Summer in Vermont

Vermont is one of those places, well the only place really, that I yearn to return to in the summertime.  I love the smell of the fields and farms, the sights of all of the beautiful flowers~both wild and planned, the feel of the air~ crisp in the evenings and almost heavy and hazy though the day.   I dream of the winding country roads with breathtaking views, the crystal clear lakes and the green lush cornfields.  Even ice cream tastes better when your eating it on the side of the road at a little shack smelling of grilled cheeses and fries!  I count down the minutes until we fly into Burlington and I'm always so amazed at just how quickly the time spent there goes by.  The kids and I stayed for almost 2 weeks and Adam came for a few days in the middle and drove up for our last few days which was really nice!

Last year we missed our VT trip because we were hoping to travel elsewhere (Ummmmm...maybe a place called Taiwan) so going home this year was even more of a treat!  Of course we go every winter...but it's just not the same as summertime!  So below are some of the photos I took on our trip in VT.

One of those ice cream days!  Sammy and Simone were just in heaven with the grandparents!   I love the smiles on the kids....

Sure there's a lake at the bottom of the property..but some days the kiddie pool is just easier!  Both kids spent many hours in it and around it!

And since you don't hunt shells on a lake Simone decided to go pretty rock collecting!  Of course she put Grammie to work as well...

And Sammy just loved my parents and was such a happy guy on the trip!  All of these new smiles and this happy disposition we've been seeing emerge was just magnified up there!  It's been so amazing to see...and   it hasn't left.  He has become this joyful little fellow whose obviously at ease within his family!  And he LOVED his Poppa!

Oh ....pretty girl in motion!

Another on of ice cream time!  Sammy did not share his cone with me.  At all.  Ate the whole thing himself and made one big mess doing it!  But hey, that's just part of summer!

Me and my Dad!  Love ya....

Oh yes...wouldn't share a bite with me but made sure Grammie had plenty to eat! Both kids loved to picnic at the lake and it became quite a nice habit!  Sure the birds and bugs got fed well too....

We call this one "oops".  Sammy just wanted a cupcake and Mama took too long to get him one so he had to take matters into his own hands.  I kept hearing a muffled (by cupcake) voice saying  "uh oh, uh oh".  Hmmmm, uh oh indeed!

Gosh he is growing too fast!  He almost looks like a little boy here, not like a baby!

Oh but what a cutie pie he is....

And this is called "cousin bliss".   I mentioned before that my bro came for a few days during our visit and my niece and both Simone & Sammy had a blast with her!  What great memories.....

Aren't they so cute...Sammy Wei had to be in the middle of it all and the girls were very gracious (most of the time) with including him.

And Sammy got a loaner vehicle from one of my friends for the week.  He wore the batteries out but had so much fun riding around!

And the three amigos!

Two lovely girls!  I love this photo of the girls and plan on framing it for Simone's room! 

We went to a street fair in Newport together and while a small scale event the kids all had a great time and we sampled some great Vermont fare! We even got a glimpse of a "green blender"....a blender was hooked to a stationary bike and to make your smoothie you peddled, fast. I was too late with the camera but it was funny to see!

And of course the spoiled pooches came along when Adam drove up.  Think they are used to traveling? Hit the highway and out they go!   As you can see Emma (the white one) is feeling all better!  What a relief for us and I think the trip did her some good too!

So there you have some of my photos from VT.  Of course I took a ton but tried to post just a few.

 

And after we left my parents house we went to visit with Adam's family in New Hampshire for a week!

We had a great time there and as soon as time allows!

J

Going home

What defines home? 
Is it where you grew up?  Where you came to after a school day, had friends for sleepovers, did your chores....where you spent your childhood dreaming of the day you would finally move out of to build your own home?
Is it the place you put your groceries on Sunday, rush back to after a long day at work, raise your own children and store your stuff: your furniture, your shoes, your new dreams for the future?

Could it be a bit of both?
Going home to the place you grew up - the home that really doesn't belong to you on paper...but does in the depths of your memories- is still going home.  Right?

Well I just returned from "going home".  And let me say...going home this summer to the house that I grew up in has been such an amazing experience.
                                                                                                   
To be sleeping under the roof I slept under for all those years of my childhood, but to now be doing it with my own two children with me...
To drive by familiar landmarks- houses I spent time in with friends, stores I've visited over the years, the lake I spent all of my summer days...and many of my winter- to see all that has changed and all that has stayed the same....
To see my parents interact with my children and the joy that was felt by all of them.   Even when somebody was being "the destructor"....
To be in the place that shaped me in my childhood and to see it through the eyes of my children.  And to imagine how it may shape them as well, for summers in the Northeast Kingdom are such a treat....

And to catch up with old pals and make some new ones....

Now anybody who knows me knows that...well I certainly don't know many strangers.  I have no problem going places alone with the kids because I usually run into somebody I know or make friends with somebody I haven't met before.  And this was true in Vermont.

I met many interesting folks including an adult adoptee (the 1st Asian adoptee in Vermont in fact) and his lovely family.  It was a great meeting and we spoke in depth (well as much depth as we could muster in McD's with our kids running around) about growing up adopted, being a minority within community~ even within your own family and he gave me some tips on what he would have liked to have had different growing up.  He was a remarkable young man and I was inspired by him and glad for his kindness and for sharing his experiences.

We met another family vacationing there as well with a 10 year old from Hunan.  It amazes me how the girls immediately got to know one another and happily played in the grass with their newly acquired Japanese erasers for almost an hour, like they had been best friends for years!  It was fun for us adults to compare stories and compare issues that relate to raising our children.  The girls exchanged email addresses and we hope to keep in touch!

I had the pleasure of meeting a birth mother who easily told me her story of choosing to make a plan for her daughter, 40 years ago, and the emotions that went into such a huge decision.  She also told me the story of being reunited a few years ago and how she is so certain that the decision she made was in fact the best for all.  She loves the family that adopted that baby and they have a mutual respect for one another.  It's so rare to ever hear such an honest account from "the other side" of adoption and for me, as an adult adoptee, it was very refreshing and almost therapeutic. 

I also met people just because we had children.  It's always nice to chat with other parents and watch the children~ strangers moments before~ building a sand castle or playing some game of make believe.  And it's always interesting to hear their stories, because we all have our own stories right.  And as I said...I don't know many strangers and stories seem to flow once folks ask me a question or two about my kiddos.

And of course I met up with or ran into people from my childhood, some alone and some with their own children in tow.  How amazing to hang out with people I played dolls with or swam in the lake each summer with...now with families, homes and careers of their own!  To hear somebody tentatively say "Jenn...is that you?"  and then to put the face and voice with the person was very fun. And then to reminisce about our pasts....

But most of all- to have almost two weeks with my parents and let them enjoy their grandkids was fabulous!  And as a bonus my big brother and his family joined us for the last weekend there.  So on top of all the other great things about going home was that I got a few days with them!  The girls caught right up and played like crazy and Sammy just so enjoyed being amongst all the people and activities!  These are the times they will remember as they grow and to share in that was so awesome! 
And spending time with my parents and brother again...well it was almost like old times.  I could almost feel the 70's creeping around the corner and asking me to put on some hand-me-down plaid bell bottoms and our favorite Neil Diamond record on the player!  

So going home, whether I call the place by that name all the time or just when I return there, was truly a gift.
Photos to come...there were so many taken it'll be hard to choose my favorites...but I will try!
J 

My kind of 4th

Family style that is.  That's how we celebrated our 4th of July!

We actually had plans to travel to visit some great friends in St. Louis---but Emma (our Jack Russell) got a bit sick (bacterial infection...real nasty) and we had vet appointments and meds to give her and we just felt we couldn't be 8 hours away if something should happen.

So my dear hubby surprised me last Saturday morning with a trip to Chattanooga...an hour and 1/2 drive away. What a great treat and fun time!  It was our first real "family" vacation...just the four of us...and it was an awesome time to reinforce the family bonds we've established.  It was a time for the kids to really play and learn to almost work together and a chance for Adam and I to enjoy the kids in a easy atmosphere.  Yep...my kind of 4th!

So being the first time we'd visited this city we decided to do some exploring!

Sadly the only way I can get the two of them together in a photo is if I confine Sammy in his stroller....

We were on our way to the Aquarium.  What a fantastic place and one I would love to visit again!

Awww...love this one!

And we call him "the boy with no fear".  He was ready to dive in and play with the stingrays!

You can always tell when it is nearing lunchtime with these two...look at those  faces!

Sammy is ready to eat his fingers...

But Simone tried to give a good smile...pretty girl!

So what could I do...?  I had no food so I stored them in a cage until I could find some fresh fish to satisfy them!

I love that they all climbed in this tube inside the starfish/crab exhibit!  Simone went in without a backword glance and Sammy just crawled on in after her!  I sent Adam to make sure it was safe for the little one, and I snagged this photo.  The kids played on inside there for 15 or so minutes just laughing and giggling.

The tanks were just incredible, filled with fish, sharks, rays and turtles.

I would've sworn we'd brought some live fish back with us as my two kiddos barely saw dry land whenever we were back at the hotel!  They just loved the pool!

Look at her swimming without her floaties.  And trying so hard to keep her face dry!

We also visited the Chattanooga Choo Choo and took a trolley ride!  Simone was very excited and insisted she sit on a seat all by herself...being that she's such a big girl now and all!

Sammy really was equally excited but he skipped his afternoon nap and just couldn't keep his eyes open.  The movement of the trolley didn't help much I suppose! 

But he woke up in time to see the trains and I'm glad because he really liked them!

So although we missed seeing our friends (umm...I didn't miss that 8 hour road trip...just saying) we had a fabulous time together.  Yep, my kind of 4th!

J

Hula girl

Isn't it great when they teach themselves something new!  This is what Simone did last week....

And Sammy naturally had to try to be just like jie jie!

Never a dull moment in these parts....

J

Summer days....

Oh yes...summer days.  For us summertime is almost half over, as Simone starts school in August, and we seem to be finally getting into our groove.  We keep busy during the day with lots of activities and both the kids and I sleep pretty well at night.  We've even taken to sleeping in some days until 7:30 or so...once or twice until 8!

So here's a bit of last week, starting with a trip to the zoo on a day that was a bit cooler than we'd seen for a while!

We decided to watch the bird show, something Simone and I have seen a few times but a first for Sammy Wei.  He was not too sure why we were just sitting on logs at the zoo.  I mean it was lunch time and all....

Simone on the other hand was very excited to see the birds in motion!

Look at that face...full of anticipation at the owl swooping, the parrot talking...

And then there is this face...he was not too happy about this.  I could hear his brain saying "lunch? lunch?  hungry here"  But once the birds came out he warmed a bit.  But he was still hungry.

Oh to be just a foot taller, then I could climb like Simone!

Poor boy wants to be right where his sis is but is just a tad too short still! Simone did help him up on the ledge so he could look out at the gorillas with her! Sweet girl...

And Sammy follows his sis wherever she goes!  If she thinks something cool is in the cage then he does as well!

Well.....almost always.  He spotted this jeep from quite a distance and bee-lined to it while Simone looked at the giraffes.  He was all about "driving" it and making Brrrrrroooommm noises!

Simone decided to join him for a quick spin.    She's so silly, I just love her expression here...

Our zoo has a really cool exhibit called "Wee Zoo" and it's an indoor play area with all sorts of hands on places.  There's a vet clinic, an area where you make the right foods for the animals, some live chicks and bunnies and lot's more!  Below is one of Simone's favorite areas...the pizza shop.  Full of "Melissa &Doug" pizza's and ice cream - plus a cash register, oven and fridge.  She had a blast! 

Sammy liked all of the cars and tractors that are housed in the exhibit, and Simone was always close by him making sure he was safe!

See my girl up in the chicken coop!  This is actually a big ramp behind the walls, sort of like a box, leading up to this window and one leading down.  After watching Simone do it Sammy just had to go as well.  Needless to say...Mama got to enjoy the close quarters of the tunnel too.  We had the pleasure of going through not once...or twice..but three times.  Oh well, the kids enjoyed it!

And Sammy found a table with a tractor.  He got to say bbbrooomgh while pushing it on any surface he could reach!

And what marks the passage into summer more than berry picking?  This time we had Sammy to bring along.  We went last year on the same holiday weekend, with me feeling the guilt of doing a family event while one member was still so far away.  The feelings of happiness of having all of us here...well it's sort of indescribable!   And sometimes I like to hang back a bit and watch my family in action.  This is what it looks like- smiles here and cuddles there....

Yet...sometimes I have to stop them to catch a glimpse of the happiness on their faces!

Sammy didn't pick too many berries, mostly just ran up and down the rows!

Taking a break in the shade.  Who's idea was it to go in the heat of the afternoon?  Oh...mine huh! 

Sammy found a nice cart to practice his driving skills on.

And the berry picking is on a farm with the cutest brown cows.  Both kids loved seeing them and I did too! 

 

Summer days... I couldn't ask for anything more!

J

Racing Day

Dragon Boat Racing Day that is!

We have our races in June here and each year it seems to grow larger and have more rowers!  Our FCC (Families with Children from China) Chapter has a craft booth that is a huge hit every year.  Our president is also in charge of the crafts and I have to say- she had some fantastic crafts this year!  Sammy and I volunteered to "man the booth" for an hour.  Adam and Simone spent the weekend in Atlanta, so it was just the two of us!

And Sammy had a great time hanging out but kept looking around for his big sis!

Once we finished at the booth we headed for the lake to cool off!  Sammy just loves the water and has little to no fear of splashing and rolling around!

We stayed for a couple of races.  I really love the feeling in the air as each race starts- all of the cheering and the excitement...the drums beating, the rowers yelling encouragement to each other, the thrill of a close race -and then the slower and solemn drum beat bringing the boats back in.

And before we left we headed back to the FCC booth so Sammy could take a spin in the child size Dragon Boat.  He climbed right in like he's been racing all his life!  No fear of the other kids in it already, he just plopped himself right in!

He waited with great patience for his turn on the drum.

  And then at last...he was in charge!  He had so much fun banging that drum and really seemed to understand what he was doing there!  But when another child declared it was her turn he cheerfully handed the sticks over to her and held his arms out to Mama to get down!  What a guy!

When we got home it was time to work on the garden.  Sammy made sure to water well... (so he's watering the only area without anything green in it...he's trying!)

And silly boy that he is --- he turned the hose on me, laughing all the while!

And just to show you what a handful he is....

This is how I found him after leaving the room for probably 20 seconds!  He climbed up onto the couch and then onto the table to get his paws on the TV remote.  And he got the TV turned on!

   

The following day we met up with our other family members at our pal's pool.  Here's a picture of my girl...swimming without her floaties on.  But since she was doing canon balls into the pool she decided to just hold on to them.  Silly girl!

It was a fun weekend for me with my little fellow!  But I sure missed my sweet girl and hubby and I think I speak for both Sammy and myself when I say we were glad to have them both home!  The week since has been busy and I should have more photos to post soon.  If these two dumplings give me a chance to get on the computer that is...

Happy Fourth of July...and God Bless America!

J