How Could I Forget!

So I was doing a little blog hopping this evening and I jumped over to "A Day in the Life of the Little Sister from China". And what did she remind me of?! That it was two years ago this week that we received the referral for our little girls!

It was around 9pm in Varese, Italy on Friday, August 25, 2006 when we got "the call." That was about 2pm central time. I knew the call was coming soon because I had been following the Rumor Queen and knew that as of Thursday referrals were coming into various other agencies across the country. It was stated that referrals were covering LIDs through 7/22/05. Since we were LID 7/15/05, I knew we had made the cutoff. I was so excited!!!

When we received the call from our agency that evening I was so nervous that my hand was shaking while I was taking the notes from our coordinator Vonda. We were given her Chinese name, the meaning of her name, her date of birth, her weight and height at her 6 month appointment and the location where she was currently living. I remember that I was upstairs at the computer in the loft and Jason was downstairs on the couch so we were basically in the same room and he could hear everything that was being said. Vonda then told us that they would send the rest of the information via UPS.

Later that evening we received a grainy, scanned photocopy of her referral picture. It was our first look at our baby girl!


I'll tell you the truth - I thought she was funny looking. And she looked so BIG to me! Her photo was not what I was expecting. I remember hearing how some people fell in love as soon as they saw the picture. I was NOT one of those people!

Most or our referral group received their UPS packages on Monday but because we were in Italy and the delivery time was longer, we didn't get our package until 10:00 AM on Tuesday, August 29, 2006.

Now we were living on the grounds of a large, 400-year-old Italian villa and, like most Italian homes, there was a main gate which needed to be buzzed open to allow vehicles onto the property. When one entered the property there were two roads - the one that went straight went to the villa and the one that went right went to our home. Remember, I had only been in Italy about a month at this time and I did not speak ANY Italian, so when the UPS man buzzed our gate phone, it was only because I was expecting a package that I knew to let him into the property. I went outside and waited for him to drive up. He didn't come and he didn't come and he didn't come. It shouldn't have been taking so long. So I started running down the gravel road. I got all the way to the end and there was the UPS man - he had gone up the wrong road and was LEAVING because he couldn't locate me. I was so relieved to have caught him before he went out the gate. I DO NOT THINK I COULD HAVE GONE ONE MORE DAY WITHOUT THAT INFORMATION!

Jason was at work since it was 10:00 AM on a Tuesday morning. He worked 30 minutes away and carpooled with some other men so it wasn't possible for him to come home. I opened the package without him becase there was no way I could have waited until 6pm to open it with him. Instead, I scanned the photos and sent them to him at work. Hopefully, I was on the phone with him too but I don't remember that part.





We would not get to meet Wren until October 30, 2006 - two months away.

Oh yeah, and looking back at my emails, we still hadn't decided on a name. On that same Tuesday, after we had gotten the UPS package, I had sent an email to Jason asking him to pick his favorite name out of my list. We had discussed names but we still weren't sure. My top three choices were Wren, Fiona and Livia. Jason didn't like Livia but he did like Guinevive - except I said I would call her Vivi and he didn't like that. I also liked the name Mary Stuart (since Stuart is my grandfather's and brother's name). But if you remember your English history, Jason said that Mary Stuart was Mary Queen of Scots and that her cousin Elizabeth I had beheaded her. Wren's cousin is named Elizabeth Ryan and Jason didn't think that had good karma. We both liked the name Fiona but I just had a hard time seeing a Chinese Fiona. So, Wren it was!

And one more thing, it took a couple of weeks, but I was eventually fell in love with those referral pictures before we traveled to China! :-)

Guess who came to Huntsville...

scroll down for the answer
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Yep! The Wiggles.

And now guess who were two of the suckers who took their kid...
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Right again! It was us! But it was fun. :-)



The Big Red Car!
Toot toot, chugga chugga, Big Red car. We’ll travel near and we’ll travel far.
Toot toot, chugga chugga, Big Red car. We’re gonna ride the whole day long.

The Wiggles on stage


Henry the Octopus, Dorothy the Dinosaur, and Wags the Dog


I like Dorothy!


A little ballet.


Wren was taking it all in.


Here they come in their big red car!


Wren liked the ballet dancing.


Gettin' into the groove.


Yep, we call her Crazy Legs!


Good night Wiggles! It was fun!

Dare Devil

Wren has no fear when it comes to the pool. In this video, she follows her cousin Ryan right off the driving board!
Publish Post

Meet Me in St. Louis

Abby, Wren, Kaitlin, and Grace

This past weekend in St. Louis we met up with some of the families with whom we traveled to China. It was the second reunion but we missed last year because we were in Italy. Only four families were able to make it this year but we still had a great time! It was fun to see how the girls had changed since we last saw them in China in November 2006. Jason and I feel that it is important for Wren to have this connection with the other girls with whom she shared the start of her adoption journey and American life so we hope to be able to do it every year.


Hi Friend! Wren and Abby


Riding the tram at Grant's Farm


Wren and Grace feed the baby goats.


Grace's dog Bear was a big hit with the girls. Look how patient he is! He is a WONDERFUL boy!


Grace and Bear relaxing at the end of a long day.


Good bye! See you next year!

And now for some video...

Feeding the goats


Calling the llama


Feeding the camel

Another Concert in the Park

Wren really loves these concerts in our local park. The first half of the season we had wonderful, mild, low-humidity weather - totally unlike an Alabama summer - and so the concerts have been very enjoyable! Wren loves to play in front of the stage with the other kids and imitate the big girls.


Here's Wren trying out some gymnastic moves.


Wren was feeling the love for her daddy on this Monday night!


Ahhhh....let me kiss you one more time!


Your'e the best daddy!



Crazy Legs Bryant

Beach Days

Isle of Palms, SC
July 6 - July 13, 2008

We had a great time at the beach this year. But really, who DOESN'T have a great time at the beach?!


Hello!


Wren had a good time playing in the sand...


...with her cousins...


...and building sandcastles.


Daddy is a great sandcastle builder!


Emilee, Wren and Ryan


Wren LOVES watermelon!


Listening to the ocean.


Is a caption necesary? Yes, you say? Well, this was Wren's creation.


My cousin Beckie and her husband James spotted these cranes nesting for the evening. What a sight - and they made a lot of noise too!


A view of the marsh


Wren learned how to swim!

Silly Girl

I just like this picture. Wren is such a happy girl!

Music in the Park

It was a fantastic June evening with temperatures in the 70's so we headed down to Big Spring Park for a picnic and to hear the Maple Hill Band and Big Daddy Kingfish.


The crowd at Big Spring


Sandy and Wren


Wren just loves Sandy!


Wren loves Brian too. With a face like that, who wouldn't?


It was a nice evening.

Pretty as a flower

I planted a moon vine in our yard this summer. Moon vines are special to me because my grandmother always planted one (along with morning glories) each spring. When I was a kid, I always thought they were so neat because they only bloomed in the evenings and then in the morning the flower would die. The flowers are huge and beautiful!


Wren's sweet little face reminds me of the moon flower.

Uncle Patrick Turns 21...at Chuck E. Cheese!

Jason's brother, Patrick, turned 21. I can't believe it! He was only eight years old when I started dating Jason and he as eleven when we got married. Boy those years went by so fast! Well, he is such a cool uncle that he decided to celebrate his birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. Wren had a ball! It was her first time there and she was really taken with the mouse (or is he a rat?).


Wren waving to Chuck E.


Happy Birthday Uncle Pat!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

My brother Stuart is in a city softball league. The family made it down to see at least one of his games this summer.


Ryan and Wren with their ring pops.


Pappy and Wren in the bleachers.


Stuart playing mall - I think it might have been a home run!

Fun Fountain Time with the Walker

A couple of pictures of Wren and the Walker boys at the fun fountain by the Children's Museum.