Shanghai or Bust!

Well, today I mailed off our change of address cards! However, I realized after they were all complete and ready to be mailed that I didn't put our moving date on them! So, to let everyone know, we are flying to Beijing on October 5. We will be in Beijing for about 2 1/2 weeks while our residency permits process, and then we will be off to Shanghai around October 22. We will be in temporary living for about a month until our household goods arrive, at which time we will move into our new house. We will have our Vonage phone with us at all times in China, so our new phone number will be effective upon our arrival in Beijing (to reiterate, the phone number is a US phone number (Moline, IL number), so it will be like calling us in Moline, but will reach us in China). The best way to reach us will be through our new email address, which is already activated. Okay, now that I have cleared that up, I better get packing!!!

Life Goes On!

In spite of getting ready for our big move to China, life still goes on! School is back in session and we are full swing into homework and football! Collin is in fourth grade this year, and Brennen is a big first grader. Both boys are happy to be spending the first couple of months at Seton with their friends. This is Brennen's first year playing flag football, but after watching his big brother and older cousins for so many years, he looked like a pro out on the field his first game!

On August 10, Maeve celebrated her 2nd birthday! I can't believe that our baby we held for the first time at 9 months is alread 2!!! Maeve still has a smile that lights up a room, and a spunky personality to go with it! She loves to play hide-n-seek with the boys, and especially likes to be "it". Instead of covering her eyes, she covers her mouth, counts to 14, shouts, "Go!", and takes off running to find the boys. We are having a lot of fun with her!

Just after school started, we had a double birthday/going-away party for the boys at the Aqualetic Swim Club. Over 40 of the boys' friends came to help us celebrate their birthdays and our move to Shanghai! In lieu of gifts, Collin and Brennen chose to have their friends bring school supplies to donate to Seton. Dave and I were very proud of them!

WE'RE MOVING TO CHINA!

Well, many of you already know, but for those of you who don't, we are moving to China! Dave has accepted a 3 year assignment in Shanghai, and we couldn't be more excited! Not many families who have adopted internationally ever get the chance to live in their child's birth country, so we feel very blessed to have this opportunity.

Dave and I recently traveled to Shanghai to go house hunting and to visit the two American international schools. Shanghai is a beautiful city, but this will be quite a change for our family. With a population of 18 million, it will be similar to living in downtown New York!

As if moving overseas isn't exciting enough, we will have the great fortune of sharing it with our dear friends, the Steeds! They have been great friends of ours for several years (Dave and John began working for Deere at the same time, and Cristi and I co-founded Raising Hope International together), and John was also asked to be a part of this China Team for Deere. We are going to be living in the same neighborhood and our houses are two streets apart. How's that for Divine Intervention?

Due to the Olympics, we don't have a definite moving date yet. China has stopped processing Z-visas (which is what we need to enter the country as ex-pats) until after the Olympics and Special Olympics are over. So, we hope to move the first week of October, but it all depends on when our Z-visa is issued. We have a house waiting for us, and the boys were accepted into Concordia International School (our first choice), so we are ready to go! We have decided to keep our house in Moline, so it is making our move a little easier. We will be coming back here after our assignment in China, and since our house has been in the O'Keeffe family for 40 years, we just couldn't imagine living anywhere else. This house is truly home for us.

We'll keep all of you posted as more details arise.

Start working on your passports...we expect to get visitors!

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!

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Halloween Fun

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