The Taylor's Amazing Race

Pictures of Emma

2007-06-26T22:34:00.000-05:00

Face plant...still trying to get this walking thing down. April 17th, 2007

Corina and Emma splashing in the pool. June 17th, 2007

Emma's new DIVA chair.

First pedicure, compliments of Aunt Shelley.

We thought we should start her early.

Pictures of Jake

2007-06-26T22:15:00.000-05:00

Ring Bearer at Chase and Ashley Gibson's Wedding, May 18th, 2007

Derby Tournament, May 5th, 2007

June 2007 Update

2007-06-26T21:55:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. We hope you are all doing well wherever you may be. The summer has been going so fast.

Jake has already finished with Art and Foreign Language summer school. He really enjoyed the enrichment time. Tonight we went to his art fair to view and pick up all of his hard work. Baseball season is drawing to a close, that is if it stops raining. We are 4 games from finishing the league season despite having our 9th game rained out, one of them 3 times. Over the last week Jake has ended games at 12:15 am and 1:15 am. I know it is crazy. We are not thrilled about it either. The league does what is best for it first and the boys second. Sad. The team is doing well and has equaled its win total of all last year with 4 games still to go. Jake loves to pitch and has had some success and persevered through the tough times of walking a few men and some 8 year old fielding. We can finally say that his hitting has come around. He has gained some real confidence and is excited about hitting. He is hitting the ball consistently and at times with authority. We are proud of him for sticking with it. All he talks about is when is the next game and how come we can't play today. Daddy is proud of his little ball player as is Mom and little sister.

Emma is so happy. She is care free and just loves to roam around the house doing this and doing that. She is quite the walker now. After Daddy being gone for a couple of weeks, she has become quite the Daddy's girl. We love her so much. She is just the point of attention wherever she goes. It is funny to see her 2 foot something body meandering through crowds and down halls. Everyone stops to admire her determination and smile. She seems unaffected by it all. As you can imagine we are all quite proud of our little girl.

Jill, blah, blah blah, la di da, same shit next day.

Scott, time warp, lost two weeks of his life in New Jersey(for training) in the middle of the summer. Everyone is glad he is back. New job going well after one day.

We hope to post some pix in the near future ,2008!!!

Scott, Jill, Jake and Emma

Still Here, Update for May 2007

2007-05-30T20:09:00.000-05:00

I apologize for all of you who have faithfully checked on the blog and how we are doing. We are doing great. Emma has started walking in the last 3 weeks. She is now doing laps around the house.

Since you last heard from us many things have changed, most notably Jill is back to work and has spent less time blogging, obviously. She has spent most of her free time, when she gets it chasing Emma around, and attending Jake's baseball games and practices which are about 2-4 nights a week and some weekends. Now that all of the reality shows are over she may have more time to blog.

Scott has changed jobs. He was laid off from Pfizer, after 6 years, on March 20, 2007 after they went through some downsizing. It looks as if it was a blessing in disguise. He is now working for Bristol-Myers Squibb, another large pharmaceutical company. He still sells cardiovascular medicine. Also, he recently completed the coursework to be a licensed real estate agent in the state of Kansas. So anyone needing some help buying or selling their house let him know.

Jake had a great school year and really misses his teacher Ms. Cannady. He had such a good time and is very proud of his reading progress. He will read just about anything. He even read a few chapters of Harry Potter before realizing he wouldn't probably finish it before the end of school and thus not get any points toward his reading goal. Points-wise he read three times the books that he did last year. We are so proud of him and glad he enjoys reading all kinds of things. He finished the school year last Thursday, May 24 and already misses his friends and the routine of school. He will be attending summer school in the mornings in June. The focus is on art and foreign language development and then will go to the Maize Rec summer program where his summer school teachers from last year are counselors.

Baseball season is going very nicely for Jake, when we aren't getting rained out. He has pitched a few times and has had some success. He continues to throw strikes and stay positive. He really likes pitching. We probably play catch at least 8 days a week, but he loves it and is getting stronger and stronger everyday. He is just starting to come into his own with his hitting. It seems to be a confidence thing and he is much more confident lately. We are very proud of how he is doing in everything except his ability to pick up after himself. I just hope it is that age.

Emma has adjusted well to Treehouse Learning Center where she attends daily. She has some great teachers and she is learning some sign language to go with all the other words she is using. She does have her moments and still holds her breathe when she is not happy. For the first time, she passed out while doing it. She was fine and no worse for the wear.

Lastly, after trying to get Emma to sit on the handle bars of the jet ski with no luck, we decided it was time to get a boat. We purchased a 19 foot Rinker bowrider over the Memorial Day weekend. We hope to hit the lake this weekend.

I hope this gets everyone up to speed on our amazing race through life, full speed ahead. We will gets some pictures posted in the near future.

Don't forget you are all welcome to drop by for a cold drink anytime. Have a great summer.

Scott, Jill, Jake and Emma

Battle wounds.

2007-04-08T21:49:00.000-05:00

We took Emma for her 1 year appointment with Dr. Barker. Would you believe she only gained 1 pound and according to the doctor, she has not grown. Well, we are certain they measured her wrong the last time we were in. Because her pants do not drag on the ground and her dresses show her bum a little too much.

Emma is doing so well. Dr. Barker said she could start drinking whole milk once she finishes the formula we have. The next time we see the Doc, Emma has to know 3 body parts. So the next time you see her be sure to ask about her nose, ears, mouth and eyes.

Today she had another round of shots. Four to be exact. But as you can see, she is felling fine.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

2007-04-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

Getting ready for my party!

Corina bringing me into the kitchen to eat pizza.

Smell the flowers Lily, they are beautiful.

Oh my gosh, all these presents. Which one will I play with first.

I just love ripping the paper and I'm really good at this.

Lily and I playing with the Leap Frog Learn and Groove. Thanks Lewis's!

Daddy, I cannot open the present right now, I have to take an important call...

Is this what I am suppose to do???

I'm so tired. Can my party be over now?

Thanks for all the gifts! I have been playing with everything.

Play date.

2007-04-08T20:50:00.000-05:00

Yea! Play time!

Lily, our neighbor, sharing baby gold fish with me.

Uh Oh! (my new word) You spilled the gold fish.

Let's pick them up together.

International Biddy Basketball Tourney

2007-04-08T20:25:00.000-05:00

The 13 year old International Biddy Basketball Tournament was held in Wichita. Tyree, our cousin played on an All-Star team.

Emma cheering Tyree on.

All tuckered out.

One last load...

2007-04-08T20:19:00.000-05:00

We had some helpers...

03/24/07

Look at me!

2007-03-19T23:05:00.000-05:00

I'm getting this walking thing down pretty good!

Daddy didn't say no,

2007-03-19T22:54:00.000-05:00

so that must have meant yes...

Did you figure it out? Look close...at my ears.

Bath time.

2007-03-19T22:44:00.000-05:00

I'll share my butterfly with you, bubbles and all.
Look mom, I'm standing! Yea yea I know, sit my butt down.

We have another pitcher in the family.

2007-03-19T22:39:00.000-05:00

Spur of the moment play date.

2007-03-19T22:08:00.000-05:00

Tuesday morning, March 14th I received a call from one of our good friends, Amber. She needed us to watch Carson because she was going to the hospital (not to deliver their 2nd baby) but to find out if the pain she was having was another kidney stone or something else. Thankfully it was a small kidney stone and she did not have to stay overnight. We are glad you are feeling better Amber.

Emma and Carson (10 mths old) sharing Old MacDonald's farm.
Hands off! That is my snack dish and telephone.
Look at us!

Ouch! Let go of my hair, or I'll grab your lip. (she is really good at that)
Look at the mess behind us. We did good!

A visit from our Social Worker

2007-03-19T21:45:00.000-05:00

Sunday, March 12th our social worker, Joann came for our one month visit. Can you believe we have had Emma for over a month already? It seems like she has been with us forever. When she arrived Emma was still asleep, but it was not long before she was awake, thanks to Theo barking. She made quite the first impression, 2 poops back to back. That's our girl! She also showed off her personality too. What a charmer.

Joann was really surprised how well she has adapted to our schedule. She had a few things for us to do, get a gate for the stairs and stay close to home. During the first six months familiarity and consistency are really important. So no long trips and no overnights. It is part of the attachment and adjustment period.

Our next visit will be in early July.

Jake turns 8 years old.

2007-03-18T22:45:00.000-05:00

Can you imagine Scott, Grandpa and Grandma and 7 boys at a WSU Shocker game? It really was a party, nachos, pretzels with cheese, soda and Twizzlers and a win for the Shockers 3-0! Now according to mom, they really did not watch much of the game, just being "8".

Emma and I stayed home. Emma napped and I got everything ready for make your own pizza and ice cream sundaes. When the boys arrived they played basketball and then baseball. The thicks vs. the thins. Jake was a thin, you can look at the pictures and see where everyone else fell.

Looks like pizza eating, but it was really comedy central.
Layton, Carson, Harrison, Jake, Kaden, Jordan and Hunter
Watching "Like Mike" (Jake's favorite movie) while enjoying ice cream.
Best buddies.
Their favorite past time, playing GameBoy, PSP, and Nintindo DS.

At last, I meet my KC cousins.

2007-03-18T22:01:00.000-05:00

Steve, Amy and the girls (Lucy 7, Josie 4 and Anna 7 mths) came for a visit March 10th and 11th. The girls were really excited to meet Emma. When they arrived Emma was already asleep. The next morning was filled with lots of playing. After breakfast, Scott, Steve, Jake and Lucy went to Jake's baseball practice and Amy, Josie, Anna, Emma and myself stayed home to play. What a great time everyone had. Lots and lots of girls.

Thanks for coming to see us!!! We cannot wait to see you all again!!!

Hugs and Kisses!!!

Josie just got done combing Emma's hair.
Our first meeting, Emma and Cousin Anna.

Uncle Steve and me.

Miss Josie
Anna getting kisses from big sister Lucy.
What's everyone looking at?
Yes, we see all of you.
Jake, Lucy and Josie.
Anna.

Shower Photos

2007-03-04T22:54:00.000-06:00

Emma and friends, Layton, Haley & Emily

Emma getting loves from Corina.

Elliott, Emma, Sarah (feeding Emma) & Emily

Elliott and Emma

Shannon and Emma

Hannah with Emma, Linsday & Carson
Theresa reading Emma's new book, Lovebug.

The morning after the big day, trying out her new ride.

She loved the bow!

Settling In

2007-03-04T22:24:00.000-06:00

Hi Friends and Family:

It has been a fast and exciting two weeks since we arrived home from China. I must admit we hit the ground running and Emma is quickly getting up to speed. She has about 750 "frequent rider" miles around Wichita already. She has gotten around and many have come to see her. She is doing great and has fully recovered from a little "crackle" in her chest thanks to a good round of antibiotics.

She has had quite a long list of visitors many eager to see their little blog star from China. It has been overwhelming the support and love shown by our friends and family. It is so nice to see so many people cheering and praying for her. We are greatly blessed by the addition to our family. It feels as if the house is complete with each room securely occupied by two gifts from God.

Jake is doing well. He loves to be back in his routine and hanging out with his friends and classmates. Baseball practice has started for him and he is ready to go. He has really taken to looking after Emma and is always there to give her a hug and a smile of encouragement. Jake has responded with unconditional love and no jealousy for Emma at all. We are so proud of the way he has adjusted and how he gives without reservation.

Come and visit anytime!

The 36 Hour Day, Home At Last!!

2007-02-17T23:33:00.000-06:00

We made it!! After a 90 minute delay in Chicago we touched down in Wichita at about 6:30 pm our time after leaving at 4:30 am China time, which made our travel time almost exactly 24 hours to the minute. With the time change and the 14 hour flight the "day" for us turned out to be about 36 hours long by the time we went to bed.

Sleeping was another story last night. We are mostly tired and ready for sleep but our stomachs and other parts seem to be on a different schedules right now.

Emma, the first night in her new home, slept for about 4 1/2 hours and was up and fussy from about 2 am on until we got around this morning at about 6:45. Long night to say the least. Come to find out she has a pretty good cold and was beginning to run a fever. It didn't break until around noon today and when it was gone the Emma we know was back and smiling.

Jake had a fun time last night; we took him to his last basketball game and he had a great time seeing his teammates for the game. It was a surprise to most of the team and parents that we were there, but Jake wanted to go and he had been talking about playing for the entire trip. It was hard to ignore basketball because Yao Ming was on every advertisement in China. He did great and had the best time just being with his friends and being a kid having fun. When he did go to bed he was up at about 2:30 with Emma but only because he couldn't sleep anymore. 2:30 am to him was really 4:30 pm in the afternoon in China so he was really supposed to be up. He was really good, just reading his new book for an hour or so and still trying to rest a little but at around 6:00 got up for good and watched some cartoons that he could understand. We tried watching cartoons over there but it was hard. Later in the morning we got him some pancakes like he had been asking for for almost 2 weeks, since Beijing. Today he also had baseball practice and did very well. Once again great to see his friends and teammates and have some fun.

We had a few visitors today to welcome us home and help us get some things we needed for Emma. It was great to see our friends and family and for those of you we have not seen or heard from we can't wait for you to meet Emma. Give us a call and come on over. We would love to hear from all of you.

Lastly, thanks again for all of you checking out our adventures. We may not be posting quite as often for a little while as we get back to normal. Thanks again and give us a call or drop a note on e-mail, we would love to hear from all of you.

Just a note, I know some of you are having trouble posting comments. We are working on an answer. Fellow bloggers if you have any suggestions let us know. Thanks again. See you all soon.

Made In China

2007-02-15T08:32:00.000-06:00

After 17 days and about to be a total of 20,000 miles travel per person we will be arriving back in Wichita on Friday evening. The journey has been long, and at times tedious but when you see the bundle of joy we bring home you will know it was pure joy and worth every minute.

We would like to take a moment to thank each of you for sharing in our journey especially while we have been in China. It has been amazing the responses and the many people that have been following and sharing in our joy from Dallas, to Fort Worth, to Plano, TX; Dillon, CO, Minneapolis, MN; Missouri, North Carolina, Iowa; Topeka, Kansas City; Hunan, China and of course all of our friends and family in the greater Wichita area.

Just a few parting words from Guangzhou, China:

After spending these past weeks traveling and experiencing another culture up close and personal, I feel each of us have been changed by what we have learned from other families, from the people of China and from of course the reason we came, Emma.

As I have said earlier many of the people here consider the girls and boys that get adopted to be the "lucky" ones but you all know we all are the lucky ones to get to experience their innocence and joy unhindered by the life they were destined to live in an orphanage. We are truly blessed, each one of us. Through prayer and love this chapter comes to an end with a happy ending. But the story goes on and life begins anew for all of us in our new family. We still need your prayers as we all get adjusted to our new life together at home.

Lastly, a short story about our trip to Walmart in Nanning, Guangxi. Our guide who knowingly or not made a very funny joke. She said, "You will notice that all of the things in our Walmart, unlike in America, are "Made in China!" When you think about that statement many thoughts may come to mind but for me that phrase has a whole new meaning!!

We love you Emma (Made in China)

Valentines Day 2007

2007-02-14T17:56:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone. Our day was fairly uneventful except for one very important and final step in our journey to bring Emma home. Today we received her VISA, no not her credit card; but I am sure that she will be soon receiving those solicitations soon. We had to take a 45 minute bus ride through terrible traffic in the middle of nap time to get to the U.S. Consulate where we waited in a big room and waited for a lady to come talk to us for a few minutes and then we raised our right hands and took an oath affirming all of the years of paper work was correct to the best of our knowledge. We did.

We then received here VISA packet that is sealed and can't be opened by anyone but the immigration officer in our port of entry, Chicago, on Friday. This last thing was the official end of our trip. Now we are just on vacation in China with our family waiting to come home on Friday.

At the consulate no pictures were allowed and no video or electronics, so the memories will be preserved on here Chinese passport and in our hearts as the favorite valentine we received in 2007.

Later to night we will rap up our blogging from China and look forward to seeing all of you at home. It has been fun and exciting but as you might be able to tell we are all ready to come home.

A day of relaxation, February 13th

2007-02-13T07:40:00.000-06:00

Today was a free day for us. We had breakfast and headed out to do some shopping. Yes, shopping again. Scott and Jake are becoming pros! Emma and I are just along for the ride. Scott attended the checkout meeting and what to expect for tomorrows visit to the US Consulate. We get Emma Visa and then we can come home.

I had a surprise this afternoon. Can anyone guess? Scott found me enough power so I could use my flat iron. I'm back!!! Thanks babe!

We loaded up at 5:30pm for our dinner cruise. On our way to the boat we saw two different men walking monkeys on a leash. When we got to the dock we had to wait to get on. The boat had 3 levels. We were on the 2nd level and we all had window tables for viewing the city. Our ride was 2 hours long and they had a buffet dinner. Of course there was nothing that Jake would eat. But once again Dad came to the rescue. McDonald's, (they told us that the children would not like the dinner and suggested we have an alternative plan) The dinner was okay and the beer was great! The beer always seem great! We have been drinking a local brew, Tsingtao.

We're back to the hotel and everyone is tired, even Jake. Tomorrow is a big day. We go the the Buddhist Temple for a blessing in the morning and to the US Consulate in the afternoon to take an oath and receive all the documents for Emma so she can come home.

Sorry, no pictures tonight. I tried, but it was taking over 10 minutes to load just one. I will try again tomorrow.

Good night!

Red Couch Day, February 12th

2007-02-12T07:29:00.000-06:00

Our mornings are quite busy. We get started at 6:30am when Emma wakes up. She is so happy. By the time we all shower and Emma eats it is already 8:30 and time for breakfast. This photo is taken where we eat very morning.

This morning was group photo time. Looking at this picture you could only imagine the chaos. From left to right, Katie Classe, Emma, Tessa Burkle(they were in the same orphanage together), Waverly Au, Jolene Hernandez and Violet Ramsey.

All the mommies.

Two peas in a pod.

In the park, Emma meets her first dog and he was just her size.

After the group photos we went shopping. We picked up a few souvenirs and had Starbucks. Emma and Scott were all shopped out. We stopped at Lucy's Grill for lunch.

The last bit of energy for the day.

We are all ready to come home! Tomorrow is a free day for us until dinner. We are going on a River Boat Cruise. Emma is getting pretty spoiled and Jake has been such a grown-up boy. We have been doing homework about every other day if we are lucky. The last few days we have been working on math flash cards. It is now a timed game for both Scott and Jake. Jake wrapped up two books today! Hooray!! We get to start a new one tomorrow, "The Mouse and the Motorcycle".

Good night everyone!

Play Time

2007-02-11T07:28:00.000-06:00

See how I've have changed, February 11th

2007-02-11T00:12:00.000-06:00

Gotcha Day, 02/05/07

Gotcha Day, 02/05/07

First Bath, 02/06/07

Nanning Zoo, 02/07/07

Nanning Square, 02/08/07

Nanning Park, 02/09/07

White Swan Hotel Play Room, 02/10/07

Daddy's girl, 02/11/07

Saturday, February 10th

2007-02-10T08:34:00.000-06:00

The White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou bills itself as "one of the World's finest hotels". It has virtually everything you need, especially if you are adopting. It has numerous restaurants, a variety of shops, a driving range (no he has not been out on it yet...), health club, pool, night club, two lobbies, and hundreds of rooms. There are probably as many employees here as there are guests. We even have a floor attendant and their assistant.

Breakfast...what can I say, it had everything you could imagine except for what Jake wanted, waffles and pancakes. Have I told you about the rules for in line at restaurants and boarding airplanes and anything else that requires waiting in line? There are no lines, if you do not push your way to the front you will be standing there all day. Cutting in line is considered normal. Which brings us back to breakfast. We are lucky there was lots of food because every businessman from China kept butting in line. It felt like we were at the busiest intersection in China waiting to cross the street without traffic signals. Can you say road rage at breakfast?

The babies play room is wonderful. Emma loves the freedom to crawl and play with every Matel toy ever made for little people. Her favorite toy is the Elmo learning center that she can stand at. Even Jake had fun there too.

Today when we returned from having Emma's Visa photo made and the medical exam, we had a gift waiting for her. A souvenir from Matel, a Barbie, an American mom and her Chinese baby.

We ate at a good Thai restaurant with our group. The restaurant looked just like you might imagine a restaurant in China would look like. It had many beautiful Chinese lanterns hanging from the trees.

The weather was hot and humid but cooled down nicely after dinner. Smoggy during the day and as the afternoon progressed this smog lifted.

Tomorrow we go to the Jade and Pearl market.

Good night.

Jill and Scott

All about Jake!!!

2007-02-10T08:03:00.000-06:00

Climbing the Great Wall of China

Hanging out at his Summer Palace

Nothing is Forbidden in this City

Watching out for Emma at the hotel play room.
Furnished by Matel.

Eskimo kisses.

Saturday, February 10th

2007-02-10T07:31:00.000-06:00

Visa photo, coming to America.

Having coffee, chocolate milk and a bottle.

Starbucks opens on Monday, a block away from the hotel!!!

Medical Exam.

Physical exam, measurments, and ENT.

Big Brother getting it all on tape.

Eating lunch. One of her favorite foods, congee.

Friday, February 9th

2007-02-10T07:06:00.001-06:00

Today we skipped the museum trip and decided to go to the park instead. It was beautiful and the weather was great.

Zig Zag Bridge, Nanning City Park

This little boy came right up to the stroller and started pushing it with Jake. I am not sure if you can see this or not but he is wearing "split pants". These are potty training pants. They do not wear a diaper. These pants are 24/7 open access. Can you say "COMMANDO"? I won't tell you actually were the "bathroom" is.

Today was another day of firsts for Emma. She got her passport and had her first airplane ride. We sat near the front of the plane, by the end of the 45 minute flight the passengers in the back knew her well.

She has trademark "silent cry". It is quite amazing, I have never seen a baby cry mouth wide open and not one sound. She can hold her breathe for about 12 seconds with the only side affect being slightly blue lips and an ear drum piercing scream. It at first appears you are watching a silent movie because you have to swear that she is suppose to be making a sound, but there is not one. She treated the passengers of the flight to several of these.:)

It was a really long day and the kids did not get to sleep until after 10:30pm and not much of a dinner.

Thursday, February 8th

2007-02-08T08:13:00.001-06:00

Another outing...today we went to a village outside of Nanning, Yuling. It was rather interesting. I guess if there was one word to sum it all up it would be primitive. The bus dropped us off and we walked through this 1000 person town. It had dirt roads, cement floors in the homes, they grow their own vegetation and skin their own meat. One of the first things we saw was a man killing a chicken and cutting it's head right off. I'm not too interested in eating chicken anytime soon.

We all brought candy for the children of the village. Apparently, they are a custom to Americans site seeing. They know they get candy when we come. We saw the ladies in the fields tending to the crops and washing their clothes in a pond and scrubbing them on the rock. We also had an opportunity to see a home in the village. Cement floors, a well in the middle of the main room with an open ceiling and a chicken running around inside. The bed room was cramped and had a wooden bed for sleeping.

An old lady wanted to hold Emma and she did great! She is not afraid of anyone yet. The ladies loved Jacob. He even sat on a ladies lap. She said he was heavy. He was a good sport. The people there were very friendly and loved having visitors.

Tonight, we went out to dinner at a restaurant that had engagement ceremonies. Well, the Miau (minority) tradition is the lady comes and picks her groom by tugging on their ear and tapping her foot on their toe. This a sign that she wants to marry him. Well, Scott was chosen to get married. They had a ceremony, they danced on a bench, he carried her on his back and then they toasted wine. The good news is after 3 days they can back out with out

Emma is making so much progress. She turns her head when you say her name, she will let anyone hold her, she eats great and sleeps very well. She is still working on cutting in her sixth tooth. Thank goodness for Tylenol.

Jake has really changed the past several days. He is learning so much about the Chinese culture and traditions and has even learned some Chinese. He writes in his journal daily. So he does not forget a thing. He is an awesome big brother too.

Tomorrow is travel day. We travel to our last destination, Guangzhou to finalize Emma's Visa and Passport. What we hear is the White Swan Hotel, were we are staying is wonderful. May Western traditions and great shopping for souvenirs.

Talk with you all tomorrow!

Wednesday, February 7th

2007-02-08T07:41:00.000-06:00

Sorry, for not getting anything posted last night. I am was fighting for time on the computer with Scott.

Wednesday, we headed out to tour a museum here in Nanning, but when we got there it was closed for a special showing. So instead we went to the Zoo! Which is just what we all needed, fresh air!

Now this was not our zoo and it did not have any pandas, but is had dancing, bicycle riding brown bears. We saw brown bears, moneys riding bikes, a goat with a money on it's back walk a tight rope and elephants play soccer. When they first came out I thought they were people dressed like bears. But no, real brown bears.

We also saw the sea lions and dolphins. Jake was entertained and Emma liked the music.

From there we headed back to our hotel for lunch and a nap. We ventured out with another couple around 5pm to go to McDonald's for dinner. I never thought I would so happy to have something other than Chinese food. The french fries taste just like the ones back home. We also did a little shopping at the mall. I had to break down and buy a new backpack for all of Emma's stuff that we need to carry around. I guess I forgot what all you need to carry. Before we went in for the night we stopped for cake at a little bakery. The chocolate cake was awesome.

Thursday we will be traveling to a village outside of Nanning to see what "real" Chinese living is like outside of the city.

A couple of new pictures of Emma.

Tuesday, February 6th, Wrap Up

2007-02-07T00:11:00.000-06:00

After nap time, we all loaded up and headed to Wal-Mart and for all of those who know me, it is my least favorite place to shop. It looked like a Wal-Mart, crowded. Except it was in a 3 story building. The actual Wal-Mart was on the 2nd and 3rd floors. It was also very loud inside too, music playing and people trying to talk over all of the noise. We only picked up a few things, hair clips, snacks and soda. After we were done shopping we walked down the street to a McDonalds. Jake had his favorite, chicken nuggets, french fries and a chocolate shake. He said is was the best! We just had a Coke with ice. It tasted just like McDonalds back home. We enjoyed our snack outside on the square and watched all of the people.

Later that evening we went out for a group dinner. We had Chinese food. By far it has been the best we have had yet. Even Emma liked it. She ate Tofu and vegetable congee. Congee? Well is is boiled rice and water until it is almost completely broken down. Most of the time there is something added to it like chicken, pork, beef or vegetable. I has a pasty look, but tastes pretty good. She loves it.

Last night was the night of firsts...first poop and first bath. She loved her bath. She just splashed around and did not even care if I put water on her head.

Tomorrow we are going to a museum and then have the rest of the day to ourselves.

"A Simple Thank You"

2007-02-06T07:51:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all again for all of your prayers they have been answered and Emma has been well taken care of. She is adjusting well and will fit in very nicely to our family.

Today was an odd sensation. You would think yesterday with the actual meeting would be the hardest but today when we went for the ceremonies and had the opportunities to thank the orphanage workers and the director for taking such good care of Emma was actually the part I was least prepared. Could you imagine trusting someone to look after your daughter for ten very important months of her life and not even knowing who they were? All I can say is that faith plays such a strong part in making this all work. I couldn't help but know that prayers are truly answered and that there are people that God puts in our lives to do great works for us that we rarely get the chance to know except to say thank you when they are done. Today was that day to say thank you and the words were simple but they seemed to not be enough to express our gratitude, but they were all we had to offer for Emma.

The Chinese people say that these little girls from here are the lucky ones that get a family, but we all know that we will be the blessed and lucky ones for all time because of the way they have changed all of our lives for the good. We can't wait for you all to see our new gift, a gift from many people in China to many people in America. She arrived in your heart the moment you first prayed for her and she arrives in her new home on the 16th.

A word about our boy Jake: He has been magnificent and we have both found another dimension of our love for him. What a special kid he is. We have asked alot of him in this process and he has always found more than enough love and understanding to spread joy to Emma and us. I believe he is a changed person after this trip. Some of you may not recognize the grown-up little boy that comes home in a few days. We love him so much.

"Thank you" and "I love you" are two simple yet powerful phrases that I have learned say alot but always seem to fall short of expressing the overwhelming gratitude and awe inspiring love we have for those we are thanking for giving that unconditional love to our new baby girl.

Scott

Day one photos

2007-02-06T06:48:00.000-06:00

Just posted Day one photos. You will need to scroll down to see them.

Tuesday, Feb. 6th

2007-02-05T22:28:00.000-06:00

I have lost track of what day it is, so going forward I will just be using the date .:)

Life is great! What more can I say. This morning I got up around 5:15am and Jake got up at 5:45am, while Scott and Emma were still asleep, we had our time. He came and sat on my lap and told me how much he loved Emma and if we could get her up to play. He is so good with her. He is not comfortable holding her yet, but in time I am sure he will be an expert.

Today we went back to the Civil Affairs Office to be interviewed, take an oath promising to provide a loving home, education and to never leave or abuse her. Of course we all said yes. We also had a chance to talk with the Director of her orphanage. You could tell how much he loved children. I just felt like I was taking something away from him. But I know I am not, it was just emotional for me. Sad and happy all at the same time. We also exchanged gifts with them too. We received a small photo album with pictures of the orphanage, her care giver and several pictures of her. What a keepsake.

We are back in our room, Emma is napping, Scott went to the bank to exchange some money and Jake is watching Toy Story 2. Later today we are going to Wal-Mart!!!

I almost forgot to tell you, she is not as big as the last update. They must have measured and weighed her with all of her clothes on. Some of the clothes we brought fit great but everything that is 12-18 months is too big. Go figure.

Gotta run, time for lunch and then off to Wally World! Talk with you later.

Pictures - February 5th

2007-02-05T08:16:00.000-06:00

Day Five...the hand off

2007-02-05T08:13:00.000-06:00

After a three and half hour flight we arrived in Nanning, Guangxi, China at 11:30 am. The weather is much like Orlando Florida, warm and humid. Which is a change from the dry, cold weather in Beijing.

We met our Holt representative, Jane, at the airport and she gave us our instructions on what the rest of the day was going to look like. Go to hotel, check-in, eat lunch, meet her in lobby at 3:20pm, go to Civil Affairs Office, wait in a large room with the rest of the families (6 total), a lady will come in say your daughters name and we bring our Adoption Approval Letter, they match up name with child and then give her to us.

So this is how it all went down...check-in, ate a crappy lunch, went to the Civil Affairs Office, went to the large room to wait. We could hear babies crying outside our room. You just cannot help but to get choked up. Scott decides to let Jake video while he snaps the camera. By the way, Jake thinks he is the expert cinematographer. He cannot stop taking still pictures with the video camera. So we are waiting and waiting, this sweet young lady comes in and reads us this little speech asking us to love and provide a safe and happy home for our new daughter. She then introduces the two directors of the orphanages. The moment we have all been waiting for...the first little girl comes in, everyone has tears rolling down their cheeks, dressed in a red velvet shirt and snow white pants and jacket, red flowered shoes, she announced her name, Hau Ru Qin, yes we were the first. Emma is so beautiful. Her pictures have not done her any justice. The sweet innocent look with her dark brown almond shaped eyes, her ears, nose, chin, fingers are all perfect. She did not make a sound. Not one peep. She let all of us hold her. She did have a surprise for us, teeth, six of them! Two on the bottom and four on top.

Everyone is so happy. We left the Civil Affairs Office and headed back to our hotel for the rest of the day.

So far so good. She can crawl and pull herself up on the bed and in her crib. This morning before they brought her to us she had fallen and bumped her head and nose. She also has a little cold too. Of course we inspected her from head to toe. She has a birth mark on her hiney and no diaper rash. Her checks are dry and her little nose is red from her cold. Otherwise she is gorgeous!

She slept for 1½ hours and woke up with a smile! We cannot wait for everyone to meet her. Talk with you tomorrow.

Day Five - Morning

2007-02-04T13:18:00.000-06:00

Today is E Day! aka, get Emma in our arms day!

It's 3am and no one has slept well. For me, I was just worried we would miss our flight. We are leaving our hotel at 5:30am, however, our luggage is to be outside of our hotel door at 5am for pick-up and we have to check out. Now you would think that would not be a big deal, but here in China check out is a production. They physically send someone up to your room to check the mini bar to see if you have used anything before they finalize your bill.

It is a 3 hour flight to Nanning. So I hope we have a little shut eye then.

I forgot to tell you we had Pizza Hut pizza for dinner last night. It was pretty good. For dessert we had Hagen Daas Ice Cream. Yummy!

I am heading to the shower. Talk with you all later. Miss you!

Pictures problems

2007-02-04T06:59:00.000-06:00

Still working on an alternative method of posting pictures. It is just taking too long to add them to the blog. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Day Four

2007-02-04T06:46:00.000-06:00

I think we have the sleeping in thing figured out. Today Jake did not wake up until 5am and yesterday he was up at 3am. Tomorrow, travel day, we are leaving our hotel at 5am. So no sleeping in!

Today was the orientation meeting. Primarily logistics, the boring stuff for Jake. But there were some facts about China as well. At the end of our session they were showing pictures of all the girls from each provience and they asked us to raise our hand when our daughters picture showed up on the screen. Talk about being nervous. When Emma's photo showed up we were not sure if it was her or not until her name appeared, like many other parents. My has she grown. We also received a beautiful red silk covered book with updated information about Emma. She loves playing with water doing and outdoor activities. So she will love grandpa and grandma's pool and the lake. She can crawl and stand with assistance. She likes to sleep with someone, in the dark and in a quiet environment for about 9 hours. (we'll see) She still feeds with a bottle and loves music.

Emma, January 18th, 2007

We did go to Tienanmen Square and to the Temple of Heaven. Both places were crowded with people. We took several pictures, but would have like to stayed a bit longer and do some people watching. I had a little Chinese girl approach me at Tienanmen Square and she introduced herself both Chinese name and her American name, Barbara, and welcomed me to Beijing. I did get her to let me video her. We will get it posted soon.

Otherwise, we are glad to have a chance to slow down a bit, but I am sure we will still be busy, but a different type of bus

Day Three

2007-02-03T05:47:00.000-06:00

It's the 3rd day and I have not mentioned our hotel. Our room is a perfect size, the bed is very firm. It looks like and feels like box springs. We only get three English channels, HBO, Cinamax and BBC. Actually it has been nice not to have the TV on at all. The bathroom is much like bathrooms in hotels in the states. The lights in the room only work when you have your door key in a slot just inside of the door. Breakfast was delicious today as well. Still no flat iron. :(

Today we went to the Great Wall of China. It was built in 1475 – 221 BC. It is almost 4,000 miles long. We took the short and hard trip, approximately 1 mile up and back, which is the badaling section. Also the most frequented section of the wall. There are two sides to choose from, long and easy or short and hard. With a stone floor and steps, the elevation grew as we climbed the wall. The interesting thing about the steps is that they were not the same height, every step was different. It was extremely windy and very cold too. While we were at the wall, Jake had his picture taken twice by Chinese families. I guess the love Americans.

We also we to a factory where Cloisten or Cloistors are made. We are not really sure which it is but, the make the pots from copper. They glue on the design with copper wire which create the pattern and then fill each section with liquid porcelain. Then the pots are fired/baker and refilled with liquid porcelain. Fired/baked again, sanded with stone and polished with charcoal to make it shine. The last phase of this process is to all gold through electro plating.

We had another Chinese meal. Everything was pretty good. Jake did not eat a thing, the second day in a row. After lunch we had the opportunity to shop for a pot. We did buy a small pot and it is beautiful.

Back to the bus, we then headed to “old” Beijing. Where the streets are narrow. We rode in a rickshaw, a three wheeled bicycle with a rickshaw basket. This was Jake's favorite thing today. He giggled the entire trip. We also toured someones home. It was a small 3 room home. They had two live grasshoppers, straw crickets and 9 fish as pets. Freaky!

We did not miss dinner tonight. Scott had a tenderloin, Jake had spaghetti and I had pizza. Off to another nights sleep. We hope to sleep until 5am.

We have met 4 or the 5 families going to our province. Tomorrow we have our orientation meeting and tour of the Tian An Men Square and Temple of Heaven. Should be a busy day.

Day Two

2007-02-02T18:06:00.000-06:00

We, oops, me, encountered my first problem, the outlet converter would not work, therefore I could not use my flat iron. So my first day I had bad hair and for those of you who know me well that is a huge problem. I am sure Scott will figure something out, my knight in shinning armour.

Breakfast was awesome! Omelets, bacon, waffles, pancakes, lots of fruit, and the best croissants I have ever had. We left at 8:30am to go see the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. Both places were completely breathe taking. The Forbidden City was built in 1420 and has several buildings under renovation in order to prepare for the Olympics in 2008. The Summer Palace was serene. Even though nothing was in bloom the art was magnificent. On our way back to the hotel we drove by where the Olympic Stadium is being built. It was something else.

We did lots of walking. Jake was tuckered out and so were we. He fell asleep on the bus on the way back to the hotel. He walked back to our room and he never saw the light of day until 3:00 the next morning. Well for us, I started looking through some papers they gave us and Scott and I were asleep by 5:30pm and did not get up until Jake woke us up at 3am. Needless to say we had a hungry kid on our hands. Good thing we brought snacks.

I am working on loading our photos but it is taking a long time. I will work on this tonight.

Day One Photos

2007-02-02T17:56:00.000-06:00

All of our bags.

In the Wichita Airport

Finally asleep.

2am on day one.

Day One

2007-02-01T17:54:00.000-06:00

It is 2:30 am February 2nd and Jake cannot sleep. So I put a movie in for Jake and I'll share with you what our Day 1 was like.

Our day started out very early. We left our house at 6am and dad dropped us off at the airport. We all had butterflies in our stomach. Our flight was a bit delayed in Wichita, it had to be deiced due to the snow fall we had that morning. Two inches within 2 hours, cold and wet. We landed in Chicago around 10:15am and on our way in from the tar mack Jake slipped and fell into the slushy, ice melt dirty snow. Thankfully we were close to a bathroom so Scott and him wiped him down with little residue on his clothes. While I took care of his backpack, Tugger, the black stuffed dog that looks like Tucker, Shelley's dog, which had his head sticking out of it was wet too. Everyone is dry now, on to our next gate. Of course there was a Starbucks on our way and I treated myself to my favorite drink. We then stopped at Chili's for a snack.

Our flight to Beijing was not full at all. When we checked in in Wichita the agent suggested we upgrade to the Economy Plus for more leg room. What a great investment. You would not believe how much 5 inches really is until you sit down. It was awesome! We got settled in and up we went. My gosh, my butt flatted out at least 3 inches from sitting down for such a long time.

Food, food and more food. It seemed like very time we turned around they were serving snacks, drinks, lunch, snacks, dinner and water throughout the entire flight. The food was pretty good too, except for the green beans and carrots. It never failed, every time we were served our meal Jake had to go to the bathroom.

Scott and I cat napped off and on during the first 5 hours and Jake, he just played his GameBoy, looked at his homework, but too tired to concentrate and watched a couple of movies. Finally, at 9:30pm CST he gave in and went to sleep. Once Jake fell asleep so did we. We woke up to our last meal, lunch, 1am CST. We landed at 2:15 CST, 4:15pm, February 1st in Beijing. Customs was a breeze and we did not wait too long for our bags. We meet up with 4 families and headed to our hotel, which is beautiful. We got checked in, exchanged some money and dropped our things off in our room, and you guessed it, we went and ate. I guess it was dinner, 7:30pm Beijing, we ate a traditional meal, for us that is, pizza and pasta. It too was pretty good. No ice in our glasses, just cold soda.

Back to our room, we got settled in and off to bed. Everyone is very tired and Scott is still not feeling well. He has got quite a head cold. Hopefully after a long nights sleep he will be felling better in the morning.

Today, February 2nd we will have breakfast (we are told it is awesome, I'll let you know tomorrow), we meet up with our group at 8:30am to start some site seeing. We are going to the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace.

We'll download and post our pictures today.

Take care!

Emma Update

2007-01-27T15:36:00.000-06:00

We received an update on Emma Wednesday evening. She is growing! Emma is now weighing in at 19 pounds, 30 inches long and her foot is 4 1/4 inches long. Needless to say has already grown out of her clothes we have bought!

Late Wednesday evening we measured all of her clothes and many of them were too short. I said "she will just have lots of Capri's" and Scott said "take them back". So we packed everything up and returned and bought new clothes on Thursday. We bought 12 month clothes and size 4 shoes.

I am not sure who is having more fun shopping Scott or myself. The way I see it, Scott is definitely having more fun.

Early New Year's Resolution

2007-01-10T22:57:00.000-06:00

In early December we joined the YMCA. If you have not been out to the new building on 21st St. you should. It is awesome. We go 3-4 times a week, except for when we were down with colds. Jake is working on mastering the Rock Wall. I am working out with a friend from work. It sure has been nice to have someone hold you accountable. Scott is still running. He is working towards running the 1/2 marathon in September. If you are a member, let us know Jake is always looking for someone to go with us. It is so much more fun with a friend.

We have all really enjoyed going to the gym together as a family.

Travel Dates

2007-01-10T22:30:00.000-06:00

We have our travel dates. We leave on January 31st and arrive in Beijing on February 1st. We will fly to Chicago and then directly to Beijing. About 13 hours in the air. What on earth will we do? We will do some site seeing in Beijing. Those plans are still being worked out. We meet with our group on February 3rd and we get Emma February 5th! On Valentine's Day Emma gets her Visa and then we get to come home on February 16th. (no open seats on Feb. 15th) We will fly out of Hong Kong to Chicago and then home. We are counting down the days.

January 2nd...

2007-01-10T22:14:00.000-06:00

It's been 10 days since Jake started feeling bad. We thought he was on the road to recovery and then he took a turn for the worst. Dr. Barker wanted to see him, she thought his sore throat was from the drainage, no, strep throat. So now he is on antibiotics for 10 days and has to miss his first day back to school after break.

New Year's Eve

2007-01-10T22:07:00.000-06:00

We headed up to the Lamunyon's home (Jake was with Grandpa and Grandma) for Poker Night. Shelley and Maurice joined us. We had Mort's Bloody Marys and many other drink concoctions plus several yummy dishes. I think we gained 5 pound in one night alone. We played Texas Hold 'em and shuffle board. (not the kind on a cruise ship) Scott and I were awesome partners. We figured out what we had to do to keep the puck on the board. This usually involved swinging your hips one way or another. We had a blast!

Thanks for a great time Derek and Karen!!

Christmas Day

2007-01-10T21:52:00.000-06:00

Ever since Jake was born, Scott and I are committed to being at our home on Christmas morning. We get up before Jake, shower and get ready for the day. This Christmas Day, Jake was still is not feeling well. He always opens Santa gifts first and then we worked on all the others. Would you believe Santa even brought a gift for Emma. A beautiful pearl and pink crystal bracelet with her name. Jake thought Santa did a really good job. Thanks Santa!

We went to Mom and Dad's for brunch. Of course we have a traditional meal then too. Mom's famous egg casserole, cinnamon rolls, sausage, Mimosa's and coffee. (the kids have hot chocolate)

Jake was really feeling bad by then. The poor guy stayed on the couch for the entire day. His favorite thing about the day was that we allowed him to play his Gameboy all day long.

Not feeling well...

2007-01-10T21:40:00.000-06:00

It was Saturday before Christmas Jake and Scott went to the mall to visit Santa. When they got home Jake was asking if he could go lay down. I knew something was wrong. He said he did not feel well. The next morning he was in bad shape. He laid around all day while we put the finishing touches on our house. i.e. picking up, dusting, vacuuming (sounded better than cleaning) We were fighting with a fever for most of the day. Poor guy, he really did not feel well. He is such a trooper. This picture is of him sleeping on Christmas Eve.
Would you believe he was up at 1:15am Christmas morning? Santa had already been to our house. I did not think we (oops, ME) would ever get him back to sleep.

Twas the night before Christmas

2006-12-24T22:41:00.000-06:00

Mom, Dad, Shelley, Maurice, Tyree, Corina joined us for Candlelight Service at church. It was beautiful. We then came back to our house for the traditional Christmas Eve eats. Mom's famous stuffed mushrooms and several different appetizers along with some really yummy wine. (accept for mom, she likes the sweet stuff) We played our "new" favorite family game, Pictionary. Jake is really good at this game.

Last year we started a new family tradition for Christmas Eve, the exchange of pajamas. Of course Scott got the sparkly red thong underwear again this year. Sorry no pictures. I am not sure why there are none? Everyone looks forward to getting new pajamas!

Family and Friends...

2006-12-22T21:12:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our friends and family.

2006 has been another blessed year for our family.

Jake continues to enjoy school and his new neighborhood and friends. He began the year by finishing his basketball season on a high note. His team took second and he learned a lot of new things about teamwork and hard work. He had a good baseball season and continued to have his ups and downs throughout the season. He started the year playing 3rd base and finished playing 2nd base. Next year we begin kid pitch. Heads up batter!! We went on our annual ski trip to Winter Park, CO and he really had a blast and got so good that by the end he was almost skiing better than us. The summer finished with our annual trip to Beaver Lake, AR. Jake amazed us both by deciding that he was going to put his own skis on and get up on his water skis without help. After a couple of tries he was off. Also, he learned to kneeboard forward and backward this summer too.

As second grade began Jake went through his normal adjustment period. Over the last month or so he has taken to reading “chapter books” and can’t get enough of new words, new characters, and wants to buy or check out new books daily. He loves his teacher Miss Cannady and she is doing a great job encouraging him with all of his work.

Jill has had an interesting year. She fell on our last run on our last day of skiing in March. Six weeks later, after a painful 9 hour car ride from Colorado, Jill had ligament replacement surgery (ACL) which went well and she was up and around a few weeks later. She still works at Bank of America but now has moved closer to home and works on the west side of town with a large, diverse team. At times it has been challenging but she perseveres for the sake of all her customers whom she loves and looks forward to seeing whenever they come to visit her.

Scott has continued his work at Pfizer. He is about to finish his 6th year. There have been challenging times as the company makes major changes in personnel again next year. He continues to love coaching Jake’s baseball and basketball teams. When he is not coaching or working he has been doing some running. He completed his goal of finishing the Turkey Trot, a 10 mile run, in less than ninety minutes. He looks forward to getting ready for the Wichita half marathon next September. Oh yea he turned 40!!

Our family is about to be completed, as many of you know we received our adoption match on her eighth month birthday, November 30th. Baby Emma will be able to come home with us around the first of February. It will be a two week trip for the whole family.

Merry Christmas and thanks again for your thoughts and prayers

Scott, Jill, Jacob and Emma

Hi everyone, my name is Ruqin, aka Emma!!

2006-12-04T19:39:00.000-06:00

Hi my name is Ruqin (pronounced RooChin), aka Emma.

I just wanted to introduce myself to all of my new family and friends and say hello from Quangxi Province in southeast China.

I was born on March 30, 2006 and just turned 8 months old on the day my new mom and dad were notified about me. I will be coming home around February 1st of 2007.

I weigh about 15 lbs and am about 31 inches long. I love to laugh alot, play with my red ball toy and generally enjoy life sleeping, eating and playing my way through each day. As you can see I work out doing push-ups and am working on my crawling for some cardio 5-7 days a week for about 30-60 minutes :)

Although, I am on the opposite side of the world from my mom and dad, I am not scared. I know God has sent an army of angels to look out for me until mom and dad get her. I sure hope they hurry. I can't wait to see my big brother Jake. I heard he has been very excited and has been letting everyone know as much as he can about me. I love you Jake.

I want to also say thank you for all of the prayers even when you didn't know exactly who I was. I can feel them every night and it helps me to sleep peacefully.

Once again, thank you and I love you Mom, Dad and Jake.

Emma

No school today...

2006-11-30T20:36:00.000-06:00

It's snowing!
Our first snow came today! It's beautiful!
No pictures today. I'll try to take some tomorrow.

Look who's turning 30...

2006-11-30T20:28:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Taffy!

Thanks for including me in on all the fun!

Looks like we both need some lips!

Pooper Scooper...

2006-11-30T20:24:00.000-06:00

Always making sure your yard looks great.

Love ya Jamie!

Have you written your Christmas List?

2006-11-30T20:19:00.000-06:00

Jake has. He adds more stuff daily.

Thanksgiving 2006

2006-11-30T19:32:00.000-06:00

My parents, Shelley, Maurice and the kids joined us for lunch, it was so yummy! Especially the "Paula Dean" (my favorite Food Network chef) marshmallow surrounded with sweet potatoes rolled in brown sugar, coconut and cinnamon. Is your mouth watering yet?

The weather was great for football, basketball, Cranium and Pictionary. (Maurice performing the "crab" walk and Jake drawing his pictionary word)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2006-11-19T21:20:00.000-06:00

The holiday's have arrived. We are ready to cook the bird for Thanksgiving(one of Jake's spelling words) and we are ready for our favorite time of year too.!

We got lights! Yes, our Christmas lights are up and we have power. Be sure to come by and look!

Looks like "Juan", our light boy, needs to replace a few bulbs!

Turkey Trot

2006-11-19T21:13:00.000-06:00

Many of you probably did not know that Scott has been training for the Turkey Trot a 10 mile run. Saturday he ran further than ever before. Even though he had been training, he never ran 10 miles all at one time. Thankfully he survived, with Jake, Grandma and Grandpa cheering him on at the finish line.

Great job babe! I am so proud of you!

Heart of America

2006-11-19T20:51:00.000-06:00

Last Tuesday was Jake's Music program, The Heart of America.

They learned what a Vet was, a Veteran, not a veterinarian, the Star Spangled Banner and how to respect our beautiful flag.

They sang the Star Spangled Banner, It's a Grand o' Flag, America the Beautiful, and Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Emma update...

2006-11-12T20:55:00.000-06:00

We received our last update last week. It looks like we should receive our match no later than the end of the month. When this happens, we should be traveling to China sometime in late January. Keep us in your prayers.

"Tip Off"

2006-11-12T20:33:00.000-06:00

Saturday was the "Tip Off" to the

2006 Magic Basketball season.

"Play as a team, Win as a team"

Trick or Treating at Grandma and Grandpa's

2006-11-12T20:25:00.000-06:00

Grandpa and Grandma went a little overboard with the Halloween treats this year. Jake came home with the "new" Star Wars Lego PlayStation game and some really cool football cards. According to Maurice, he has some cards that will be worth some bucks someday.

Scary Guy (Tyree), Storm Trooper (Jake) and Rocker Chick (Corina)

BOO!!!

2006-11-12T19:16:00.000-06:00

Everyone had a fun time Halloween night. We started with our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Oops, we forgot our camera. We carved our pumpkins at the Prophet Annual Pumpkin Carving Party. Scott cheated and and gutted our pumpkins before we got there.

I am sure you are not surprised that picking out a costume is quite the ordeal. Thankfully, everyone agreed on the Star Wars Storm Trooper. For those of you who are not Star Wars fans, it is the white guy.

School party too. Dad got his first school party experience. Which included taking treats, picking up special drinks and cleaning up after 22 2nd graders.

Last but not least, Trick or Treating with the neighborhood kids.

We have another pitcher in our family!

2006-10-18T22:17:00.000-05:00

We wrapped up Fall Ball a couple of Sunday's ago.

The boys are moving to a new division next year, kid pitch. So Scott and the other coaches have been working with the boys on their pitching, hitting and fielding.

Fall Ball was for only 7 days over a 4 week period. It was amazing how they improved in just a short amount of time. Jake has been working on his pitching too. He wants to be just like his dad. Even though he frustrates Scott at times. He sure loves to make his dad proud.

Great Grandpa Frank

2006-10-18T21:55:00.000-05:00

The morning of October 1st, we received a call that Scott's grandfather had passed away. Thankfully he did not suffer and peacefully left our world to be with God.

On Thursday, October 5th, we celebrated Frank's life. We drove to St. Mary's Kansas for the service and burial.

Jake went in and viewed the body with Scott and he said that Great Grandpa Frank was not in the body, he was in heaven with God. If you could only imagine how proud we are of Jake. Even though he did not see his great grand parents very often. He sure loves them.

Great Grandpa Frank, Brandon and Jake.

Lordy, Lordy Looks Who's 40

2006-10-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

Yes, you guessed it. Scott turned 40 today.

Happy Birthday honey!

The past several weeks I had been planning a surprise party for Scott. My gosh, I had forgotten how much work it was to pull a party together, especially a surprise party. I cannot even remember the last time I had to lie. I managed to involve my parents, sister, our neighbors and even someone from the church. (I had to have a plan to get Scott to church, just in case my plan backfired)

Thanks to everyone who helped me pull this off.

Party Pics

Scott showing off his new "Wolf" necklace and John Frederick.

Thanks Michael for being our cook for the evening.

The burgers and hot links were AWESOME!

Our neighbor, Jamie Lewis.

Scott and the boys!

Kaden, Hunter, Jacob, Jordan and Jake.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Just getting started...

2006-09-19T21:55:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago Scott and I had dinner with some new friends, Bryce and Stacy. During our conversation, Stacy was telling me about this site she puts stories and pictures on so her family and friends could keep up with their busy life and their growing son, Mav.

So with several visits to The Guinn Report and other sites, I convinced Scott that this would be a great idea for us.

We hope you enjoy spending time with us.