Cross Country Meet

 

Reid ran in the CISA Cross Country Meet this week. He did really well and really enjoyed it!

 

The CDIS panda was there for support!

 

Handing out the medals

 

Proud boy!

 

Under 10 Age group winners

Saturday Sports

 

This fall we started doing Saturday morning sports. It is quite a commitment, one we have never done before. It is about a 30 minute drive to the field and it lasts from 9-12. Kinda takes up a lot of our Saturday. But our boys LOVE sports and we have a car now, so we decided to go for it!

 Coach Matt! 

The boys do soccer for the first session and then Reid plays baseball and Everett plays tennis. They are both really enjoying it and doing great! Reid got moved up into the higher age group for baseball and is playing with some highschoolers!

 

Reid and Gabe

Several other families that we love are also doing it, so we have lots of fun friends out there! And our mornings usually end with a lunch at Burger King!

 

And this little nugget just hangs out being happy :)

We are really enjoying it now, but check back with me when the cold weather hits. Yikes. This mama doesn't do cold well.

Still loving it!

 

Rylie in front of her school

 

her sweet little class

 

Ry with her class.....yeah, she's a little taller than the average 4 year old. Especially Chinese 4 year olds........

 

Happy girl after her first day! Her teachers braided her hair--she wants me to learn to do it like that!

Preschool

This little one started preschool this week.

 Chinese preschool. Totally in a language she doesn't really speak. And she LOVES it!!!

 

SO excited to get to take her "First Day of School" picture!

 

 

 

and her favorite part was walking hand in hand to school with her Daddy with their matching backpacks :)

12 Years!!

 

I can't believe we are old enough to have been married for 12 years!! For our Anniversary we went out to dinner at the restaurant we ate at the night we got engaged, The Mississippi Grill. It is at the top of a nice hotel downtown in our city. 

The food wasn't as good as we remembered, but we had a wonderful night remembering our dinner there years before, and celebrating all that has happened since.

2 countries, 3 cities, 5 houses, 4 children....it's been an amazing adventure!!

 

Happy Anniversary babe! It's been a great 12 years--can't wait to see where the next 12 take us!! 

Swim Meet

 

Part of the CDIS team! Go Pandas!

Reid was able to participate in the CISA swim meet this year, even though he is only in 2nd grade. Usually you have to be in 3rd grade but they needed someone to fill a couple of spots and he quickly volunteered!

 

waiting to swim. He swam the 25 and 50 Free and was supposed to swim in a relay, but one boy didn't want to swim. He has an awesome time, did great, and......

 

And he came home with two ribbons!

9 Months

 

You have now been out of my belly longer than you were in! And I have enjoyed these last 9 months MUCH better than the first :)

 

This is what you look like almost all the time. You are the happiest baby. Ever.

You are still sleeping great. Two long naps and 12 hours at night

You still love to eat everything we give you.....and LOTS of it! 

Bananas, applesauce, and sweet potatoes are your favorites

You are still a great nurser but Mama has thrush so we might have to wean you soon

You go EVERYWHERE now. Up the steps, in the bathroom.....

You love to pull up on the rolling car and are starting to walk behind it around the den

You LOVE music and LOVE to dance. Anytime any music is on you are shaking it down.

Daddy can entertain you for a long time playing the guitar and you like to "help" him play

Still no teeth, but that doesn't get in the way of your eating!

 

Your favorite books are Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Barnyard Dance

You love when someone sings Itsy Bitsy Spider and I always sing Jesus Loves You before bed

You sleep with a grey blankie and your lion lovie every nap and night

 

And those big eyes.......oh how they bring joy to our lives!

Cruisin' round town

 

This guy LOVES to pull up and walk this little toy all around the apartment. 

Today one of his older brothers helped him find some tunes to listen to while he drove....except there was no music. But he looked cool :)

Hair Washing

 There is nothing like a little afternoon hair wash and braid with your BFF. Especially when it costs $3!

 towel heads!

 

Final product! Much better than this mama can do! I need to take notes :)

one last swim.....

 

We got one last swim for the summer in today. I love this picture. Deep in thought. Not sure what he is pondering....maybe why he is in a princess flost, or maybe wondering if we remembered that he does not know how to swim if he were to fall in.....

 

mermaids enjoying their last time in the water

8 months

 

Happy 8 Months sweet boy!

You are such a joy! 

You are crawling around EVERYWHERE!!! 

And you love to follow people to where the action is!

 and from there you IMMEDIATELY started pulling up on everything!

For a couple days you weren't quite sure how to get down once you got up, but you've got that covered now :)

You still love eating and will eat whatever and however much we give you :)

You like to play with your Leapfrog book, stacking rings, and anything that rolls!

You LOVE to listen to books and you have several willing narrators at all times :)

You are a great sleeper--you take 2 good 2 hour naps and sleep from about 8-8 at night

You are nursing 4 times a day now, and eat three solid food meals

 

this is the sweet face I walk in to see when you wake up---i really cant get enough of it!!

 

 

the coffee table is one of your favorite places to hang out!

 

and an open mouth shot......

we love you big boy!!

those eyes......

 

I think I've said before that we always get stopped by the local people telling us that he has huge, beautiful eyes. 

 

and then you add in the wide open mouth (which is like that almost all his waking moments) and they really don't know what to do........

Da xiong mao

 We went back to the Panda Reserve with some friends from another city whose parents were in town. It was on out summer list so we can check that one off :)

It was SO hot, so the pandas weren't out, but we got to see them inside and this was the first time we had seen little babies while we were there!

 month old little panda

Why do gigantic pandas get to have such little babies?!?

 kind of proportionally unfair.....

 3 month old panda

She seriously looked like a little stuffed animal! Love!!

 ry with the baby. She so badly wanted to "play" with her!

 

boys with the pandas who were braving the heat

 

 

Rylie with her new panda fan!

 

our whole family!

 

Ry posing with the panda

 

lots of fish!

Reid took the camera and was LOVING taking pictures of everything!

Maybe a camera is in his future?? Birthday present maybe?

  

fun bird

 

pretty peacock!