myadoptionwebsite.com - International adoption web sites and announcements

Sunday, April 8, 2012

It’s been over six months since our last update. Our family has had a very busy year. We went to the beach toward the end of the summer. Caroline also went strawberry picking. She loved finding the berries under the leaves and she even tasted them before we even got to the car! The holidays were very fun this year because she understands Santa Claus, presents, and birthdays. We have all had a lot of fun getting ready for birthdays and holidays with our Caroline Mei. We didn’t have much snow this winter, but Caroline was so excited when it did snow to make a “snow bunny” like one of her favorite characters, Max and Ruby. In February we went to the annual Chinese New Year celebration for our adoption agency. It was nice to catch up with everyone. We got to see two of the families that we went to China with. Caroline got to wear one of her silk dresses and watch the dragon dance. It was a nice day that we look forward to each year.

Over winter break, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Caroline liked looking at all the big sculptures. When we got to the wing of the impressionist paintings, Caroline said “Hey look, it’s from Little Einsteins!”. The whole family had a very nice day and we hope to go back soon. Caroline, mommy, and daddy also visited with most of our travel group at Jenny’s house. The little girls had a great time having dinner together and playing! One of Caroline’s new favorite things to do is help bake. Caroline helps with brownies, cookies, and cakes. She helped make mommy’s birthday cake and she helped make Easter basket cupcakes for dessert. She likes to wear her apron and help count and mix all the ingredients. When her goodies are finished, Caroline likes to set the table and call everyone to dessert. As the warmer weather comes, Caroline loves to play outside. She loves to be pushed on the swings, play on her jungle gym and ride her scooter. She also loves playing basketball with her big brother and sisters.

In the past six months Caroline has learned SO much. She can count to 25, she can sing the whole alphabet, as well as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Old McDonald had a farm. She likes to play puppet show and she likes to sing with her microphone. Every night she picks her stories to read and she calls everyone in to read with her. Caroline has also started doing “homework”- not real homework. But since the older kids are always doing homework, Caroline says “I want to do homework too!” So she has little preschool workbooks for patterns and colors that she likes to sit and work on with Alison. She knows all the colors of the rainbow. Caroline also enjoys playing board games. One of her favorites is Candy Land which she always wins :) Caroline really is growing by leaps and bounds and she constantly amazes us. She is such a happy little girl and she makes us smile every day. When everyone comes home from school and work she runs to the door and she’ll say “I missed you!”, but the best is that when we say “I love you Caroline Mei”, she says “I love you too”.

Today is Easter and reflecting on the past few months reminds us of how truly blessed we are.

~~~

Home, Sweet Home

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,
Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain;
Oh, give me my lowly thatched cottage again!
The birds singing gayly, that come at my call --
Give me them -- and the peace of mind, dearer than all!
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

I gaze on the moon as I tread the drear wild,
And feel that my mother now thinks of her child,
As she looks on that moon from our own cottage door
Thro' the woodbine, whose fragrance shall cheer me no more.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

How sweet 'tis to sit 'neath a fond father's smile,
And the caress of a mother to soothe and beguile!
Let others delight mid new pleasures to roam,
But give me, oh, give me, the pleasures of home.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

To thee I'll return, overburdened with care;
The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there;
No more from that cottage again will I roam;
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
Home, home, sweet, sweet, home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

By: John Howard Payne

Website by myadoptionwebsite.com