Makenna at the White Swan buffet

Makenna and CoCo

Makenna shopping and buffet!

medical exam

Here is the video of Makenna getting her medical examination. It is very detailed as you will be able to tell from the video!!
Check her website for full story, www.JourneyToMakennaGrace.com

Thanksgiving Hot Pot in Chongqing!

I have to say that this was one of the most interesting experiences we have ever had in China! I am so proud of Scott for eating everything that he did! Scott, if you don't know, eats cheeseburgers and pizza, a meat and potatoes kind of guy so for him to even try this was amazing! He ate 10 times more than I did! Makenna was hungry so I just kept busy by cutting up pieces of who knows what and puttint it on her plate to eat! She loved it and I am sure that she was used to eating every bit of it at the orphanage. Her paperwork said that she ate livers and other organs with her rice! I am sure she will thank us someday for rescuing her! We told Frederick we were nervous and we only ate normal beef and chicken. It didn't take long to find out that there would be none of that! We could have any internal organ or intestine of pretty much any animal we wanted! Frederick kept pulling bowls off the conveyer belt and dumping them in the boiling pot of unknown liquids and spices!
Enjoy the video. I am sure someday we will look back on this thanksgiving and laugh!!! We do look forward to a turkey and mashed potato real thanksgiving dinner!
Happy Turkey Day!

Sights of Chongqing

Makenna in hotel in Chongqing

We have Makenna!

I'll just post quick, we have Makenna. You can follow more at her website at www.JourneyToMakennaGrace.com . She is doing great but is running a fever. I tried to post pictures of her here but can't. Sorry!

when you turn your back for a minute!

Well, this is what happens when you are busy trying to pack for a 2 week trip to China and also get your house cleaned. You think your daughter is down in the family room watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and you hear her talking about how beautiful she looks! She is so proud and wants to show you!!! AAAARRRRGGG!!
I tried to act very upset and stripped her down and told her to stand on the rug so I could take pictures and daddy see what a bad thing she did! Thank goodness it was washable marker and it comes right off. She is soaking in the tub now not sure if she will be green forever!! Hopefully I put enough fear in her she won't do it again!!
Well, back to packing and cleaning!

Marine Corps Ball

TJ went to his first Marine Corps ball this weekend! He flew is girlfriend Anna out to California so she could go with him. Aren't they a good looking couple?! He said they had a great time and the food was really good. He said they had a piece of prime rib the size of a dinner plate! I am sure it was hard for Anna to come home. We have not gotten to see each TJ much this year. He is such a great son and we are so proud of him. We miss him alot and look forward to him coming home for Christmas for a couple of weeks. Enjoy the pictures!

Our nights!

Ryan showed me this YouTube video. It is so much like what Scott and I go through almost every night! We would love nothing more than for Hannah to sleep in her own bed and especially in her own room! I figure by the time she is in high school she will not want to be in bed with us! They are only little once right?!

Hannah's fall pictures

Today I got Hannah's fall pictures back! They are of course adorable! I will post more about trick or treating later, (Scott only took ONE picture of her and that was the back side of her). I am going to get her dressed up again tomorrow and take pictures of her. She had a blast. Ryan told her to say "Trick or Treat, give me some candy now". Very nice! She loved tootsie rolls! Scott asked her what her favorite was and she proudly yelled "CANDY"! She agreed next year that Makenna can have all the smarties but she wants all the chocolate....boy is she like her dad, the girl loves her chocolate.
Enjoy Miss H's picture! I am also going to post the picture taken last year at this time. What a difference a year makes. She has lost her baby face and turning into a little girl!