Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins this past Monday morning before Stephan left for Montana. Safe to say this was Hudson's first pumpkin experience. We left the carving to daddy & the scraping of the guts fell to mommy. The kids weren't a big fan of the slimy seeds. I thought they would love it.....who knew. They did have fun poking the eyes, noses, & mouths out when Stephan was done carving. We ended up with 2 scary, 1 happy, and 1 sad pumpkin. Hudson always reminds me to light them as soon as it gets dark. You can always count on him to stick to the schedule.

Checking it out!

Here he is really getting after it...pulling one seed out....and soon deciding he's not a fan of the slime.

Mud Pit, Pottery & Monkeys

This past weekend we were coming back from Coeur d' Alene & took the long way home. This is what we stumbled upon out at the State Line. Mud Pit races! We couldn't pass it up. So we wandered in with our 2 kids & thoroughly enjoyed watching. YOU GOTTA LOVE NORTH IDAHO!

Girls night out at Polka Dot Pottery. This past Friday night I organized a night out with the ladies, thanks to all who came. There was lots of laughs & everyone was so creative with their decorating. Fun times! A special thanks to Candi for my little surprise b-day cake! You always think of everything.....I don't know how you do it.

All the pretty ladies!

Then we met up with the guys & headed to Shan's Bar & Grill.

In an effort to get our $'s worth out of their monkey costumes, we took the kids to a neighborhood Halloween party. Our local hardware store RiverRidge closes their parking lot off & has games, jumping castles, apple cider, cookies, lots of candy & even a little Karaoke (for those who care to sing in front of neighborhood strangers). We went with the Todd & Vandebogart families. The pictures speak for themselves...the kids & us had a fun evening.

Our 2 little monkeys!

Princesses, a fairy & 2 monkeys...a good looking bunch!

Ravenna trying her hand at roller ball.

The dad's & their kids.

My great friend Candi!

Hudson and the hospital

Hudson had his circumcision yesterday morning. He did very well. The staff at Holy Family was great with him. He was even fine with the nurses carrying him out of the room & saying "bye" to us. Although once the surgery was over they called me back to recovery & there I found a very different little Hudson. He was crying hysterically & saying "my penis hurts". Poor little guy! So it took about 10 minutes sitting with mommy & a little Phentonal to calm him down. We were home by 11:30 and the day was hit & miss. Sometimes he would be fine & then he would cry & cry and say "it hurts". He slept all through the night & is better today. Thanks to all the calls & people who stopped by. A big thanks to my mom for making dinner for us & bringing it over.

He really liked the "Tigger" pajamas

The anesthesiologist brought in the mask he would wear to put him out. So he would be sleeping before they started the IV to do the general anesthetic.

Hudson loves to know the schedule & what the plan is. So playing with his mask before hand was perfect & it also smelled like strawberries.

Chinese in Spokane????

If you asked me much about my Chinese heritage (I'm an 1/8) a few years back, I wouldn't have put much thought into it. I know my family tree and what brought my great grandfather from China, but not much about the history of such a powerful nation. Fast forward to 2008 & we are now the proud parents of two children adopted from China. We believe it is most important to immerse them in all things Chinese. That is whenever the opportunity arises in Spokane (or on our travels), which as you can imagine is not very often.

The following pictures are of a play day we try to do every couple of months with some families who have also adopted boys from China. As long as we mom's keep this going, I hope it will be a great friendship these boys will thank us for in the years to come. The kids had a great time, until Evan accidentally swallowed a magnetic marble & had to go the ER. Poor little guy! Thanks for hosting at your house again Stephanie.

Levi, Hudson, Evan & Ravenna

Cheers!

Pre-marble swallow!

Our next effort in getting our kids in touch with their heritage, was put on by the Chinese foreign exchange students from EWU. We walked in & it was mostly Asians, aside from Stephan, I, and one other lady. I wondered what the kids would think of this. You would have thought this group of students had never seen children. They swarmed Hudson & Ravenna. Ravenna attached herself to this one girl who was teaching Chinese language...so she was fine. Hudson had a completely different reaction. He was glued to me & Stephan, and really unsure. I truly think it brought him back to China. He was confused & we just reassured him he was staying with us & we were there to have fun. After about 10 minutes he became his normal outgoing self. The students were teaching: Chinese language (a few key words), Chinese calligraphy, & paper lantern making. The students were very nice & it reminded me of being back in China with the language barrier between English & Chinese. I admire those of you who master that difficult language.

Origami (although I think that's Japanese)

Chinese language class

Pumpkins, apples, & pumpkins

We have done our part in contributing to the Greenbluff community. We went up with Hudson's school one morning last week. We were lucky enough to car pool with my sister in law Aimee & my nephews Caden & Mason. The kids had a blast & now Hudson continues to ask if we are going to ride in Aunty Mimi's car. It seems he too is ready for a new car. We also went up with my parents on a warm end of summer day in September. I can now check the following items off of my Greenbluff to do list: apple picking, hay ride, corn maze, caramel apples for the kids, & of course picking out the most perfect pumpkins. As sad as I am to see summer go(my favorite season) I welcome the smell of fall, turning of the leaves, football games, cool mornings, flannel sheets, and a cozy fire in the fireplace.

Happy Fall!

Happy Birthday Bwana!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

A little birthday dinner at Shogun. The kids loved the fire & the chef cooking in front of us!

Thanks for doing all you do for our family! We love you!

Hudson's Baptism 10-5-2008

Hudson Leroy Wen was baptized today at Saint Anthony's. Thank you to everyone for attending, especially so early in the morning. A special thank you to Vic & Aimee for being Hudson's god parents. He did great during the ceremony & really enjoyed himself afterwards playing with his cousins. All these milestones we experience as parents are so much better being able to share them with family & friends. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful support system of both. So thankful to have our 2 children & we look forward to what each new day brings.

The question "Why?"

Hudson has learned what the word "why" means. I am convinced he picked this up at school. This one little word has changed things in our household. It is a rarity that I am able to make a statement without hearing his new favorite word at the end. Let me tell you it is a great word. You can virtually keep asking "why" until you run out of answers or you lose your mind. In all honesty I try my best at answering, as I know he is so curious. I am also convinced Ravenna has caught on to this, but there is no need for her to ask....as Hudson has it covered.

Love that curious, little guy!