Nails and other bling

After the lunch, the bride & bridesmaids all went over to a nail salon for the manicure and pedicure. This was a first for both Ruth and Sara. They (Sara) was upset that they went last and was a tad impatient....oh the teen years

bridesmaid luncheon

This afternoon was the bridesmaid's luncheon at a very lovely restaurant. The seating we had opened to a beautiful garden and it was perfect weather. We got a little lost getting there due to downtown traffic going 0mph due to construction, but with the lifesaving GPS we found a long detour and we were still the second ones there. For those who know me I will ALWAYS show up early because I hate being late.

WEDDING TIME

We are leaving Thursday am for my niece's wedding. Marc and Jennifer will be married at the chapel of their college. Both the girls are in the wedding and today I finished altering the dresses. I had to take them both in at the bodice and luckily Sara's spike heels are tall enough so that I do not need to take her dress up. We have bought matching bracelets and Ruth will wear her hair back with a headband and Sara's hair will get french braided and let down before the wedding for the wavy look.....

I will provide photos when I can

Sara's soccer team

We are almost finished making up the make ups from all the rain. We have two more games and if we win them, we will be in first place. They are the Cheetahs. They have a wonderful coach, a woman this time, and she is firm but nice with the girls, not yelling degrading things to them like so many of the coaches do.

Cat attack

I was eating my stew, and up came my cat across the table, and to my much surprise, finished off my gravy in the bowl, then just a quick left the table with what looked like quite a strut since she had gotten something.

Country visit

We visited a small temple around the corner from our hotel. Jeff and Sara climbed up 3 floors of this small temple. Sara wanted to run to the top, but Jeff panted all the way to the third floor. I was the smartest and decided to keep my feet on the ground and take their picture. To this day, Sara laughts about her daddy panting and not letting her run all the way.

Our group voted to skip a formal temple for real life in China. We went about 30 minutes outside of Fuzhou to a very small farming village. They were harvesting their crop of wheat and drying it. It had been a very good year for them. They were all very nice people.

HALLOWEEN

We had a fun time at Halloween. The girls did most of the lights and decorations outside. Ruth is a ladybug and Sara is a clown, complete with a honking nose.

I took the girls through the neighborhood and we had a good time. Some families had really super cool interactive decorations, one of them sent Sara screaming, and me laughing.

Wal-Mart IS everywhere

Today was a day to just hang out. We went to Wal-Mart which was very different from ours. Notice the smile has gotten much larger.

nerd day

Today at Sara's school was NERD day and not surprisingly we had plenty of nerd things around the house. It is part of the red ribbon week for "DON'T DO DRUGS" The girl with Sara is her best friend.

She also had her fall band concert. The kids got to dress in appropriate costume for the concert, Sara is the clown playing the flute, which was followed by the band masquarete dance/party.

Then she is off to her friend's sleep over birthday party~~we will see her tomorrow at noon. Ruth is loving the attention w/o sister :)

welcome to the family

Today we have had Sara for one day, but today we did the paperwork and it became official. Notice that today Sara is all smiles. She looks so little, resting with Jeff.

Do you notice that each year the cake is larger. Soon we will have one the size of a wedding cake :)

GETTING SARA

The next day we flew from Beijing to Nanchang. We arrived, dumped our things at our hotel, and we were off for our babies. We loved seeing our new friends getting their beautiful babies. The three from Fuzhou were a little late-one being Sara one her best friend that we meet later~Mailia.

Finally in came the three and at first I did not recognize Sara. Understand we only had 3 photos of her and they were old, but she had on the backpack that I sent her with a dragon fly that I sewed onto it. I had made a smaller dragonfly just like it as a pin that I was wearing. She was crying and so frightend. I wanted to just scoop her up and hug her, but I also remembered that we were just strangers to her and I did not want to frighten her more. The director showed us the huge stack of school books that she brought along. Too bad they searched her and too away all other personal items that she posessed which were trivial.

AND, just in case you were wondering, yes, we were all crying, and I cry just remembering this day---the day I became a mom to a beautiful little girl and the day our other little girl Ruth-whom I was missing so VERY much- got a sister .

District Cross Country

Today was the large district cross country meet. There were about 8 district school participating and it was held at a very nice park about 30 mins from the house.

SARA CAME IN 8TH! She was on the A team again, making it every time. This is the top 7 runners in their grade~~they are the kids who are wearing the pennies over their uniforms as an honor to them.

This is her all time best and she ran the 1 1/2 miles in 10.29 minutes. She really pushed her self at the end and no one passed her...I am a very proud mama! Note: She wears a bright green thing in her hair so I can find her easier. . . smart girl!





Needless to say due to so VERY much rain, it was a mud pit and it showed on every runner's legs.

GREAT WALL~BEIJING

The next day we did the Great Wall. It was impressive. I did not climb the wall. The steps were very uneven and irregular. Jeff did go up some though.

3 years ago

. . . we were in Beijing doing the tourist thing. We were so excited and our group we were with was great. Only another couple of the 7-8 already had children, so we were amused by the newbies. This was the forbidden temple and Tienanmen square.

Sara scores

This is Sara one on one with the other team's toughest player. We won 5-1. Sara kicked an awesome goal from the left and it was a beautiful arch going just below the upper bar-way out of the way of their goalie.

Note the chicken legs, surprised that she has such strength in them :)

WAY TO KICK SARA!

Sara's first dance

Today is the 7-8th grade dance at school. Sara had many boys ask her to go to the dance with her, but like a good girl she sent them all away in pain. She even got asked by two boys who she did not even know! Yes, she is the social butterfly of 7th grade, even according to her principal when I spoke to her lately~~~look out world.

It was finally decided that she and two of her girlfriends went together and had a great time. One dance down-oh so many to go!!!!

hair braiding

We did a double french braid in Sara's hair when it was wet. She then wore it for 3 days that way. When we took it out, it was beautiful too and she wore it 3 days like this to school.

Doggie hospital

I was upstairs and Sara was down having a before I go to bed snack....I guess another growing spurt. I hear her yelling at Jessie-the 10 mo old Chawennie and then smack him. I tell her not to hit the dog. When she comes up, I ask what happened. She had put her plate, with a totally denuded chicken bone, on the kitchen table, then turned to get a glass of water. In that few seconds, Jessie got onto the chair and took the chicken bone and it was gone....gone. I asked Sara if she looked around and she said yes, it was not to be found. SO, a call to the 24 hour hospital and was told yes, bring him in. This is at 9:30 in the rain and fog with a scared puppy. Jeff stayed home with the girls to put them to bed. Since Jeff works such long hours and I am home with the dogs ALL day long, Jessie was more comfortable with me, so off we went. Luckily the hosp was only 20 minutes away up a fwy not too crowded.

We get there and I give the first huge deposit for the privilege of visiting after hours. They try to take Jessie's temp as I hold his front end, I got a quick head but from him, and we decided that taking the temp was maybe not so important. Then the doc took him for a complete body X-ray to see were this bone was......nowhere!

I walked in the back and we both looked at the X-ray and it was no where to be seen.....where was it then?

I call back home and tell Jeff to look around the family room and yes, it was tucked in the cushion of the Lazy-boy and Cooper had not found it yet. It seems that Jessie had taken the bone and when Sara yelled, he dropped it, without her seeing it and she assumed that Jessie ate it.

SO, I gave the rest of my life savings and we left, with a CD souvenir of Jessie's insides......

....the moral of this story....never assume anything. AND....keep all bones higher from Jessie :)

Cross country #2

This evening was Sara's second cross counry meet and she came in 11th. They ran in a light drizzle and the ground was soaked since it had rained all day. The course included hills this time and it was touch. She was the first girl from her school to cross the finish line. Notice the kids all lined up to begin the race...far away with a super zoom lense.