Father's Day

This past Sunday was our family's first Father's Day with Shen. We have had wonderful Father's Day celebrations in the past with Connor but this was obviously our first with Shen. The weekend started out very bumpy with Shen being very sick all night Thursday and all night Friday, with mommy catching the bug all day on Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, Shen was feeling better, so he and daddy went to the pool for a little while to get outside. On the way home, he wanted ice cream so we got a small cone and, you can see from the picture, that he wore a little of it as we stood outside. On Sunday, Shen and daddy went to a movie, Night at the Museum 2which Shen really enjoyed. Even though he couldn't understand the historical nature of the humor, he loved the animation and the special effects.
On Monday eveing, Connor was with us and we had a little Father's Day celebration. Mom and the boys got dad a Wii-Fit playstation and a gift set of massages. Hmmmm..I wonder if there is a message being sent??? You can see the picture of dad and the two boys with this post.
We have a great week with Connor being home from school. In fact, today, Jodie and Shen watched a DVD together (Madagascar) and Connor went to see the movie UP with his buddies from next door.
We pray that all of you are well.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Mid-June and Summer Approaching

With late Spring on its way out and summer approaching, Shen wants to be outside more and more. He LOVES our neighbor's sport court and playing in the yard. His favorite activity is riding his tricycle on the sport court while all is little friends try to roll balls at the tricycle (softly of course). He LOVES trying to outrun the balls as they approach. And, he's pretty good at it!
Last night, Shen and I went to our favorite Japanese restaurant (Kaminari) for take-out. He had Janpanese soda and received a sliced apple that he "attacked" with chopsticks. You can see from the photo that he definitely has a knack for eating that way.
All is well on our end! We pray that all is well for you and that you are enjoying this wonderful time of year with outside activities and friends.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Near the End of Spring

Hi Everyone,
Sorry we haven't blogged in awhile, but it has been a difficult season for the Groppel household. I don't really want to bore you with details but, for the record, travel has been pretty hectic over the past couple of months. My partner, Jim, has had to have some urgent (but not life threatening) surgery. So, it's been very busy at our company with a lot of training which puts me on the road a lot. Jodie, Connor and Shen are hanging in there but it will be nice when we get a breather again.
Shen seems to be enjoying the late Spring weather, with the exception of a lot of rain. He doesn't like it when he can't go outside and play on the swingset or on our neighbor's sport court. However, he has been a trooper to go watch his big brother play Little League Baseball. Attached with this post is a photo of the little man with big brother at one of his games. Connor was preparing to bat and came out of the dugout to say HI to Shen. Shen asked, "What's that?" as he pointed to Connor's helmet. Connor put the helmet on Shen and I HAD to take the attached photo.
We hope you are enjoying the end of Spring as we approach Summer. I'll try to post a little sooner next time.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

First Memorial Day

Today Shen got to experience his first Memorial Day holiday. We began in great form by going to the Memorial Day Parade in Algonquin where he got to see big brother, Connor, march in the Parade with his Boy Scout troop!
You can see the little man in the first picture as he is watching the police car go by with all the lights on. In the background you can see some of the military veterans approaching him and one of them walked right over to him and gave him a small American flag. This was really touching for me, watching this little boy who hasn't even been in the country for a year, but who will one day in the next year or so be a U.S. Citizen. Amazing to see him holding an American flag in the next picture as he 'Poses' (yes is he is quite the actor with his expressions, etc.) with Connor. Connor is in full uniform and you can see his First Class Rank just shining at you.
The rest of the day was pretty low-keyed but it was an awesome day as we truly commemorate the brave men and women who have defended our freedom!!
May God continue to watch over all of you!
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

1st Anniversary of LETTER OF INTENT DAY

It was May 20, 2008, when we saw a picture of a little boy (3 years old), who was living in China and looking for a permanent family and home. It was one year ago today that Jodie and I wrote a Letter of Intent to the country of China requesting to adopt this little guy. And, thus, we were introduced to Shen!!!
This year has gone so fast and there will be many more "anniversaries" to mark this journey! I am in Winnipeg, Cannada, today and just called Jodie to congratulate her on our "LOA" anniversary day.
To commemorate our day, I am attaching some picutures that have happened over the last week. The first picture is typical of how Shen has adapted over the past several months. He is in our yard, playing on our swingset but playing with neighbor children from two families near us. He is sitting on Peg's lap as they swing together. The next is of Shen trying on some sporting equipment at a local sporting goods store. He has really gotten into watching Connor play baseball and loves to throw and catch.
The third picture is more for Shen to know about as he gets older. Last week, I visited Guatemala for a speaking engagement and, as many of you know, I lived there for several months in 1969 as a Summer exchange student. On this last trip I was able to visit my Guatemalan mother and brother in the picture (the person on the right is Miguel Fernandez, a friend and the sponsor of my recent trip).
What an incredible year and we thank God for His Grace, His Love, and His Compassion!!
We wish you all well!
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Shen's First Mother's Day

First, know that mom (Jodie) had a great Mother's Day!! Her boys got her roses, and a few other little items as they really showed their love to their mom! Since it was Shen's first Mother's Day with Jodie, it was interesting to see him throughout the day. He really seemed to understand that this was mommy's day and that we wanted her to feel special (knowing that we always want mommy to feel special!).
The boys went out for a little while on Saturday with Shen's new t-ball set. It's just a little plastic contraption that breaks every time you hit it. But, Shen loves baseball after seeing big brother play organized little league in a real uniform. He yells for Connor every time he goes up to bat!! So, in one picture with this blog, you can see Connor teaching Shen how to swing the baseball bat to hit the ball off the tee. Shen really did pretty well with it!
The second picture is mom with her two boys in front of the cards, little presents and the roses. Don't they look FANTASTIC!! (Sorry, proud husband and dad!).
It was a beautiful day in Algonquin and it was a special Mother's Day!!!
Our love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Warm Spring Days

Well, we think the absolute worst of Winter is over. Now that it has started getting warmer, Shen will often say that he likes the cold weather more. However, when we go outside, he sure likes playing outside with no extra coat, etc. He really likes playing catch and riding his little tricycle.
Just to give you an idea of some "new" activities and things he is getting introduced to, you can see the two pictures with this post. In one picture, he is having an ice cream cone, but since he doesn't eat too quickly the melting of ice cream waits for no one, mommy fixed it with a paper plate surrounding it so he could eat in pleasure and comfort without worrying about making a mess. Of course, he is eating the ice cream cone outside in the case that he "does" get a little messy.
The other picture could have some great captions with it. We went to one of Connor's little league baseball games. Connor plays for the Algonquin Cubs and, on this day, they were playing the Algonquin Yankees. Once when Connor went up to bat, Shen was at the fence watching and we took this picture. So, you can see Connor in his batting stance while little brother watches through the fence. The possible caption that I like is "This is what I want to do when I get a little older!"
We hope all of you are well!
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen