doing laundry every day, even every week. I have been trying to figure out why my kids have 15-20 t-shirts each and why we have to hang onto every camp and school t-shirt they have ever owned...PLUS some hand-me-downs from friends. To my children, each and every one seems to be a prized possession that can't be parted with. Well, enough about laundry. I know Esther Marie is going to fit right into the "I love my clothes" group because she gets so excited when I put something on her each day. It's really sweet. If you had to wear the same clothes daily for two years, you would be excited too!

Back to the schedule....Jasper went to work today downtown. He works on a consultant basis there several times a week. He also went to check on a project that is under construction. My husband is a self-employed architect. I'm sure he's excited to immerse himself back into the world of design, drawings and calculations. It's a much needed break from diapers, bottles and crying spells...the baby's, not his. (haha) Joshua attends summer school and Hannah and MeiMei trekked off to Vacation Bible School at the local Baptist church today. One bottle and one bag of blue slimy stuff came home today which let me know they are knee-deep in fun there. So what did I do? Ah hmmm...the baby and I slept until almost noon and then we napped again in the afternoon. I think we are the ones who have been hit by the jet-lag the hardest! Someone wrote and said not to sleep during the day but my body is rebelling in a serious manner with every cell of my being telling me I am too old to comply with that. It's about 2:00 a.m. and I'll be heading to bed soon which is a much earlier time that the last several nights. I am slowly adjusting. My cousin said she just wanted to sleep all the time when she had jet-lag....I wish!

Patrick is still hanging in here with us and we are very happy to have him stay. He is a tremendous help to us! Wow, I am still trying to get used to being "mom of 4".....I need him! The subject line in one email to me read "super mom"...I feel more like "super sleepy." This too shall pass! Sleep well everyone....I hope I do!

Fun At Home!

Talking to Grandma Q....she is singing to me and talking about all kinds of things.

Wonder what it all means?

I'm not sure what this is, but it looks like fun to play with. Is that okay?

The Chinese version of "Cindy Loo Who" ???

I'm wearing sissy's nightgown and mommy says I look SOOO cute.

The end results in the middle of the night....Barbie dolls all dressed up for a party.

Mei Mei playing with her Barbie dolls and clothes that Uncle and sister gave her.

Playing with my oldest sister, Hannah....she's alot of fun!

This is my Noah's Ark...want to play with us?

Thank You Awesome Friends and Family!

We have some awesome friends and family....and we want to say a special thank you to several of them for the love they have shown us:

Amy and Tim, who live about an hour from our house, took really good care of Patrick, Hannah and Joshua. They were so sweet and loving and I want to thank them. One Saturday, they drove up and took Patrick and company to lunch, the local science center and an Imax movie. They also brought some frozen burritos and a lasagna for all of us to enjoy. They came bearing gifts too...one for Hannah for her birthday and one for Jasper and me when we got home. I can't thank them enough for all they did to make our time away from home and our arrival back easier. They were even at the airport when we arrived! I am sure Esther Marie is going to soon be attached to cousin Amy and Tim, as all of my children are!

I want to especially thank Debbie B. who helped by coming over to my house one day to help me clean and sort MaryAlyce's room, which had become a disaster of a mess. She spent tireless hours helping me sort through things, get rid of stuff and organize! She even mended a couple of items and returned some books I had checked out. She and her husband, Emery, were on standby in case the family here at home needed anything....and they showed up at the airport to greet us.

Next I want to thank Susan N. and her family for all they have done. Susan has been checking the blog site tirelessly and helped make Hannah's 12th birthday one to remember...since it happened when we were in China. She and her daughter, who also had a birthday, invited Hannah over so they could have a joint party. Hannah, Evie and a couple of other girls had pizza, a cookie cake, went swimming, went to a movie, spent the night together, and went to the ceramics place the next morning. They had a blast! Susan and her husband, Victor, were also on standby to help Patrick with anything needed. Susan, Victor and the girls came to the airport with balloons in hand to welcome us home.

Vanessa and Tim were the hosts for the yard sale to benefit Esther Marie. Even though they had a rainstorm that morning, they persisted and had great results. Many thanks to them and to everyone else from the church who helped! WOW! I cry each time I think of this awesome gesture of love. Vanessa and Tim were in the group at the airport and we loved seeing their smiling faces.

Last but not least, thanks SO VERY MUCH to Patrick who gave up his time and left his home to come and be the guardian of Hannah and Joshua while we were away. I can hardly express how awesome he is! We love you Patrick..and thank you! Of course, he and Joshua were at the airport complete with the "ladybug express" to carry us home.

Many thanks again to everyone else for your love, support, interest, and prayers!

We love you all!

Sarah and Jasper

A Loving Church Family Who Really Cares!

On the night we arrived home from China, we received a beautiful card from our church family, that read as follows:

A miracle is always worth the wait.

As you hold your sweet new daughter

and dream all the dreams that new parents do,

you must feel great hope and joy,

knowing that you can give her

so many opportunities....

....but most of all,

knowing that you can give her

all the love

your hearts can hold.

What a perfect card! Inside, there were two photos from a yard sale that the church had held on Esther Marie's behalf while we were in China....to benefit the adoption of and cleft palate surgery for her. Enclosed also was a check for an amount that overwhelmed me. To all those in our church family and the community who helped, we thank you.....from the bottom of our hearts!

The Ladybug Express

Getting Ready for the New Arrival 002, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

Joshua and Hannah have hung balloons on the mailbox to welcome their new sister home...and the rest of us too. (see photo below) Now they prepare the family "wagon" to head to the airport and have christened it "The Ladybug Express." Hope we fit in with all the luggage!

Skyping

Skyping, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

Josh and Hannah and Uncle Pat video chatted twice today with Mama, Daddy, MaryAlyce and EstherMarie. Mei Mei was still asleep when we grabbed this screen capture. It is so good to see each other and hear one another's voices. Hooray for technology!