We go Dazhou and eat Hot pot

One of the trips that we had to make soon was to attain a resident visa for Cohen. For some reason, we now have to travel 6 hours by car to go to the city of Dazhou. It is smaller than Chengdu, but it stilled seemed bigger than the city of Houston. We left at about 11:00 am on Sunday and got there at 5:00 pm that night. It was real mountainous. I would of taken pictures but it was so foggy you could barely see a thing. After checked into our hotel, we went out with our driver to try some hot pot. I was hesitant, but Michael said for foreigners they had a middle bowl to the hot pot that is not spicy and the girls and I could eat from there. You guys are probably wondering what hot pot is...well it is basically really spicy hot soup that you cook your food in and then eat it. It is kind of like Fondue but not with cheese. You stick your meat and veggies in with your chopsticks and then get them out and eat when they are done. I loved it, at least the non-spicy kind. The girls had mixed reviews. Chris liked it too, but he ate the spicy one. Attached are some pictures!!

Our walk on old chinese street

Chris had off the day after Christmas so we decided to try out a very old street our driver told us about. It has restaurants and shopping areas. Our driver took us and we had a good time. Our driver name is Michael and he is very nice. He speaks English so he is able to talk for us often. He is not married and is only 26 years old. The girls really like him. Here is a picture of him and the girls and the family on the street. See our photo gallery for more pictures!!

Christmas Day in Chengdu, China

Well we did it!! We had our first major holiday away from family and friends and we had a good time. The girls opened up their gifts. They didn't have all of their gifts because some were on the second shipment, but they are enjoying them. Attached are some pictures of the kids opening gifts. Cohen got some as well and is ready to mow down the girls with his cars!! Later that day we went out and finally had a nice big western hamburger. It was good. No turkey or ham and no homemade stuffing, but we sure did enjoy the burger!! Check out our photo gallery for more pictures!!

What we did for Christmas Eve

For Christmas eve, we gave our driver off so we decided to bundle up and walk somewhere to eat out. I was craving western food (especially a good Hamburger). We decided to walk to the fancy hotel we stayed at this summer. They have some western food places, so off we went. When we got there, they were charging $15/person just to get in, we declined and tried another place and they were charging $100/person so we declined again. We took some neat pictures of a Chinese Santa playing a sacs, the girls in front of a gingerbread house and a Christmas tree. So that part was fun. Please look on our photo gallery to view them all. We finally ended up at High Fly pizza place and they were having a special with all kinds of food. It ended up being really fun and nice and the girls loved the food. We walked back to our home in the cold of the night singing Christmas songs it was so much fun!! We finished the night with the book.."What does God want for Christmas?" and then the girls got to pick onr gift to open. It was a good night.

We had our Christmas eve service at IF!!!

The church we go to is called International Fellowship and it literally is international. The only people not allowed there are the chinese nationals (the government doesn't allow it). Anyway the service was quite crowded and it was held on the Sunday before Christmas. We say Christmas songs in many different languages such as Phillipians, Hindu, Korean, Chinese, English(England version, and English (American). It was neat to hear all the different languages and gave me a glimpse of what Heaven will be like. It was much different than anything I had experience, but I think we all enjoyed it.

We have eat chinese food and enjoy some tea!!

What we like to do on the weekends alot is walk around town and try chinese cuisine and then go to a tea house and have some hot tea. We would like to have tea inside but they are usually smoking so we try it outside. Here are some pictures from the tea house we went to. The girls also like some tea, but I bring hot cocca and they drink that instead. The culture here loves hot tea and they like to sit for hours playing games and drinking tea.

The girls have a manicure for the first time!!

The girls immediately connected with two other girls named Lily(age 6)and Sara(age 8) who are sisters and their dad works with Chris. Anyway, their mother has become one of my friends. She is really nice. She was getting her girls nails done for the holidays and thought it would be fun if we all did it. So we went and got our nails done. Avery had her nails painted red with little white snowflakes on it and Rylan got her nails painted purple with white flowers on it. They had so much fun. They just started to get tired at the end of staying still for so long. Attached is the picture of Avery with her friend Lily and Rylan getting her nails done.

Avery and Rylan already have friends at our apartment complex!!!

Moving here has been difficult to say the least. We have had alot of things to adjust to in our life. The girls really miss their friends, but one thing that has made the transition easier is starting school and even taking the bus. The first day the girls took the bus, a bunch of kids got off the bus and Avery already was ready to invite a friend over. She is a grade ahead of Avery, but her dad works with Chris and Avery and her immediately connected. She has another sister as well and all the girls love to hang out. They were headed to our apartment when they saw the little play area and decided they wanted to play. It ended being a bunch of kids that are in Avery's class and they all pretended to take boat rides to their home countries. They went to America, Finland, Sweden, and England. It was fun to watch them interact and made me feel good about their transition. Avery already seemed ready to lead the pack. They had a good time. Attached is a picture of them riding a "boat." I even met a mother from Finland and a mother from Sweden. They were both very nice!

Avery and Rylan ride the bus to school

When we registered the girls at school, they told me everyone rides the bus and that seems to be the truth. We thought we would give it a try. Avery was hestitate to ride the bus since Rylan would not be with her, but Rylan was excited about riding the bus. In fact, she cried the second of school when I went to go pick her up because she wanted to ride the bus like the big kids home. Well, we tried it and the girls loved it. That morning, Avery was crying to have me take her to school, but once she got to the pick-up she saw some of her friends and her mood changed immediately. It is amazing what having a friend can encourage you to do. Attached is a photo of the school bus they ride. It is much nicer. It has seat belts and there is always a person who rides with them and waits there until you pick them up.

The girls start school at QSI

Monday, Dec 15 was the girls first day of school. We decided to drive them and might try the bus at the end of the week. Everyone seems to take the bus and it is nice bus. Avery was excited about meeting new people and Rylan just wanted to go to her old school. However when we got there, Rylan walked right in and started playing with the toys and Avery was hesitant for a while. The teacher said I could stay awhile until Avery got comfortable. At the time I was there I got to see what they were learning and seems a little more advance than the states. There are about 12 kids in the class. There are 2 Americans, set of twins from India, 2 Swedish kids, 2 kids from Finland, several kids from South Korea and Japan. Avery was nervous because she started to bite her nails.(she does this when nervous). I told her everything would be okay. I stayed until Cohen started to awake and then said I need to go and Avery clung to me a little and then said goodbye. Her teacher is Canadian and is really nice. It broke my heart to leave her. The day felt like it lasted forever as I awaited the news of how there first day of school went. We picked Rylan up at 1:10 pm and she loved it!! She liked it so much she wanted to come back and wanted to ride the bus. We waited for Avery to be picked up at 2:20 pm. When she came out, all the kids on the bus were saying goodbye to her and the teacher said she saw some smiles today. She said she really enjoyed herself and met a little boy named Francis that lives in our apartment who is from England. She likes to talk like him. His mom is actually from Chengdu and Dad is from England. All and all the girls had a first successful day of school. Her are some pictures of their first day. They go to school when it is still dark out. It doesn't get light here til 8:00 am.

We decorate cookies!!

At Christmas time we usually have a tradition of decorating a gingerbread house but this year we will not be able to do it because they don't have them here. We decided to decorate some cookies that we made. I think the girls really enjoyed themselves helping make them and then decorating them. It was fun to start feeling like the season of Christmas. It has been hard to get in the season with all that has gone on the last 6 months. We feel like a whirlwind to say the least.

We decorate our Christmas tree!!

Once the weekend came, Dec 13-14, Chris was able to help me put things in there place and now our home is feeling more like a home. We now have to put pictures up, but have a feeling it will be a while because we need to find a man with a drill. I believe the walls are made of concrete so you need more than a hammer. We also thought it was time to put our Christmas tree out. I was told you could find lights here, but we could only find the flashing multi-colored lights. Yes that is right our tree is a colorful blinking tree. It is not my favorite, but as Chris says it fits our experience of China so we went ahead and bought them. Maybe next year we will find some clear ones. Here our some pictures of us decorating.

Our shipment from the states come!!

Wednesday, Dec 10, our sea shipment came, all 133 boxes and it was quite overwhelming. Our driver was here and he couldn't believe all the boxes and I wasn't quite sure were we would fit it all. The house was a wreck and our sweet ayi was helping but putting things in all different locations. (food with the kids room, etc.) I honestly don't know were we will put everything, but we will try.

We say goodbye to Humble and Hello to China!!

Well, December 6 was the day for us to leave. We left the hotel at around 4:30 am to catch our flight to China at 6:00 am. Chris's parents came in to help us with the transport and to take our car back with them. They were much needed help. Pops weighed our 12 baggage's to make sure we had the right weight and GrandB kept the kids entertained. It was hard on all of us to realize this would be the last time we would see each other for a while. I got about 2 and half hours of sleep that night so I was also quite tired. Anyway, we got to the airport and said our goodbyes. I was doing pretty well until Avery started to cry and then I lost it along with GrandB. I think she really understands what this move means. We finally got on the plane and made it to Newark, NJ at 10:30 am and were suppose to catch our next flight to Beijing at 12::15 pm which turned into 5:00 pm. That's right we stayed there til 5:00 pm. The airlines did give us lunch vouchers and we had a good lunch, but then we had to wait another 5 hours till we left. While we were there, we found our Cohen had to have a ticket. It cost us almost 400 dollars for him and he got nothing, no food, no seat, no luggage, nothing...He only weighs 12 lbs. Anyway, the flight to Beijing went well. We got there 7:30 pm Sunday evening and found out we had to stay the night in Beijing. Beijing was a cold 30 degrees. They put us in a hotel and we caught the shuttle at 6:00 am only to be delayed another 3 hours. We were suppose to leave at 7:50 am and didn't leave til 11:30 am. We finally got to Chengdu at 1:30 pm. It wasn't as cold here, only 45 degrees, but we made it and all the kids did great despite all the difficulties.

Rylan CDC class takes them to China to say goodbye!!

Attached our some pictures of Rylan's class. Since Rylan was moving out of the country, her sweet teachers, Michelle and Bekah, decided to take the whole class to China. They made passports and flew on a pretend plane, dressed up, and even got to have a fortune cookie. They had blast!!! I know Rylan loved it and she will miss all her friends dearly as well as her teachers. When I talk to her about going to a new school in China she still says no and that she wants to have Ms. Michelle and Ms. Bekah has her teachers.

The movers come to take our stuff!!

December 1 was the day the movers came to move everything to storage. There was a team of 10 that came in and packed up all our belongings. They were really efficient to the point that we had to ask to unpack somethings like Chris's tennis shoes and the stroller. There were things that went missing so we think they are now in storage for the next 3 years. It was hard to see all things go..it was really hard to see the words on every box that said LONG TERM STORAGE. Everything is now beginning to hit me. It is hard to believe that our home will no longer be ours. This house was our first home, our place were all our kids came home to. We saw Rylan and Avery take their first steps in this house. It was a great house and my prayer is that someone will have the opportunity to make wonderful memories like we did.

Thanksgiving with MawMaw Blackwell and the Clovers

Before we leave the country, we wanted to stop in to see Chris's family. We all met in Baton Rouge because MawMaw lives there. It was a fun time to catch up with everyone. Chris's mom is one of 6 kids so you imagine the amount of people there with there family. It is always a delight to eat the food and visit with family. Here is a picture of Cohen with MawMaw and one with the girls and MawMaw. While we were there, we opened up gifts from our cousins from Chris's side and we decorated MawMaw's Christmas tree for her. The kids seemed to have a good time. I have put some pictures on my web gallery.

Mom and Dad come see us for early Thanksgiving

Grammy and Papa came to see us to have an early Thanksgiving before we head to Baton Rouge to see Chris's family. It was a fun and busy time. Chris was working on getting the house ready to sale while I was working on getting our bags packed and trying to figure out what goes to Grandparents, to China, and to storage. We managed to fit sometime of hanging out and the girls enjoyed spending time with there Grandparents. They actually got to go to Rylan's thanksgiving party and Rylan got to practice on Grammy her beauty techniques. She says when she goes up she wants to be a make-up girl to include fixing/styling hair. Here is a pic of her masterpiece!!

Our Lifegroup has a going away party for us!!

Although we are not leaving for 2 weeks, it seemed the best time to have a going away party was the weekend before Thanksgiving. The dates has been changed and I had thought the time was the same. I was wrong. Saturday morning, Nov 22, I got a call at 11:30 am to see what we were up to. My dear friend, Neysa, had called. I told her we were just getting our house ready to show to sale. She said everyone was at the park and that it started at 11:00 am. I thought it wasn't til 3:00 pm. We were all in our pjs and had to scramble to make it there. We did and we had a great time. It was really special to see everyone there and meant a lot to our family to be able to say goodbye. Here is some pictures from the party and you can go to the web gallary to see more. It meant a lot to all of us. We are very grateful for all the love and support you have shown us the last three years. Our church home has been our family and you all will always have a special place in our heart.

We take a family picture!!!

Since we are headed out of the country..we decided to try and get a family picture to send out to everyone. We asked our precious friends who take pictures professionally to take our pictures. They are very talented and it is truly amazing that they were able to get any good pictures at all. The kids did not have the best behavior and we were crutched on time with it getting darker earlier. They did a wonderful job and were very patient with us. We are very appreciative of them and cherish their friendship. I hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Rylan completes gymnastics

This fall both the girls completed gymnastics and seem to enjoy it. Avery still has one more class, but Rylan had her last day on Wednesday. She loves it so much and is very good at a forward roll. Attached is a video and picture of her doing her gymnastics!!

Avery has her Thanksgiving Feast!!

This week, we also had a special event at school. Avery had her Thanksgiving feast. She has been working on saying some lines for the feast because she was an Indian girl. She was very cute!! They also sang some songs that were adorable. One song was being thankful for family and friends and then they each went around and said one thing they were thankful for and Avery said..her daddy. It was very sweet and made me greatful that Chris is back to stay in our lives for a very long time. I never thought I would be ready for China, but I think God put me in this situation to want to go back to China so we can be a family again. I have attached the video of her singing and put pictures of her and her friends on the gallary so please look and enjoy!!

Daddy comes home!!

The day was November 15 when daddy came home to be with us. He ended up getting in around midnight and we all didn't go to bed til 3 am. The girls were so excited to see there daddy and Rylan asked everyday where daddy went when he leaves the room. She has become his shadow. Chris couldn't believe how big his son had gotten. Attached are the pictures of Cohen with his dad. It is hard to imagine that he is already 6 weeks old in this picture!! Come Monday, we must get ready to prepare for our move to China. We meet with a realtor and will try to get our passport and visa for Cohen. We will have a busy week to say the least.

Fall Festival and the girls dress up

The time has come for the kids to dress up. Fall festival snuck up on me and I wasn't quite ready for it with Chris gone and three children to tend to, but the girls were able to pick an outfit. Avery was a "fancy cat" at least that is what shr called herself. Rylan decided that she wanted to be a white butterfly. Most people might call her an angel, but yes she is a white butterfly!! Cohen was to be a pea in a pod, but we never put on the outfit because he slept most of the time. We headed to the Fall Festival at our church and had a blast. Please see the photo gallary to view all the pictures. We also took a pick with some of the girls good friends. It was a fun night even with me flying solo!!

We love our brother

There are special times that we have enjoyed with our little brother and one of them is sleeping next to him. The girls love him so much. I can't believe he is already 3 weeks old. He is such a blessing to us and we love him dearly. He also loves to take his bath!!

We go to the Old MacDonald's Farm

The day has come for Daddy to prepare for his departure. He is packing right now and getting ready for the trip. He leaves tomorrow morning, Oct 13, at 6:00 am. It seems like he just got here and now we say goodbye. My heart already hurts, but by God's grace we will get through this time. Before he left, we decided to go to the Old MacDonald Farm. We had a blast. The kids got to feed the animals, ride a horse, play in the play area, ride the train, and got to have a pumpkin. It was a fun family outing!!! I have attached some pictures and have more in our photo gallery if you would like to view them.

We had our little boy!!!

We are proud to announce the arrival of our precious little boy named Cohen Christopher Clover arriving at 12:39 am on Thursday morning, September 25, 2008. He was 8 lbs 4 ounces and 21 1/2 inches long. Chris took the red-eye from California and we went to the hospital that afternoon. When we got there, we weren't sure if we would get in for an induction, but was able to and got a room at 5:00 pm. I received pitocin at around 8:00 pm and had him the early morning Thursday. The labor went great especially with the help of my friend, epidural!! I only pushed about 3 times and he was out!! This whole year had been so eventful and I can't wait to tell Cohen all about it when he gets older!!! I have attached pictures of the girls with Cohen, but please look at our photo gallery to see all the pictures!!

Daddy comes Home!!!

One day before Chris was headed home, we got power!! We hurried to wash clothes and clean the house. We were so excited to have him home and Avery was out of school for 2 weeks so he got to spend sometime with both girls. The bad thing about his arrival was that he would have to leave 3 days later for training. Chris's company would only pay for him to come back to have the baby if he had a reason (i.e. training). Chris had scheduled training in Houston, but because of the storm it had to be moved to California. Chris would have to leave Sept 22 and come back Sept 24. The day we were scheduled to have the baby!! My actual due date was Sept 27. I was confident that Chris would still be here for our son's arrival because God had brought us through so much..and knew he would not have Chris be gone for his only son's arrival. God was faithful!!