How Photos Can Rock Your World!

As I sit here with a migraine developing I am in awe of the little person we tucked into bed 20 minutes ago. She was such a scared looking wee poppet in the photos that Rocked our world 5 years ago.

We were so happy that after 2 1/2 years of paperwork and stress we finally saw our darlings face. She was such a surprise and I remember it as if it was yesterday.

The phonecall came in at around 11:30 am and Keith took that call!

I arrived home just after the phone call started and looked at Jocelyn and said this is the call!

I heard Girl

Jiangxi province

10 months old

I was gobsmacked!

Watching her grown and change has been a blessing beyond words and as I worried about her care then I worry more now that she is in our arms.

We know how blessed we are each and every day.

2005

2006

2007

2008

And today's photo is still in the camera I will add it tomorrow!

Hugs Ruth

Images of Nanchang

View from Teng Wang Pavilion a very famous site in Nanchang it is an amazing building. We visited on a really hot day!

A chair outside a shop just down the road from the Hotel with a little baby duck being raised probably for food.

Working really hard and pulls a load full of papers and I just wonder how many of us could do this? Even if we wanted too?

A man fishing outside the Teng wang Pavilion.

Outside a Public Hospital in Fengcheng City about 1.5 hours away from Nanchang Alice's Birth place. I don't look to bad considering Miss Alice vomited all over all my clothes on the way to this city. Luckily I had a full change of clothes for Alice however for me no we pulled over on the side of the road at a farmers house and washed vomit off all my clothes nothing like a fat lady stripping down to her Bra and washing the vomit off her over shirt and then Spinning it around to get as much water out of it! I certainly earned many brownie points that day!

It still makes me smile and is part of Alice's story!

Aiden vomited on me in a plane. Emily had a big bottom explosion at the friendship store in Beijing. and Alice did both vomited on me and On our way home at the Hong Kong airport hotel had a major Bottom explosion! I know TMI! LOL

Hugs Ruth

Still walking down memory lane

On June 16 2008 we went to the Civil affairs building across the road from the hotel where we took our oath not to ever abandon Alice and to treat her the same as our other children. As you see I had both Alice and Emily on my lap!

The woman who officially made us a family of 5!

Alice and her foster mother!
!

The man that found Alice also worked for the SWI so we got to meet him and thank him.

The outfit that several children have worn in China it has been to China 6 times.

Then June 2008
Now June 2009

The grubby serious face of Miss Alice. We are truly blessed!

Hugs Ruth

Snow day

A year ago we became Alice's legal parents we had loved for so long before we ever saw her. It was 30+ degrees in Nanchang and look what a year can do! Yes we live in the southern hemisphere and it is winter.
Today a few inches of snow brought our city to a standstill!
But the children did get out moving with the help of the white wonderland that was created!
Alice loved her first exposure of real snow at home!
I managed to do some work!
Now I am heading to bed to keep warm!

The view from our house of the beach yes snow to sea level! That is the Pacific Ocean lapping at the shore!

Hugs Ruth and gang!

A year ago today ............

about this time in reality we received our 3rd treasure!
Miss Alice Sandra Min Shu was handed to me in one of the conference room s at the Galactic Peace Hotel in downtown Nanchang.

She was incredibly calm and we were a mix bag of calm and anxiety.

Yes we had been here before and it was such a miss mash last time we wanted to be calm and hope for perfection and in reality it was a rush again!

We have watched a slide show of our trip in China this evening and it is wonderful to see the kids eyes light up and the conversation flow about the series of photos we took!

The joy this very blurry photo evokes a year on is just as intense as it was a year ago.

We are grateful each and everyday that these three children have entered our lives even on those days were we pull out our hair!

Hugs my babies as today has been just so neat reliving this day with you all.

Even though Aiden and I feel off colour!

Hugs Mummy and Daddy

A year in review continued

Emily on the platform in Ganzhou with her Take home Barbie from The White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou. After the 7 hour train trip!

Director Ding, Emily, Maggie (our guide) and me viewing the photo album that we made with notes and photos from families around the world who have adopted from this SWI.

Below the Maggie, Aiden Ayi that handed us Emily 4 years earlier, Emily Daddy and Director Ding!

The hotel in Nanchang after our hectic trip from Ganzhou

Watching the fireworks for a newly married couple they certainly made a big bang and there were fireworks flying everywhere!

Going back over the photos has been a blast reliving the memories that they tell us!

Hope you enjoy them!

Hugs Ruth

More images from a year ago.

This little girl stole Emily's heart a year ago in Ganzhou. She has Downs syndrome and Emily played with her and decided she was one special girl.
She certainly reinforced us that Emily is an amazing child who accepts everyone for who they are regardless of their circumstances.
This wee one pulled Emily's hair so Emily came up to me and got a hair tie out of her bag and pulled her hair back then returned to the girl and removed her form the play pen.
Then played with her for the rest of the time we visited the nursery.
That image still brings back tears of how my big girl has such an amazing heart!

The sign at the SWI welcoming Emily back to her first permanent home in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China.

Street cleaner it was just wonderful to watch how effective they were.

The world's largest Ferris wheel! It was huge and this is from afar.

Hugs Ruth

A year in review

My Darling Emily Jane Xiang Yao, aka Yaoyao
Well a year ago we were travelling from Guangzhou to Ganzhou Jiangxi province to visit Emily's birth place and where she spent the first 51 weeks of life. It was a long 7 hour train trip with no guide but an experience we loved. Emily has talked about this part of the trip each and everyday. She talks of Papa( Director Ding) most days. We are blessed that we were able to do this trip and hope that it is one of many visits back to Ganzhou and hopefully when it isn't raining!

Keith and Director Ding walking arm in arm sharing an umbrella and we all love this shot!

Emily at the SWI giving some loving to some of the children in the SWI she shared.

They loved her vibrancy and yes they remember her.

It was fantastic hearing that the SWI is having more children placed locally.

Director Ding AKA Papa was showing Emily loads of loving and he was surprised she called him Papa. We explained that the life book we had created for her had his and the other staff, who bought the Ganzhou children to Nanchang 4 years prior, photo's in it and that is what Emily calls him.

There was certainly a lot of memories shared and I would have loved a more active guide but since we know we will be back each snippet we get see more of Miss Emily and what makes her even more special!

Remember that even through the hardest part of her life she was loved and loved deeply. And I know The staff could see we all love her and how much joy she brings every moment!

Thanks Emily we see the world differently because of you and part of my heart was left in Ganzhou.

Love Mummy and Daddy

A week in review

Well our week has had Highs and Lows!
Friday after a migraine we bundled the Kids into the car and travel to Ashburton to visit friends there! M, R and Miss M almost 300 Km away! So the kids were all happy to be on the road. The next day we headed through to Christchurch around 90 km's away to meet a family that adopted from China and who we had emailed for the last 4 years and they moved to Dunedin not that long ago and it was a great chance to catch up!
Emily and Alice loved playing with Master M at the local MacDonald's and then later on we caught back up with M, R and Miss M at the local Mall after they had been to Disney on Ice!
We then headed to the hotel as we were going to Disney on Ice at 6pm.
Before that we had to celebrate Keith's birthday! Yes Daddy turned 46 on Saturday!

The Disney on Ice show was fantastic and the girls loved it however the people in front of us were rude and mean just plain mean to my girls and I growled and gave back the venom they dished out!

I thought she was a witch but really I wanted to call her something else she certainly took a big edge off the night for me!

Watching Alice and Emily's face was wonderful!
Then we headed home on Sunday after I became very ill.
This week has been a blur and now Keith is in Wellington at a conference until Saturday.
So it is all hands to the grindstone.

We will just see what happens over the next few days.
Hugs to you all.
Ruth

Photos

I am really cheeky!

Duck lips!
Beanbags thumbs and bottle!

Out in the hail and snow

I want the flower!

At the zoo!

We are off this weekend so might not be able to blog!

We will update you all ASAP. Just know it is Thursday night and I have a migraine again! Oh what a fun way to start the weekend.

Hugs

Ruth