~2 Months~

2 months ago today, we were blessed with this little beauty. There are no words to describe how full our hearts are since we became her family. She is a light that brightens our family more than we could ever have imagined. All through this journey, I heard other's share their stories of how God places the "perfect" child in each family, and ours is no exception...Lucy Joy JingXuan is right where she belongs!

Can he really be old enough to drive???

Powell got his driver's permit last week. That day seemed so far away, and before I knew it, I am standing in the Dept. of Licensing with my BABY!! Powell is such a mature and responsible guy, and we are so excited to be sharing this exciting time in his life!

Happy Birthday Grammy & Papa~

~Lucy's Boutique~

I LOVE the way Lucy's room turned out...it feels like a little "boutique". Enjoy a look around with my little model :)

The bed is an actual canopy bed...right now I have it as a four poster, but I do want to put up the top rails and maybe wrap with tulle...then it would look like Cinderella's carriage~

Lucy loves this old cradle for her babies. We hung the mirror low enough so she can see herself, she loves that~

I found this dresser at an estate sale before we ever saw Lucy's face, but I loved it. It works perfectly in her room~On the wall right next to Lucy, I found a little art hanger with string and clothespins, and little birds from The L*nd of N*d, and we hang up pictures Lucy makes or that friends color for her...I think this is one of her most favorite things~


As my model is showing here...this is the closet. This is what makes it feel like a boutique to me...like we are shopping everyday!

This armoire was given to me, and it couldn't have been the more perfect shade of pink...the only thing I did to it was change to glass knobs~ And to top off the whole look...we hung a beautiful chandelier!

~Sweet Dreams Lucy Joy~

Lucy & her Wheelie-Bug~

Lucy got a Wheelie Bug for her birthday. She just loves it! It rides so smooth and glides in all directions...we highly reccomend it :)

~Cate Comes Home~

My friend Kim is in China to bring home her precious Cate. Kim and I were with the same agency, and our dossiers were in the same package....we received our LOA and traveled...and Kim and her family waited. She continued to put her faith in God and his always perfect timing, and now almost 2 full months after us, they are on their way to their sweet girl. You can follow Kim's blog at Cate Comes Home!
*I fixed the link to Kim's site...it will work now :)

~Thank you Aunty Andrea & Makenna Riley~

Lucy received this cookie bouquet and balloons for her birthday. She was so excited to see it on the front porch when we came home. Lucy loved her cookie and was very sweet to share with her brothers~

Thank you Aunty Andrea & Makenna Riley...we can't wait to see you in a week!!

Love, Lucy Joy

~All About Lucy~

On Monday, Lucy will have been with us for 6 weeks (home for 5), so I wanted to do an update on her adjustment and language. I am using this blog in lieu of a scrapbook, so that is why my update is here...and why it is so long :)

~She truly is a joy...I know I say that alot, but it is true. We feel so blessed that her transition into our family has been so smooth. Not once, has she become frustrated or upset when we have misunderstood her...she simply will say it again and try to show us what she wants. So far, I have not seen any attachment issues with her. She was reaching out for everyone when we were in China, but as we have been home she will want others to hold her, but it is never for long, and she always comes back to Baba or I. I do know that this could still become an issue, so I am constantly evaluating


~In the last 2 weeks Lucy's language has taken off. A couple weeks after we came home, I could tell she was understanding what I would tell her (along with gestures), and now she seems to be understanding most everything. She does still understand more than she speaks, but now is constantly repeating everything I say to her in English, and if she says something to me in Chinese...like "ba wah" (phonetically spelled :), she follows it with, "hold me".



It has been such a HUGE help that we have learned so many Chinese phrases, so we are able to understand many of the things she says to us on a daily basis...like "go potty" "drink water" "drink tea" "no time for bed!" "time to eat" "come here" "just a minute" and alot of others. I have found myself not saying some of these things to her in English, 1. because it is just easier to say it in Chinese, but, 2. I have been so worried she is going to lose her Chinese I forget how important it is to learn English too...so that is something I am working on :)



~We do still communicate alot with our own version of "charades".

When it is time for her bath or to tell her I am going to take a shower, we pretend like we are washing our hair and body.

When she wants to go for a walk and ride in the stroller, she pretends like she is pushing a stroller and says "push"



~Here is a list of what she says most often~

How about this one?? - I think I must ask her this alot :)
So cute
Quiet - she says this to the dog...I am starting to realize what I tend to say quite often :)
rice
Grammy , Papa, Powell, Blake, Bennett, and even some of the boy's friends names

I know there are more I can't recall...they seem to be coming very quickly now!



~I did just find her a Chinese teacher. I am determined to help her keep as much of her Chinese as I can. She will go for one hour/one day a week, to more of a playtime with her teacher and her children. We visited one day this week, and Lucy seemed to really enjoy it.

~Things Lucy Loves~

~falling asleep in her bed at night with Baba
~taking baths
~playing memory games
~going on walks in her stroller
~going bye-bye
~playing outside
~eating
~seeing her Baba come home at the end of the day
~greeting her brothers when they come home from school, or picking them up
~playing with her magnadoodle
~pretend cooking - oh how I had dreamed of playing this with my daughter one day!
~writing, drawing, coloring, painting, play-doh...crafts - that's my girl!
~playing with ANYONE's cell phone - she has been doing this since the day we met her, so someone in her SWI started this one :)
~taking pictures with MY camera
~mien (noodles), rice, green beans, dumplings, congee, spicy

Four is FABULOUS!

Update: A couple of people have asked about Lucy's "Happy Birthday" and "Lucy" banner. Lori gave us bloggers this idea when she did a post awhile back.

Lucy's 4th birthday was perfect! We spent the day together decorating :), picked up balloons for the party, and baked cupcakes (I baked and frosted, Lucy decorated). Lucy had her FAVORITE mien mien (noodles) for her birthday dinner, and then the party started! She truly enjoyed every minute of opening gifts, eating a cupcake, and being the center of attention. A fabulous 4th birthday for Our Little China Girl~

Tutu Cute!

When we received our TA, my friend Candy bought this tutu for Lucy. I have saved it for her to wear on her birthday. She LOVES having her picture taken...if only I had a camera whose shutter speed could keep up with all this cuteness! These are still very sweet~

Happy 4th Birthday Lucy Joy JingXuan~

The Birthday Girl first thing this morning

Happy Birthday to our sweet Lucy Joy! We feel so blessed to be able to celebrate this special day with you...the first of many.

I don't really know if Lucy understands what today is, so yesterday I started telling her she was going to be four, and when she woke this morning and her Baba told her "Happy Birthday" she just beamed...and the singing Dora card didn't hurt either :)

Off to play with the Birthday Girl!

Lucy's 1st Doctor Appt~

We visited our new Dr. last week. We decided to take Lucy to an International Adoption Clinic for her regular pediatrician, and we are so glad we did. Lucy did amazing...she charmed the socks off everyone there. We had a translator present, but it turned out it made Lucy a little nervous..I think she was a little confused why all of a sudden we have someone there speaking Chinese to her... so she left. Our girl weighs 25lbs. She had to have an MMR shot, and what a little trooper. Then we headed to Children's Hospital so Lucy could give them some of her most beautiful blood...4 big syringes full!! She sat in my lap and only made a sound when the needle went in...she did amazing. Next on the schedule is Lucy's MRI and PT evaluation!

~Back to School~

Powell - 10th grade

Blake - 8th grade

Bennett - 6th grade

And...Lucy!

The boys headed back to school this week. It is so hard to believe that Powell is a sophmore, Blake is in his last year in middle school, and Bennett started middle school. Lucy missed the boys this week, but was so thrilled when each of them walk through the front door.

Thank You Libby Mei!

Lucy received a special package in the mail from Libby Mei and her Mommy. Thank you so much Erin, Lucy LOVES being able to take care of her babies, and thank you for the wonderful soap and darling cards. We loved it all!