Jiangxi Jewels Reunion 2011

Last week was the second reunion of our China travel group.  Hard to believe!  We met in M*rfreesboro, Tennessee, where one of the families lives.  It was a 14-hour drive, so we split it into two days.  Sarah did wonderfully in the car -- a huge improvement from last summer.  She loved playing a Ses*me Street app on my iPad and making felt cupcakes (talk about opposite ends of the tech spectrum) and took a nap after lunch each day.  She was impressed by the huge windmills we passed in Illinois and said, "Look at the "Y"s, Mama!" (she adds "Mama" to almost all of her sentences these days, and I LOVE it).

We spent the first night in D*nville, IL,  and had dinner at a local Chinese restaurant, and the staff was quite interested in Sarah.  One young Chinese woman commented, "She looks like she could be Asian," in a joking manner and seemed surprised when I said Sarah was Chinese.  A few minutes later, she was back at our table asking questions.  In fact, she quizzed us more about the adoption than anyone we've come across so far.  I have the impression that the average Chinese citizen isn't familiar with the international adoption program.  When we left, she proclaimed Sarah "a lucky girl" (which we heard frequently in China), and I, of course, begged to differ...we are the lucky ones.

Sarah and Dad check out the cable TV, which we don't have at home

We passed through N*shville Thursday afternoon during rush hour in a thunderstorm.  I was glad Don was driving!  After settling in at the Emb*ssy Suites (I love that chain!), we met the six other families downstairs to eat pizza and get reacquainted.  Sarah was shy, of course, but she lit up when she saw her friend Ava, one of Mia's big sisters.  They have a special bond (although all the girls love Ava, Sophia, and Bella).  She wasn't quite as friendly with Grace's big brother Grant, who tends to overwhelm her with his well meaning attentions.

Friday morning, all the moms got together to chat, while the dads entertained the girls.  It was great to swap tales, both good and bad, and share advice.  We all agreed that we were very lucky to get this particular group of girls, as they are exceptional (just ask us) and have presented few challenges (if you don't count strong wills).

Friday afternoon, we were treated to a cookout at Madeline and Andy's home.  Sarah still stuck close to Ava, as did Grace, and I caught glimpses of competition between the two, which was rather sweet but also tugged at my heartstrings.  Sarah and Grace are the oldest of the girls who have attended the reunions, and they seem to have similar temperaments.  I wonder if they'll become close as the years go by.

Georgette (organizer-extraordinaire) brought lots of crafts to keep the kids busy, and Sarah and I had fun creating, while socializing with the moms and kids.  The bounce house/water slide in the backyard was a hit with the older kids and the more daring toddlers (Mia and Allie are fearless!), but Sarah wanted nothing to do with it.  I finally persuaded her to test out the front step, and she had a ball jumping up and down while I held her hands (a great workout for my triceps).

Ava, Sarah, Mia, and Grace

Getting crafty

Grant moving in on Sarah again!

Who needs a whole house?

Saturday, we headed for the N*shville Zoo, despite the sweltering heat.  We were impressed!  It was shady, and the enclosures were spacious and natural-looking.  Sarah spotted the carousel right away and made a bee-line for it.  She also worked up the courage to let lorakeets drink nectar from a little cup she held.  The highlight of my day was the white Bengal tiger -- so striking. 

Since we didn't bring a stroller, we were worn out by lunch time (she from walking and we from carrying her off and on) and headed back to the hotel.  After eating, we all lay down to rest, and Sarah chatted herself to sleep, as I drifted in and out of consciousness while answering her non-stop questions.

Look closely, and you can see the gorgeous white tiger

How do you spell "exhausted"?

Before heading to our closing dinner at an Asian restaurant next door, we had a group photo session in the lobby.  Georgette had sewn matching outfits for the girls, and they all looked adorable (even poor Jaden who was feeling a bit theatrical).

Our Jiangxi Jewels

The whole gang

Dinner at F*lin's Asian Cuisine (it's not wise to keep seven toddlers waiting for dinner)

After breakfast together Sunday morning, we headed our separate ways for another year.  Fortunately, Facebook and email make it easy to keep in touch between our face-to-face fun.

[Sarah really enjoyed the hotel, with its beautiful lobby and glass elevators. Whenever we were out for a drive, she'd ask, "Where my hotel, Mama?" and look for the solitary building with the big "E" on it. When we were looking for a place to spend the night on the way home Sunday, she said, "I don't want my new-tel, Mama; I want my old-tel."]

Dressed for travel

Hugging Jaden goodbye

Don and I adopted Sarah because we wanted a daughter. We didn't realize we would also gain a wonderful, new, extended family -- a group of kind and generous people who have enriched our lives greatly. I look foward to growing closer to these folks, seeing their kids (both adopted and biological) grow, and watching friendships among the China girls blossom.

Huntleys in the House!

My sister Heather and her family visited us for a week in mid-July, and we all had so much fun, especially Sarah.  She loves her cousins Forrest (12), Sam (10), and Kelley (8) and had a ball playing with them (and their iPod Touches).  It was a strange experience for me, as there were times that I didn't know exactly where she was.  It was a taste of what it might be like to have older siblings around to entertain the younger one, without the messy sibling squabbles.

The first day, we visited a friend's boat house (for the unenlightened, a boat house is permanently moored to land, while a house boat travels the river) for some fishing.  We didn't land any big ones, but we (I say that although I was the only non-angler in the bunch) enjoyed the quest. 

Uncle Brian's big catch

Fishing pals

Forrest waiting for the big one

Auntie Heather snagged a large-mouth bass!

Cute cousins!

The cousins find a frog

Sam, Heather, and Kelley

My little angler

A couple of mornings, the hard-core anglers (Don, Brian, and Forrest) went out on the M*ssissippi to fish from our small boat.  Over the course of the week, our group caught 10 different species of fish, including one scary gar, all of which were returned to the river.

Forrest caught a nice smallmouth bass on the river...



...and a white bass, too!

The gar -- ancient fish of the depths

Nice smallmouth, Brian!

Thursday, we went to the La Cr*sse Interstate Fair and enjoyed the barns filled with all sorts of horses, cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens, etc.  Sarah spurned Uncle Brian's repeated offers to carry her on his shoulders and insisted I lift her to see the big animals.  She loved her decidedly unnatural-looking "blue moon" ice cream cone.  The taste was familiar (but no more natural-seeming), but I just couldn't place it, so I G**gled it when I got home.  According to W*kipedia, it's found almost exclusively in the Upper Midwest, and the Ch*cago Tribune described it as "Smurf-blue, marshmallow-sweet, and tasting remarkably like Fr**t Loops and Fr*ity Pebbles."  Nothing the least bit natural about that....

Sarah's first "blue moon"

We made one of our favorite day-trips across the river to W*nona, MN, up to W*basha, back across to N*elson, WI, and home to Tr*mpealeau.  First stop was Fleet F*rm, a must-visit whenever the Huntleys are in town.  We spent more than an hour spread out across the store and left with a military canteen and helmet, a fence charger, and I-forget-what-else that all traveled back to MA. 

After lunch in the rain at an overgrown rest area in K*llogg, MN (the state government was shut down, remember?), we went to L*rk Toys, a mammoth store/museum with every toy under the sun, both new and vintage, and a carousel with hand-carved animals.  Sarah loved her second merry-go-round almost as much as the first, and her tongue immediately fell out of her mouth when it started up.  She informed me later:  "The giraffe is my favorite animal, Mama."

So serious before the ride begins....

Watching Cousin Sam put on a puppet show

Sarah with the puppy she carried all around the store.  I didn't know how we'd get her to part with it, but once I said he wanted to go back with his friends, she happily returned him.

 The drive across the M*ssissippi from W*basha to N*lson is one of the prettiest, passing through the backwaters of the Upper M*ssissippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (which Don used to manage). On the other side is the N*lson Creamery, a stone building that, until recently, didn't even have a sign but always had a full parking lot. It sells yummy ice cream, cheese, wine, and gourmet foods.

Cousins and cones

On Saturday, we went to a Youth O*tdoor Fest in L* Crosse, where kids could try out all sorts of sporting activities.  The boys had a wonderful time, despite the unbearable heat, and Sarah won a fishing pole!

Sam, Kelley, and Forrest trying archery

Minnow races!

Sarah and Sam getting tattoos.  Sarah showed me hers then insisted it be removed.

Of course, some of the best times were chatting around the dinner table or relaxing under "the Grandfather Tree" in the backyard.  Forrest and Uncle Brian taught Sarah to play "Frisbee."  I wish I had it on video, because she got pretty good and was so proud of herself. 

Forrest (in one of our vintage lawn chairs) and Don

Sam and Sarah

Sarah and Uncle Brian

Sarah and Kelley "iPadding" before breakfast

At the start of the week, I was anxious about how Sarah would handle all the excitement and full house.  She did wonderfully when she was with everyone, but she was a bear at bedtime with me the first few nights!  I think she just unloaded all of her emotional backlog once we were alone.  She had fits of hysteria, and it took more than an hour just to brush her teeth, get her pjs on, and get her into bed the first night.  Fortunately, she regained her balance mid-week (I think some naps in the car helped), and it was smooth sailing from then out.

We were all so happy to have the Huntleys in the house (and thankful to have a big house).  It was a treat to watch Sarah with the boys.  As one store clerk pointed out:  "They just adore her."  The feeling is mutual.  We can't wait to travel back to M*ssachusetts for my brother's wedding in October.

A Busy Week (and Month)

We are uncharacteristically busy, in a social sense, this month, so I thought I'd share a few photos.

On Independence Day Eve, we had a cookout with some friends who have a daughter from Sarah's province (Jiangxi).  Sienna is a few months younger than Sarah and has a sister, Lillie, who is eight months younger than Sarah (that house is hoppin').  We've seen them a few times, but Sarah was still very shy and spent most of the evening in Don's or my lap, instead of playing with the girls.

On the 4th, we went to a very small parade (not a single horse!) in the town next to ours. 

I turned 48 on the 7th, and we celebrated by taking a drive into the W*sconsin countryside to a farm that serves wood-fired pizzas.  It was a beautiful evening, and the place was surprisingly busy.  The pizza was so-so, and the advertised entertainment (a folk singer) never appeared, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.  Of course, we might have appreciated it more if we didn't live on a farm ourselves!

We returned home to have cake and ice cream. 

Yes, the cake was cut before we blew out the candles. It was actually the remains of the cake I made for Don's birthday in May. Since there's only three of us, and Don's not crazy about baking, I froze it. The "Happy Birthday" was still intact, so I figured it served the purpose. Reduce, reuse, recycle, I say! It actually crossed my mind to try to save it again for Sarah's birthday later this month, but I thought that was a little extreme. :)

Last night, we had dinner at some new friends' house in L* Crosse.  They served grilled pizza, and it was better than Thursday night's!  Sarah was all excited to see their little boy, Emmett, who is 11 months old.  He was more outgoing than the last time we saw him, however, and she was a bit taken aback by his assertiveness.  Sarah is so much like her parents, it's scary.  She likes the idea of socializing, but, when the time comes, she's not so sure.

That was the first week or so of the month.  The excitement builds from here: we're off to another parade this afternoon, my sister and her family arrive for a week's visit tomorrow, and we head to the N*shville area for the reunion of our China travel group on the 20th.  We're all excited, but I know it will be trying at times.  Life's not easy for us introverts!