Enough with the pictures!

Alright, maybe one more! This is our little ham on Christmas Eve having a late night snack before opening gifts.

What is in a name

Many of you have asked where we got the name McKaden and what it means. We wish we could give you some great story, but the truth is we heard a similar name and liked it. I suppose you can say we kind of made the name up.

Now her middle name is something different and has a lot of meaning. We used the name Joy for her as it is what she brings us .. much joy. We also chose it as through the adoption process Lori was given the gift of the "Joy of the Lord". Learning what the joy of the Lord truly is was eye opening and life changing for her. We last but not least chose the name after our dear friend Elisabeth Joy. Liz is a great friend to both of us was instrumental in our meeting and marriage [along with another friend, Melissa]. We feel honored that McKaden shares the middle name Joy with Liz and pray that she grows up to bring joy to others the way that Liz has brought joy to us! The picture is of Liz and her husband JJ when they met McKaden over Christmas.

Someday I will be TALL

She loves being on Daddy's shoulders! I think it is because she wants to be taller!

A PINK Party

We were blessed with a surprise baby shower for McKaden from Mark's basketball team. Mark had fun opening gifts for McKaden, she loved having the guys in the house and Lori enjoyed the pink cake. We are blessed to be in a community that has opened its heart to this amazing little girl. We thank all the people who helped with this surprise party! Special thanks to Gracia and Dawn for the cake and decorations!!

Our anniversary

As many of you know, we celebrate everything in this family! Every year Mark and I go away to celebrate the anniversary of the day we got engaged. This year we went as a family of three!! In the future I am sure that we will leave her with family for this weekend, but this year we wanted to take her with us. We had a fun time at a resort about two hours from our house. We enjoyed the sunset against the water and mountains, we took a walk on a trail with the cold sea air blowing on our faces, decorated gingerbread cookies, visited the spa and watched GU play on TV... sounds like the perfect weekend.

My Favorite Toy

If she had her choice this would be how she would play all day long! She loves it when we push her in her "cruisers" box. So much for buying expensive Christmas gifts!

She also loves to carry around her shoes and try to walk with a ball that is TOO big for her to carry.

I'm flying

So this is what happens when I am not around to supervise! She is flying around the house and as you can see she LOVES it! Daddy has the best games!!
Small Print: This was done with the utmost safety!

Where are we going now?

I am SO pretty

McKaden has been getting beautiful handmade gifts, like this sweater from some dear people from Mark's hometown. We love this picture and we think the title sums the whole thing up.

Day in the country

McKaden put on her new jeans, that Jessa gave her, and went out to the country on Saturday. We had a great afternoon being a family and enjoying being outside. While in La Conner, we stopped at a new children's store and got these ladybug boots for her. They are a size too big but should fit in the spring. I could not resist taking a picture of her little behind in her snowflake jeans! How cute is that!

going to church

Here she is ready to go to church! She had her first time in the nursery and loved it ... what would expect?

Why I don't get my work done

This is the reason it is hard for me to work! It seems that as soon as I get going on a project, there is someone at my feet! This is the look I get when she wants me to play and to stop working ... what is a mom to do?

Self portrait

She loves to have her picture taken and likes to see it on the camera right away! When we take the picture she looks at it, points to herself and says "DeDe". We have discovered that is what she calls herself.

You looking at me?!

How funny is this picture!

Visiting Vito

Well it is true ... our daughter has already had to go to the training room at school, due to injury. After our exciting win over Arlington she ran out on the court and fell. She cried a little - which is unusual for her - and I noticed BLOOD! I ran over to Vito, our trainer, and and he took a look at her. Well, it was not a big injury, she just bit her tongue with her huge teeth. She was smiling at us a minute later and this injury has not stopped her eating or drinking. Here are some pictures of her and her blood. I guess that is the price you pay when you play sports!

My new ride

McKaden just loves the stroller that her Aunt Ducky helped get for her! Here she is bundled up for a cold walk to go get the mail. Yes, the pink blanket is a fashion accessory to her black, pink and hot pink stroller. She is also holding her new unicorn that she got from her friends Levi and Caleb. Of course, her favorite part is the tag!

I love being a girl!

Well, we have a girly-girl! She loves to wear hats and have bows in her hair! Here she is wearing an outfit that Aunt Linda get her, but she added the bow to it! We might have a long road ahead of us!

Cousins

McKaden loves her cousins Faith and Claire. It is funny that Claire is only three months older than Mac ... gives you an idea of how little Mac is!

Thanks Nana

Here is Mac on her new toy from Nana and Papa!

It's my birthday and I will cry if I want to

McKaden on her first birthday! Well, as you can see the jet lag had set in and there was no way she was going to make it through anymore of the birthday fun. It really was a fun time with a ladybug birthday cake, friends and family. This picture reflects the end of the party!

Tis the Season

And you thought Christmas! Mac, went to her first basketball game on Saturday and LOVED it! She even figured out how to blow the whistle and hang on the rim ... maybe Daddy helped a bit.

We're home!

We're back safely!! Sorry that it took so long to get back to everyone. Between computer issues and jetlag, we've been out of sorts. McKaden had a relatively uneventful 20 or so hours of travel. On our long flight back to Seattle (about 8.5 hours), she slept only a couple hours. She did receive lots of attention from our flight attendants. Our friend Dianne picked us up at the airport (with baloons and flowers) right after McKaden became a U.S. citizen. No problems with immigration (we are calling her "our little Immigrant" sometimes). The Visa that we had for McKaden indentified her as an immediate relative, thereby allowing her immediate U.S. citizenship. Since we've been home, she's been adjusting to life in cold, foggy Washington. No more 90 degrees here! She's already been to Target and the grocery store. . .shopping seems to suit her. Her sleeping is slightly off, which makes our sleeping more than slightly off. Today (Thanksgiving) we had many things to be thankful for, of course, McKaden being one of them. We enjoyed a great Thanksgiving at Bryce and Missy's (Mark's brother and sister-in-law) and Mac got to play with two of her cousins. Well, tomorrow is her first birthday, so there is much to do to get ready. We'll post pictures from that tomorrow!

Going home. . .

Well, we're packing our bags and have mixed emotions as we prepare to head back as a family of 3. On one hand it will be nice to get back to friends and family and establish some pattern; on the other it has been an incredible time and it is tough to see it end. The three of us had another great day today. We got up and visited Mary Kay at the International H.S. here. It was a great experience to see the facilities and programs there. Scot teaches at the primary school in the same district. McKaden, Lori, and I then went to the famous Stanley Market, where we did some last minute shopping and had a great lunch. It is sunny and warm here, so it was the perfect day for strolling through the market. We hung out back at the Hoffman's for awhile and then late this afternoon all of us took a cab to Central District. It was a fun, romantic, and great to laugh a lot with the Hoffmans. We took a tram to Victoria Peak, which looks out over the Hong Kong Harbor and across to Kowloon. It was dusk, so a perfect setting to catch the city as it began to light up. We then had dinner up top at an awesome restaurant which looks over the Harbor. The mood is awesome and the food just as good. We adults had a great time and McKaden kept us laughing by blowing kisses and waving goodbye to the waiters. She was so funny; it was like she knew we were laughing at (with) her. On a side note, she also learned how to say "I love you" today. It's a bit rough around the edges and she has no idea what it means, but it sure melts your heart. We will see you all soon!

Pictures

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

We are sitting at our friends Scot and Mary Kay's place in Hong Kong this morning overwhelmed at God's provision. We are looking out their 12th floor window right into a beautiful harbor on a warm, sunny November day in one of the most amazing Islands in the world.
Yesterday was quite a day! One of our guides, Jack, took us to the train station, where we took a train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. It was probably McKaden's first train ride. It was really interesting to wind through the city and into the "countryside", we both tried to soak in the images that we will be able to relay to McKaden someday. We tried to remember high rise after high rise, with people stacked on top of people, and laundry hanging out to dry. We tried to remember the warm looks and treatment given to us by most of the Chinese people. We tried to think back about our liason, Lily and our guides and what an incredible job they did for us here. We saw the few places of rolling green hills without buildings and pictured China past. Meager existence gave way gradually to more and more new high rises and amazingly wealthy business buidings as we entered the indescrible city of Hong Kong.
Our friend Scot picked us up and we had a great time with them the rest of the day and night. McKaden had several other "firsts" today: taxis, the top of a double decker bus, and a night-time ferry ride in Hong Kong Harbor. It was a fun time catching up with our friends who also took us on a night-tour of Hong Kong and the fore-mentioned harbor ferry. On the ferry there was a laser show and one of the neatest skylines we have ever seen. It is truly an amazing sight to see what is probably one of the richest cities in the world. Equally amazing was Scot's home-made spaghetti and meatballs. McKaden was awesome; just out at 9 or 9:30 and just taking it all in. What a great day!

Goin to the Zoo!

We had time today to go and see the zoo here in Guangzhou. It was a little chilly out, so many of the local folks stayed home. We had a great time hanging out with some of the other families in our group. We were surprised to see that they kept a monkey and a dalmation in the same cage ... have no idea why. We did get to see the Giant Panda but it was asleep, so no action there. Mac slept pretty much the whole time and did not care that we were even at the zoo!
Kids, you try to give them great experiences and they sleep the whole time!! Mark did some shopping in the afternoon and I started to get stuff packed up. We are heading, by train, to Hong Kong tomorrow [Sunday] afternoon to meet up with friends. All of McKaden's paperwork came today and she is free to leave the county! When we arrive in the U.S. she becomes a citizen!! Better get out the red, white and blue outfit again! Well, we are all tired tonight... one of the babies in our group had a birthday party tonight...she turned 1 and gave us all Cheerio's for our goody bag... how cute is that?! Good night.

Red,White, and Blue

Consulate Day

Well, as of today, all of our paperwork is finished and will be delivered to us tomorrow (Saturday). McKaden slept in this morning to allow dad a time for a workout and a time for a leisurely family breakfast. Since we didn't have to be anywhere until 1:00 we enjoyed time for a nap (Mac), getting some work done (Mark), and a workout to Chinese techno music (Lori). At 1:00 we took off to go to the US Consulate to swear that all the information on her visa was correct. As many of you know, there have been terrorist threats on the consulate here, so we were very glad to get in and out safely. We tried to hold up McKaden's right hand for the swearing, but she would rather suck on that hand. We have to admit she was the cutest baby there in her red, white, and blue outfit. After heading back to the hotel, we took some time to take some pictures in the garden here; our hotel is amazing as it has a huge garden and waterfall. McKaden gets distracted by the koy. She must take after her mother with her love of fish and will probably be a great snorkeler. Tonight we went on a "dinner" cruise on the Pearl river. The trip is actually really pretty with all the skyscrapers and large hotels lining the waterfront and their many lights and colors. We have learned through this and other experiences that the Chinese do love their cigarettes. . .The "dinner" part of the cruise was actually pretty fascinating. It was a buffet and as soon as the trays were out, there were people all over, pushing, cutting in line, swarming the tables. We were pretty amused to watch; and even more amused to find out that the food was . . .well. . .buffet. It is weird to think that our time here is rapidly coming to an end. Thanks for all your comments; we love them!

Nana's request

Here's a picture of McKaden's little foot, as requested by Nana!

Little Empress part 2

PS. I am about 29 inches tall and weigh 19 pounds with all my clothes, shoes and a wet diaper on ... so you can say 19 pounds soaking wet!

The Little Empress

Hi, This is McKaden checking in from China. My parents started calling me the little Empress today. Maybe it was when we were out and about they found themselves on either side of my stroller carrying me up and down long flights of stairs. I'm sure they felt stupid, but I felt like a queen on a throne. Or maybe they called me that based on how skillfully I have been trying to use my newfound knowledge of the "power of the tear". I tried to play that card several times today in effort to get them to spoil me. It worked a few times, I'll have to admit. Here's how it goes around here: I usually wake them up about 6:45. They scurry around here trying to get things ready so we can head down to the delicious breakfast buffet. For breakfast I usually order up some congee (some milky rice thing), some fruit, and some bread. Today I also decided to eat my mom's scrambled eggs. They were quite delicious. After breakfast, we went back to the room so I could rest my royal eyes. While I was resting, mom went to a paperwork meeting while dad got some work done. Those poor people always have so much to do. I woke up refreshed from my nap ready to see the town. I noticed that my parents are looking a bit tired. After taking me to a fine Italian restaurant for lunch, they took me shopping for some formula of my choice. They carted me back to the hotel where we left about 2:00 pm. for me to get my visa picture taken and my medical exam. I didn't really care for the exam, but I guess I need to do it for the paperwork. You should notice a nice glam shot of me on a red couch. Shopping came after that, which included a purchase of my new birthday dress. Boy, will I look cute. AFter dining on Thai food, we went back to the hotel for playtime and a royal bath. I am now reclining in bed with mom stroking my brow. Nite Nite

Who dressed my daughter?

Well, as you can see, Daddy dressed her today! She is in head to toe pink [thanks Anne for the outfit] and a Daddy's Girl shirt! Is this a plot against me?
We had a great day today. We went to the pearl market and got a few things. We wanted to get a pearl necklace that we can give her someday, when she is older. We also had lunch at Pizza Hut ... yes Pizza Hut, in China. We got a laugh as the servers were dressed in Santa outfits and they were playing Christmas music... very strange. Mac loves pizza! That must be another sign that she is our daughter. We have been resting this afternoon. Mark got a workout in and while he was there found out they will set up ping pong in one of the squash courts! You know what that means .. the Hein's challenge all other families in our group to ping pong. We hope that works out and that we can show our dominance in the sport.

One more thing ... our daughter is in training for cross country. We hate to have to admit that. She wants to do laps in our room ALL the time. It is so funny to see this tiny [she is so small] ,little, almost one year old, boss her Dad around. She will drag him to his feet and hold on to his fingers and start running back in forth. She will make one stop at the mirror to check herself out, but then it is off and running again.

The weather here is great ... mid 70's out. We are loving it! It was WAY to hot and humid when we got here, so the weather change is really nice. Well that is all for now. Will be back on later to let you know about our wonder child.

Trip to Shamian Island

Today we went to Shamian Island. This is normally where we would have stayed. It is a portion of the city that caters to adoptive families and where some of the process is completed. The White Swan is the famous hotel that almost all of families in our situation usually stay. They were sold out due to some type of convention this week, so we are at the Garden Hotel in a different part of Guang Zhou. It was also fun to go to a market today. It was an awesome cultural experience and we visited a part of the market that specialized in toy sales. It was fun. Lori thinks McKaden wore herself out shopping; I'm inclined to think she got bored with shopping. We spent a better part of the afternoon playing with Mac in our room. Much to my chagrine we taught her how to kick the ball while we are running around holding her hand. . .we need to keep her away from soccer as long as possible.

My future is so bright. . .

I gotta wear shades. . .