Reunion #1 with travel group

We went to the Bay Area this weekend and had a picnic with some of the families from our travel group. It was so fun to see how the babies had grown in just four months!

We missed those from Southern California and other areas who couldn't attend.

Here's a picture of the happy mom's, dad's, babies and a few siblings.

Jim and Michelle

First trip to the beach

We took Ava Lu to Santa Cruz for her first trip to the beach and ocean. There wasn't too much sun but she loved playing in the sand!

Ava Lu turns two!

It's hard to believe, yes, our Ava Lu is now two. She's growing so much in her exploration and love for life each and every day. We celebrated her birthday with family and friends. She loves the "Happy Birthday" song. We sang it to her for a few weeks leading up to the party so she'd know it during party time.

I'm posting a number of pictures of our joyous times over the last few months - Easter, her first Kings game, Mother's Day, other fun moments, and, of course, on her birthday.

We are more and more in love with our daughter every day. We are so thankful for the blessing of parenting Ava Lu and look forward living life with our beautiful and brilliant two-year old!

Jim and Michelle

PS - if there's an experienced blogger out there that can advise on how to place borders around photos, please advise!

We are home

We've been home for more than a week now - time flies when you are having fun! Ava Lu continues to bring us joy and new insight on a daily basis. And. . . we're working on taking naps too. Truly, she is adjusting well and loves her new home.

In the time that we've been home, Ava Lu has been to Fairytale Town, Funderland, the neighborhood park, church and out to lunch and dinner at some of our favorite local restaurants.

It's been great to share Ava Lu with family and friends in person. The reports we've heard is that "pictures don't do her justice." She has an amazing spirit and personality that lights up the room.

We'll plan to update pictures on our blog of Ava Lu so that all can see her latest exploits and adventures.

Feel free to call us or stop by to meet Ava Lu. She loves people!

We sound like a broken record, but, thank you for your support, prayers and love during our amazing journey. We truly are blessed by the outpouring by so many.

Love to you,
Jim, Michelle and Ava Lu

Last days in China

Hello,

Here are some photos from our last few days in China.

We went out to downtown Guangzhou yesterday and on a Pearl River cruise (it was cold - hence the scarf and hat). Also, we were so happy to have Ava smiling during her bath that we took pictures! You can see that she was the belle of the ball tonight at our farewell dinner party. Is she amazing in her pink outfit? Oh my, she danced her feet off. In fact she cried when it was over and time to leave. She truly was outstanding at the party. Individuals we didn't even know were taking video of her dancing and twirling around. You can see, by the end of the party, her bow is off.

We have our farewell group lunch tomorrow and get Ava's visa, then off to Hong Kong for our last night in Asia. It truly has been a remarkable time. All of my months of holding back the tears have come to an end. Our hearts are full with joy and sentiment. What an amazing journey God has allowed us to take to get our daughter. We wouldn't trade it for the world.

We may be able to post an update from Hong Kong - if not, we'll be in touch after we return home later this weekend.

Love to you from China -

Jim, Michelle and Ava Lu

A ride on a mini airplane and a check-up visit today

Ava Lu had her adoption medical clearance today. She is, as we knew, healthy. I didn't jot down all the notes from the report but I did catch her weight - only 20 lbs, with clothes and shoes on. She's a petite baby girl.

While we were at the Shamian Island (place where the medical clinic is), we shopped, had Starbucks and enjoyed the island. One of the highlights was Ava's first mini airplane carnival ride. She squealed and laughed the whole time. Below are photos from our day.

Tomorrow is a half day of paperwork completion in preparation for our consulate appointment later this week.

All is well here - just enjoying our time together with Ava.

Love,

Jim and Michelle

Back in Guangzhou

We made it back to Guangzhou. The USAA China Team is amazing. We really can't say enough about their care and concierge services for us. We just leave our bags outside our hotel room door and they have them picked up, taken to the airport for us and checked in. Then, somehow they arrive outside our room at the next hotel. They truly are a blessing.

Ava slept through the entire plane ride (1.5 hours) - now, how can we repeat that sleep on the 12 hour flight when we come home? Her transition to the new hotel room seems fine. She and I played on the escalators in the lobby at the China Hotel for about 15 minutes - she likes action, motion, lights, color and new experiences. I guess she is truly a "spicy girl" - that's what they call the babies from Chongqing, the Sichuan (spice) region.

Here are some pictures from our last day in Chongqing. You can see that Ava Lu was intrigued by Jim's shoe shine service that he received on the street. Also, Ava is enjoying her first ice cream sundae!

We felt a bit of a tug when we left Chongqing today. I think Jim and I will forever have a love in hearts for that city - the very place where we received our dear daughter!

Thanks for all your comments on our blog and e-mails to us while we are away. We so appreciate your love and support.

Jim and Michelle

Going back to Guangzhou

Hello,
We've had a glorious time in Chongqing and really don't want to leave. It's a beautiful city on hills (kind of like San Francisco) with a wonderful feel to it. I'll post more pictures later tonight after we get back to Guangzhou.

Thanks so much for checking in on us. Our Ava Lu is doing well. Pray for our flight to Guangzhou - it will be her first plane ride.

Jim and Michelle

Night out on the town

We wanted to show you all the beautiful pictures from our night out to dinner on the pedestrian mall close to our hotel the other night. The lights are great and festive!

Our day at the zoo and art gallery

Here is Ava starting the day off at breakfast yesterday. She is very independent and likes to feed herself with about three utensils at a time.

After breakfast, we went with the group to the local zoo/park. It made me quite proud of the Sacramento Zoo! We did however see Pandas and a few Tigers. The joy was, of course, watching Ava look at the animals with such intent.

We also went to a local art gallery and had a chinese painting on rice paper made of Ava's Chinese name (Jiang, Mei Yu) made. It was a full day. We ended up at a place called "Hot Pot" for a late lunch. It was a Chinese version of our Melting Pot fondue restaurant, without chocolate course at the end.

Here are a few shots of Ava. She is precious and very much alive! You can see that she liked riding on our shoulders. Will my hair ever look good again??? You know, both my curling iron and flat iron went out here in China.

Love to you from China,

Jim, Michelle & Ava