#Miller6Pack

Well, I never thought I'd be the one to do this. I bet most of the people I know never thought I'd be the one to do this, too. But I did. I think I'm shifting some people's paradigms. I decided to commemorate my 40th birthday in a special way. A very special way. Not only did I get a tattoo, but I got a very special tattoo. I got the "China Love" tattoo...for obvious reasons. Two of the greatest loves of my life were born in China. And while they were not born of my body, they were born of my heart. Therefore, China is very special to me. Two of its most precious treasures are my daughters...born in my heart of a loving Father. Born in my heart as a perfect gift from above.

Our journey to the Oregon Coast started with a stop atop the column in famous Astoria. A trip to Astoria wouldn't be complete without a visit to the "Goondocks." The Goondocks Simon's parents on beautiful Cannon Beach This is Gemma's very first time on the ocean beach! (It was a little "cheely.") Gracie Faye Cape Meares lighthouse...the shortest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. No trip to the Oregon Coast would be complete without a visit to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Farmer Simon and his faithful milk-producing cow. Haha! Cheese humor. Happy anniversary, Jim and Dee!! Windy Depoe Bay Gracie poses in front of Gracie's Sea Hag--the BEST clam chowder, by the way! Exploring the tidepools at Yaquinta Head lighthouse in Newport--and touching a shore crab Beautiful! And no trip to the Oregon Coast would be complete without a meal at the famous (and original) Mo's seafood re...

I can't believe it was 6 months ago today that Gemma Lu joined our family. That day was surreal in many ways. It was also tough...I.mean.really.tough. But thankfully we can rely on God, and He got us through those first few tough days (and a few more tough days since then) and has been knitting us together as a family ever since. I am amazed at how well Gemma is doing! Her teachers say she is doing just fine in school; friends/family think she is adjusting very well; we feel that she is as smart as a whip. The biggest hurdle for us? Attachment? No. Emotional "issues"? No. Sibling rivalry? No. Sleep "issues"? No. Language barrier? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I admit...I thought she'd be fluent in English before now. Frankly, she's not there yet. But here's what I'm struggling with the most when it comes to the language barrier--I'm caught between wanting--no, needing--her to be able to communicate with us fluently in English as well as to fu...

Chinese New Year is a wonderful opportunity for us to help the Gs celebrate a little bit of their heritage. So we see it as a special day in our house. The girls each wore one of their pretty silk dresses (qi paos) for the day. And we made these pretty lanterns. Easy, fun, and lovely. We had a yummy dinner of orange chicken, noodles and veggies, egg rolls, and oranges. Notice the girls are using their chopsticks! This was my (unsuccessful) attempt at making fortune cookies. These are the fortunes in the above cookies. Gracie wrote them. :) Happy Chinese New Year!  Gong Xi Fa Cai (Mandarin) Gong Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese)                                                                        恭禧發財    

It is not uncommon with international adoptions (and China in particular) for the children to have unhealthy teeth. Gracie had some really bad teeth. She needed oral surgery when she was 4. It was not good. Since then, though, her teeth have maintained a healthy status quo. So when Gemma came along, we were totally prepared for some bad teeth. Imagine our surprise when, at her first dental visit in December, she only had 1 cavity!! Surely that was too good to be true. Alas, it WAS too good to be true. That one cavity was on a front tooth that was abscessed and would need to come out. Sigh. Okay. We can handle this. After all, it's MUCH less work than poor little Gracie had to get done. So, today was the big day for Gemma to become toothless.  AFTER I think you'll agree with me that she's pretty much the cutest toothless 4-year-old around. :)