Labor Day

Okay, so I'm just a little behind. Yes, I do know that Labor Day was two weeks ago. But we had such a nice time, I wanted to note our weekend. We hadn't been to the cabin all summer, despite the best laid plans last spring, so we were determined to spend the last official weekend of the season there. We had wonderful weather, just perfect with very little rain and just right temperatures. The little girls learned to pick and eat currants with help from Katelynn. We introduced Ailah to S'mores around the campfire and the joys of icy mountain streams. We all enjoyed just relaxing in the peace and quiet of our beautiful Rocky Mountains, though we missed Nikki who was too busy getting back into her college routine to get away from Boulder.

Birthday Girl!

Ailah's Big Day

Once again we find ourselves thinking how fast time flies. It seems like such a short time since we took Ailah in our arms for the first time at the age of 16.5 months in January. But on August 29th we celebrated, with great joy, Ailah's first birthday with her family, as she turned two. Though it still seems like she just came home, when we think back to how much she has grown and changed, we are in awe. Ailah came home as a shy, frail child, struggling to handle all the changes she'd experienced in the few weeks since we'd met. She was physically far behind her American peer group, unable to walk or even stand alone. Her muscle tone was practically non-existent and she had no idea how to eat by herself. Her diet had been so poor that she was far below the American growth charts and her doctor was concerned by her thyroid levels. Emotionally and developmentally, she wasn't much better. She was fearful, had no verbal skills and didn't even know how to laugh. It was clear she hadn't had much attention or interaction for the first 16 months of her life.

What a difference 7 months makes! Ailah now runs, walks on tippy toes, dances, climbs stairs, clambers onto every piece of furniture in the house and zips up the ladder on the play set in the yard! She has put on enough weight to climb to the 20th percentile on the charts (though her pants still won't stay up.) While she is still hard to understand, she talks a lot, often looking at us like we are nuts for failing to understand her, while for her part she understands every word we say. She has a wonderful sense of comedic timing, cracking us all up with her just right expressions and actions at the most unexpected moments. She is a charming child with a shy smile and clear "hello" for everyone she meets. My favorite moment of each weekday is when she hears Jeff walk in the door after work. She squeals in delight and runs from wherever she is in the house screaming "Dad, dad, dad, dad. . ."

God has blessed us so much with Ailah and Mara. We know their birth parents are somewhere in China missing these beautiful children. We can't understand how a culture could accept standards that lead to such a large scale abandonment of healthy children and it saddens us to know it continues to happen many times a day in that country. We thank God for opening avenues whereby these children join families around the globe and, specifically, for placing these two girls in our family. We have no doubt he chose just the right children to complete our family and they bring us more joy than we thought we would have again here on this earth. Many people, quite often Chinese nationals, tell us they are "lucky" to have been adopted and by Americans yet. But we know we are just as "lucky" as they are and we count our blessings daily. We love our girls!

Aren't They Beautiful?

After our favorite photographer went out of business last spring we were at a loss as to where to go for the great photo shoots to which we'd become accustomed. I still haven't found a professional replacement, but Lisa takes such beautiful pictures of kids that I prevailed upon her to help us out. She took some amazing pictures of the girls a few weeks ago at Glenmere Park. Unfortunately, Ailah had been attacked by mosquitos several days before and her cheeks still show the wounds. Still there were so many good pictures, it was hard to choose a few to put on here. Thanks Lisa!

The Zoo

Okay, here I am again, FINALLY, with lots of fun activities once again left in the dust due to lack of time. So mostly I'll do some quick photo journaling today.

On Friday, August 22nd, Mara, Ailah and I traveled to Denver with good friends who also homeschool their school-age kids, for a COVA fall kick-off day at the zoo. The weather was perfect and the zoo not as crowded as I'd anticipated, a wonderful activity for the beginning of the school year.

The aviary was like a Where's Waldo, the kids got as close as possible to see what birds might be hiding in the foliage.

No animals--just a really cute kid.

In the part of the zoo that still looks like it did when I was a kid, the bears love to put on a show for the kids.

Mara's favorite, the penguins