First Day of Kindergarten!

 

This past July, Maelyn participated in a program to help her get ready for Kindergarten. She loved every minute of it! I was worried she would have difficulty adjusting -- nope, not at all! Instead, she now complains about having to go to daycare. She would rather spend all of her time in Kindergarten! Below are some pictures from the summer program.

 

Her first drawing that resembles people. Her cousin Ian is on the left, Maelyn is on the right.

Maelyn kept adding more family members in her drawing...

 

At Kindergarten orientation...



First day of summer Kindergarten program -- with her friend, Genesis.



Hand in hand -- walking in to meet her teacher, Mrs. Tout.

Hanging out with her new friend, Brenda...

 

Today was the first official day of Kindergarten -- for both of us. I taught my first day of Kindergarten in eight years today. I was grateful that I got to take Maelyn to school in the summer because I won't ever really get that first day experience as a parent.

 

This morning, Paul walked Maelyn to school and was there to pick her up. I was thinking about her all day -- or at least, while I wasn't dealing chaos in my own classroom. :) He was able to take some pictures so that I could see how her day went. My child, who more often than not refuses to smile for pictures and runs from the camera, decided to be a ham today!

 

Ready for Kindergarten!

With her friends, waiting to go to her classroom. Can you see the worry setting in??

Waiting for Daddy at the end of the day...

All in all, it was a great day. We all survived and Maelyn can't wait to get back to Kindergarten!

Maelyn's 2nd Annual Travel Group Reunion



What a fabulous weekend for our travel group reunion. The weather, the company, and our hosts were fabulous!

 

We all gathered at Leanne and Joad's new house and spent a wonderful afternoon and evening socializing in their backyard.

 

There is a unique bond between families that travel together to expand their family through adoption. I suppose it is the shared experience that brings us all together.

 

This year was notably different because the kids were so much better at entertaining themselves -- which left us plenty of time to catch up and relax. It was great!! We all loved seeing how well they all got along and are looking forward to many reunions to come!

 



 

Niagara Falls Fun

In July, while travelling between activities, we stayed at a hotel for one night. When we woke up in the morning, Maelyn was very upset and panicky. She kept asking about our house -- why we didn't have a home anymore and where did her home go. It was heartbreaking to listen to and we knew right away that we had better spend a few more weekends 'practising' being at a hotel before we head to China and stay in a hotel for more than two weeks!

 

Our wonderful friends agreed to head to Niagara Falls for a weekend of fun and hotel training. :) We love spending time with them, so it was a perfect excuse!

 

Eating breakfast in the hotel room on our first morning.



Preparing to walk to the Falls...

 

 

 

The girls' first glance of the Falls...



Maelyn did not want her picture taken...can you tell??

Maelyn loved her new umbrella. Good friends spending time together!



Our cute little Canadians!



The girls thought that it was hilarious when the Dads took a turn...



The view from the SkyWheel...



The girls loved it!

After some sightseeing, we headed back to the hotel where the girls had a fantastic time playing together. I love seeing their relationship grow -- they are so much fun to watch! After dinner, we went swimming in the hotel pool and the girls had a blast jumping in, over and over again.



Yummy chocolate treats!

Watching Dora at the end of a long day.

The next day we headed to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the peach festival. We ate some yummy food and the girls loved the balloons the clown made for them.

 

Overall, it was a very successful weekend. Maelyn now has a better understanding about trips, hotels, and trusts that we will be going home at the end of our adventures. We also got to build memories with our friends and we are looking forward to many more adventures together.

God-Sister Fun

At the beginning of July we had two of Maelyn's God-Sister's over for a two day sleepover event. Maelyn was beyond excited and couldn't wait to spend time with 'the big girls.' The girls spent hours playing with one another and kept Maelyn very busy.

Showing off their pipes...



Playing hide-and-seek...

Someone is a little spoiled, don't you think?? :)

Girly time...

Playing the iPad

Never too big to play dress-up...

On Friday, we were thrilled that the girls could come and stay over again. This time, it was to babysit Maelyn while Paul and I went on a much-needed night out on our own!

I used to babysit Brya and Cass and now here they were babysitting for my little girl! Made me a little nostalgic and it made me feel a little old. :) I have to say, though, it was a fantastic experience! The girls are so responsible and amazing -- Maelyn had the time of her life. Paul and I loved it even more, I think. :) The ability to get out of the house and to have a break was exactly what we needed.

Love being able to spend time with my kids. As Cass said, we are like family and we love each other. Warms my heart. :)

Conversing at dinner...

Our dinner conversation tonight went a little something like this...

"Mommy, we are going to my China to get Aiwee (Ailee). She lives in my China."

"You're right, Maelyn, we are going to China and you are coming with us."

"My China Mommy live in China. I love her so much."

"We love your China Mommy, too."

"Mama, Aiwee is so cute. But so am I. The two of us are cute. Oh, and you too, Mama. Not Daddy. He a boy."

Out of the mouth of babes...

New Pictures of Ailee!!

On Friday, as we were heading to Niagara Falls for a family-filled weekend of fun, I got an email that contained a very precious gift. A gift that I did not think we would get for some time now -- more pictures of our Ailee! And the best part is that the pictures are clear and I could truly see our little girl for the very first time.

It was the moment I fell in love. It was a moment I will never forget. The moment I saw her -- our Ailee.

Our little girl...

Isn't she absolutely beautiful?!

Yuppers -- this fiery little girl will fit right into our family...



I am a happy Mama who cannot stop looking at our little monkey's face. Now the wait to be able to hold our little one in our arms begins.