handsful

Checking out Lainey in the mirror…

This was the weekend that our adoption agency, Chinese Children Adoption International, held their semi-annual reunion.  We decided to head down to Orlando on Friday afternoon, and arrived in time to have a nice dinner at Friday’s before heading to our hotel.  With a family of 7, we’ve become too big to squeeze into just one normal sized hotel room.  So, we had 2 rooms…one for Randy, me, and Lainey and the other (across the hall) for the big kids.  It worked perfectly, and the big kids loved having their own room. 

Lainey had to jump in the picture, too!

Lainey tells her siblings goodnight.  “Eh Wo” (hello) she says while she grins/giggles. 

After a not-so-stellar breakfast bar at the hotel (it’s not even fair to compare other hotels to the White Swan in this category), we headed to the Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake.  Our day was filled with games, entertainment, catching up with friends, playing, pictures, eating…

Lainey and I listen to the speakers…Kat LeMon (director of the Florida CCAI office, who was SO helpful in getting our I-171H form to us in time for us to travel!) and Josh and Lily, the founders of CCAI. 

Lainey (the pink “backside” and her friend Cherish, have great fun picking grass. 

Most of the kids, adopted and siblings, gather for a group shot.  Josh is on the back row, not looking.  Lily is in the middle, arms around two cute little girls.  Our kids are on the right side.  Abbey is holding Lainey, then Marley, Payton, and Ethan.  Cherish is between the boys.  Her parents, Derek and Julie, adopted her a few months before we adopted Lainey.  They go to our church :)

Lainey snuggles up with Josh and Lily.  I know I’ve sung the praises of our agency before, but they so deserve it.  Josh and Lily started this agency 14 years ago, with the intent of helping a handful of families adopt children from China.  Today, they’ve placed over 8,000 children with forever families.  They truly care, and that shows with everything they do and say, right down to all of their employees.  We are immensely grateful to them. 

The day’s games were a big hit with Abbey, Marley, Payton, and Ethan.  Here, Payton dives for the finish line, right as EJ stumbles in the back.  Tough break, kid. 

Abbey places 2nd in her race. 

Payton and his new friend, Owen, run away with the win in the 2 legged race!

The winners pose for a publicity shot.

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EJ tries the golfball in a spoon race…man, this is hard. 

Lainey and I walk down the hill to see the big kids.  Well, I walk.  Lainey barrels down the hill, not understanding the danger of gravity.  Oops. 

Brushing herself off, she decides a little sliding is in order.  Marley helps out. 

Hi, dada!

After leaving the reunion, Randy was SO nice to give me something I’ve wanted for quite a while.  A trip to…

I’ve heard so many things about this place, and given the closest one to me is in Orlando, it was the perfect time.  Wow.  Huge, crowded, great prices, amazing.  We ended up staying there almost 3 hours.  It took that long to get through the whole place!  We picked up some great finds, and then collapsed into the car.  Our day ended when we pulled into the driveway about 7:30pm. 

** A post or so ago, I mentioned that Marley tried out for the pre-team at her gymnastics studio.  We got the call at the reunion that she didn’t make it.  She took it very well when we told her.  After we arrived home, I asked her about it again, making sure she was okay.  She told me “Mom, I didn’t get upset when I heard I didn’t make it because I thought of something.  My life was great before the tryout and it still is, I lost something I never had.”  That’s one of those moments as a mom that I live for…to see my daughter display so much maturity and grace.  It makes me unbelievable proud of her.