November 2010

November was an exciting month for our family. We enjoyed time with friends, our family in Memphis and got some wonderful news regarding Georgea's long awaited surgery. Here we are celebrating sweet Sascha's 6th birthday. Sascha is from Guangxi province, just like baby G!

Georgea getting a squeeze from the birthday girl

Happy Birthday Sascha!

A gathering of happy Moms.

Georgea having some fun visting with her new friend Brooke. We were in L.A. to meet with the Doctors at Shriner's Children's Hospital. The road that led us here was a long and windy one, but it landed us in just the right spot. Georgea was scheduled for her polydactyly surgery during this visit. Georgea will have 2 seperate surgeries, one in January and one in February to have her 2 extra fingers and 2 extra toes removed. Two Doctors will operate simultaneously, one on her hand and one on her foot. She'll have a cast up to her elbow & one up to her knee for two weeks. Casts will be removed and off for two weeks and then we'll repeat the same surgery on the other hand and foot. We are not looking forward to this process but we know in our hearts it is the right thing to do for Georgea and we feel so good, so solid that God led us to these amazing surgeons. Georgea will receive the best care possible for her unique situation. Finding that care was such a relief for James and me and we are sleeping well knowing we've done all we can on our end. Now it's just pray and trust.

More fun with Brooke who lives in LA and is the daughter of my friend Jessica.

Gina, my dearest friend from work and her lifelong bestie Jessica, along with beautiful Brooke.

Some Mother-Daughter sweetness.

Yay Tennessee! We traveled to Memphis as we do every year to celebrate Thanksgiving with James family. My best friend from college Sharon and her lovely daughter Ahnna drove from their home in Nashville to visit with us one afternoon, and it was such a treat to have this time with them.

Sharon and Ahnna flew all the way out to Arizona to care for our dog, Vida while we were in China. Sharon sat with me and poured over our paperwork the night before our trip to make sure our t's were crossed and our i's were dotted. She and Ahnna drove us to the airport at dawn the day we left to catch the flight that ultimately landed us in the homeland of our beautiful baby girl. These are the the kind of friends that define the word friendship. I'll never forget the part they played in helping us get to our sweet Georgea.

More fun with the giraffe slippers!

With my sister-in-law, nieces and Barbara at the historic Peabody hotel in downtown Memphis. Beautiful.

Memphis skyline...Mississippi River.

"Walkin' in Memphis...." :-)

Thanksgiving day! Georgea with her cousins Caitlynn, Allison, Meghann & Annalee.

Georgea and Cait

With Alli.... (or "Aaahwi" as G calls her cousin)

Beautiful Annalee

I love these girls. Even though there is a big age gap, they really love on Georgea. I'm so thankful for each of them. So special, talented, smart, beautiful inside and out....my joy.

Jonathan and Stephen hanging with their "Uncle Jimmy."

It's hard for me to believe it's been 22 years since I celebrated my first Thanksgiving with this wonderful family. Thankful.

Barbara went with us to TN and while the crowd is big, I think she enjoyed her time visiting with everyone and being exposed to a new part of our beautiful country.

Dad joined us from MD for the second year in a row. Loved having him there.

James parents, Georgea's "Papa" and "Grandma." They host and cook for this amazing event and family time each year. I don't know how they do it, but they make it happen seamlessly. We eat, sing and laugh ourselves silly. This is one of my very favorite times of the year.

Eva, John and our nieces from FL. We got to see them 3 times this year and that was the best

Our little ham peering at us through the window. She loves to play and be silly!

The end of another wonderful Thanksgiving trip.