Finally Updating!

Baishi (10), Maura Genet (6), Li-Li (6) and Bella (3) going to church!

Maura Genet's self portrait

Daddy with his princesses

The love of my life!

 At Disney on Ice

Baishi enjoyed the show

After the show, Grammy with her grands

dressing up for Halloween for school

 Bella having fun on her field trip

Getting ready to go trick or treating at Aunt N

Having a blast!

At Aunt Nat's

Li-Li's artwork

God  has continues to bless us. Baishi's adjustment to our family has been extremely smooth. We had some minor issues that cropped up when George was traveling the first 2 months but overall it has been a very easy transition. We kept him home from school until the end of October. He seems to like school and made the honor roll last week. All A's and one B in history. It is absolutely amazing how well he is doing learning the english language. His handwriting is so neat as well. He eats well and is not picky at all. He loves Legos and can open a box and sit for hours building things. He also started Karate in mid October and has already moved up to a yellow belt. It's very entertaining to watch how he tries to mother the other children. I have explained on several occasions that even though he is trying to be helpful, to please leave the discipline  up to me! :) Baishi tags along everywhere with GEorge...riding the tractor, going to dump trash, starting bonfires and so much more. He is very healthy. The only thing that he came home from China with was a positive PPD, but a negative chest xray. He is on Rifampin for 6 months...the same medicine that Bella was on for the exact same thing. I could go on and on about how he is perfect for our family but I have several others to talk about so I will stop here! :)

Li-Li started Kindergarten this year. Since starting in August she has already learned to read level one books as well as journal and write simple sentences independently. We are so proud of her. She continues to be our sensitive, kind hearted child with such a happy spirit. Last semester she and MAura Genet took a Little Gym class together. They really enjoyed it but we opted for Li-Li to start piano this semester instead. Li-Li also takes private Chinese lessons every Thursday. She started taking lessons up in Philadelphia and absolutely loves it. She has been taking for about 3 years. We had her in a Chinese School here in Charleston but it was way too intense for her. We were doing 3-4 pages of Chinese homework a night plus her Kindergarten work . The private one on one lessons are working out very well. She had a perfect report card and seems to enjoy learning. She has also learned to ride her bike without training wheels and is very proud of herself.

Bella...oh Bella. The wild and crazy one. She is in preschool three mornings a week and enjoys going to school like her sisters and brother. Last semester she also took a Little Gym class that she enjoyed thoroughly. This semester she is taking a dance class that she LOVES. She is one of the best listeners in the class and really has some rhythm. I enjoy my one on one time with Bella while the other kids are at school. She goes to bible study with me every Tuesday and sits there quietly playing while we do our study. She loves playing barbies and playing "house" with her sisters. She also loves to sit in the rocking chair on the front porch with Daddy and learn about the birds that fly by! :)

Maura Genet is doing great. It is hard to believe that she had such a tough transition into our family to see her now. She is in Kindergarten also (but not in the same class as Li-Li). She not only had a perfect report card but was also the Terrific Kid of the month for January. She enjoyed Little Gym last semester as well. This month she will start swimming lessons. She loves the water and is looking forward to it. She is seen 3 days a week by the ESL (English as a second language) teacher as well as twice a week by the speech therapist. She has a little bit of trouble with the TH sound. She is actually getting braces today on her top 4 front teeth due to the huge gap between the two front teeth. She actually has some tongue thrusting and we think it will help her speech to get that corrected now. She is a happy child and really enjoys telling us stories about Ethiopia and about her birth family. We are writing down everything she says and encourage her stories so we can keep those memories alive.

The Thornley Family sold our house in downtown Charleston mid November. We had one week before our house on Wadmalaw Island would be ready so we headed to Folly Beach for a week. It was a lot of  fun and the kids enjoyed looking at the water. We are so happy now  that we have made our final move. I have to admit, it was quite a transition for me to move from downtown Charleston to Center City, Philadelphia to 50 acres in the country. I was used to the helicopter pad right out my window, the city lights and the honking of the crazy city drivers horns. I LOVE PHILADELPHIA but it is not practical to raise four children in the city. I have gotten used to the country and enjoy the quietness. I love when all the kids have gone to bed at night and I go outside to let out Oatmeal and Molly (yes, we have 2 dogs now) and look up at the sky. I think this is the first time ever that I have seen the sky without the city lights. What a beautiful sight!

We had a wonderful Christmas! We took the kids to Banner Elk, NC for a few days after Christmas. George and I have been going to the same place since 2003. There was plenty of snow and the kids had a great time attempting to build a snowman. Then we headed to the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, NC. It is a huge indoor water park...with warm water. The kids, as well as, mommy and daddy had a blast. We spent 5 straight hours in the water the first day. They had a kid friendly party for New Years Eve and the kids made it to 11:40 pm and then konked (is that even a word) out!

George is still loving his job. When he is not traveling to Philadelphia, he works out of an office in North Charleston. He is planning on working for at least 4 more years or until he starts getting bored. He keeps getting new projects and really enjoys what he does. He spends his spare time running kids everywhere, as well as, working in his yard. He LOVES living on Wadmalaw and has his house looking like he has always wanted.

I am adjusting to being back in the SOuth. I never knew that I could move to a place for 2 years and grow to love it so much. One of my best friends from Charleston moved to NC one week before I moved back. That was hard. I have become great friends with  a couple of people from church so that has helped. I also have my best friend from college here as well. I am involved in a Bible Study at my church on Tuesdays and will be joining the Kiwanis Club as well. My stepmom is a member and I went to  a luncheon with her last week and really enjoyed learning about their mission. I also stay busy volunteering at the kids school.

Country Boys