Still catching up

While there is plenty to write about since we have been back, I wanted to do a little more catch up from this summer, so we can remember it well.  Here are a few more memories from our time in the U.S.

 Love those faces.

 My cuties, all actually looking at the camera.

 We got to go to a Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball game, thanks to Uncle Jason who is the Spanish speaking chaplain.  Before the game, kids and parents could throw and catch on the field.  Austin continues to be so into baseball and tomorrow he is starting 10 weeks of a kids' practice league on Saturdays.  Never thought something like this would exist here in China.

 We were so excited to get to watch with our good friends the Swems.  We both live in China but saw each other for the first time in a year and half in Greensboro.

 After the game kids could run the bases.  Guess who was so excited to do it and made sure he stepped properly on each base?

 We got to celebrate Nai Nai's birthday with her with a fun dinner out and some more celebration at home.

 Grandpa helping Bennett build a race car at the Children's Museum in Raleigh.  

Wow, when you put all the kids in the bath together then they really look alike!  I know they look alike, but I still notice all the small differences since I am with them all the time that I don't always see it as much as everyone tells me they do, but there it is unmistakable. And another picture with everyone looking and smiling...maybe this will continue?

Lucy grows up

Lucy will be 11 months old this week!  Wow, where did the time go? I know everyone say that, but it is true.  I obviously have fallen WAY behind in my monthly updates on her.  So this will be a big update on the last few months of my little girl.  She has changed so much since we left for the States at the end of April.  Here are some of her milestones (the blog has become her baby book, so I record this in part for myself).

 It was uncanny when Lucy cut her first tooth at 8 months and 2 days old...because Bennett and Austin both cut their first tooth at either 8 months and 1 day or 2 days old.  She has now has 4 teeth to go with her cute smile.

 She has also mastered the game of peek-a-boo...this is after just turning 10 months old that she played the game one night over and over.  She definitely delights in showing her face, as you can see in the first picture.

 Lucy started crawling at 9 months old...the earliest crawler of my children.  Here Austin was working hard to get her to crawl by enticing her with Cheerios.  It worked, as you can see below.

Speaking of food, she is now eating a lot more variety of food.  She loves Cheerios (we brought several boxes of plain Cheerios back with us), peaches, bread and cheese and chicken.  She does NOT like bananas, like her mommy didn't. That is so unfortunate, since it is such an easy food to bring on the run.

She also learned to wave.  Here she is waving with Gran this summer when we were out to dinner.

And pulling up to stand.  It didn't take too long for her to go from just crawling to pulling to stand. She is getting more confidant with it in the past couple of weeks and can now also get herself down.  For a few weeks she could get up but not down.

And she is even saying a few words now, she first and favorite seems to be DOG.  She loves dogs and almost hyperventilates when she sees a real one (or any animal really- they are all dogs to her).  But she says "Daw, daw" (starting at 10 months)," mama, dada," "allduh"(all done).  And maybe "that" but we are not sure.

Her newest trick is clapping.  She is so proud of herself too.  I have a video clip of her doing it, but it is on our new Ipad and I have not figured out how to do the blog from it yet. I think I need an app or something...so that will show up eventually I hope!  That is our Lucy-bug, getting close to one.  She is still is such a joy and mostly a happy baby.  However she is definitely showing more opinions and personality lately.  She definitely is preferring mama these days, hates her bib and aggressively pulls it off during meals, is waking up to nurse at night and gets to angry if Chris goes in the room instead of me.  Really mad. Hopefully this phase will pass quickly. She is also into everything, crawling around and opening cabinets and keeping me on my toes.  

Jiggity Jig

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.  It is good to be home.  Our return trip was fairly uneventful, considering all the potential eventfulness there is in a trip half way across the world with three small children.  The kids slept much less on the plane than they did on the way TO America, but that is expected since it is an early morning flight (instead of an evening one).  Lucy is a squirmy bundle of energy who slept 3 out of 24 hours of our trip, but thankfully was still fairly happy until we arrived at our apartment.  We had received passes from our credit card for the United Club room, so we got to pass the 4 hours of our layover in a private family room with couches, a TV/DVD player and lots of free food.  Wish we could join that club for life...it was awesome.

Jet lag has been pretty awful this time around.  Somehow all five of us seem to be on different schedules.  I spent the first three days getting no more than a couple of hours sleep at a time, either due to Lucy's erratic schedule or my own inability to sleep.  The last two nights I have gotten about 6 hours of sleep so doing better.  But for example, last night (already night 5 of jet lag) I slept from 7 pm to 1:30 am, was up to feed Lucy, than Chris took over and I went back to bed but never to sleep and got up at 3 am.  Chris slept yesterday afternoon, got up for dinner and back to bed at 7 but was up at midnight and still going strong.  Bennett slept from 7 pm to 7 am...definitely the best sleeper of the family.  Austin slept from 7 pm to 3 am and then was up watching the 19 innings of the Cardinals game with Chris.  Lucy slept from 7 pm to 1 am, went back to bed from 4 am to 6:30 am and then was up all morning.  This is definite improvement though!

We are so glad to see friends again.  Today we joined several other families to go swimming and had a great time.  We are adjusting (I am trying, not always with a great attitude to be honest) to figuring out life again with no car, since we returned our friends' car at the beginning of the summer. Lots to still figure out about the fall, but it is nice to be home.  Bennett has happily played with his train table every day, after asking about it for weeks before our return.  Pictures and catch up pictures from the summer still to come, but that is our current status update.

On the road again

Well, here we go!  Three and half months passed in a flash and we had a great time but are ready to head home.  Bennett must have asked me 300 times today if we could please go back to China today(as opposed to tomorrow).  We of course all have mixed feelings and are sad to say goodbye.  But also I think we are ready to be in our own home, have a routine and reconnect with our friends on that side of the world.  Before we can do that...we have to get there.  This is the part I dread...packing late (even though I started packing Friday, there is still so much to do up to the last minute), the LONG day of flying that starts at 4:30 am tomorrow and the jet lag to follow.  Definitely not my favorite parts.  Since I can't fast forward to next week, I would love your prayers for a safe flight, for the kids to travel well and stay healthy and for a good reentry into our life in Asia.

Thanks!  I will get back on the blogging wagon soon I hope once we are settled and update more from the end of the summer. Gotta go finish packing, weighing bags and throwing things away!

Visiting

 We have gotten to do a lot of visiting with friends and family lately.  When you are only back every two years, you definitely treasure time to get to see the people you miss when you are gone.  Here is a picture diary of our last couple of weeks.

Chris, Lucy and I went to Atlanta. Chris saw some old buddies from China and I got to visit with my longtime friend Kim and her family.  Here is Lucy with William, Kim's youngest.  Kim took some better pictures I will hopefully post sometime.

 Here is Lucy with all of Kim's kids.  Our boys had a great time staying with Grandpa and Nai Nai while we gone.  We also had a fun lunch with Chris' cousin Erin and her fiance.  I hope to get that photo from her as well for the future.

 We went up to Greensboro last weekend and this past weekend, where Chris' brother Jason lives.  We had a visit from the Mavromatis side of the family (Jean's sister and family).  Lucy had a good time visiting with Judy and the cute doll she brought her.

 The cousins...Chris and Jason with cousin Johnny, Judy's son.  Former group of troublemakers at family reunions, so I hear.

 The boys have enjoyed a lot of fun time with Uncle Jason, reading to them here.

 Then we enjoyed a nice visit from David and Stephanie, Jean's youngest brother.  WE spent a day at Pullen Park in Raleigh.  One of the oldest parks in the country apparently and I discovered my mom had spent time there as a child.

 Fun picture in front of the Andy Griffith and Opie statue...good ol' NC.

 We took a quick trip to Charlotte this past Thursday and Friday to visit my Nana, known as Gran to my kids.  Here are all the "Christines".  Nana (Christine Oliver), me (Leah Christine) and Lucy Christine...named after this admirable lady who still lives alone at age 92.  So thankful for time together.

 Lucy also got to see my Aunt Linda while we visited with Nana.

 The boys and Gran...we enjoyed a nice dinner out, another nice breakfast with pancakes and were sent home with Gran's famous brownies!

 Gran with her three great-grandchildren...she has quite a legacy.

Preview of what is to come: Pictures of our first minor league baseball game with the Gaertners and good China friends the Swems, fun birthday celebration with Nai Nai and entering our final week here in the States.  Also we are celebrating greatly today with our friends the Kvernens and Staeges who together both picked up their adopted sons on the same day, at the same place in China.  So thankful to walk through their adoptive journeys with them.