Little Daisy Passed

Started my day with huge sobbing.  Daisy was adopted from China.  Same age as Jia.  I've been following her incredible journey for years. Cancer sucks.  I can't imagine how broken her Mama is right now.  I wanted a miracle for them so badly.  

We have so much to be grateful for in our own lives.  

Brought to you by the Letter N

So this happened today!  Yay Fei.  Super exciting.  FREEDOM!  Another life altering moment.

Thanks Adrien for your help.  Anyone need a driving instructor?  We recommend Summit.

Walter wanted to congratulate her too.  

Sasha's Bath

She was trying to climb out the whole time.

Awe.  She's shaking uncontrollably. Poor wee thing. Too cold after her bath.

Rolling and shaking with her best friend Millie.

Looking all spiffy.  Need to get a picture when she is totally dry...she gets super fluffy.

CNY put away.

We made a list of the MANY things we need to get done. Then the things we wanted to do and finally what HAD to be done.  It was decided we had to put CNY away.  Then during the night I was awake a couple times totally obsessing the fire pit in our new house.  Which was nuts.  If we ever move and there is a fire pit and it's fire damaged ...we'll replace the bricks and put in propane.  Problem solving problems we don't even have!  Oy.  Figured that meant I needed to solve a house problem.  Looking for functionality.  In the living room it just never works.  So I was online shopping for solutions again.  Poor Eric.  He just wakes up to me staring at him asking do you want to hear everything going on in my head or just a bit.  Haha.  He never wants the whole story but sometimes he let's me babble like a mad fool and he sifts through it all.  He doesn't want to spend money on things the kids and animals will wreck.  Because they do and he's right.  But I want shiny and new.  He agreed to cleaning and rearranging and he worked for hours with me.  Great progress.  Back to an old format.  Curtains were washed :)  After lunch he agreed to shop with me for a chair or two.  I had one flagged but we went a few places first.  Then went and got the recliner. And it rocks!  Yay.  The joy of a functioning room will be short lived but for today I'm superficially happy.  

Kai actually managed pushing the cart today!  He didn't hit anyone or anything.  He had to back up at one point and he actually turned around and looked then did his beep beeps backing up sound.  He was super proud and really wanted to take the cart to the car but we only had two bags.  

Overalls!! Was feeling pretty cute.  Then the fellow at Roger's asked me if I was enjoying the nice sunny day out with our grandkids.  Sigh.  

Millie and Fei both with glowing eyes.  Freaky.  Millie continues to get more and more comfortable but she still only let's Fei touch her.

Another Acceptance

Another blue envelope, accepting Lili into a BA of Business.  3rd choice.

We tried the Chemainus Lake trail again.  Not suitable to the chair.  Luk did the walk but he was seriously hurting after.  It was good to get out and meet friends.  We did curry after which made up for the hilly walk ;)

Mostly a dark forest trail with little gem spots throughout.

Why yes it did make me nervous to have Kai so close to the edge with a rail with gaps big enough for him to get through.  It was a relief to get off the dock. I didn't want to have to jump in the cold water, it would have meant no curry. 

Fei's 17th Birthday

We started the day with brunch at the Malahat Chalet.  Super yummy and worth the drive!

Home to find Miss Sasha's first destruction. The pillow is a bit flat now.  Can't imagine how hard she had to have been working to pull all that stuffing out.  Too funny.

An afternoon matinee to see Sonic where we found friends!  So that was fun.  Fun to see Ladysmith and our valley in the movie.  I loved playing Sonic on the old Sega console so I'm fond of him.  Plus Jim Carey is always funny and good for some laughs.

Then Eric went home with the littles and a couple of Jia's friends while Fei, Lili and I went to get Hanna for a dinner out.

The Cow Cafe.  These girls were a lot of fun.  Super grateful to get this time with them.  

Finally back home.  Girls watched a movie and had icecream cake.  Really was a full day celebration!

Lili's first University Acceptance

It's too early to hear about the nursing course, 1st choice at VIU.  That will be May.  2nd choice is a BA of Science at VIU.  She just got a letter yesterday for second choice.  So that's somewhat exciting.  I thought she might view nursing course in Victoria as second choice but it's looking like the Nanaimo campus is more appealing overall.  ?  We're just along for the ride and trying to keep up.  

Celebrating Kai's Metcha Day

Four years ago we met our Kai for the first time.  It was a whirlwind adoption.  He keeps us on our toes and teaches us so much about patience, acceptance and expectations.  We adore our little boy and are so glad he found his way to us.

Every year when  it's time to pick out dinner he requests Cheerios. Fei told me not to lead him.  The other kids find cereal for dinner annoying.  Eric and I think it's adorable and we're totally thrilled to let him have his way.  I prefer it to the McDonalds Jia picks every year.  Anyways...this year I told him it was his metcha and his turn to pick dinner.  He shouted "yay" and "OUT".  Then it sounded like Sammy's.  I though maybe Wendy's but he tried again and it sounded more like sandwich so I guessed Subway and he was super delighted that I got it.  He wants a veggie sandwich from Subway!  

First glimpse.  So cute.

Our first family photo.  He was placed in our home two days later.  

This was two weeks after placement.  Can't believe how fast time is going by.  He was so little.

It was all that he dreamed.  

The Pandemic

We went to Victoria for the FCC Lunar New Year lunch.  At one of our favorite places, Purple Garden.  However, when we arrived there they were closed.  Self quarantined because some staff have been in China.  Good on them but couldn't they have called the reservations?!  As a group we went down the road to the first Asian restaurant that would take us.  It was a tad scary.  Way too authentic for us.  Dusty and trashed furniture. Spicy, frog's, pigs blood soup, tripe etc.  I panicked and was wishing for an escape to McDonald's.  I finally calmed down and we ordered best we could, the menu had extremely limited English.  In the end the food was fabulous and I want to go back.  Haha.  

Yesterday we heard there were 47 kids with the flu missing school and there was a special cleaning crew coming in to disinfect the school.  Eric is a pretty major germaphobe so the littles are home today.  Jia did have a sore throat last night.  Boys are thrilled to have another day off.  Jia was still sleeping when I left, I imagine she's equally thrilled to get to stay home.  

These two were sooo thrilled we found the missing travel lego.  It was in the moho.  

Should have taken pictures of the food ;)

After lunch we went mall shopping with Debbie and girls.  Mostly to hang out but with the hope Fei and I would find grad shoes for Lili.  

Asia wouldn't show her face so I kicked her out.  

These cuties were happy to pose for me ;)

These cuties posed happily too.  

Fei is close in size.  I was texting pictures to Lili for approval.  We looked at thousands of shoes.  Limited on how many come in tiny sizes.  The girls are size 4 but can manage a 5.  We were pretty excited to find a 4, velvet, comfortable and fitting all of our parameters and Lili approved them and they were only $45.  She likes them and they fit.  Phew.  Fei is learning for next year and is scouting out shoes already.  Haha.

This crew is waiting.  For what?  Something unexpected.

Miss Fei mentioned casually that ear piercing was free at Claire's.  So I saw a slight glimmer of hope there and swooped her in the store.  Asked questions and did paperwork and got her watching others get their ears done.  She was freaking but held her spot in line.  I figured we were 50/50 on her going through with it.

I was still pretty sure she was going to bolt.

Blue dots approved.

Asia was a great friend, very supportive and even held her hand.  

One done!

Two done!

Of course, not free, you have to pay for the earrings.  My sweetie picked diamonds in white gold.  Because...of course she did.  Love it.  Happy early Birthday Fei.  Her 17th Bday is next Saturday.  

Sasha's New Dress

I wanted Fei to look up.

Fei looked up but Esmei joined.

My pretty girls.

Fei got treats for the girls and the boys came running.

We took a bunch of pictures but if anyone moves it's a blur.  Treats were handed out and then Fei would stand back and shake the container and they would look up.

This one is my favorite.  A treat dropped to the floor.  Isabel got it.

Oh Oliver.

Just about...Esmei lost interest.

Love it.

This was likely the best one.  Jenny had joined but we were too afraid to put her up there.  She just got treats.  Millie was hovering in the staircase, she got treats too.  

All while Eric was making dinner and we were in a rush to get the girls out the door to piano.  But when a new doggie dress arrives in the mail it needs to be tried on.  Haha.