This week has been pleasantly non-busy. We have simply relaxed and enjoyed ourselves doing various activities with the kids. Jenna seems to be blending into the family fairly smoothly and she is so kind to her siblings. We look forward to New Year's Eve tonight - celebrating the year we brought our daughter home and the year in which she will blossom into her forever family.
Posted are pics of our fun - the one on the trampoline, I like to call "airborne." What happens is the kids get in the middle of the trampoline and then beg Kyle to jump. When he does, they go flying through the air. Jenna did not have any problem joining this long-held family game! We visited the beach on Dec. 30 so Jenna could get her 1st look at the Atlantic, and lastly is Jenna on the drums. Uh -oh! I'm in trouble :)

The kids' 1st Christmas picture together!

We had a great 1st Christmas with Jenna! She was so excited the night before that she could not fall asleep. It seems that all she was expecting was gifts in her stocking. When she saw the room filled with gifts, her eyes got huge and she said, "Big!" It was so cute. We had a wonderful day! Each year after we open gifts, we have a silly string war outside. She sure didn't have any problem picking up on this family tradition and getting in on the fun! At night, when she said her prayers, I caught the words "Christmas" and "Very happy." It was a good day! Oh, and BTW, we usually have an elegant dinner Christmas night, using china and all. This year, we had Chinese take-out! She said it was okay. lol :)
Posted are picks of Jenna's 1st Christmas ever.

The last several days have gone really well. We have done quiet activities here at home, gone to the wildlife refuge, taken Christmas lights drives, and baked cookies, which if you know me, is definitely a feat worth mentioning! I am not gifted in that area - that is why Nestle ready dough is perfect for us. I figure I can still call them homemade since I made them at home. lol.
Anyway, Jenna is doing great; she went out shopping yesterday and picked a special gift for each member of the family. She was so thoughtful in each gift she chose.
Today she has been organizing my 6 year old's room. With her around, maybe my home will start to look like the home I've always dreamed of!~ lol.
We are looking forward to tomorrow and hoping Christmas morning will not be too overwhelming for her. She is used to opening gifts privately.
One thing I discovered last night is that she is able to read English somewhat. She has been taught to sound out the sounds and use phonics, which is good. She does not seem to want to use English very much, but we are pushing her a little. She is a quick learner!
I'm glad that all of the children get on well together and can have this Christmas with one another. Merry Christmas to all!

Jenna had a really good day. She woke up at 3:30 am and was ready to go! She started sweeping under her bed and dressers (Huh? Is this for real?!?) at 4:00. Of course, I was up, as well, and she helped me cook breakfast. She spent the day playing with her new siblings and helping me cook each meal. After dinner, we went for a drive to look at Christmas lights so she could see how pretty they are - she was asleep in 5 minutes~! Oh well, maybe next time :) She had a wonderful day and we are transitioning well. Please pray that it keeps up :)
Posted are pics of her playing a game with Kyle and our 1st family photo together (in our yard).

Our 1st two days home with Jenna have been uneventful and quiet. We are just trying to allow her to get used to us and our home. She stayed in her room most of the 1st day and then fell asleep. She awoke around 3 am Monday morning and had dinner - heated-up pizza and milk. Monday was much better than we had expected since it was her 1st real day here. She climbed our tree and picked oranges (two times!), played with her siblings, watched TV (I know - that's difficult!), jumped on the trampoline, played on the swing set, swung on the porch swing, tried on all her new clothes, organized all her belongings, got a lesson in speaking English, and went on family drive. Not too much for her 1st day, huh? She is a trooper! She did not want to go to bed, but got in anyway. She has been sleeping all night. I, on the other hand, have been up all night. Nice.
In any case, we are expecting ups and downs, but we are so pleased with today's progress. She really is a very sweet and brave little girl! Posted are pics of Monday's activities.
Patty

We are home!!!! AND it feels good! Let me catch everyone up on our last days in Taiwan, though. Friday, we spent part of the day packing. We thought this would be upsetting for Jenna, but she was excited and running around and helping us organize. It turned out to be great!
Saturday, though, was difficult as she realized that this was it! Her last day "home." She detatched herself from us and cried some. On the flight home, she was pretty cranky, but who wouldn't be if she was leaving her home, her country, her family, her friends, flying for the 1st time, going to live with strangers in a foreign country, and so on. Considering all the changes she had and will faced, we are surprised she didn't have any major meltdowns! She is even polite in her grief. Whenever I offer her a kleenex or water or anything, she says thank you.
Posted are some pics of our last day - hanging out in the hotel, the Grand Hotel (we had to see it because it has secret tunnels underneath that the president used and it is incredibly beautiful), the Presidential Palace, and a very tired Jenna in front of the palace.

Thanks Jackie :) For those interested, the funky white fruit is dragon fruit. We finally gave it a shot - tastes really good!
Yesterday was really uneventful as we stayed in due to rain (it has been raining straight for 3 days) and packed our bags and hung out. She had learned poker so we could all play together - Erick and I don't know how to play poker. Oh well! She taught us some other card games that were fun and we had a nice time.
We thought she would have a really hard time packing, but she actually acted very excited and helped with everything. We are worried that today may get hard because we will be leaving at midnight. We're just praying that it will be a smooth day for all of us! Posted are various pics of our week.

Yesterday we stayed at the hotel again, mostly :) Erick went to an electronics store (everything is MUCH less expensive here and got some things for Jenna in Chinese. We also went shopping in one of the stores under our hotel. Jenna wakes up each morning a little unsure of things. By mid-morning, though, she is fine. As we walked up to our room after lunch, she was singing and walking in a playful manner. Once we were in the room, she ran around for a moment, saying, "Happy, happy, happy!" I think she is pretty happy. I AM worried about Saturday (the day we leave) as she will probably realize that this is it. She's leaving the only home she has ever known. However, I'm just counting our blessings as they happen now.
She is definitely a techi! Like Kyle and Ricky and Erick! She is as smart as a whip too! Where did that expression come from? She absolutely loved watching the movies Erick got her. She is so fun to watch - she gets really into the movie. Her expressions change with each scene. As described in international adoption books, she is eating way too much. You can tell she has never had so many choices. This is normal and will wear off, they say. Notice on her plate the funky white fruit. Jackie, what is that? She loves it. Notice in the store picture her little tummy poking out :)
She is just wonderful! Words that come to mind when I think of her are - spunky, full of life, expressive, caring, considerate, thankful, determined, smart, quick, detailed, bubbly, brave, polite, servant-hearted, comical, shy (until she knows you), sweet - pretty much terrific!
Posted are pictures of the very-well known electronics store, Jenna at lunch and in a store, and Taipei 101 at night.

Today we stayed at the hotel. It was nice to have a relaxing day all to ourselves. Erick walked down to AIT and picked up Jenna's visa and then brought lunch back to the room. While he was gone, Jenna and I colored in a Disney princess coloring book. We colored 3 pictures each of Cinderella. As soon as we finished, I was able to surprise her with the movie. She was so excited! She is so animated when watching tv :) It was a great bonding time.
We tried to go swimming in the pool, but it was too cold. She knew this but wanted to swim so badly, she gave it a shot. When we got back we watched Parent Trap - some movies don't need words and this is one of them. She absolutely loved it - especially when the lizard crawled in the mean girl's mouth. She squealed with delight and expressed her disgust with all the grace that a girl should. lol.
All in all, it has been a very nice day. We are even eating in our room this evening and will just relax.
I do have to share a funny story, though. Even though our travel packet said that a fanny pack was the best way to go when traveling, Erick refused to get one. However, that has changed! I can't tell you how many times since we left home that he has said I should have gotten one. He has looked everywhere and finally found one today on his way to AIT, but pointed out that he found it at an outdoorsman's store. lol. Too funny!
Jenna is the cutest thing - she is very expressive and loves talking. She will fit in great with our family!!! She is so easily pleased and is very considerate of everyone around her. We feel so blessed to have found her!

One more neat thing I forgot to share. Last night on the way home from the theme park, Jenna began singing what sounded like a lullaby. Her social worker said that she was singing a Formosan song about a Japanese girl who was an orphan and had had a difficult life. Then she was found by a family who loved her and gave her a home and love. I was awed. I realized that she understood that this was now happening to her in real life and the fact that she was singing about it tells me that she is happy with us. It was a wonderful moment and I will always treasure it :)
Here is a picture of us soaked to the bone from the Rapid Rivers. Too much fun!

We had a wonderful day!!!!! It only took a little over an hour to get Jenna's visa at AIT. As soon as we left, we went to a theme park, which was about an hour out of Taipei. It is call Leefoo Village - it features rides and shows from nations around the world (like Epcot). There were no crowds, though, because it was a week day. It wasn't Disney World, either, but it was fun. Jenna has wanted to go there her whole life and we got to be the ones to take her! It was so worth it to see her big smiles and cute giggles and belly laughs - as is evident in her pictures :) The last ride we rode on was Rapid River. The sign warns that you will get wet. HA! We got drenched - it was so much fun, we laughed the whole long ride!!! Jenna wanted to go again, and this time we got Dad in on the action - fun fun fun!!!
After the wet taxi ride back to the hotel, we ate dinner and are now relaxing in the suite. Sheis watching one of her favorite TV shows - very cute - similar to "Lizzie Mc Guire" or "Raven."
Tomorrow we plan on relaxing at the hotel and swimming. We all need a rest, let me assure!
The day couldn't have been more perfect and I wouldn't change one thing. Anyone adopting older children here - we definitely recommend the theme park. It completely broke down any barriers of shyness and timidity between us.
She is absolutely wonderful - I kid you not. In everything she does, she demonstrates a caring personality and a loving disposition. We are so happy with her :) She has been very happy today and this evening. Yeah!

Okay. It's the middle of the night here (not there) and I am wide awake :)
Jenna is so precious! She is very brave, kind, and servant-hearted. It melts our hearts when she calls us "mother" and "father." She really is extaordinary and yesterday was wonderful! When she grew sad about ther foster mother, I colored a picture of a rainbow. Erick and I and the children were on one side - Jenna was on the other. Under the rainbow, I colored a red heart with arrows pointing from our family to her. I told her that we loved her and that the rainbow was happiness and joy - like her name. She really liked it and then drew a picture of a house. She was in the top window and Erick, I, and the children were in other windows. She said this is home/family and that she was happy. Her love of art and drawing are very apparent. I'm glad I brought so much of it for her to do.
She took a long nap yesterday and is sleeping like a baby now. I will try to get some also :)
I've reposted the photo of Mr. Yeh (Ye-ah). He is very nice!

Wow!!!! Today was an amazing day! We met Jenna, and yes, she likes her name - so Jenna Joy it is. She is wonderful! She is perfect for our family in so many ways and we for her - it was so neat as we talked with her social worker and foster mom. The similarities are abundant :)


She is even cuter in real life than in her pictures we have of her. She is so kind and thoughtful - she says thank you and please for everything. At the orphanage, she got chairs for everyone to sit in ,and when we got back to the hotel, she got our slippers for us to put on. She is adjusting and it will take time, but she says she is happy and seems to be enjoying herself. She is quite the little artist and we have spent much of the day communicating and playing through drawing pictures. She never tires of drawing. We have played several games and she is a whiz at all of them! Tonight has been a little rough as she misses her foster family, but we allowed her to call them, and she has been enjoying the rest of the evening just fine.

Right now she is watching one of her favorite shows - a Korean teenage sitcom :)

Tomorrow we're off to AIT to get her visa and then we will spend the day at a theme park. I will try to post more later, but today has been the realization of a lifelong dream - it was more than mere words can describe. Jenna is everything we hoped she would be - her spirit and personality are just so sweet.

The posts are of our meeting and with Penny and Mr. Yeh (our driver).

Yesterday (Sunday Taiwan time), we had a delicious breakfast here at the Howard Plaza Hotel. After, we walked about 2 blocks to the handicraft/flower/jade markets. Let me just say that, yes, I was definitely in heaven! It seemed like the market went on forever, but let me asure all, I found the end. lol. We had so much fun purchasing wonderful items which will be treasures I'm sure in years to come. Once we left there, we met our driver and his 14 year old son, who accompanied us at our sightseeing places, at the hotel and visited the Chang Kai Shek (sp?) memorial, the National Concert Hall, the National theater, the National Museum of History, toured Taipei, saw Taipei 101 (the tallest building in the world) from a distance, vistited a very local restaurant down a small alley (where we met a local guy who attended Purdue University and has lived in Orlando for 3 years. He is returning on the 21st! Small world, huh?
Once we finished eating, we returned to the markets to make our final purchases - too much fun! We had a leisurely dinner (because we were both falling asleep) at the Howard and then got some ZZZ/s. All in all, it was a wonderful 1st day in Taiwan and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly!
One of the strangest things that I have seen is children walking or riding their small trikes down busy street sidewalks, babies with their faces poking out of car windows with no car seat, or small children being trusted to walk more than a few feet away from their parents. They have gone right back to them though after they see what it is they are interested in.
The people are very friendly and the students here speak very good English, so it has been easy to find help with language, which we are really going to need later today - AFTER WE GET JENNA! This is all so incredible - it seems surreal, let me tell you. I can only imagine what meeting her will be like. Every little girl I saw that looked her age made my eyes mist just thinking that within a very short time I would have a girl "about that age."
I have posted pics of the memorial and other places we went. Our hotel is on a beautiful tree-lined street, btw, and I have posted some pics of the markets and also our hotel lobby. It won't be long now until Jenna can be with us :)