GIVE AWAY!
JACKIE is having a GIVE AWAY! go check out her blog.
Jackie is a fellow EAC Mom who will be traveling soon to bring home an other Zhouskids beauty.. Follow her story and watch a miracle happen....
One Sweet Life in Sugar Grove
JACKIE is having a GIVE AWAY! go check out her blog.
Jackie is a fellow EAC Mom who will be traveling soon to bring home an other Zhouskids beauty.. Follow her story and watch a miracle happen....
One Sweet Life in Sugar Grove
Posted by
Sophia's Mama and Baba
at
11:06 AM
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I Facebook Friend sent this to me and I Love it,I had to share....
a friend of mine told me about how she and her kids loved doing "random acts of kindness" in order to foster a love of giving. We thought her idea was so great that we have decided to promote it every quarter. The first week of July, we encourage you to do one random act of kindness in order to spread goodwill to others, and also to remind people that millions of children around the world live each day as orphans.
Posted by
Sophia's Mama and Baba
at
10:19 AM
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During the 29 month wait for Sophia I was very lucky to bond with an amazing group of women. We met on the Jan2006yahoo group early on in the wait and forged a friendship that none of us ever expected. We come from different backgrounds, different walks of life and different areas of the country, but our common bond was the adoption. During the wait we met on several occasions to support each other. The bond we share has only grown deeper with the addition of our children. Our support for each other has moved on from supporting each other through the long unexpected wait to supporting each other through the adjustment of becoming a family. We all talk on a regular basis so meeting for a reunion was only natural. We have all been home now for some months. Riz and I being the longest at one year now and the Smith's being home just a few short months. We started planning this get together months ago and out of 14 families 10 were able to make the weekend in Amelia Island Florida. The weekend was more wonderful then we thought it was going to be. We spent time together at the beach, eating out, shopping in Amelia Island and "Hall Way cocktail parties" but I know I speak for the others when I say the best part was seeing all the girls play together. Each girl has their own individual personality and all are beautiful. We shared stories of our trips to China and of our parenting since becoming moms to these sweet girls. The weekend was over to quick but we ended with the promise that we would start planning the next reunion soon and for a much cooler place next year we are thinking New Hampshire. Erik and Kathy Crisman live there and offered to host next years event. Here are a few pictures from the most amazing weekend......We also celebrated our one year Family Anniversary while we were at the beach......
Posted by
Sophia's Mama and Baba
at
10:19 PM
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Dear Riz,
This is not your first Father's Day,but your second. Last year we were blessed with the most amazing gift of parenthood on Father's Day. I watched you go from being a man, a husband to a Father in the blink of an eye. Standing there in that hot Civil affairs office in Nanchang China I saw not only a child gain a family but I saw a father born before my eyes. Becoming a father was a long time coming for you, but I think that time has given you the gift of gratitude and appreciation. I always knew that Fatherhood would suite you and it has in more ways then I had ever imagined. I knew you would be an awesome dad and you are just that. I always knew that your heart would melt when you heard the words I love you Daddy or when she cried or even when she laughed and it in fact has melted many times in the past year. . Being a "Father" is so much more then biology, Fatherhood comes from the heart, it comes from the desire to nurture a little sole into a healthy, happy human. You have all of those things and so much more. The true measure of a man is shown when he becomes a parent. How will he handle parenthood? It is shown in all the little things that get over looked on a day to day basis. The bed time stories, and night time bathes, the snuggling on the couch and the being firm when it is called for, all of the kissed boo boos and the dried tears it is measured in the laughter that is heard in a home. It is measured in the TOTAL enjoyment of spending every possible moment with your child and exposing your child to everything life has to offer even those things that you don't like (ie. sand, seafood and children's music). It is all of these things and the wish to do them all over and over again just to see the happiness it brings to your child's face and to hear her laughter again and again. The true measure of a man is what kind of father they are.. you are an amazing Man and a GREAT father. I am so proud of you and so happy that Sophia has you as a father and that I have you as a husband,,,,,
Happy Fathers Day
We love you
Susan and Sophia
Posted by
Sophia's Mama and Baba
at
12:13 AM
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Sophia in China before we became a family.
14 months old
May 2008
The day we became a family in Nanchang China
June 16th 2008
Sophia and Big Sam in Wendy's front yard on our first trip to Savannah, Ga
Sophia's 1 and 1/2 year birthday Party
Playing with my little Buddie McKenzie.
Stephanie in the background
September 2008
Sophia in the Lake Helen Pumpkin Patch
October 2008
Sophia getting her first hair cut by Paul
October 2008
Thanksgiving Day
November 2008
Sophia and Allyson at the Christmas tree farm
Dec 2008
Hanging out by the fire with Kate (Key) and Claire (Care)
December 2008
Christmas Day
Dec 2008
Back together with my China buddies Claire (Care) and Stephanie (FiFi)
January 2009
Just one of my favorite pictures of our girl
January 2009
Valentines Day
February 2009
St. Patrick's Day
March 2009
Sophia's 2nd Birthday Party
Cousin Breanna
April 2009
Doing the Zoo with the Love twins
April 2009
Summer is here New Smyrna Beach
May 2009
our one year Family Day Anniversary
Amelia Island Florida
June 16th 2009
These pictures give you a small look into all the firsts this past year. There were so many more that we could not capture here. Things like Sophia's first words, her first ice cream, the first time she said I love you in English, her first bike and her first all nighter in her crib things that happen when the camera is not looking but will always be in our memories and in our hearts.
Stay tuned for pictures from our Panda Reunion at the beach......
Posted by
Sophia's Mama and Baba
at
10:17 PM
7
comments
I am selling on e-bay now so please feel free to check out my listings and spread the word. I am trying to raise money for a very special project...hee hee hee...There is a link on the side bar that will take you right to my e-bay listings. If there is anything there you would like please feel free to bid and contact me. If you are from out of the USA please contact me directly and we can work something out. Thanks for supporting us and our very special project. :)
Posted by
Sophia's Mama and Baba
at
4:00 PM
1 comments
Our walk down memory lane this month brings us to today May 19th. It was a year ago today that we received a second gift from our agency and from China. It came in the form of an "update". We were luck to receive an update about Sophia, her physical, medical and developmental state. We also received 7 beautiful pictures that we cherish still today. In a matter of 18 days we went from being a childless couple to being the parents of this little girl whom we only saw as a 6 month old baby until may 19th. These seven pictures fast forwarded things for us in a big way. We now were the parents of a toddler with quite a personality. We learned that she could stand and from studding the pictures gathered that she could walk (the dirty shoes. They are the shoes she was wearing on Family Day). We also got a glimpse of Sophia's foster mother and we learned that Sophia was inquisitive based on the fact that she was trying to see what was going on around the corner. We were able to see where it was she was living and a bit of the surroundings. We both studied these pictures for any kind of information that would help us to better know this child who would become our daughter in a few short days. We learned that she could drive a motorcycle and thought how perfect (we live in Daytona Beach, FL the home of Bike week and Biketober Fest). Most of all we were able to see that Sophia had the most amazing eyes and the sweetest smile. These updates are so valuable to anyone who is waiting to travel to meet their child. It is just a bit of added information that you can share with your child later in life.
Posted by
Sophia's Mama and Baba
at
7:00 AM
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Posted by
Sophia's Mama and Baba
at
9:14 PM
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One year ago today (May 2, 2oo8). Our lives changed in the most remarkable way. We went from dreaming of our daughter. Wondering what she looked like, where she was and how old she was to knowing her and some of the details of her life. We have been reminiscing about that day for a week or so now and it has been amazing to look back on such a wonderful time in our lives. It is unbelievable to us how much our lives have changed for the better in the last year. Sophia added so much joy and excitement to our home and to our lives that day and every day since then. I was looking through documents on my computer yesterday and came across an e-mail from Uncle Zhou. Zhou is a true angel to us and all the EAC families that he has helped join together. One year ago today I opened my computer at lunch time and saw this and life from that moment on changed forever.....
"CONGRATULATIONS
Jan.10 LID group and all, Hi!Congratulations to your referrals. Kim in the Office is busy copying the referrals right now, she will call you pretty soon. Just let you know they are in the office. We got twins too. How exciting. Babies are young, about 10 months old, from Jiangxi Province. Again congratulations. Remember today is a great day for all of us.By the way, I am right now in Beijing with a family. We are going to Inner Mogolia to adopt a baby girl.
Zhou in Beijing"
These pictures were the first glimpses of our daughter. They were in this order and the most beautiful pictures we had ever seen. They still are very precious to us for so many reasons. Sophia was 6 months old in these pictures.
The High Chair
The laughing baby
Posted by
Sophia's Mama and Baba
at
10:08 PM
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Sophia at 6 months old and Sophia at 22 months old
Posted by
Sophia's Mama and Baba
at
11:42 AM
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