China Travel Group Reunion

Helen's got SIX teeth coming in at once, so it's been kind of rough at our house as of late. But...we were able to get together this weekend with two of the three families from our China travel group. Our fourth family lives in Texas but we've been able to keep in-touch over the phone. All the girls are doing just great (Grace and Zoe, our Texas Twins, included!), as you can see in these photos:

Mary Ellen, Helen (standing on her own - woo hoo!) and Averie.

Helen showing her O.C.D. tendencies, picking up every minuscule bit and showing it to whomever will look - in this case, Mary Ellen.

Standing AND clapping at the same time = an Advanced Move.

Red Couch photo while in China, October 2007 - sort of the "Before" photo, for comparison purposes.

(Helen - 10 months, Averie - 9 months, Twins - Grace and Zoe - 11 months, and Mary Ellen - 8 months)

Leather Couch photo, April 2008 - the "After" photo!
(Helen - 16 months, Averie - 15 months and Mary Ellen - 14 months)

The girls with Averie's big sister, Aliya.

We had a grand time at the Johnson's, catching up, playing, watching what the girls are up to now, going for a stroller walk to enjoy the beautiful day, sharing a great meal and taking updated photos of our group. We missed you, Texas! Maybe next time?! I heard the weather today and it's in the 80's where you are and in the 30's here, so perhaps we should come to you...now...today...? It was great to see everyone and spend time with dear friends with whom we've shared an amazing adventure.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was planning on posting about adoption parenting, attachment and how Helen is doing - but honestly, I haven't had time to sit down and sort through/organize my thoughts. It's so huge, not to mention such a personal topic - I haven't decided how best to even approach it yet. Hope to at least start typing up some thoughts soon. I'll keep the photos coming 'cuz I know that's what y'all want anyway, right!