Maely is 6 weeks old!!

Tomorrow, Maely will be 6 weeks old. She is getting so big and I am so excited to see how much she weighs. At 2 weeks she was already 7 lbs 5 oz (birth 6 lb 12 oz). She seems so big. Her eyes will definitely be blue and her hair looks like it might be light as well. Time will tell. All I know is she is definitely a Clover. All the Clover kids have the same nose and face structure. We hope her hair will be curly like Avery's. She is definitely a bonus into our life and we are so glad and blessed to have her.

Chris and the kids make it to Chengdu and start school

Chris and the kids made it to Chengdu, but not without delays. They were first delayed with the change of flight which headed out Wednesday morning. Then when they got to Vancouver, Canada and were delayed again. They finally got on the plane to Beijing but were delayed again once they got to China. Apparently it was raining in Chengdu so they couldn't check in their luggage until the plane was clear to go to Chengdu. They sat in the airport for 5 hours with 8 pieces of luggage, one stroller, 3 kids, a tired Papa, and Daddy. Chris said Avery was sleeping on top of the luggage that was in the cart. Rylan was in the stroller, and Cohen was a sleep in the backpack on Chris's back. It was a long day or I should say couple of days. They left on Wednesday morning and did not arrive to Chengdu til early Friday morning at 4:30 am. Talk about long travels. The girls were still determined to start school so 3 hours later they got dressed and headed to school. Avery entering 2nd grade and Rylan entering kindergarten. The girls only stayed half a day and enjoyed it. They then came home and crashed. My heart was so sad that I could not be there with them, but was glad they had a good first day. Daddy was suppose to take some pictures of them on their first day. I will post them when I can!

Saying Goodbye to Chris and the 3 older kids

We had a great summer, however it is time for us to head back to China. We had decided for Chris to take Avery and Rylan back early so they could start school. At the last minute we also decided for Chris to take Cohen as well. Papa was going to travel with Chris to help him out while Chris is at work. Monday, Aug 16 was the departure day and it was very hard on me saying goodbye to the family. I cannot travel yet due to Maely being to young so I will join them in 3 weeks. Avery and I got the most upset with saying goodbye. She would not leave my side. I felt so bad saying goodbye and now know what it feels like when Chris is apart from us. My mom and I dropped them off at 8 am and at about 9:45 am, I was called by Chris telling me they missed their flight due to the airlines refusing to sell a lap ticket for Cohen. When you fly overseas, it is required that you buy a ticket for the baby even when they get nothing. It was the airlines fault and they ended up selling Chris a ticket, but the next flight was not til Wednesday. So we went back to pick them up! Avery was now devastated that she would miss the first day of school. She finally calmed down and reminded me that it was a blessing that we got to spend another day and half together and she was right. We also found out Monday that our Chinese driver quit and Avery was put in a 7/8 split class. It was a messy Monday as we like to say and it gave me alot of anxiety about going back to China. I pray that God will change my heart. Here are some pictures of them at the airport just before them almost leaving!

Going hiking in Oregon

We only had a couple more days as a family so we decided to go hiking one more time with the Clover clan as well as with Grammy and Papa. We took a short 2 mile hike that was perfect for the kids. I carried Maely in a sling and Cohen walked for about half of the hike. All the kids found a walking stick and loved to use it. Cohen kept wanting to use it as a sword but quickly learned to use as a walking stick. We walked to a place that use to mine for silver, but they never found any silver. The mining cave was still there and there was a beautiful waterfall. The children loved playing in the water, walking in the cave and climbing the rocks/wood. Here are some pictures and you can go to the clover web gallery to see more pics.

Our Annual Family Pictures

Every year, I like to take a family picture. We usually have my sweet friend, Christine, take them. However, since I couldn't travel to Texas this summer, we had to use a different person. I was not too happy with them especially when Christine does an incredible job. The lady just took the pictures and gave us the disk with no edits and the one family picture I liked Chris had sun in his eyes. I was able to edit some and asked her to fix some, but she was unable to do it. They will do for this year, but I hope to get a better family shot with Christine. If you are reading this Christine, we miss you and your photos! Here are some pictures and you can look on our clover web gallery as well!

Celebrating Cohen 2nd Birthday early!!

Cohen does not turn two til September 25, 2010, but we thought since we had family here and Grammy willing to make a special cake we thought we would have a party in honor of Cohen. This summer one of Cohen's favorite things to do after he takes a bath is to watch part of a movie on our portable DVD player. Some of his favorite shows are Bolt, Meet the Robinsons, The Tortoise and the Hare, and Cars. He loves the movie Cars and it would probably be is top pick. He could watch it all day. In honor of his love for the movie, Grammy made him a Matar cake and he loved it!! Here are some pictures of the cake and party. Grammy out did herself once again and all the grandkids loved to eat all the parts of the cake!

We go to the Kroc Center!

This summer, we have not had the opportunity to go swimming outside as we normally do because it is much cooler here then Texas. So the kids got to go to the Kroc Center operated by the Salvation Army. They have gone for open swim as well swim lessons and have really enjoyed it. Daddy got to go with us and we played in the pool. We also got to go rock climbing up the rock climbing wall. Avery, Rylan, and Chris all tried it as well as Aaron (my brother), Melanie(sister-in-law), and Lucas (nephew). I stayed down and fed Maely. They did such a good job. Both Avery and Rylan got about half way up the wall. Avery was determined to try all different parts of the wall while Rylan on the same route so she could master one and of course Chris tried to climb up the wall in record time. Aaron and Melanie got up the wall as well and did great. Lucas was a trooper! Here are some pictures!

We go to Pacific City and Tillamook

One of the things we enjoy doing when we come to Oregon is to go to Pacific City. It is a beach about 1.5 hours from here. Chris really enjoys it because there is a huge sand dune/hill that you climb up. It is hard work because you take 2 steps forward and slide one step back when climbing up sand. We were so proud of Avery because she made it to the top first all of her own. Chris followed behind carry Cohen. Rylan and I made it half up and then Rylan decided she was done. Chris came down and gave me Cohen and he carried Rylan the rest of the way. Ir was a beautiful day. Cohen of course loved playing in the cold water and I had to keep chasing him so he wouldn't be swept away by the current. We ate lunch there and the kids played in the sand. After we left there, we went to a town called Tillamook. It is a diary town where they make famous tillamook cheese and ice cream. We got to sample cheese and had some yummy ice cream. The kids loved it! For dinner we ate at a restuarant at on the coast. We had a good time with my parents and brother's family! You can go to our web gallery to see more!!

Chris and the kids go to Louisanna and Texas

After Grand B came to visit, Chris and the three older kids went with her to visit family and friends in LA and TX. Avery, Rylan, and Cohen got to hang out with their Grand B, Pops, and cousins in Pineville. They had a great time! Then they went to see MawMaw in Baton Rouge, and then off to Texas to see their friends. It was a worldwind but the kids had a wonderful time. Rylan got to spend the night at her best friend's house and told Daddy that she was going to stay in Texas and not go back to China. Avery got to spend the night at her best friends house as well and they had a blast. So many friends to see in such a short time, but it made the girls so happy. I think it was the highlight of their time back in the states. Chris even got a little sentimental for our old stopping ground. A group of our friends even had a dinner in honor of the Clovers coming to visit. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends. It broke my heart that I couldn't be there to celebrate in the fun, but Maely was just to little to fly. Hopefully next year we can get there for a longer time. We miss everyone so much. Chris and the kids were scheduled to come back Aug 6, but their flight got canceled due to bad weather so they got to spend one more night in Pineville with Grand B and Pops so they were not to unhappy about the situation. I don't have any pictures to post but hope to have some later! Again we are so thankful to our God for bringing us such wonderful family and friends.