Summer's Ending

What a fast summer this has been! After a brutally cold winter, and a short, very wet spring, we hit summer hard. Shen had a great summer. First, he went with the Brewer family to Florida (while mommy and daddy spent their 10th anniversary in the Tetons). Then, the family went on an Alaskan Cruise, where Shen saw a Lumberjack show, 11 whales (both Orca and Humpback), panned for gold, and got to pet some sled dog puppies. Once back from Alaska, he went to soccer camp for a week and had a GREAT TIME (Please see the attached picture).
During the entire summer, we realized that Shen's hearing had gotten worse, and sure enough, he had to have the tubes re-inserted. So, in early August and just prior to school starting (August 15 - really early), he had tubes inserted in his ears. You can see the attached picture as he was leaving the hospital that morning.
School has started, homework has started, and the temperatures are falling. Life is Great!!
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Summer's Ending

Summer's Ending

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