Summer Breeze Half Marathon

Our busy day started with an 8am race in San Leandro. Cloudy skies and cool weather were fabulous for running. The two half-marathons I've done this summer have both been really enjoyable. It's always nice to have the family there to cheer me on, too.

Heritage Day at China Camp State Park

The middle of the day was spent at one of our favorite places. The girls watched several Chinese dance performances and enjoyed playing at the beach.

Double playdate

The day ended with Maggie's first grade friend Parker and her little sister Claire (who is just a month or two younger than Ella) coming over for a playdate. They played dress-up, house, and veterinarian indoors before going to the park, then came back to the house for dinner and a movie.

August 18, 2011

DSC00210 first day of 2nd grade
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

The day after we arrived home from NY, it was time to start school! It's hard to believe Maggie is a second grader now. It's even more difficult to say goodbye to a summer that seemed to pass much too quickly!!

August 13, 2011 - Ella greeting the bride and groom

DSC00129 Ella greeting the bride and groom
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Ella wishes the best for her new great-aunt Sandy and her great-uncle Tom.

August 13, 2011 - Tom and Sandy's wedding

DSC00051 flowergirl and bride
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Maggie was pretty nervous about being a flower girl, but she looked lovely leading Sandy down the aisle, so to speak, at the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden.

Niagara Falls

DSC09677 Niagara Falls
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Our only true "vacation" this summer was a get-away to NY for my Uncle's wedding. Having renewed our passports and gotten a USA passport for Ella just before the trip, we took the girls to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, which offers breathtaking views of both sections of the Falls.

August 7, 2011 - After the Walt Stack 10K and kids' run

DSC09669 after the Walt Stack 10K and kids' run
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Chinese finger counting song

Chinese finger counting song
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Yi zhi xiao zhi tou ya, yi zhi xiao zhi tou ya
Teeny tiny thumbkins, Teeny tiny thumbkins
Bian ya bian bian ya bian Turn turn turn, Turn turn turn
Bian cheng le xiao mao chong Turn into a caterpillar
Liang zhi xiao zhi tou ya, liang zhi xiao zhi tou ya
My two little fingers, my two little fingers
Bian ya bian bian ya bian Turn turn turn, Turn turn turn
Bian cheng le xiao bai tu Turn into a small rabbit
San zhi xuai zhi tou ya, san zhi xiao zhi tou ya
My three little fingers, my three little fingers
Bian ya bian bian ya bian Turn turn turn, Turn turn turn
Bian cheng le xiao hua mao Turn into a little cat
Si zhi xiao zhi tou ya, si zhi xiao zhi tou ya
My four little fingers, my four lit-tle fingers
Bian ya bian bian ya bian Turn turn turn, Turn turn turn
Bian cheng le hua hu die Turn into a butterfly
Wu shi xiao zhi tou ya, wu zhi xiao zhi tou ya
My five little fingers, my five little fingers
Bian ya bian bian ya bian Turn turn turn, Turn turn turn
Bian heng le da lao hu Turn into a big tiger

lion dancers Maggie and Lila

lion dancers Maggie and Lila
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Marin Chinese Cultural Association Summer Camp 2011

June 17-19, 2011: FCC Campout

DSC09219
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

June 17-19, 2011 - Ella was so excited to be able to keep up with the big girls. After practicing without training wheels for the past 2 weeks at home, she set off on the dirt road at the campground and rode all weekend long! We saw some old friends, made some new ones, ate s'mores, played at the playground, listened to campfire stories, and went horseback riding. Although conditions at the campground weren't ideal after the late-season rains, the weather was the best it's ever been in the 5 years we've camped with the group. We still miss David, Chiara, and Sofia, our first camping partners, and hope they'll join us again in the future.

June 10-17: Summer vacation begins!!

DSC09142
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

During a week off of school and work, we relaxed and had fun. We went swimming in the Wine Country with Hetti & Lena, met up with Natalie and Naomi at the Oakland Zoo, rode bikes, and played at the park. I wish the whole summer could be like this!

Memories from PKS

IMG_2657
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

As Presidio Knolls expands and moves across the city, they bid us Zai Jian with a CD of photos taken during the school year. It's hard to believe that Ella has nearly finished 2 years of preschool and will be in Pre-K in the fall.

June 6, 2011: Happy 70th Birthday, NaiNai!

DSC09043
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

We were happy to be able to celebrate NaiNai's birthday with her. We wish all the grandparents lived closer so we could share more memorable moments together!

June 5, 2011: Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

DSC08941
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Although he's been sick for about a week, Edward made a good showing in his first Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. It was great having his parents here to cheer him on!

May 28-30, 2011 - Travel group reunion

DSC08877 piggyback tag
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

About 17 of the 22 families in our adoption travel group got together in Pismo Beach this year. The kids, even though some of them haven't seen each other since the last reunion, jump right back into being good friends and having a blast together.

May 27, 2011: Class popsicle party

DSC08621 class popsicle party
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Having sold the most raffle tickets for the Auction, Ms. M-E's class earned a popsicle party at the end of the school day on one of the last Fridays of the year.

Monday, May 9, 2011

DSC08469 birthday hat
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Arriving at school, Maggie gets to wear the birthday hat, which happens to match her outfit!

May 9, 2011: Riding to school on her new scooter

DSC08465 riding to school on her new scooter
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

As we dropped Ella off at preschool, we surprised Maggie with a pink Razor scooter in the back of the Escape. She was so happy to ride it to school!

Happy Birthday!

DSC08439 lemonade cake
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Celebrating 7 years of Maggie and 6 years as a family.

DSC08433 trampoline pandemonium
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Ella's first swimming lessons on her own

IMAG0149
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

May 8, 2011 - with Hiroe, who has an amazing way of making kids happy and comfortable in the water.

April 24, 2011 - Backyard Easter egg hunt

DSC08389
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Although it was rainy and foggy in San Francisco, we had gorgeous sunshine in San Rafael for our afternoon egg hunt at home.

Rainy Easter morning run

DSC08371 Lena, Maggie and Hetti
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

DSE Runners' Kids Race on Easter morning (April 24, 2011) in San Francisco.

April North Bay FCC Playgroup

DSC08366 Marika, Lena, Marina, Maggie and Hetti
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

April 23, 2011 - Although the turnout is usually small (anywhere from 2-6 families), both kids and parents enjoy our monthly get-togethers.

April 9-11, 2011: Ski trip

DSC08329 Maggie & Mommy at Squaw
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Although our "girls' weekend" in the snow, planned for 5, turned into just Maggie and me, we had a great time! We stayed at Northstar but ventured over to Squaw one day. The skiing was challenging but the views were spectacular!

Maggie's fashion sense - that's my girl!

DSC08305 Maggie's fashion sense - that's my girl!
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Pairing tie-dye and zebra stripes. At least she's not making skirts out of pillowcases (yet)!

March 31-April 3, 2011: San Diego trip

DSC08256 running on the beach
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Oceanside, CA, April 2, 2011

Pre-dawn beach playground

DSC08222 playground pre-dawn
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Oceanside Ironman 70.3, April 2, 2011

Ella on the carousel

DSC08206 Ella on the carousel
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

San Diego Wild Animal park, April 1, 2011

Keeping cool

DSC08152 keeping cool
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

April 1, 2011 - a quick trip to San Diego for the Ironman 70.3 in Oceanside included time to visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park with Nana Popo and Papa GongGong on a super hot day.

March 25, 2011: Principal's Awards

DSC08086 Principal's Awards March 25, 2011
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

Maggie earned hers for Perseverence.

Maggie reading to Sphinx

DSC08079 Maggie reading to Sphinx
Originally uploaded by Milinda, Edward, Maggie & Ella

March 22, 2011 - We bought a used copy of The Hobbitt (after beginning to read the story to the girls in the condo at Northstar). Maggie is becoming more confident with her reading, and has an appreciative audience in Sphinx.

February & March fun

February included trips to the Academy of Sciences,



visits with friends in LA,



fun in gymnastics,



and with baby dolls at the park!



The highlight of March so far has been our family weekend at Northstar. Ella had a much better time at ski school and Maggie enjoyed spending time on the slopes with me & Baba.



There have been some ups and downs at home (behaviorally for the girls and health-wise for me) but right now we are all doing well, so I am thankful.

Today I went into the hospital for some pro bono work on a raccoon with a minor jaw fracture and major tooth fracture, and a young kitty with stomatitis. Lots of work but very enjoyable; I won't get to see the raccoon again before she is released, but I'm looking forward to seeing the kitty all fat and happy in a few weeks (she's super-skinny right now, just under 7 lbs; her foster mom will keep her for at least the next month so we can make sure she recovers completely before she's adopted out).



Maggie wrote the cutest story for her March "class share" assignment. It's about a family of daffodils in the forest ("a Mommy, a Dad and 4 babies"), and one of the babies is not growing well because he's under a tree and the squirrels keep accidentally kicking dirt on him as they climb the tree. A nice man on a hike sees the small, dirty flower, digs it up, and plants it in his garden at home (where it is "green and pleasant"). The other daffodils miss the little dirty one but know he will be taken care of and will grow tall and beautiful. It's fascinating to me how adoption themes can appear in the most unexpected places!

Despite our difficulties, I do feel quite blessed to be the mother of these 2 amazing girls. Ella said this morning at breakfast (random!) that she wished she had been born from my tummy. My response was "I understand why you feel that way. But I don't wish that, because then you wouldn't be YOU. And you are so special to me. I love you just the way you are." (which led into me singing the Bruno Mars song, one of Ella's favorites. She gave me a huge, crinkle-faced smile and a great big hug. Definitely one of those "makes it all worthwhile" moments.

Celebrating Two Years as Sisters!

新年快乐 (Xin Nian Kuai Le): Happy Lunar New Year!)

The Year of the Rabbit is supposed to be "a quiet year, with an unhurried pace". That sounds absolutely perfect!

Unless you are waiting for your referral for a child from China, in which case things could slow down even further (which no one thought was possible).:-(

Back in 2008, almost 2 years after we had submitted our dossier to the CCAA requesting to adopt a second daughter (and it was already obvious that the days of the 1-year, start-to-finish China adoptions were over), we began thinking about changing to a special needs adoption. Disappointed with the lack of communication from our facilitating agency at the time, and having learned about what we perceived to be serious breaches of ethics on the part of that agency, we elected to start over with a new agency. Although this required new paperwork, and writing off the $4900 we'd already paid our original agency, within 4 months of signing on with Bay Area Adoption Services we had submitted our new dossier and were matched with Ella! We were so happy with our experience with BAAS, and so concerned for families still waiting with our old agency, we shared our story whenever we could, and encouraged people to "jump ship" and go with BAAS's waiting child program. Sadly, these efforts were often met with hostility. For some reason, many of the families who have worked with our first agency seem to feel like the leader of that agency is some kind of deity, and any suggestion that he might not be forthcoming with important information was rapidly shot down. One person, who said she was not comfortable sharing my information about our former agency with other families, wrote: "Basically what you are telling me is that I will never see my second child." I was trying to help people meet their goals of forming a family by sharing information and encouraging alternatives. But it wasn't what they wanted to hear at the time. Now, that same person is writing "The program continues to dim. No one will communicate with us.... I just don't know if we'll ever hold that child at this point. That's our reality, and I'm so pissed...."

I'm incredulous at the anger that was directed at me, and is now raining down on the CCAA, while no one on our former agency's newsgroup seems upset about the fact that the agency has NEVER updated any of their families on the slowdown. (In fact that agency is still accepting applications - along with nearly $5000, of course - from new families!! Unbelievable! I volunteer with BAAS, and we've been telling prospective parents for almost 2 years now that China's non-special needs program is essentially closed to all but those of Chinese descent.)

I feel for all of those families who are still waiting, or who have dropped out of the program altogether, abandoning the dream of one more child. But knowing how many waiting children are in China's orphanages - children with known, treatable medical conditions - I am somewhat angry myself at all of the bitterness being displayed by those who continue to wait. If more people would open their hearts and minds to adopting a special needs child, more families would be formed and everyone would benefit. (And the truth of the matter is, there's no such thing as a "non-special needs" adoption. I know many, many kids from the NSN adoption route who require speech therapy, occupational therapy, attachment therapy, etc. And those of you who know us personally know that our NSN child is far more high-maintenance than our "special needs" child!)

Thanksgiving in New England...and now, Happy New Year!

My favorite place to be at Thanksgiving is where Thanksgiving got started, in New England. This was Ella's first time celebrating Thanksgiving with Meme and Papa. The girls had a good time helping Meme make cranberry sauce,



helping Papa feed the birds



and playing with their cousins, Bella and Jacob.





I love this photo of the four of them:



They were genuinely happy, and it was just a nice bonus that they were all dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner. (And we didn't even plan it, but Bella was wearing a Gymboree dress from the same collection as Maggie and Ella's!)

We also spent some time with my best childhood friend, Rose, and her family, who live on 10 acres. The girls got to pet their horse and some chickens.



The weather was cold and clear, perfect for running a 5-miler on Thanksgiving Day and a 5-K in Barrington, RI that Saturday. Thanksgiving is easily my favorite holiday, with the four essential Fs: family, friends, food and fun runs. It was a near-perfect vacation. The trip was over much too soon!

Upon our return, we attended another Thanksgiving of sorts, the Marin Chinese Cultural Association Mid-Winter Festival potluck, where the girls got to make dumplings



and later embarrassed me by climbing all over the furniture and being hyper.

A couple of days later, YeYe and NaiNai arrived for a visit to help celebrate Ella's 4th birthday.



We had her party at Art Abloom in San Anselmo, and although the guest list was shrunken a bit by illness and sibling schedules, it was a fantastic party.



It was Ella's special day, so she got to wear whatever she wanted:



(which prompted a tantrum by you-know-who because SHE didn't get to wear a fancy dress).

Unfortunately, NaiNai and YeYe didn't get to stay for Sunday's gymnastics show, where Maggie redeemed herself and was an awesome big sister



to Ella, who was a little nervous at first, but managed to do her routine pretty well. It's really adorable to watch:



Maggie's isn't quite as endearing, but given that she went on her own when the other kids in her age group went in 3s (there were 10 kids in her age group, and the coaches didn't think ahead to make the groups 3, 3, 2, 2)!



Everyone got a medal at the end, and the girls were so proud.



The following week, Maggie's new loft bed arrived and Ella got to move up to a big-girl bed with gorgeous new bedding (thanks, Meme & Papa!). They were both excited about their new digs.





I was a little sad to dismantle the crib, knowing there won't be any more babies, but given how I've got my hands full with these 2, the twinges of melancholy were brief!

Our December FCC playgroup was at the ice rink again, where Edward captured this really weird image:



And then Christmas was upon us!

We baked & decorated cookies using my Great-grandmother's recipes (but not her finesse for icing, I'm afraid!).





Christmas was especially magical this year, because Ella was excited and anticipating it, and Maggie was fully into the Santa pretending this year, especially when she awoke to find a playhouse under her bed and a horse in a purse (courtesy of our good friend Kyra, who'd outgrown it).



(And she hasn't tried to steal Ella's little white dog since receiving the horse!)

Ella's only request of Santa this year was for pink slippers, so she was thrilled to come downstairs and find them waiting for her.



Although technically it was from me and not for me, my favorite gift of the year was Maggie's Kindergarten Art book.



I'd compiled almost all of the artwork she'd done last year in Mrs. Gray's class, and published it via Shutterfly. It's really fun to look back at the year this way.

The girls both got cameras, and Maggie wasted no time in using it. She took this portrait of her Panda Pillow Pet



this one of Papa GongGong during a Skype conversation (remarkably clear, isn't it??)



and this one of the Golden Gate Bridge:



Speaking of that trip to the city, the highlight of the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve was a visit from Sofia and her parents! Although it's been 2 years since Maggie and Sofia had seen each other face-to-face, they picked up right where they left off before Sofia moved to Singapore.





It was really fun to watch the three of them together, and I was sad that it will probably be another year or two before they are together again.

(We were planning to spend 3-4 weeks in China this summer and were hoping to maybe see them then, but we had to put a new hot water heater in and decided to go tankless, so China will have to wait until next summer!)

We ended 2010 and started 2011 with a trip to the snow. Christmas never feels like Christmas to me without snow (I still find it so depressing to shop for a Christmas tree with nothing but mud on the ground), so I was thrilled to head up to north Lake Tahoe for a few days.



Ella went to ski school for the first time



and on our last day, Maggie got to ski with us while Ella was in day care.



Despite the fog and snow, the three of us had a great time skiing together. Hopefully we'll get up to Northstar again this winter.