Sarah's Adventures

MY finished Round Robin Quilt

2011-06-09T09:37:00.002-07:00

I received my Round Robin quilt top back last Saturday, a wonderful birthday surprise (Well, 2 days early, but who's counting!) You may remember that last year I made the center of this quilt and sent it to the next person participating in the Round Robin. 5 other Ladies worked on my quilt and added a border every 2 months over the past year. I think that they did an absolutely wonderful job and I love the way it turned out. I'm so excited to get it quilted (or do it myself, haven't decided yet) and put it on our bed. Of all the quilts that I've made, I have never had one to keep for myself, I'm excited to finally keep one!

The photo has a weird blue spot toward the bottom, I'm not sure what happened there, but you can still see how pretty it is and the lovely colors.

Isn't it beautiful?

Christmas Eve 2010

2011-06-04T11:21:00.005-07:00

After church on Christmas Eve, we went to Natalia's for dinner & presents. It was a great time spent with some dear friends!

Braden & Tyson

Tyson LOVES the attention!

Here is Sarah's present from them! She loves her Kai-lan!

Lili and her gift card from us! She loves Forever 21!
Tati and her gift card from us for Pac Sun

Nati & Greg with the gifts I made for Nati!

Getting ready to open their presents!

Lili & Sarah being silly!

Bailey Boo!

Sarah & Baba

Braden and his money!

Bailey & her money!

Christmas Eve Service Sarah's Dance 12-2010

2011-06-04T11:18:00.002-07:00

On Christmas Eve, Sarah performed a dance at church with the worship dance team. She got to stand on the stage alone for part of it. She was so cute, she looked a little shy when she looked at me...

Sarah's Christmas Dance Performance

2011-06-04T11:09:00.003-07:00

For Sarah's Christmas Dance Perfomance, they had to wear Christmas pajamas, too cute! She's waiting for her turn to dance in this one.

Braden getting ready to watch Sarah dance.

Love that smile!

Sarah and Miss Melissa, her dance teacher.

Silly Braden!

Bailey smilin'

Worship Dance Performance Dec. 2010

2011-06-03T19:41:00.001-07:00

I think my camera died after this photo because this is the only one I could find! This was Sarah's worship dance performance at church.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2011-06-03T19:38:00.001-07:00

My Little Sweetie topping off the Christmas tree with a little help from Baba.

Cute Dalmation Dress Nov. 2010

2011-06-03T19:35:00.001-07:00

Love this cute dress and the pretty snow falling!

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-06-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

Sarah on Thanksgiving. I loved this outfit, it's so cute!

Snow Ball Fight! Nov. 2010

2011-06-03T19:30:00.002-07:00

Troy, Sarah and I had some fun in the snow! There were snowballs flying everywhere! Sarah was giggling so much while trying to hit us with snow!

November's Play Date 2010

2011-06-03T19:09:00.004-07:00

For our November Play date we went to the Children's Museum. It had been a while since we'd been there. Sunny & Gigi and Sarah were the only ones there this time, but they had a lot of fun!

Playing in the water

Goin' for a ride!

Making some crafts!

Gigi painting her photo cube!

Sunny smiling!

There was a stage and costumes, Sarah and these girls were putting on a play for us, it was pretty cute!

Climbing the rock wall

Salt Lake's newest anchor!

My 2 Kids! Nov 2010

2011-06-03T19:05:00.002-07:00

And NO, I did not push them! Just took the photo!

Fun at the Zoo! November 2010

2011-06-03T18:59:00.002-07:00

Love that zoo membership that Sarah got for her birthday!

Love those giraffes!

Look at those tiger's eyes!

fun at the playground!

Gotcha Day October 31, 2010

2011-06-03T18:56:00.002-07:00

As of October 31, 2010 Sarah had been in our arms for five years! We bought her this China puzzle when we were there for her adoption, as well as gifts to give her every year on Gotcha Day. We're so grateful to be her parents and so thankful that she's our daughter.

Halloween at School 2010

2011-06-03T18:52:00.002-07:00

Here is Princess Sarah at school on Halloween!

Birthday Build A Bear! Oct. 2010

2011-06-03T18:36:00.008-07:00

On Sarah's actual birthday Troy and I took her to Build-A-Bear to build a new friend.

Picking her Horse's heart!

Giving her horse a bath

Troy, the goof, modeling the bear's wig

Sarah and Buttercup, her new friend!

The Birthday Girl

2011-06-03T18:29:00.002-07:00

On her actual birthday, she got a birthday crown at school. I brought in cupcakes to celebrate-you can even see the evidence in her smile! LOL

Halloween! 2010

2011-06-03T18:27:00.001-07:00

Here is our little Princess Cinderella on Halloween

Halloween Dance Performance Oct. 2010

2011-06-03T18:19:00.003-07:00

Here is Sarah's Halloween Dance Performance. It was a really cute dance! She was dressed as Cinderella!

My Pretty Ballerina (Oct. 2010)

2011-06-03T18:12:00.002-07:00

Sarah started on our Church's worship dance team this year. It was a perfect opportunity to model her new leotard and tutu.

Birthday Lunch with Natalia, Lili & Tati

2011-06-03T18:04:00.002-07:00

We went to lunch with my best friend, Natalia and her daughters Lili and Tati so they could give Sarah her birthday present.

Sarah got a hold of the camera and I got a little silly!

Beautiful new leotard!
and gorgeous new tutu to match!

She took her own picture, silly girl!

Birthday Dinner with Poppa October 2010

2011-06-03T17:54:00.002-07:00

We went out to dinner for Sarah's birthday with my Dad and his wife, Kathy.

Here is Sarah and her Poppa.

Awesome scooter from Poppa
Awesome Leapster from Lao Lao

October 2010 Happy 6th Birthday, Sarah!

2011-06-03T17:30:00.004-07:00

We had Sarah's 6th birthday at the Bowling Alley! It was SOO much fun!

Here are Becky (from school), and Paige's kids, Chase & Danielle

Paige helping Danielle to bowl
Ken Z (from Troy's work) and his daughter, Erika

Miranda Joy, cute as ever!

Emma (from school)

My Goofball of a husband

Sarah and her Dragon Cake that I made for her-in teal, of course, that is after all, her favorite color!!

Emmett, Sarah, Emma, and Becky checking out Sarah's new bag

Sarah's Barbie Head she'd been asking for

Kai Lan lamp

Lady Bug Pillow Pet from Lao Lao

Franci, Sarah, Emmett and Kollyn

more movies!

Sarah bowling while Kollyn watches

Franci helping Emmett & Troy helping Sarah

Franci and Cutie, Kollyn

Sarah and her cake

October Play Date

2011-06-03T15:24:00.005-07:00

Our Play Date in October was so cool! We went to the local Farm where they had hay rides, a pumpkin patch and corn maze, as well as all the cool animals and fun stuff that is at a farm anyway. It was a blast!

Sarah is choosing her pumpkin! Ari with Emilie behind her

Gigi looking cute as ever
Sarah in the maze

Ben and Sarah! Don't you just love Ben's smile? He's so cute!

Lia & Emilie in the tree, Kylie and Ari down below

Lia, Emilie, and Sarah

Ben & Sarah with Ari

Cuties on the tractor

Ben, Sunny, Emilie, Sarah, Lia, Kylie, and Ari (aren't they all adorable?)

Sept. 2010, Just being silly

2011-06-03T15:14:00.002-07:00

Sarah snuggling with the dogs

I was laying out some of Sarah's old clothes to sell on eBay and Sarah decided to put on her red boots and pose, "Sell me, Mommy!" She said. "NO WAY!!!"

September 2010 Play Date

2011-06-03T15:10:00.002-07:00

We went the Park for our play date in September. There were a lot of us there and it was fun!

Lia on the Monkey Bars! Trying to pick up Gigi so she can reach them, too!
Susie with Ari

Mary Ann & Ben, Gigi and Sunny with Christy, Sarah, Lia and Susie with Ari

Sept. 2010 Riding her bike!

2011-06-03T15:08:00.001-07:00

After Kung Fu practice, Sarah grabbed her bike and started going up and down the street.

Sept. 2010 FCC-Utah Summer Picnic

2011-06-03T15:05:00.002-07:00

We had a lot of fun at the Families with Children from China Summer Picnic. Apparently I did way to much chatting and not enough photo taking because these were all I had from that day! Oops!

These Chinese lanterns are so cool! They go up in the air really high and as they burn out and cool off they fall back down. Really pretty!

Sept. 2010 The Utah State Fair

2011-06-03T14:51:00.005-07:00

We had so much fun at the State Fair! Sarah was tall and old enough to ride a lot of the rides this year, and she had a blast!!!

See the little black haired girl on the left in the back row? That's my Sarah! It was so horrifying to watch her ride this thing! I thought she was going to fly off of it! She's so skinny that she couldn't keep her bum on the seat!

She looks so unhappy and frightened, but she insisted on riding this one! The girls that were riding with her were really cute, they kept checking on her and asking if she was okay.
This was before it started...I kept asking her if she wanted off and she said, "No."

WEEEE!

The sea lion show was awesome!

She LOVED the slide! Much better than the little one at the park!

Here she comes!

Waiting for the sea lion show to start

grumpy, but still cute

September 2010 The Great Salt Lake

2011-06-03T14:47:00.003-07:00

Since Sarah is so in love with the ocean and any beach, we decided to visit the Great Salt Lake. I'm not sure why we don't do it more often, we are only about 20 minutes away from it. Sarah got a little bottle from the gift shop so she could save a little of the lake for herself. She really wanted to catch some brine shrimp, since that's about the only thing that can live in all that salt. She did get a few, but of course, they were no longer living...but, SHHH, don't tell her that!

August 2010 Play Date

2011-06-03T14:16:00.002-07:00

For our August play date, we went to the "Bouncy House" place. The kiddos loved it!

Sarah, with Sunny & Gigi-can you tell Sarah wasn't too happy? LOL She wanted to drive!

Climbing up!
Sarah leading Kylie everywhere that she'll follow!

Sarah and Kylie got their turn in the car!

WEEEE!!!

Cute Kylie!

...and going down!

Sunny, Sarah, Henry and Kylie

Sarah's Kindergarten school photo! August 2010

2011-06-03T14:15:00.001-07:00

She insisted on wearing her Chinese dress!

Aug 1, 2010 Sarah's first day of Kindergarten

2011-06-03T14:07:00.002-07:00

It brought tears to my eyes! My Baby started Kindergarten on Aug. 1, 2010! She was so excited to go to school! Troy took the day off work so we could take her together. She had so much fun and after we got into the car, my tears started to come! What a big girl she is, she's not my baby anymore!

Lining up to go in to school!

Here we are picking her up after school! We both got lots of hugs!

Sarah played on the kindergarten play ground a little bit.

July 2010 Visit to Ohio

2011-06-03T13:24:00.010-07:00

In July of 2010, Sarah and I were able to fly back to Ohio (thanks to my Mom) to attend 2 family reunions and have a great visit with my family. I'm not sure why blogger loads photos this way, but they're pretty much backwards, but oh well!

Here is my cousin's little boy, isn't he the cutest?I'm with my Aunt Denise (my Dad's younger sister) and her daughters and her grandson!

Here's another cousin's daughter, love the look she gave when I asked her to smile! So cute!

Posing with her cousin!

Sarah with Elijah

Sarah and her Lao Lao playing in the pond...

Sarah and her Great-Grandpa, my Poppy on my Mom's side of the family

Sarah and her Gigi (Great-Grandma on my Mom's side of the family)
Sarah going for a ride!

My Mom took us to French Creek, part of the Metro parks, and it was really nice.

We saw the Butterfly Garden and went for a nice walk, it was beautiful!

Me & my girl.

Sarah and Hailey outside the Butterfly Garden. Hailey is my friend's sister's daughter-she lives across the street from my Mom with her mom and Grandparents, in the same house that her aunt Kim (my best friend from elementary through high school) lived in. It reminded me a lot of my childhood because Sarah and Hailey were inseparable, much like Kim and me were when we were kids.

checking out the cool "smelly" plants

at the play house inside

The weather was extremely HOT, so humid and muggy when we were visiting. We decided to go out and play in the rain because it felt so good in the heat!

A little chilled finally!

I loved the color of the sky in the rain!

Sarah and Lao Lao soaked!

We went to the beach for a little swim because Sarah was begging to go!

Here is the lighthouse that Lorain is famous for!

Sarah decided to make some sand angels! LOL

Playing in the sand

While we were visiting, my Grammy's (Sarah's Gigi) cat had kittens, they were so cute!

This was at the family reunion for my Mom's side of the family. This is Samantha, aka Sammy, my cousin's daughter.

Me & my cousins-we're all grown up!

Sarah and Sammy

We had a really nice visit!

Much needed update

2011-06-03T13:20:00.001-07:00

I just realized that I am approaching almost a year of being behind on the blog...SORRY, Mom! I'm going to attempt to get busy and post some highlights since last summer! Here goes!

Family Photos from Nov 2010

2011-03-26T22:32:00.009-07:00

I'm going a little out of order with my photos in order to show off our family photos that we had taken back in November. I love the way they turned out...It was fun to see the difference in myself since I had lost more than 90 lbs since our photos from last year.

Here's our little girl, who looks like such a big girl! Where did my baby go?

My Chinese Princess

2010-11-04T17:09:00.002-07:00

Sarah LOVES LOVES LOVES to wear her Chinese dresses. I loved the way she looked in this blue one, so I just HAD to get the camera out.

For some reason, she's posing like an Egyptian?! I have no idea why!

Is it just me, or does that smile just melt your heart? ...could be just cause I'm her Mom, though!

Grandma & Grandpa's Visit

2010-11-04T17:02:00.003-07:00

In July, Troy's parents came to see us. It was a lot of fun to have them here for a little while. I'm really so blessed to have such amazing In-Laws, they're wonderful! Sarah had a ton of fun seeing her Grandparents for a few days, too!

We went to the Planetarium and walked around, it is the coolest place!

Sarah is on the MOON!!

July Play Date

2010-11-04T16:56:00.002-07:00

For our play date in July, Christy invited us to her place for brunch and a little swim! It was so much fun, as you can see here!

We have from L to R, Lia, Susie, Ari, Gigi, Christy, Sunny, and Sarah

Cute Little Gigi!

Sarah...

Lia...

Sunny...

Lia, Susie, and Ari...

My Mexican Star Round Robin

2010-11-04T16:33:00.002-07:00

This is a large quilt block that I made, I think it was about 26" square, if I remember correctly. The pattern is called, "Mexican Star." I made it for a "Round Robin" project...for those of you that don't know, It will go out to 5 different quilting friends and they will each add a border to it until it's the size of a quilt for one of our beds! As each person adds their border, it's a secret to me, so I have to wait until it's all done to see the final product! I loved these colors and it was really fun to make. I can't wait to see what it will look like when I get it back next summer!

Independence Day Fun!

2010-11-04T16:25:00.003-07:00

Ever since Sarah has been in our lives, we've made it a tradition to go to the July 4th parade. Every year is a new experience for us because Sarah is growing and liking different things about it. This year she actually GOT some of the candy because she figured out how to run and grab them and be less timid about it. It was a lot of fun and the weather was just right, not too hot!

We got Sarah some sparklers to play with at home when it was dark...

Our All American Girl!

Summertime Fun!

2010-11-04T16:17:00.002-07:00

At the end of June Sarah went to a birthday party and they had fun with water! She loved the sandbox, though...

June Play Date

2010-11-02T18:07:00.005-07:00

For our June's play date, we went to the Aviary and the park for our play date in June. We all had fun!

Sarah rode the ferris wheel with Sunny and her Mom, Christy.

Sarah got to feed the birds!

Waiting to feed the birds!

Sunny and her Mommy, Christy

Susie with Lia and Ari

Here's the whole crew!

Sarah with her buddy, Kristen

Meet Ari! She's Lia's little sister and had just barely gotten home from China in this photo! She's a doll!

Susie and Lia

Sarah's CAR!

2010-11-02T18:04:00.002-07:00

During the last week of Preschool, they had a drive in day and Sarah and I "made" her this car to watch the movie in. She was so proud of her car, I even let her take her soft blanket and some couch pillows to sit on so it was softer! June 2010

Asian Festival

2010-11-02T18:01:00.002-07:00

We took Sarah to the Asian Festival last June. It was a lot of fun. She fed the Lion a dollar during the Lion Dance and got her face painted with a pretty butterfly.

School Performance

2010-11-02T16:16:00.005-07:00

This was Sarah's school performance at the end of last school year and her graduation from preschool. We LOVED this preschool and are so happy that we found it! Sarah learned so much there and I just wish she could go to all Elementary school there, if it were available!

Here is Sarah getting her certificate from her teacher, Miss Lani.

I turned 40 this summer!

2010-11-02T15:55:00.002-07:00

Well, I did it. I turned 40. At first I thought that I was going to be traumatized, but when it arrived, it wasn't so bad. I was looking back at my life over the past year and since last October, I had lost 66 lbs and had been exercising I felt better than I had in years! Life was good, I'm blessed with a wonderful husband and daughter. Since then, I've lost another 24, for a total of 90! So, I decided that 40 really was FABULOUS!

Me with my Honey

My friend, Betty gave me these goodies...she said the glasses were for my failing eyes, the notepad was for my failing memory, and the bubbly faux champagne was so I could celebrate anyway!

First Dance Performance

2010-11-02T15:47:00.003-07:00

This was back in June and it was Sarah's first dance performance! The girls were beautiful and it was so much fun to watch.

Here is Sarah with Miranday Joy.

And afterwards with her flowers!
We had this artist make a caricature of Sarah (we were at the arts festival)

Dance Dress Rehearsal

2010-11-02T15:43:00.002-07:00

This was Sarah's first dance dress rehearsal. I went a little photo crazy!

Fun at the Farm

2010-11-02T15:39:00.002-07:00

Sarah's preschool had a fun field trip at the Farm. Here are a few fun shots from that day.

Sarah with the horse.

Feeding the ducks and geese!

The Living Traditions Festival

2010-11-02T15:28:00.002-07:00

Every year we try to make it to the Living Traditions Festival. These were taken there while we were just hanging out and enjoying ourselves...

I was amazed that I took such a pretty photo...I was just shooting and shooting, and hoping that I'd get one that looked good. Since she never sits still, I was doubtful, but I loved the way this one turned out when I cropped it and made it black and white.

My 2 Loves

May Playdate

2010-11-02T15:24:00.002-07:00

For our play date in May we hung out at the park. It was a really nice day and the kids had fun!

This is Chun Lan, Preston's big sister...when this photo was taken, she hadn't been home from China for very long.

Preston, Sarah and Sunny
That Cutie, Preston!

Sunny and Gigi

The Princess Carnival

2010-11-02T14:58:00.005-07:00

Back in May, Sarah's preschool had the MOST FUN Princess Carnival as a fundraiser. It was a blast! Sarah LOVED it and can't wait to go again this year.

Here she is with Her Fairy Godmother (Miss Lani)

Here she is after her hair and makeup were done!

This is what her hair looked like from the side. It was so pretty and curly she couldn't get enough of it!

Sarah with Belle (really it was Miss Crystal who was her preschool teacher in the 2008-2009 school year and Sarah LOVES her!)

with Cinderella

Can you believe how tiny and cute that horse is??

and those goats! You just want to put them in your pocket, they're so cute!

Here she is getting her hair done!

and with Aurora! (Sleeping Beauty)

and of course, Ariel!

This would be the ONLY time she has ever stood still in her LIFE! Just kidding, but here is Miss Launa putting on Sarah's makeup!

April's Play Date

2010-11-02T14:37:00.003-07:00

Okay, So many months late, here are some shots of our play date back in April. Here is Sarah and Kristen checking out the horse. and the treehouse Kristen with Ben and Sarah...

Here are all the kiddos that made it to this one. This was a first play date for Henry (in the orange top) and Ben (on the far right) and then there was Lia with Sarah and the rest were Meagan's (Isabella is in the red top by Henry and the rest are Isabella's siblings) crew and it was their first play date with us, too! The more the merrier, I always say!

Checking out the ducks

Sarah with Susie and Lia

My Little Weather Girl!

2010-05-28T08:45:00.001-07:00

At our local Planetarium, there is a weather forecasting area. You can see Sarah on the TV screen on the right. She thought it was fun to tell us the weather!

Yes, the Dolphin has now learned how to "do the weather"

Family...

2010-05-27T13:41:00.002-07:00

Here is Sarah and Lao Ye taking their photo themselves outside my Grandma's house

Sarah with Gigi

Sarah and Lao Ye again...

Sarah with Poppy

Fun Ohio Pics

2010-05-27T13:34:00.002-07:00

Here is my Mom, Sarah and my Cousin, Scott's little baby girl-she's cute, huh?Here is Sarah and my Mom hanging out in the quilt store...yes, I just couldn't stay away from the quilt store, even on vacation!

Me & My Noodle by the train...

By the Train with LaoLao

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-05-27T09:59:00.006-07:00

We had a fun Easter Egg Hunt at my Mom's house. Sarah had SOO much fun!

Just before our hunt, Sarah was playing with Lao Ye and playing tug of war with Sammy! Don't you love the look on her face in this one? Delight!

How's that for an "egg portrait?"

LOOK! I found one!

Easter Sunday

2010-05-27T09:39:00.003-07:00

Sammy and Sarah waiting for the Easter Bunny to come back.

Sarah wasn't happy that we were leaving, she wanted more time to play with her cousin...can you tell?
Sarah and Sammy playing with their jump ropes they got for Easter!

Uncle Greg decided to join in!

Here's most of my family...My Cousin, Christine (Sammy's Mom), my Mom (Sarah's LaoLao), My Poppy, Uncle Greg, Me, on the bottom, Sarah, Sammy, and my Grandma (Sarah's Gigi)

And...the Easter Bunny has arrived...however Sarah wouldn't go near!!

Here we are in front of my Mom's house. Sarah's Lao Ye, Sarah's LaoLao, Me, Gigi, Sarah, and Poppymore jumproping!

Coloring Easter Eggs

2010-05-27T09:33:00.003-07:00

Since we unexpectedly ended up in Ohio for Easter, we made sure to have some fun coloring Easter eggs with Sarah.

Here she is with her Gigi (Great-Grandma, get it? G G?) Anyway...

Me and my girl...

3 of the 4 generations! Gigi, Sarah and LaoLao

Last Minute Trip to Ohio

2010-05-27T09:16:00.004-07:00

At the end of March we had some upsetting news, my Grandmother (Dad's side) passed away. Thanks goodness for my Mom and her skymiles, she was able to get Sarah and I plane tickets so we could go to Ohio for the funeral. We were able to stay with my Mom and see my family and also spend some time at the funeral and re-connect with LOTS of my cousins and family on my Dad's side-many of whom I haven't seen since 1988! So, it was great, even though it was a sad occasion it was a blessing to see everyone and now we are keeping in touch!

Here is Sarah with Samantha, my cousin's daughter. She had a blast with Sammy-they were making flowers/bouquets or something here...

We took my Mom's dog (also named Sammy) to the dog park. Don't ask how that went! Let's just say I highly doubt I will ever get Sarah to go to another dog park EVER!

As Mother's Day Approaches...

2010-05-04T11:26:00.004-07:00

With the approach Mother’s Day my mind has been thinking of so many things about Motherhood…my own Mother, the recent death of my Dad’s Mother, the fact that my Mom’s Mother may not live to see 2011…becoming a Mother myself to my most amazing little girl…and about another Mother. I wonder…I wish there were so many things I could tell and ask her. Was she married? Did her in-laws put pressure on her to give up their baby because she was a girl and they had no heir to care for them in their old age? Was she a second child? Did she have an older brother? Or sister? Or was she too young to care for a child? Who brought her to the gate of the orphanage? Did the person wait and watch in hiding to make sure she was found quickly? What happened? Why did she abandon my precious daughter? I wish there was a way to answer all these questions for my Sarah one day.

It is because of this woman’s sacrifice that such a precious little baby girl was brought into our family…from so far away, in such a different place chosen especially for our family by God. I wonder if she thinks about Sarah and wonders about her life…where she is, what kind of family she has, how much she is loved and treasured.

I wish I could tell her that Sarah lights up our home in a way only she can. I wish I could tell her that Sarah swims like a fish, wants to be an Olympic swimmer one day, and loves everything to do with the ocean. I wish I could tell her that Ariel is her favorite Princess. I wish I could tell her that Sarah’s the tallest girl in her preschool class, tallest kid for that matter. I wish I could tell her that Sarah is already reading stories to me at bedtime. I wish I could tell her how loving Sarah is, how caring she is…I wish I could tell her about when I have a headache or am hurt and Sarah prays for me. I wish I could tell her how she loves to ride her bike. I wish I could tell her that Sarah has lost 5 teeth already and has a 6th that’s a little wobbly. I wish I could tell her that Sarah loves to draw and color and that every person she draws ends up being a mermaid by the time the drawing’s done. I wish I could tell her how much she makes me laugh every day…how much fun she is to be around…but most of all I wish I could tell her how much I love the girl who began life in her womb and how thankful I am.

She Loves to Pose!

2010-05-02T16:28:00.002-07:00

I wonder if she'll be a model when she grows up? If it has anything to do with how much she loves to pose for the camera, she will for sure! She's got her little buddy, Winston with her here.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-05-02T16:25:00.001-07:00

Sarah had a fun St. Patrick's Day party at her preschool. She had so much fun!

Wow, she looks COOL!

2010-05-02T16:23:00.001-07:00

We were having a balmy winter day and she looked so cooool in those shades, I had to grab the camera!

She lost another tooth!!

2010-05-02T16:21:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how fast Sarah is growing! She lost one of her top front teeth in the middle of March. What a big girl!

Gotta Love a Ballerina Dress...

2010-05-02T16:18:00.002-07:00

Here is Sarah a few months ago in her pretty dress with the ballerina on it. She loves this one...

February's Play Date

2010-05-02T15:46:00.007-07:00

For our playdate that was in February, Christy, Sunny & Gigi invited us over their home to play! The girls had a puppet show for the Moms in their bathtub. It was hilarious and a lot of fun for our girls.

Here are some excerpts...

Sunny & Sarah

And Lia joined in...

Love a Chinese Dress!

2010-04-20T15:12:00.002-07:00

I'm so glad that we bought lots of Chinese dresses when we awere in China in all the sizes we could, I love how pretty they are and how beautiful Sarah looks in them. I love this color on her!

Xin Nian Quai Le! (Very Late!)

2010-04-20T15:00:00.004-07:00

Happy Chinese New Year, that is! There is a very fun Chinese New Year celebration at the Library that we go to every year.

Baba's eyes were open this time, incredibly!

Me and my girl!

Here's Sarah's dragon that she made That's our friend, Lia, hiding her eyes behind her dragon!The Lion Dance!

Ready for the show to start!

Yes, she's a little happy to be snuggling with her Baba!

And, now Baba's eyes are closed! I wish I could get both of them together, with BOTH having eyes OPEN!

Valentine's Party

2010-04-20T14:38:00.003-07:00

Sarah had a Valentine's Day party at preschool back in Feb. Parents are invited to party days, of course I was there and took a few cute photos.

I like this one cause Sarah has the happiest smile! You can definitely tell she's having a blast!

Here is my adorable girl getting ready for church...don't you just love polka dots and ruffles?

(Yes, Mom--I know she needs a trim here!)

This would be what happens when Sarah gets a hold of the camera herself! Pretty hilarious if you ask me!

This is before the preschool party began

All the kids in Sarah's class told their teacher what they loved and it was written on hearts and hung up out in the hallway.

I was so proud of Sarah's answer...especially when all the others were so different...

Sarah was doing some sign language that she's learned as the motions to the song!

and of course, a very silly face!

Little Miss Hilarious

2010-03-11T16:43:00.002-07:00

The scene: the produce section of the grocery store.

The players: 2 toddlers, a boy and girl about 18mos & around 2yrs.

After a few minutes of hearing them play, yell, scream, laugh...

Sarah comes to me and whispers, "Mom?"

me: "yes?"

Sarah still whispering, "Those kids are giving me a headache."

Valentine's Day Photo

2010-02-18T21:46:00.002-07:00

Sarah's preschool had a fundraiser so that they can buy computers for all the classrooms. One of the teachers is also a professional photographer and she was took the photos and sold them as the fundraiser.

She looks so grown up!

Happy Birthday Jesus (a belated story)

2010-02-14T21:12:00.002-07:00

One of Sarah's favorite Christmas songs is by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir called, "Happy Birthday Jesus." I think one of the reasons she likes it so much is because it's sung by children. It's a beautiful song and I downloaded it to my ipod for us to listen to.

A few weeks ago, Sarah asked me to find that song for her and I did. She was holding the ipod (love that it has a built in speaker) and I was brushing her hair and getting her ready to go to her dance lesson.

While I was brushing her hair, she asked me, "Mommy? What side of my chest is my heart, the right or left?"

I reached over her shoulder and showed her on her left where her heart is, "It's right here, Honey, on your left."

She took the ipod and put it on her chest over her heart.
I smiled and asked, "Sarah? Are you putting the ipod on your heart so that Jesus can hear it better?"

She smiled so big, "Yes Mommy, so He can hear them sing Happy Birthday!"

Cute things She Says...

2010-02-14T21:02:00.003-07:00

The scene was the Christmas Eve church service we went to as a family. Since it's a shorter service than normal, and it's the earlier one, it's geared toward families so there are a lot of kids that go. Our Pastor decided that instead of read from the bible or tell the story of Jesus' birth, he would show on DVD, an excerpt from "The Nativity Movie". So, we were sitting and Sarah was watching intently and taking it all in. I could tell that she was in awe, because she'd learned the story in sunday school and we've told it to her before, but this was the first time that she'd seen it visually.

She leaned over to me and asked, "Mommy, is Jesus a baby?"
"Yes," I replied...He is all grown up now, though."
"I know, Mom! I mean in the movie." she corrected me.
"Yes, Honey, in the movie it is showing when he was born and is a baby."

She waited a few minutes and I could tell the wheels were turning in her head.

She leaned back over to me and said, "Mommy?"
"Yes, Sweetie?"
"Jesus gave me a heart so that He could live there!" she told me excitedly.
Tears forming in my eyes, "Yes, He did, Sarah, that's right."

Sometimes God uses my daughter to help me have the right perspective...and maybe one day she'll realize just how profound that statement was.

Happy Birthday Miranda Joy!

2010-02-13T17:18:00.002-07:00

Sarah was invited to Miranda Joy's 5th birthday party, here are a few photos of her day!

Chelsea, Miranda Joy, and Angie

Her Baba put her up there! YIKES!

Here's the outfit Sarah picked to give Miranda Joy for her birthday!

Aquarium Field Trip

2010-02-13T17:04:00.003-07:00

At the end of January, Sarah's preschool went to the Aquarium for a field trip. Sarah absolutely LOVED it, as she loves anything that has to do with the ocean, sea, or anything that lives there!

She actually touched the sting ray this year!

He came up to wave at us!

The touching pools...that Sarah wouldn't touch!

Talk about a Lobster! He was the biggest one I'd ever seen!

Driving the boat!

January Play Date

2010-02-13T16:44:00.002-07:00

Because of everyone's busy holiday season, we decided to skip our play date in Dec. and went right through til January! Since Sarah had so much fun at the bouncy house place, we decided to have her play date there, too! We even got to meet a new friend, Kylie, this time!

Here is Angie with her Miranda Joy (aka Smiley! LOL)

Here is our new friend, Kylie! Isn't she cute!

Can you believe how big Gigi has gotten?

There's my little buddy, Preston!

Sarah and Kylie were inseparable! They kept looking for each other and Sarah was Kylie's little helper, it was adorable!

Here are Kylie, Miranda Joy, Sarah, and Preston

Here's cute Chelsea (Angie's daughter and Miranda Joy's big sister)

Blurry/Pretty Girl!

2010-02-12T10:57:00.001-07:00

I just loved this outfit and had to try to get a photo. Sarah just kept going all over the place this was the best I could get. It's a little blurry, but cute nonetheless!

Bouncy Play Date

2010-02-12T10:48:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago, we went to a play date with Angie and her kids. Sarah LOVES this place and we had a 1/2 price coupon, so it was lots of fun!

Sarah went so fast down the slide I couldn't even get the photo to focus!

I caught Miranda at the bottom. Don't you just love that smile?

And my bouncy little girl jumpin all over the place!

Sarah's First Dance Class!

2010-02-12T10:39:00.002-07:00

In January, Sarah started taking dance! She absolutely LOVES it and one of the most fun things is that she already has some friends that are in her class! Miranda Joy is there, as well as some other friends from her preschool. Sarah has a lot of fun.

This is Sarah on her first night of class!

And here she's completely NOT paying attention to the class!

Fun Flannel Raggy Quilts!

2010-02-12T10:33:00.002-07:00

A dear friend of mine just had a baby and I made her this rag quilt for her little one. It was fun and so cute! Here is a close up.

This one is made of all Christmas/Winter themed flannel fabrics. I decided to actually keep this one for myself. I swapped lots of squares with the red thread quilters group to get the variety! I think it's cute but my favorite thing about it is that it's SOO warm!

Gotta Love a Twirly Skirt!

2010-02-12T10:27:00.002-07:00

The 2 loves of my life!

Sarah LOVED wearing this outfit to church! She got to twirl and twirl and twirl!
I finally got her to hold still for just a second!

Lovin' on her Baba!

Is that not the most adorably pout you have ever seen?

My Little Cowgirl/Prep!

2010-02-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Dancin' in the Street (Kinda)

2010-02-11T10:52:00.002-07:00

Yes, my daughter does bounce around like she's constantly on a trampoline, and yes, she has this much energy pretty much all of the time! This time, I grabbed the camera and caught her in action, too cute, IMHO!

Magic Show

2010-02-11T10:42:00.002-07:00

Sarah's friend, Taila, had a magician do a show for her birthday in January and Sarah was chosen to go up for a trick. It was really cute! Here are some of the antics with him.

Our First Gingerbread House!

2010-02-11T10:39:00.002-07:00

Sarah and I decorated our first gingerbread house this year. It was a lot of fun, Sarah loved decorating it they way she wanted it to be.

Fun On Christmas!

2010-02-11T10:33:00.001-07:00

My Dad and Kathy came over for Christmas morning and it was a nice time. Sarah got lots of fun gifts...here are a few photos from that day!

Christmas Party at Preschool

2010-02-11T10:12:00.003-07:00

Sarah's preschool class had a party for Christmas. They sang lots of fun songs, had a snack, and did a gift exchange. It was everything I could do to make Sarah take a different gift than the one that she brought! She wanted that one really bad! But, she got some cute Littlest Pet Shop stuff, instead. It was a lot of fun!

Singing songs!

She's learned how to cut things out very well and was following instructions!

Ready to open her present!

hmm...where are the kleenex?

playing fun games!

Merry Christmas!

2010-02-10T15:23:00.001-07:00

Our pretty girl in her Christmas get up!

Proud Parent Moment!

2010-02-10T15:20:00.001-07:00

On the wall at Sarah's preschool, they listed their photos. They asked the kids what they could do to bring peace on Earth...Sarah said, "to give to others." I was so proud when I saw that! It was one of those moments when I thought, "Aww, I must be doing SOMETHING right!" I'm definitely a proud parent of this amazing little girl!

Christmas Preschool Program

2010-02-10T15:05:00.005-07:00

It was so much fun to watch Sarah and her fellow preschoolers singing and dancing in their Christmas program this past year!

In this photo, it was the middle of the song, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" during the part where the music played by itself, they had all the kids tickling each other. It was the cutest thing that I had ever seen!

Don't you love how Sarah's star is all flopped over! :)

Hi, Mom!

on a sleigh ride!

Pretty in Purple

2010-02-10T14:37:00.002-07:00

Pretty Projects for Christmas

2010-02-10T14:17:00.002-07:00

These are some projects that I made for Christmas gifts this year. This one I quilted and added a red bow to the top and gave to my Mother and Father-in-Law.

This one still looks like this! It never got finished and so will probably be a gift for someone for next year.

This is a Christmas stocking (obviously) that I made for my Dad's new wife. She needed one to "match" the one I made him last year.

Thanksgiving at Preschool!

2010-02-10T13:01:00.004-07:00

Thanksgiving week Sarah's preschool had a Thanksgiving Feast, she was a pilgrim and it was so much fun to watch!

They were singing a song about looking for turkeys!

Getting ready to eat the feast!

She got to try a real native american drum!

more fun songs!

She's all smiles!

2010-02-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

It's about time, I know!- November Play Date

2010-02-10T12:37:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know it's been WAY too long since I've updated our blog. (Sorry, Mom) In the interest of keeping things in order, I'm posting them back to our play date in November. It was so much fun! Sarah had a blast!

Here are Sarah and Lia posing, Preston was running around somewhere being silly!

There's Preston with Michelle attempting to convince him to be in the photo

Finally, there he is playing Peek-A-Boo with me!

After playing and on our way out, Sarah and Preston wanted to climb the rock wall! Here is Preston doing just that! This is as high as he got!

And this would be as high as Sarah got-can't you tell by the look on her face how "done" she was?

She was all smiles at the beginning!

just starting out!

5 yr old photos

2009-11-20T12:41:00.012-07:00

I found this amazing photographer, Kassandra Namba, who took our photos a few weeks ago. I love they way they turned out and was so happy to have found her.

These colors are amazing in this one! I love it!

This has to be one of my favorites!

Sparkley eyed girl!

Our first real family photo since Sarah was one...we're missing 2, though...Bailey & Braden, we wish you were here!

Love that smile!

I look like Mr. Magoo in this photo, all squinty eyed!

Love the effects in this one

Sarah's birthday dinner!

2009-11-02T10:05:00.006-07:00

Well, our precious little girl turned 5 last week! I can't believe how much she's grown!

We went out to eat for her birthday with family and our dearest friends.

Opening her Tinkerbell jewelry box from Nati, Tati, & Lili...

Okay, Sarah! WHO are you texting?? And Lili, isn't she a bit young for you to teach her that??

This was the look on her face when they brought her ice cream and sang "Happy Birthday" to her...

More looks at the singers!

Not as bad as last year! Last year it scared her and she cried in my arms for 10 minutes after they finished singing!

Movie from Lao Lao!

and MONEY!

Kai Lan from Mama and Baba

She HAD to carry some of her presents to the car by herself!

Our Little Cutie!

October Play Date

2009-11-02T09:36:00.004-07:00

For our Oct. play date we went bowling and had a mini-b'day for Sarah and Lia. It was a lot of fun for all of us!

Here is Sarah and Lia with the birthday cake I baked for them.

Lia with the present we brought her!

And, Sarah with hers.

Don't ask me...I have no idea why the arms are up there...it was the only group shot I could get and I wasn't complaining! For once they all looked smiley in the photo, too! From left to right: Sarah, Preston, Emilie, and Lia

Preston, was hilarious! It didn't matter how many pins he hit, he was so joyful, arms in the air, jumping up and down, it was great! I love this shot! Feet off the floor and everything!

Sarah was having a blast!

Lia's turn to bowl!

There's Sarah's ball down there, almost a gutter ball, if it hadn't been for the rails! Most of the time she insisted on NOT using the ramp, she's a big girl now, you know!

Preston dancing cause he got to bowl!

Emilie's turn!

Preston with his Mom, Michelle!

Granny style!

Sarah was soo happy, she was having a lot of fun!

Preston getting a little guidance

Preston getting ready!

Happy 4th Gotcha Day!

2009-10-31T14:32:00.002-07:00

WOW! I can hardly believe that it's already been 4 years today since we first held our darling Sarah in our arms. There are so many things that I have contemplated today as I remember our trip to China and meeting Sarah for the first time. It was on her first birthday that our plane left the Salt Lake International Airport on our way to China. I remember it being a little bittersweet...I couldn't have been more excited to travel to meet our daughter, but was a little disappointed that we weren't able to be there with her for her first birthday. When we first arrived in China, it was late at night and the following 2 days were spent sightseeing and doing normal tourist things. Our guides kept us so busy we didn't have a chance to feel any jetlag! We were going constantly from morning til night. In retrospect, I really think it was a good idea because when we did meet Sarah, we were already on her time-schedule.

The next day, we flew to Jiangxi Province. I remember being in the Beijing Airport and trying to buy some socks. I had to send our suitcases the night before, and completely forgot to take out some socks for me to wear. It had to be a funny sight with Troy and I trying to explain to the sales woman what we were looking for--all the pointing at my feet, then his feet with socks on...finally after a few minutes, she realized what we wanted and I was able to buy some socks. I still have and wear those socks, too!

When we returned to our group at the gate, one of the twelve families we were traveling with had a finding ad of our daughters. They put photos and small descriptions in the newspaper for a long time of the children at the orhpanage, to see if anyone comes forward to claim the children. Sherry, our guide, was reading the Chinese for us and we saw a very newborn photo of Sarah, she was about a month old in that one and it's the only photo of her that we have that young.

We were all so excited, only a few hours away from meeting our daughters. When we arrived in Nanchang, Jiangxi's capital, we had a long bus drive to our hotel...it seemed to take forever! At this point, I don't think we were too sure where we would meet our girls. We had heard stories of them being brought to the hotels, but many of the Provinces now required families to go to the government offices and meet them there.

It wasn't until we were at the hotel that we found out they were coming to us! I remember being so rushed! We had very little time to get ready for Sarah. We had to wait for our luggage for what seemed like an eternity in order to retrieve and wrap the gifts we'd brought for the orphanage staff. We couldn't go down to the conference room until we had our luggage, gifts wrapped and delivered to our guide. I remember we waited in our room for the luggage and kept looking out in the hall to see if it was coming and I think Troy finally got it from the bellhop and I started wrapping presents. Troy was half in the room, half listening to what was going on in the hotel...the next thing Troy races into our room and says, "the babies are here!" One of the families had seen them enter the hotel! I was so frantic, I don't think that I had ever wrapped any present so fast in all my life.

I finished wrapping, grabbed the camera and video camera, took the gifts to Sherry's room and raced to the conference room to see if we could get a glimpse of our precious Sarah. There were 2 rooms next to each other when we got there. I remember seeing the DeFelice family in the hallway with their cute Lucy already! There was her caretaker in the hallway sitting down and when Teresa and Chris got there, they realized it was Lucy and were holding her and trying to play with her. We looked into the room where the babies and Nannies were and tried so hard to see which one was Sarah. We couldn't see very well because the lights were off and then sunlight was shining in the window behind the babies and it was difficult to see their faces. Many of them were crying...probably tired, hungry, and wet from their long bus ride from Ruijin to Nanchang.

We kept looking for Sarah until they told us we had to go to our conference room and wait...we never did figure out which baby she was. The guides gave each family a number...we were Family #3. And since we were Family #3, we were the third family to receive their daughter. When it was our turn, they yelled for us, (they had to yell with the 2 babies that already were with their families and the other babies that were crying in the background.) Of course, we soon found out that they were yelling because Sarah was screaming her cute little head off. Someone handed Sarah to Troy and she was screaming I handed them our passports and paperwork, to prove we were the right family...Troy very quickly handed her to me and she didn't stop crying. I remember being so concerned for her, but so glad to have her in my arms. I didn't cry, which for those of you who know me--you know that's miraculous. I just held her and tried to comfort her. It wasn't until that night in bed, after she'd fallen asleep that I cried. It was a wonderful cry though, I was so excited and happy to be Sarah's Mom, all I could do was cry to express my emotions.

For me, the next few hours were a blur...I remember doing some paperwork, then being sent to our room and told to return in a short amount of time for more paperwork and photos for the adoption certificate. I remember going back to our room, putting a diaper on her bare butt--she was wearing those split pants they use in China to potty train and I didn't want to get pee-d on! We were told that it was not a good idea to change her clothes right away, as everything in her world had just changed when she was handed to us and we should at least let her keep the one thing she still had, at least for a little while longer. I sat on the bed with Sarah in my arms, rocking her and comforting her. Every time she'd stop crying, Troy would think-"now's my chance! She stopped crying, now I can try to talk to her and love on her!" I would look at him and think, "are you kidding me? I just got her to calm down and you're going to make her start screaming again?" And that's exactly what would happen. I remember feeling so heartbroken for my dear husband. We had been so in love with Sarah long before we met her that our hearts were so full of love for her already. I knew Troy was feeling so rejected and it was breaking his heart for his beloved daughter to be so afraid of him and scream every time he so much as looked at her.

Finally she fell asleep on me and shortly after we had to return to the conference room to finish up some paperwork, take the photo for the adoption certificate, and sign that we wanted Sarah. I remember putting our thumbprints on the paperwork with red ink. Sarah screamed thoroughout the whole process, too. I tried giving her cheerios, showing her some toys, a telephone that talked and played music...nothing worked.

The remainder of the evening, we just tried comfort Sarah. She was so afraid. Most likely she had never seen a caucasian before. She was not living in a major tourist city and stayed with a Foster Mother while in the care of the orphanage. It was only her and her foster mother, there were no men that she was acquainted with, which explained her fear of Troy. Not only was he a man, but he was 6'4" tall and towered over every man we'd ever seen in China, his head shaven and with the goatee-she had no idea what or who he was. I remembered feeling so sad for Sarah, that she'd been taken away from the one person who had cared for her for the first year of her little life. I was confident about one thing though, it was God that had chosen her for our daughter and it would just take a little time. I was also happy that she had been in foster care. I knew that if she had formed a bond with her foster mother, which was very apparent to me, I knew that she could form one with us, as well. For us, the first 24 hours were the most difficult. Everywhere we went, everything we would do she'd cry. After the first day, she finally figured out that we were okay and she'd let me take care of her...she wanted me for comfort, but that was it. She wouldn't look at me or show me any emotion, for the time being, I was her safe place.

For Troy, it was different...with her she showed ALL emotion! For the first few days, it was more like horror, and fear. After that, he was the one that made her smile and laugh with us for the first time. I remember how joyful it was to watch Troy make her smile, and giggle. It took a little longer for her to smile for me, but by the time we left China she was calling us Mama and Baba and she knew her name was Sarah. At first we tried calling her by her Chinese name that the orphanage gave her, and we just butchered it so badly she didn't even realize it was her name. So we just started calling her Sarah from the beginning.

So much has happened in the past 4 years! She's grown so much and hit so many milestones. Sometimes it's hard to believe how she began her journey into our family...it feels like she's always been our daughter, yet she started life in a very distant and foreign land compared to the life she now has with us.

We're so grateful to God for our daughter and for the sacrifice that her birth mother made. I don't know any of the circumstances of this woman and I so wish that I could tell her thank you and that she would know how much Sarah is loved and cared for. I can't imagine being in her shoes and losing my daughter, how heartbroken I would have been. I can say how amazing my daughter is and that she is loved so much more than I can express. She makes me laugh on a daily basis and bring so much joy to our lives. I couldn't be prouder to be her Mom.

Happy 4th anniversary of Gotcha Day, Sarah! We love you bigger than the sky!