Hey everyone!

Today our social worker came for our 12 months post placement thing, and it went really well. She talked to us and asked simple questions (such as "Has she gained more weight?" or "How many words can she say now?"). That lasted for about 15 minutes, and then she left. I think it was the easiest social worker visit we've had so far...the only ones here were mom, Keaton, Kenzie (of course) and me. I can't believe the next time we see her, we'll have Karli...wow :-)

And Just A Reminder....

Hey, just a reminder for everyone: Please don't forget to check out Kylie's blog (http://www.thensidescoop.blogspot.com/). (We also have a link for it on the sidebar on the left hand side). But anyway, she really likes having one and it's about Karli/Kenzie/life at home, too, and she'd really appreciate it if more people would read and comment on it, so if you could, please show some encouragement and visit her site. Thanks! :-D

A Summer Sunflower Sunday

Hey, how's everyone? I don't know about you, but we're doing pretty good. On Thursday afternoon we have our social worker coming for our 12 months post placement visit (although technically it hasn't even been eleven months yet [Saturday will mark eleven months] so she's a little early). Unfortunately, though, that means we'll be busy this week cleaning our house. *Long, loud groan* Tomorrow (Tuesday) is my dad's birthday. He'll be 36...wow!!!! (Lol, he's not old at all though and he doesn't act like it.) But I don't think we're really doing anything to celebrate, so it'll just be another Tuesday (except for the fact that the new Jonas Brothers' CD comes out! Yeah!) These pictures up here are just some that mom took of Kenzie yesterday, modeling her new Gymboree dress and a big yellow hairbow. :-) And also of Kylie and her new haircut...(I personally think it looks adorable.) So, there you have it, just another Summer day...

A Collage Of Summer Pics

Shhh! I'm stealing mom's money...


let's have a laugh!


enjoying herself in the ball pit...


playin' around


watching fireworks on the 4th of July


partners in crime


Kylie, Keaton, and me


Yummy ice cream!


moonbounce madness!


Keaton


Kylie


keeping cool on a hot summer day


(now we know why disco died...)

Our Trip To Moody Gardens (in Galveston)

chasing a lizard


the tip of the ice berg


ooh!


look!


somehow mom's always missing from the "family pics"...hmm...

Karli!!!

Here's a picture of Karli...you finally get to see one!!! :-) 

A few steps closer...yet so many further away

Wow, can you believe that August 2nd marked one year since we got Kenzie's referral? Part of it seems like just yesterday we were boarding our plane to head off to Beijing and another part of it feels like she's been here forever. It's really amazing when you look back on it all, the past year and everything, and you see all the changes and transitions and how much more she's developed and how different she is. Her personality definitely shines through a lot more, and she's growing up so fast! She's very open now, compared to back then, and she's just recently started playing with other kids more.  (She's going to have to learn to share a little bit more when Karli gets here).  She's talking a lot more, and is saying a bunch of sentences (and stuff we can actually understand); such as "I'm done" or "Where are you going?". She also says Karli's name (pronounced "tar-lee"), and recognizes Karli's picture. She understands a lot and stuff, too. (For example, Kenzie said "rain" [or something that sounded like that] and [we've kinda been in the middle of a tropical storm today] my mom goes "Where's the rain?" and Kenzie goes "outside" [or however she pronounced it; I'm not sure, but she meant outside]). Keaton also got a drum set recently from some friends of ours, and let me tell you, he's not the only one who's showing promise on them. Kenzie enjoys making music on them. (Note that I said "making music" not "banging" on them, because it actually sounds like music, not annoying racket). 

Another day of August (the 4th) marked her turning 20 months...one step closer to the big 2!!!! :-)  She's a big girl now, and it shows!  (Lol.)  She likes to pick out her own outfits, hair-bows, and shoes.  We're close...well, okay not "close-close" but a few steps closer to having her potty-trained.  (She knows what it means, but if only she would do it more...)  I'm also noticing that she has a longer attention span.  Used to, she couldn't really sit still for a movie or TV show (with the exception of Sing Yourself Silly! and Elmo's World/Sesame Street) but now she can sit through things like Seventh Heaven, Hannah Montana, iRobot, and even the news sometimes.  

August 12th is Dad's birthday, and September 16th (coming up in a little over a month) will be the 1 year anniversary of "Gotcha Day!" so we'll probably go out to eat and celebrate.  The 3rd week of August (also coming up) Dad is going to quit his job as a lawyer and go full-time at our church as one of the pastors on staff there (as well as switching to a different law firm as a part-time attorney).  It's something he's been wanting to do for a while, and I haven't seen him as happy in a while...at least as far as work goes.  September 24th, it will be Karli's 3rd birthday.  Unfortunately, unlike mom had hoped, we won't be able to have Karli home or even be in China.  We're thinking that maybe we--by "we" I mean Kylie/Mom--will travel around November or sometime.  We're just crossing our fingers and praying, because it's all in God's timing.  I honestly don't know where we are in the process, I think we're still waiting.  Waiting.  I really am beginning to NOT like that word at all.  Kylie and her dog-sitting business is going extremely well.  We have 2 dogs at our house currently, and once they leave she'll have $1,030.33!  Wow!  I think she'll definitely have enough money to go when it's actually time.  We're all ready for Karli.

p.s. tomorrow on Good Morning America, Stephen Curtis Chapman and his family will be on there.  (If you recall, a few weeks--months--ago, his older son accidentally ran over their daughter with the car.  She was adopted from China, and a lot of other adopting families have given him a lot of support, so I think I'm going to watch it, just out of curiosity of what they'll talk about or say.)

p.p.s. I think my sister (Kylie) is in the other room working on updating her blog (http://www.thensidescoop.blogspot.com/) so go ahead and check it out, too! Bye!

"No!"

So much progress!

Wow! It's like you go to church camp for a week, and get a little busy with summer activities and before you know it, it's like Kenzie's grown up. In the past few weeks, she has gotten much more talkative, and guess what...she said her first sentence! ("I want more.") She can now say (pretty clearly or in "Kenzie-talk"); ball, mom, dad, elmo, big bird, bird, dog, yes mam, baby, no (one of her favorites at the moment), yes, drink, juice, more, please, thank you, night-night, light, food, blanket, and a few simple words like that, etc. She's also facing forwards in her carseat; can climb (oh, yes, we have a climber!) up on top of a chair in our living room and turn the lightswitches on and off (it gets annoying after a while); is sitting in a booster seat instead of a highchair; and instead of sitting in her little round seat (idk what it's called) in the bathtub, she now has more freedom on her Elmo mat. I think she's becoming more and more outgoing every day. She loves animals, is a musical prodigy (she's obsessed with piano, and the guitar fascinates her as well); she loves singing and dancing around (especially to old Sesame Street tapes)...and *grins* (just like me) has a huge shoes/clothes/purses fetish. It's truly amazing how well China matches each baby to their family...she has many of the same interests and likes as us, and it's just incredible, isn't it?

(Update on Karli's adoption): we're really just in the same spot where we've been the past few weeks...waiting, waiting, waiting! (Which is kind of tough for me, because to say I'm not the most patient person around would be the understatement of the year). So, we're just leaving it in God's hands, because it's in HIs timing and by His will. Unfortunately, though, this time I won't be going to pick Karli up, and neither will my dad. Instead, my mom and Kylie are going. Kylie is very much ready for China in every way, I think. She's really serious about it, and she's doing summer jobs as fund raisers, so I really do hope that she has a good time.

(Oh, and by the way, my birthday was July 5, so I'm now 13.) :-D

Dossier To China!

Well, we've been pretty busy recently (with my mom's Girl Scout camp, and VBS, adn volunteering and all), but I thought it would be good to let you all know that our dossier was sent to China. Which means that now...WE WAIT. All of our paperwork has been sent to China, so now nothing is dependent on us, we're just waiting for China to do their part. (Can't they hurry?!) So, yep. Also, on Saturday Kenzie will have been with us an equal number of days that she was without us, and on Sunday, she would've been with us for more of her life than without. Wow...WHERE THE HECK DID THE TIME GO?!?!?!?! Lol. It's been amazing...Well, I have to go for now. Keep checking our blog and following our journey to Karli!