Salsgiver

Update

2009-04-07T09:17:00.005-05:00

Sheesh, it has been a busy month. In March we sold our home of almost 15 years and moved into the long awaited 'dream' home. We had been moving over boxes, etc, for the past 2 months and did the 'official move' in early March. Below are a couple pics of the new abode.
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Front view above, rear view below.
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Shortly after moving in we finally came to the stark reality that our beloved dog Shep's time had come. He hung around for the move, but he could not enjoy the property like he could in his heyday. He will be missed. He was a great dog.

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During spring break, Mikel's friend Lisa visited with her two kiddos. Below is Sarah and her 'brother' Dylan having fun in our creek.

FanFest 2009

2009-01-30T10:49:00.005-06:00

Enjoying baseball related activities in 30 degree weather is not so fun. However, Sarah is a little trooper and she had a good time; as long as daddy was bribing her with gummies occasionally.

FanFest is sponsored by the Texas Rangers, the local big league team in the area, for those not from these parts. It is primarily devised to get folks out to the park and buy season tickets. Many of the ballplayers are available for autographs. That is, if you don't mind standing in line for an hour or two in freezing temperature. We had none of that.

Sarah hit the various scavenger hunt tables and when that was complete, we headed to the Diamond club to collect her prize and warm up.

Above are a couple of Rangers' emissaries who took a liking to Sarah.

The Rangers let the kids run the bases. Above is our little girl standing on second base, in the middle of it all.

The Dallas Cowboys are building their massive stadium nearby. Here is Sarah in the Rangers' parking lot with the nearly complete structure in the background. IT IS HUGE!

Hey Jayne, wish you and Emma were there with us.

Go Roadrunners

2009-01-03T07:14:00.007-06:00

This past Monday, Sarah and her parents ventured to Moody Coliseum, on the campus of SMU. Sarah's cousin Kyle is the Team Operations Coordinator for the Men's basketball team at the University of Texas, San Antonio. Those versed in Sarah lore will remember Kyle and wife Danielle enjoying water sports with us on Lake Travis back in August.

Kyle was nice enough to leave us tickets, and upon entering, Sarah became enchanted by the cheerleaders. Below is a covey of SMU's cutest, huddled around a future cheerleader.
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One gal was nice enough to let Sarah try out her pom poms.

Below is Coach Kyle cheering on the team during pre-game festivities.

We left at halftime, as it was past Sarah's bedtime and she had school the next day. UTSA upset SMU by the score of 80-75.

Christmas

2009-01-02T13:06:00.007-06:00

We usually try not to bore you with the 'average' stuff. But since some of the pics are just so dang cute, we must share.

The picture below reminds me of something a Chinese business man said in the elevator of our hotel in Changsha, China, a day or so after we were united with Sarah. He thought that we Americans were adopting Chinese kids to take them back and make them do our housework. I suppose the picture below proves his point.
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Sarah loved her ironing board and iron. Now we just have to train her to iron daddy's slacks. Shortly thereafter, Sarah received a princess dress from Santa and had to try it on immediately.
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Sarah received the below gift from her Aunt who lives in North Mesquite, or is it West Mesquite?

Can't Win 'em All

2008-12-31T08:20:00.002-06:00

Kinda wish grandpa took a picture of daddy in front of a Nixon-Agnew sign back in '68. The election did not go as Sarah wished, though there was never a canidate of Reaganese stature, so you go with who you think will do the least damage. Sarah was saying the other day how Obama is an elite empty-suit with not a touch of experience. Besides, Sarah likes Sarah.
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Ask Sarah who her favorite president is and she will reply . . . . . . NIXON!

Redneck Sarah

2008-10-31T11:53:00.002-05:00

We wanted to prove to Rep. Jack Murtha that Western Pennsylvania is not the only place gun loving rednecks exist. Below is our bundle of joy, ready to pop the first income distributor who may venture on our land.

For those ready to call CPS; relax, it is an unloaded pellet gun. When she is older, we'll take her to the range so she can learn how to properly use assault weapons.

State Fair of Texas - 2

2008-10-30T12:34:00.007-05:00

Earlier in the month, Sarah's parents attended their 19th State Fair of Texas together, and the second one for Sarah. Since we have seen just about every attraction dozens of times, we have geared the activities towards Sarah. Below, Sarah is learning how to plant seeds.

Sarah enjoyed the petting zoo, puppet show (though she would not get near a puppet) and other attractions, but let's face it, she digs the rides. Below, Sarah is on a swing that goes around, and around, and around.

In the car pavilion, Sarah 'test drove' numerous show cars. The gals at the Hyundai and Nissan booths were totally enamored by her. So of course, when she got a chance to do some 'real' driving, she was ready. It took her some time to get a feel of the wheel, but she was soon bashing into unsuspecting motorists.

Kinda driving, but Sarah was digging the ride nonetheless.

Lunch

2008-10-07T17:22:00.002-05:00

Haven't posted much lately as nothing that exciting has happened since Mikel started back to school. On Sunday, we met the grandparents at The Venue Grill, down the road from their swanky townhouse. Below, Sarah and her grandmother peruse the menu.

Sarah the Groupie, Part 2

2008-08-15T14:08:00.009-05:00

What are the words every father wants to hear from his daughter? "I love you, daddy" and "I got an 'A' in Biochemical Engineering, daddy" and "No tattoos for me, daddy" are just a few. But the words that melt this daddy's heart are, "I want to watch baseball, daddy." So we went to another RoughRiders' game. Below are some of the players Sarah got to meet.
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Above is Beau Jones, a relief pitcher who came over to the Rangers' minor league system from the Atlanta Braves in the Mark Teixeira trade last year. I will refrain from the 'mullet' jokes.

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Andrew Laughter was practically attacked by Sarah, as he was not prepared for Sarah's enthusiasm for getting in his lap for a picture.

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This fine young man is Derek Holland, who pitched for the first time in Frisco the previous day. Derek seemed impressed by Sarah's appeal for a picture, as he was inundated with autograph requests from a group of miscreants, but choose to pose with Sarah. Derek is rapidly moving up the prospect list and is now considered one of the Rangers' top three farm hands.

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At the beginning of the season, Sarah would not go near RoughRiders' mascot, Deuce. Now they are buddies and above is the picture to prove it.

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Traveling mascot, Birdzerk, was in town to entertain the crowd. Sarah was a little leery of Birdzerk and needed mommy near by for a photo.

Lake Travis

2008-08-07T17:47:00.009-05:00

This weekend we drove down to the palatial estate of Sarah's Godparents, Al & Cindy. They have frontage on Lake Travis near Marble Falls, and most importantly - a boat.
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Above is Sarah and her mother getting ready to be dragged around the lake. Zoom in to the action shoot below and you can tell Sarah is having a great time, or at least she looks like it.
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A cousin of Sarah's, Danielle, recently moved to Texas. One may recall pictures of Sarah dancing at Danielle's wedding in Tulsa last year. Our magnanimous host Cindy invited Danielle and her husband Kyle to join us for the day and have some water fun. The young couple tried the inter tube ride and later both water skied - Kyle's first time. Great fun was had by all.

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Above, Sarah and the young couple relax after a fun day on the water.

On the way back home, we stopped by the Fugate's country manor south of Waco. The Fugates were a part of our travel group in China. They were united with their daughter Olivia about five minutes after we became a family with Sarah.

The way I see it, when a child goes to another child's house, they give each other the once over and then the visiting child samples the host child's toys. This is when the host child all of a sudden starts getting possessive of toys she has not given a rip about for ages. So it went with Sarah and Olivia. -

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Above, Sarah tries out Olivia's guitar. Looks like she is about to belt out 'Baba O'Riley.' Thankfully, after a short time Sarah and Olivia became best of friends.

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Above, Sarah the Elder explains to Olivia the Younger how things will be when she turns the big 3. And below, the girls get down-right goofy.

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Much thanks for another grand feast presented by the Fugate's. They always spoil us when we visit.

Sarah the Groupie

2008-07-31T06:37:00.010-05:00

Last Saturday night we ventured to Frisco to see the RoughRiders. We got there plenty early so Sarah would have a chance to meet some of the players. Sarah, under no pressure from her father, is becoming quite the baseball fan. Many a day she will find daddy and say she wants to watch baseball on TV.

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Above is RoughRiders' pitcher Michael Schlact, Sarah's first interaction with a player.

A few minutes later, Sarah met Brennan Garr, another RoughRiders' pitcher.

Over near the dugout, outfielder Steve Murphy was nice enough to come over to say hi to Sarah and pose for a photo.

Later we moved over to the right field side and San Antonio Missions' player Seth Johnston was happy to have his picture taken with Sarah. All the above players were very kind and professional with Sarah and she had a good time meeting them.

Sarah enjoyed meeting the players; however, she is still leery of big, furry mascots. Above, Daisy the Ground Hog comes over to meet Sarah. Sarah was shy at first but she eventually gave the varmint a hug.

Face Painting

2008-07-27T13:36:00.005-05:00

At the end of May, Sarah was invited to Hope & Faith's birthday party (yes, Hope & Faith are twins). There was a face painter on hand and below is Sarah near completion. Mommy also had her face painted, but somehow there are no pictires of such. Hmmmmm.

Last Day in Paris

2008-07-27T10:11:00.003-05:00

Upon learning that our camera was digital, and he could take as many pictures as he wanted to, our host Chris decided to get artsy on a few pics.

From the Arc de Triomphe we picked up a bus to the airport. We will fly to Boston, and then to Dallas.

Thanks to all who pestered us to continue the Paris blog. We lost internet access just before we headed to Germany and never found it in Germany. Now that ya'll were so desirous of us to finish, somebody should at least comment, no? Yeah, we know, ya'll want more Sarah, less us!

Day 7 in Paris - Heading back to Paris

2008-07-26T08:55:00.011-05:00

This is our last day in Germany. We have to catch a 4:00 p.m. train back to Paris from Cologne.

First stop; Bonn, former capital of Germany. Presently, the Euro Cup is in full gear and the German team is one of the favorites. There is Team Germany gear all over the place. During our shopping we bumped into these two very fanatical soccer fans. The gal on the right said she has the hots for German team captain, Michael Ballack.

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At the SportsArena store we found our jerseys. Mikel went for team captain Ballack and Craig choose feisty Bayern Munich midfielder, Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Above are Sarah's parents in the Muenster Platz, at the base of the Beethoven statue. We passed Beethoven's house a few blocks earlier.

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The Bonn Minster is one of Germany's oldest churches having been built between the 11th and 13th centuries. It is across the square from the Beethoven statue.
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After our quick visit to Bonn, we headed north to Cologne; our second stop. This is where we will get our train back to Paris. The Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom in German) is one of the best-known architectural monuments in Germany, and is one of the world's largest churches. It is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. For four years, 1880-84, it was the tallest structure in the world, until the completion of the Washington Monument followed by the Eiffel Tower. Because of its enormous twin spires, it also presents the largest façade of any church in the world.
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Above is the happy couple in front of the cathedral. Norte Dame in Paris and the cathedral in Reims were huge. The Cologne Cathedral makes those buildings look like pocket churches. The picture above does not truly demonstrate its massive size.
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Above is one of the many Gothic figures that adorn the cathedral.
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A thirty second walk from the cathedral is Köln Hauptbahnhof; the train station we will find our ride back to Paris. No check-in. No security wands. Just get to the platform a few minutes before the train leaves and walk on.
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As we found our seats on the train, Christoph and Angela drew on the window from the outside. Unbeknownst to them was the back soot that was transferred to their fingers. And for Christoph, from his finger to his face. Kinda like the black face paint athletes wear.

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After a pleasant four hour train ride we were back in Paris. One the things we had yet to do was go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Above is Mikel with the Trocadero over her shoulder. Believe it or not, the picture was taken around ten in the evening.

Tomorrow we leave for home.

Day 7 in Paris - Still in Germany

2008-07-24T06:57:00.009-05:00

We are just loving our time traveling along the Moselle River. In the early morning, Craig got up to go bird watching. Walking through the cemetery that wraps a small church was a memorial to the citizens of the small town that lost their lives in the two world wars. Did Craig take a picture? Of course not.

On our way to Burg Eltz we walked to a high point over the river. That is the town of Moselkern between Mikel and Angela and a campground on the opposite side of the river.

First stop; Burg Eltz is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle River. It is still owned by a branch of the same family that lived there in the 12th century, 33 generations ago. This was probably Mikel's favorite site during our stay in Germany. The only negative might be the walk to get there and back.

Second stop; Festung Ehrenbreitstein is a fortress on the same-named mountain on the right side of the Rhine opposite to the town of Koblenz. Didn't take any pictures there as it was raining pretty good our whole time there. From its western end we had fantastic views of Koblenz and Deutsches Eck.

Third stop; Deutsches Eck (German Corner) is a spit of land at the confluence of the Moselle and the Rhine. An equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I was erected here in 1897. Wish we had more time to explore Koblenz, but we had so little to see and too much time. Wait . . reverse that.

After leaving Koblenz, we headed to Bad-Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. This consists of two parts, Bad Neuenahr in the east and Ahrweiler in the west. They were united in 1969.

The older part of the city is encircled by a walled fortification. Above is the crew up on the wall. We stayed at another bed-and-breakfast a short walk from the town square. The immediate area included may fine examples of half-timber homes and shops. We started our quest to find jerseys of the German soccer . . er . . football squad.

Day 6 in Paris - Not in Paris, in Germany

2008-07-22T17:24:00.010-05:00

Mikel's main goal was to see Germany's castles. She will get to see two, but not before we visit a few other sites.

First stop; The Porta Nigra, or Black Gate, is Trier's signature attraction and symbol of its Roman heritage. It was built of light sandstone in the 2nd century and was only given its present name in the Middle Ages when the stone aquired it's signature color. Craig thought it was darker because of the Euros smoking cigarettes. Porta Nigra is one of the entrances to Trier's Marktplatz.

Above is Sarah's AWOL parents in the main square of the Hauptmarkt. The tower behind us is St. Gangolf Cathedral.

Feeling guilty about leaving our darling daughter behind, we visited a toy shop. Our German hosts, who gave us a beautiful coo-coo clock a few years back for hosting their son, bought Sarah a coo-coo clock that will match her room decor. Above, Matthias dons battle gear.

From Trier, we drove through the gorgeous Moselle river valley. Numerous, quaint German towns lined the river banks with vineyards framing the valley. Second stop; the crew takes a break near the site of some ancient Roman burial ruins.

Third stop; at last, Mikel gets to see a castle. Above is Reichsburg Cochem. You have to act like you are about to hawk a loogy when you say Cochem. This was a fine castle, but it is fairly young in comparison to other castles in Germany. It was also very commercial, with a restaurant and wedding facilities. There was a wedding taking place during our visit - seven red Ferraris were lined up outside the wedding hall; though we are not sure why.

See, proof positive that Craig will drink a beer. We stayed the night in the small town of Mosel. That night we ate at Zum Dorf-Brunnen, a German restaurant. Is it a German restaurant if it is in Germany, or just a restaurant? Wish I remember what we ate, but it was very good. Angela's appetizer was especially yummy. It was was one of those dishes with various food items that one would not typically combine, but a taste sensation it was. We should have taken notes.

Day 5 in Paris - Heading to Germany

2008-07-22T07:24:00.009-05:00

Today our we were picked up and whisked out of Paris by the retreating Germans. It took forever just to get out of Paris proper. We are headed to Germany with numerous stops along the way.

First stop; Notre-Dame de Reims (Our Lady of Rheims) is the 13th-century Gothic cathedral of Reims, where the kings of France were once crowned. It is in the Champagne region of France.

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Since we were in Champagne the ladies felt the need to indulge in the local bubbly.

Second stop; The Douaumont Ossuary is a memorial containing the remains of soldiers who died on the battlefield during the Battle of Verdun in World War I. The monument kinda reminded us of a submarine in its shape, which is not obvious from the photo above.

Third stop; The Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial. This is were General Patton is buried. Unfortunately, it closes at 5:00. We got there at 6:00. Christoph had no clue who General Patton was . . . or George C. Scott. From there we headed into the Fatherland and stayed at a bed-and-breakfast in the town of Konz, where the rivers Mosel and Saar converge.

Day 4 in Paris - We must see everything

2008-07-20T19:04:00.005-05:00

We met our German friends in Montmartre in the morning. This is the artsy/fartsy area of Paris. We walked up numerous steep steps to get to Sacré-Coeur. This was the first big site we saw on the bus ride into Paris from the airport a few days earlier, based upon its position on the highest point in Paris. We also walked by the famous Moulin Rouge.

Above, we are in front of Sacré-Coeur; however, our German friends Matthias and Angela seem to think it is their turn for picture taking.

We took the the subway over to the Opera Quarter to see the Opera House. FYI, this was Hitler's favorite sight when he visited Paris in 1940. As you can see, it is raining. Afterwards we went over to the Galleria to have lunch at . . . . . McDonald's. Mikel had to have a 'Royalé with Cheese.'

Much to our German friends' chagrin, Mikel was adamant about visiting the Catacombes. No, we did not try to smuggle out a souvenir.

After the Catacombes, we walked through the Luxembourg Quarter. Above is the Fontaine de l'Observatoire at the southern tip of the Jardin de Luxembourg. The sculpture in the center of the fountain was erected in 1873 and considered one of the 'liveliest' in Paris. After a stop at a cafe, we left the Germans, who were headed to a bar to watch the German national team in the Euro cup.

That evening Chris, Mary Beth's husband, returned from his business trip and met us at the base of the Eifell Tower for a late picnic. Other than the temperature, we had a grand time with our wonderful hosts.

Day 3 in Paris - Our feet are sore

2008-06-12T02:02:00.005-05:00

Gotta make this quick. Today we headed to the Palace and Gardens of Versailles. We met Christoph's family at the Versailles train station and spend most of the day there. Below, we are in the famous hall of mirrors.

After Versailles, we dragged our exhaused bodies to the Louvre and raced around to see the famous pieces of art. Below is Mikel in front of the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

We may look happy, but our dogs are tired. Below, we are outside the Louvre, gaining the energy to head to dinner with MaryBeth. We did not get to bed until 1:00 a.m.

Day 2 in Paris - The Germans invade

2008-06-11T01:06:00.005-05:00

After finally dragging ourselves out of bed, we headed over to the Dome Church in the Invalides. The Invalides is a series of grand buildings built by King Louis XIV, with the Dome Church at its center. There we saw the tomb of Napoleon and toured the military history museum.

Across the street from the Invalides was the Rodin Museum. Below, Mikel is, in her way, 'thinking' next to The Thinker.

After lunch at a street side cafe we headed to a, you guessed it, cemetery. However, this was Mikel's choice. This old cemetery includes the likes of Frederic Chopin, Edith Piaf, and the Lizard King himself, Jim Morrison. Below, Mikel is getting an upclose look at the monument for Oscar Wilde. For some reason, the sculture is covered with kisses. So Mikel dug deep in her bag and painted those lips to give Oscar a kiss.

We were supposed to meet the family of our former exchange student at the Arc de Triomphe at 5:00. Problem is we didn't know this. We eventually got the message and trudged over. We ate at a cafe on the Champs-Elysees and planned our next day trip to Versailles. We will head out with them on Friday to Germany.

Below is the Eifell Tower during an evening light show. We tried a new camera lense that adds flare highlights to lights.

Day 1 in Paris

2008-06-10T03:38:00.003-05:00

Although this blog is supposed to emphasize Sarah, we have the power to veer from the norm. We are in Paris, sans Sarah. She is at home with her grandparents. We arrived in Paris at 8:00 a.m. and spent the day trying to be active and stay awake. Below, we are in front of the Louvre.

We are staying with our friends MaryBeth and Chris, though we may never see Chris as he is on a business trip to Amsterdam. Below is Craig, with our lovely host MaryBeth, in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

In the evening, we decided to take the obligatory pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower. That night we went to bed at 10:00 p.m. and we slept for over 10 hours. Now, I believe, we are on Paris time.

Sarah's Birthday Party

2008-05-19T12:21:00.005-05:00

Our fast growing girl turned 3 on the 14th and she had a party the following weekend. Sarah's mother was tireless in her preparation for the Dora the Explorer themed shindig. A pavilion was rented at Russell Creek Park here in Plano and a good time was had by all.

Above, Sarah is being patient as her mother tries vainly to light the candles. There was a fierce wind blowing.

The picture above was actually taken a few minutes before the attempt to blow out the candles. Sarah and pal Emma were sneaking licks of the cake icing.

A pinata was part of the birthday festivities. As opposed to the kids beating it silly, they just each pulled a string and out flowed the candy. Kinda sounds like a socialist pinata to me - equal distribution to all. Plus, no blind-folded kid swinging a stick into some unsuspecting adults' privates. I was looking forward to cashing in on America's Funniest Home Videos.

Apologies again to all those who have 'noted' the long lapse between posts. Again, we will try to make a more concerted effort to post more often.

It has been too long

2008-03-14T16:30:00.003-05:00

It has been way too long since our last post. I typically don't pay much heed when somebody says they are soooo busy. Guess what? We have been way busy lately. None the less, below is a pair of pictures of Sarah at a Mardi Gras parade last month. She is becoming quite the animated young lady.

Fall Fun

2007-12-07T14:42:00.001-06:00

The time leading up to Halloween was a busy time for Sarah. She visited two pumpkin patches, had a pumpkin carving get together at her place, and returned to the Stewart's small ranch to show her friends the miniature horses and donkeys. Below is Sarah with some of the best friends a gal can have at the Stewart's homestead in eastern Collin County.

Halloween was spent trick-or-treating at The Shops at Willow Bend. Yes, we took out little girl to a mall to get her candy. Sarah was a butterfly, which is one of the first words English words she learned. After attending a pirate themed party a few weeks prior, and running around the house with a plastic sword and yelling "Arrrrrgggghhhhh," we almost made a last second costume change.

The State Fair of Texas

2007-12-04T08:18:00.001-06:00

In a year of firsts, another. In October, Sarah experienced her first State Fair of Texas. Her parents have attended the fair every year since 1990, so this was a special day in that Ripkenesque string of consecutive visits. Below, Sarah bites into her first corney dog.

We just don't go to the Fair for a few hours, we make a day of it. Sarah test drove some cars in the Centennial Building, visited Big Tex (below), sampled ice cream in the Food and Fiber Pavilion, fed animals in the Petting Zoo, and helped daddy buy a ladder in the Grand Place Building.

And of course, Sarah hit the Midway. Some attractions she is still too short to ride; however, she did a few rides, some by herself. Below, Sarah and mommy enjoy a fun ride.

Plano Balloon Festival

2007-12-03T09:04:00.000-06:00

Yes, we know, we are way behind on our posts. We'll catch up soon.

In October, Sarah attended her first Plano Balloon Festival. Usually Sarah is fearless, but she did not want to get to close to the big balloons landing only a few yards from her. Sarah was joined at the festival by her buddies Emma, Hope and Faith.

Amongst the balloons were the various food and knick-knack booths. At the Verison booth, Sarah got to ride daddy through a virtual sky of balloons. Earlier, mommy had to keep daddy from engaging the dimwits over at the Vote Democrat booth.

Near the end of our stay, Sarah watched as others jumped up and down on the quasi-bungee jump contraption. Sarah got over excited and had a major meltdown because she couldn't understand that she had to wait her turn. She eventually cooled down and had a blast. Faith and Hope are in the background.

Royalty

2007-10-16T14:34:00.000-05:00

Sarah as Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi. Mikel could get her dressesd up at home, but Sarah refused to dress up for our trip to the Asian Festival in Arlington.

Farm Fun

2007-10-10T08:56:00.000-05:00

During the labor day weekend, Sarah and BFF Molly visited a couple of small farms in the country. Below, Sarah is a tad timid when it comes to petting a piglet.

Both young ladies had a good time petting the minature horses and donkeys and imitating the nearby rooster.

Future Gymnist?

2007-10-02T10:06:00.001-05:00

During the summer, Sarah took a tumbling and a ballarina class. She excelled at one and had little interest in the other. Below, Sarah shows a knack for the balance bar.

Vacation in Corpus Christi

2007-09-12T14:23:00.000-05:00

In early August we drove down to Corpus Christi on Texas' Gulf Coast to join the Aydon clan for some fun in the sun. We shared a bay front house in a small town called Ingleside, which is on the opposite side of Corpus Christi Bay from Corpus Christi.

Below, at our palatial bayfront estate, Sarah shows Devin the finer points of face painting. I wish Sarah could take credit for the dragon on Devin's face, but Mommy was the artist. Mommy was not the artist for Sarah's cheeks.

Sarah was right at home on the beach. Other than the annoyance of some salt water in her eyes, Sarah had a great time on the beach and in the water.

One of the attractions of Corpus Christi is the Texas State Aquarium. Sarah got to see lots of 'fishies.' Sometimes she saw the fishies from Daddy's shoulders, while she checked to see if Daddy's hair was thinning.

Above, Sarah is explaining to Auntie 'shell the mating habits of the birds in the enclosure. Michelle was constantly commenting on how smart Sarah was and whether we would entertain a trade of Sarah for her three boys. Below, Sarah explains to Brent the finer points of Dolphins.

The next day we toured the USS Lexington. The 'Blue Ghost' is an aircraft carrier for all you landlubbers. Below, Sarah, though only a U.S. citizen for five months, shows her patriotism in front of a flag that flew from The Lex.

As one could guess, we also squeezed in a ballgame. The Hooks play at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi. Very nice ballpark, with views of the bay, USS Lexington, Texas State Aquarium and more. It was decided that we needed matching Hooks shirts for picture time after the game.

Wedding in Tulsa

2007-08-01T12:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long lag in posts. No excuse.

The weekend of July 15, Craig, Mikel and Sarah, with Craig's mother Doris, headed to Tulsa for a wedding. Craig's cousin Danielle was getting hitched and many of Craig and Doris' New York relatives would be attending. More important, this would be many of our relative's chance to meet Sarah.

We arrived on Saturday. The wedding was Sunday night, so to fill some time Craig, Mikel and Sarah headed over to the Oklahoma Aquarium. Typical of a 2 year old, Sarah enjoyed the touch tanks. She was pretty fearless, though the splashing of the small rays backed her up some. Below, Sarah has just finished viewing turtles.

The wedding and reception took place at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Tulsa. Mikel and Sarah both wore outfits purchased during our trip to China. Sarah's outfit is incomplete as she refused to wear the top that goes with her skirt/dress.

We discovered that Sarah really loves to dance. Craig was winded after many a dance with his daughter. Look closely, Sarah is sporting a big smile; she is having so much fun.

Sarah's Big ALOHA Birthday Luau!

2007-06-05T15:34:00.001-05:00

WOW! What a party! Xie Xie (thank you) to all who came to celebrate Sarah joining our family and congratulating her on her 2nd Birthday! What a cutie patootie she was in her little outfits!

Please continue your applause for the hosts with the most - the Aydon Family - for graciously hosting this event in their home, catering the food and (insert drum roll here) the VOLCANO CAKE! Yes, that IS sparkly orange lava flowing down a solid cake volcano, and yes, the lilies were edible sugar confections!

the oasis in Southlake...

Ahhhhh...........................The Pullium kids together again with Clint, Brandon, Taylor, Paige, Kaitlyn, Abigail and Shep have fun with Sarah.

Espo does the honors...

Sarah is not too sure about this whole burning wax things on her cake!

Just in case you were wondering if Sarah would fit-in, know you know! Cool Bulgari shades!

GrandPop and Don discuss important global topics, Sean and Val soak up the rays, Pam and Linsay chill in the shade, and Brent organizes the goodies!

Sarah flips over her gifts as Faith does the hula...

We think that's Devin under there!

Happy 2nd Birthday Sarah parts I & II

2007-06-01T17:06:00.000-05:00

Grandma Doris encourages Little Miss to have a bite of Chinese Buffet before dessert at Beijing China Restaurant on May 12, 2007

Beautiful hand-painted sign from good friends Carrie and Chris

Cutie Katie smiles for everyone!

Maria & Lucy baked a cake for Sarah for all to celebrate and share!

Lucy shows off her new glasses - too cool!

Sarah likes to have her cake and eat (her fruit) too!

Is this a Sprouts dinner event or show-time at the Zoo?

Emma knows how to work the camera!

Sarah thanks Grandma for a delicious dinner!

Thank you to Aunt Janet and Uncle Dan for the totally cool trike!

Sarah shares a private joke with Aunt Cindy at Kuby's German Restaurant and Deli

Sarah knows how to accessorize!

Thank you to Grandma Doris and Grandpa Jack for the sand and water table! Sarah's never had so much fun getting wet and dirty!

A big kiss and another Thank You to Aunt Glady for the cool sand toys!

See you later for pics from the BIG KAHUNA BLOW OUT LUAU!

Sarah loves her pets!

2007-06-01T16:56:00.000-05:00

Snickerdoodle and Sarah have a heart to heart. I know what you're all thinking, and yes, they weigh about the same!

Sarah snuggles with pal Shep - we think he actually likes this, too!

Sarah loves to watch Napoleon eat his breakfast!

Summer is a time for Blogging

2007-06-01T16:34:00.000-05:00

Mikel and Sarah strolling the parking lot at the Fort Worth Zoo April 21, 2007.

Sarah loved the pooping cow machine! Here Sarah decides that this hermit crab is too big to take home!

Sarah enjoying some pizza with her new friend, Sarah Bear, April 27.

Congratulations, Uncle Howard for 10 Years Tobacco Free!

The Pullium Children together again, Sarah enjoyed being the center of attention as always!

Mikel is honored to be honored at the Teacher Appreciation Day PSHS softball game April 13, 07. Thank you to Erin who still thinks her 7th grade science teacher is cool! Sarah was very cool - almost frozen - as the last game of the season was called due to weather, but not before Erin presented Mikel with a certificate and goodie bag! Hooray!

Dear Friends and Family,

So sorry it has been such a long time since I've last blogged! I will strive to catch up now that school is out for the summer and I've had a chance to catch my breath! Going back to school for the last month was definitely worth it, but wore me out! Enjoy these pics from the last few months!

Mikel

Sarah starts school

2007-05-07T09:06:00.000-05:00

Last week Sarah started pre-school at A+ Prep Academy. Mikel, the proud momma, was there to usher Sarah to class. After dropping off Sarah, Mikel returned to teaching at Wilson Middle School.

Molly was there to give Sarah a big welcome.

Fun at the Park

2007-04-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

Sarah gives Anna a big hug and a kiss with out a request!

Sarah can climb all the way up to the BIG slide and go down the tube ALL BY HERSELF!

Allways a good time with Molly and the swings!

Out and about

2007-04-16T15:59:00.000-05:00

Here is little miss giving mommy a smile WITH her dimple in her chin showing! We are watching the ducks swim outside Tiffany & Co. at North Park Centre and this is the smile she gave when I called out her Chinese name FuYe.

This picture was taken at mommy's classroom. While mommy gathered a few things she needed Sarah climbed up onto a student's computer station all by herself and tried to check her email!

Tip toe through the blue bonnets!

2007-04-16T15:55:00.000-05:00

Sarah is once again showing that she is a true Texan at heart as she enjoyssome Texas sunshine and Shep.

What a sweet face!

Sarah Loves Shep!

The Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park

2007-04-16T15:52:00.000-05:00

Sarah meets a very big fish face to face in the underwater forest aquarium!

A great time was had by all - Vicki, Kaylin, Traci and Sarah - Mommy, too!

Sarah's first baseball game

2007-04-16T15:43:00.000-05:00

Sarah's first ever baseball game at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, TX.

Uncle Alan even managed to snag her a foul ball!

Aunt Cindy ready Sarah her favorite book about animals - she can say most of the sounds they make!

Easter with the Salsgiver's in McKinney

2007-04-14T11:34:00.000-05:00

Molly joins Sarah for a cool Easter Egg Hunt in the backyard.

Molly and Sarah discuss stragedy...

Later both girls went for a spin in Grandpa Salsgivers easy chair - Yippee!

Easter Playdate at Anna & Molly's

2007-04-14T11:25:00.000-05:00

Sarah disguised as the Easter Bunny, but Lucy knows better!

Sarah, as cute as a button in her Parisian couture outfit! Thanks Mary Beth and Chris!

Multi tasking - check out that penmanship! Coloring Easter pages with Molly and Emma.

Easter Egg hunt it the back yard with Katie, Molly and Emma and others - what fun!

Sarah's first baseball game

2007-04-12T16:53:00.000-05:00

An evening at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark always includes an autograph of an up-and-coming player! Cute but very cold!
Uncle Alan comes through with Sarah's first foul ball!

Aunt Cindy and Uncle Alan love their sweet god daughter!

Sarah's first trip to the zoo!

2007-04-12T16:46:00.000-05:00

Molly shares pretzels with Sarah - yum!

Sleepy time Sarah

Unfortunately either the animals or Sarah would not pose at the same time. Sarah's friend Molly is always happy to oblige!

Sarah's first time at our Lucas property

2007-04-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

How preciouse is she? We visited the 'land' shortly after we returned home from China. Sarah was not too sure about the tall grass, but soon was running all over the 2+ acres with Shep!

Pretty in Pink

2007-04-09T11:31:00.000-05:00

Howdy all!

This is just a pretty little picture of Sarah at the Chen Family Temple and Museum in Guangzhou, China.

Enjoy!

Sushi with Nell

2007-04-06T15:37:00.000-05:00

Here are the pictures of our lunch with Nell. The three of us had some real quality time before heading out to Sushi Inaka for a girl's only luncheon of sushi, soup and salad (with some chicken fried rice for Sarah)

Sarah needs some tutorials on lunch etiquette - she took a call on her play cell phone! After lunch the three of us checked out the newest Asian market in our neighborhood.

Mmmmm, chocolate

2007-04-03T17:13:00.000-05:00

Sarah had her first cupcake the other day. Not much to add to that based upon the picture below.

Every night since we got back from China, Sarah has pitched a fit when we put her down for the night. Two nights ago, not a peep - just a smile. Do children do 180 degree turns? Again last night she went down without a fight; however, she started crying 20 minutes later and we went in to investigate and she threw-up. I guess jalapenos don't go well with yogurt.

I'm BACK!

2007-03-21T15:54:00.000-05:00

Hey! Mikel here and feeling almosy human again!

I still have great snot, but feel that I'm able to 'cope' with Sarah and not go out of my mind. Now I think I know why our tour guides had some kind of activity each day, then lunch, then nap, then free time, then dinner. I am going to try to do the same thing each day.

Let me tell you, the crib tent is awesome! THANKS MICHELLE! It is actually a little bit smaller than the crib so that even when Sarah 'thrashes' it a bit, she doesn't 'bonk' it - she bounces! The first night she only cried about 30 minutes, woke up at about 5:30 - when I put her in bed with me until 7:30. Next night, 20 minutes. If she wakes up in the middle of the night I let her cry it out. Last night - 10 minutes! I put her down about 8 - 8:30 and she gets up around 7 - 7:30.

Nap time is different. I put her in it the other day and she cried for an hour and 15. So today I tried something different. I figure they nap on the floor in day care, so when she looked like she was getting tired (that was easy - so was I!) we went to her room and I layed down with a pillow and blanket and closed my eyes. I let her play next to me, and asked her to 'shh' when she was too loud. I don't have a changing table, just the pad. I do most stuff on the floor any way. I put the pad next to me and would pat it every once in a while and asked her to lay down. She would, she'd play with the blanket, get up, get a toy, lay back down, and after about 15 minutes she was out. Thanks for the inspiration, Granny!

Well - it's been a hour and she just got up. She was crying but when I went in I 'lied' and told her I was just on the potty. She bought it (unlike her antibiotics laced with syrup)

Now she is still sleepy but in my lap as I write this.

I am sticking with the cry-it-out method. It's either her or me! If I don't sleep then I am no good to be driving her around and what not during the day.

Today is the second day with just the two of us (I was so sick still on the first) and I actually think I might be able to do this! Hooray!

She is getting along great with Shep (the lab) and likes to point to the snake (who finally ate after a month! - don't worry, he stays in his aquarium always!) The cats, tortoise, crab, fish and frogs come home at the end of the month.

We had blood drawn yesterday - only got enough out of two arms for 3 out of 5 tests they want to do. Today's adventure in stool sample collecting was a life lesson! REALLY glad I have tile floors!

Craig has not taken promised pictures yet, we will try to get some of Sarah with the dog, soon.

Mikel

We Are Back

2007-03-20T14:08:00.000-05:00

Many apologies for the long lag between posts. Poor Mikel caught a nasty sinus infection a few days before leaving China and it has only gotten worse. Therefore, the new dad has had extra Sarah duty and keyboard buttons are hard for her to ignore. Poor excuse, but I'm sticking with it.

We left Guangzhou at 6:30 a.m. on the 15th and arrived at DFW at 6:00 p.m. the same day. Considering that we crossed the international time line, it was a long day. We had a 40 minute flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, which was a breeze. I swear the walk to the gate at the Hong Kong airport was longer, as the gate was at the very end of the terminal.

We caught a little luck on our flight to LA. There were a few vacant seats on the flight and the stewardess asked the gentleman who had the window seat if he would mind moving so we could have a seat for Sarah. THAT WAS GREAT! We put Sarah in the seat between us and she played with her stacking cups, took a couple naps and flirted with some of the passengers. We were near the facilities, so many people chatted with Sarah as they waited their turn.

Upon arrival, we had to sprint to the next terminal to catch our flight to LA. Only had a few minutes to spare but we made it.

Upon our arrival at DFW, we had a nice crowd of well-wishers.

The new grandma is holding the sign and the new grandpa is at the far right (in the picture and politically). Thanks Espo for taking the picture.

After taking about 400 to 500 pictures in China we have yet to take a picture of Sarah since she has been home. I will resolve this later today.

Zai Jian

2007-03-14T01:10:00.000-05:00

This will be our last post from China.

Today revolved around our appointment at the U.S. Consulate downtown. The appointment was at 2:45. We were not allowed to bring water or electronics with us, so there will be no pictures on this blog of a thirsty, newly minted citizen of the U.S. of A (that would be Sarah for all those who received their education at UT). Actually, Sarah will not be a citizen until she passes through customs in Los Angeles.

This morning we ventured off Shamain Island to a very Chinese market. This market is not for the faint of heart. Below, Mikel is in front of dried centipedes, snake skins and turtle shells.

Below, the lovely Miss Sarah is modeling beside dried snakes and fungi. All this can be yours - if the price is right.

Here is a view of of one of the streets within the market area. Wow, the sights, sounds and smells. That's Chuck Connor in the white T, who also got billing in our last blog entry, enjoying the market. Craig and Chuck, along with fellow dad John ventured through the market yesterday in search of the subway station and came across gutted goats hanging from poles. Therefore, we call this market the Gutted Goat Market.

Tonight, after raising our right hand and swearing we supplied truthful information, we again had dinner at Cow and Bridge with a few of the other families in our group.

Bye from China, I can't write anymore because a certain somebody keeps wanting in daddy's lap to play with the computer. See ya on the other side of the world.

Craig, Mikel and Sarah hope you enjoyed reading our blog and we really do appreciate all the wonderful comments left by those who followed on our journey. We may check comments in the morning if we are not in a panic to get out. We leave the White Swan Hotel at 6:30 a.m.

Lap Dance

2007-03-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today was mostly a free day for us. We enjoyed a late breakfast at the first floor buffet next to the two story waterfall and huge koi pond.

Craig stayed in the room from 10 - noon waiting to see if Rui had any questions or concerns with our paper work. She was at the American Consulate getting all our stuff ready for our appointment tomorrow at 2:45. There were none, so Craig had a fun time bonding with baby Sarah in the hotel room.

What did Mikel do all this time? SHOP of course! She met Meg and Patti at the boutique just outside the White Swan hotel after she dropped off a last load of laundry at the Ladybug Corner just across the street from the hotel. This shop came highly recommended by families who had been here before. Most shops here do laundry and it comes back in cute clear packages perfect for packing. The Ladybug corner has a nice selection of clothes and shoes as well as strollers to 'rent' for free (most shops have strollers to borrow, too) If you do use Ladybug Corner ask for the VIP card that gives you an additional discount on laundry and all other purchases.

A word regarding the famous 'squeaky' shoes - they are not sized the same every where! Some come in sizes from 13 to 18, others are marked 140/23 or some other combination, still others have different markings. It was very confusing trying to find some sort of common element! Bring your baby with you to try them on! Most stores are happy to exchange, but you end up buying even more stuff!

This place also had a nice selection of baby shoes and tights. And for those of you planning on coming to China at any time of the year - bring tights! The old lady ankle police will come after you in any city if they think your baby's hands or legs get cold. So we have given up with socks (unless they are over the knee) and gone with tights.

For lunch Craig, Sarah and Mikel went for a stroll with Meg and her son Alex to Blenz Coffee (also highly recommended, it is just down the way from Starbucks - did Craig mention there is a Starbucks INSIDE the Forbidden City? Yes, we have photos!) The above photo is of Sarah boogieing to Shania Twain on daddy's lap. She is really turning on the cute factor! A couple of students on a field trip from Germany kept offering her their chocolate wafer candy!

Mikel has to give big props to the doctor and nurse at the White Swan Hotel. Baby Sarah is fine other than a few patches of dry skin and some monster-sized Mongolian spots. Mikel, on the other hand, has had too much smog in the past two weeks and has come down with a nasty sinus infection! Good thing we brought most of our medicine cabinet!

Anyway, at 7 PM yesterday she went to the 3rd floor clinic and rang the bell. There was no one there besides the nurse and doctor. Mikel sat down next to the doc, a few questions were asked and a temperature taken (under the arm) as well and a nose and throat inspection (never had that nose flashlight thingy shoved up so far - ouch!) The friendly, elderly Chinese doctor gave Mikel some antiboitics - all in under 15 minutes and for 150 Yuan (less than $20.00 USD!) They were both very caring and nice, too!

Another tip for those traveling here soon - most of the shops have a corner packed with medicines donated by families. They are in their original packages, in ENGLISH, both OTC and Rx, and treat most anything from lice to scabies to who knows what.

Tonights dinner was Thai. It is call the "Cow and Bridge" and was probably the best food we've eaten in Guangzhou. Steer clear of some of the crazy seafood dishes (no, we've not tried fish head soup or anything else many American's deem 'crazy') but the vegetables were superb (not had much greenery this trip) and Mikel enjoyed the Patai and Craig the vegi spring rolls. Other families orders delicious, spicy dishes that Craig enjoyed sampling. We ordered Sarah the usual chichen congi and some weird-looking apple juice (looked more like Guinness Stout)

Not many pictures taken today, but tomorrow we plan to explore what Craig calls the 'gutted goat market' so there should be lots of photo ops!

Herding Cats

2007-03-12T07:39:00.000-05:00

Those in the adoption community are familiar with the tradition of the Red Couch Photo. For those out of the know, the White Swan Hotel has a couple of red couches that every adoption group meets at to have a group photo with the kids. The picture below only shows four of the seven girls in our group, as we were never able to get all of the children on the couch together without a couple of babies having fits. Sarah was a real trooper through it all; though the thumb sucking is not very photogenic.

The gathering also included group photos and pictures of the girls with their mothers. Afterwards, Mikel and Sarah donned their new silk duds for the camera.

Later the families met for a last dinner together at Lucy's, the 'American' restaurant near our hotel. If this restaurant opened in Dallas, it would fail in days, but it does a good business here. As Mikel and Craig were eating their grilled cheese sandwiches, Sarah picked up french fries and started feeding her parents. Earlier in the day, as Craig was dressing to go out, Sarah brought him a shoe and his belt. What a sweet young lady she is becoming. The picture below is not the best of Mikel, but the aim is to get good pictures of Sarah, since we all know what Mikel looks like. Sarah doesn't like ketchup, but enjoyed dipping the fries for mommy. Is she wanted a bite, she would eat from the end without the ketchup and turn the fry around for mommy.

Sarah is just a darling baby, but as she gets comfortable with her parents, she is now starting to test boundaries. Where four days ago she was poker face, now she is at times becomes Little Miss Demanding. She gets very anxious for her formula in the morning and evening. This evening, as Craig waited for the formula to cool down, Sarah lost patience and had a small fit. She got a bit more obstinate later in the evening and was put to bed early. She is starting to hear 'NO' and 'BOO' (Chinese for 'no') a bit more often.

Earlier in the day, Craig and two fellow com padres, Chuck and John, decided to take the subway downtown. CITIC Plaza is home of the seventh tallest building in the world. The building does not have an observation deck so we just jumped into an elevator hoping to get some type of view. A lobby on the 48 floor allowed us some nice views; however, the day was so overcast that visibility was only a mile or two. The Guangzhou subways are very efficient and clean, making for a nice getaway for the guys. That's Craig with Chuck below.

Poverty in Guangzhou

2007-03-11T03:26:00.000-05:00

No sign of poverty on Saiman Island, just in Room 1134 of the White Swan Hotel. The folks at the currency exchange window know Mikel by name.

Sarah is really becoming a hoot. Below she is again upside down. She has a hair brush that she was coming daddy's hair with. She is talking more and loves to head butt daddy's belly.

As previously noted, we visited the Chen Family Temple today. Below is Craig and Sarah in front of one of the many statues within the complex. Sarah today learned to grab daddy's hands and have him twirl her in circles (I wish I could explain this better). For a 22 month old toddler, she just loves the rough stuff.

Shopping in Guangzhou

2007-03-11T00:19:00.000-06:00

Ni Hao, Ya'll - Mikel here.

Another day in beautiful and tranquil Guangzhou, AKA Canton, Ram city and others. Today we visited the Chen Family Temple and then visited a shopping area. I will let Craig fill you in with pictures and info about the former, but I thought I'd chat about the later.

It is about 2:20 PM on Sunday, March 11. Sarah conked out on the bus ride back to hotel at 12:30 so she'll be very hungry when she wakes later. Craig has gone with a few of the other families (mostly the men - while the women watch the kids - which is turn about since I've left Craig with nap duty to shop and run errands the past few days) to visit an electronics super mega store. We have most of the electronics we 'need' but you never know! I hope he will find a camera do-dad or something since the only things we've bought for him on this trip are some Kit Kat bars, a slurpee and an ice cream or two!

I have been trying to hold back my real shopping frenzy until now. Craig will disagree but oh well. I bought Sarah a silk outfit from the Hunan Embroidery Museum - the only one since I'm not happy with the quality of the silk outfits I've seen so far. She also has a silk baby blanket, a 'chop' engraved with her American (Sarah) and Chinese (FuYe) names, shoes (he he!) a couple of cotton Chinese outfits, a stroller and a few other do-dads.

Today we visited a Jade Market. It was okay. I did get a couple of things for Sarah's "16" gifts (one gift for each of the next 16 birthdays - I may spread the gifts out and give them for 'big' birthdays)

We also received her immunization records today. Tomorrow we will take the 'red couch' picture with all the babies, and have a group dinner at Lucy's (quasi American Food - not bad!) On Tuesday we will wait by the phone from 10 to noon while Rui is at the Consulate making all the final arrangements (just in case she has a question for us or we need to fill out more forms) and the Wednesday is our last round of appointments!

Oops! Sarah is awake! Bye for now! Mikel

The Acrobat

2007-03-09T23:05:00.000-06:00

The trip from from Changsha to Guangzhou consisted of a 20 minute drive to the Changsha Airport, about an hour in the Changsha Airport, a one hour and ten minute flight, about 45 minutes in the Guangzhou airport and a 45 minute drive to the White Swan Hotel. And Sarah was full bore almost the whole trip.

Sarah did not come out of her shell yesterday, she exploded. Sarah was acting like she drank a couple Red Bulls or a six pack of Mountain Dew. She was full tilt until the bus ride to the hotel, around 10:00 p.m. when she finally crashed. She is not exactly Chatty Kathy yet, but she is making numerous sounds. She just couldn't stay still and was smiling most of the time - unless you break out a camera to prove it to the world, then she gets closed mouth. At the Changsha Airport she walked Mikel silly and learned how to slide on the tile floor. Falling is not a problem, she just gets up to try again. On the plane, as Craig held her, she was up, down, sideways, upside down (her favorite position) and all over the place. Many of the folks in our travel group were amazed at Sarah's coming out display. Below is Mikel in the lobby of the White Swan, about 10:30 p.m., waiting for Craig to secure the room keys so we can all go to bed. Sarah is finally still.

Today we walked from the White Swan Hotel to the building where all adopted babies receive a physical examination. Sarah enjoyed the ride in the stroller over and was in good spirits. The quiet streets of Guangzhou are a welcomed change from the hustle and bustle of Changsha. The arthitecture and gardens are a delight. Many in our group are happy that a Starbucks is only a block from the hotel. Below is Mikel and Sarah to the left, our guide Rui in the middle and the German's (their name, not nationality) to the right.

There were dozens of families at the physical examinatoin building with their new children, many of which were crying. Sarah is always very aware of her surroundings, and the 'bad vibe' of all the crying babies had to alert her that this is not a happy place. Her first exam, measuring of head diameter and outward exam of body went well. The second station was weighing and measuring. When Mikel handed Sarah to the attendant, Sarah started wailing, and Mikel almost started too. The third and final station was ears and throat, which Sarah did fairly well at, though she did not want to open her mouth for the tongue depressor. Below, Sarah is on the scale.

With the exam over, we now have the rest of the day free. On the way back to the hotel, Mikel hit many of the shops that cater to tourists. All of the attendants tell us we have the prettiest baby, which they are correct, and try to sell us their wares. Mikel has already purchased two more pair of squeeky shoes and I think placed an order for silk clothes for Sarah.

Many of the families we know who have adopted from China tell us that the child placed with them is the perfect match. I just want to know how the Chinese knew to match us with a kid that loves rough-housing. Sarah was practically wrestling Craig in the bed, pinning him down with her massive 21 pounds of might. Below is a toddler who just loves to be upside down and is no sissy-girl.

Tonight, Mikel is having a hamburger for dinner. She is quite excited.

She Speaks

2007-03-08T22:41:00.000-06:00

Today, Friday the 9th, is a travel day. We leave later this evening for Guangzhou, where the American Consulate is. We will stay at the White Swan Hotel on Shamain Island for six nights.

We have enjoyed our time in Changsha, but poor Mikel is ready for a dinner that isn't so spicy.

Below is a picture of our travel group in Tian'an men Square. There are seven couples, five of which are first time parents. Just a great group of folks.

Never can have enough pictures of a cute girl in the tub. Although it might not be apparent, Sarah does enjoy a bath. Even when mommy goofs with her hair.

The other day at the park, it was pretty chilly and we did not bring a pair of gloves for poor Sarah (even though Anna and Molly made a special trip to our house the day we were to leave and brought us a pair! Oops!) Another mommy offered up a pair, but as you can see, they were a bit big on her. (She still has the candy in her hand given to her by the nice elderly lady! :-) )

Sarah has made nary a peep since her crying spell on Gotcha Day. But yesterday at dinner, while Mikel was holding her nose in the restaurant bathroom, Sarah uttered her first words. Since then she has occasionally muttered and each hour babbles just a little bit more.

Yesterday, March 8, was National Woman's Day in the Peoples Republic of China. Mikel and Rui celebrated by going to have a traditional foot massage. We walked a block or so from the hotel to a place Rui knows. There we enjoyed a private room with digital TV (watched an old Jet Li movie - hai YAH!) and 90 minutes of heaven.

First, we soaked our feet in bamboo buckets of steaming hot water with Chinese herbs and medicines (it looked like dirty water but smelled wonderful!) While we did this for about 15-20 minutes a masseur rubbed and pounded our necks shoulders and backs. We were fully clothed except for our feet. Wherever the masseur worked (except our feet), he placed what looked like a flour sack dish cloth and rubbed on top of it.

For the second part we lay back on divans, sipped large mugs of hot green tea (white-gloved smartly dressed gentlemen came in to make sure we had plenty of refills) while they worked on our feet for about 20 minutes each foot. Then they massaged each leg for about 10 minutes each.

The last part we laid flat on our stomachs for a back and neck rub. Ahhhhhhhhhh! All this for 50 yuan plus a 20 yuan tip. Yes, that is less than $10.00! Mikel is DEFINITELY going again when she gets to Guangzhou!

Believe it or not, for Mikel, the best part was when she returned to hotel to find out that when Sarah awoke from her nap, she cried missing her mommy! Daddy had to distract her until mommy returned!

Typically, we would have lunch in one of the hotel restaurants. The last few days we had a sweet gal named Sophie wait on us. Her English was not very good, but considerably superior to our Chinese. She is a trainee and worked hard to please us. Besides, Craig always likes having cute waitresses serve him.

2007-03-08T01:27:00.000-06:00

We are blogging as of the 8th of March; however, the picture below is from bath time the previous evening. Sarah very much enjoys her baths and last night we let her have extra play time in the water. After taking pictures of Sarah, we show them to her on the camera LCD for her approval.

Still stingy with the smile. During play time in the hallway at the hotel, Sarah would turn her face away from us when she smiled as to not give us the satisfaction. Craig showed her how to kick a beach ball, which was worth many a turned head and hidden smile. The hallway has mirrors, so we can see her from other angles. Speaking of mirrors, little miss vanity loves to look at herself in the mirror.

Today we took a tour of the Yue Lu Academy here in Changsha. It is a university that has been in the same location for over 1,500 years. It was an interesting walking tour, but not like walking UCLA and checking out the co-eds.

Maybe the best part of the Yue Lu Academy was all the steps. Sarah was very proud of herself as she ventured up and down many flights of stairs and some tall thresholds. Another day with squeeky shoes also helped entertain her.

Sarah and Mikel were of more interest to the Chinese tourists than the academy grounds. Many times they were stopped for pictures. Was it the uniqueness of a white American with a Chinese baby, or was it just Mikel's cheeks and eyes? Sarah hardly batted an eye as she was touched, adjusted, and handled by many Chinese ladies - some who gently scolded us for not covering her up enough. For future travelers/adopters, if it is the slightest bit cold, get some 80's style leg warmers, because it is hard to keep those ankles covered. And don't forget the gloves, the old ladies will grab the kid's hands to see if they are cold.

At the front of the grounds was a large statue of Chairman Mao. Mao is from Hunan Province and his face is everywhere. Yes, we have a thumb-sucker on our hands. We will deal with that later.

Still Little Miss Serious

2007-03-07T01:21:00.000-06:00

The big tease. Every time you think she is going to smile, she just kinda smirks. Notice the candy in her hand? An elderly Chinese lady gave it to her.

Today, March 7 for those wondering, included a stop at Tianxing Park and the Hunan Embroidery Museum of China (Yawn!). As we dressed Sarah for her day, Mikel choose a new pair of shoes for Sarah to wear - squeeky shoes. Once Sarah put foot to ground and heard the squeek, fireworks went off in her head. The world's greatest invention, no doubt. For those out of the know, squeeky shoes, which are typical in China, do just as you would figure, they squeek as the child walks. Sarah was quite delighted and we walked her to breakfast in them and turned a lot of heads. One couple who did not purchase a pair yesterday at Wal-Mart plans to get a cab back to Wall-Mart, they were so impressed.

Above, Mikel and Sarah in Tianxing Park. Please note the men playing chess and ladies doing Tai Chi to Mikel's left. There is an entrace fee for the park; however, folks 60 and over are admitted free.

Craig, Sarah and Mikel in Tianxing Park. It was a cool, crisp day, weather wise.

At the padoda in Tianxing Park. See how the bottom lip curls on Sarah. That is our warning that she is not crazy about her present state. She is still holding the candy.

At the Hunan Embroidery Museum of China, Mikel is trying on a silk outfit for Sarah. I don't recall were the museum part of the complex was, just the stuff for sale.

After we returned from our outing, we had lunch at the hotel and Sarah shared our fried rice and had some congi (kinda like rice oatmeal). She just awoke from her nap and we must go. Pizza tonight, which will make Mikel happy as the Hunan food is quite spicy and she longs for Americana.

Poker Face

2007-03-05T23:38:00.000-06:00

All went according to plan upon our return to the Adoption Adminstrative & Service Center the same afternoon as meeting Sarah in the morning. We had to fill out some paper work and pledge never to abandon Sarah or mistreat her (i.e. don't let her become a UT fan). Below is a picture of our Great Wall China Adoption guide, Rui (pronounced Ray). She holds our hands at ever step of the process. She even went out of her way to get us some fomula and rice cereal last night. I apologize to Ray for the poor picture of her. She is a lovely young lady.

Today we ventured out to Wal-Mart. It was above a mall-like congregation of shops. It was pretty cold outside, so Mikel bundled up Sarah in several layers including the Dora the Explorer outfit and groovy headgear. We have already had an elderly Chinese lady come over and adjust Sarah's clothes as we did a poor job of covering her ankles. The Wal-Mart was similar to a US Wal-Mart except for the live frogs, eels, turtles and such in the fish market. You can buy half of a dried pig face, too. Mikel bought Emelda, er Sarah, six pairs of shoes today. She was wearing the shoes we got her in, which were too small for her, two different sizes and not so attractive. Notice Sarah still has her ducky.

Sarah has a poker face. She hasn't cried since Gotcha and is almost expressionless. That is until daddy got her in the shopping cart at Wal-Mart and started spinning the cart in circles. She almost cracked a smile. About the only way to get her to change her expression is to spin her or hoist her up and let her pretend to fly.

We Have Liftoff

2007-03-04T22:57:00.000-06:00

Wow, these Black Pepper Rib Eye Steak Flavor chips are really good. We bought them at the local market, which was a zoo. Oh, that's right, you'll want to know about THE BABY!

At roughly 10:00 a.m. this morning we had an appointment at the Adoption Adminstration & Service Center to meet our new daughter. We were the second family of the seven families on our group to be called up to get our girl. The picture below is the very first picture we took of Sarah after our guide told us which one she was. This was prior to being united with her. We did not recognize her because they gave her a bad haircut. The gentleman to the left is the director of the orphanage Sarah came from.

As our name was called, we presented our passports and after the ok signal, we were handed Sarah. Mikel has Sarah's Tigger doll in her hand.

Sarah had been having a good time with her nannies prior to handoff. Afterwards, not so good. Below she is not digging Craig all that much.

After all the families had their babies, we were shuffled out as the next group was anxious to get their new daughters. By the time we got outside, Sarah had stopped crying and was kinda dazed. That is the Connor family from Atlanta in the picture below with their new daughter. Sarah was quiet on the bus ride back to the hotel - much of the time looking out the window.

The great equalizer - Cheerios. Sarah loves those Cheerios. She usually knew were the little bag of Cheerios was and never said no to one. They were what made her stop crying after handoff and give us some eye contact.

We'll include a picture of the myriad of clothes she was wearing in another post.

Back in our hotel room, Sarah was presented with some stacking cups and later a ducky during her bath. After her bath Sarah got a new diapher and some fresh clothes. Not ten minutes after the new diaper, she produced the mother of all poops. "Wanna be parents Mikel and Craig? WELL TAKE THIS!"

As we write this post, Sarah is taking her first nap. So far, so good. She is an absolute doll! No smiles yet, though. When we get one, we will post it ASAP.

Daddy, ducky and Sarah.

We Are In Countdown

2007-03-04T16:33:00.000-06:00

After a day of rain in Beijing, we awoke to snow. So much snow that our 7:30 a.m. flight to Changsha was delayed over an hour as the plane's wings needed de-icing. A few hours later we were walking through the streets of Changsha in 60 degree weather. Very nice. For a city we had ever heard of two months ago, this is a fairly large city. Below is a picture from our hotel room at the Dolton.

We have less than four hours until we meet the reason for our trip. The things that go through your mind leading up to this is exhausting. Kinda like those dreams in college about missing tests. - Craig

Last night was the lantern festival. Traditionally it is on the last day of the spring festival, the 15th day of the first month of the (Lunar) New Year (on the first full moon). From about 6:00 PM until 8 or 9 fire works boomed steadily all over the city. Our view from the 31st floor was spectacular! There were individuals setting off sparks on the streets as well as more professional shows from one end of our view to the next. I was very tired when our guide, Rui (Ray), explained the purpose of the fireworks, but it has something to do with scaring away evil spirits - going so far as to scare little children into staying awake so they will not be influenced by the ghosts.

All our rooms also have an open window. Thankfully the wind has carried most of the smog away (at least yesterday) and the breeze was pleasant. Some of our party were even poking their heads out almost getting popped by fireworks!

Dinner last night was traditional Hunan style. It was spicy to me, but I understand Rui ordered the mildest dishes. One pork and bamboo shoot dish reminded my of Cajun etoufe, while another dish served with scallops in the shell reminded me of Italian shimp scampi. One great dish was corn and pine nuts. For dessert we were served three different kinds of "sweet" dumplings.

Mikel

7:00 AM

March 5 (gotcha day!)

Beijing Day 2 - Rain, Rain, Rain

2007-03-03T05:49:00.000-06:00

Today we visited three of the most recognized places in Beijing. Unfortunately it rained all day. With the help of an umbrella, it wasn't that bad. From what we hear, it's better than a day in August in Beijing.

Mikel in Tian'men Square with the entrance to the Forbidden City in the background. Look hard and you can see the famous picture of Charmian Mao over the entrance.

Here we are in the Forbidden City. As you can see, it is quite slick on the old stone tiles.

If that was a Four Star restroom, I'd hate to see a two star. There was a waiting room in front of the restrooms, and those Chinese folks sure love to smoke in them and ruin the air quality.

Here Mikel enjoys the recent blooms in the garden within the Forbidden City.

At the Great Wall of China. See the watch tower in the background? We climbed to it, and then a little further. We weren't too proud of ourselves as a bunch of 60-something Germans passed us by.

We are off to Changsha tomorrow at dark-thirty. We are still on schedule to meet Sarah on Monday at 10:00 a.m.

Beijing Day 1 Oops

2007-03-02T17:10:00.000-06:00

Sorry about the last post. The internet here in China is goofy and many of the commands are shown as 标题： instead of the true command. Therefore we sometimes push the wrong buttons. We will post more later today as the hotel is "broken off" internet most of the day.

Beijing Day 1

2007-03-02T16:48:00.000-06:00

Breakfast time

We visited the Beijing Zoo to see the pandas. Of the 16 pandas at the zoo, 4 were nice enough to venture out for viewing. None of the pandas were in photogenic moods, ergo no great pics.

I ramble on

2007-03-01T18:01:00.000-06:00

I don't want to say that all the bad luck is behind us, so I won't. Travel yesterday was uneventful. Well, except that our no-smoking flight had a smoker right in front of us! Another funny thing was how the locals started running up the aisles of the plane long before it was even close to stopping!

All the cigarette smoke and smog (and riding in the back of cars) had me flashing back to family road trips. I still get mighty car sick! Sad thing is that now I seem to be connecting the taste of the local food to the smog and I believe that keeps me from enjoying it as much as I could.

Our new guide Rae (Ray?) is a beautiful girl who seems very passionate about her job. She will travel with us the remainder of our trip.

Hope to post more soon! Free internet at this hotel! Yippee!

Mikel
8:05 AM
March 2

Hot Springs

2007-02-28T20:20:00.000-06:00

That's the Emperor's favorite concubine behind us.

Sacred Hot Springs fountain

2007-02-28T20:16:00.000-06:00

Craig and Roy at Wild Goose Pagoda

2007-02-28T20:12:00.000-06:00

Caligraphy lesson

2007-02-28T20:06:00.000-06:00

Xi'an

2007-02-28T19:44:00.000-06:00

We had a great day touring yesterday. Our guide seemed to keep directing us to places to spend money. Hmmm, do ya think it was on purpose? Well, if he gets a cut, he is a rich man. Mikel purchased a couple of Chinese paintings, a jade necklace, and some warriors figurines.

Off to Beijing today.

A Mighty Wind

2007-02-27T03:01:00.000-06:00

Well, where do I start? Yes, we did start our journey, FINALLY!

You may be aware that a huge wind and dust storm closed DFW and Love Field Airports on Saturday, February 24, our sheduled day of departure. We stood in line from 4 PM until 7 PM but only move about 50 feet! We were hoping that our pal Espo would somehow find a way for us to leave that day for Los Angles. Well, she is a miracle worker but acts of God still illude her!

She did schedule us on the next flight to leave DFW at 7:30 the next morning. We thought we arrived early enough to catch that flight but the line was as long and slower than the day before! At 8:30 we finally checked in. No open flights to LA where we could connect to Hong Kong. So we were redirected through Paris, France! Yes, Craig and I will circumnavigate the globe on this journey! You can never talk to us about jet lag again!

The trip on American Airlines to Paris was okay. We arrived just in time to check in at the Cathay Pacific counter (also huge lines!) only for them to tell us that they were not going to honor our reservations! You see, the man at the AA counter who checked us through, just scratched out the old times and flights numbers and wrote in new ones. He never re-issued the tickets! Well, that's when I finally lost it! I didn't yell or rant, I only sobbed and tried to tell them we were on our way to our daughter. Maybe that helped. Maybe it also helped that our bags were already checked through. Back and forth between the AA counter and the Cathay Pacific counter (thank God they were close!) we were all fixed.

The flight from Charles De Gaulle to Hong Kong started out okay. Craig had his window seat and I had an aisle, but not on the same row. Craig was squished in next to a large French man and his wife, at least I had an empty middle between me and another guy. There were lots of first run movies on the flight. Unfortunately it was also very bumpy! I came down with a bad case of motion sickness and my dinner came back up! I could not keep any liquids down. I could barely sick next to Craig when he ate his breakfast (he finally got out from the Bastiille around 4 AM.

Don't ask us exactly what time it was. The flight from Dallas to France was 9 hours, the flight from France to Hong Kong was 13. At least Craig was able to see Minsk from his window!

We arrived in Hong Kong 24 hours late. We missed our paid half day tour. We checked in to the hotel anyway - at least we could finally shower after 48 hours of travel! We did our own quick mini tour of the famous town. We took the ferry to the island of Hong Kong, took it back to the side our hotel was on and figured out the subway system and found the bird and flower markets. It was a beautiful day in the 70's.

We arrived back at the Hong Kong airport and we are scheduled to board the flight to Xi'an in a few minutes.

Hopefully our run of bad luck is over. Check in at the China Eastern Airlines counter was a breeze; no 3 oz limit in security check in. Craig was interviewed for a local TV news station about the liquid limitations and about how Hong Kong is trying to adopt the stricter travel regulations found in most other big cities.

I was interviewed, too, mostly about my tourism plans while in China. The sweet woman did not understand what adoption meant, so we had to pull out a picture of Sarah and explain why we were taking her home. Finally she got it and was very happy and excited for us!

More soon!

Mikel
5:24 PM
February 27

One Hundred Good Wishes Quilt

2007-02-24T14:59:00.000-06:00

Our first delay and we haven't left the house yet!

2007-02-24T14:46:00.000-06:00

Craig and I are still at home tidying up the house and finishing up last minute details. But now it looks like our departure has been delayed due to of all things - the wind!

Are we freaking out? Yeah, a little. Oh thank heaven for our goddess in shining armour "Espo" who works for AA. She is our angel watching over our seat assignments, possible alternate flights, baggage transfer - and now our FAA update anchor woman.

As of this post, the FAA has closed DFW airport until about 6:00 PM, when our delayed flight is scheduled to depart. The windows and doors of our house are rattling, the wind is howling and the trees are shaking. Act of God. What can you do? Worse case scenario is we miss all or most of a day in Hong Kong.

Hopefully we will have good news soon!

Mikel

Countdown Has Begun

2007-02-24T10:28:00.000-06:00

We leave for the airport in 4 hours.

Mikel had a couple request for a picture of the baby's room. Even though we used our wide-angle lense, the picture is not so great. But it gives you an idea.

Three more days

2007-02-21T09:59:00.000-06:00

We are mostly packed and ready to go. Here is a picture of Mikel at one of her many baby showers. The indoctrination into Dodger Nation has begun; however the fight between the Evil Empire (Univ. of Texas) and Aggieland (Texas A&M) is still being fought.

Travel Itinerary

2007-02-15T13:46:00.000-06:00

We recently received that last of our itinerary for our trip to China. Here it is:

Feb 24: We leave DFW for LAX at 6:00 p.m. We have a 3 hour layover and at 10:20 p.m. we embark to Hong Kong.

Feb 26: We arrive in Hong Kong at 5:40 in the morning. Essentially Sunday, the 25th, is lost. Assuming jet lag doesn't knock us on our butts, we will spend the day hitting the sights.

Feb 27: We have a morning tour of Hong Kong and have a 6:00 p.m. flight to Xi'an.

Feb 28: We have a full day of touring. First the Terracotta Warriors, then the village at Banpo, the Wild Goose Pagoda and Huaqing Hot Springs.

Mar 1: We leave Xi'an at 2:30 for Beijing.

Mar 2: Tour the Summer Palace, visit the Panda House at the Beijing Zoo (Mikel's anticipated favorite), and explore the Temple of Heaven.

Mar 3: Tour the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tian'an Men Square.

Mar 4: Fly to Changsha, Hunan Province in the early morning.

Mar 5: Gotcha Day! Some time around 10:00 a.m. we will see Sarah for the first time. Well that's what our agency says, but I predict it will be on the 4th.

Mar 5-9: Bond with baby, shopping, visit Juzi Park and Yue Lu Academy, and get Sarah's passport. During this time, Sarah will be indoctrinated into all things important: Aggie football, Dodgers baseball and conservative politics.

Mar 9: Late flight to Guangzhou.

Mar 10: Sarah's visa picture and medical exam.

Mar 11: Sightseeing tour of Chen families' temple.

Mar 12: Take documents to American Consulate.

Mar 13: American Consulate interview.

Mar 14: Twiddle our thumbs.

Mar 15: Fly to Hong Kong, then to LAX, then to DFW. Introduce Sarah to her grandparents.

Finally I Post

2007-02-12T14:31:00.000-06:00

With apologizes to all for taking so long between posts (especially Anna).

Most all our travel issues were settled in the past week. After a three day delay in receiving a consulate appointment, we got one in the nick of time. We also received our I171-H in the mail on Saturday. Much thanks to Susan in Congressman Sam Johnson's office for tracking down the document. For those not familiar with the adoption process, the I171-H is the golden ticket from our government allowing us to adopt. We had this document, but it expired in January and we had to pay for a new one.

Due to the delay in getting a consulate appointment, we had to book our trip in a matter of hours. Mikel calls me at work at 12:45 p.m. in a huff because an email said we had to finalize our travel by 1:00 p.m. Luckily, that was 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. I'll post our travel schedule in the next post. I pledge to be a better blogger. -Z

Referral

2007-01-11T10:53:00.000-06:00

On January 2, 2006, we finally received our referral. Our daughter is waiting for us in Hunan Province at the Hengnan SWI. She was born on May 14, 2005.

The future Sarah Salsgiver is Nan Fu Ye.

Getting Closer!

2006-12-10T21:18:00.000-06:00

Our journey to China is almost upon us. We began our paper chase in ernest in January 2005. By the end of August we had everything ready to go, in triplicate. The CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) logged our dossier in (LID) on September 12, 2005.

We had hoped for a 'short' 8-9 month wait - or a 'paper pregnancy' - but not so! Instead our gestation period is closer to a blue whale!

At last our turn is around the corner and we expect to get the 'call' at the end of this month or early January.

We've saved our money, decorated the baby's room and tried to finish all those home improvement projects that never seem to get completed in our 12+ years of marriage. Now panic is beginning to sink in. Our on-line buddies are asking the 'good' questions: What kind of nipples and how many bottles to take? How to get a care package to the the Aunties at the orphanage and where is the Wal Mart in each province?

Tune in next time for our status!

Mikel