Andrew is 3!

On Friday, April 26th, Andrew turned 3 years old. We went to the zoo and spent the day riding the train and the carousel. We had a blast being together!

As you'll notice, we are trying to teach Andrew to smile while showing his teeth. We had so many crazy funny photos by the end of the day. Some are posted below.

Running ahead to view everything:

Feeding the giraffe:

Look at his face!

He was SQUEALING with delight!!

Love bugs:

Dinosaur Land = 

Scared boy:

Scared girl:

Fearless Pappy:

After the tears from the roaring dinosaurs,

we went back to the carousel for smiles:

Practicing blowing out the candle:

New scooter:

New tricycle:

Soon to be Mr. Independent--once

he can fully reach the pedals.

Happy Birthday, big boy!

It was wonderful spending the day with you!!

We love you bunches!!!!!

Sand-box-lovin'-boy

Andrew can easily occupy himself for an hour at a time like this:

Imaginative play.

I love it!

(It makes homeschooling Cherish much easier, too.J)

Hope's Care Package

Today we mailed out a care package to Hope.

Our agency suggested making it no larger than an average-size shoe box, so that the box would not get stuck in customs.

So, here's what we could fit in the little box: a soft bunny, two disposable cameras (so the nannies can take pictures of Hope with her friends, etc.), a toothbrush, barrettes, a necklace, a jacket, and a dress.

Also included: a photo album of our family--marked with "father", "mother", "big sister", and "little bother" (in Chinese, of course). We are hoping Hope's nannies go through the album with her until she understands that we are her new family. We even put in two pictures of her, so she can understand she is now in our family.

We pray our daughter realizes she is wanted and loved.

A Special "Shout Out"...

...of THANK YOU to our friend, Louise, who so lovingly--and surprisingly--made our children "Tooth Fairy" pillows! She made the pillows with a pocket in the back for the teeth our children loose, and the pillows are so beautifully made!

And, they came just in time:

the same weekend our daughter lost one of her front teeth!

Last pictures with her baby teeth:

And, it's out: 

Thanks, Ms. Louise, for making her night so special!! 

We all love you, Louise!!

We found our daughter!!

Introducing:
HOPE

Age: 3

Birthdate: May 2, 2009

Pingdingshan, Henan Province

(same province as Andrew, but different orphanage)

The orphanage wrote:

"She is very obedient around people she's familiar with and very close with them. When she encounters a stranger, she will be quite shy but will quickly warm up and will actively want you to hold her and play together with her. She does not have any adversaries. In her heart she is quite fragile.

She is very obedient towards the older girls. Every night she has one arduous task and that is to feed milk to a baby. When you look at her little hands, one is holding a milk bottle, while the other is holding the baby's head up...."

This is our little girl.

A sweet playmate and roommate for Cherish;

a tender "big sister" for Andrew.

♥♥♥