8 years of awesomeness!

After a mid-day visit from Grandma Marilyn and Grandpa Ben with the gift of a nice jewelry box / music box (which Wynn immediately wanted to take apart to figure out how it works), the fun times kicked in again before dinner when Grandma Barb, Grandpa Ken, and Uncle Paul came by the house - and take-out from our local Sichuan restaurant was on the menu!

Showing off her knitting work!

Looking for Uncle Paul, who's bringing the food...

Not even all of it!  Two different kinds of duck - tea-smoked and crispy ... both were scrumptious

Dragon cake!

Learning the basics of chess with Uncle Paul

Our girl is so smart and so beautiful and interested in so many different things - it is so wonderful to have her in our lives!

Swim, Wynn, Swim!

Wynn has been swimming four days a week lately - two nights of lessons and two family splash times. She's loving it, and we're loving watching her have fun learning something new.

Hong Kong Videos

Here's a shout to the good work being done over at weninchina.com - lots of helpful travel tips and cultural insights for adoptive families.

Fresh videos were recently posted to show other families some of the fun and interesting things in Hong Kong. This is just some of what we were describing back in November...

Catching up: Chinese New Year & Kids Reunion!

For Chinese New Year weekend, we had our now-traditional get-together / celebration potluck with the other Twin Cities families we traveled with back in 2007, plus a few new families who've adopted since then.

Wynn and Jenna, the Guangxi Girls, are back in action! As we compare developmental notes with her parents, both girls still have that South China spark of confidence, intelligence, and charisma. With every opportunity we present them, they take it and run.

Check out Josh's pro chopsticks skills!

A bowl of tangerines / oranges is a traditional Chinese New Year centerpiece which symbolizes long health and many children. Learn more about CNY at my weninchina.com article...

All the kids work on an art project to create their own dragons.

Group shot of all our beautiful kids!

Spoiler Alert

Several friends had cautioned us about seeing Shrek Forever After with a young 'un, since theirs had gotten scared and needed to leave the theater. Still, Wynn insisted that she wanted to go.

I talked to her about the fact that others had been scared, and she assured me that she was brave. I asked her what she would do when the scary parts came on, her answer: "Sit on your lap and think about that they are in the movie and can't get us."

So we went.

She'd never seen a Shrek movie before, but she caught on to the story pretty fast. When the squadron of witches showed up, she turned to me and said, "I know why they got scared; those witches are mean." But she kept right on watching.

When the fire-breathing dragon started breathing fire on Shrek and Fiona, I figured Wynn would change her tune vis a vis the whole being brave thing, but I was wrong, and she kept watching.

For the most part, she found the movie enchanting. She liked seeing the scenes of the Ogres as a family, and the humor of Donkey and Puss in Boots was much appreciated - especially when Puss in Boots had put on a few pounds and couldn't roll over on his cushion.

The only time in the entire movie when Wynn looked worried was when, through the cruel trickery of Rumpelstiltskin, the "true love's kiss" between Shrek and Fiona didn't work to break the spell.

As Shrek explained the reason for its failure, "Fiona doesn't love me," Wynn turned to me aghast. She'd seen them as a happy couple early in the movie, and it distressed her so to think that they were no longer in love. That's when she needed a comforting hug and the reassurance of, "I'm sure Fiona will fall in love with him all over again."

I held her tight and teared up at her never-ending supply of sweetness.

There Was Sun. There Was Fun.

Easter weekend was one big Wynn-o-centric photo op.

Here are some highlights ...

Where Bubble Blowing Meets Tai Chi

Highly-Focused Bunny Coloring Time

Getting Smooched by a Pooch

Hunting for Eggs

Finding a Basket with Enough Candy to Feed a Family of Five

Flying a Kite

(She's pointing her finger to tell Grandpa and Uncle Paul

where to run next.

She loves giving orders.)

Looking Cool on Her Tricycle

Happy Chinese New Year!

Year of the Tiger, of course

The full moon tonight marks the Lantern Festival and end to the 15-day Chinese New Year holiday season. This year, Wynn celebrated with a couple different activities.

A week ago Monday, we got together with the other family who traveled with us in Guangxi province, another family from our trip who went through Anhui province, and a third family who adopted through Sichuan last year. The kids colored dragons, listened to stories, and we all had a fine feast.

The Guangxi Girls - Wynn and Jenna - masters of The Force! Jenna is about a half-year older than Wynn. They both enjoy being in charge - they know the family routines; the rules of the games; what the pets should be doing; where we should sit. No need for whining or temper, as Guangxi Girls know how to get their point across matter-of-factly, using just enough charm or cool logic to convince you.

Last weekend, I took Wynn to Como Zoo. She specifically wanted to see the tiger (that's him in the first photo) and we wished him a Happy New Year. We also checked out the tropical plants in the Conservatory, noting which kinds grew in China; looked at the golden carp and talked about why they're considered lucky; and shared some stories about when we came to adopt her.

Quite a few other Asian families were at the zoo, too, doing the same things we were. I worry sometimes that we're not giving her enough exposure to her birth culture, but over the past two weeks of watching what other families are doing and seeing how Wynn interacts with other kids - Asian and everyone else - it feels like we're doing a good job.