Nana Visits; Airplane Museum, Rainforest Cafe...

We had a very exciting weekend because Rich's mom--"Nana" came to visit. Theo, Ruthie, and Levi were very excited to see her. Levi was particularly excited to meet this person we had been telling him about. He had a hard time distinguishing between the word "banana" and "nana". It was really funny, but now he gets the difference. So many English words sound alike, it gets really confusing, but he is doing very well learning his new language. He never gives up!! What a trooper!

On Saturday, we took the kids to the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field. It was amazing! They currently have the Apollo 7 space shuttle and astronaut suit on display.The kids got to touch airplanes and look at them up close. They even got to sit in the pilot's emergency ejection seat. Levi was apprehensive about sitting in the regular airplane seats they had scattered around the museum. Theo and Ruthie sat in them and buckled up their seatbelts, but Levi refused to buckle his. I think he wasn't sure if he was on a real plane that was going to take off at any minute. I think he's had enough of flying on a plane for now. :) The last exhibit in the museum prior to exiting, was a Jay-Jay the Jet Plane play area. There was a bounce house, and play control tower, and a plane. The kids could board the plane and pretend to be pilots and then slide out the emergency exit in the back. It was just too cute to watch them play and pretend.

Nana wanted to take the kids somewhere special to eat, so we drove to the Rainforest Cafe in Grapevine. It was only a short 20 minute trip with the tollroad and no traffic. Well, it was worth the wait. The kids simply had a blast at this place. Levi was scared of the lively and noisy gorillas at first, but once we explained that they were not real, he was okay. Then, he started imitating their sounds and actions. It was absolutely hilarious to watch him. Nana commented that Levi was going to be an actor one day. :) He is quite the little showman!! They also enjoyed watching the elephants and butterflies and the frequent lightning and rainstorms. The entire jungle setting was fun. On top of all the entertainment, a man came to our table and made balloon animals for the kids. They loved this too! Theo kept telling Nana that she had picked a really great place to eat. Rich and I had fun, too. Great family memories and bonding!! :)

Levi loves to see himself in pictures of our family adventures--it truly makes him feel a part of the Cook Family. I don't think he understood why he wasn't in some of our early pictures before he came to live with us. When he looks at the pictures, he keeps asking, "Where Levi?" Now, he is in lots of pictures with his new brother, sister, Mommy, and Daddy. :)

Telling Stories...Dressing Up....Hugging and Kissing

I quickly grabbed my camera (I pretty much carry it with me everywhere I go these days--ha!) when I saw these two--Levi and Ruthie sitting together in the beanbag chair. Ruthie was "reading" (actually making up a story) Levi a story. Levi meanwhile was adding the sound effects! It was so sweet to see the two of them together looking at a book.

A little while later, I grabbed my camera again because the two of them got into the dress-up trunk again. This time, Levi decided to get completely decked out. Rich might be a little concerned seeing his youngest boy in a princess dress--but it was just cute harmless fun! :) Ha! Theo and Ruthie put a bonnet on Levi and hugged and kissed on him. Then, we all danced around the house. Good excercise and lots of FUN!! He loved it! So precious!! Just had to share these adorable moments.

Chinese Noodles and Chopsticks!

Today for lunch we ate Chinese noodles. I pulled out 3 sets of chopsticks we got from China, so Levi excitedly and willingly demonstrated how to use them for Theo and Ruthie. As you can see from the pictures, Theo picked up on this pretty quickly, but Ruthie had a little more difficulty. :) It was really funny to watch them try to eat. I have to say...they did a lot better than Mommy would have. :)

The Great Thing About a 4-year old Boy is....

Here is the great thing about having a 4-year old boy... He can play good "guy/bad guy", ride bikes and plasma cars, dig in the dirt to find snails and worms, and run around like a maniac outside with his brother, Theo. BUT...he also equally enjoys playing inside with his 4-year old sister, Ruthie. Today, the two of them made pretend chocolate pudding in their play kitchen, brushed their dolly's hair, and then proceeded to put on dress up clothes. Levi did not get fully dressed up like Ruthie who went "all out" in her princess attire--but notice instead that he is talking on the cell phone while standing next to her. It is hilarious to listen to him speak in Chinese on the cell phone. He has the voice and stance down perfectly!! :) Such a little man!!

I am thrilled that Levi and Theo can be so versatile in their play because Ruthie sometimes feels a little frustrated being the only girl--and needs a friend who shares her same interests. Don't get me wrong, she can "hold her own" with the boys, but she needs some "girly" time too! ha! Ruthie and Levi were so sweet and cooperative while playing together this morning. Ruthie was smiling and having a ball!

I am in awe watching how God is bonding our family together. I am humbled that God would choose our family to become Levi's "forever family". What an answer to prayer!

Levi sings "The B-I-B-L-E"

Just thought I'd share this adorable video with you of Levi singing "The B-I-B-L-E" song. He asks to sing it every night when we read our Bible story before going to bed. Enjoy! :) He's such a sweetie! I had to cut the video short during his "Jesus Loves Me" song because he kept walking towards the camera. He is such a ham!!

Wearing of the GREEN!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

We don't really celebrate this holiday much in our house, but with little children, it's something fun to do. The boys are all decked out in their green shirts today. Ruthie wore her yellow flower shirt that has a green stem on it. She wanted to coordinate but not clash with the boys. ha!! (Such a girl!!) The kids blew bubbles out of shamrock-shaped bottles that their Nana sent. Bubbles, of course are always a big hit!

We also took this opportunity to talk about St. Patrick who was from England and was a missionary in Ireland. He brought the message of Christianity to the Irish people. While the holiday message has been diluted quite a bit over the years, it is nice to focus on the true meaning and on the spreading the gospel. We learned that St. Patrick used the shamrock as an illustration of the Trinity--God, the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Knowing that, the shamrock becomes a much more precious symbol.

The kids enjoyed sorting Lucky Charms cereal for snack. They found Irish hats with shamrocks on them, rainbows, hearts, etc. This activity was a big hit since after they counted, they got to eat them!! Levi loves to sort and eat-two of his favorite activities combined! Oh boy!! :) FYI--We counted more shooting stars and rainbows than any other symbol.

Levi also took the opportunity today to get to know our dog, Gingerbread. He was afraid of her the first few days he was here at the house, but he has definitely warmed-up to her now. I think it helps that Theo and Ruthie pet her. Now, he pets her as well. She is such a good dog and doesn't seem bothered by the additional "loud" child that has joined our family. Ha!! The dog takes it all in stride. :) Levi played with Gingerbread today. It was really sweet to see them together. They were checking each other out. I think this is the first time Gingerbread has even sniffed Levi in the 3 weeks we've been home. :) She really does "go with the flow".

I included a sweet picture of the kids with their Daddy (Rich) that I took this weekend. They were all hugging on their daddy, so I grabbed the camera. It was so sweet to see them altogether--like they have always known each other as siblings. I am so thankful for the love that is shown between Theo, Ruthie, and Levi. Yes, they fight, tease, and have trouble sharing at times, but mostly they love, hug, and kiss on each other and play nicely all day long. What a blessing that they get along and truly love each other!! The fighting and teasing just reinforces the fact they are truly related, huh? :)

Back to the Dr. for Theo's Knee, Haircuts, Making Pizza

After a dreary Wednesday, we have had a fun Thursday morning. The clouds are still hovering and there is a light drizzle, but we decided to have some fun despite the weather. First, we had to go back to the doctor to get Theo's stitches checked. (Okay, that wasn't too fun, but it had to be done.) The kids were well-behaved, and we didn't have to wait too long. Theo just has to stay off his knee as much as possible and try not to bend it. The nurse put an ace bandage on so he would be able to keep it straight. We don't want those stitches popping open! He has to go back in 10 days to get the stitches removed.

Next, we were off to get Ruthie's hair cut and to get Levi's first haircut in America!! Ruthie looks very cute and Levi looks very handsome! He absolutely did not want to get his haircut and started to cry, but using my international bribery methods, I offered him a piece of gum if he would get his haircut. He agreed and watched Ruthie go first. He decided it was actually pretty "cool" to get to sit in a car "beep! beep!" while getting his hair cut. He was as good as gold, and of course, the stylist went on and on about how cute he is! ha! :)

We came home and made homemade pizzas using refrigerator canned biscuit dough. The kids patted out their dough, added sauce and cheese, baked them and are now quietly eating every last morsel. Levi did not like the pizza in China that we had at Pizza Hut, but he sure likes the one he made! He asked for more. :)

Good News! I just got a call from our pediatrician. Levi's bloodwork came back totally normal with an immunity to all the vaccines we give in the U.S. except for Polio. He just has to catch up on that (which is thankfully not one of the "scary ones"). The orphanage in Beijing took great care of him in so many ways! We are so thankful to them and to God for taking care of our precious little boy!!

Fun times....
Time for nap!! Yeah!! :)

My Name is L-E-V-I !!!

What a difference a couple of weeks makes! Today Theo forgot and called Levi by his Chinese name "Xiaolei". Well, Levi immediately corrected him and said "LEVI". He absolutely loves his new name and can even recognize it when it is written down. He goes around the house spelling "L-E-V-I". I am so thrilled he has accepted his name. This morning, he learned how to really color. Before he was just putting a few dots or stray marks on paper and then leaving the table and playing with something else. I took his left hand and showed him how to hold his paper in place. Then, I took his right hand and showed him how to color back and forth with the crayon or color-wonder marker. Now, he LOVES to color. He is coloring paper after paper while saying the word "color" over and over again. Too funny! He is such a fast learner! It is so exciting to see how much Levi is learning and how he enjoys the things we take for granted. He is a good example for Theo and Ruthie (and for all of us)to remember to appreciate all they(we)have. Well, yesterday was a "fun" day. (said sarcastically) ha! We ended up in the ER because Theo fell off his bike and really cut up his knee. It was a huge gash with skin tissue missing. Oh the blood! :) The cut required 8 stitches. YIKES!! He was a real trooper, though. I couldn't believe how brave he was. In fact, when I was trying to comfort him, he told me to not touch him. He is growing up way too fast. I have to remind him that he still needs his Mommy! :)We are thankful to God that the x-ray showed no broken or fractured bones. Ruthie and Levi were very good while waiting. Levi kept pointing to various people and saying "Doctor" or "Nurse". They all got a real kick out of him. I figured this was a great science lesson for Theo since he kept wanting to watch the doctor sew him up. He also got to help with the x-rays. He was so excited to have a picture of his bones taken! He even got to watch the doctor looking at the x-rays over the light. Theo was fascinated! Levi got a great vocabulary lesson--learning about visiting the doctor and getting shots. All in all, not such a bad experience. I am just glad Theo is okay. We are tired today and catching up around the house. It is a cold and rainy day, so we are just hanging out in the playroom coloring, playing with cars, and making ice cream from play-do. Ruthie and Levi have been playing "doctor" using their dolls and stuffed animals and doctor kit. It is so cute! The kids already miss being outside, but hot days will be here soon enough. :)

Bike Riding, Fingerpainting, Computer, Picnic, and Chocolate!

After watching big brother and sister zoom around on their bikes, Levi has quickly figured out the pedal thing and he is off! He was moving those short little legs as fast as he could go up and down the sidewalk this morning. It is so cute to watch him go and try to keep up with his siblings. I am thrilled that he is trying new things, since he was very apprehensive at first. He also is sliding down the bigger slides at the park. He still won't let me swing him unless I sit on the swing and hold him in my lap. We'll get there. I am sure he just wasn't exposed to all these activities/toys at the orphanage.

I added some pictures of the kids fingerpainting. Levi loved it--althought at first he wasn't quite sure about getting his fingers messy! ha! He painted several pictures--one right after the other. Then, like a normal 4-year old, he was off to the next activity.

This past weekend, we cooked hotdogs on the outside grill and had a picnic on the patio. All of us had a blast. I am not sure that Levi really liked his hotdog, but he ate it, so he could have icecream for dessert. ha! The kid loves CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!! He loves anything CHOCOLATE! He truly is ours. :)

He is talking up a storm in English and Chinese. We are amazed at how much English he has learned in just a little over a week. He repeats everything we say and has great intonation! In fact, he not only repeats what I say--but the way I say it. It is really funny to see this Chinese child speaking with a Texas accent! LOL!! :)

Levi's brother, Theo taught him how to use the computer mouse. Once Levi practiced a few times with Theo's hand over his, he was off and running. Children are amazing with their technological abilities! He loves the software called Kid Pix, where he can move the mouse to "paint" beautiful pictures. He is really fascinated with the computer and watches us play and work on it all the time.

Well, Levi just woke up from his afternoon nap. We're off to check out a new park in our area.

Levi at Home

Some dear friends have requested an update on Levi's progress...so I will happily blog some more.

Levi is doing extremely well! Rich, Levi, and I have experienced relatively few symptoms from jet lag. We are all on our regular schedule and feeling great. Levi only took 3 days to get onto our schedule of eating, napping, sleeping. It is great!

The first day the kids met each other, they held hands, walked to the playroom, started playing together and have never looked back. It is as if they have know each other all of their lives. It is precious to watch them interact. Levi is already learning English from Theo and Ruthie. I am certain he will be fluent in a couple of months. HA!! He is adjusting with no problems to his new life. He hasn't cried or seemed to miss the orphanage life. I think he does miss Chinese food; however, because he wrinkles his nose and shakes his head "no" when I serve him sandwiches for lunch. ha! I think he wants noodles. We will make a trip to the local Chinese market and stock up on some noodles to offer him some comfort food. He always eats everything on his plate and drinks all his milk, even if he is not fond of all of our unusual American foods. :)

The best thing for him has been to just be at his new home playing with his new sister and brother. He rarely fusses now. He goes to nap and bed without complaint on most days and is exceedingly happy to play outside. We have been going to the park to ride bikes, which he loves as well. He doesn't quite know how to ride a bike yet, but he loves riding Theo's plasma car. He says, "beep" "beep" as he pushes it along with his feet. Levi also is fond of riding in our van. Even if it is just a quick ride around the neighborhood, he thinks that is the greatest!! It is funny how the little things make him so happy. :)

We thought we were going to have to change his name because he told our Chinese guide in Guanghzou that he didn't like that name. BUT....after prayer and discussion, we decided that the name is different from the Chinese word Le-Why--which means "extra" in Chinese. We think that once he learns English and understands the difference in the two words, he will come to appreciate and like his name. We are just going to tell him how special his name is. The Levites were a tribe that God set apart and made into special priests to serve God. Plus, the meaning of Levi is "bonded or attached in unity". We called him Levi the other day, and he agreed to it. I think it helps that Ruthie and Theo call him that. Anything he was once apprehensive about seems to become acceptable if his brother and sister do it first. ha! He even went down the big slide at the park the other day with big brother Theo behind him holding onto him. Theo is really enjoying the big brother role. He is so sweet. He wanted Levi to use our motorcycle trike that makes sounds--but it was out of batteries. Theo didn't think we had batteries, so he went to get some out of one of his own toys to put into the trike for Levi. Isn't that so selfless? We couldn't believe what a sweet gesture that was. We are so proud of him.

I have added some pictures of the kids together here at home. The first day they were together, they stood over the trashcan in the kitchen eating mandarin oranges. In this picture, he is wearing his "Made in China" t-shirt. We thought this shirt was hilarious. We got a big kick out of it! Every morning, we do an art project, which Ruthie and Levi have really enjoyed. This gives Theo time to complete his spelling and handwriting lessons.

Levi is also learing Bible stories and how to pray. He asks me every night to read the "B-I-B-L-E". It is sweet how much he is learning and how fast he is picking up the language and customs of Americans.