Happy Chinaversary! 3 years

It has been two months since we adopted Hung and next week will mark 3 years since we adopted Lily in China on June 26, 2006.

How can the time have gone so fast? It seems like yesterday we saw this sweet baby girl being brought into the room at the Civil Affairs Office in Guangdong China. She was so very tiny and beautiful...and scared. She boo hooed when I handed her off to Daddy but settled down when Marshall began to feed her one cheerio at a time. We marveled at her dexterity and how she plucked cheerios from Marshall's hand - her first ever solid food! Then she started eating rice a grain at a time, then noodles a noodle at a time and hasn't slowed down since! :) Lily continues to shine like a beautiful ray of sunshine that lights up a room where ever she goes. She is smart, funny and kind. We are so thankful and blessed that she was chosen for us.

Last night we celebrated "Chinaversary" early with our annual family portrait and dinner out. Lily wanted spaghetti so it was Macaroni Grill. Poor Hung had more dental work done and the anesthesia had not completely worn off so his smile is a bit lopsided. Marshall is going to visit his Dad's family in Virginia for several weeks so we wanted to celebrate together before he leaves. Marshall wants to know why we don't have an "Americaversary" for him. Hmm... Maybe 4th of July!

In only 2 months, Hung has picked up a remarkable amount of English. We took him to our travel agent to explain Marshall is going away for a bit and she asked Hung questions in Vietnamese and he answered in English. She asked him if he wants to go back to Vietnam and he said no - he wants to stay here with Mommy and Daddy. That's good to know! Lately he has taken to yelling at Mom when he does not immediately get his way or he is aggravated at something. Not pleasant but we are working to correct it. Funny that he thinks it is ok to do it to me but not to Jim. More of that prior male dominated culture rearing its ugly head? Maybe it is a sign that he is comfortable enough now to feel secure?

We are headed to visit friends in Tennessee next week and spend some time with Uncle David's family. We hope Hung understands that we are coming back. He started pre-school with Lily last week and they are playing well, he is absolutely loving it and he has started calling himself "Hunter Duda." Lily is still struggling with jealousy when we show Hunter affection but its getting better day by day.

Welcome home Brian, Wendi and the newest arrival from Dong Nai province, their daughter An!

And if you need a reminder of God's amazing grace and that dreams do come true, just take a look at these pictures:

Lily's sad referral photo taken June, 2006 about 3 weeks before we met her in China

Our beautiful daughter - June, 2008Happy Family together at last - June, 2009