My baby is 5 years old, sigh......

Wow, I did not realize how it would hit me to watch Addie-Mei turn 5 years old. She is such a little lady, no longer a baby girl. It is amazing to hear the deep thought out questions come out of her. Just 2 years ago, I was wondering if I would ever understand her completely. Time flies!!!

We had a wonderful trip to MI to visit friends and family. Our summer trip north is always filled with fun and at least one trip to Lake MI!! Oh how I miss the beautiful sand, the gorgeous sunsets, and the time just playing on the beach! I hope this tradition continues!! While in MI, Addie-Mei met two ducks at my parents trailer. They actually took bread right out of her hands. She was a bit nervous, but Papa was right there to help her along!!

In two weeks she will start Kindergarten. She is so excited, as am I. It is the start of a new adventure for us! I know she will do very well in school. I just pray she is protected from some of the ugliness in the world.

Until next month....

Summer good times???

Well,

I am not sure if painting the house is considered summer fun, but it is FINISHED!!! Addie-Mei has been a trooper while I worked hard on the house. The rain we have gotten has allowed for a few family days in the middle of all the painting. She is excited to "help" me paint the shed next week.

We were able to get away for a beautiful day and go hiking with a friend of ours and a large group of parents and children from her kids school. It was so nice, and Addie-Mei hiked the entire 2.5+ mile RUGGED trail. See picture of us getting by one of the little streams. I do not have the pictures of the 3 ladders we had to decend in order to get out, wow!!

Once the shed is painted, the rest of our summer can begin.

Will post about all that fun next month!!

Tamie

Some pain, some joy...

We have had a very hectic last week in the Gipe household. As the school year winds down, it is always a little more crazy than normal, but this year was special. As the title to the post says, there has been some pain in our lives and joy.

Last week, I had to make a very difficult decision to put our beloved dog, Missi to sleep. She has been the best friend and companion any dog could be for the past 13.5 years. We miss her, but I know she is not in pain or suffering as she was over the past couple of months. Addie-Mei misses her coming into her room in the mornings when I wake her up. She is still processing what has happened to Missi, but she is doing well. Yesterday, she blessed me with a precious little picture she made on the back of a piece of paper she was drawing on. It was a simple face, with a line drawn to another simple face with 4 legs. She told me it was a picture of me walking Missi on a leash. She then told her freind that Missi is gone now, and her little friend came over and gave her the sweetest hug. Brought tears to me eyes to see a little four year old consoling the sad little heart of her friend.

On the same day that we had to say goodbye to Missi, Addie-Mei graduated from Preschool, the joy!!!! It was so cute to see the little caps and watch the picture slide show of the whole year. She has blossomed this year and I am so proud of her. She will be starting Kindergarden in the fall and she is so excited!!!

We got to celebrate with a trip to southern IN and visit some friends while enjoying Holiday World, an amusement park we Hoosiers love!!! It was a wonderful time with friends and travel!

We are looking forward to a wonderful summer together!!!!

Tamie

Spring Break and Easter 2009

Addie-Mei and I have celebrated 3 years together. People told me to enjoy everyday while she is young because the time flies by. I now know what they meant by that. Believe it or not, Addie-Mei will actually be starting kindergarden next year.

Addie-Mei has asked for a long time to go back to gymnastics, so we have started again. She LOVES it. This past week, she was finally able to kick herself up into a handstand on the wall. She has also been able to push her head off the floor in her bridge once by herself. This has been so good for her strength! She loves her teacher, and really enjoys seeing how her hard work allows her to do more things. I can see a confidence building in her.

My sister and I went on a cruise over Spring Break while Addie-Mei stayed with our other sister and a friend in MI. She did very well and enjoyed all the time she had with her friends and cousins. It was nice to have a break, but was also great to see her again! While up in MI, we were able to spend Easter Sunday with the family. It was very nice. We have not been able to do that in the past three years, so it was great to be there and have all the family fun! My niece and one of my nephews were enlisted by the Eatser bunny to help hids the eggs. They enjoyed it, but made the comment that it is no fun to grow up! Too precious!

Only a few more week sna dsummer break will be upon us. I am looking forward to the summer!

Maybe another post then!!!

Tamie

Catching up

We have had some fun times this past month or so. We had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Chinese New Year with great friends from our adoption playgroup. It seemed as though all had a great time and it was fun to see the kids all running around having a blast.

We also had the wonderful opportunity to go to Great Wolf Lodge with a dear friend and her foster son. The kids play so well together and we were honored to be included in celebrating his 4th birthday! Happy Birthday Timmy!!

We had a warm spell come through here and we enjoyed every minute of it. Scooters came out, dog got walked, lots of playing to be had! I was able to cut down our pear and one of our apple trees. Addie-Mei is allergic to bee stings, so the fruit on the ground under these trees was quite dangerous for her to be around. I hated to see them go, but I hated it more for Addie-Mei to not be able to play out on her play area.

Addie-Mei has been asking for the last 2 months to do gymnastics again. I finally found a place that I love. I do not want her in competitions yet, so I was selective on where she went. I was referred to a place where recreational gymnastics is taught and I really like it there. We have gone twice. The first time she was a bit overwhelmed to see all the equipment, but once she understood that she was not going to be doing the big stuff, she did better. Last night she impressed me. She actually jumped up onto the bar and help her body weight up for awhile. She also could hold herself up in a handstand against the wall. She is stronger than I thought. Of course she still only has 29 pounds to hold up. I will post some pics next week, once I take them.

I guess that is it. Have a great day!

Tamie

Winter fun

I thought I would post a few pics of our fun in MI in the snow and with family. We had a wonderful visit with the family and loved the 2.5 foot of snow we had to play in!!!

Tamie

Merry Christmas

In lew of sending out a Christmas letter and picture, I decided to update Addie-Mei's blog with the letter and pics. Saves paper, save time, and saves finances. I hope you enjoy.

2008 has been a wonderful year for us. God has blessed us in more ways than I can express. We have a wonderful family, great friends, and a wonderful home.

We did a lot of traveling this year. In April, we were able to take a vacation down in FL. While there I decided we would visit Disney World together, each for the first time. It was a perfect vacation. Each time something majical happened, I thought to myself how Addie-Mei would never have had these memories had God not led us together. It was such a special time. We were able to go to southern IN and visit with some dear freinds we met while in China who were in our travel group. It is very important for us to stay connected to Addie-Mei's roots as long as she wants to. The time we spend with this family is always precious! June brought us a trip to St. Louis for a conference I had. Addie-Mei came along and had a great time. We went on our first train ride together and she really liked that. The highlight of that trip was visiting the zoo. Addie-Mei LOVED the penguins.

In July we went north to MI for our summers ending vacation to visit with family and friends. We both cherish this time as we only make it to MI twice a year, and that is usually the only time we see our family. Addie-Mei got to experience her first camping adventure over fall break this past October. It was cold, it was rainy, but we both had a GREAT time in God's creation in our little tent. This child was created perfectly to fit into our family!!

As I said, lots of travel. Addie-Mei continues to flourish into the precious little girl God intends her to be. She is sweet, sensitive, loving, very kind hearted, and just a joy to be around. Her sweet little innocent voice can bring a smile to your face at any given moment. Especially when she is playing the "Don't you smile" game. She is doing great in school. She surprises her teachers on occassion with knowing how to spell words, or how to write her numbers even though no one has worked with her on this.

As for me, things all revolve around my sweet little girl. I continue working at Westfield High School. I was able to teach a new class this year that we created, Introduction to Athletic Training. It is nice to finally be able to use my athletic training knowledge in the classroom. I continue working part time in athletic training at a local junior high school. We are very active in our small group at church and with a group of friends who all have adopted children from China. Life is good down here in Indiana.

We both hope you have a wonderful Christmas season.

God Bless,

Tamie and Addie-Mei