Adventures with the Allison Family

Dance Party

2010-09-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

We had a dance party tonight after church. We finished eating our snack and daddy got the party started with some music. They loved doing their own thing! Enjoy! :)

Nature Walk

2010-09-28T18:22:00.001-07:00

The weather has been amazing so we decided to go on a nature walk after supper. We went looking for leaves that we could paint tonight and then use the leftover leaves for another project. They enjoyed gathering leaves, rocks, and seeds around the yard. Once we got back inside, Landon helped me gather everything for the project. They were so excited to see the paint and brushes again. As you can tell, they did a great job! Macy was the first one to stick the paintbrush in her mouth like a lollipop which reminded Brady that he could do it too. The paint was in their hair, on their face, and some made it on the leaves. Ha ha! We are looking forward to the next leaf project! :)

Soccer Game

2010-09-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

We had opening day for Landon's soccer league! He had a great time walking onto the field with his name being called over the loud speaker. After the opening ceremonies, his team, The Rockets, played the Honeybees. Jason coached today's game because the head coach was on vacation. He did a great job with his first coaching job of 3-5 year olds. Wow! They all played well and can't wait for the next game!

Opening Ceremony

Brady and Macy eating breakfast bars while we wait for the game to start!

Warming Up

Getting Ready

It was their turn to sit out so I got a picture of them!

Good Game :)

Crafty Friday

2010-09-17T14:18:00.001-07:00

We made necklaces out of paper towel and toliet paper holders. They colored them, played with them, threw them, cut them, and finally made necklaces. The whole activity took about 30 minutes and they loved it. I brought out the colors from my craft box and Macy started clapping her hands and laughing hysterically. She knew that something exciting was about to take place! :)

Beautiful smile

Brady enjoyed stacking and throwing more than coloring them!

Yeah!

He finally started coloring after a few minutes!

Then, decided to color the table!

Showing them how it is done

Finished product - She has been wearing it all day!

Looking good

Random Stuff

2010-09-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the pictures and video of the children!

Caterpillar Craft "C"

Around the House

2010-09-13T11:16:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures around the house this morning:

Our Brady Man

Being Sweet

Macy giving hugs to Brady

She loves the camera!

Makes my heart smile :)

Practice

2010-09-09T20:07:00.001-07:00

Landon's first practice was a success! It started out in the rain and they loved it! They had a team meeting, met some friends, and did some drills. He is already counting down to the next practice and the first game.

Soccer Time

2010-09-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

Macy Girl

Landon has his first soccer practice on Thursday night so we had to get him ready. Here he is in his new cleats and shin guards:

Game face :)

"The Littles" wanted to join in the fun!

We are still in contract discussions for the amount of money Landon will receive from his first year of soccer! We should ask "umbro" to work with us next year! Ha ha!

Playground

2010-09-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

We found out this morning that Macy's teacher was not coming to the house today. So, we decided to head to the park to feed the ducks and fish and play on the playground. Macy is not fond of the ducks and screamed the entire time that we were on the bridge throwing the bread in the pond. The first picture is of her smiling when she threw the bread before she saw the duck in the water. I am not a big fan of ducks either so this comes natural to her. I have learned not to scream out in public though! :) Of course, the boys loved every bit of it. We watched the ducks, fish, and even a few turtles enjoying our bread. Then, we spent some time on the playground. Landon said that he loved it and wanted to do it again soon. The joys of spending time with your family. (minus Jason who was at work) We look forward to cooler weather to be able to do this more often!

"OOOHH!"

I placed the bread on the ledge for them to aim and fire.

Macy's new friend :)

Landon showing "The Littles" how to do it!

Brady going up the wrong way!

She wanted her picture made and turned around saying "EEE!"

Counting Sheep

2010-08-20T20:46:00.001-07:00

Landon and I found this craft that we wanted to do last week so we thought this would be the perfect day for it. We made sheep that turned out so cute. They loved doing all the steps to create their sheep. I allowed them to use "washable" markers for the first time and they went crazy. Brady had it all over him, the table, the chair, and then it finally made it to his paper. Notice their shirts that Memaw (my mom) made for them. They are so cute and Landon is so proud of his because it has "him" playing baseball.

Starting the fun

"EEEEEEEE"

Not only does he have it all over him but he is standing in the chair :)

Proud of her work and using her right hand - Yeah :)

Brady's masterpiece

Landon did a great job with all of his tasks!

He is pointing to the barn he drew so that the sheep can eat.

Priceless Artwork

2010-08-17T11:10:00.001-07:00

When Landon was at school this morning, I decided to let Macy and Brady paint for the first time. As soon as I gave Macy the paintbrush, she put it in her mouth and tried to brush her teeth. Oh my! She understands a lot of what we say but obviously got confused with the word "brush!" Brady did really well until he decided he wanted to taste the paint. He then abandoned the paintbrush pretty quick and wanted to try fingerpainting. He liked that type of painting better. A perfect case of Brady being the leader of "The Littles" because Macy immediately starting using her fingers when she saw Brady doing it. She wouldn't have thought of it without her "leader!" They had a blast and the good thing about it was the word "washable." Ha ha!

Starting to experiment

Notice the paint on his lip

"Fingers are more fun!"

Young Artists

2010-08-12T13:15:00.001-07:00

We have been doing lots of arts and crafts the past few days. I found a website that has simple crafts for a 1, 2, and 4 year old that you can modify to meet their needs. Macy got so excited when she saw me getting the chairs down to sit around the table. Each one sat patiently as I got all the materials together. We made an apple collage out of scraps of construction paper. I cut out Macy and Brady's apples and put glue on it for them. Then, their job was to cover all the glue with the scraps. Macy put about 3 on her apple then starting doing the sign for "all done!" I helped her put the others on the apple. She sat longer waiting on the supplies than actually doing the craft. :) As many of you know Brady, he is all-boy and doesn't like to sit still very long. Well, he worked for 10 minutes straight putting every one of his scraps on his apple. I only helped him with the very last one. He was so proud of himself. Landon had to draw his own apple, put on his glue, cover his apple, and cut it out. He did a great job. More to come . . .

Brady "pointing" to where he is suppose to put the paper!

Macy saying "eeee" for the camera!

Working hard
Such a big boy (notice Brady's hands still working)
Group shot
While "The Littles" were sleeping today, Landon and I made footballs in honor of the upcoming Jamborees this weekend. We colored the ball, glued the football grips on, cut them out, stuffed them with newspaper, and stapled them together. He had a blast with the stapler! :)

PreK

2010-08-10T13:01:00.001-07:00

Landon started his first day of PreK today. He attends Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 - 1:30. He was excited but nervous about meeting new friends and his teachers. We all took him this morning so Brady and Macy were excited about playing with Landon's backpack and lunchbox. He had a great first day and received a star for good behavior. He told me that if he gets 5 in a row; he can get something from the treasure box. Yeah! Here are a few pictures from this morning:

He didn't want to hold his lunchbox for the picture!

Brady decided to carry the Scooby-Doo lunchbox for him! :)

While Landon is at school, "The Littles" and I are going to be having school of our own. We will be singing, reading, working on letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. The craft today was a texture collage. Notice the wonderful coloring by each one and the excellent placement of the items on their paper. Brady's is the blue collage and Macy's is the orange collage. During the craft, Macy managed to eat the glue and chew on the black pom-pom. On the other hand, Brady sat very interested the whole time and only threw his black "ball." We are looking forward to the next session! :)

Summer Fun

2010-08-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

We went back to IL a few weeks ago to do a few things to the house. Continue to pray that our house sells in IL. Before we left town, we were able to stop by our friends's house to eat and catch up.

Landon taking Macy for a ride

Jacob

Macy

Brady

Aren't they precious?!?

Landon took this picture of us

Landon the photographer

Visit to Memaw and Pops' House

2010-08-06T12:25:00.001-07:00

The kids and I made a trip to visit with Memaw and Pops earlier in the summer. We made the 7 hour trip and everyone did great. We stayed for almost a week and did all kinds of things. We swam, blew bubbles, roasted marshmellows, played mini putt-putt, watered the flowers, and anything else that the kids wanted to do!

The Graves' swimming pool

Brady ready for bubbles

Landon showing them how it is done

Macy watching in amazement

Precious piano players

Bubbles everywhere

Splash Pad fun

Running through the sprinkler

Brady man

Vacation with the Family

2010-08-05T12:09:00.001-07:00

We were able to go with Mom, Dad, and Matthew on vacation this year. We went to Guntersville, AL and stayed in a condo on the lake. It was a beautiful location and we had a wonderful time just relaxing. Yeah right!?! I don't think that we will have a relaxing vacation until the kids get a little older. :) I can't complain because we all took our turn keeping them from the fireplace, the stairs, the bathroom, the cabinets, the water on the fridge, the laundry room, jumping in the pool, diving off the boat, throwing their food, cleaning up the kitchen, etc. I know that Mom, Dad, and Matthew were ready to get home after a week with the Allison family. Ha ha!
We celebrated Matthew's birthday, rented seadoos, played mini putt-putt, rode on a boat for a day, went out to eat, shopped until we dropped, grilled steaks, swam in the pool, fished off the dock, and just spent time together. It was a great week and we look forward to next summer's vacation!

Landon got to drive the seadoo

The whole family

Swimming all by herself

Waiting on a cookie

Sweet :)

Best family picture of the week (hard with "The Littles")

Sweet Boy

2010-07-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

Landon has had a more difficult time with Macy joining our family. He tells us he loves her but doesn't always show her with his actions. Before going to nap or bed, we all give each other kisses and hugs. Landon will always give Brady a big hug and kiss. When it comes to Macy, he will hug her because we make him but he said he is not going to kiss her. He will tell her to give him a kiss then will say just kidding. Well, last night we were giving everyone night-night hugs and kisses. Landon said, "Macy, give me a hug and I will kiss you this time. I promise!" He reached down to hug her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She grinned from ear to ear and just laughed out loud. I told Landon that he made her night and he said, "I liked making her happy!" It brought a tear to my eye to watch this whole episode. Let's pray that this was a turning point for Landon to know he is the big brother to Brady and Macy! :)

Moving & 3 Months Home

2010-07-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

As you can see from our previous post, it has been awhile since my last blog entry. We have been extra busy around the Allison household since returning home from China. After being home with Macy for 3 weeks, we accepted a call for Jason to be the Minister to Students/Recreation at a church in TN. We were very sad to leave the only place that Landon ever knew, the place where Brady was born, and the place that Macy was brought into our lives through adoption. We left many great friends that we love dearly but we know that the Lord's plans are the PERFECT plans.

We moved to TN the beginning of May where Jason hit the ground running. Within his first few weeks of being on staff, he went to youth camp at Gulf Shores with 70 people, taught 5th-6th grade boys in VBS, and preached on a Sunday morning in both services. He did an excellent job with all of them! He will hopefully learn what a "normal" office day is when school starts back. We are having a great time getting to know the youth and their parents. We just started our church co-ed softball league and we are loving it.

Update on the children:

Landon - He is doing really well with the transition to a new church with new friends and new youth. He has warmed up to his Sunday School teachers and they do an excellent job with him. He has a big class of about 15 children that will all go to school together in Fall 2011. He will have plenty of time to get to know them. He is still playing ball (football with dad, baseball with mom, soccer with the "Littles", golf with dad, basketball by himself) all the time. I think that he has decided he wants to play soccer in the fall. That will be fun to watch! He will start "School of Discovery" in the fall going Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 to 1:30. I think this will be great for him because he likes structure and routine and his teacher will not be mommy. Ha! I look forward to watching him grow in the coming year.

Macy - She continues to amaze us with her transition to our family. I was afraid the move would mess up the attachment process with her but I believe that it has made it stronger. The Lord answered our prayers in bigger ways than we could ever imagine. Praise Him! Macy and Brady went to the same Sunday School class for awhile to help her with the transition of new faces. For 3 weeks now, she has gone to her age-appropraite class without Brady and has done wonderful. She understands that these people care and love her. She is giving us hugs and kisses all the time which is a huge step in attachment and bonding. When we brought her home, we expected the worst possible scenario for a 2-year old special needs child that had lived in an orphanage her whole life. We didn't expect much progress for at least 6 months and each day she gets better with her behavior and understanding her role in our family. Her tantrums continue to decrease in the amount of time and the violence toward herself. We know that this will continue to decrease the more secure she feels with us. She continues to be the best eater in the family. She will eat anything that you put in front of her. She is slowly realizing when she is full and will do the sign language "all done." We have taught her many signs and that helps since she is not talking. We have her in a government program for children with delays that provides physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy to meet her needs. We expect to see positive things from this very soon. I look forward to seeing her change in the coming months.

Brady - The baby of the family is a blessing from the Lord. He has the best personality that will just light up the room. I don't think that he even realized that we moved to a new state. He just goes with the flow and smiles doing it. He is the leader of "The Littles" which is not always a good thing. He has been a good example in many areas for Macy to follow. Of course only being 1-year old, he is learning the structure and routine of the family also. It is so funny to watch them play together. I love that they look out for each other and are each others best friend. (for now) He will never have to do anything for himself because Macy takes care of everything for him. (getting his clothes out, finding his shoes, brushing his hair, picking up after him, and tattling on him) He has started talking "babbling" a lot more in the past few weeks. He also knows sign language so it is fun to watch him put it all together. He is a very busy guy that keeps me on my toes. I love that he can entertain himself and always does his own thing. I look forward to watching his personality come out in the next few months.

If you think life with a 4-year old, 2-year old, and 1-year old is crazy, you are RIGHT!!! As much as I like things in order, the Lord is teaching me about the little things in being a mom. I know that one day when they are older I will want this time back. Well . . . at least that is what someone told me the other day. Check back with me in a few years and I will let you know if I want food all over my kitchen floor, toys not in the correct toy bin, not being able to have a real conversation without the Macy and Brady running in different directions from me, not being able to enjoy my shopping experience at Wal-Mart, etc. Ha ha ha!!! Then I am reminded, what a huge blessing each one of my children are to me and how much I love them. Thank you Lord for the gift of children! Who knows?!?! Maybe we need to add one more to the mix! :)

March 17

2010-03-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

We had a special day today in the eyes of the United States. We had a ceremony and an oath at the American Consulate stating that we promise to be Macy's parents. She will officially become an American citizen when we land on US soil in Newark, NJ. We took the oath with around 30 other families adopting healthy and special needs children. We have met some of them either shopping on the island, in our hotel, or riding on the dinner cruise the other night. It is interesting to hear their stories of how they came to China to adopt. One of the mothers said, "it is so cool to see how each child is perfect for the parents and their family." Well, yeah! I am so thankful that the Lord had His hand in our lives and this journey of adoption. I would have never imagined my life would look like this at 32 years old but He did! My favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11 and thankfully it states that "He knows the plans that He has for my life."

Have I mentioned that we are ready to get home?!? I may mention it a few more times before we get back! Please begin praying for our trip back to the states. We will begin at 5:00 a.m. on Friday morning and be at our destination at 10:30 p.m. on Friday night. We will be traveling over 30 hours from start to finish. We have a few long layovers and of course the 14 hour flight with an active 2 year old. If you remember back on our blog, the trip from Nanjing to Guangzhou was not a pleasant one. Macy had a 30 minute meltdown on the plane. We don't want any of those on the 3 different flights. Just pray for her, us, and the people on the flight! :)

We attached pictures of the American Consulate and Macy in her traditional Chinese dress. We went to the White Swan Hotel to take the famous "Red Couch" pictures. It is a tradition that all adoptive families take pictures of all the girls in the travel group on the couch. Not all the girls were excited about the famous picture. Macy couldn't quite figure out what was going on and just kept staring at all the crying girls. When we put her in her dress, she loved picking up her dress so she could see her belly. During the pictures, she decided to pull up another friend's dress also. We were all laughing at her! Enjoy the pictures! We are ready to come home! See I said it again! :)

March 16

2010-03-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

We had our American Consulate appointment today. Our guides go to the office and give all of our paperwork for us to bring Macy home. They said that our paperwork was perfect and they were very proud to not have any questions about us. Yeah! So, we go tomorrow for a ceremony and take an oath to be Macy's parents. (In the eyes of the United States)

After lunch, we headed back to Shamian Island to pick up a few more gifts for our family and friends. We had a fun afternoon with beautiful weather for sightseeing around the park. We also went on the Pearl River Dinner Cruise with the other families from our agency. We had a Chinese buffet where I ate duck again, some rice, and noodles. Jason, on the other hand, enjoyed all different kinds of meats and traditional Chinese dishes. He is very brave when it comes to eating foods. Macy also ate a lot of different food tonight. She outdid Mama! When we got done with the meal, we could go on the balcony and check out the city at night. It was beautiful! All of the buildings and bridges had unique lights to show off the skyline. Macy loved looking at all the lights. On the way back to the hotel, Macy somehow went to the bathroom on me. I don't know if it was the way she was sitting on me that it went through the diaper or what. All I know is that my legs and the back of pants were soaking wet from her. Yuck! I hope that the driver cleans out his tour bus tonight. Of course, her and Jason were laughing at the whole situation but Mama was not!

We are counting down the days until we are back with the boys as a family of 5! We both woke up this morning ready to get home. We have had an amazing time in all the cities but we are just ready to be able to brush our teeth in the sink (and not use bottled water to do it), sleep in our own bed, watch the kids play in the playroom, wash clothes in my house, etc. China is an incredible place with rich culture, unique food, and authentic people. Enjoy the pictures!

March 15

2010-03-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

We went sightseeing this morning at a local park with a few memorial sites of famous Guangzhou people. The park was beautiful with all kinds of statues, flowers, unique trees, people playing hackey sack, dancing, and tai chi. it was neat just watching the people and seeing the culture of Macy's birthplace. One of the pictures is of Jason and Macy on top of a tower that we climbed to see the city.

After lunch, we returned back to the medical exam to get the results of Macy's TB test. The nurse measured the mark and it was 8 mm. It was negative because the mark was not 10 mm. Thank goodness! I would have loved to see them hold her down for a chest x-ray. We then spent the afternoon doing some shopping at some famous souvenir shops on Shaimin Island. We got Macy a traditional Chinese dress and also got the boys a traditional outfit. (Mom, don't tell them this part!) We had a fun afternoon with some funny stories to tell in person. It would take too long to type out all the craziness. We are going to be seasoned travelers before this trip is over.

We have to stay in our room in the morning because our guide is taking our information to the American Consulate to grant us permission to enter the United States with Macy. We have to stay in our room just in case they have any questions. Then, we are planning on going on the Pearl River Dinner Cruise with our group. That will be fun! :)

2010-03-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

March 14

2010-03-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

Ni hao ya'll! We got to sleep in again this morning. Macy didn't get up until 8:20. I guess we wore her out last night in the play room and walking all over the place. We had another wonderful breakfast with some new friends that adopted a special needs baby. We are the only ones in our group that are special. (really)
We just had 1 thing on the agenda this morning and that was filling out some important paperwork. Since Macy doesn't want me out of her sight, Jason was in charge of the paperwork. I gave him the rundown of everything that I brought with us and sent him on his way. He only had to call 1 time to find out where I was born so he did really good. We ordered pizza from Papa John's for lunch. It tasted very similar to ours in the states except it was a lot greasier. Macy ate a little bit but preferred the crust over the sauce.
After supper, we went walking around the city with Macy in her stroller. That was the first time that she has sat in it without throwing a fit. Big breakthrough! We walked around for about 1 hour checking out a Lamborghini store, a shopping mall, and the subway. It is good to just get out of the room for awhile. Then, we let her take a bath for about 35 minutes to just play around in there. The tantrum when we got out of the tub was not as long as before. I think that she is understanding that we will get in there several times a week.
Each day brings new discoveries and new challenges with Macy. Adopting an older child (2 years old) with special needs is a different ballgame than adopting a healthy infant. Each option has their own set of challenges and obstacles and we are dealing with them the best way that we know how. It is tough being a parent in general especially adding on the ingredients of an older child that is strong-willed, our communication barrier, and the hurt that she feels from being torn from the only place that she has known. Even with all those challenges, nothing beats her running to me and giving me a hug around the neck, smiling from ear to ear, laughing out loud at Baba, and getting excited about the little things that we take for granted. I know that the Lord has brought us to this place for this time. We are continually amazed at how she fits in perfectly with our family. We love her so much!
We have to go back to the medical exam office tomorrow to check the results of Macy's TB test. If it comes back positive, we will have to get a chest x-ray and then determine what our next step is in the process. We pray that it comes back negative and then we don't have to go down that path. Until next time...

March 13

2010-03-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

We slept in this morning until around 7:30, got everyone ready, and went to the breakfast buffet at our new hotel. The buffet was incredible! It had all kinds of American style breakfast foods so I ate until I couldn't eat anymore. We came back to the room for Macy's bath before her medical exam. She absolutely loves the bath and doesn't want to ever get out. So, we had another minor meltdown because Mama had to get her out of the tub. The girl likes to be clean! :)

We met up with all of the other adoptive parents from our agency when we came to Guangzhou. All of their children were from this province so they have been here all week. We loaded the bus for the dreaded medical exam. Every adoptive child has to go to this place in order to leave the country. (by American law) They check their height, weight, head circumference, eyes, ears, throat, and look over their bodies for marks. Because Macy is over 2, we also had to get a TB test. The TB test was the easiest part of the whole exam. She held a piece of candy and they did it very quick. The other parts were not so easy. We had to talk with several doctors about Macy's special need. She had to do some extra exercises for the doctors to get an accurate report for the USA. Overall, it wasn't as bad as I thought but she surely showed the nurses and doctors that she is a feisty girl that will fight back when you mess with her.

After our medical exam, we had some free time to check out the area and shop. Because our exam took longer than everyone else's, we just had time to eat lunch at Lucy's Restaurant and get on the bus. Lucy's is a famous restaurant on the Shamin Island that has American style food. So, once again, I ate and ate and ate. We came back for Macy to take a nap. After dinner, we found a playroom for Macy to release some excess energy from being in the room. She loved all the balls in the room so she will fit right into our family. She played with many balls during her therapy sessions so she got a good workout in tonight.

Tomorrow, we will relax and fill out some important paperwork for Macy to enter the United States. Enjoy the pictures of today.

March 12

2010-03-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

It will be a short entry because we are headed to bed. We made it to Guangzhou at around 7:30 tonight and we are staying at a really nice hotel. Macy did well with the plane ride the first hour and then decided that she would scream the last 40 minutes of the trip. She didn't want me to buckle the seat belt and made it known by throwing a 2-year old tantrum. Needless to say, everyone was standing up trying to figure out what the Americans were doing to this child. After getting many stares and advice on how to calm her down, we finally heard silence when we were leaving the airplane. We knew that she was a strong-willed child from her medical report and orphanage history but this was like nothing that I have ever seen. Then, about 2 minutes after the ordeal, she was laughing and playing with us. Interesting?!? Her personality will fit in perfectly with our other 2 strong-willed boys. The most important thing of all is that they also have 2 strong-willed parents and that beats them all. Ha!!!

We got settled into our room in time to head to McDonald's for supper and put Macy in bed at a decent hour. We have her medical examination in the morning and that should be real interesting. I told Jason we are working so hard on her trusting us as her parents then we take her to get poked and prodded the whole morning. The good thing is she will probably not even remember it. Sorry about no pictures today but we will make up for it tomorrow.

March 11

2010-03-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

Ni hao! We went to the Nanjing Brocade Silk Museum and Factory this morning. It was amazing to see the old-fashioned looms making all kinds of silk items. One fact that we learned at the factory was that it takes two workers 8 hours to make 2 inches. Crazy?!? We got to see the workers in action, see beautiful clothes from the emperors, and buy a piece of artwork for the house made right in the factory. (picture included of factory)

Next, we headed to a Memorial for the 300,000 Chinese that died when the Japanese attacked in 1937. In the memorial building, they placed the remains (bones) of about 10,000 Chinese. There were statues on the outside that depicted different scenes from the invasion. The statues made you feel the pain and anguish that the Chinese people felt when this occurred. Our guide said that it was still hard for her to visit knowing what people went through during the attack. (picture included)

After the memorial, we went to the Confucius Temple area to look around again. We took our guide to help us buy some souvenirs and bargain with the vendors. At night, all of the temple area is covered in lights and they have a fireworks show at 7:30 each night. We have an amazing view from our window of all the fun.

We went to eat with our friends from TX at a Chinese restaurant. No one speaks English so we got our guide to write down what we wanted to eat. We took the piece of paper in and gave it to our waitress. They brought different dishes out to our table about every 4 minutes. We enjoyed the company and the good food. (picture included)

Macy started out the day kinda rough. She had a hard morning and then after her nap this afternoon it is like we have a different child. She is running around the room just laughing at everything that we do. She is warming up to Baba in the room of course. I still had to hold her during all the sightseeing today because she doesn't want anyone else touching her out in public. We were laughing saying that I am going to have huge muscles when we get back. It is not easy on your body carrying a 25 pound girl everywhere. The good thing is it won't last long because she will slowly get used to everything. We have to remember that she hasn't been out in public at all in her 2 years of life. So, everything is a new, exciting, scary, and fearful adventure. We can't wait for her to experience all the new things in life with us. Wow!!!

2010-03-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

March 10

We were able to do some sightseeing today with our guide. We went to the Zhonghua Gate that is famous in the city of Nanjing. It is similar to the Great Wall of China in its structure and purpose. We were able to go through tunnels that told stories about different dynasties, emperors, and famous people of the city. We watched a video about the city and learned a lot about the province.

Our guide, Cai, then took us to a shop that sold jade and freshwater pearls known in this province. I wanted to buy Macy something for when she turned 16 and then again when she got married that was unique to her birthplace. Nanjing is known as the jade capital in China so that would be something special to give her. We went to a private viewing room with all kinds of jade items and pearls. We bought a jade bracelet that I well wear until we give it to Macy when she gets older. We also bought a pearl necklace and earrings for her to wear on her wedding day. So neat!

We came back for lunch and Macy took a nap. She woke up from nap very upset. With being in an orphanage, the children grieve differently depending on their attachment to the nannies and the age of the child. I feel that we have had 2 good days with her and now she is starting the grieving process which is very healthy for her to deal with quickly. We will ride it out with lots of hugs and tears. she is very attached to Mama right now and doesn't want much to do with Baba. So, I am dealing with all the meltdowns right now because she doesn't want Baba to console her. I can tell that very soon she will be a Baba's girl. She admires him from a distance and will play with him as long as Mama is around her.

We met an adoptive family from TX that adopted a little girl that turned 1 today. We went to her birthday party this afternoon and went out to eat with them tonight. They also have a little girl that is 5 years old. We had a good time with them and made plans to eat with them tomorrow night. We will also fly to Guangzhou with them on Friday.

We tour again tomorrow and start packing for the next city on Friday. Pictures: Zhongua Gate, Year of the Tiger 2010, Macy, after signing to be Macy's legal parents

2010-03-09T06:08:00.000-08:00

March 9--Forever Family Day

Today, we officially became a family of "5"! We are parents of 3 children! That sentence in itself became very real to me today! The Lord has blessed us beyond words and we are so thankful for this amazing opportunity to be ALL their parents! In the eyes of China, we are Macy's parents. We went back to the Jiangsu government building to complete the rest of the paperwork and pay the money to the orphanage. she doesn't like to ride in the van that we are traveling in so she wasn't happy when we entered the building. Her nannies and the orphanage director were there today and were trying to cheer her up. Throughout the whole process, she was getting upset over a variety of things. (being told no, not getting to play, not getting to write with a pen) So, when we were done with everything, the nannies and the director were telling her bye and she was trying to figure everything out. It was very heartbreaking watching them leave waving bye and blowing her kisses. I know that they loved her very much and took good care of her. We are so thankful.

We also received some very special documents from the orphanage director. We got a photo album of recent pictures of her at the orphanage, a scrapbook of information/pictures from an early age, her finding ad (priceless), and a traditional Chinese gift. All these pieces will help her as she gets older and understands the whole concept of adoption.

We went to McDonald's for Macy's first experience of the big arches. She ate about 1 french fry and was done with the whole experience. We picked her up some noodles, eggs, and meatballs at Mi Noodle. She has not stopped eating since we picked her up yesterday. She is one healthy little girl.

After lunch, we decided to conquer bath time. In the adoption world, people say that this is a hard thing because most of them have never been in the water. I got my bathing suit on and started the water. Jason brought her into the bathroom and her eyes lit up. We got her undressed and put her in. She absolutely loved it. She was even okay with me washing her hair. We played for about 15 minutes and it was time to get out. Instead of throwing a fit getting into the water, she threw her fit because she had to get out of the water. Interesting!?!

We have been playing all day and her personality continues to come out. She is for sure a take charge kind of girl and I can see her telling her brothers what to do! It will be so fun when they all get together at home. We do some sightseeing tomorrow and find out some more about the Jiangsu province.

Pictures: Baba feeding Macy noodles with chopsticks (impressive)

Macy in the bathtub

Us with the orphanage director and 2 of the nannies

2010-03-08T06:01:00.000-08:00

March 8--MACY DAY

Wow! What an amazing day! We woke up early this morning anxious about what today might bring for us. We ate the breakfast buffet in the hotel, got ready, and talked with both families before meeting Cai in the lobby. Our taxi driver took us on an incredible drive to the Jiangsu government building where we would meet Macy. (the driving is another story in itself) We arrived a few minutes early to the office. As we walked into the building, I could fill my heart pounding as we rounded the corner. We saw another family receiving their daughter from the same province. I looked to my left and saw the most precious little girl in the arms of a lady. When the little girl turned around, it was Macy!

She was dressed in some beautiful Chinese attire, 3 pairs of pants, and 3 shirts. We had to do some preliminary paperwork before they brought her to us. She walked right to Jason to look at a book beside of him. She was just going from Mama to Baba looking at us, playing with the book, and talking on the phone. After some more paperwork, we got an official family picture taken for the orphanage director and the government. We were able to ask the nannies and the director about her schedule for eating and sleeping. We were even able to talk with a nanny that assisted her in the therapy program at her orphanage (what they call recovery). We will find out some therapy exercises that they are using for her right hand. After being with her awhile, you can see some delays in her right foot and her right hand. She can walk and use her right hand when she wants to. We will just want to encourage her to use it at all times.

After the nannies and director slipped out when she wasn't looking, we headed to the store to buy some formula and food. She still drinks formula out of a bottle and wears diapers (but can go on the potty when put on there). She cried a little every time that we got into our van. The director said that she didn't like riding in the van at all. Hopefully, that will get better with time. She has been having a great time at the hotel playing with blocks, hugging her doll, and coloring in her books. Even though we have had a great day with her, we expect some type of grieving to happen very soon. We tried to go out to eat tonight and she started to cry and panic a little bit because we were leaving the room. We decided for Jason to go get us food instead of causing too much more craziness in one day. We will go back to the Jiangsu government building in the morning to complete the adoption process to make her our daughter. Of course, we have other steps to take before we get home, but this is the major one!

I hope that you enjoy the pictures of Macy Day. She is precious and her personality is coming out with each passing hour. We love her and can't wait for her to understand that Mama and Baba are here forever! :)

P.S. Landon was able to see her on Skype when we got back to the hotel. It was 11:30 p.m. his time and he got up to watch Macy play around the room! I asked, "Landon, what do you think of Macy?" He said, "She is pretty good!"

2010-03-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

2010-03-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

March 7

We want to thank April, Jason's sister, for updating the blog for us. We can't blog over here due to restrictions that we don't know about. I am writing it and having her do the rest for us.

We started our morning at 4:15 to get ready to leave for the airport. We flew to Nanjing, the city where we will get Macy. Our guide, Cai, told us all about the beautiful city of Nanjing and told us the itinerary for the week. The first thing that she said is that we will meet Macy at 10:30 on Monday morning. I got chills all over when she said that to us. It was really going to happen in the next day. We have prayed for this time for almost 3 years and now we are less than 24 hours away from meeting her. Amazing!

Cai helped us check into our spacious room where we will be for the next 5 days. I quickly started to get all the things ready to meet Macy. She has a little backpack that has bubbles, a phone, blocks, stickers, goldfish, and cheerios to try and help her feel better when she comes to us. We got the orphanage director and the nannies' gifts together so we can give it to them tomorrow. Yeah!

Most of you know how picky I am when it comes to food. I have not been eating the best so I have been having headaches (which I never have). After settling into the hotel, we went in search of the McDonald's. I ate and ate and ate until my headache was gone. I vote that we eat there at least once a day! :) We are in Nanjing by ourselves so we stick out like a sore thumb when walking down the streets. It is so funny to see the looks and hear the whispers about us. Of course, we just act like we know what we are doing and have been here forever. Hopefully, we can get a good night's rest before getting Macy Renee Xi Allison in the morning! Look for pictures tomorrow! :)

P.S. Landon and Brady are doing great with my Mom and Dad. They have already been bowling and Landon scored an 82! Yeah! :)

2010-03-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

2010-03-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

March 5
We woke up this morning with nothing on the agenda but to relax. We talked with the boys on Skype this morning and they were excited to see us. After getting ready we went to the local market (Walmart) to buy water and carbonated drinks. We needed water to brush our teeth because we are not to drink the tap water here. We also had to purchase a razor and shaving cream for Jason. He brought his electric razor but when we got it out this morning, it didn't work. So, we exchanged our money into yuan and we were on our way. We found our liter water ($3.00), 6 pack of cokes ($1.50), and a razor ($4.00). When we went to check out, the lady asked if we wanted a plastic bag, and we said yes! (Well, she pointed to the bag and nodded and we knew what she meant). The bag cost us about $0.03. We will know next time not to buy a bag.
We ate lunch at the hotel and it was good food. Jason had buffet where he had duck for the first time. I did not have duck but a grilled chicken wrap. We decided to eat nice at lunch and then we can have peanut butter crackers tonight. We went back out on the streets of Beijing after lunch just checking out the area. We found an elementary school, Pizza Hut, KFC, and a McDonald's. Since getting back at the hotel, we have been watching movies in English. We found 6 channels that we can watch and actually understand what they are saying.
We are going touring tomorrow with the whole group from our agency. We are excited to see the Forbidden City, The Great Wall, and TianAnMen Square. We will take lots of pictures to share. Until next time...

Ready to Go - March 2

2010-03-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

We left this afternoon to head to Nashville. We are spending the night before flying out at 6:15 in the morning. Mom and Dad met us to pick up the boys for the 16 days. Dad is the brave one taking us to the airport at 3:30 AM! We told Brady "bye-bye" as he was drinking his last sippy before "night-night!" It didn't seem to bother him that his mommy and daddy were leaving him for 16 days! Ha ha! I know that both of them will do fine without us. The question is "how will mommy and daddy do without them?"
We appreciate all your prayers as we make this long journey tomorrow and Thursday. We leave Newark at 12:15 PM on Wednesday and arrive in Beijing at 3:00 PM on Thursday. We both look forward to catching up on some reading, listening to music, watching some movies, and hanging out with each other! :) Time to go to bed now!

2010-02-25T07:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of videos from Sunday nights service. Landon really enjoys it when they get to sing and dance for everyone!

China Itinerary

2010-02-24T17:46:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to give everyone an idea of our itinerary while in China!

March 3rd - Leave the US for Beijing
March 4th - Arrive in Beijing
March 5th - Free Day
March 6th - Group Sightseeing Day - TianAnMen Square, Forbidden City, and the Great Wall
March 7th - Fly to Nanjing
March 8th - MEET MACY RENEE XI
March 9th - Do adoption procedure
March 10th - Sightseeting - Zhonghua Gate
Macch 11th - Sightseeing - Museum
March 12th - Fly to Guangzou
March 13th - Medical Examination for Macy
March 14th - Free Day
March 15th - Return to medical clinic for re-check
March 16th - Appointment at American Consulate
March 17th - Take Oath at American Consulate
March 18th - Receive all the paperwork
March 19th - Fly HOME :)

Continue to pray as we prepare for this amazing journey next week!

Here she is . . .

2010-02-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

We can finally post pictures of Macy for others to see. These are the first pictures that we saw of her on our agency's waiting child list. Isn't she just beautiful?!? We received an important piece of paper in the mail on Thursday that moved us that much closer to traveling on March 4th. We had been waiting on this paper since Septemeber 2009. If we didn't receive that paper by February 10th, then we would not travel in March. I emailed the USCIS (immigration office) and told them about our situation. I received an email on Monday saying that it would take 60 - 90 days for us to receive it. We knew that the Lord would take care of it and we would travel in His perfect time! Well, we went to the mailbox on Thursday and guess what was there? We immediately faxed it to our agency and they requested our appointment in China. We should know Monday if it is 100% sure! We are expecting to travel March 4th - March 19th. We will post our schedule in a few days for family and friends to keep up with our journey to China and back! Continue to pray for us as we prepare to leave in less than 4 weeks! Yeah!!! :)

Macy Renee Xi

2010-01-30T11:55:00.000-08:00

We are excited to introduce you to Xi Yun Man which will soon become Macy Renee Xi Allison. Her birthday is February 1, 2008 where she was born in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China. We first saw Macy's picture on our agency's waiting child list on October 12th. We received her medical information while celebrating my birthday with family in Nashville. We contacted our pediatrician, family doctor, family members, and other adoptive families about the possibility of Macy joining our family. After much prayer and wise counsel, we knew that Macy was our daughter. We told our agency that we wanted to adopt Macy and 2 weeks later, China said that we were pre-approved to adopt her. We have been getting papers updated, travel information together, and preparing our home for Macy to join us.

We officially got word on December 28th that we were her parents. We sent our Letter of Accecptance back to China telling them that we agree with them and now we wait for travel approval. We expect to receive that in the next few days. We have tentative travel dates of March 4th - 19th. In order for us to travel with the group of other adoptive parents, we have to receive a form from the United States Immigration and Citzenship Services by February 10th. We know that the Lord knows the exact time for travel and we put our trust in Him and His perfect timing.

We will celebrate her 2nd birthday as a family this Monday. It breaks my heart to know that we are missing another birthday but we know that we will be together for all the ones to come.

We will put up pictures of her as soon as we scan them into the computer. She is adorable and she smiles just like the other two. :)

Dancing Boy

2009-09-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

Brady is enjoying his freedom in crawling. He found the CD player with the Club VBS songs on it! He loves music because he moves like this every time Landon plays his drums, guitar, or keyboard! Fun times!

Crawling

2009-09-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here is video of Brady crawling at 7 months 2 days old: (I will get better video of him in the light later!)

Cuteness

2009-09-10T18:30:00.001-07:00

I am a little behind on my blogging! (maybe a lot) We are staying very busy with church, the boys, training for the St. Jude half marathon, and hanging out with friends. We love it! :) Here are pictures of Landon and Brady at 6 months old:

Never a dull moment in our house

Landon and I have been having school in the morning! He is absolutely loving it! By the way, he can write his name at 3 years old! Smart boy! :)

Brady is such a happy baby!

Playing with Landon's old toys

Precious

Such a big man

Love them :)

Landon took this picture of us

MY boys

Ball Players

2009-08-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Brady's new trick is sitting up by himself. Landon thinks it is so funny when he is wobbling around and eventually falls on the bed. Both of them will just laugh about it! I love to hear them talking and laughing at each other. So sweet! :)

Brady and Landon playing ball together! Hopefully, the first of many times!

Brady got excited every time the ball got close to him! :)

Family Reunion

2009-08-05T13:50:00.001-07:00

Landon is helping with another youth work day in the community! He was so excited to wear the gloves and pick up trash at the neighborhood playgrounds! I am so thankful that he is learning what it means to serve others and show the love of Christ!

Jason's Family Reunion

Uncle Keith

Jesse playing football with Landon (Jason's younger brother)

Reed (our nephew)

Nana and Papa (Jason's parents - picture taken by Landon)

Brady catching a quick nap while Daddy talks with Aunt Peggy

(Mrs. Perritt was my math teacher in high school and I loved her classes. When Jason and I started dating, Mrs. Perritt showed up to a family thing and I learned that she was Jason's grandmother's sister! Now she is Aunt Peggy! Funny!)

Landon squirting the ants at the picnic!

Uncle Brian squirting Landon at the picnic! :)

Aunt April (Jason's sister) and Chase (our nephew)

Sweet face

Getting a diaper change in the back of the car

Growing Up Too Fast

2009-08-05T13:25:00.001-07:00

Landon is always playing some type of sport and this week it is basketball. He showed us how "he can throw it down!" These are a few of the many dunks from last night! He has the trash-talking and facial expressions to go with a dunk! :)

Brady showing her who is boss!

Brady always enjoys conversation with himself, the wall, a ball, or anything that he can see!

Fun Times

2009-07-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

The youth have been doing mission projects each Thursday in July and the whole Allison family has been right there in the middle of everything. We went to East St. Louis to work at the Christian Activity Center on July 2nd. We cleaned the building, organized school supplies, read books to the children, played kickball, and tons of other stuff. Landon keeps asking when we are going back to the "Big Arch" because you can see the "Big Arch" from the CAC building. :) Then, the next project we did was helped clean out the old part of our church building that is getting torn down next week. We had to move everything from the old part to a storage building across the street.

Landon and Brady taking a break from working at the church!

Enjoying a nice car ride

Then, today's project was working at a homeless shelter here in town cleaning the property, organizing the library, and talking with the residents. One of the projects was moving about 200 bricks from the back of the property to the dumpster at the front. We believe that Landon is learning what it means to be a hard worker and helping others in need. Our prayer is that he sees the needs of others around him and he finds ways to help them. I was so proud of him!

Landon is showing off his one of many bricks that he carried! Check out Brady in the background playing with his pacifier in his hands! Too cute!

Strong boy :)

Guess who is 5 months old today?!?

Glued to the TV playing ATV Fury 4

My Feet

2009-06-27T10:30:00.001-07:00

Brady has found his feet in the past week and enjoys playing with them! It is so cute to watch him get so excited over them! Enjoy!

Summer Fun

2009-06-18T11:44:00.001-07:00

Brady and Landon are enjoying the bumbo that Nana gave us! They are taking turns sitting in it and watching TV! We also got the swimming pool out this morning because it is in the 90s with HOT and MUGGY humidity! Landon had a blast jumping over and over into the pool. He should take a good nap! :)

4 Months Old

2009-06-17T12:43:00.001-07:00

Brady continues to grow and change with each day! Landon loves that he is moving around and not just laying there. He is "talking" to us, rolling over from back to stomach then to back again, grasping things, smiling all the time, and sleeping a little bit better! It is fun having 2 boys! :)

Talking to Daddy

I am so big!
Sweet boys

Proud Mommy

Boomerang Express

2009-06-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Boys in their shirts

Landon showing off his dance moves and singing talent! :)

I will post more later about VBS and Family Night!

1 year

2009-05-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

1 year, 1 week, and 1 day waiting for our little girl!!! We were told when we started the process 2 years ago that we would wait about 2 years from our Log-in-Date. Our Log-in-Date is May 16th, 2008! This past Friday, we were told about another 4 years before we get to see her precious face. The Chinese government has sent referrals out through March 14th 2006! Yes, you read that right! They are working on referrals in 2006 and we are 2008. We still have a L-O-N-G way to go! We know that God has the perfect little girl for our family in His perfect timing. But I still cannot help but think about her EVERY day. We don't even know who she is or if she has been born yet, but she is already a part of our family. Landon talks about her like she is coming tomorrow to join our family. God put this desire of adoption in our hearts many years ago and it just continues to grow with each passing day. I am thankful for this journey of adoption and all the ups and downs that God has shown Himself faithful through it all. We continue to learn about ourselves and the amazing adoption story of us into HIS family! We continue to pray and wait . . .

3 Months

2009-05-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Brady turned 3 months on May 16th! I can't believe it! He is getting so big and doing new things every day! Landon is so excited to watch him almost roll over, find his hands, laugh at him, or just sit there. He always makes sure that I know what Brady is doing! Such a good big brother. Brady enjoys sitting and watching what the world is doing around him. He gives the biggest "gummy" smiles to people! He loves to cuddle with you! He enjoys talking about sports! (we think that is what he is saying) He has been an easy baby so far! (just needs to sleep more for his Mommy) We are very blessed to have 2 sweet, special boys to love on and watch grow up!

His adorable outfit for Family Dedication at church

Cute picture of all my boys :)

Jumperoo

2009-05-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

The jumperoo was one of Landon's favorite toys to play in when he was little. I have been waiting for Brady to hold his head up long enough for him to get in it. When we put him in it, he loved looking at all the fun toys on the front. Of course, he is not tall enough to actually use it properly but Landon and I have had fun putting him in it! Landon had to take a picture with him too!

Here is video of Brady smiling: (excuse the Mommy talking to him)

Inland Hurricane 2009

2009-05-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

We had a huge storm that came through Southern Illinois on Friday, May 8th. They are calling it an "Inland Hurricane" because winds were whipping across the land at 100 - 108 mph. We went through 3 real hurricanes while living in Florida and this was exactly like all of them. We were all in the bathtub for about 45 minutes while this "thing" came through our area. Landon was upset because Daddy made him sit in the bathtub that morning for a storm and then again that afternoon. How mean of Daddy! :) Here are a few pictures of the destruction to our street:

Jason's truck got splattered with green leaves

Our street

Neighbor across the street lost 4 pine trees (1 on his truck)

We lost power on Friday at 1:00 p.m. and got it back Tuesday night at 11:00 p.m. It was a long few days without power. We all went to bed around 8:30 each night and enjoyed the extra sleep! It is a day that we will remember for a long time as Landon calls it "the bad day!"

Nashville

2009-05-02T17:09:00.001-07:00

We went to Nashville last weekend for my brother to meet Brady! Of course, with Memaw and Pops, we always play mini putt putt! Landon had the best score of his professional putt putt career! He also made a hole in ONE on the 18th hole par 3! Yeah!!!

The Allison Family

Uncle Matt and Landon

It was 86 degrees and Brady was hot!

The golf pro AKA Landon

Random Stuff

2009-05-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

I am playing catch up with all the pictures!

9 weeks old

The normal wrestling match every day at lunch

A beatiful day for a picnic

9 weeks old - Brady

Brady again

9 weeks - Landon

Landon wanting the same picture

10 weeks old - showing off his muscles

Grnd Prix

2009-05-02T16:34:00.000-07:00

We had a Grand Prix race at the church this afternoon! Landon was excited to race his car down "the big hill!" He wondered when him and Jason were assembling the car how he was going to fit in it and race! Love it!!! He worked hard on painting, putting the wheels together, attaching the stickers, and helping Daddy with the messy stuff! He had a great time and got 2 trophies for speed and design! He got 4th place in speed out of 4 racers in his age group! Ha! He said he is ready for next year to win!

Working hard

Showing off

Listening to the rules of the race

Getting ready to catch his car coming down the track

Checking out the races

Accepting his trophies

Proud of his design

2009-04-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

Landon got to sing in front of the church for the first time. He is actually too young for the pre-school chior but the teachers felt bad cause he was the only one in the nursery so they asked him to come to chior the last few weeks! He had a blast!

8 Weeks & Landon

2009-04-14T13:57:00.001-07:00

Brady and Landon hanging out

Grandma Graves sent Landon and Brady an Easter card with money in it!

I am 8 weeks old!

Easter

2009-04-14T13:44:00.001-07:00

Our Family of Four

Landon - cute as can be

Church Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

We had our annual church Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday afternoon! We had a great time with around 75 people showing up! Landon had a minor melt down when they started the hunt. They all lined up then someone said, "on your mark, get set, go!" When the other children starting running to gather eggs, Landon froze and started crying! He didn't quite know what to do because we had not prepared him on the rules of the hunt! Once we told him what to do and a little help from Nana, he was fine! Next year, he will be fully prepared on what to do so everyone better watch out for Landon!

Brady found some eggs when no one was looking!

Prerace

Working on a craft with Aunt April

Cousins

2009-04-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Jason's family was at our house for the Easter weekend! Brady was introduced to his cousins for the first time! Jason's older sister has 3 children and they were excited to hold Brady! Of course, Landon loves when he gets to be with them because they play nonstop with him!

Alli

Reed

Chase

The bunny cake that they all made with Nana!

House Hunt

2009-04-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

After church on Sunday, Nana brought eggs for the kids to hunt in the yard! Chase and Aunt April hid the eggs while we distracted them inside! Landon was so excited to get a whole bucket full of eggs!

Saying cheese before the egg hunt

Papa and Nana's grandchildren

Filling that bucket

Chase helping Landon find the good eggs!

Showing off his stash of candy

Fun Times

2009-04-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

Brady was 7 weeks yesterday! I can't believe it! Each day is a new day with him dealing with his eating, sleeping, playing, and growing! He is not on any type of schedule right now and basically does what he wants when he wants. (nice he can do it now) Landon is still very fond of him and wants to know what he is doing at all times. Enjoy the pictures!

7 weeks

He was smiling then looked away as I was taking the picture!

How sweet!

Brotherly Love

Landon eating yogurt for dessert today! Silly guy!

Smile

2009-03-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

Brady has been smiling off and on for about a week now! He really likes smiling for Landon and Daddy more than Mommy! (the one who takes care of him most of the day) I got the camera out to take a few pictures of him and Landon started calling his name rather loudly! (screaming) He gave tons of smiles to big brother!

My sweet boys

My Boys

2009-03-26T11:56:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of the boys in the last few days:

Brady at 3 weeks

Brady at 5 weeks

Landon wants to be as close to Brady as possible!

Landon took this picture of Brady all by himself!

Last night after church

The fear on his face is Landon right beside him!

Smile :)

Brady - 1 month (almost)

2009-03-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

Jason lead a mission trip team from our church to New Orleans this past week. My mom came and stayed with me while he was gone. Thank goodness that she did because we had an eventful house with Landon and Brady. We took Landon and Brady to the doctor on Tuesday. Landon had a high fever since Sunday afternoon and Brady had been experiencing choking spitup, having a hard time breathing at night, and milk coming out of his nose. Yum!!! Landon was diagnosed with having strep throat. He has only been sick one other time with a slight ear infection last year. So, fun times! Brady was diagnosed with having baby acid reflux. Hopefully, we will start to see some improvement in the next week or so. Finally by Thursday, we were feeling better to go out and shop, eat, and play! Enjoy the pictures of Landon and Brady this past week!

So cute :)

Brady loves taking a bath

and Landon does too!

Posing for the camera

One of my favorites

Landon showing him how to play on his belly

Brady Kyle

2009-03-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

Brady is almost a month old and I am just getting around to posting pictures of him! He was born at 8:04 a.m. weighing in at 6 pounds and 15 ounces and measuring 19 inches long! These are pictures of his birthday, February 16th: (excuse the dates on the pictures - they are wrong)

Landon, the big brother looking on

Daddy showing him off to Memaw, Pops, Nana, Papa, Landon, Aunt April, and Alli

Moments after they brought him in the room

The Allison Boys

Hanging out with Mommy

PRECIOUS!!!

Leaving the hospital

Loving on his brother

Landon has done an amazing job taking over his role as Big Brother! He loves him so much and always wants to hug/kiss him! He is a huge helper to Mommy by getting her stuff, giving Brady a bath, changing his clothes, and even his diaper! I am so proud of him!

Love

2009-02-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

Landon worked on his Valentine cards for all his friends in Sunday School and TeamKID. He was so cute telling me all his friends and to make sure to not leave anyone out! He did a really good job folding them, writing his name (a few letters), and putting the stickers on them. He lost interest after about the 10th one and we finished up later. Happy Valentine's Day!

Such concentration!

He was tired of the pictures! :)

On the Countdown

2009-02-10T12:08:00.001-08:00

Well, we are officially on the countdown until Brady joins our family. We made a visual representation for Landon to see how much longer until he is a big brother! He drew the lines on the paper with a ruler, cut out the paper strips with his scissors, colored pictures on the strips (Mommy and Daddy each did one also), and glued the chain together! We made 7 chains last night and each morning at breakfast he can tear one off. After he tore it off today, he counted 6 chains left and started cheering and jumping up and down! Let's hope that he is this excited when Brady is actually here in the flesh! :) Landon will be a great big brother because he loves to help us do anything, he is gentle with other babies, and he knows that Brady is his baby!

Today as I was going to the kitchen from our bedroom, I came out to a picture of this! Jason has brainwashed Landon into thinking that Landon is "Daddy's Boy" and they are "Cookie Cutters" of each other. Well, today is one of those days that they were sitting alike, had the same facial expression, and staring intently at the TV that it might be a reality! Landon always jokes to Mommy about these 2 things because it gets a laugh out of us. He did tell me the other day though that he is my boy and Brady is Daddy's boy. But when Jason came home, he changed his mind. Well, atleast I get one boy out of the deal. :)

More Fun in the Snow

2009-01-29T13:16:00.001-08:00

We went out again this morning ready to go sledding in our kiddie pool. When we got out there, a family that we met yesterday had an extra sled they said that we could use. Landon wanted Daddy to ride on it with him first to make sure that it was as cool as the pool. He absolutely loved it because it was faster and went farther. About the 5th time down with Daddy, they hit a bump and both went flying off the sled. It was so funny from my point of view. Landon was a little scared at first because he got tangled up in the string and hit his head and bottom. But he dusted himself off, walked back up the hill, and wanted to do it all by himslef. From that point on, he wanted to do it by himself. He had a blast and was very brave to go down one big hill and one mini hill. Enjoy!!!

Snow Day

2009-01-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

Since living in Southern IL for 3 years, we expected a lot more snow/ice storms during this time. This past week, we had the biggest storm since living here! On Tuesday, we got 2 - 3 inches of sleet/freezing rain. We got our man-made sled (cardboard box) and took off down the hills in our backyard. We played for about 2 hours that day with great sledding conditions. Landon could not get enough of it! Then on Wednesday, we got 4 - 5 inches of snow on top of the freezing rain. How fun! Since our cardboard boxes didn't last the next day, we moved to plan B: the kiddie swimming pool! We had a blast! We expect the snow to stay around until atleast Sunday! Yeah!!! Here are pictures and video of the snow days:

Outside in January

2009-01-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

It was a semi-warm day here in IL so we decided to head outside for some fresh air! Landon played basketball and rode his bike for about 2 hours today! He made 9 shots in a row! Wow!!!We will let you decide who he gets his basketball skills from! :) He is getting faster and faster on his bike and knows that he needs to slow down when he is turning around. So funny!

Church Baby Shower

2009-01-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

Some ladies of the church held a shower in my honor a few weeks ago. A friend in the church is due 2 days ahead of me so we had our shower together. Well, she has been battling high bood pressure and was on bedrest for the past month and couldn't attend the shower. Her husband came in her absence. Ha ha ha! He had a blast with all us ladies talking and opening presents. Side note: she had her baby on Monday night - 4 weeks early. They are both doing well and are back at home.

We got lots of good stuff, cute outfits, and plenty of Target giftcards to buy diapers! Yeah!!! Here are some pictures of the shower:

Christmas with the Graves'

2009-01-22T13:24:00.001-08:00

I am finally getting around to updating the blog with the Graves' Christmas. We didn't get to go to their house until December 29th because of church and other responsibilities. Landon was able to open presents on 3 different occasions for Christmas. He was probably starting to think that Christmas is year round for him! We had a great visit with mom and dad opening presents, playing games, watching lots of football, shopping, going to church, doing art projects, etc. Next Christmas will be exciting with Brady joining in on the fun! I will update our annual crazy Christmas pictures later. (on mom's camera)

Landon helping Pops open his present

"What did you get Memaw?"

Chinese ornament and calendar :)

Jason with his CUBS desk calendar :)

Sweet devotion book

Another loud truck

Racetrack

Matthew could not be with us at mom and dad's because he got sick then had to work the rest of the week. So, on our way back home, we stopped by his apartment to celebrate Christmas with him. Landon talks about his Uncle Matt all the time. :)

Pops and Landon

Memaw and Landon

"I can help you Uncle Matt!"

Diego Doodle Pro (good car toy)

After picking up Matthew, we drove a little further to meet Grandma Graves at Fazoli's for another Christmas celebration. Grandma loves Landon so much and the feeling is mutual. We got to spend about an hour with her, Uncle Lofton, and Aunt Judy. Thanks for bringing her! Landon mentions Grandma Graves at least once a day. I am so glad that he spends time with all his grandparents and an extra special great-grandmother!

Landon helping Grandma Graves with her gift!

The whole gang

Christmas 2008/ Baby Name

2008-12-28T11:34:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas Card for 2008

I don't know what he is doing with his fingers.

Cute pictures with the BIG bears

We decided to name our second child: BRADY KYLE

We liked the name Brady from the start and Kyle is my brother's middle name!

Christmas at Home

2008-12-28T11:05:00.000-08:00

We came home from the Allison's on Wednesday night for us to attend our Christmas Eve Service at church! All of us were a part of the service and Landon loved being on stage. Hopefully next year, we can give him a speaking part. (Daddy did all the speaking this year!) We woke up Christmas morning at 9:00 to see what Santa put in our stockings. At our house, Santa brings fun stuff to fill our stocking and Mommy and Daddy buy us presents. He got lots of cool stuff in his stocking like a puzzle, glow sticks, a book, Tootsie Rolls (his favorite), jacks, a yellow car, a slap hand, and M&Ms. He also got a game, backpack, and wooden train set from Mommy and Daddy. We have been playing non-stop since opening up the train set. We look forward to going to my parents to finish our Christmas trips this week.

Checking it out

All the goodies

"Can we start?"

He wanted a backpack so he can carry his homework and go to school.

He has to get every little piece of paper off before he opens it!

"I love my train track!"

My Daddy and Me

My Mommy and Me (sorry for the tired look)

Christmas with the Allison's

2008-12-28T10:39:00.001-08:00

The start of our Christmas trips started this past week. We had Christmas Eve-Eve with Jason's family to begin the festivities. Nana helped the kids with different cookie projects and they loved it! On Wednesday, they made and decorated cookies to leave for Santa that night. I know that Santa enjoyed them very much! We had a great time with his family and are very thankful for all of them. (Also, thanks for the great gifts!)

Alli and Landon ready to make their Santa

He loved licking the chocolate off his hands

Everyone in on the action

Landon tasting to see if it is good or not

All the Santas

Cousins: Chase, Alli, Reed, and Landon (also Uncle Brian)

Next year, we will add Brady to the mix!

Opening a book

Helping Nana open her present

Fun times

Nana & Papa sent the kids on a scavenger hunt around the house to figure out their last present. They had clues and presents to open at each station. The last clue was the carport where all the kids got new bikes for Christmas. Landon asked if he could ride it but didn't know that it was actually his to take home. He has been riding in the garage and can't wait for it to get warm so he can ride around the track!

Half-Marathon Runner

2008-12-10T13:03:00.001-08:00

Jason ran in his 4th Half-Marathon this past weekend in Memphis at the St. Jude Marathon! (without his pregnant wife; so sad) Our goal has always been to break the 2 hour limit and we have gotten better with each marathon. So, Jason said that this was the time to beat it because I wouldn't be holding him back! Ha Ha Ha!!! As we were waiting and watching for him to come into AutoZone Park, we knew he had to come in before the official time clock of 2:07 to beat the goal. Landon and I stood up in the bleachers with 2:03 on the official clock and then about 30 seconds later I saw him come through the outfield fence. I started yelling "there he is, there he is, he is going to beat it!!!" He did beat it with an official time of 1:57! We were so proud of him and his big accomplishment. He worked hard in his training and he deserved to beat it! Now, that means that I am running the St. Jude Half-Marathon next December to beat his time and set another record time. :) Enjoy the pictures of the weekend!

Arriving in the hotel
Landon taking a picture of Daddy before eating at Fazoli's!

Race morning - Temperature: 32 degrees with a wind chill of 27 degrees

Landon had two layers of clothing on, hat, gloves, double coat, and the blanket for extra warmth

Last minute Powerade

Starting line

Go Jason!

Where's Jason? See if you can find him!

Crossing the Finish line

He is giving us a fist pump after he found us in the stands!

Nice sweatcicles

Party # 2

2008-12-10T12:47:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday #2! We went to Jason's parents for Thanksgiving and had another party for Landon while we were there! He thinks that every day should be a party for him! Here are a few pictures from the party:

Curious George again :)

He got a whole bag of books from Chase, Ali, and Reed!

His first real baseball glove

Uncle Jesse gave him some money

The famous Mr. Potatoe Head

Nana & Papa gave him "the elephant game"

Uncle Brian & Aunt April gave him his FIRST real bat! Oh my!

Landon Turns 3

2008-11-24T11:22:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Landon! We celebrated Landon's birthday with a Curious George theme since he loves watching Curious George while he eats breakfast. He was excited about the decorations, the cake, singing "Happy Birthday" to him, opening his presents, and playing with his presents. We had a great time!

Landon singing "Happy Birthday" to himself! :)

Bowling Machine

2008-11-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

We went bowling last Sunday night for an after church fellowship with the youth. Landon enjoys riding the bus to the bowling alley and jusy hanging out with the "big kids!" He decided that he didn't want to use the help of a bowling ramp this time instead he could do it himself. So, with Memaw, Pops, and Matt coming to celebrate his birthday last week, he wanted to go bowling. We had a pre-Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, bowling/Christmas shopping on Friday, and Landon's birthday party on Saturday. Fun times!

Notice: his own bowling shoes :)

His 6 pound bowling ball

Waiting patiently on his turn with Daddy

The dance is the best part of it!

Pumpkin Men

2008-11-06T11:51:00.001-08:00

It was a rainy day here so we decided to make pumpkin men! I traced the circles, triangles, and smiles for him to cut out. I thought he did a pretty good job with the task. After the cutting, we glued each piece on in the correct place and made the arms and legs for them. He helped me do those since he couldn't quite figure it out. We went with the traditional orange pumpkin then he chose to do one in pink! Interesting but very cute! I took about 20 pictures of him and couldn't get any that came out good because he was so proud of his masterpieces to smile normal.

After we took a million pictures, he decided to play some music for me while I played the guitar. You will notice his enthusiasm for the drums! Love it!!!

Fall Fun

2008-11-06T11:37:00.001-08:00

Landon has experienced the joy of raking up leaves and jumping into them! Of course, his favorite part of the adventure was using the big rake to get them together. Yes, I had/got to jump into them to show him how to do it! Ha! He took a picture of me laying down in the leaves but it turned out blurry. Enjoy our fall fun!

Jason had to miss out on the fun because he was running his 5 miles that night. He is training for the Memphis Half-Marathon (again & without me this time) on December 6th. So, we got video of Landon having fun to show Daddy!

Pumpkin Painting

2008-10-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

We are getting excited about the fall with colder weather, sweaters, Fall Festival at church, making pumpkin cookies, and painting pumpkins. Landon and I decided at the beginning of the week to paint our pumpkins today since it was suppose to be raining all day. He started not feeling well yesterday with a runny nose and then it turned into a night of not much sleep. (for either of us) When he woke up this morning, nothing was going to stop him from "paint my pumpkins today!" He did an excellent job with the paint (not washable) and I look forward to many more projects like this! Of course, I did happen to get a little on my finger and he told me to "be careful with paint mommy!" Yes, yes!!!

Showing off his pumpkin that he picked out

Washing all the dirt off of it

He picked out pink, purple, blue, and yellow to color his pumpkins!

(pink being his first choice)

He is in the middle of singing and painting and smiling for the camera!

Finished products

Random Stuff

2008-10-09T13:13:00.001-07:00

We are rearranging the guest bedroom into Landon's new room. He is so excited about it already! We found this bedding and he said, "me want to take it home!" We just need to get him a dresser and he can officially move in! Of course, we are going to stay with the sports theme for Landon's room and the baby's room. We hope that the baby likes ball as much as Landon! :)

These 2 sleepers were a gift from our friends that are due 2 days ahead of us! So cute!!!

I found this little outfit on sale for $3.00 and had to get it! The shoes were a gift from a lady at church that found them before we found out it was a boy! She said that she knew it would be a little boy and got them for him! How funny!!!

Fall Festival

2008-10-06T13:10:00.001-07:00

We are gearing up for our church's Fall Festival this year. I asked Landon several weeks ago what he wanted to be this year. After thinking for a minute, he shouted a "big, giant bug!" Okay! So, I started looking everywhere for a "big, giant bug" costume. But he didn't want to be a fly, spider, caterpillar, or anything like that. He wanted to be a ladybug. All the ladybug costumes in the world are made for girls. I have been trying to get him to be other things but he is persistent in his decision of a "big, giant bug!" Until today . . . we went to another store with costumes and found this football player! I really pumped it up and that is what he decided he wanted to be for Fall Festival this year. Of course, he has worn it ever since we got home and I had to rip it off of him for naptime! I think he is the cutest football player ever. We are going to put black underneath his eye and let him carry a real football! I think he made a great choice and it also saved us $20!

Baby News

2008-10-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I am halfway through this pregnancy and still doing wonderful! We had our 20 week ultrasound last Thursday to find out how the baby is growing and see what we are having. Boy or Girl?!? Landon has been convinced that he wanted a baby sister until last week. He changed his mind to a baby brother so he could teach him how to "throw ball, hit homerun, color in coloring books, and play in playroom!" Of course, his exact words!
He woke up on Thursday morning excited to see the baby and mommy's doctor. My doctor's office is neat in that they have a huge big screen for you to see the ultrasound as the technician is doing her thing. (like a movie) She told us each part of the baby as we were watching the movie because I didn't have a clue what I was looking at the whole time. I found the backbone and heart because that was pretty obvious. After she told us that everything looked healthy and great, she asked if we wanted to know what we were having. Yes! She immediately showed us that we are having a BOY!!! We told her that our first priority was to find a healthy baby but we really wanted another boy. So, we are all 3 excited to welcome another little boy into our family of sports and anything ball.
As we were getting the ultrasound pictures and leaving, Landon started to whine. Jason asked him what was the matter. He said, "where the baby? Him come out of mommy's tummy!' He thought that we were going to the doctor to get the baby and take him home. We explained (on a toddler level) that the baby has to continue to grow and Jason added that mommy has to get bigger too! Thanks baby!!! Landon was okay with our explanation and moved on very quickly!
As I lay there on the ultrasound table, I couldn't help but think of our little China doll that will be our daughter in a few years. Our only little girl with 2 wonderful big brothers to welcome her into our family, protect her as she gets older, teach her how to play ball, and love her as a sister! We continue to know that God has a huge plan for our family and she will be a part of our family in His timing!
No, we haven't thought of any names yet. We will keep you posted!

Daddy's Boy

2008-10-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the boys at the Cubs/Caridnals game a few weeks ago!

The Mustache

2008-10-06T12:34:00.001-07:00

I made cupcakes a few weeks ago for the children and Landon decided to eat one! As you can see in the pictures, he only licks the icing off of it and then gives it back to me. Yummy! As he was licking his lips, he grew a mustache! So cute!

Little Golfer

2008-08-20T13:38:00.001-07:00

Yes, another sport for Landon! Jason received a gift certificate to a golf store and decided to buy Landon some clubs with it. Landon actually went to play golf with Big T and Daddy when I was gone to Children's Camp. The man at the golf course gave Landon 2 clubs (his size) to play with at the course. You know Landon was excited about that! So, after they went and played, that is all we have heard about. "Golfing with Big T and Daddy!" (20 times a day) Landon received his "small golf clubs" in the mail yesterday! He was screaming so loud and jumping up and down when Jason was opening the box. He was funny! It comes with his own bag that stands up and 3 clubs. It is adorable! So, he spent 2 hours last night and 1 hour this morning practicing his stroke! Caution: we do not use real golf balls! Only practice balls because he can hit them far!

It won't be long before he can take his Daddy in golf!!!

Hard Worker

2008-08-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

Landon has been very busy around our house the past week. We have had him cooking our dinner and washing our vehicles! And he has loved every minute of it! He helped me cook Pizza Casserole last week. He evened out the hamburger meat for me, spread the sauce on it, covered it in cheese, and put it in the oven. Yummy!

He liked to put all the cheese in the same spot. He eventually learned to cover all the red part!

We won't show Daddy that he opened the oven when it was hot! SHHH!

Washing Daddy's Truck

Jason said that he looked like he was advertising the car wash soap!

Waiting patiently on his turn to spray the tire

Right after this he bent a little too far over

Of course, he said, "on accident!"

Washing Mommy's SUV

Having fun with the camera

Showing his muscles by pulling the "green water hose"

His #1 job

A little bit wetter

YES . . . I am pregnant!

2008-08-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

With much surprise and excitement, we announce that I am pregnant with our second child. Landon will be a big brother on February 19, 2009. Then, another big brother whenever our daughter from China joins our family! We are officially 12 weeks as of last Thursday! We have known since June 16th but wanted to make sure that everything was okay with the baby before we shared the big news! I am doing wonderful and haven't been sick one time. I am still eating whatever I want but now am having to drink Caffefine Free Mt. Dew. We will keep you updated with my progress! We find out the first of October what we are having! Landon says he wants a baby sister but continues to say that a sister is a boy! UMMM!!! We'll see!!!

Christian Activity Center in East St. Louis

2008-08-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Jason and I organized a mini-mission trip to the Christian Activity Center in East St. Louis. During VBS, our children collected school supplies for the CAC school drive last week. We were able to take a group of 18 children, youth, and parents to take our supplies and work for the day. We organzied the supplies, cleaned out some closets, and played with the children. It was a great day for everyone and Landon didn't want to go home. (on the playground, he did have a perfect view of the "big arch" though) Landon got right in there with them playing games, reading books, carrying bags of clothes to the gym, and of course showing them his basketball skills. We look forward to going back before Christmas!

This is a shirt that Memaw and Pops bought for Landon that says, "T is for Tennessee!"

Adventures with the Allison Family

Dance Party

Nature Walk

More Video of Game

Soccer Game

Crafty Friday

Random Stuff

Around the House

Practice

Soccer Time

Playground

Counting Sheep

Priceless Artwork

Young Artists

PreK

Summer Fun

Visit to Memaw and Pops' House

Vacation with the Family

Sweet Boy

Moving & 3 Months Home

March 17

March 16

March 15

March 14

March 13

March 12

March 11

Ready to Go - March 2

China Itinerary

Here she is . . .

Macy Renee Xi

Dancing Boy

Crawling

Cuteness

Ball Players

Family Reunion

Growing Up Too Fast

Fun Times

My Feet

Summer Fun

4 Months Old

Boomerang Express

1 year

3 Months

Jumperoo

Inland Hurricane 2009

Nashville

Random Stuff

Grnd Prix

8 Weeks & Landon

Easter

Church Easter Egg Hunt

Cousins

House Hunt

Fun Times

Smile

My Boys

Brady - 1 month (almost)

Brady Kyle

Love

On the Countdown

More Fun in the Snow

Snow Day

Outside in January

Church Baby Shower

Christmas with the Graves'

Christmas 2008/ Baby Name

Christmas at Home

Christmas with the Allison's

Half-Marathon Runner

Party # 2

Landon Turns 3

Bowling Machine

Pumpkin Men

Fall Fun

Pumpkin Painting

Random Stuff

Fall Festival

Baby News

Daddy's Boy