Our trip to IL

We drove down to Libertyville for the fourth of July. Boy, the mosquitoes sure are bad in lower WI and IL! We were almost carried away. My mom had a friend with a cherry tree, so one day we picked about 14 cups of cherries and it didn't even look like we made a dent in the tree! We saw fireworks, the kids were in a 4th of July bike parade and we play with friends. Here are some fun pictures that I just had to post!

Here are the kids picking cherries.

All decorated for the bike parade. The parade that no one watches and everyone is in!

And some cute pictures of our newest daughter!

It's been a long time...

Minzi had her heart surgery on May 28th and is past the six week recovery period! She is doing great. She runs and skips everywhere. The kids love to carry her and teach her new things.

We are enjoying our summer and here are some fun pictures!

Rachel and Minzi on the dock at the Boelke Cabin

Minzi, Rachel, Christopher, and Pierce preparing for some water fun!

Minzi's favorite toy!

We're Home!

Our flights were long, but we made it!! Here is a picture of our plane just after it landed! The kids, my Aunt and uncle, and Joel's mom all went to park on a street near the airport to watch our plane land! This is something our family loves to do!



Here is our first Family Photo



Of course we had to get the kids matching Chinese outfits!!



Thank you all so much for your comments and prayers, we enjoyed reading them while we were away! It is so good to be home! Minzi loves the kids, she follows them around the house and holds her arms up for them to pick her up! We will keep posting pictures, as we are getting some really fun ones!

Alayne, Joel and the Minnesota gang!

As this trip ends...

... we would like to share with you some of the things we learned here. There are many cultural differences in daily life that, even as a tourist, we have come to a new undersanding.

- Cars have the right of way, not pedestrians
- It's sometimes best just to close your eyes while in a taxi
- Contrary to our State Fair, all things are NOT better on a stick. Especially if they still have their tail or tentacles.
- You learn to recognize (at restaraunts) what many whole animals look like without their fur or feathers (and with a golden glaze).
- People are generally very helpful even if you can't understand each other. Hand signals go a long way
- Either they're very attentive or there's a shortage of dishes. Don't linger over a finished dinner plate!
- A "small" city has 3-5 million people in it
- Never pay the asking price for anything at the street markets
- The first key to knowing when to negotiate is if items aren't labeled with prices
- We are no longer taking for granted heated buildings (even offices)
- It's difficult to venture far when you can't read ANY signs. At least in countries with Latin-based language we can attempt to pronounce them.

We feel blessed not only for our new child but to have been able to take a trip like this and experience another part of the world. Nonetheless, there's no place like home. We miss you all and are looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Joel and Alayne

Officially done!

Today we went to the US Consulate and received our final paperwork and immigration visa for Minzi! We are very excited! Now all we have to do is wait for our flight home, which is Sunday. So we have one more day here tomorrow biding our time until we can come back to our family, friends, and home.

We are so very thankful for all the comments and emails of encouragement. It has been great we have been able to stay in touch while halfway around the world. We were even able to call home for free using Skype and our webcam and see the kids each day. How cool is that? Free! Tomorrow will be both a long day of waiting and short as we get ourselves packed up and ready for the journey home.

We will see you all soon!

Our special PCR

This entry is just to say we love you to Pierce, Christopher and Rachel!

We know this is just the beginning a long journey we are all on together, and you guys have been wonderful to be so excited to welcome Minzi into our family. Mom and dad are so proud of you for being such troopers in all this. We are excited for all the fun and adventures we have to look forward to!

Pierce - don't worry, you don't have to teach her everything, but your job as the biggest brother is special!

Christopher - we know you will make Minzi laugh and will help teach her happiness and joy!

Rachel - you get the special job of being her big sister, we know you will be a great friend for Minzi!

Friday is our final day for paperwork and then all we have to wait for is the plane ride home. We love you and miss you and can't wait to see you soon!

love, mom and dad

Daddy's first kiss

We're really not sure how much she already knows vs. how much she's learning from us. A common theme and concern you read about when a child is in an orphanage is how an instatutional setting is not the best place to foster attachment and emotional development. So far our concerns have subsided with the ease Minzi has been able to attach to us and show emotion for things - both the good and the frustrating (like what we would expect from a toddler with getting, or not, what they want!). The best way to overcome this is just giving lots of affection - hugs, kisses and holding. Our big event for today is that she learned to give a kiss, and daddy got the first one! We are very excited. Love and affection can be a powerful healer even when your first 3 years are unattached to a stable and loving family. But we have also come to understand that she must have at least had good care as an orphan, and have heard many stories about how the Chinese are proud of their orphan care. It truly is amazing how resilient children can be, and how much life and spark little Minzi is showing that she has inside of her. We can't wait to see what her future holds!




Minzi actually used chopsticks to eat her lunch!