Sunday, November 26, 2006 This has been a fun month for all of us. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year and this holiday is extra special because we are so thankful Brooke is in our lives. We spent Thanksgiving with Aunt Michelle, Sam, Harris, Tata, Chloe, Uncle Gordon, Papa June, Grandma Esther and a few friends. We had such a nice dinner. Matthew was especially happy that his two older and cooler boy cousins were there to occupy his time. Brooke was especially happy because she had her older and cooler cousin Chloe to occupy her time. Brooke enjoyed the turkey and trimmings. She has become a finicky eater so I was happy to see her chow down her dinner. Brooke is doing great in her Mommy and Me class. She loves to sing and dance and her favorite song is Old MacDonald’s Farm. She calls it EIEIO. We have a video with that song and she never ever tires of it. I can’t say I feel the same way though. Old MacDonald is truly getting old in our house. Brooke has been receiving speech therapy for the past several months and it has been a tremendous help. Though Brooke is so well beyond her age in her physical, fine and gross motor skills, she was barely talking. Speech therapy helped her open the gates to language and communication. She has a large vocabulary now and her pronunciation of words and her formation of words and sounds is great. The other day I was amazed when she started to sing the ABC song for me. Now grant it she only gets about 1/3 of the letters right but she is definitely singing and trying to get all the letters correct. To us that was just music to our ears. I can’t stress enough the benefits of early intervention. Brooke continues to take our breath away – literally. Today I watched her scale up her high chair without any assistance. In the past she had a strategy where she would climb up the kitchen chair than onto the table and into her high chair. Now she just climbs right up the chair by giving herself a little push and then she is in. She is fearless and she is so agile. In our Mommy and Me class the other mothers have their mouths wide open while they watch Brooke climb the highest ladder and go down the highest slide. She can balance herself on a low balance beam and get onto all the equipment without help. Oh – and if you offer the help she will tell you in her own way to “back off buddy”. While we are overjoyed that she is so agile, the downside is she never stops. She is the energizer bunny on double speed. I should be about 50 pounds thinner just running around with her but no I am not thinner just really, really tired. Don’t forget I went through this for seven years with our son Matthew. I thought he was the poster child f or active. Well he has met his match. I will never forget the face of Rebecca our guide in China when the nannies told her about Brooke. “Oh my- Oh my” that was all she said for the first few minutes. The nannies told her that Brooke was so active – very very active. They were so right. Although we are so tired and we go to bed way earlier than we ever imagined, we are delighted to have two rambunctious, lively happy children. These kids are anything but boring. It amazes us everyday how our two children - from opposite ends of the world - could be so similar. God works in such mysterious ways. He managed to get these two soul siblings together in the same household from thousands of miles away. They are much fun to watch. It is adorable to see Brooke try to copy everything that Matthew does. For the most part she is able to keep up with him. I was taken aback yesterday when I saw them playing “Pirates of the Caribbean” and Brooke was engaging in a sword fight with her big brother. Matthew has a set of soft foam swords that have become a huge hit in our household. And so swashbuckling is another new feat that Brooke has mastered. I was thinking I would have a little girl who would play with her little pink play sets in her frilly little dress with the frilly little bow in her hair. I have the little girl with the frilly bow hanging down the side of her head in her pretty dress with grass stains chasing the boys in a game of cops and robbers. Next week we will be attending our “Families with Children from China” holiday party. This is a wonderful support group of families who have chosen adoption from China. It will be wonderful to see all the new babies who have just arrived to be with their new mommas and poppas – especially for the holidays. I will try to post pictures next time. Off to do some holiday shopping. The good news is I am half way through my shopping list. Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday season! Love Mandee, Howard, Matthew and Brooke.

Taking a ride with my friend Casey Dressed in my fall fashion fuzzy sweater Brooke on Thanksgiving Day This is what we are thankful for Dressed for a blustery Day Even a ballerina needs her rest

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