Shen's First Campout & Father's Day 2011

Shen and daddy recently went on a Father/Son campout with the men and their sons from our church, The Chapel. There were about 12 dads and their sons, and we had a great time. We had a bonfire, roasted smores, ate a great dinner together, and Shen even got to go on his first kayak ride. Attached is a picture of Shen in the Kayak. It was a little dark but he LOVED the kayak ride. And, he and daddy had a great time on the campout!!
On Father's Day, Connor, Shen and Jodie gave dad a great day!! But, the highlight was watching Connor and Shen eat the colored frosting on the monster chocolate chip cookie they bought me. To see how much fun we all had, note the picture of the boys sticking out their tongues to record for posterity!! A GREAT Father's Day!!

Shen's First Baby Tooth & Kung Fu Panda 2

Two big events for Shen this past month: He lost his first baby tooth, and the tooth fairy brought him $5 (I 'think' that is only for the first tooth). My, how inflation has happened. Daddy remembers getting a dime for his baby teeth! You can see the picture of the big boy holding his tooth in his palm, and also smiling with the tooth missing.
Also, Shen was VERY excited to see Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D!! As we exited the theater, the Panda was waiting, so we got a picture of the Panda with Shen.
Enjoy!!

Shen's First Organizaed Sport

This past Spring, Shen got very involved in sport for the first time. He had a great time, and did very well. He learned ball handling skills of dribbling and passing, and scored several times throughout the season. All in all, he did really well, and had a great time. Jodie and I were REALLY proud of him, how he connected with his teammates, how he supported them when he may not have been on the field, and how he celebrated their successes on the field. The highlight (for daddy) was arriving at O'Hare one day late from a speaking engagement, getting home and, while still wearing his suit, saw Shen score his first goal ever. Daddy raised his arms in triumph, and Shen wanted to know why daddy raised his arms like that :). A GREAT Experience for Shen!!! Here are a couple of pictures to celebrate the beginning of sport in Shen's life. In the 2nd picture, Shen is # 25!

Star of the Week

This is big week coming up for Shen! although i haven't blogged in awhile, i feel it's important to get this one in. Each week a student in Shen's Kindergarten class is named Star of the Week. Mommy has worked VERY hard with Shen on getting his poster done. The poster has some of Shen's writings as well as photos showing him in China and then with his Forever Family.
He is so excited to have this poster done, and to be able to show it to his little friends at school. I am going to attach a photo of his poster when we get it finished.
Each day, he gets to take something to school for Show 'N Tell. On Tuesday, he took Buzz Lightyear - his favorite toy "to infinity and beyond." On Wednesday, he took Carrot, his stuffed animal, bunny, that is special because mommy surprised him with bunny last year. He sleeps with Carrot every night, and loves the bunny. On Thursday, he took his Lego Truck, that he put together all by himself (with only a little help from big brother, Connor). He is so good at building things!!
Love to all,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Shen is a U.S. Citizen

August 27, 2010, will always be a big day for Shen and our entire family! On this day, daddy took an oath on Shen's behalf, citing that, yes, he was physically born in China, but that all allegiances are now to the United States of America! In the oath is that Shen will defend the United States, and even bear arms to do so. It was 'chilling' and heart-warming at the same time, to accept that responsibility for Shen.
Just imagine that it is one week shy of 2 years ago, that daddy ventured to China to pick him up. And, now, he is a Citizen of the United States. What a great country we live in, and thanks to God for all the Blessings He has bestowed on our family.
I will blog in the near future to summarize all the things that we have done this summer, and I'll add some pictures of Shen from the all the activities.
Love to you all,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Shen and Benny

It has been so long since we have posted but we have made a few posts on our Facebook page. Daddy is in Seattle today and just felt like putting a picture of Shen with one of his two favorite cats, Benny. Benny is a Himalayan that just likes to cuddle (on HIS terms). In this picture, you can see that Benny has cuddled up to Shen and seems very comfortable.
We have had a great winter and Shen is growing so rapidly. It was cold, with a lot of snow, but we have survived, and are healthy, happy and enjoying the warmer weather of the Spring.
We love you and we will try to continue posting occasionally.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Daddy's Birthday and Thanksgiving

Sorry it's been awhile since we have blogged. Daddy's been traveling and we went to the North Carolina coast with our cousins, the Lauffer's, for Thanksgiving. Attached is the birthday party that mommy, Connor and Shen had for daddy. It was perfect, especially given that daddy doesn't like counting birthdays a whole lot anymore....
Thanksgiving was truly wonderful. Shen got to meet his cousins for the first time, and he especially got to connect with Lily, their daughter, aged 7, who they adopted from China, several years ago. We played on the beach, swam in the ocean (although it was pretty chilly), toured a small town, toured the USS North Carolina Battleship (Shen and Connor REALLY loved that), and generally had some incredible fellowship on an incredible holiday. We are all so thankful for everything that God has bestowed upon us. And, we are especially thankful for all of you.
Just an FYI....we will be updating this more sporadically as time goes on. However, we have begun a Facebook account under daddy's name, so please visit us there and stay in touch.
May God Bless you and Keep you!!
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen