November happenings

    Birthday #4 was full of activity, especially because we were with Dad's family:  Grandparents, aunts, uncle, cousins; in AZ on her actual day.

First, the home birthday party happened on Nov. 13th with 12 children and their parents in our modest-sized home.  Eeek!  The theme was "Should I share my ice cream?" (by Mo Willems), which is one of Iris's favorite books to read.  Well, she has really memorized the book and practices reading to a dog at the public library.  At her birthday party, there were cut outs of Piggie and Elephant (Gerald) to color or glue on popsicle sticks to hold as the story was read by Mama (That's me!).  I love reading aloud, and Iris enjoyed sitting next to me and being the "monkey" storyteller repeating everything I said as I read.  There was a homemade cake and cupcakes to form the shape of a large strawberry ice cream cone.  Daddy made yummy "pigs in a blanket" to go along with our story theme.  There was a scattering of toys and children playing everywhere.  It didn't rain, so a couple of kids went outside.  One young friend (J.G.) was not used to a patio screen door, which he also didn't see, and he ran right through it, knocking the screen off it's track.  It is fixable, but just startling to everyone, including the five-year-old.

The following Friday was her preschool celebration to which Mom shared mini-pumpkin muffins and stickers for Iris's preschool class.  Then, came the welcoming at Grandma's on Sunday before her birthday, complete with relatives, dinner, and a princess cake (castle) made by two female cousins, M and G.  Iris thoroughly loved that!  See....

Mmmmm, Princess Cake!

"If you give a dog a donut...", says Aunt Diane.

She got many nice gifts- books, clothes,  games- but she most liked this addition to her dollhouse collection.  It is a minivan for her people, complete with groceries and dog in the car.  It was a good thing we brought her dollhouse people so that she could play with them driving the minivan.  The other memorable toy was a fluffy white stuffed dog with a carrying case.  She promptly named the dog after one of her cousins.  What a compliment that is! 

Dollhouse people ride the minivan.

There was plenty of yummy Thanksgiving food around.  Iris even helped with making the pumpkin pie.  It was a bit weird with Grandpa in the hospital and Grandma staying with him often at the hospital.  This gave us more time to go to the park and do some Christmas shopping...BEFORE Thanksgiving.

We capped the six-day visit with a trip to the zoo at night.  By that time, Iris had developed a bad cough, so we were ready to drive home to get her in her own bed and a humidifier running.  I thank God that we all made it home.

By the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we were onto Advent and Christmas activities.  God be with us in this busy, and sometimes stressful season.  What are we to do? 
In all ways, remember Jesus as Lord. 

Preparing for Christmas

Iris helped decorate the wreath.

     In the Christian calendar, Advent is the four weeks prior to Christmas.  Advent means, "coming".  This year I've actively thought more how to involve Iris with Advent traditions-lighting the Advent candles, Advent calendar countdown, Advent paper chain with scripture and daily questions.  She really liked counting all the lights/lamps in the house as I shared the passage from Isaiah (9:2), "The people walking in darkness has seen a great light."  Because I didn't grow up with these traditions in the home, I am thankful for my moms' small group and a friend, Audrey, who shared about Advent traditions, e.g. the Jesse Tree.  It was particularly fun to see her singing, "Away in the Manger" with the other preschoolers at the Sunday School Advent Celebration.  The drama wove in the songs sung by different age groups.  It was our family's first time hearing the Christmas story told with humor and costumes. 

As I meditate on readings and scripture about Advent, I marvel at how far the ideas of gift-giving and decorating take believers away from the reason Christ came into the world as a human, born of a virgin named Mary, and matured to bring an everlasting light into the world.  I pray often that Iris will know the truth of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord over all.  The baby lying in the manger is not just a "nice story", but a fulfillment of God's promise and an assurance of God's love for humankind to be reunited (or reconciled) with Him for eternity.  This was no small task that Jesus was sent to us over 2000 years ago.  It is with expectation that we are to await Jesus coming to usher in the new kingdom.

Here's a song that speaks to this amazing birth and person of Jesus.  Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

                (http://youtu.be/ulY2KPmpMwk)

Pre-birthday fun

Post-Halloween went swiftly to pre-birthday activities.  First, she received some costume wings from dear neighbors, we went to a Chinese Association potluck where there were dragon and lion dances, and there was a big party at our house.

Friends Amber and Monique with Iris at church

Happy Halloween...already?!

Trick-or-treating friends

Ballerina Iris with "the Queen"

 All Hallows' Eve is the old name for this activity where children learn to say "Trick or Treat" because candy is involved.  Well, Iris has learned well.  This year, she decided to be a ballerina, although she looks more like a princess.  Anyway, this is one of her favorite dress-up dresses.  She missed her preschool's parade, but she definitely made up for it with an afternoon of being with friends in costume and walking around two neighborhoods to collect her Halloween treats.  A classic moment was when she said, "I'm tired of walking", but as soon as mom said, "There's candy up those stairs", she ran to get some.  We lit our jack o' lantern that we carved with Aunt Ruth over the weekend, but no one came to the door.  That means leftover candy can be used for some other party time.

September and October happenings are a bit blurry now, but here are some highlights:

• Attending the Harvest Fair to see pumpkin weighing and sheepdog herding.
• Going to the Pumpkin patch.
• Mom has finally joined the YMCA, so that a regular exercise program can be followed.  Iris enjoys the swimming time and is getting used to the child care room.
• Mom's birthday was celebrated with a surprise potluck in her ESL class (Thurs.), a date night with Dad (on Friday), a homemade cake at home and visit to a winery (Saturday), birthday party for a five-year-old boy that shares the date (not near) with me.

At home, she is starting to have jobs-e.g. setting the table with napkins and utensils, as well as putting away her dishes after the meal.   This means that she can reach the counter when standing tall on tiptoes.  Iris no longer needs the toilet seat cover and prefers a regular dining chair to her step stool that she sits on.  She's getting to be such a big girl!  She's looking forward to her 4th birthday and party. 

Dad and Mom continue to work hard at their jobs.  Dad has had new responsibilities put on him recently.  More travel to headquarters are in the future.  I (Mom) tries to squeeze in time to prep for meetings and teaching.  I am trying to exercise more, especially as I still have knee pain from a fall that happened over three months ago.  Doctor visits for me and Iris are in the near future.  Now that Halloween is over, we're looking to time with family out of state for Thanksgiving.  Please pray for a real spirit of Thanksgiving and forgiving one another as we gather together in late November.

Family fun in July and August

It's nearly fall, but I wanted to post some photo memories of our time with family.  Iris had a blast with cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents.  The highlight was a week when two female cousins (G and M) came to our home for a week.  After a week in Lake Tahoe, all the girls had become nearly connected at the hip.  I'll never forget Iris yelling, "Gabrielle" multiple times, while asking about the "other girl's" name.  Fortunately, Marissa is mature enough to accept it.

Kingsbury, NV (South Lake Tahoe)

The gang's all here (except for Grandpa)

I can't see you!

Mmmm...Chinese restaurant!

Happy Birthday, Gab!

3rd anniversary of Gotha Day

I'm just Iris!

It has been nearly three years since we traveled to China to meet our daughter, Iris, for the first time.  In the international adoption world, this known as "Gotcha Day".  Recently, a friends asked me, "So, how is it after three years of parenthood?"

Being an older parent, I'm not into romanticizing and oozing with how much I love being a parent.  The moments of anger (hers as well as mine), having to repeat a request ("please put away your slippers."), and demanding something that Dada and I have already decided was a "no".  She's adamant about getting what she wants.  Oh no, does that mean she's strong-willed?  She tries new food, but is so polite to say with her hand outstretched, "I like it, but I don't want anymore."  If it looks like green vegetables or it has edible skin on the outside, she stares at the food and says, "No thank you."  She has learned about stalling for time before she has to actually stay in bed and we leave the room.  She's not a night owl so much as a social butterfly who is lonely without one of us with her at night.  I pray for a good friend that helps her not feel lonely.  Finally, a LOT of time is needed to get her (and myself) ready to leave for preschool in the AM.  For example, even if she finishes her breakfast 30 minutes before I try to get her to preschool, she takes at least 20 minutes to go to the potty and do the personal grooming stuff (brush teeth, wash face, comb hair).  Thankfully, she is wanting to do more on her own.

May I pet your dog?

However, I am so thankful for the great joy and responsibility to teach and nurture Iris.  She is growing and learning fast!  In terms of size, she is wearing a 9 in ballet shoes, and there's another transition of dress sizes to a 4 toddler.  She's got one more inch in height to meet the minimum height requirement to be in a booster seat, but her weight is too low.  At this rate she may be over 5 years old before she gets to be in a booster seat.  Also, her memory of what we say or names of new friends amazes me.  She even makes up names for imaginary "things", such as "CHAMPA" who has a house in the play structure at a nearby park.  She loves being with older children.  Just tonight at a birthday party, she associated an older girl (12 years old?) with her cousin Gabrielle who is 11 and about the same size, from Iris's perspective.  So, she will remember Rachel for awhile.  Finally, she's starting to say, "I'll do it myself" as she asserts her individualness.  I'm glad, but at the same time, I know that I'll miss her needing me...sometimes.

Anything else new?  She has started going three days a week to preschool, and just began a ballet dance class, which she loved.  She was not distressed that mom was not in sight.  She is readily accepting of new teachers, and likes to be around cats and dogs.   A few nights ago as we took a walk around the neighborhood, we met up with a neighbor who has two poodles.  As we headed home, Iris was offered the leash of one of the dogs, so we continued walking with our neighbor to their house.  Not only was this far for her to walk on her own, she really liked holding the leash.  I wonder if she has memories of when we walked our own dog, Ho Gao, while she was still in the stroller.  She liked holding the leash then as well.  Below is Iris "reading" to a dog at the library:

Getting back to Gotcha Day, a lot has changed and I sometimes wonder when I'll get my life back again.  Then, I remember, this IS my life as a mom, wife, and church volunteer.  Although I still work part-time in teaching, my priority is my family.  I am a bit sad that we haven't developed closer connections with families who we met three years ago in China.  We get emails and photos 1-2 a year, but our lives are full and busy.  The family that was geographically closest to us recently moved to the east coast.  So, it's unlikely that there'll be a reunion soon.  Maybe we'll meet up in China again when we take our children on their heritage tour.

I've glossed over what's changed in our family over the past three years.  What I most think about is Iris's future.  Who will her friends be?  Will she develop a passion for life?  Will she accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior?  How will she deal with the emotions when she realizes what being adopted means?  Will we as her parents be too old to relate well with her?  These are concerns that I give daily to God.  It helps to rest in the fact that "love covers a multitude of sins"..( 1 Peter 4:8)  I'm so glad that He's so BIG and sovereign! 

June memories

Birthday parties:



VBS:




Father's Day at the zoo

Being humbled

June was cool, hot and lovely! Weird, huh? Well, Iris is off for the summer from preschool, which means Mama is full-time mother, playmate, teacher, disciplinarian and parent. Dada has helped a lot, except for a long business trip to Europe that he took in the first part of June. This was another time of learning humility as I really needed help to care for Iris.

Thank God for Vacation Bible School (VBS) both at her preschool and at my church! Iris had a great time, and especially liked the puppet shows. The program for preschoolers was fun as evidenced by Iris wanting to go back each day. As for me, I survived registration check-in day with the help of 5 ladies, and was a third adult leader in one of the classes. Other than these programs, I had excellent and loving friends (Essy, Rosemary, my parents) to help me with Iris, so that I could meet my other obligations. I admired all the teamwork that went in to make VBS week a rich and fun-filled experience for 300 children!

With friends and family around, God afforded me time to prepare for teaching one Sunday school class on the apostle Paul's first missionary journey. I have renewed respect for all pastors, reverends, some priests who delve deeply into scripture to distill a clear message based on the Bible each week. It's hard to keep the message short and sweet! Then again, it's not about me, but about our Lord and Savior.

As we celebrated the July 4th weekend with family, I thought about how wonderful it is for Iris to have tall teenage cousins who are kind and who truly enjoy being with her...for finite periods, of course. I also appreciate their parents (my and B's siblings) who have raised fine young adults. I continue to pray that God will guide us to lead Iris in the way of truth and His light.

With summer comes opportunities for toddler classes-dance, music, swimming, etc. So far, Iris has enjoyed a music class with children and their parents locally. It's great because a CD of the songs is included, so that we can listen (and practice) at home. At this point, she likes that more than being in the class setting. A drop-in dance class was a bit much for her to follow, so it's on the shelf until further notice. Swimming is informal and occasional as I try to decide an exercise gym that fits our family's schedule without costing too much. Once again, I am humbled by those parents that have provided a variety of learning activities while still finding time to exercise. I want to be a healthy role model for Iris.

Most of all, I am learning humility when I think of how often Iris does not comply or respond readily to requests to get moving. For example, I call her to come to get dressed and pick her clothes, but she loves to make it a game by running away. If I hold her to get her to listen and do as she's told, she resists, but more in a playful way-i.e. fake cries or giggling. And what does this have to do with being humble? I think of how many times or ways I might be ignoring or wriggling out of God's will because I'd rather do something else. Call it distractions or selfishness, I'm reminded how easy it is to disobey our heavenly Father.

What I'm most thankful for daily is how God is the best, perfect and most loving parent of all! I must thank Him for his mercy every day, especially when I say harsh things to or I'm feeling less than loving toward my family. In one of Paul's epistle, he writes to be joyful in all things, giving thanks to God. That is the best way to readjust my attitude away from anger, frustration and prideful indignation. The fruit of our labor comes when Iris says things like, "I miss you mommy/dada." or smiles and giggles because she is happy playing with us. She continues to amaze me with her understanding of language (Chinese and English), her memory, and her wanting to put things in an orderly fashion. Hmmmmm could she have learned that from us?

Current challenges: Iris giving up naptime and having occasional accidents (of the wet kind!)
We will find out how Iris really is changing when we go on a long weekend vacation in Lake Tahoe. See August 2010 post for reference point on sleeping.

Memories of Springtime

Well, we are supposedly at the tail end of springtime, but it feels more like winter here. Brrrrr! More rain is expected in early June. Wow! It's a good thing that Iris doesn't mind the rain because she gets to wear her boots and use her candy striped umbrella more.

It's been nearly two months since I posted, so you can imagine how other priorities have taken precedence. Despite the rain, we've managed to have fun with friends.

In April, we celebrated Easter and Dada's birthday the same weekend. There were enough cakes and chocolate to last us a week or two. Easter Saturday was great with A-ma, A-gong, Ruth, Matthew, Noah and Ichi (the dog). Ham was the main dish, and it was so easy, thanks to TJ's special (That's Trader Joe's). Iris got some new dresses to wear thanks to cousin's kids and A-ma's generosity. One Easter egg hunt was done right in our home on Easter Sunday before church worship. Then, in the afternoon, several families with young children enjoyed another Easter egg hunt as we shared a delicious potluck meal.

In May, it was Mother's Day for a week! Lovely flowers, beaded necklaces, Iris's handprint in clay, a Moms' club pamper night (mostly eating) and a long weekend away for Cursillo. Brian took a short business trip to TX where the company's headquarters are. He wow-ed them with his presentations (which he had worked on for about two months!) and was happy to match faces to names. However, it meant more tasks that he gladly wants to do IF he can find the time. The semester ended for me, as did Bible Study Fellowship's (bsfinternational.org) study on the book of Isaiah. I loved the study, not always getting the full depth of the message, but my discussion group and group leader were awesome, special, loving and spirit-filled. I saw how much God is in control and sovereign. The choice to turn away from idols and trust in the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength were clearly laid out in God's plan. He judges because he loves. That's truth that hard to swallow, but nevertheless is what the Lord says. The hope in Jesus is what made studying Isaiah so marvelous. To top it off, the Cursillo weekend was a glorious experience of seeing Christ as head and the Holy Spirit as leader of the community cloistered for one wonderful three days. I thank my friends, Kari, Diane, Ruthie and Donna for being there for me. Now, there are deeper connections with so many followers of Jesus that I want to build and maintain strong relations with.
I can't forget to comment about my moms' small group. What hard workers! And yet each mother teaches me how to smile through the rain and love our children with deserved wonder.

And what was Iris doing?
-ballet/dance lessons
-swim lessons (with mommy)
-preschool and playdates
-birthday parties as "KidsParty Central" (great indoor bouncy house)
-playing dress-up and dollhouse, full of princess characters
Note: She watched the royal wedding of William and Kate (on the computer) and now knows about wedding dresses with long trains. She says she wants to marry Daddy when she gets bigger. Isn't that sweet?!
-riding her tricycle
-looking for our neighbor's cats, "Miss Puff" and "Three-legged cat"
-saying "I don't want to" and "come play with me" a lot.

As so many parents before have said, "they grow up so fast!"


This past weekend was a welcome pause and relief to be serene surroundings with just our family. Even though the laptops came out, we managed to do a lot of things we like to do in Fort Bragg: visit the Botanical Gardens, go to the beach (very cold, but fun), eat at the North Coast Brewing company, walk to McKerricher boardwalk. I said goodbye to my Honda Accord of 21 years, and welcomed our new Honda CR-V. This was our inaugural trip! In FB, we met up with the Batzels, too. Here's a slideshow of the memories we made there:

This free slideshow design customized with Smilebox

This year, I took on a project for Vacation Bible School at church as registrar. It was/is a big undertaking as the week of VBS fun gets nearer. So, please pray for the tasks and coordination of that week from June 13-17. As June begins, I look forward to spending time with Iris because I'm not teaching any classes this summer, studying and facilitating with a study of Acts, time to spend with extended family in Lake Tahoe in July, and reconnecting with my brother and his family who will be in country for about two months.

Is it spring yet?

March is the month when spring officially begins. What did that mean for Iris? Well, it meant a "promotion" to the next age group class at preschool for Iris (She's a firefly now!), rainy weather for Iris to use her umbrella, boots and raincoat, an office move for Daddy, and tax preparation for the Avenells (ugh!). Iris enjoys playing dress-up anywhere there are "princess" clothes, splashing in puddles, making her finger talk to pretend different characters, and playing with her doll houses and a few baby dolls. Daddy's particularly good at making this fun for her, but it can only last so long.

A few positive changes:
Iris has grown one inch since her 3rd birthday.
She wears panties during the daytime.
She has "fake" tantrums that often disappear quickly.
She continues to grow her vocabulary with words such as, "exquisite" "fragile" and "actually".
She likes attending B.S.F. (See bsfinternational.org) and still has a fascination with shoes. Watch this...

Mama continues to use Mandarin Chinese with her (more than half the time), which she usually understands, but Iris usually answers in English. She likes to dance, but when listening to music, she has trouble clapping to the rhythm. This must mean more music time. Or trying a ballet/dance time for her age group might appeal to her. Time will tell.

A couple of highlights:
Last rainy Saturday, we drove to Bay Discovery Museum and went to almost all the buildings. Iris enjoyed the "tunnel" in the Bay Hall where there was a small cave aquarium, a crabbing pier, and a fishing boat that rocked. In the tunnel, a couple of "jie-jie"-s held her hand and led her through the space several times. Iris loved it, and really enjoyed being with older girls.

Another fun thing is that Iris and Mama have gone to the YMCA family swim time a couple of times. She loves splashing around the stairs. The warm water (>80 degrees!) is almost like a jacuzzi for me. She still clings desperately to me when I try to get her to float. We have been guests of friends who are members. Now, can we afford NOT to be YMCA members?

In this season of Lent, I have to confess that I haven't given up any one thing, but rather I am trying to build in more time for exercise, fun with the whole family, and be quiet with God. I continue to struggle with temptation to eat in the evenings, especially after teaching classes. It's embarrassing to think how I focus more on what snacks to eat than how I'm giving glory to God. A few books that I've been reading are wonderful for my spiritual walk right now: Breaking Free by Beth Moore and Here and Now by Henri Nouwen. I continue to remember that prayer is first and foremost to a "good" day because God guides me by His Spirit. As a dear sister in Christ recently helped me realize, plan nothing. Instead, trust God's prompting and plan. There are many times that I plan things to do with Iris or for myself and some event or distraction totally changes my plan. So, instead of getting frustrated, I will try to think how God gives us the gift of whatever happened. As I've been learning from a year-long study of the book of Isaiah, God numbers the hairs on my head, even until they turn grey. Wow! He is the everlasting Father and Creator of all. Hallelujah!

Food, family and friends

Red and pink: Those are Iris's favorite colors last Saturday. Even our friends, Joann and Dave provided pink mini cupcakes for us to enjoy. We were treated to a wonderful Chinese lunch at their home, complete with sunny, warm weather. After that, we headed south to be with A-ma and A-gong.

In the course of a few hours, we were able to share a meal and catch up on news with first and second (and maybe third; I'm not too sure what that means) cousins with whom we haven't seen in a long time. Here is the next generation ranging from dear 3-year-old Iris to a 26-year-old Mike (on far left). From left to right are Royson, Noah, Matthew and Tiersha. A-ma served up too much food as usual, but this is the Chinese way of celebrating with abundant food. It was a great mix of English, Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese. I wonder if Iris's head was swirling with all the sounds in the air.


Then on Sunday, Iris met up with church friends to play outside and read books inside with three special visitors-Jordan, Eden and Zion. Just after returning home, Mama (that's me) left with a friend (Brooke) to attend a fundraising event at the library with Martin Yan. Yes, that's right- "Yan Can Cook". I didn't know how he would be cooking inside the library, but it was all very interesting, entertaining and delicious (even to watch). I learned several helpful tips, including adding a little oil to marinated meat just before stir-frying to use less oil. There were great cutting techniques. He was funny and clear in what he was trying to teach us. There were giveaway prizes, but we didn't get anything. Instead, we each bought a cookbook. He signed mine in Chinese characters, but I don't read. I'll have to get someone to translate.


Come Sunday evening, we went to another friend's house to have a Chinese buffet. It was mainly the family, but the Avenells and another family from Germany were welcomed. There were a few toddlers around, too. The above picture is her crossing her legs in her non-chalant way. The main thing that Iris learned this Chinese New Year is about "hong bao" or red envelopes. She loves them and knows there's money inside. The money isn't the thrilling part, but we appreciate it very much from generous friends.

Thus, Iris learned to say very clearly, "Shin nian kwai le" and "Gong shi fa tsai". We are so blessed by God, especially to witness how Iris is growing and becoming her own person. Sometimes, "Mommy, don't go!" is so sweet. Then, there are the screams and obstinate "No!" Through it all, I'm praying that God grants me courage, wisdom, compassion, patience and self-control to be a loving mom. What a privilege and challenge! Thank you, Lord!

Gong Shi Fa Tsai

February celebrations begin early this year with the Lunar New Year on Feb. 3. We were planning to go to a New Year's party last Sunday, but Iris came down with a terrible cough. Poor thing, she's still getting over this severe cold. So, we will be celebrating this weekend with some friends for lunch and Cindy's family in the East Bay for dinner. On Sunday, we have an invitation to a Chinese family's New Year's dinner, but we may be too full from all this eating. Below are some photos from January with our little "energizer bunny" Iris.

This digital greeting generated with Smilebox

Later this month, we plan to attend the parade in the City with Aunt Ruth and cousins Matthew and Noah. Iris is getting better about walking on her own. Now, if she'll only stop or come back when we call her! Occasionally she's been okay about being in the stroller. That way her Mama can get some exercise. Yeah! Here's a short video of our beautiful January hike before my semester started. Check out the yellow "Hello Kitty" boots!

January happenings

Before this month passes by too quickly, I wanted to post a few firsts:
-First week of staying dry in pull-ups/panties (except for when she's sleeping)
-First "poop" outside on the ground on Monday; How embarrassing! At least Iris didn't poop in her new panties.
-First morning waking up and going to the bathroom first thing on her own
-First "why?" asked to Daddy. I don't think she really wanted to know the answer, but I've been noticing that I ask her "Why?" in Chinese often in order to get her to say more.
-First time pedaling on her smaller tricycle.
-First umbrella that is red and white and just her size. It's adorable!
-Saw first live puppet show. The local library has great children's programs.

Daily we (the parents) still question whether we are using the right form and amount of discipline with love to teach Iris some boundaries. Tantrums are to be avoided, but by how far of limits that we set? Days blend together as we try to give Iris new opportunities and a variety of activities. Daddy works hard and long to make a living. I continue to seek joy in my role as mother, even when Iris is screaming. It is only by God's grace that I am sustained each day despite chores and school work piling up. I am thankful for all these experiences because they continue to teach me the humbleness with which I must come before God. What a crazy child I am! Like Iris, I need to listen more and better, say, "no" less often to Him, not ask solely for what I want, be distracted by new things that don't edify my soul or resolve to follow Jesus, and be more respectful as I worship and pray to the Creator God. Help me, Lord!

Precious moments in 2010

Happy New Year! 2011 has arrived, but there are wonderful things about Iris and parenting that I remember from the past year. I think about Mary, mother of Jesus, when she "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart"(Luke 2:19). My thoughts are far from that profound, but I'd like to record some of them nonetheless. In the 21st century, the culture seems to encourage communication to the point that there are few secrets. So, here goes.

~Iris is expressive with her gasps of surprise and "wow".
~She loves the close her eyes before Daddy presents her with a surprise "treat" after dinner.
~She tries so hard to tell stories from books or videos that she watches, especially Cinderella,that it sounds like jabbering
~She likes to spin around. Dance classes are in her future!
~She likes to wear headbands such that her hair is poufing out.
~She says, "Wo ai Ni" to us, family members, and sometimes others who don't know Chinese.
~After she picked out new panties, she went around telling others the whole day, "I got princess panties."
~Some favorite phrases include, "What's this?" "Where is it?" and "I don't know" as if each were one word.

There are probably more, but that's all for now. I pray that God continues to transform us and reconcile us to himself. Glory to God in the highest!