Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai ... which in Mandarin means “Congratulations and Prosperity!”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year
Interesting info on Chinese New Year as it is celebrated in China


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Abby, Drew and I had a great time yesterday at the local "Our Children from China" celebration of Chinese New Year! We dined on great Chinese food, talked to lots of the 150-ish people in attendance with children from China, and were treated to an incredible Lion Dance to celebrate Chinese New Year!

I have some pics, but hope to get some better ones sent to me of the Lion Dance. It was crowded and I was not in a good spot for pics ... and then the camera batteries went on the blink. By the time I reloaded, I had missed a lot. But in a way, I'm glad I just watched it and didn't just see it through the lens ... it was a wonderfully authentic presentation by the owners of the Chinese restaurant where our event was held. The closest thing to being in China without leaving Central IL! The kids loved it, even though the drum was loud. Abby went up to the boys who were in the costumes and talked to them forever, she just thought they were so neat. Only 4 and already a groupie! :-)

The owner of the restaurant went to great lengths to give these children a taste of Chinese New Year, and he really endeared himself to the adoptive families in attendance. He gave each child a special, traditional Chinese New Year gift ... a "lucky money" envelope with a crisp dollar bill. Of course in China it would have RMB and not a dollar ... but when in Rome ...

Snow Days!

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Yesterday it snowed all day ... I'd say we ended up with 10 inches or so. It's hard to tell with all the drifting. Our patio/deck have some 2-3 foot drifts around the furniture and fish pond. School was out again today due to the blowing and drifting snow last night ... so the kids have had fun with their 2 days off and mama is enjoying her two "bonus days" at home with the kiddos! Be sure to check out our cat at the end of the slide show ... I think he is ready for the kids to go back to school! :-)

Basketball Tourney

TJ and I headed off to Galesburg yesterday for the 3rd grade traveling team tourney ... had a good time watching some basketball and swimming at the hotel pool after they played 3 games. It was just a little crowded at the pool, as you can tell in the slide show!

Mitch stayed home with Abby and Drew because there was a high school dance last night ... so it was split duty this weekend for the family. TJ has really enjoyed being part of the team this year, and is kind of sad that the season is coming to a close!


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IMEA Honors Chorus

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We were proud to have the opportunity to see Drew perform with the IMEA Honors Chorus today ... a high honor for high school vocalists around the State. The event was held at the Peoria Civic Center, and Drew spent 3 days there at the conference. It was such a great experience for him, and he ran into a few people who were in his choral camp at Eureka College last summer. The photo show above shows a distant shot of the Honors Chorus and a blurry, closer shot ... but not great lighting for a mediocre camera to get good pics ... and then a shot of Drew and his grandparents, who were able to be there to share this special day. Congrats, Drew!

Abby is 4 Today!!

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Today is Abby's birthday! She has really grown and changed, as you can see from the slideshow! Last night we worked on her princess birthday cake, which you can see in the pictures. She had fun putting on her princess dress to have her picture taken with it. Happy birthday, sweet girl!

It's (Almost) My Birthday!

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Last night we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant to eat ... and since Abby's birthday is only a few days away, we couldn't resist telling them she was celebrating so she could get the full "song and sombrero" treatment! She thought it was pretty funny ... and then everytime they sang at another table she would say "Mommy! They are singing for my birthday AGAIN!"

Only a few more days until her big day on Wednesday. She has ordered a pink cake with pink frosting from mommy ... and she's ready for the big day!

We Met Abby Three Years Ago Today ...

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January 6, 2004 ... the day the Chinese government placed a precious child in our arms to become our daughter, forever. A day held as special in our hearts as the days our boys were first placed in our arms.

It was a whirlwind day ... meeting our travel group (4 other families) to fly from Hong Kong to Changsha, Hunan. We were only at the hotel about three hours or so before the girls arrived. We had just enough time to check into the hotel, unpack a few things, walk to a nearby grocery store to buy some supplies ... and wait.

Our facilitator called and said she had received a call from the orphanage workers ... they were about 5 minutes away from the hotel in a van. We went down to the lobby and here they came. We watched them enter ... Abby first through the door ... and then we went up to the lobby of the 18th floor of the Grand Sun City Hotel to become a family. We were so happy. Abby was not so happy, at the time. All very surreal, yet all so very real.

I put together a Photo Show of some wonderful China trip memories, as well as some more recent pics ...

http://www.photoshow.net/tremontscotts/family
(from that site, click "Abby Then & Now" for the Photo Show)

And some interesting stats ... what's in a number?
36 - the number of months Abby has been with her family
19 - the number of inches her hair has grown since meeting her
16 - the number of pounds she has gained since coming home
12 - the number of inches her height has increased since coming home
10 - the number of months she lived in Zhuzhou City, Hunan
5 - the number of cousins she gained when she joined our family
4 - the birthday she will celebrate in a few weeks
2 - the number of brothers who treat her like a princess
1 - the birthday she first celebrated with family

Happy Family Day, Abby ... Happy "Gotcha" Day, Abby ... I can't even remember what life was like without our little girl!

Happy 2007!

Well, it is back to work around here ... and tomorrow back to school ... another year underway at the Scott house!

The kids and I had a nice week off between Christmas and New Years ... love the photo, above, of TJ & Abby relaxing on the new "Dora couch" that Santa brought to Abby! We went to a wedding on the 30th and then had family Christmas in Canton on Dec 31-Jan 1, so the last few days off were busy ones!

While in Canton, the kids had a special treat from a friend of ours and got a tour of the fire station, and the 4 younger grandkids even got a ride in the fire truck! Quite the treat for 8-9 year old boys! Short photo show, below!

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Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful couple of days ... yesterday we had Grandma & Grandpa Scott here to share the afternoon and then dinner ... and then we went to Christmas Eve services to hear Drew sing "Immanuel." The candlelight service was beautiful, and it is always special to hear Drew sing on Christmas Eve.

Today we were up (not too early, 7:30 am!) opening Christmas gifts. Now the kids are having fun enjoying their new things and we are relaxing and enjoying a holiday home from work!

Here's a short Photo Show of the kiddos on Christmas Day ...

http://www.photoshow.net/tremontscotts

Merry Christmas!

Madrigal Singers/Christmas Concert

A couple pics of the Madrigal Singers from the THS Christmas Concert ... Drew is on the far left, at the top of the risers!


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