Day at the Zoo

We're on staycation this week, and yesterday we visited the Kansas City Zoo. Lillian took her camera and got some good shots (the first two of the gibbon and the tortoises are hers; she likes taking frames with preset borders). We're going to Worlds of Fun tomorrow.

If You Like CNY, Who Says it Has to End?

On Saturday, the Bruffetts went to our adoption agency's annual family get-together honoring the Chinese New Year. It traditionally comes well after the Spring Festival is over, and this year's gathering was a little later than usual, but Lillian was very happy to get to wear her CNY outfit again. She participated in a kung fu demonstration and was in a modified dragon dance. A Kansas City, Mo., restaurant, Kin Lin, again provided the food, this time free of charge. The money raised at the event was therefore able to be contributed to Holt's special needs adoption fund.

Lillian's Photoblog, 3rd Edition

Lillian has been taking photos every few days. One of these Mommy took (Lillian wanted to put it on the internet anyway), but the rest are hers.

Chinese New Year's Eve

We had a family Chinese New Year's Eve dinner tonight, celebrating with dumplings, steamed buns and tea leaf eggs. The dumplings and buns were store-bought, but Lillian helped prepare them by arranging them in the steamer. The tea leaf eggs were an experiment Kari tried that turned out pretty well. I used a variation of this recipe. One key is to use black soy sauce (laochau) as well as the more commonly available soy sauce you can find in typical grocery stores. The black soy sauce is generally only available at Asian grocers that have a large Chinese import section. The Korean grocer closest to us doesn't carry it, but one in Overland Park does.

Lillian wore a new dress -- one we'd actually bought in China last year but saved for CNY this year. She also received a traditional red envelope with money (in her case, coins for her piggy bank) and a small Chinese fan.

Gotcha Day

Can't believe it's been one year since we met Lillian in person! Yesterday was the anniversary of the day we met; today is the anniversary of her adoption. What a year it's been!

Lillian's "portraits"

Here are more of Lillian's photos from last week. She and Grandpa had fun photographing each other!

Slumber Party!

Lillian had a sleepover at Lauren and Jaylen's house last night. Then, in the morning, she celebrated the Austin family Christmas with Grandpa, Grammie, Aunt Megan, Uncle Rich, Uncle Adam, Aunt Victoria, Mommy, Daddy, and her two first cousins. (Uncle Adam got the tickle treatment, as pictured here!)

We have one more extended family gathering next weekend -- Lillian is going to think that Christmas never ends around here!

Lillian's photo blog Day 2

Lillian's photo blog

Lillian's main Christmas present today was her Vtech camera. Once she figured out which way to point the camera (not at her eyes), she got some good shots.

Merry Christmas!

First Christmas together

We are really enjoying our first Christmas with Lillian. She has taken immediately to decorations, outdoor lighting displays, Christmas music, present-wrapping, and the various TV specials of the season, particularly versions of the Nutcracker ballet, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Rudolph is a lifelong favorite of Mommy's too, but Daddy has always thought it was too sad for little kids. He's probably right, but Lillian and Mommy love it anyway. We even made a display of various Rudolph characters on the landing, including the scary Abominable Snow Monster.

Lillian loves to say "Christmas lights," which she pronounces with accentuation of every syllable: "Oh, look, Mommy! Christ-Mas-Light!" She also knows whose birth Christmas celebrates and expects to put coins in the Salvation Army bucket in front of every store so she can "share."

We are so blessed.