Fun Pictures

Having Fun at the Park

Giving Big Sister a kiss

Cameron and Rhylan pose for a picture

Mother's Day Reflections

Tomorrow will be Mother's Day and it will be very bittersweet for me.  I think of my own mom (of course) and grandmas, but this year one other Mother has entered the picture, Rhylans China Mom! My heart goes out to my own mom who will hurt and grieve as she tells her youngest son once again "good-bye" as he deploys.  Oh, the anxiety his deployments cause!!  I am reminded that he has deployed before and that God was with him then and will be this time too!  No better hands could he be in!!  Please pray for his safety, good wisdom, and decision making to keep his unit secure and safe!!!!
In the past two weeks twice I have been asked point blank, "Do you think her birthmother ever thinks of her?" I sigh as I really have no answers but this question has arisen multiple times in my mind.  I am burdened by what I will tell her as she grows...I really have NO answers.  I recently read that you should begin telling them their story very young.  I have practiced a few times over the last few days as I rock her to sleep and I usually become teary.  I really want her to just "know" that she was adopted and grow with that fact and not "discover" it one day.  So now I keep it simple by telling her she was born in China and has a China mom too, and it is SO cute she shakes her head up and down saying yes!!
I came across this blog entry on another blog and she got it from another blog....handed down.  It is SO GOOD and I take NO credit, it is not mine but I wanted to share it and have it in my blog for easy access, so I can always refer to it!! I pray that someday I will be able to handle the two mommy issue as well!!
Here it is:

When my boys were little, I use to worry about handling them as teenagers.  I hoped this...I wished that....
A wise woman told me not to worry about those days ahead.  When I got there they would not be as tumultuous as I expected.  The same grace that God gave me in the present, would be waiting for me there, in their teen years, when we arrived.  God's grace, she said, is given in daily doses.  She shared with me that I feared the days ahead because I did not yet have the grace I needed to live them. I only had the grace of the moment.  Here we are many years after that advice, our boys are 18 and 15 and you know what?  She was right!  When Hope came into our lives, there was a day I fretted about with her as well.  It wasn't her teen years.  It was the day she would finally know that she had another Mommy.  I've never experienced jealously towards her birth mother.  Perhaps my time in China prior to Hope's arrival, working with oppressed women there, gave me a compassion that united me to them rather than divided me from them.  I've always felt a pain in my heart for the pain in her birth mother's heart at the reality of having to give up a child.  No matter the reason, whether it was purposeful because she was a girl or not purposeful because Hope was dying of heart failure and she could never provide the care she needed, a mother still had to lay the child she carried in her womb, delivered, held and nursed at the gate of an orphanage-and walk away. FOREVER.  Never knowing what would happen to her.  You don't dislike someone who walks in shoes that you could never wear.  You respect them for doing their best with a tragic situation.  Even if their best is one that has left heartache in its wake.  All you can do is respect it and honor it.  Casting doubt and negative feelings on her mother and her father's choice, doesn't help anyone heal.  Especially my daughter.  And the fact is in the end, we just don't know why Hope had to leave their lives.

Three months Home!!

The time has flown!  Our good friend, Jan, told me that the paperwork nightmares would soon fade, and once again SHE WAS RIGHT!! It seemed that we waited FOREVER and I mean FOREVER to get Rhylan and now the time is flying by.  We have been home 3 months already!! In these past few months she has grown and changed so much!  She rarely is still now and when we got her in China she was not yet walking.  She doesn't want me to hold her/carry her especially if we are outside, but thankfully always wants to hold my hand (which melts my heart.)  She didn't want too much to do with her siblings, especially the first few days in China, and now demands their attention and will squeal loudly to get it! Ha!  She now gives them kisses and will "feed" them bites of food.  She especially loves it in the morning when Cameron climbs in the crib to play with her and she jumps up and down and will pat him on the back and cheek.  She is starting to "pose" for pictures and will pretend she is taking our pictures when she manages to get her little hands on a cell phone/ipad.  She learned what lipstick is this week and will pucker her little lips and insist that you put some on her! She enjoys "writing" and will cover an entire page and anything else near (tables, walls, clothing etc.) with marks also.  We are working very hard on explaining to her that we "write only on paper."  She is starting to be a little monkey and climbs on everything and I even caught her trying to climb out of the bathtub!!!  She continues to be a little delight and her smiles and giggles continue to light up our world.  I found this quote the other day that I wanted to share because it mirrors my thoughts and feelings and is SO, SO TRUE!
An adopted child is not an unwanted child, to the contrary.  They are a child who was searched for, prayed for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making empty hearts full.

 
       

Our Busy Little Bee

Rhylan continues to provide us endless joy and is a little ball of energy.  She awakes each morning with her Asian grin (smile so big eyes are closed) and greets the day head on.  She is enjoying the warmer weather because she LOVES LOVES it outside.  It was so neat to see her "discover" rocks this weekend and the expressions on her face were priceless.  She then brought a rock to me and said "look".  Her two new words of the week are cute and yes (love the way she says cute)! She loves getting rides on her brother Cameron's gator and really wants to drive it to? Ha!  She has fun and squeals when she gets to jump on the trampoline with her siblings.  Madisyn is now teaching her front rolls and she loves to show them off and claps loudly and happily for herself!  Her "newness" has not worn off for any of us and we continue to adore her and marvel at the great gift our family has been given.

Our BUSY little "Bee" Pictures

Doing School with her Siblings

Helping Mom clean out her pantry

Helping Mom with laundry

Having a snack
 

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

Fun in the Sun

We finally had a beautiful sunny day and Rhylan had her first experience on the swing with her brother Cameron and cousin Naomi! I think she likes it as you can tell from her beaming smile!!

Two months Home with Rhylan

Whew!!!! The time has flown by and Rhylan has changed and grown SO much!  She has gained about 5 pounds and grown about 3 cm in length!!  She now identifies many objects as "hers" and will greatly object if you try to take it away Ha!!  She is quick to scold and pout her lips at you if something doesn't please her.  She makes sure to greet every member of the family in the morning and if you fail to notice her she will shout until she gains your attention and then beam her beautiful smile your way!!!  In addition to high fives she likes to bump fist (a greeting her brothers and sister taught her.)  If she's in the mood, she will now also give kisses, it's the sweetest!! She now walks very well and sometimes "runs" to keep up with her siblings, babbles and says words like; dog, cow, don't, hot, duck, mama, dada, yes, look, knows where her ears, nose, and belly are, and takes great care of her baby dolls (she will bounce it up and down, kiss it, and even gave it a drink from her bottle, soooo adorable!!)  She loves, loves books and seems to prefer books on animals.  She has had her nails painted by her sister, had popcorn and took over the bowl, and her first photo shoot at Edda's.  We had her outside on one of the beautiful warmer days and she got to experience the trampoline, which she LOVED too!  She now stands at the window and points and yells because she wants to go outside and play on it!  She still loves cell phones and  all electronics and you should see her little fingers run over the screen!! Her brothers run to higher ground as she comes near and starts demanding their i-pods, i-pads, etc. funny sight!!  I still at times am amazed that she is here and I always look over her crib at night with thankful thoughts to my Heavenly Father and her birth mother.  Not a day goes by, that I do not think of her "China mom" and the sacrifices she made twice to choose life for her child;  first by giving birth and second when she left her, for reasons we do not know, at a location where she would be found and cared for.  I do not judge her for I have never been in her "shoes" and had to walk that path,  but I hurt for her and pray many times for her that she may have peace.  Rhylan is SO cherished, loved, and adored and AT HOME!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!  Every good and perfect gift comes from above.  James 1:17

Rhylan squeals with delight when her brothers push her in the car

Our little angel

The famous "Rhylan lip pout"

Feeding her baby a bottle

Our Bethany Travel Group

I wanted to post some pictures of our AWESOME travel group!  We had the BEST group and have formed some friendships that we hope to continue.  In many ways it seems like such a long time has passed since the trip and other ways the time has flown. We miss the families!!
 Rhylan is now 17 months and gets into EVERYTHING!!  I know I have mentioned this in the past...but it is definitely worth mentioning again.  She continues to be a joy and always finds new ways to make us cheer, smile, and laugh!!  She is starting to say more words like look, up, hot, and of course dog (her favorite word now)!! We had our visit to the Riley International Adoption Clinic on Monday and the appointment went well.  Rhylan had a 20 minute blood draw (not kidding or exaggerating here) and we are glad that is behind us!!!

Our Travel Group

Our chaotic "red couch" pictures!!!

Rhylan in aqua dress

Celebrating one month with Rhylan

We have now had our precious baby girl for one month!!! In many ways it seems we have had her for longer and in some ways the time has went by so quickly. She makes life fun and exhausting at times too. She has now started fighting sleep because she is afraid she will miss out in the action...so we have had to let her cry herself to sleep, which thankfully she goes to sleep rather quickly because it is SO HARD for me!!! She loves the dishwasher and the vacuum ha!! She also loves to help with laundry by pulling out the clothes no matter wet or dry. She is getting better while we do school but loves to "destroy or empty" everything in sight. She still enjoys to eat but is getting slightly pickier, she does not like applesauce ( unusual for a baby??) She enjoys her sister's room ( all the dolls) and loves to play hot wheels with her brothers. She ALWAYS wants to keep up with her siblings and I even captured a cute picture of her playing swords with Braden! She continues to be a precious gift to us!!

Four tired kids in Hong Kong

Am I cute or what?

The many faces of Rhylan

Many Firsts

Rhylan has been making big progress in walking!!! She is now taking several unassisted steps and loves the attention!! She loves hearing us cheer her on and boy she is the center of Attention! She delights herself and will clap her hands and then fall on her butt!!! I had forgotten how delightful baby accomplishments are!! She is also now totally at home, which means she gets into EVERYTHING, especially during school time. You can follow the Rhylan path because she leaves nothing untouched!! Ugh!!! Big sigh!! Today she pulled out the movies, went thru the flash cards, and need I mention more? She has also been trying a variety of foods. She had a cucumber today that she wasn't to sure about but ate it because it's food... And she plain loves food!! She loves the little pull along doggy in the pictures. Madisyn tied it to the walker and she thought that was great. She blows kisses and loves to make cute clinking noises with her mouth. She also really just noticed our dog, Carly. She squeals and points when she sees her outside the window.  She also thinks the snow is great and will hold her hand out to touch it as it falls down (very cute). She is getting very good at making her squeaky shoes squeak! Ha!! Oh well as you can tell she  continues to be a delight and we love and adore her more each day!!! Enjoy the pictures, she is always moving and it's hard to catch a shot!!!

First Sunday at Church

We have had a wonderful, busy weekend with family and friends! The Cooks had a welcome home Rhylan party and the kids had a great time sledding down their huge hill. It was fun to introduce Rhylan and see her interact with children her age. We also took her to church this Sunday for the first time. She was welcomed into our church family with open arms and SO much love, we are thankful for this wonderful church family that we have!!!
She continues to do well and we are so glad to have her home with us! Love to all!!

Rhylan all ready for church

Transitioning to a New Normal

Well we have been home one week today.  Jet lag did get the best of all of us!!  Cameron would fall asleep around 4-5 in the evening and then be awake at 2-3 in the morning wanting  breakfast.  Rhylan would sleep for a few hours then only sleep if she was being held....ughh long nights!!  Anyway, we are finally getting into a routine and we have all been sleeping better.  Rhylan is adjusting SO well and we are SO thankful for this little girl!! She is exploring more of the house and loves interacting with her brothers and sister.  She never wants to miss out on any of the fun!!  She is genuinely a happy little girl and still loves to eat!!!  Tonight we met Brian and Sharon at Solly's, the place Madisyn dreamed of while in China ha!!  She really enjoyed her filet and we found out Rhylan loves it too  (she fits in well with this steak loving family)! She would exchange her carrots and try to grab the filet from Cameron's plate if hers was gone, it was funny to watch.
We started school again and that has been a challenge for all of us.  Rhylan wants held, Cameron has trouble focusing, Braden wants to play with her and Madisyn can't hear her teachers with all of the commotion.  It has been hard, but I am trying to be patient and each day it has gotten a little easier.  We are gradually settling in and are so glad to be home with ALL our children under one roof!!!  Love to all!!

Journey Completed....Rhylan is Home!!!!

We finally arrived home after another loonng plane ride. Our trip home did not go as scheduled, but nothing new there ha!  By the way, we made time warp speed (our plane departed at 11:15 am on Friday Jan 24 from Hong Kong and we landed in USA at 11:45 am on Friday Jan 24???) Oh don't forget the 13 hour time difference HA!!! Anyway, our hotel was located inside the airport so after much debate we decided to check in our luggage before eating breakfast.  As we reached the check-in point another Bethany family said,"Did you see our flight is delayed until 5:20 pm)  Oh we all really groaned and groaned.  We were called up and the attendant said she could get us checked into the flight leaving shortly but our seats would not be together.  At this point we did NOT CARE and grabbed our chance, but we had to quickly move she told us because plane would be boarding and gate would close soon!!!  Well, we rushed up escalators, down escalators, onto a short tram and of course to gate 63 a distance away and when we arrived they were boarding.  We felt bad because we had family that was planning to meet us at the airport but we had no way of contacting them about the last minute change and my kids WERE HUNGRY and NOT looking forward to airplane food!! We all survived (ha) and were so thankful for the direct flight and an earlier landing time.  It still worked and we rearranged and have seen the family members that were going to meet us at the airport.  All ended well!!! Rhylan has handled everything in stride.  She has in the last 10 days, stayed at 3 hotels, rode 2 airplanes, bullet train, bus, car (car seat she DOES NOT LIKE),van and boat! WHEW!!! We have all really enjoyed our time in China but are so glad to be home to the USA.  It really hit me as we walked in the door with Rhylan that we have dreamed, planned, and longed for her to be here for SO LONG and she finally is!! Thank you to our dear Heavenly Father and to our family and friends who followed us and most importantly prayed for us. Please continue to keep my mom in your prayers, she is so sick and has really been a trouper traveling feeling so ill!! Love to all from home, the good old USA!!!

Goodbye Guangzhou!

We are waiting in the lobby for Rhylan's visa. We will start our long journey home as soon as we receive her visa. We will travel by van to Hong Kong and leave tomorrow at 12:55. Today we head to our 4th and final hotel hallelujah!!! We have packed, swam, napped, and had manicures today. Mom has been sick but thankfully feeling better for travel. Please pray that we will have physical, emotional, and mental strength for the final stretch of our journey!! Many mixed emotions as we leave China with our precious treasure!!! Love to all from Guangzhou!!

The Newest and Cutest US citizen

Today we visited the US Consulate office to get Rhylan's visa. We took a very informal oath  (yes you were right Jan) and she became a US citizen. I had fun dressing her in red white and blue that  attracted attention everywhere we went. We said farewell to half of our group today as they headed to Hong Kong to connect flights home tomorrow. We were all sad to part as we have formed some wonderful friendships!! I was jealous because I am ready to come home. We have had a wonderful trip one we will never forget and created lifetime memories but... tired of living in a hotel room and scrounging for clean clothes ha!! We will miss the wonderful buffet breakfasts that have something to please each of my kids! Next week will be a breakfast shock for them!!!
Rhylan continues to be a joy and fits our family so well. Honestly, I could not imagine life without her!! The boys still continue to argue over who gets to sit by her at meals and tend to smother her. Sigh!! Madisyn is already teaching her forward rolls and the splits. She is very active while awake and sleeps wonderfully!!! Yayyyyy, finally a sleeper in our family.
Tomorrow after we are issued her visa we will leave for Hong Kong and the final stretch of our trip. One more hotel room and lonnnnng flight!!! Love to all from Guangzhou!!

Pictures

Our wonderful guide Shiyan

Our family of six

The boys with friends from Bethany group

Rhylan enjoying pizza

Giggles from Rhylan

New News

Lots still going on! We have had puking princesses (both girls were sick although I think Rhylan's was more from over-eating) Madisyn was SICK!!! We have a joke but it's very true Rhylan is the only one on this trip that has gained weight, the rest of us have lost weight! Our guide was even commenting on her double chin.
We went to the Guangzhou Folk Art Museum which was one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. We also went on the Pearl River boat cruise which showed the city all lit up (the pictures do not begin to show how awesome it was. The boys got to see the 3rd largest building in the world!! We were not brave and were craving American food so opted to eat Papa John's pizza on the boat instead of the Chinese buffet(hum it was good) Rhylan had her first piece actually first two pieces in her life and enjoyed the crust and all!!
Today we went to the Guangzhou zoo and it was NEAT!! We saw many animals that we do not see in the US and we got to be close up!! The kids ALL really enjoyed it.
Tomorrow we go to US consulate for Rhylans visa. Our trip is coming close to an end and we have all really enjoyed it...but we are sure getting ready to come home. Mom told the kids that as soon as we land in San Francisco she would find hamburgers(that brought smiles). We are excited to introduce you all to our greatest souvenir, our little Henan baby, Rhylan!!! Love to all from Guangzhou!

Madisyn doing her splits

Fun at Shamian Island

Today we had a great time visiting Shamian Island a famous spot in Guangzhou. It was beautiful and we really enjoyed the warm sunny weather. We had NO exciting drama incidents today, thankfully!! The kids each bought "treasures". Madisyn found some neat sweaters and Chinese hairpins and the boys each found another sword they had to have. Rhylan now has shoes, squeaky shoes! We have had some better food lately and the kids have not complained and are eating!! Yayyyy! Braden chose eel last night because his uncle Nick told him to try something new while in China, and he cleaned it ALL up. The kids are having a great time with the other kids in our group, three other families all traveled together along with 3 sets of grandparents. Mom was sick today but thankfully it passed quickly. Rhylan is doing great and each day we fall even more in love with her. We are SO thankful and she seems to fit into our family so well. She now will play on the floor and let me out of her sight for at least a few minutes. She has a constant smile and is loving the games of peek a boo and patty cake.  We have read every comment and are sorry that we are not replying but internet is difficult to connect to here and is sporadic. Madisyn, Braden, and Cameron wish their friends the best and miss you all! Love from Guangzhou!!

This eel's for you Uncle Nick!!

Pictures

Her best friend also from SanMenxia orphanage

Flying to Guangzhou

Loving French fries

Rhylan and Chloe