Kenli's Korner

Not the same child

2011-06-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

While some of this looks the same--- let me assure you it's not!

Yes, its the same railraod tracks, the same hobo stick, and even the same beloved brown bear...

But this far from the same child!!

Now this child is young girl who misses nothing. This "child" is learning to read, knows how swim and ice skate, is strongly opinionated regarding her clothing attire, claims to know who her Mother-in-law will be, already has her wedding planned ( including the cake). She thinks the entire world is here to meet her needs at a moments notice, and has her parents firmly under her control.

But this child also now knows the meaning of family, what sharing and loving is about, and how wonderful friends are. This child knows who JESUS is and how much he loves her and she wants to tell others about His love for them. This child gets in the car and asks to sing some "Jesus music", because it makes her happy. This child talks constantly about what Heaven will be like, and how happy her Papaw Keith must be up there in that place with Jesus.

No, this is not the same child from those first pictures on the railroad- she has changed and grown and continues to inspire me every day to be more, to see the world thru new eyes, to trust and love with my whole heart.

This child spends her days growing and learning in awe--- but oh what she teaches me!!!

videos of skating progress

2011-03-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

Olympic Bound!

2011-03-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

Kenli has decided that ice skating is her thing- and she is proving to be quite good at it. She completely skipped Snow plow 1 class and after starting half way thru the session, still passed snow plow 2.

Spicy Girls at the Beach

2010-08-04T13:02:00.001-07:00

Our 2nd day in Chicago, we headed to the beach. All the girls were "digging to China", and then burying each other in the hole.

Charlotte

Kenli and "spicy boy" Jackson

Chicago

2010-08-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

We are home from our Spicy Girl Reunion. The girls (and parents too) had such a wonderful time. Thought we would share a few pictures from our trip.
We were so glad to finally see this sign:

Our first glimpse of the Sears Tower:

We had lunch at my favorite resturant. I had been promising Kenli since my trip to Vegas to take her to the Rain Forest Cafe. So as soon as we got checked in to our hotel, we were off to lunch in the Amazon.

Upon arriving back from lunch, Sarah was just checking in at the hotel. Kenli and Sarah had some one on one play time before the others arrived.

Not much later we found that Charlotte and Ella had arrived as well. And then there were four.

This is Spicy Charlotte from Minnesota. Her birthday is just one day before Kenli's.

This is Spicy Sarah from Missouri:

And Spicy Ella from Texas:

It always amazes me how well the girls get along. They act like they have never been apart. You would think it might take them a little while to warm up to each other- as most are that way at home- But not these spicy sisters. I suppose the bond they share is stronger they we will ever understand. They were each others first family. And now we are all "family" .

A day with Audrey

2010-07-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

We are headed to Chicago for our 2nd "Spicy Girl Reunion". Kenli was really sick during the renuion last year. She hasn't had anything more than a runny nose all year and the morning we are leaving-- 103.6 temp!!! Just lovely. a quick trip to the Dr., a Dx of an ear infection, and a bottle of antibiotics later, and off we go!!

We stopped in Cincinnati at Chuck E Cheese for a playdate with Audrey. Here they are enjoying a virtual roller coaster ride.

They had a blast!!

Chicago-- here we come!!

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-03T14:28:00.001-07:00

A look back at the past years: 2008:

2009:

And 2010: Oh how she's changed. My baby is growing up so fast.

Happy Forth of July to all of our family and friends both near and far!!!

A few days at the lake

2010-07-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

We spent a few days camping at the lake, and boy does that wear a Baba and Gnatty out!! I caught them napping on the boat.

Kelsi and Kenli fishing for "mintos" (minnows). Or maybe just playing in the mud

Kenli rode an intertube behind the boat all by herself. Yeah Kenli!!
(Even sometimes with no hands)

Lovin' this

It was Kenli and Gnatty's job to supervise while Kelsi rode- Gnatty was EXTRA vigilant!!

Swim, Swim, Swim

2010-06-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

Kenli is swimming!!

We are sooo proud.

She finally put it all together and took off on her own yesterday.

She even "dives" down for quarters-- but still needs a little help getting to the bottom.

More quarters:

I love this underwater shot

3 years old and swimming- this kid amazes me!

Swingset

2010-04-22T15:57:00.001-07:00

Kenli has been waiting quite patiently for over a year on a swingset.

Complete with a rock wall and a "twisty" slide!

Gnatty really likes the addition of the rock wall- it allowes her access to the upper level.

Many Many hours of play time- even in the very early morning hours!!

Kenli had Grandma on it before we had it all installed.

Trinity Tots Trike-a-thon

2010-04-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today was Trinity Tots "Trike-a-thon" for The Relay for Life. The kiddos had so much fun!

Kenli thinks she is ready to take her training wheels off- but I'm not too sure about that.

Even in the tub

2010-02-22T17:03:00.000-08:00

Kenli is the only person I know that can manage to get dirtier in the bathtub

This was with the help of a bathtub crayon-- now off to give yet another bath!!

ariel

2010-02-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

Daddy Daughter Dance 2010

2010-02-07T12:29:00.001-08:00

Last night was our cities annual Daddy Daughter DanceKenli was so excited

She even talked her Baba into a tie!!

Have you hugged your squirrel today?

2010-01-20T16:17:00.000-08:00

It is National Squirrel Appreciation Day, so today is all about our furry family member "Cedar". Cedar came into our lives at about 10 days old, back in August. He had a rough start in life- (and a really really rough time at 3mths old), but he continues to grow and thrive. He will be reintroduced to the outdoors in the spring.

Here's an action shot. Have you ever tried to take a picture of a really active squirrel?

Stealing treats out of my pocket:

Happy Squirrel Day!!

A conversation with Kenli

2010-01-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

Mama: "Where does milk come from?"

Kenli: " from cows"

Mama: "how do you get the milk out?"

Kenli: " Well- you have to pull it's tail. That's how."

Preschool Pictures

2010-01-07T07:11:00.001-08:00

How cute- I love it!!

Its beginning to look alot like Christmas

2009-11-26T15:14:00.000-08:00

This is the third holiday season with our Angel....

Every year Baba lets her put the angel on top of the Christmas Tree

okay... maybe angel is the wrong word-

But she is really really cute!

New Piggies

2009-11-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Galye invited Kenli down to visit with the new piggies. She loves to help feed all the animals and collect the eggs. Here is a picture of Babe with her 9 babies, they are 2 wks old. They are sooo cute. Kenli even got to hold one of the piglets.

Feeding the chickens

Hangin' out

Gotcha Day!!

2009-10-27T09:11:00.001-07:00

We had 2 posts from this day- and what an incredible day it was!!

One last road to travel...

One last way to go...

One more day to forever...

just to let you know...

The wait is finally over..

the journey now is through...

And now this comes to let you know...

Dreams really do come true.- unknown

We are up really early, too excited to sleep. Kenli should be leaving her orphanage soon to begin her journey to us. To everyone following this journal, please say an extra prayer for Kenli today. I can't even begin to imagine how overwhelming this day will be for her. She is facing a 4 hr ride even though she most likely hasn't been outside of the orphanage since 2 days old or ever been in a car.The sights will too much for her to process as she looks out the window. New sounds and smells will overtake her; then she will be handed off to complete strangers who look and sound like no one she has ever been around before. I truely can't imagine how hard this day will be for her. While we have spent the past 2 years, thinking about, praying for, and longing to hold her- the same doesn't hold true for her. And while we know that she is headed to a wonderful home where she will be loved and held and never again be cold, hungry, or lonely, she will only know overwhelming fear of these complete strangers. We ask that you pray that we will be able to comfort her in her times of distress, And that she will quickly bond to her forever family, realizing how much she is truely loved. We speak daily of what a miracle and blessing this child really is. We have waited for her for 2 and 1/2 years and now... today will become a reality. Matthew 17:20 says "If you have faith as a grain of a mustard seed... nothing shall be impossible to you." Today that will evident as we start a new journey. Thanks to everyone for your love and support, Kenli has the biggest fan club of anyone I know. Only 5 hrs to"Gotcha Day". Love, Amy

Then a later post:

Life is not measured in the number of breaths you take- but in the moments that take your breath away... Today was breath taking!!! What an amazing journey this has been.We arrived at the civil affairs office before the babies. When they walked in, we recogonized Kenli right away. She took one good look around and began to cry, then cried harder and harder until they had to take her into the hall to attempt to calm her down because she was upsetting all the other babies. All this BEFORE we got her, and things went downhill from there. After they handed her off to us, she was unconsolable. Thrashing her head, arching her back, snot bubbles and all. It was horrible to not be able to comfort her in any way. This continued on the bus all the way back to the hotel. But once we got back to the hotel and took a few layers of clothes off, she began to calm down. I know everyone's prayers were working because within about 30 mins, she was happy and giggling. We have had an amazing day with Kenli, she seems to be bonding well to both of us and will reach for us to hold her. She can walk quite well and has made about 20 laps around the hotel hallway and had a trip to the hotel playroom. She has wavy hair and lots of it. She had her first bath and did quite well with that. She doesn't seem to care too much for her bottles, but ate half of a bannana and some rice congee. We didn't get that many pictures from today, we are having some trouble with our camera, but we did get everything on video. I know everyone is waiting to see more pictures and hopefully that will happen tomorrow. I can tell you that she is beautiful. The day ended with fireworks outside our hotel room window. We aren't sure what the fireworks were originally scheduled for, but as we videoed Kenli watching them, we told her it was all of China celebrating her gotcha day with us. At least that is what it felt like for us. To all of the families still waiting, know that while the wait is incredibly hard, it is all worth it in the end. All children come for God, for the some the journey home just takes a little longer. We know that Kenli is the one God has been planning to be our daughter and his timing is perfect.

Ms. Wu, the assistant orphanage director, handed us our dream.

Kenli still speaks of Ms. Wu and always says her name when she sees her in a picture. It is comforting to know that her first home holds happy memories for her.

First bath

Getting to know Baba

Today, two years later, I still find it hard to put this day into words. It is truely unexplainable to anyone who hasn't experienced it. This is probably why I feel such a strong bond to our travel group, our extended "spicy family". They lived this day with us, they felt what we felt, and cried as we cried. While we were strangers just a few months before this day, on October 29th, 2007, we became and always will be family.

On this day, our journey with Kenli began. She continues to amaze us every day. She is truely a blessing to us and everyone she comes in contact with.

2 yrs ago today- Changsha

2009-10-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

In honor of this week's trip now memory lane, I pulled out our old website's CD and will add that day's post here:
Today we flew to Changsha, capitol of Hunan. We left he hotel at 5:30 am and arrived in Changsha at 10:00. The Dolton hotel is beautiful- and what a site to open the hotel room door and see a crib!!! It almost doesn't seem real. We walked today to a local supermarket and bought formula and rice cereal that Kenli has been eating. We also found a McDonald's that is about a 20 min walk from the hotel. They had fried pies-- in pineapple and green pea flavor.. but Mcdonald's fries are good anywhere. There are alot of street vendors in the area, including one that was selling ducks (that were still quacking). I asked Ira to buy the ducks so we could set them free- but that didn't go over very well. We went to dinner at local resturant to try out traditional, spicy, Hunan food- our last dinner without Kenli. We are apparently very interesting to the local people. Michelle says there are not very many Americans in this area. Two little boys walked up to Ira and said something in Chinese... my interpretation was " did you see that giant"!! The local people in this area don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese, they have their own special dialect, so even our guide sometimes has a hard time communicating. We leave the hotel at 9:30 in the morning to go to the civil affairs building. We are scheduled to get Kenli at 10:30 am and will post pictures as soon as we can. Love, Amy and Ira

Arriving at the Changsha airport

A crib in our room!!!

View from our hotel room window on the 31st floor.

local street vendors

Poor ducks!

meat dept at supermarket

Forgot to add our breakfast menu: Green bean porridge, rice congee, steamed eggs, potato mash porridge, steamed asparagus, sushi, sauteed spagetthi, and had a goldfish swimming in a bowl beside the spagetthi. Interesting!

Our first day in China- 2 yrs ago

2009-10-26T06:52:00.001-07:00

We arrived in China really late- about 6 hrs later than planned. We were stuck in Tokyo for what seemed like forever because the Beijing airport was closed due to smog. That was the worst part of the travel for me- this close to my final destination- and waiting once again!! But we finally arrived after about 28hrs of travel, and had a full day ahead in Beijing. We went first to Tinamen Square; This is a shot of the official count down to the 2008 Olympics: Us in front of Tinamen Square

A group photo in front of The Forbidden City

This is Michelle, our guide, she was so incredible. She took such great care of us, and made our trip so much easier. She did a wonderful job!

This is the "love tree", inside the Forbidden City. Legendary for married couples to be photographed beneath its entwined limbs.

My first experience with a squatty potty

Ira indulged me for this photo

Our first glimpse of the Great Wall:

And the climb begins:

Funny- but oh so true!

The fall colors were amazing

Adding our lock to many others who had come before us.( another famous Chinese tradition)

Pro0f that we made it to the top-- Ira kept saying "Amy do you need to stop- your face is getting really red"

A truely amazing day. China is a beautiful country with so much history. The next day we were scheduled to fly to Changsha, Hunan-- one step closer to Kenli.

2 yrs ago..

2009-10-25T06:11:00.000-07:00

Has it really been two years??

On October 25, 2007, we boarded a Northwest airliner, and flew around the world. Starting the greatest adventure of our lives, to gather in our arms the best gift ever.

What great timing, leaving for China on my birthday, and the grand opening of the Crackel Barrel in our home town. Nothing like a huge plate of gravy and biscuits to start this great day!

I still can't believe its been two years- amazing!!

How great is this??

2009-10-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

some bloggin' backlog

2009-10-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Cedar making a huge mess with some weaning formula

This past Sunday, we went to the pumpkin patch for a gathering with some friends, Here Elli Lu found her pumpkin:

This little one also had to come home with us because "it was lonely"

Enjoying the petting zoo

Hiding between hay bales

Kenli is now three years old and celebrated her birthday with a fun filled week. She had cupcakes at Trinity Tots, ice cream at Preschool, dinner with family

at Ming Dynasty, a trip to Chucky Cheese with Mama and Baba, and a party with friends at Wee Bounce. (baba called it the "Kenli-palozza week"). She had her 3 yr well check and is now 31.5 pounds and 38 inches tall -- Just one more inch and we are headed to the slidewinder ride at Dollywood!! She had her first dental cleaning and did great, what a big girl she is getting to be. Last year at this time when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she responded "a Pumpkin". This year it is a toss up between a butterfly and a helicopter. I see some type of flying in our future.

We have a new temporary resident at our house. "Cedar" came to live with us when was 2 wks old and be staying with us until spring time when he is old enough (and hopefully smart enough) to go back into the great outdoors. He is now 11 wks old and almost weaned. No more night time feedings thankfully!! He has been lots of fun and he really really loves Kenli's "Aunt Ashe". He gets so excited when she comes over to play!!

Spicy girl Reunion 2009

2009-08-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we traveled to St Louis for a reunion with our China travel group. 6 of the 9 girls adopted from Kenli's orphanage were able to attend and we had a wonderful time. It was amazing to see the girls together again. Grandma made these shirts for all the girls. The first day we went to the St Louis zoo with Kenli's China sister Audrey and her parents.

I love this expresson on Audrey's face when she saw this lizard:

Then we moved on to the river otters, Kenli and Audrey both love to watch them.

Red Foxes:

Train ride at the zoo:

Forever friends and family gathering

2009-07-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we had a playdate with some friends. This is a photo of all the girls at Ming Dynasty after supper. We had a great time at Wee Bounce. Here are a few photos of all the fun:

The girls had so much fun- and all the parents too!

Here's a funny video of a Jamie/Kenli crash.

Happy 4th of July 2009

2009-07-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July celebration. Kenli told everyone we were celebrating "America", and " I use to live in China, but now I live in America". Here are a few of her July 4th pictures:

And a comparison with last year's July 4th pictures:

Hasn't she grown so much in just 12 months!!

Kenli's skates

2009-05-13T08:13:00.001-07:00

Kenli is learning to skate, and is doing pretty good! She is so cute in all her "skating stuff".

Rock Wall

2009-05-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, while in Gatlinburg for the weekend, Kenli conquered this 8 foot rock wall!!!!

K-E-N-L-I spells Kenli

2009-04-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

One Enchanted Evening

2009-04-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Harmony Adoption' s 6th annual "One Enchanted Evening" fundraiser event at the Knoxville Zoo. This year's theme was Once Upon A Time and we were suppose to come dress as our favorite story book character. We debated for several weeks about this, Kenli of course wanted to be the Grinch, as he is her very very favorite. But we decided that 85+ degree weather and a Grinch outfit didn't work well together. Ira suggested a Snow White theme (Kenli as Snow White, himself as Prince Charming, and Amy as Dopey). Amy suggested a Tinkerbell theme ( Kenli as tinkerbell, and Ira as Peter Pan complete with green tights). Kenli's second choice was Cat in the Hat... So a Dr. Seuss theme it is. Kenli looked so adorable in her Cat in the Hat outfit, but she didn't wear the hat very much.

Here is picture of Kenli playing in a nest in the bird area:

Chirp-- Chirp

A Dr Seuss family, (and please don't adjust your computer screens, we do have blue hair)

Kenli was amazed with the river otters

The complete outfit!!

All of us- pre blue hair!

The Harmony Staff

Kenli is contemplating how hard it would be to get one of those otters home with her

Playing with the otters

We love the red pandas

Kenli has monkey toes- just ask Eeyore...

When Kenli saw my blue hair she said.. "Mama your hair is precious". How great is that!!! We had such a great day together!

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-04-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

This past week was our wedding anniversary, so Grandma and Pappy surprised us with an awesome gift......

Complete with a working radio, cup holders, mirrors, and all the bells and whistles you can imagine!

We had to stuff a pillow behind Kenli's back so she could reach the gas pedal.

Egg Hunt

2009-04-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

Kenli and Mom with the "Easter Bunny" ( aka Cousin Chase- but Kenli didn't recognize him in his full attire). I thought for sure she would know it was Chase- she was so excited, and we had a great day.

2009-04-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

A child sat on Jesus' lap in the splendor of heaven.
The child asked, "Is it time?" Jesus parted the clouds, looked and said, "No, not yet child."
The child asked "When will it be time?" Jesus replied, "When lessons are learned, hardships
endured, and loneliness lived, then it will be time."
Time passed. The child asked, "Is it time?" Jesus parted the clouds, looked and said, "No, not
yet child." The child asked, "When will it be time?"
Jesus replied, "When maturity is reached, self-worth affirmed and spirits strengthened, then
it will be time."
Time passed. The child asked, "Is it time?" Jesus parted the clouds, looked and said, " Their
love is strong and their hearts are open. Yes, now it is time- Your parents are ready."
- author unknown

Once upon a time, in a land far across the ocean, there were 9 beautiful baby girls waiting on their forever families. These 9 girls ate, slept, played, listened, and relied on each other for their first 13 months of life. They recognized each others cries and laughter. They were a family.
On a smoggy day in China almost 18 months ago, these 9 girls made their way across Hunan Province to the capital city of Changsha. There in a dingy Civil Affairs building, we were deeply blessed as we witnessed the miracle of forever families being united. While we fell head over heels in love with the one God placed in our arms, we also immediately loved all of Kenli's 8 China sisters. All precious, All beautiful, All more than any one of the 18 adults could ever have imagined. The most precious gift that could ever be granted was bestowed upon us- We were parents!
We spent the next 12 days together, All of us- one big family grown out of love. many times since our forever family day, I have heard people comment on how hard international adoption "must be". But at the end of those 12 days, the REAL hard part of our adoption suddenly and unexpectedly rained down on me. On the morning of our 14th day in China, I looked around our breakfast table and realized--- We won't all be together for breakfast tomorrow!! I knew everyone was going home to the far corners of our great country. And while I couldn't wait to get Kenli home to her fan club in Tennessee, I broke down, realizing that she would be leaving her 8 China sisters. Her Family- the only family she had ever known, and we would be seperated from these wonderful people who shared a moment in time with us that no one can quite understand. There was an amazing bond that we will always share with these girls and their families. Now we are all family, joined together by our "Spicy Girls".
After reading this, I'm sure you can understand my excitement... I can barely contain myself as I cont down the days....

Yeah!!! a spicy sister renunion this summer in St. Louis. I can't wait to see everyone again. Last night we went out for dinner and Kenli's fortune cookie says it all!!

A day at the farm

2009-03-07T07:23:00.000-08:00

This week Kenli visited a neighbors farm to help with some chores.

She wore her "farm boots"

Kenli loved getting some extra kisses from baby Tess.

Getting to know a chicken named "Thelma."

Collecting the eggs.

Feeding the chickens.

Headed to feed the goats

Marking today's eggs

"Spice" loves apple slices, she is expecting triplets in about 10 days and Kenli was invited to return after the baby goats are born. How fun!

Collecting more eggs out of the goat house.

"Arnold" getting a tummy rub

Feeding the piglets

"Prissy" with her babies (13 in all)

Up close and personal with "Prissy" the pig.

Hello piggie!

Daddhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gify-Daughter Dance

2009-02-08T05:25:00.000-08:00

Last night was the cities annual Daddy-Daughter dance. Kenli had a wonderful time, and Baba was exhausted by the time they got home. This was officially their second year, what great memories!!

Eskimo kisses per Kenli

Happy New Year

2009-01-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

Monday is the start of the Chinese New Year- a 15 day long celebration. This is the biggest holiday with lots of ancient traditions and culture. This is the year of the OX. We had a wonderful evening celebrating with our local Forever friends and Families group.

Lily and Family

Kieaira and family

Ellie Lu

Kate

Lily and Meg

Kenli and Kieaira

Have you ever tried to take a picture with 7 kids at one time?? It doesn't work very well.

The best picture we got: Lily, Kenli, Meg, Lily, Kieaira, Ellie Lu, and Kate.

Craft time:

Snow Princess

2009-01-18T16:20:00.001-08:00

The look is complete with the hiking boots- We can't let her be too prissy!

Our princess!!

Now with princess shoes

Complete with chapstick:

Tagged

2009-01-09T05:05:00.000-08:00

We were tagged by our good friend Stephanie. The rules were, open the fourth picture folder on your computer, then open the fourth picture in that folder and explain the picture. This was a super fun day, that we had with Kenli's China sister Audrey. Audrey and her parents visited to week of Thanksgiving. Now I am tagging four other friends:
Ellie Lu: http:/ladybughappenings.blogspot.com/
Holly: http:/hollyfern2007.blogspot.com/
Aimee: http:/scrapladycamping.blogspot.com/
Charlotte: http://emanoff-china.blogspot.com/

Merry Christmas

2008-12-28T13:40:00.001-08:00

Kenli had a great Christmas and is still sorting through all her new toys. Santa brought her a new kitchen and a violin. Pappy surprised us all with a drum set for her!!! Of course it was never very quiet at our house so a little more noise is no big deal. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

fall pictures with cousin Chase

2008-12-07T14:48:00.001-08:00

Big Girl Success

2008-12-01T04:57:00.000-08:00

Kenli has been potty trained now for about 2 months, YEAH!! She is such a big girl, and is sure to show everyone she meets her big girl panties.

A Sister Spicy Girl

2008-11-22T16:13:00.000-08:00

Today we got to visit with Audrey and her parents as they traveled from Ohio to Florida for Thanksgiving. We had a great time catching up and reminiscing about our days together in China. The girls had a wonderful time playing. It is so special to be able to spend time with our extended China family, we share such an amazing connection with these families, and the "spicy girls" are Kenli's first family. We hope to see all 9 girls together this summer for a reunion.

Happy Halloween !!!

2008-10-31T16:42:00.001-07:00

Kenli loves anything messy, so of course pumpkin guts were a huge hit!! Happy Halloween!

Gotch Day

2008-10-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, our precious baby was placed in our arms. Finally, after more than 2 and a half years of (sometimes not so patient) waiting, there she was. Most of the babies in our group cried some and then settled in, but Kenli made up for them all. She thrashed and screamed and cried all the way back to the hotel. She was pitiful, terrified and overwhelmed. It was the first time she had been outside of the orphanage, she had a 4 hour van ride to get to the Civil Affairs Office. Then she was handed off to what had to be the strangest looking and sounding creatures she had seen in her 13 months.
Here we are a year later, and loving every minute of it. We spent the day together as a family, playing, carving our halloween pumpkin, and looking at pictures of our trip to China. We gave Kenli her "Gotcha Day" gifts, a DVD we bought in China for her and a huge ladybug bank. It was a great day.

Boo at the Zoo

2008-10-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

We took Kenli to Boo at the Zoo at the Knoxville Zoo. She was dressed in her monkey suit and had a great time. Her favorite part was getting in cage. She said "monkey's in a cage". Who knew being in a cage could be so much fun.

1 year ago-- The amazing journey

2008-10-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

One year ago today we started on our long journey to China. It is so hard to believe that it has already been a year. I was a complete bundle of emotion staring this day, having never been out of the country, or even away from home for longer than 5 or 6 days, this was a giant expedition for us. But at the same time, we were so excited to finally be on our way to Kenli. Last night I was talking to Kenli about Mama and Baba going on an airplane to China to get something really special. Kenli guessed it was a book!! I explained that we went to China to bring home Baby Kenli and what a happy day it was!! Kenli replied "get Kenli from Wu" ( Mrs. Wu was the assistant orphanage director in Chenzhou). Is it possible that she remembers this??!! We believe she does. Hopefully she has happy memories of her first 13 months.

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took Kenli to a local pumpkin patch. She had a great time examing all pumpkins and playing in the corn maze. She always loves the petting zoo, especially the baby goats ( but Baba likes the donkeys best).

And still more pictures

2008-10-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

2 year old portraits

2008-10-09T11:05:00.001-07:00

These are some pictures taken by Kelly and Company portraits. They turned out terrific!!

Kenli's First Haircut

2008-09-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Today Kenli had her first haircut. She did really well and looks super cute, just had to share.

Kenli's Birthday Party

2008-09-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Kenli's almost 2!! We thought we would update everyone on Kenli's progress. She went to the Doctor for her 2 yr checkup this week. She weights 29.5 pounds and is 35 inches tall. We are now officially caught up with all her vaccines. She received 2 more shots, a TB skin test,a finger stick, and had blood drawn. She was a trooper thru it all, even telling the lady who was drawing her blood "I sorry lady". She is running, climbing, and growing by leaps and bounds. Her favorite food is noodles with chicken and broccoli and cheese soup. She also loves cucumbers and most all fruits. She is loving gymnastics classes and attends weekly. She is talking in 7-9 word sentences and talks nonstop. She loves books and singing. She can count to 11 and can say her abc's up to Q. She knows all colors and shapes (including octagon). We have been amazed at all she has learned in such a short period of time. Only 11 months ago she had never heard English , and has not only learned a new language, but has also developed in so many ways it is hard to imagine. She is so amazing.

A day to celebrate!!

2008-09-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend we received some wonderful news from China. We have been sponsoring a child thru Half the Sky's Little Sisters program, at the orphanage where Kenli spent her first 13 months. We have provided a half the sky nanny for "our baby Rui" so she might have the much needed contact and attachment to someone. We have spent the past 9 months praying and thinking and talking about "our baby Rui". We are overjoyed to announce that she has been adopted and is now home with her forever family. It brought tears to my eyes as I remembered those first few days with Kenli, and now knowing that baby Rui will never again have to spend even one day wondering what her future would hold. She is now learning what it feels like to BELONG to a forever family. We have now been assigned another baby in the Chenzhou orphanage, her name is baby Ru and she is 16 months old. Please help us pray that this baby will be kept safe, warm, and healthy and will also soon know the love of a forever family.

2008-09-07T06:24:00.001-07:00

Our first glimpse

2008-09-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

This week a year ago, I was packing for the 6th time. We received "the call" on September the 4th, 2007, and what an amazing day that was!! That was the day we first saw our baby girl's face. Then it was a whirlwind of activity preparing for our journey around the world to bring home the greatest gift we could ever imagine. It is hard to believe it has already been a year, and what a wonderful year it has been.

Kenli's First Day of School

2008-09-04T13:42:00.001-07:00

Kenli had her first day of Mother's day out today. While she was really excited about going, it was a hard morning for us both. After getting there and taking a good look around, she decided that she was ready to leave. She cried really hard for most of the time we were there, even though I stayed with her. By the second hour she was telling me "need BaBa to hold me for just a little bit." So after leaving school we went to Baba's work for a "BaBa fix", After which she fell asleep on the way home and slept for 2 hours without eating lunch. She was feeling much better after her nap- and we will try it all again next week.