1 Year Ago Today...

...the most precious little girl came into our family.

And most certainly changed us forever!

We will never forget that day! Little Quinn, dressed in a Power Ranger t-shirt, shorts that were too big and sandals that were too small. Covered in scabies. Throwing up everywhere from the train ride to Nanchang.

And she was just perfect!

This scared little, girl transformed right before our very eyes.

It took less than a day for her to start settling into her new life as a Greig.

She was honestly the most perfect angel in China.

We were so amazed that this sweet girl had been sitting without a family for over 3 years.

I remember feeling so grateful that she was now part of us. So many people would say, "What a lucky girl!".

And we would say, "No, we're the lucky ones".

I am so thankful that God chose us to go down this path for Quinn.

It was not an easy path, that's for sure. We had definite heart break along the way.

And in the end, it was all SO worth it.

In a year's time, I know we have all been changed...by this little "once upon a time" orphan who didn't have a family.

And here it is, 1 year later...Miss Quinn absolutely lights up a room. She has distant memories of her time in the orphanage. We occasionally hear things about her life in China and she makes it very clear that she never wants to go back there. I am pretty sure she was happy there, but NOTHING compares to having a family.

She started pre-school today. I have to admit, it was a little hard dropping her off. I worried that the classroom type of setting might remind her of the orphanage.

My worries were quickly cast to the side when our brave girl ran right in, pulled out a chair and sat right down!

For some reason, I feel like today is such a turning point in our journey. Just to think she has been with us for a FULL year changes things. No more "this time last year, she was still in an orphanage" thoughts.

So, on this day of August 30th, we will always be reminded of FAMILY. It's different than having a birthday every year. This day will always represent the day that our hearts were forever changed by adoption.

Family is forever!

A Summer Update!

Where does the time go? We have been so busy lately, it's been hard to update the blog! Between kids, work and just LIFE, I find myself too busy to sit down at the computer. Okay, so here is a "kinda" long update...(you can always just scan to the picutres!)

Miss Quinn continues to amaze us on a daily basis. Her language has absolutely exploded and she is one, smart little girl. From time to time, she will say something about her life in the orphanage. One thing she makes very clear is that she does not want to go back. She still talks about the baby that was there with her. She wants us to bring the baby to our house. :) I recently signed her up for Pre-School and she will start in the fall. She is already really excited about going, which is a relief to me. We'll see when the time actually gets here. One of Quinn's favorite activities is swimming. She could stay in the pool ALL day. She is extremely coordinated and has NO fear of the water. She takes instruction really well and does her best to do exactly what she is supposed to do. We may have a future swim team girl on our hands. Her other favorite activity is cheer and tumbling. I finally put her in one of my classes (NOT taught by me!) and she is loving it! This, of course, makes me SO happy since the gym is my second home. Both Quinn and Ava run around the house making up cheers and dances. The girls are getting along better now and Ava seems to be accepting the fact that she is no longer the youngest. I'm very proud of her for taking the roll of "big sister" a little more seriously.

This was one of their "princess" days!

In May, we took a trip to San Antonio. We had a great time at the Hyatt Hill Country and Sea World.

Quinn LOVED this ride...gotta love her face expression!

She got off the ride and immediately said AGAIN!

Sea World was a definite hit!

Our summer vacation was spent in Destin, FL with our family. All 10 cousins were there and it was a blast! Quinn didn't even skip a beat in all of the craziness!

She was quite fascinated with the sand!

Quinn and Granddad.

Cousin Georgia..

We had a professional photographer come to the beach to take some family photos. Here are a few we snapped over her shoulder...(I know, I know...you're not supposed to do that!)

This precious girl is foot loose and fancy free!

In just a few short months, Quinn will have been with us for a year. I catch myself quite amazed that it has been only 10 months since Quinn came home. It feels like she has been part of our family for SO much longer. And at the same time, I think of just how far she has come in ONLY 10 months. She is truly a remarkable little girl!

Looking forward to the rest of the summer!

Happy Birthday, little Princess!

Yesterday, we celebrated a very special birthday!

Quinn turned 4 years old!

What a special day!

Chuck E. Cheese was a big hit!

Did I mention that Quinn has a little obsession with Barney?

This little princess had such a great day!

Can't wait to celebrate a lifetime of birthdays with her.

6 months later...

It's been nearly 7 months since Miss Quinn has been home. Honestly, our lives have all changed in such an amazing way. We can barely remember what it was even like before we became a family of 6. Quinn continues to amaze us every day.

It has been such a delight getting to know this precious little girl. We have come to know so many things about Quinn! Important things, like....she loves to dance...she loves hot dogs...she doesn't like to be told NO...she loves playing with babies...she LOVES to swim...she does not like "mess"...she is obsessed with Barney...she is not a great sleeper...she sucks her thumb only when she is tired...she loves to get out and GO places...she is super duper smart...she likes doing whatever Ava likes to do...she loves shoes...she can work an iPad like no one's business...she loves make-up...she loves looking at pictures from her orphanage, but always says, "I stay here with my family"...she is pretty easy going MOST of the time...she loves getting in the boys rooms and into their "stuff"...she loves going up to my cheerleading gym, where she is super spoiled by all the girls there!...she makes us laugh every day...and the list goes on. These little things are HUGE for us. When she came home just a short time ago, we had no idea what made this little girl tick. And now, well, it's like she's always been with us.

Quinn just loves little babies. There was a little baby in her orphanage that she talks about quite a bit. When my sister came to visit us last week, Quinn was in love with her baby cousin Sophia (or Fia as Quinn says).

She could stay the entire day in the pool.

Look! Finally a little pony tail!!!

Quinn's friends, Peyton and Ava!

We could not be happier!

We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Mitchell Has a Family!!!

I have been holding onto this news until Mitchell's new family gave me the go ahead to announce this.....

Mitchell is coming home!!!

Mitchell will be joining 3 sisters and a fantastic Mom and Dad. We are just over the moon in this household! Even little Quinn understands this huge news. She is so excited for her little buddy.

I promise to update with any news of Mitchell's impending adoption.

I would like to thank everyone who helped me advocate for this very special little guy.

Mitchell needs a family!

Meet Quinn's BFF, Mitchell!

He needs a family!!!

His last request to Quinn before she left the orphanage was to please find him a Mama and a Baba.

This little guy is 4 years old and shared the same Ayi with Quinn. The orphanage has a very low caregiver to child ratio...3 to 1. In addition to this, they have amity grandmas that work with these kids every day. Quinn came to us knowing all her colors, numbers, shapes, body parts, etc. in Mandarin. She also knew many songs and sings all the time! It is very evident that she and the other kids in the orphanage were worked with quite a bit.

According to several others who have adopted from this orphanage, it's very small in comparison to most. The attention given to the kids is amazing. Quinn was clearly VERY loved and well cared for. She is extremely sweet and very attached to all of us. The orphanage director told my husband that Mitchell is sweet as well. Also, that he's extremely smart and very caring with the other children. He's an active boy that loves music, books and playing with other kids.

One thing that we are hoping for is that Mitchell receives a new medical. Currently, his SN label is wrong. We fear that this is the reason he still sits without a family to call his own. We have had his medical file reviewed by 3 different doctors and all agree that he has hypospadias, not the "intersexed" label he was given. It's so unfair to Mitchell that his real SN is being overlooked. I am happy to provide doctor's names and all the information we have learned about Mitchell's hypospadias. The orphanage director was not aware that his SN label was interpreted the way it's listed. He promised my husband that they would get it changed.

Could this be your son???

If you would like more information on Mitchell, please contact Xiaoqing Cai at xqcai@comcast.net.

Mitchell is listed with BAAS. The latest update is that he was to receive a new medical and hopefully get his SN label changed.