Zoo trip

We decided to go to the zoo this morning.
It wasn't raining, but it was a lot colder than it looked!

Lilli and this cow kept mooing at each other

Ride 'em, cowgirl

Lilli and Jason with their "cheese" faces

Jason thinks we need a rabbit...I think we should start with a fish!

Drumming in the Africa section of the zoo

One of the zoo volunteers told us a lot about the elephants that we didn't know. Packy, the oldest elephant at the zoo, is world famous! Also, the Oregon zoo has one of the most successful Asian elephant programs in the world.

I think this fish is bigger than Lilli!

Our little monkey trying to climb into an exhibit

Going through a tunnel that goes under a bird exhibit

Shhh, the tiger is sleeping

Lilli even told us when she needed to go potty, twice
while we were out, and went in the bathroom like a big girl!
Then it was time to go, since our hands were numb and our feet were tired.
Lilli took a cue from the tigers, and was asleep before we left the parking lot!

Happy birthday!

Today we celebrated Lilli's second birthday. There were over 40 people crammed into our house- no small feat! We're so blessed to have all of our family close by.

The theme of the party was based on Lilli's favorite show, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan. Since the show is relatively new, it was kind of hard to find Kai-Lan things, so I improvised.

The favor boxes were take-out boxes with chopsticks, rice candy, fortune cookies and Kai-Lan stickers and temporary tattoos.

I got the personalized Kai-Lan invitations and this edible cake topper on eBay.

Because I am INSANE, I decided to make cupcakes of Rintoo and Tolee, Kai-Lan's tiger and koala bear friends. Thank God for my sister who spent over 3 hours making them with me! They were hard to decorate, but we were pretty pleased with the outcome.

Tolee

Rintoo

We strung red lanterns across the room

Lilli woke up about 15 minutes before the party started, and was a little clingy, so I wasn't able to get many pictures of her in this cute Asian inspired dress I got from Tea Collection, also online.

Blowing out the candles (kind of)

Lilli diving into her cupcake

She couldn't eat cake in her nice dress, so I found this cute shirt that says,
"I'm the birthday girl, now gimme some cake!"

So excited to open a Kai-Lan doll! She got so many great gifts, and it was fun
to see all of the different Kai-Lan items people found.


Jasper found a nice spot in the middle of the room to lie down, as usual.

After Lilli's party wound down, we had dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday, which is tomorrow. The kids had a great time playing with all of Lilli's new toys. Here is cousin Curtis pushing Lilli down the hall on her bike. She kept yelling, "Go! Go!" every time he stopped.

Lilli also had her 2 year checkup and got a great report (except for another sinus infection.) Her weight is still not even on the growth curve, but her height is now over the 25% mark! She speaks in several word sentences now, and says more words than we can count. She is doing great developmentally and has no serious health concerns. We thank God for such a healthy, smart, beautiful and precocious little girl!

It's hard to believe that Lilli is 2 years old already, and incredible to think that she has been home with us for 15 months! In some ways, our trip to Taiwan to bring her home seems like it was just yesterday. At the same time, it feels like she has been a part of our family forever.

Lilli has changed our lives in so many ways. Where we were just 2, we are now a family. No longer just Jason and April, but now Daddy and Mommy. We have met so many incredible people, shared their pain associated with childlessness, and rejoiced with them
as they journey to parenthood.

Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us today! We love you and appreciate
all of your support- past, present, and future.

Next up~ Chinese New Year!

Blessings,
Chisms