Madalyn Made Me a Mama.....

Six years ago today. She was placed in our arms at exactly 11 months old. Wow. She is the baby that made me a mama, made us parents for the first time. She was delightful. She was quiet and reserved but didn't grieve in the same way as Kenzie did, less traumatic. We later learned that she had been taken from her foster mama two weeks ahead of us getting her while Mackenzie had been removed just that same morning. She began bonding quickly to us. I had so much fun dressing her and making her cute. She was just this itty bitty thing, only 15 lbs when we brought her home. She had these tiny, petite features and just the sweetest smile with one tooth. Those early days in the hotel in Wuhan were some of the sweetest ever for Matt and I. We were first time parents, excited, nervous. But we knew she was ours, that God had picked her specifically for us. Its funny because the day after you are given your baby, you go back to complete the official paperwork with civil affairs. One of the questions they ask is, "are you sure this is the baby for you?". What?? You couldn't have pried her from our arms with any amount of force. Of course she was ours. We had been in love for months with the idea of her, then her sweet referral picture, and now, the very essence of her......



Our Gotcha Moment. Love how she is checking out Dada.


She was so serious. Proud Dada.


Oh, those fingers.....they were in her mouth from the minute we had her. Her two sweet little fingers. They still find their way into her mouth in the middle of the night.

There she is....the One Tooth Wonder. Do you see it? This was our first breakfast together.

Love this pic....

Matt picked out that little stuffed lamb for her and she still occasionally sleeps with it and understands that Daddy picked it for her.

She had a sweet and warm disposition.

We spent Halloween in China.

One of my favorite pics.

This was a common scene.....as Americans, you draw quite a curious crowd wherever you go.

Madalyn Grace Xiao....how we love you. She is our sweet, tender-hearted, intuitive, thoughtful, creative, bossy, fashion conscience, friend to everyone, girl. My first born, my first dream come true...........

Four Years Ago.....

It was four years ago today that we held Mackenzie for the first time. We had been in China for a few days previous to help us and Madalyn adjust to the time change. We spent time in Hong Kong before going to Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province where both the girls are from. We had a large travel group but the best part was that we got to travel with another family that we had traveled with the first time to get Madalyn. They live in Colorado and we are very close. Our oldest girls are from the same city and our youngest girls are from the same city and even have the same birthday. It is a true red thread connection.

I can't believe its been 4 years already. I'd do it over and over again. While Mackenzie grieved significantly during those first few days, she was all smiles and bonding well to us as we headed home. That first 24 hours were hard and emotional. She just wailed for the first couple of hours. She refused to eat or take a bottle but this all began to change in the days to come. She began to smile and giggle and was very attached to her white bunny that we now call Tu Tu. This was a stuffed animal we had sent to her in a care package before going to China. It was clear it had been given to her and she loved it. It was of great comfort to her. She was our sweet butterball of a baby and had this spikey little hair do that I just loved. Before leaving China, she was beginning to respond to her new name and had learned the game, "So Big". However, we still call her by her Chinese nickname, Kang Kang, or Kenzie Kang. There is so much I could say about this day and those early weeks but after a weekend of celebrating her 5th birthday, I am pooped. I took time out from birthday posting to remember one of the best days of our lives and wanted to share it all with you. Enjoy some of my favorite moments and pics from those two weeks in China bringing home our free-spirited, joy-filled, spunky, sassy, beautiful Kenzie.......


Our Gotcha moment...... Madalyn was soo sweet with her and quickly gave her a hug.


Tears of joy....our first family photo....Mackenzie is wondering why all the Chinese people are leaving.... I love this pic both for the memorable moment of becoming a family of four as well as for the look of sadness on Kenzie's face. I knew she had been well loved and was grateful.


First smiles after an afternoon of endless tears and grieving. She wasn't too sure of Matt and he had left to go get us some dinner.


Our roly poly girl......


These jammies bring back such sweet memories for me.

We're off to go shopping... but she is already fashionable in her checkered beret....



One of my favorite early pics.....big sister doing little sister's hair.

Some sweetness with Dada.....she is coming around a bit now. Less tears, more smiles.

Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan. She couldn't walk yet but was pretty proud to be standing. Lord, she was just yummy.

How lucky we are....

One day in the park across from our hotel. She loved being outside and hated the hotel room. She would cry every time we entered the room but couldn't be more happy to be outside.

East Lake Park, a Wuhan treasure and maybe our favorite place in Wuhan.

Sweet, sweet Mackenzie Paige Kang.....we love you.

A Girl and her Shoes.....

Since we have Disney passes and get in free anyway on our birthdays, Disney allows you to get a gift card in the amount of a ticket. So yesterday being Mackenzie's birthday, we went to Magic Kingdom for a little shopping, $68 worth. These beauties were the first things she went for.....bright, shiny, patent vinyl Minnie shoes!! I don't think she could have felt fancier!

Her other purchases included a Minnie Mouse, a pin strap with a new Tinkerbell pin for trading, and a Tinkerbell polly pocket sort of thing.


A Princess for sure............


We love you beautiful girl..........more to come...........

How Is It????

That my joyous Mackenzie is turning 5 today??? She is still my baby for sure. She would stay my baby for as long as I let her! Four years ago today, we were in China waiting to meet her for the first time. On Sunday we will celebrate her adoption day. It goes by so fast and 5 feels like a big deal. We have a few things planned over the next couple of days but today we started off with breakfast with mommy. When I asked her where she wanted to go, she said, "McDonald's". Really?, I thought. Then she got more specific and said she wanted to go to the McDonald's IN Walmart!! Seriously? So off we went to have pancakes and do some shopping to make her cake. She is so easily pleased and couldn't have been more excited. Stay tuned for lots of fun to come..........

Ten Years.....

On October 9, Matt and I celebrated 10 years! We had originally talked about going back to San Fran since we honeymooned there but then decided to adopt again and didn't want to leave the kids for that long. We debated for a while on what to do and where to go. We decided on Savannah. We love Savannah. We went there for our 2nd anniversary and had a great time. We've driven through a couple of times to grab lunch. So last weekend, we dropped off the kids at my parents' house and off we went!! There were so many highlights....the quiet should we choose it, uninterrupted meals, not hearing Mama and Dada a gazillion times, awesome food, long walks, and then there were the gifts. We were both very surprised at what we each received. I bought Matt motorcycle riding lessons from Harley and he surprised me with a set of beautiful pearls...REAL ones :o). He's been talking about learning to ride for months and I wasn't real excited to say the least. But I knew he'd love it and be jacked up about it. My pearls are stunning and I feel very pretty in them. Thanks Honey!

Vic's on the River was a place we found on one of our drive thru visits. It's right on the river and they have delicious food. However, the best thing are the Fried Green Tomatoes! Yep, absolutely one of the best things we've ever eaten. My mouth is watering. We ate here both days for lunch and had them on each visit. And we had to get our own since we weren't really willing to share....lol.

This is our Bed and Breakfast, the Dresser Palmer House. It's two blocks from Forsyth Park and just beautiful.

This is our private entrance to our room called "Wisteria". Very romantic and secluded.

Our room. It had exposed brick on both the walls and the floor, really beautiful.

Classic Savannah street, Ivy covered stairs, lots of shade and history.

We went to Elizabeth's on 37th for our anniversary dinner. It comes highly recommended and is in the "1,000 Places to See Before you Die" book. Again, just delicious food, fancy schmancy.

The fountain at Forsyth Park.

Where does ten years go? It's been the best decade of my life. I am one very lucky girl! It was the perfect weekend and we can't wait to do it again. Savannah is romantic, full of history and stories, quaint, and the people are just delightful and pleasant. You must try it if you've never been there. Where we will go in another ten years?? How did you celebrate your 10th??

Boys........

When we decided we were going to adopt again and request a boy, Matt started collecting Hot Wheels for Mason. He had also saved quite a few from when he was a boy. He would come home from the store with 2 or 3 new ones a couple of times a week. Not to be a party pooper, but one day I said, "honey, what if he isn't into cars?". His answer was short and sweet and spoken with an unwavering confidence, "he will be". I privately hoped so. Well, not to Matt's surprise but certainly to his delight (if that's the right word for a guy), Mason LOVES cars. Its rare he is without one in his hand and he always sleeps with one in his crib. Car and NiNi. More about NiNi later. When he isn't walking around with one, he is lining them up. He will line them up with such precision and if he bumps one putting another one in line, he patiently and gently puts it back in place. He does this pretty regularly but this day cracked me up. He was running his line UNDER the couch! I was amazed at his diligence and determination. He does love his cars..........

You like it?

This is a normal shot of our living room on any given day.....