Animal Kingdom and Epcot

What a Wonderful, wonderful day! We left the condo at 8 AM and did not return until 9:30 PM!! We are all so exhausted but so very happy!

We spent the morning at the Animal Kingdom. The best ride was the Kali River falls. We went twice and the first time Sarah, and Ryley got soaked. The second time it was me and Gracie! It felt great because it was SO hot!

We left the Animal Kingdom after lunch, went back to the condo, swam for about an hour and then left for Epcot. We ate dinner at the Biergarten. It was lots of fun, especially when the Oompa band started to play. The girls (and Dave!) went out to dance--no Carolyn and Kristin I DID not provide any entertainment for the Disney crowd!

We stayed for about 5 hours and watched the fireworks and then went back to the condo! The girls are tired and after watching a little of the movie Hairspray I tucked them all in and they were fast asleep within minutes!

I cannot tell you how much fun we are all having--except for the travel to and from the parks that is. Not too much traffic but Dave and I are both directionally challenged so we get a little stressed :)

Tomorrow is Sarah's 11th birthday so she has chosen to spend the day at the water park and then dinner at Chef Mickey's! We'll probably go to the Magic Kingdom after dinner. Our dinner is much later than we normally eat (6:50) but that is the only time I could get. Oh well, we'll just have a late snack to tide us over.

The girls are getting along well; just like sisters! Yes, just like sisters, so for those of you who have a sister know what I mean;)

The Perfect Prescription!

Family of the Day!

At the pool.

Waiting for the slide

We MADE it!!

Well we arrived safely at Disney World! We had an uneventful trip, even the drive wasn't so bad. I think we've had so much screaming and yelling in the car that when we have a "normal" trip it seems like a treat!

Our resort, Old Key West, is FANTASTIC! I love the the theme. I feel like I'm getting the beach without the ocean! We have tons of room. I'll post some pics tomorrow.

The girls did so well on the drive. We spent some time at the pool tonight even though it looked like it was going to storm. We had just arrived and the girls only got to go down the slide ONCE and the wind picked up and the sky turned dark. But, we didn't have any thunder or lightening so we stayed. I'm glad we did because the storm blew past!

When we arrived to check in this afternoon, we were surprised with a bouquet of balloons, pins and a certificate naming us, Old Key West's Family of the Day!! Now you tell me that I don't have a guardian angel--someone knew that I had a HORRIBLE week and needed some TLC!

Tomorrow we are off to the Animal Kingdom in the morning and Epcot in the evening. We'll have dinner at the Biergarten--Ryley says she loves German food---Carolyn I didn't know you were so international!

We are so excited to be here and I can't think of a better place to regroup and laugh. This trip is so perfect for us!

God's plan

Ask anyone who really knows me and they will tell you that I believe, wholeheartedly, that everything happens for a reason. I don't believe in randomness nor do I believe in coincidence. In my heart I know that there is a God who has a plan for me, and that plan is so much better than any plan I could ever come up.

Now this post is not about religion nor an invitation to debate whether God exists. It is about what I believe and not about judgements regarding others' beliefs. This is about my faith.

For many years I didn't have faith nor did I believe that there was any sense to what was happening in my life. I could never understand WHY things did not work out the way I wanted them. I was angry, sad and always looking for someone to blame--usually it was the God I was brought up to believe existed.

It wasn't until I got pregnant with Sarah (and that's a story for another time) did I ABSOLUTELY believe that God existed. It was then that I realized how important it was to pray for guidance rather than to pray with a list of demands.

That was 12 years ago. I have much more patience when things do not go as I expect in my life and I've done a much better job at letting go of preconceived ideas and accepting outcomes as they happen. Now, does that mean I've stopped making decisions and just let stuff happen? Absolutely NOT! I now pray for wisdom and guidance and try to make the decisions that God is guiding me toward.

That brings me to the reason for this post; Matthew. God's plan for us has turned out to be so very different then what any of us imagined when we began our journey to bring Matthew home. In the past 19 months Matthew has been with us, it has become obvious that we were not the forever family for him. For whatever reason, we believe, we were only supposed to be the family to bring Matthew home from China. We don't know why God called us to be that family.

After much praying and seeking guidance we decided to follow a path different from what we originally set out to walk. That path has brought peace to each of us. We are confident that the choices we've made are the best choices for everyone. They were not the easiest choices, nor were they the "popular" choices. But they are the RIGHT choices.

I don't intend to post about our journey to this point. It's just not necessary to give the specifics of how we arrived here. We are here because of our love for ALL of our children and yes, that includes Matthew! We've made decisions for him that, hopefully, will allow him to develop his full potential.

Just as Matthew has a birth family that made a difficult decision for him, he has our family that also made a difficult choice. We can only hope that his first family did it out of love, because this family certainly did.

Our family is grieving over an ending that we didn't expect but also celebrating a new beginning. Please keep us all in your prayers.

How much????

Today we went to the gym for a fitting for Grace's apparel for her upcoming competitive season (August through December).

First she tried on the competition leo--it fit like a second skin. Oh, the Mom in me said, "go up a size", the ladies who were doing the fitting obliged but then proceeded to show me how "big" the leo was on Grace. My question, "can't she grow into it???".

Their answer? "Nope" and this is the second year of these leos (they change every two years) so next year it will be a totally different leo! OMG!

The spirit leo wasn't in so Grace will have to have another fitting but, of course, I had to pay for that also!

Next was the warm-up suit; pants and a jacket. Again, I wanted the "larger size" to grow into. Nope, it has to fit properly. Goodness knows we don't want Grace looking like her gym clothes don't fit!

Then on to the shoes (yes, mandatory shoes!). Again, this is the second year and next year they will be different.

Oh, don't forget the shorts and t-shirt---yup, second year for these also!

The only thing we got that was not mandatory was the hoodie and just to show them I bought a size TOO big!!

SO THERE!!!

Goodbye

MATTHEW QINGNAN EVANS
11/12/2007 - 6/10/2009

Grace's TOPS Testing

Grace's TOPS group; Amelia, Lauren, Rachel, Hannah and Grace.

The TOPS team at GAA

Grace had her very first testing for her TOPS program today. For those of you who don't remember, Grace is part of an elite gymnastics program called TOPS (Talent Opportunity Program). This is a program by which the USAG gymnastics identifies potential elite athletes and fast tracks them. This program is the direct road to potentially becoming a member of the USA National Gymnastics Team---where our Olympic athletes are chosen. Right now, 50% of the girls, who have been on the USA National Team, came up through the TOPS program.

Grace has been on the TOPS team for about 6 months now. She has made incredible progress. The testing today is one of three that she will participate in this summer. The best score of the 3 tests will be sent to the USA gymnastics. At this level, 7-8 year olds, Grace is not old enough to qualify at the National level and go to the Karolyi camp, that is for 9 years old and above. However, she is eligible to qualify her coach if she reaches the highest level.

Grace tested with some other girls who have been on in the TOPS program for 2 years and was not that far behind them. There are 9 areas the girls were tested in: handstand hold (timed, max is 30 seconds, Grace did about 5 secs), leg lifts (max is 20, Grace did 20), 20 meter sprint, cast (on bar), rope climb (6 feet in pike position), vertical jump, press handstand (start in straddle position and move to handstand), leg flexiblity test, and bridge test. If you want to see the requirements and explanation of each of the skills go here: TOPS TESTING

Grace had lots of fun, but did admit she was nervous prior to the testing. After testing, about 10 of the 17 families and coaches went to dinner. It was lots of fun and a great time to get to know some of the other families who have been on this journey a little longer.

From what I saw, Grace is just one talented little girl. Once again, I caution you to mark your calendars for Summer 2016--you won't want to miss that summer olympics--especially the gymnastics!

Graduations and end of the school year

My sweet 1st grader!

Sarah enjoying the water balloon fight

The first group to complete all 6 years at our school!

What great strides Matthew has made! Notice the missing tooth!

You've made it Analiese!

Friends since Kindergarten!

The last safety patrol duty!

Finally, the kids finished the school year. We had a different school calendar this year due to some school construction last fall. When we voted, which seems like eons ago, it didn't seem so bad not getting out of school until June 5th. Well let me tell you, when the the rest of the surrounding communities end right before Memorial Day, June 5th feels like a lifetime away!

The week after Memorial Day, when all of the other schools where out, Sarah's dance studio had their dance recital practices (until 9:00) and then on Thursday night, the first recital. We did not get home from that recital until 11:00. Poor sweet Sarah had tests and final presentations she had to take care of. Needless to say, I had one tired child!

Then this week, Grace started her summer gymnastics schedule--5 days a week!!! I had to check her out early almost every day so she could participate with her team. I didn't want her to miss anything because tomorrow she has her first State level testing for her TOPS program. I'll post about that tomorrow.

Needless to say we celebrated today and will celebrate more when I finish on Tuesday, then summer can truly begin for us!

It's been so busy these past two days, AND very emotional. On Thursday we celebrated Analiese's graduation from kindergarten. I so cannot believe that my baby is now a 1st grader! Analiese has made tremendous growth this year in just about every area; except height and weight! She is reading, writing complete sentences and adding and subtracting. I so remember when kindergarten was about making friends, painting and having snack!

During the ceremony I was unable to get any good photos for a multitude of reasons. It certainly did not take away from the emotion of it all. At one point, when the kids were singing, and Analiese was so dramatic, all I could do was sob! I so kept thinking of my sweet baby living in the orphanage in Sichuan, China with no running water, heat or cooling. To see her singing, dancing and celebrating her completion of kindergarten filled my heart with emotion.

After that ceremony, I was able to celebrate Matthew's completion of 1st grade at his end-of-year party. It was wonderful celebrating his successes. We are so proud of him. He passed the state required test in all 3 areas; reading, language arts and math!!! To think, this young boy did not speak a word of english 18 months ago!

Then, yes, there is a then....I spent the rest of the afternoon with Sarah for her cookout. As a graduating fifth grader, they had a wonderful celebration. Part of the reason why they were given almost an entire day, prior to graduation, was that this class was the first class to have attended all six years at the school! It was bittersweet to watch those kids, who we welcomed as kindergarteners, enjoy their final days as elementary students.

I was able, after Sarah's AM graduation event, to attend Grace's end-of-the year party. It was fun for Grace, but I'll tell you, after two days of hot dogs and pizza I really wanted a huge salad! We took some photos of Grace and her friends, some of the girls have been together since kindergarten. And, having been through the experience of Sarah's graduation, I so wanted to just push pause for Grace and her friends. Before we know it, Grace will be finishing elementary school---ACK

Then of course there was Sarah's 5th grade graduation. How grown up my little girl looked! She was so beautiful and confident. We were so proud of her achievements. I was able to control my emotions, having teared up only a few times during the slide show. However, the dam burst when the classes did their "final walk" through the school. All of those children who Sarah had over for play dates, sleepovers and birthday parties were now leaving elementary school. Those babies were going on to middle school and it happened so quickly.

How did the time fly without me realizing it? How did my sweet little girl go from "Q the bride" to receiving the National Fitness Award???? When did all of those girls get so tall and grow womanly legs??? And how on earth did my first child go from kindergarten to 5th grade in a blink of an eye?????

Needless to say, I'm reflecting on so many things. I remember Sarah as a baby, Grace as a frightened, grieving toddler, and Analiese as a malnourished little girl. Today was a huge "AHA" day for me. I realize how fast my kids are growing up, changing and moving away from me. I want to celebrate and enjoy each and every moment because they don't last very long. Before I know it, Sarah will be in high school and Grace will be leaving elementary school.

I so want to slow our lives down and keep them as kids a little while longer. Does anyone know the secret to that?