Working Vacation

Jay had to take a trip to Florida again for work, so the kids and I once again followed along and got to enjoy staying at the Navy Lodge at Mayport. I really do love going there, even though there's nothing fancy about the rooms or the base. It's just so convenient to the beach and the cost is minimal.

We were not able to get a single room with two beds this time, so we had to get two rooms. The girls and boys split up, which made for a couple of late nights of snacking in bed, and watching and laughing at some horrible performances on America's Got Talent. The girls and I enjoy little sleepovers like this once in awhile!

Katie Mei got her first real taste of swimming in the ocean. She had put her feet in the water before, but that was back in January when it was way too cold to do much more. This time she got to experience wading out to her waist and feel the waves knock her about. She wasn't impressed at first, and just begged to be held. She'd tolerate the waves, letting me lift her over them, and then she'd ask to go back onto the sand to play. But more and more frequently she'd come back to the water and ask me to help her stand in it. By our second day there, she was willing to stand on her own two feet with me only holding one hand, and she'd try to jump over the waves herself. It was fun to see her start to enjoy it. I have always loved the beach, and I really do want my kids to enjoy it as much as I do.





Jacob and Merrilee have never had the chance to use the kickboard in moving water before, so learning to "surf" the waves was a new experience for them. Now Merrilee wants a full-size Boogie Board for Christmas! I'd better plan on buying one before summer is over because I'm pretty sure they're not going to be at Wal-Mart in December.









Jacob never really got the hang of body surfing. He always seemed to miss the wave by going too early or too late.

Merrilee figured out how to "catch the wave" right away. She usually had some great rides!

Mind you, I said "usually"!

Katie Mei just enjoyed making castles in the sand.

For some reason, the girls' room was the gathering place when we had some down time. Maybe it was because the snacks managed to find their way into our room instead of the guys' room.

The girls and I enjoyed our breakfast cereal and coffee out on the porch, while Jay went for an early morning run and Jacob hung out watching morning TV. Yes, Katie Mei has a little cup of coffee, too. She likes very sweet, milky coffee now and then. It figures it would be my heart baby who likes caffiene. She only gets a tiny bit of coffee in the milk, and we only give it to her once in a blue moon. But she really enjoys it, much to the amazement of Merrilee who abhors the taste of coffee.

It's already July and I'm supposed to be thinking about ordering textbooks for a few of our classes that I haven't taken care of yet. But honestly, I'm still enjoying summer break too much to think about it. I hope we get the opportunity to get back to the beach at least one more time before September; I still have some energy left for a little more wave jumping!

Cure for a Fever?

Someone in our family came down with a fever yesterday. We've had a summer cold running through the house since VBS last week, and I even had a mild fever when my turn came to be sick. But a certain someone had a fever of over 103 yesterday and we had to stay home from church today. Fortunately a regular dose of Tylenol is keeping the fever under control, though I think we're still going to have to make a visit to the doctor's office tomorrow.

So in the meantime, Katie Mei and I decided to whip up a little curative for the summer heat and high fever. Not only is Katie Mei fun to cook with, she's really got some great control that I've never seen in a three year old. I didn't even have to help her with pouring full quarts of milk into the cannister.

We used up all the ice from our really full ice maker because it was so hot outside that it melted very quickly. The kids were enthralled by the freezing process, and it took our little sick somebody's mind off being sick. It took about 25 minutes of churning to freeze Katie Mei's concoction.

We waited...

and waited...

and waited....

And finally we were rewarded with our first batch of homemade ice cream! What a treat for sore throats, fevers, and hungry bellies!

Between the two quarts of half and half, and the 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream, it was quite a filling snack!

You'd never know the sicko is the one on the left. If you think about it, please keep her in prayer for a quick recovery. She's so stoic about being sick, and just won't complain. Quite the trooper, but she also pushes herself too far. Hope you get well soon, Sweet Girl!

High Seas Expedition!

It is once again that time of year where church upon church offers VBS to eager little kids clamoring for something fun to do during the summer. It's a great way to feed little minds with the love of Christ, and at the same time witness to their families by ministering to the children. We love VBS, and I usually take part in helping with it by teaching or serving in some way. However I decided not to do it this year, and really felt it was going to be too difficult to get our kids shuffled between soccer camp, gymnastics and evening VBS all in one week--one week in which Jay would be out of town.

But at the last minute I changed my mind and we decided to go. The sanctuary of our church was transformed by a beautiful ship display that some very artistic people put together. There was no way not to be impressed by this lovely setting. Even the steering wheel was handmade and worked (quite a distraction to little kids who couldn't resist playing with it!)

In true United Methodist fashion, each evening began with a meal. The kids ate pizza, chicken, corn dogs, and all sorts of other delights throughout the week, and moms got a great break from having to cook!

There were around 70 kids in attendance each night! Quite a bunch to feed, corral, and move from class to class. But the teachers pulled it off beautifully and we didn't lose anyone in the shuffle.

Katie Mei took a huge step, and I do mean huge, in finally allowing us to leave her in the care of Miss Michelle ("My'shell" as she affectionately came to be called by Katie Mei). I took a big chance in asking Katie Mei if she'd like to go to the VBS 2 & 3 year old class, and when she said "yes", My'shell soon became one of Katie Mei's dearest friends. I was absolutely overjoyed that Katie Mei finally showed some trust and maturity in separating from me while being in the midst of a loud, busy class of other little kids. This has just not happened in the 17 months we've had her. I was very proud of her going back night after night to her class and not once changing her mind!

Merrilee and Jacob enjoyed arts and crafts, Bible stories, and lots of music. I was very happy to have VBS over so I would no longer have to hear the same theme song over and over again day after day! It was one of those melodies that starts to grate on your nerves after awhile, and of course, both Merrilee and Jacob loved singing it anytime they could!

The last day of VBS the kids performed their songs in front of parents and then got their certificates of participation. Katie Mei didn't mind being up front in the church as long as she had My'shell by her side.

Jacob is a natural when it comes to the performing arts, and he sang enthusiastically, enjoying every minute of it. He's got a great smile, and confident stage presence. And when he wasn't fiddling with the communion table or alter, he was singing his little heart out!

Merrilee loved singing, too, but I didn't get many photos of her. Unfortunately one of the things she often does is stand behind other kids where I can't get a good picture of her. Just to get this one, I had to crawl across the floor of the church and sit up front with the music director. When it came time to get her certificate, Merrilee turned her back to me and hid behind someone else. I had to wait until she sat back down on the dais before I could snap a picture of her.

Jacob had no problem making sure we got a photo of him after he got his certificate. Ham!

And Katie Mei was super-pleased with her accomplishments! What a trooper!

All the kids did a wonderful job, and I was so glad I had changed my mind and took them. It was a harried week between all our crazy activities, but we really did have fun. Sometimes I surprise myself that I can actually manage this, but I'm glad I don't have to do it on a regular basis. I'd rather leave the Soccer Mom Super Woman titles to someone else. My little world is big enough just as it is. I really don't need any big Expeditions to keep me on my toes.

Publishing my blog

Just to answer Jocelyn's question regarding publishing my blog.... I was very happy with Blog2print.com . They give plenty of options regarding book design; the font and page set-up were very professional; and you can choose whether to include all your posts, comments, dates, etc. The book is bound quite sturdily in a nice hardback cover. You can also just buy a CD-ROM of the blog as well, if you prefer, and print it out on your own paper.

Here are some photos of my book. The total cost of this book (about 160 pages, hardcover), was about $63 when I ordered it during a special discount offer. The regular price would have been about $74. Shipping was free. Printing and delivery took about two weeks.

I am very happy with the printed book, and plan to do the same thing for my other two kids' adoption trips once I get my journaled work into blog form. Since their books will only cover the weeks leading up to the trip to China and a little of the weeks following our return home, the books will be much shorter than Katie Mei's, and therefore cost me quite a bit less.

Another site that I've heard good things about is picaboo.com . I believe prices are similar.

Merrilee's Special Day!

Today is the sixth anniversary of the day I became a Mother, and it's a very special day in our house. Merrilee came to us as a 14-month old toddler, and has brought more joy to my life than I ever imagined. She is dear to my heart, and my best friend.

I have been working on transferring my posts from our original Yahoo group for Merrilee's and Jacob's adoptions to a new blog for her. I'm doing this so I can get a book published as I have with Katie Mei's blog (I use blog2print.com) .

If you'd like to relive Merrilee's adoption day, you can go to http://treasuresfromchina.blogspot.com/ to read the post from that special day and see the photos.

Love you, Merrilee!
Mama

YMCA Soccer Camp

Jacob got his first taste of sports camp this past week with the YMCA Challenger British Soccer Camp. It was a crazy week of transporting kids to camp, VBS, gymnastics, Tadpole Time at the aquarium, and library visits. But it was fun!

We had to get Jacob to soccer camp at 9 am every morning. This was the hottest week we'd had so far, and the temps on Monday got up to about 102. Fortunately, it was only in the low 90s earlier in the day, so he didn't suffer too much. I have to give him credit, though. He never once complained of the heat or the gnats, which seem to be a constant around here now.

The first day I brought my camera along at pick-up time, this is how I found him. I had that familiar "Oh no" feeling that we had when he took Tae Kwon Do, and started to get bored with it. He ended up playing around much of the time and acting, well, dorky.


However, it was good to finally see him get out on the field and give it his all. He was fast, always alert, and tried to get into the fray rather than avoid it. He was a pretty darned good sport, and impressed me with his willingness to go after the ball.

On the last day of camp, the parents were asked to show up at the end to see the kids perform the tricks and turns they had learned. Jacob did a great job! He had learned more than I thought he would, and really seemed to have enjoyed the week. The coach reported on his evaluation that Jacob was one of the fastest kids out there!

The other really nice surprise was that Jay was able to get home from a business trip to D.C. just in time to make it to the soccer field! Jacob was thrilled to be able to have Dad see some of his accomplishments.

Jacob received a T-Shirt from Challenger, a new soccer ball, and a personal evaluation from Coach Craig Ingram at the end of camp.

Thanks, Coach. You made my boy very happy! And thanks for doing such a great job learning, Jacob! You'll definitely be going to camp again next summer!

"Hinkey Wonk", and the rest of the lyrics to "Jesus Loves Me"

This is for those of you who thought you knew the words to "Jesus Loves Me":

Jejus luh me, sigh know,

For na By-boo tell me so.

Leedle one da hinkey wonk,

Day dah weak buh tic-tac trong.

Yeh, Jejus luh me,

Yeh, Jejus luh me,

Yeh, Jejus luh me,

The By-boo tell me so.