Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

We celebrated the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in the back yard under the moon. We had meant to get to the Asian Market to get some mooncakes, but since that didn't happen, we substituted Moon Pies!
We talked about all of the people in Micah's life who look at the same moon. Micah's grandparents, aunts and uncles and friends here in the states look at the same moon, but so do his birthmother, foster mother and his friends from his time at the orphanage and foster care. We can take moments like this to feel close to all of them.
I'm not sure how much of it Micah understood, but he did understand eating sweets outside in the dark. That was fun!

All Good Things

We spent one day in Downtown Disney, basically Disney's take on a shopping mall. But of course, being Disney it was a magical shopping mall.
Micah had an awesome time looking at all the Mickey stuff and visiting the huge toy store.
Once again, Micah crashed out in the stroller, allowing Mama and Baba a chance to enjoy their own Mickey ice cream sandwiches.
After nap, Micah visited a huge Lego store. Can you believe this sea serpent is made totally of Legos?
Just hanging on a bench.
I love this picture of my two guys.They say that all good things must come to an end, and so did our Florida vacation. We bid adieu to Mickey, or rather so long for now, cuz I hope we'll be back!

I promise. This is the last Disney post!!!!

It's a Pic-a-nic, BooBoo!

I don't know how many of you reside near the Southside of Atlanta, but if you do, please consider joining us for a Third Friday picnic and playdate. It will be tomorrow, September 19 at 6:00 or so at Blue Smoke Park in Peachtree City. Bring a picnic dinner if you want and I'll have cookies and drinks. Leave me a comment if you need directions.

Guest Photographers

Sometimes Mama and Baba need a break from always being behind the camera. So for today's post, we have two up and coming guest photographers.

First we feature the very talented Micah. I'll let him describe his photographs.Self portrait.
Here's my mama. It's hard to get her to hold still for a picture.
A photo of our lovely hotel room in Orlando.

Our next guest photographer is the lovely Lainey. I'll also ask her to explain the inspiration for these photos.
Guys dig chicks in pink convertibles.
Here's a picture of my mommy. Isn't she pretty?

Pictures are genuine works by Micah and Lainey. Copyright 2008

Unexpected Moments on our Roadtrip

This was our first road trip with our little guy. We weren't sure what to expect as Micah's previous longest road trip was about an hour. He was a trooper in the car. We bungee'd the portable DVD player to the back of the seat and he happily watched Elmo and Veggie Tale DVDs through much of the trip. He only got fussy when he got hot and sweaty so we kept the AC cranked most of the way. So much for gas mileage!

We had a surprise when we walked into the hotel room. Micah melted down into a screaming fit. I don't know if it reminded him of China (the last time we stayed in a hotel) or if he was disappointed that Mickey wasn't there waiting for him. But we employed the principle of redirection that worked so well in China and soon he was happily riding the luggage rack to the lobby. After dinner in the hotel restaurant and a dip in the pool, we were able to complete our evening routine and go to sleep without even a whine.
One of Micah's favorite games from our time in Guangzhou was playing in the sheers. He was excited to find that this hotel room came with sheers, too!
Peek-a-boo!
Another unexpected thrill was the shuttle bus ride to Disney. The hotel where we stayed offered a complimentary shuttle, so mama and baba were all over that! Micah, however, was fired up to ride a real bus! Our poor driver had to listen to every verse of The Wheels on the Bus all the way to the Magic Kingdom. You'll notice that at least half the time we ask Micah to smile for a picture, we get the fingers in the cheeks pose. It's a start!

Magic Kingdom

Of course, we had to visit Micky Mouse at his house. Micah just loves "Icky House" as he calls Mickey. We had a fantastic day. I'll tell the story in pictures.
It was hot, hot hot! It was amazing to have our forever family together at the happiest place on earth.
We watched the show at Cinderella's Castle. Micah was so excited. Mickey himself was there along with Minnie, Goofy and Donald.
After a visit to Small World, we found the carousel.
Our boy loves the carousel. He rode it over and over.
We took a break to have some Mickey ice cream sandwiches and goldfish.
Hangin' at Mickey's house.
Magic Kingdom is already decorated for Halloween.
Micah was so tuckered out, he crashed in the stroller.
Mama and Baba decided to have a snack while the little guy was sleeping. We went to the nearest eatery to find a very limited menu: Turkey legs, pretzels and chips? What's up with that?
Oh well, the pretzels and frozen cherry drinks were refreshing!
We enjoyed every minute of our day. Micah was an excited little guy and rode many, many rides, including Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan and his favorite, "Mouse!" (The Mad Hatter's teacups where the mouse pops out of the teapot in the center.)
At the end of the day we took the boat back so we had a relaxing time to say goodbye to Mickey's house. Truly a magical day.

Sea World

One of our favorite stops was a visit to Sea World. Micah enjoyed watching the many kinds of fish and sea life. Sea World has a policy where military service members and their families can go to the park for free. I want to thank Sea World for extending this offer. It was much appreciated and enjoyed. What a treat!
Mama's favorite stop was where you could pet the dolphins. I probably could have stayed here all day.
This guy was really friendly!
Micah's favorite was the Shamu show. He clapped and yelled along, "Shamu, Shamu!" He just couldn't take his eyes off that big whale.

Of course the show was outstanding.
Micah had never been on an amusement park ride, so we started off easy on the fish carousel. Here he is riding some sea creature that I've never seen before!
He then branched out to the spinning cup ride. All he had to say was, "more - more!"

Going to see the ocean

While in Florida, we took a trip to see the ocean. Tropical storm Hanna was making her way up the coast about 100 miles from shore. The waves were just spectacular. Micah was a little worried about the wind and the waves, but Mama went wading in the surf.
Amazing surf....

Handsful

Not the face you were expecting to see here?

Sorry for falling off the face of the planet again, but we were able to take a little vacation to Florida. Our first stop was a visit with our friends Randy and Donna from Handsful. We met them in China as they were adopted Lainey at the same time we were adopting Micah. In China, our families found an instant connection, like seeing someone you know very well, but haven't seen in a while. So last week, we had an awesome time visiting with Randy, Donna and their five kids. It was great to see how Lainey has blossomed. She is so adorable and full of personality. And meeting the older kids was a blessing. What super human beings these folks are raising.

Micah had a blast playing with all the children. Peyton has a special gift for little ones. He played patiently and enthusiastically with Micah. But Marley was definitely Micah's favorite.
Who says real men don't drive pink cars? Giving Peyton a lift....
Recreating a special photo from China. No Micah, say cheese, don't sign cheese!
Trying to get a shot of the two cuties together. Lainey gave it a valiant effort, chasing Micah up, down and all around the steps.
Sitting still for just a moment.
All the kids in the obligatory photo on the stairs. Hands full or Heart full? (Notice who Micah picked to sit with!)Thank you for your hospitality and continued friendship. You guys rock!