Xiushan Reunion 2008

It's hard to believe that a whole year has gone by since we first arrived home with Maeve! On June 26, we flew to the Jersey Coast to meet up with three of the other families we were in China with (two of the families couldn't attend) for our first annual Xiushan Family Reunion! What an amazing and emotional experience it was to see all of Maeve's "sisters" again! We had such a wonderful time, and after the first few minutes of awe at seeing each other again, it was as if we had never been apart. We are truly family.

All of us had a blast relaxing on the beach, hunting for sea glass and digging for sand crabs! We also had fun on the boardwalk one evening, riding roller coasters and eating pizza at one of Bob's favorite places.

Bob and Leslie were also very gracious to have all of us over for a clam bake at their house. What a hoot! Bob was chef extraordinaire, and Leslie taught all of us the fine art of eating clams and "smashing crabs with a hammer", as the boys called it! It was delicious, delicious, delicious!

It was a fantastic first reunion. We missed the two families who couldn't be there, but it was so wonderful to see how all of the girls have grown, how well they are all beginning to speak and how happy they all are! We are very blessed.

Aaahhh...Spring!!

After a brutal winter here in the midwest, we are finally enjoying spring! The kids are growing so fast and changing before our eyes. Collin is finishing up third grade and seems so grown up! He and Brennen are good buddies, in spite of the fact that Brennen can play the part of the annoying little brother quite well! Collin adores Maeve and is very protective of her. Almost every day he says, "Mom, you know why I love Maeve so much...". It is very sweet.

Brennen will soon be finishing Kindergarten and is still the life of the party! Luckily, he has done very well in school and is adored by his teacher. We're not quite sure how he pulled that one off, except to say that he does allow a few brief moments of sweetness at home. :) Deep down Brennen is a softy, and he likes to make people laugh. That's not so bad.

Both boys are full swing into the baseball season, and Dave is coaching both of their teams. That makes for one crazy schedule, but we love it! Maeve has come to love going to the ball fields because she gets to run around like a maniac! I don't really get to see much of the games, but that's life with a 21 month old who thinks life is grand!

Speaking of little Miss Maeve, she is doing fabulous! She is still a little peanut, but continues to grow and thrive. She is talking up a storm and has no problem telling her brothers (or anyone for that matter) when she would like things done her way! She loves to sing songs, dance, count numbers and read books. She still has that beautiful smile that melts the hearts of anyone she meets, and she loves being with her family most of all. Her "buppa" (Papa Jerry) is her absolute favorite. Life is good when she is hanging out with her "buppa".

This summer we are going to the Jersey Shore for a reunion with the families we traveled to China with. We are so excited and can't wait for all of the girls to be together again! Collin and Brennen are so happy that they finally get to meet all of the families they have heard so much about and to meet all of Maeve's "China sisters."

FYI--for those of you who may be wondering, the recent earthquake in China was in the same province where Maeve is from (Sichuan/Chongqing). However, we are thankful that her orphanage sustained no damage and the children there are all safe. Please continue to pray for all of the families affected by this devastating earthquake.

I will try to be better about posting more often. Until then, take care and keep in touch!

A Very Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful first Christmas with Maeve this year! Collin and Brennen explained to her that Christmas is all about Jesus' birthday, and that this great guy, Santa, brings lots of gifts to help everyone celebrate! Maeve may not have understood the Jesus/Santa part, but she had the gift thing all figured out!

Each year, in lieu of exchanging gifts with the O'Keeffe side of the family, we all go on vacation together. This has become a very fun and memorable tradition for all of us, especially for the kids. All of the little cousins have so much fun together and don't miss opening presents one bit. We typically go to an indoor waterpark resort, and who wouldn't choose going down a waterslide while there's a blizzard outside over opening a gift?

This year we went to "Fun City" in Burlington, Iowa. The resort has an indoor waterpark, an arcade, go-carts, a bowling alley, rock climbing and laser tag. We had a blast!

!

Halloween Fun

Collin and Brennen had a lot of fun this year showing Maeve what Halloween is all about!

One Happy Family

Our summer with Maeve went so fast! It's hard to believe fall is already here. Though Maeve has only been home for four months, it seems that she has always been with us and we now can't imagine life without her!

We had a lot of fun this summer going to the pool, spending time on the ball fields with the boys and welcoming the many family members and friends who came to meet Maeve. In September, we had Maeve baptized and we were just thrilled at how many friends attended the service, in addition to our families. Everyone is still so excited that she is home and is doing so well.

We recently went to Colorado Springs. Dave had an Air Force Academy Alumni Baseball Reunion there, so we made a family trip out of it so that we could see our dear friends, the Blocks. The kids all had so much fun...and by kids I am including my husband and all of his college buddies! What a hoot to see all of those guys playing baseball at the Academy again! I have to admit, for a bunch of "old guys", they still got it!

The morning after we got back from Colorado, a reporter and photographer from the Quad City Times showed up at our house to do a feature story on international adoption and my non-profit organization, Raising Hope International. (Okay, I knew they were coming but I still felt like Carol Brady on the episode where she wrote down the wrong time that the camera crew was coming to their house and she answered the door with her hair in rollers!) My friend, Cristi, and her three girls (all from China) came down from Dubuque for the interview as well. Luckily, the girls were the stars of the show. Maeve is now a celebrity in our town of Moline. She really hammed it up for the camera! (I know, hard to believe). What a different life she has compared to just a few months ago! What a different and blessed life we all have because of her.

Collin and Brennen are still wonderful big brothers and they are more excited than anyone with each new word she learns to say and with each new step she takes as she learns to walk. She loves both of them so much and she gets so excited when they come out of school each day. When I tell her, "it's time to go get the boys from school," she goes and gets her shoes and brings them to me! She can hardly wait to see them.

I will try to post more pictures after Halloween, but at the rate I am going, it may be Thanksgiving before I post again! Thanks again to all of you who check in to see how we are doing and for your interest in our blog!

Home Sweet Home!

Yes, everyone, I am FINALLY updating our blog now that we are home! After getting several phone calls wondering if we were all still alive, I figured I better get going!

Our flight home was uneventful. Maeve was great the whole way home. She either slept, or smiled at people. Who could ask for more than that?

Dave and I were so excited to see Collin and Brennen when we arrived at the airport in Moline. We missed them terribly. They were excited to see us, but were even more anxious to see their new baby sister. They made signs and brought balloons to welcome her home. What a relief it was to have our family all together safe and sound.

Our friends, the Cavins, made a big "Welcome Home, Maeve" sign that was hanging on our garage door when we got home from the airport. We have such a wonderful family and so many wonderful friends who made our homecoming very special. Someday Maeve will realize how many people anxiously awaited her arrival!

Now that we are home, we couldn't be happier. Maeve is settling right in and seems to know that she is home with her family. She continues to be a happy, smiley baby and she adores her brothers! She gets so excited when they play with her, inspite of the fact that they "love her to death" from time to time. She doesn't seem to mind her legs moving a thousand miles a minute while Brennen sings ,"The Wheels on the Bus" to her, or that it's not always comfortable when Collin tries to carry her around. She just seems to be happy to be home with her family who loves her very much.

Maeve is really starting to like solid foods and is gaining weight as a result. She is up to a whopping 15 lbs.! We are even starting to see a roll on her thighs. She'll be a little beef cake in no time!

Well, that's my update for now. Thank you to everyone who followed along on our Journey to Maeve. We received such positive feedback on our blog from so many people, and we appreciate everyone's excitement for our family. Our trip to China was an unforgettable life experience. Dave and I are fortunate to have traveled to 9 different countries in our almost 12 years of marriage. But, when we look at our three little pumpkins, we realize there's no place like home.

Going HOME!!!

Well, today was our last day in Guangzhou. Tomorrow we leave for Hong Kong, then we head home on Friday. We went to the American Consulate today and took our oath, the last official act before leaving the country. As soon as we get through immigration in Chicago, Maeve will officially be a U.S. citizen.

One of the families in our group left for Hong Kong this evening. The rest of us leave tomorrow, so we went out for one last group dinner. It was really hard to say good bye to everyone, but we'll get together again. Next time, in the States.

This will be our last post until we get home. It has been a lot of fun keeping this journal of our time in China. We hope all of you enjoyed it as well. We didn't take many pictures today, so there's no folder of extra pictures to look at for today. Cameras weren't allowed at the Consulate.

We can't wait to get home to Collin and Brennen. We have missed them very much. Thanks to all of you who emailed and posted messages to us. We really enjoyed hearing from everyone and appreciated everyone's excitement. This journey to Maeve has been quite the adventure, but the real adventure begins when we get home. We can't wait!