Traveling, Visiting, Thanksgiving, and Skiing!!

Life continues to be quite busy.  What a great trip to Virginia for Thanksgiving!!  It was great to see so many friends and relatives.  Here is a random assortment of the many pictures that captured our fun trip....

Breakfast with cousins.  Emily met Hunter and Owen for the first time!

A day in Mamont Park with the Carrolls...

P. F. Changs--yum--no MSG please.....

Someone in this picture just turned 44....

Hopefully hair curling doesn't become a part of Harrison's daily grooming routine....

H&H had so much fun together...

Uncle Dave cookin' up his famous breakfast sandwiches.... Can anyone recommend a good cardiologist?

Brett Favre has nothin' on Mary Kate Hester.....

Cousins together again...

Coloring cousins...

So good to see Aunt Kass who met Emily for the first time!

What a crew!  Who feeds all these kids?!

Lots of snow on Snowshoe Mountain!!

This image gives new meaning to the term "frozen smile".

Enjoying a beautiful Fall weekend.....

We enjoyed a beautiful, crisp Fall day today!  Dad got the camera out, and the pictures tell the rest of the story.....

Mei Mei goes to Boston

Caroline recently flew with her Daddy to Boston to visit friends and relatives. They had an awesome time visiting with everyone!

While away, Daddy and Caroline were missed by all, and Emily especially missed her big sister.

Below is a video of Caroline taking off with all the excitement and a few second thoughts once up in the air.....

Finally...We Post Some New Pictures and An Update....

We, the backslidden bloggers (lol), have received some hate mail...please don't hate us because we are not faithfully updating like we promised (and hoped). I don't have any good excuse for not blogging! I want to be able to cover the  last 3 months and that just isn't possible. So, I will post some pictures from the past months and strive to do better!

We have been amazed by how well Emily is fitting into our crazy family. She has a very spunky personality and she lights up a room with her smile. Each of her siblings have become new and fun playmates (each with their own special flair). We are witnessing Emily "mothering" her babies and showing them tender love. Her attachment to us is growing with each passing day. All of our prayers are being answered regarding her bonding.  Thank you Lord.  We have visited our share of physicians since our return from China. It looks like Emily will undergo a cardiovascular procedure (closure of a patent ductus arteriosis) done in the cath lab sometime in the beginning of the year. Next week we will see a pediatric hand specialist at UAB for an evaluation. We are so thankful that we can provide her with great medical care in this country.

We do have 5 other children that deserve some equal "air time." It has been a busy fall with 4 of them playing soccer, and Conner playing football. Our days have been spent on the soccer field, and in the bleachers cheering them all on. Even though at times it has been hectic, I love the opportunity to watch them all be challenged through athletics.  It is a joy to sit on the sidelines and be their number one cheerleader.

School has been busy as well. We are so thankful that God provided a wonderful teacher, Miss Alice, to help me home school the boys this year.  Alice is so understanding of "life happening" in the midst of "doing school".  Emily enjoys sitting at the school table for bible reading and prayer each morning.  She puts her hands together when she hears the word pray!  Caroline is loving her K4 class. She is working hard writing all of her letters and beginning to blend sounds. 

We have had several guests come and visit this fall. We so appreciate everyone who has stood with us through our adoption journey...we are so blessed!

Hopefully the updates will be more frequent...sit back and enjoy the pictorial update!!  Below are a few more snapshots of our gang....

One month from Gotcha Day!!!

OK, we're busted....  We have not updated our blog in 2 1/2 wks.  Yes, life has been a bit hectic around the Fahy household.  We have had our "re-entry" challenges (a two week pile of mail and emails, "reeling in" our 4 children that stayed here in the states, getting Emily settled, starting football, beginning our homeschooling year....you get the picture).  

Anyway, we wanted to share some recent photos of our sweet little Emily with you.  She is doing SO well!!  She loves her brothers and sister, and she is acclimating to her new life with us.  We are blessed to have her as our daughter!

We promise to update our blog more frequently and fill you in on all of the happenings in the lives of Harrison, Caroline, Mason, Emily, Conner, and Tyler....

We're Coming Home!!!

Our journey is coming to an end.

Our journey is just beginning....

Passports, Visas...Citizenship!!!!

Emily is learning very quickly how to strike a pose for the camera!!

She loves her stroller; when she's ready to go she gets her shoes on and hops into the stroller!!

She is even trying her hand with the camera...say cheese!!!

We've had several rainy days - the hotel room begins to feel a bit small.  Harrison was excited when he met some "cool friends" today.

Emily on her way to the swearing in at the US Consulate.

She loves her Baba!

Emily will be a U.S. citizen upon clearing customs in LA! We went to the U.S. Consulate today for the swearing in ceremony. It was awesome to be in a room with 50 other adoptive families all awaiting the "final step" in a very long process. It was not a big production...but you could feel the emotions. I wept as the official had us take our oaths and gave us instructions on our children's citizenship. I can't begin to describe what emotions went through my mind. She has been ours for almost 2 weeks and now both China and the United States say she is ours!!! This is an amazing feeling. She also has a U.S. visa in her Chinese passport. This will allow her to enter the United States and once she is through customs, she will be an American. Her Chinese passport will no longer be valid. 

We are beginning to pack, and take some final pictures. We went to our favorite Italian place for dinner tonight with some new friends. It is difficult to say goodbye to China. I am so greatful for the good and perfect gift they have allowed us to adopt into our family.

We are thankful for all of our family and friends who have supported us on this journey.  Stay tuned for a final post from China tomorrow....

Pearls, paperwork, and a physical....

As we begin to wind up our time in China and prepare for our trip back to the U.S. with the newest addition to our family, we are completing all the requirements here in Guangzhou, including lots of paperwork, Emily's physical exam, and a whole lot of shopping!!!!

We are very happy to report that everything is complete, and tomorrow we go to The U.S. Consulate for Emily's oath taking!!

This place was organized chaos...lots of screaming babies! 

"This should be fun... Why are these people in white coats 

looking at me like that?"

More pokes and prodding....  When will they be through??

The doctor reviewing Emily's hands. 

Emily wasn't in the mood to show off her dexterity and abilities. 

We are still amazed by what this girl can do without thumbs!

"How many trees have we killed throughout this paperchase?"

They actually walk the streets with these large baskets! 

The peaches looked amazing - figs I could live without.

Could they be any cuter? The bond is getting deeper!

Watermelon anyone?? I think this would be a great 

summer job for Harrison in Monroeville!

The pearl market was amazing...I have never seen so many pearls. We would have been totally lost if we didn't have our personal shopper, Ann, with us.  She is "Ann" from  The Red Thread website. She is totally worth her money...she knows the best venders in all the various markets.

That's my kind of necklace!!!

We have been having lots of rain from the storm pushing through Hong Kong.  The rainy days in the hotel room make me very ready to be home. I miss the children so much, and am anxious to have them meet Emily. But at the same time, it is a bit bittersweet. This time in China has been amazing. When will we ever spend 2 weeks alone with Emily and Harrison. She has needed this time so very much. My prayer now is that she able to find her place in our family and our home.  She is doing better with each passing day.  We have our moments, but all in all she is a pure delight.