Today we went to Little Amerika in Marshall, WI. Little Amerika is an amusement park which is owned by a family and they restore rides from years ago.

We went to the park with my sister, Jill and her son Connor. They boys had a great time riding the merri-go-round, and to my surprise the roller coaster and tilt-a-whirl.

Busy Week in July

The week of July 13 was a busy one for us. We went to the Waukesha County Fair on Thursday and on Sunday was Zach's baptism.

At the fair we saw all kinds of animals, including sharks and had some good fair food. Sunday we had Zach's baptism at the church and then afterwards we had family over for a little party to celebrate. At the party, Zach had fun playing with cousin Connor, cousin Danielle, Shayla and Kylie.

1 Year Ago Today

One year ago today was the day that we received the call that changed our lives. Joe received "The Call" from Stephanie at GWCA in the afternoon stating that she found a little boy for us. All I remember is Joe calling me at work, and he was crying, and he was saying "they found us a boy." Stephanie sent us all of his information, and we knew that he was ours. We are so blessed to have Zach in our life. He is so smart, funny, caring, and a wonderful son and we love him so much.

Mothers Day

My first mother's day. Today was a very special day. The day started out with Zach and Joe giving me flowers and taking me out to breakfast. Church was also very nice as it was a special mothers day service and all mothers got flowers from their children.

Easter Eggs

For the first time for coloring Easter Eggs, Zach did really well. He especially liked putting on stickers and using crayons on the eggs. He has been talking about the Easter bunny coming tomorrow night and is pretty excited.

Easter Egg Hunt at the YMCA

Today we went to the local YMCA for their "Easter Eggstravaganza". Zach met the Easter Bunny, played games, got candy, and went on his first ever Easter egg hunt. It didn't take him long to figure out what an Easter egg hunt was all about.

Fun in the Snow

All winter long Zach has not liked the snow. He did not like playing in the snow, walking in the snow, or getting any snow on any of his clothing. Today, I think was a milestone. After the snowfall last night, Zach went outside today and helped dad make a snowman and he discovered snowangels.

Ice Cream Social

Today we went to the Betty Brin Children's Museum for their Valentines Day Ice Cream Social. It was a special treat as Grandma came with us. We got to play in the exhibits, I think the favorite exhibits were the car shop and the grocery store. Zach got to change a tire and change an air filter in the car shop and do some shopping at the grocery store. We also were able to make Valentines Day cards for both Grandpas. To top it all off we got to make our own ice cream sundaes. They were very yummy.

The Kalahari

Over the weekend we went to the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells with our friends Norm, Cheryl, and Olivia. We had a great weekend playing in the waterpark, playing in their new indoor park, and just hanging out in our upgraded suite.

Happy New Year

It is now the year of the Ox. We attended the Milwaukee Area Families with Chinese Children New Year's celebration. We all had fun. Zach did crafts, there were vendors for shopping, we saw a Tai Chi demonstration and the traditional Lion Dance.

Trick or Treat

For Zach's first ever trick or treat experience, we headed to Oconomowoc to trick or treat with aunt Jill and cousin Connor. Zach's costume was a jack-o-lantern. It took Zach about 2 houses to figure out what was going on. Once he realized that you can go up to a house and get candy, he was raring to go. I was very impressed that he lasted about an hour and a half until he was tired and wanted to go.

Zach's Birthday Party

Zach had his birthday party today at Olympic Lanes in Milwaukee. We bowled for 2 hours, ate pizza and birthday cake, and opened presents. Family from both sides were present and all had a good time.

Happy 3rd Birthday Zach!!

Today was Zach's 3rd Birthday. He brought in Halloween cookies to daycare to celebrate and was very excited to give his teacher the cookies for his friends. At daycare, Zach received a special "Happy Birthday Crown" and his classmates sang Happy Birthday to him in music class. After daycare and work, Zach was able to open his gift from Joe and I. He was VERY happy to see a shiney, new, red wagon. We had to push him around in the garage until it was time for us to leave for his birthday dinner. For his birthday dinner, we took Zach to Stonefire Pizza. He had a blast playing in the toddler section, eating pizza, and watching a Disney movie. He was also very glad that he was able to share his evening with Grandma and Grandpa, cousins Conner and Danielle, aunt Jill, and our friend Alisha.

Pumpkin Farm

Since it was such a beautiful fall day, we decided to head on out to the Green Meadows Petting Farm in Waterford. We all had a fun time, as we got to pet lots of animals, take a hayride, and pick our own pumpkins. Zach even had a pony ride (we were amazed that he actually went on the pony).

This evening we all sat down and painted our pumpkins. We will be displaying them on our front step tomorrow after they dry.

All is Well

Everything is going well with Zach. He is adjusting better than I expected him to. He is now sleeping good, he is getting along with the dogs, and is eating well. This is all more than I could hope for. It will be interesting in a couple of weeks when I go back to work and Zach starts daycare.

We're Home

Well we made it home. It was a LONG journey home. We left our hotel in Guangzhou at 5:00 am and headed to the airport. It was a 3 hour plane ride to Beijing, but it seemed longer as Zach was throwing fits because he did not like his seatbelt on. We arrived in Beijing, collected our luggage and had to go through security and check our bags again. What a pain. On the plus side of this leg of the trip, we were upgraded to Business Class on United. Business Class is so much better than flying in Economy, especially with a child. There was enough room for him to lie back and sleep. Our flight in Beijing was delayed 2 hours due to some mechanical issues and then air traffic issues. To make this time worse, we were already loaded on the plane and sitting in the runway. Once we got going, the trip was uneventful. Zach slept most of the way and Joe and I tried to get some sleep as well.

Once home we showed Zach around the house and he was pretty excited to see his room and all his toys. He also liked his swing set in the back yard, especially the slide. On Friday, the dogs came home. Zach is afraid of the dogs. When he first saw them he just screamed and cried and cried. Even now, he is still afraid of the dogs and wants to be carried everywhere. I'm hoping that it doesn't take too long for him to get used to the dogs, he's getting pretty heavy.

American Consulate

Today was the day that we headed to the American Consulate to finalize the adoption on the US side. The whole event lasted maybe 3 minutes. Other than that, today we played in the Swan Room one last time, ate at Lucy's one last time, and packed. We have to get up early tomorrow so we can catch our flight at 8:00 am to Beijing. Our flight leaves Beijing at 4:10 pm and we land in Chicago at 4:05 pm.

I can't wait to get home

Medical Exam Day

Today was the day that we had to take all the children in to have their medical exams for their Visa. We arrived at the medical place which is within walking distance to the White Swan and the place was swarming with people. Not just Americans, but with Chinese patients as well. We were hustled into the back room where they had three stations set up. One station was for height, weight, and temperature, another station was for ears, nose, and throat, and the last station was for just an overall looking over. I thought for sure Zach would start crying, but he was a trooper and did not cry once. I guess it helped that we gave him some treats too before they started.

After the medical exam, we decided to head to Starbucks for a chicken mango wrap and some cool drinks and then Joe and Zach went back to the room for an afternoon nap. My mom and I decided that we would do some shopping. We pretty much ended up at one store and bought some nice souvenirs to take home.

For dinner we went to Station One, which is a quasi Italian restaurant. They served pasta and pizza, but the selection was very limited. I also had to laugh, usually when you are in an Italian restaurant they music piped into the area is some sort of Italian song. Not here. We enjoyed listening to several Christmas carols and some other music in French.