We are so grateful...

We are grateful for friends and family who came through for us this summer. We feel truly blessed by those who have touched our lives and continue to do so. Thank you to those who helped us in big ways and those who lent a hand to make our lives just a little easier, less worrisome and so enriched. If we forget to thank you please know that your generosity and caring ways are not forgotten... we're just a little sleep deprived.



Thank you to our families. You did a beautiful job decorating our house with so much pink we thought the Pepto Bismal factory exploded. Also thanks for loving our boys when we were too far away to physically do so. They had a great time with you and they are still divulging your family secrets to us at the dinner table.



Thank you to our friends who helped us with the final push for our final house inspection. Jeff had injured his back and in order to switch the bedrooms around (thus making room for a baby) we had to depend upon your help. Rachel's room is beautiful and so is our new master suite.



Thank you to friends who helped pull the weight while we were in China. T-ball Coach Bruce went above and beyond the call of duty (we hope the six-pack helped). Play dates with friends were a great distraction for the boys.

Thank you for the post-adoption support. Thank you to our MOMS Club friends and EPC friends for the great dinners some of you provided. Rachel is still working through her "Velcro Baby" issues and it's impossible for Colette to cook hot meals with her hanging around (literally).



Thank you to our neighbors who had to find new and creative ways to keep Hazel the Beagle from jumping the fence. If Jeff builds the fence up any higher, we'll have to get another permit from the city.



Thank you to all those who made donations. To Faith and Hope and Ryley for all your girly hand-me-downs. Rachel loves wearing all things pink and lavender and your old clothes are perfect for her. To our MOMS Club friends who donated supplies for Rachel's orphanage in China- the director was so grateful. And other friends who answered so many of our S.O.S.'s for baby stuff and tiny clothes (we think she's gained 3 pounds since we received her- all that yummy American food and proper nutrition do wonders you know).

The past few months have been an emotional blur for us. Without the support of family and friends we would have really struggled through the tough times. We feel so blessed by all of you and your influence in our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Colette, Jeff and Clan

First Day of School

We were all really looking forward to the first day of school. The boys each entered their classrooms like old pros. Julian has Gabriel's teacher from last year so he's very familiar with the routine etc. Gabriel has many of his favorite classmates from last year in this year's class. Unfortunately, now Colette has several hours in the morning when Rachel's main source of entertainment is gone. Maybe she'll warm up to the dog.

Rachel is settling in...

Rachel acts like she's always been here. She even lets Colette out of her sight when the boys really distract her. She LOVES all the food we have given her. She's almost starting to crawl and her chest congestion sounds a lot better.