So, we’re half Taiwanese right? Yes. We consider ourselves that. So, we need to do some of these traditional celebrations. This past January, we celebrated Chinese New Year with my friend Hong and her family and this past weekend, we celebrated the mid-Autumn Moon Festival. It’s kind of like our Thanksgiving, I guess. Chinese families get together on the full moon evening to eat together and then there’s other festivities, like a lantern parade or a dragon parade. Then they celebrate the moon. They eat a dessert called a moon cake and there are other things that go along with this, I’m sure, but this is all  I know.

So, we went down to Los Angeles to celebrate at the Moon Festival. There were a lot of festivities. There were acrobats, contortionists, the Shaolin Warriors…they do some sort of martial arts…it was pretty cool! We took our friend, Kay, with us. She has better pictures than I do. But here are some of mine….

Daddy & Ella

 Mommy & Ella

 

 

Lanterns decorated the plaza in ChinaTown.

The saving grace from boredom…it worked for awhile

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hop Louie’s for dinner…mostly Cantonese, but they tried with the MooShu Pork. We prefer Mandarin Chinese food, but the building was cool & it’s historical…ooooh!

 

 

 

 

The moon even made it’s appearance. Beautiful evening!

Sometimes I wonder what I do all day! I am a stay at home mother to a *almost* two year old. I think sometimes that I don’t do anything. For instance, right now I am finally writing my blog. I am glad to be doing it, since it’s been a long time. I don’t know why I haven’t done it in a long time, because I really don’t do anything. At least I don’t have anything to show for the things that I do do…doo doo Hehe.

Yeah. So, I wake up in the morning whenever the girl wants to wake up, unless it’s too late and I feel the need to drink my coffee in peace. Sometimes I do that. Then I make the kid some breakfast, clean out the coffee pot, and put the dishes away in the dishwasher. Gabriella eats her food in the living room on the coffee table, so I join her in there for one of the many shows I have lined up for me on the DVR. By the time the show is not evenhalf over, Gabriella is begging me to watch one of her two shows… NiHao KaiLan or Jack’s Big Music Show. So I finish watching my show and wait for my niece, Alyssa to be picked up for school around 8:40am. Then I stick my “exercise” clothes on and put my exercise DVD in and do my 20 minutes with Gillian. I am sweating profusely by now and we both go upstairs and take a bath/shower.

Finally clean, we get dressed and I let Gabriella watch her show, so I can get ready in peace.Then I decide what we’re going to do today. Today I had stuff to return to Target and groceries to buy at the 99 Ranch Market…my new favorite supermercado! So, now we have food to eat for the rest of the week. Gabriella loves to go there too because they have real live fish, crabs and lobsters in the back. She OBSESSES over these things! So much so, that she threw THE biggest fit as we are walking out of the store today. Ignoring it best I could, with lots of people gawking and whispering the whole way to the car…like their kids never threw fits…I stuck her in the seat while I unloaded the food into the trunk. Yes, she’s my joy! This is all about 2:20pm, about an hour after naptime was supposed to begin.

Around this time, I stick the new Beethoven CD in the player to get her to sleep in the car on the way to pick up the girls from school.  Samantha gets out at 2:42pm We’ll be late and Alyssa gets out at 3:30pm. Gabriella sleeps the whole time. We get home, I unload the groceries and put them in the correct areas of the kitchen while I have my little urchin girl wrapped around my leg with a pear and a paci and a sippy cup in one hand. Guess her nap isn’t over. Upstairs we go for some cuddle time. And here I sit. So, you see, what did I do today?!

Some days I wonder. But I am so tired that I decide here and now that I have done a whole lot. And now she is telling me from downstairs, as I let the girls watch her, that she has to go “peeeeepeeeeee”. And I am on the clock again. Yes, what do I do all day?! I am a mom.

This is just another word for “saving”. But you can help! We are starting to raise/save money now for our next adoption. Just click on the “Our 2nd adoption” tab above to make a donation. We thank you in advance for taking part in this next big step in the life of our family. We can’t wait to start the next adventure!

Blessings!
The Gysens

Have you seen my child lately? She is turning, quite quickly, into a little girl. I woke up this morning to her sleeping in my bed, sideways, and thought to myself that when she used to do this, she wasn’t taking up over half the bed. We obviously can’t have her doing this anymore. It just makes me think that these times may be few and far between in the months coming up. She is walking and talking and making decisions. Telling me yes or no to questions I ask. She knows what she wants to eat for lunch. She knows when she has to go potty. What happened to my baby?

Sometimes I feel robbed of those 7 1/2 months that we didn’t have her. Other times I feel glad that I didn’t have to go through those months of feeding every 2 hours, her sick months, etc…mostly it’s the “robbed” feeling more so than the latter. Through it all, I really feel blessed by this stinking adorable, getting bratty, kid. I hate it that she’s growing so fast, up not out. I am grateful that she’s smart and that she loves dogs and she likes to read books and change her baby’s diapers and go on bike-rides and I can’t wait to take her camping. There’s so much ahead of her and it’s not right for me to look back, I suppose.

So, yes, it brings a little tear to my eye to think of what the future holds for my child. I know that God has this amazing plan for her, whatever it is. Whether she’s going to be a missionary or a  stay-at-home mom, a doctor or a lawyer or an athlete, she will be a force to be reckoned with. Let that be a warning

 

go get ‘em girl!

We’ve been *unexpectedly* busy this summer. Not that we’ve done anything specific, but with Wade working full-time plus averaging at least an hour of overtime every day, we’ve managed to keep pretty busy. In July, the girls, our nieces, Samantha & Alyssa, were with us 3 days a week, while Doreen is starting to get more hours at work.  We’d go swimming once a week. We’re actually going swimming today too…but just with Sam, Alyssa’s back to school

Wade was able to take some time off in June. We didn’t end up doing anything because of Gabriella’s leg, but she has a brace now, so it’s easier to adjust our activities. It’s so hot out here in the summer that we mostly end up staying inside or going to the mall to “window shop”. Mommy needs to keep to the budget, so we really do only walk by and wish we could buy something. Ha! Oh well.

Week before last, the girls & Gabriella & myself headed down to Laguna Beach to take pictures. This pretty much says it all….the carefree days of summer. Hope you are all having  a great summer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

It’s June. We’ll be celebrating the anniversary of our many “first’s” this month! I really truly believe in this celebration as much as her birthday. This is the beginning of our family. Our first “first” came on May 30th when we found out that we had been approved on the Taiwan side and we were going to be traveling to Taipei to see our little girl. That wait seemed so long, and in reality it was only 6 months from referral to landing back in the US with Gabriella in our arms….exactly 6 months! Craziness! That was the longest 6 months of my life!

Gabriella and I went to the Orthopaedic office today to get her fitted for her leg  brace. In case you haven’t heard, she only needed her leg casted for 2 weeks, not the 8 weeks that was originally told to us. The doctor was VERY impressed with the outcome of just 2 weeks. Her little foot is so flexible that, even when she walks, she kicks that right foot out now, instead of turning it in and sometimes walking on the side of it. Doctor said it was a MIRACLE. Yeah, a miracle. Her whole life is a miracle really. I shouldn’t be surprised next time something like this happens again. Anyway, back to the leg brace. We actually were told, in the paperwork, that she would have to wear this brace that would turn her right foot about 90 degrees and the left foot at about 45 degrees.  She would have to wear that brace, according to the paperwork, 23 out of the 24 hours of the day. The brace that she was fitted for today is just on her right leg, up to the knee. We go in on Wednesday to get it put on. And then her orthopaedist at Kaiser will see her after that on and off to see how long she has to wear it. This is all to make sure she doesn’t have any issues when she’s older.

So that was the beginning of this week. This past weekend, we got to go to the Dodger game on Saturday. It was an early game, 1:05pm, so we left the house around 9am and headed to ChinaTown to shop, then we met Wade’s chaplain, Keith, from work and his wife at Phillipe’s for lunch. Yummy! Always, I mean always, go to Phillipe’s to eat before a Dodger game. That is our advice for you today Then, after lunch we were off to the game. What a game it was! We got the tickets for $55 for 2 seat with that deal from Costco. We will definately do that again! Great seats in left field right by the bull-pen. It was a beautiful day for a ballgame! Enjoy the show!

| View Show | Create Your Own

Well, it’s been about 2 weeks since I posted last. In that time, we have been trying to fix our car so we can sell it, going to doctors appointments for Gabriella’s foot, spring cleaning, vacation planning….anything else?
Gabriella got a full leg cast put on her right leg. Doctor couldn’t tell us what was wrong with her foot…it turns in slightly in the front and she often walks on the outside side of her foot. We don’t like that. Her pediatrician gave us a referrral to the orthopedist and they said she has talipes equinovarus….which means there are ligament issues in her foot. They recommended that we cast it to see if we can fix it that way rather than the surgery route. We like that.
Bad news is that she has to go in every week for the next 8 weeks to get it changed and check the progress. Good news is that it is now only 7 more weeks…almost 6…and the doctor was VERY pleased with the progress after only one week. We like that too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other thing that we are thrilled to finally be doing is selling the car. We have had this screeching noise every morning that we found out was the alternator. We got that fixed last weekend and then listed the Maxima for sale on craigslist. We got an offer that same night…and another one the next morning. Then….the check engine light comes on as I’m turning onto Oaks on my way to church yesterday morning. Well, I took it into the shop this morning and they tell me it’s a “knock sensor” and because the whole engine needs to be taken out to replace this “knock sensor”, it’ll cost us $500. So now I have to shave $500 off the asking price just to sell the car. That is called “Murphy’s Law” and boy are we familiar with that!

Fun times here at the Gysen house. Can’t wait for our vacation….that we don’t get to go on anymore because Gabriella has a cast on her foot. No water, no sand. We’ll be staying home and doing A LOT of work around the house. This will be one of our more expensive “stay-cations” I suppose…more expensive than the camping would’ve been. Oh well.

Here’s to a GREAT week everyone!

 

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I should just do this every time I have more than, say 4 pictures to post. It’s so much more interesting to look at than a regular post. The next one may be just like this too! I’m losing some of my creativity….must be the lack of sleep. I DO apologize. Have a great day everyone!

for her birthmother….

When I look at your daughter, I think of you.
I may never know your name, I may never meet you, but I know you.

When I hold your daughter in my arms, and gaze into her eyes,
I know that I will tell her only the truth, and never any lies.

When I see your daughter smile I wonder if it’s like yours or if it’s her very own.
I know when you parted ways, He was with her and she was never alone.

When I watch your daughter cry with inconsolable grief,
Thinking of all she’s been through in her life, it’s completely beyond belief.

When I comb your daughter’s hair, so black, so shiny and fine,
I know it’s nothing she gained from me for it’s nothing like mine.

When I hold your daughter’s hand and we walk through the mall,
I reap the rewards of her looking like an absolute doll.

When I hold your daughter’s face between the palms of my hands,
I know she’ll always be the product of two families, two moms, two far away lands.

When I hug and kiss your daughter on Mother’s Day, she’ll hug and kiss me too,
I know I’m the lucky one, for it is me she knows as Mama, but know I think of you.

Happy Mother’s Day to you, from your daughter’s Mom.