Final Social Worker Visit & Johnny Appleseed

We have certainly had a lot going on the last few days!! Today was a big, big day for the Groppel household. Our social worker, Amy Trotter, whom we love, did her final review of our home and Shen's progress. She gave us the great news that we are done with the adoption "process." Can I hear a big 'YIPPPEEE!" through the land??!! As we were going through this last interview, mommy and daddy actually broke down a couple of times because we were able to reflect on the past year and what it has been like with this little man in our home. It was a great experience and we are so thankful that we had Amy, our first social worker Pam Gaston (who retired during the process - it was that long - just kidding...), for Sunnyridge Family Center in Illinois and for Harrah's International Mission. Harrah's was our adoption service and they actually went out of business this past summer.
This past weekend we went to the Johnny Appleseed Festival (which we went to one year ago - you can see pictures back in the blog). I have included some pictures. Shen went pumpking bowling and got a strike, then received a little pumpkin for his achievement. He petted some animals; you can see him with the sheep. He rode the tractor barrel train and he also rode his first horse. I'm not sure there is a future cowboy but he did seem pretty comfortable for his first time in the saddle.
We hope and pray that all of you are well.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Mommy, Connor and Shen - One Year Anniversary

Hello Friends! Today is a big day for our household! It was one year ago today at 5:30 in the afternoon that Shan and daddy pulled into the driveway on their trip from China. It was at that moment when Shen met his FOREVER mommy and big brother.
The past year has gone really fast; so fast in fact that it's hard to imagine Shen has been with us for a whole year. He is just such a big part of our family and it feels like he has always been with us. Without doubt, God created this relationship within our family. Wa feel truly blessed and are honored to share this moment with all of you!
God Bless You!
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Gotcha Day - ONE YEAR ANNIVEERSARY

None of us will EVER forget September 8, 2008!! That was the day that God Blessed our family with Shen! If you have an inkling, go back to those two weeks. Start with September 5, the day that Jack left Jodie and Connor at 5:30 AM, and went to Guanzhou, China, via Los Angeles and Tokyo.
Gotcha Day was the afternoon of September 8, a day that Jack will NEVER forget. The next 10 days were almost a blur; they went so fast. The next VERY important day was September 18, when about 5:30 in the afternoon in Algonquin, Illinois, that Shen met his forever family in total. Daddy and his new little 3-year-old had flown from Guanzhou to Tokyo on a 5 hour flight, had a 5 hour layover in Tokyo, and then a 12-hour flight from Tokyo to Chicago. Customs could have been a nightmare, but American Airlines came to the rescue and helped expedite his Vias processing. In any case, Shen had Mommy, Daddy and Connor all together. He had spoken to them twice each day, but this was REAL contact!
I think the best words come in pictures so I am attaching two pictures that sort of speak for themselves of Shen's growth (and LOVE of life) over the past year. The first is one of Shen and his big brother Connor on our vacation, laying on the bed, just sort of connecting. The other is of the "big ham" himself, with daddy's sunglasses on. Enjoy!!
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Labor Day Weekend

This was an absolutley beautiful weekend here in the Chicago area. Shen enjoyed Labor Day weekend but our goal was to take care of mom. Jodie had surgery on Friday and came home from the hospital on Sunday, so Shen and dad got to take care of mom the past few days. Mommy is recovering well and Shen got to have some great fun with some of his friends. On Friday, Danya Dirks took care of Shen with pre-school and took him to their house for the rest of the day where he played all day long with various relatives and friends of the Dirks'. Then, on Saturday, our neighbors, the Wards, took Shen to a farm not too far away and they all picked apples, raspberries, and got to spend time in the animal farm and the Merry-Go-Round. Mommy is still on the mend so we plan to continue taking care of her over the next few weeks.
We hope and pray that all of you had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

First Day of School

It is REALLY hard to imagine that almost one year ago, we left to get Shen. He knew not a word of English, hated the moment he was put into Jack's arms, and was literally foreign to anything about American culture. And, here it is, he starts his first day of school.
There is great news to share. Because his is a special needs child, Shen was tested for special education. Not surprising to his very proud parents, Shen passed all five areas of special education testing. So, he does not require any true special education classes. He does, however, qualify for "at risk" education to get him started in a classroom. This means that, since he has only been in the U.S. for less that a year, the teachers want to slowly introduce him to the structure of classess, how learning will take place, as well as the socialization required to work with other students. In other words, it's ALL good!
I am attaching some pictures to show his first day. You can see him waving good-bye. He was so excited to get on the school bus and wear his 'Thomas the Train' backpack. We think it made him feel like his big brother, Connor, because when he got home from school, he laid his backpack right next to Connor's at the front door. You can see the school bus taking off and then him arriving back at our house. His bus driver, Roxanne (Joseph picks him up) is helping off the bus.
He truly loves school and seems to be a really happy little boy!! We are so proud of him.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen