Until We Meet Again!

Taiwan ROCks was an amazing event. Even though it was only a few days, the memories we brought back will last us a lifetime. We were fortunate to be able to squeeze in an extra day and got to spend some time with our favorite family. In my wildest dreams, I never thought Lexie and Hayden would ever be in the same room together, so to see these 2 girls running and playing and talking to each other just gave me goose bumps.

Lexie loved Hayden's doggies.

Thank you Jules for spoiling us! I don't think I can eat fried chicken without comparing it to the delicious meal we had at Babe's. That chicken was so crunchy and juicy. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. And that creamed corn, out of this world. Also, we laughed when they served us RC cola. I don't think Hawaii even sells those in the markets anymore. We had a great time and got to better acquaint ourselves with Lisa (such a wonderful person) and her sweet family. We love Paige and her spunky personality!

Lexie had fun at storytime at the Great Wolf Lodge. It was kind of shocking that she sat for that long, but she liked the music and the animatronics.

Boy, is Lexie ready for Disneyland. When that wolf came out, she was already standing and pulling me towards him. As soon as a line started forming, she ran and was the 2nd one in line. She hugged the wolf and didn't want to leave his side.

Those hallways seemed like they went on forever. Even Lexie, who loves to run, got a little winded from walking from our room to the elevator. At least we got our exercise after we ate so much.

We were going to get Lexie a Build-A-Bear stuffed animal until she decided she wanted the dragon. It wasn't even a very nice looking one, so we steered her away from that and took her to the gift shop where she chose a dog instead. We named him Wolfie. We loved our stay at the Great Wolf Lodge and most of all, we loved all of the people we met because now we can say we are truly friends!!

Until next year!

Taiwan ROCKs 2011 - Celebration!

This is what Taiwan ROCks was all about. It brought together families who have experienced the ups and downs of international adoption. It gave children a chance to bond with others just like them. It gave moms and dads the opportunity to share their journeys and to make lifelong connections.

And it was thanks to these fabulous four ladies for making this dream a reality. Their hard work and awesome planning made this a weekend that we will never forget.

I finally got to meet Jules, who has become my dear, sweet friend through emails and FB. She introduced me to the wonderful world of BOWS for Lexie! And it was because of her, we took the plunge and booked our plane tickets back in January because I knew I couldn't pass up an opportunity to meet her. Thank you, Jules, for showing us a great time!! You and David took such great care of us and I'm just in awe of Miss Hayden!! Her stories kept me in stitches and she's not even 3!!

I also got to hug a real life angel!! I met Lisa through her blog and she is the most kindest and supportive person on the face of this earth! I'm so glad we were able to find the time to talk and catch up like old friends!! And I was finally able to give sweet Tyler a big hug! He is just the most darling little boy! We hope that we're able to attend ROCks next year in your home turf!!

I wasn't the only one who made lifelong friends! Lexie did a little socializing on her own. I might be biased, but these children are just adorable!!

The heartwarming moment of the evening was when the red balloons were being passed out. Each family wrote a wish and we released the balloons. It was a sight to see those red balloons going up into the sky.

It was a night filled with laughter and tears. It was an awesome feeling knowing that we all shared wonderful memories of Taiwan and that our children can form bonds with other children just like them.

This was a trip of a lifetime. I would highly recommend the next Taiwan ROCks which will be in Chicago next summer. I know if we have the means to go, we will be there also!

Taiwan ROCks 2011 - Day 2 (water park)

Lexie did not wake up until 11:00am on Saturday and we had to wake her up. That was the latest she has ever slept and we're thinking it was the 5 hour time difference. To her it was 6:00am Hawaii time which is when she normally wakes up. She ate some oranges and then we were off to explore the water park.

The hallways were long!! Lexie loved running down the hallway and looking at the lights and would yell out, "wolf" or "deer".

The water park was located at the bottom of the hotel where they have an arcade, spa for little girls and an ice cream shop.

When we got there, Leanna and her mom were just arriving to the park.

Lexie loved the kiddie pool. The water was to our knees and there were slides just her size. Lexie was very brave and went on the slides all by herself. As soon as she came off, her first word was, "AGAIN!"

Lexie loved being able to walk around in the water. And liked floating.

I got to chat with another one of my bloggy friends, Lisa and her super adorable son, Tyler.

Lexie loved sitting on the jet skis and spraying water everywhere.

Sweet Gracyn took Lexie on the slide with her. The older children were so wonderful with the little ones.

Lexie surprised us and bypassed the yellow slide. She walked straight to the blue one which is a little longer and much faster with its curves. At first she couldn't get herself moving, but with a little push from the lifeguard, she came down that slide with a huge smile on her face.

Lexie went sliding with Hayden.

Our little girl was freezing after all of that, so we decided to take a break from the climate controlled environment and go outside. It had rained the night before so the temperatures were in the high 90s.

With the overcast skies, it felt good to be outside in the warm weather.

There was a clothes swap later that afternoon. Lexie got some beautiful clothes to take back home and she got to play with her friend Gracyn.

Then we headed back to our room to rest up for our dinner with the families. We knew that it was going to be an exciting evening!

Taiwan ROCks 2011 - Day 1

All I can say is, "Wow!" This was the shortest trip I've ever taken, but the quality of it was simply amazing. There were about 24 families from all around of the country. I've followed many of their blog journeys as they waited for their child and have become online friends with several of them, so to be able to meet these wonderful moms and dads and their beautiful children in real life was a dream come true.

We left Hawaii Thursday night. This was Lexie's first airplane ride since Taiwan so we did not know what to expect. She was very excited and did not sleep very much on the plane. It was a 6 hour flight to Denver. For some reason, she refused to lie on the seat and wanted to stay seated which made it uncomfortable for her to sleep. We were worried because we had another 2 hour flight after that.

We landed in Denver, ate some breakfast and let Lexie run around until we had to board. It was a teeny tiny plane. We had to sit in the plane for almost an hour as we waited for the co-pilot to come from another flight and for the pilot to get the okay to take-off. There was a baby crying during the whole flight and Lexie said, "Mommy, make baby stop crying." When I told her that I wasn't going to do that, she said, "I go make baby stop." Once the plane started moving, Lexie fell asleep the rest of the way.

We landed safely in Dallas and Jules picked us up from the airport. We became friends through our blogs and she has become such a dear friend to me so I was thrilled when we could finally meet in person. We hung out at her house until our room was ready to check in.

Dallas was hot - 106 degrees when we arrived. We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge. Things are definitely bigger in Texas!

After meeting a few families, we went to our room to rest a little.

We could see the outdoor pool from our room. Lexie was excited when she saw the water.

Lexie played in the lobby with some of her new friends as we waited for our ride to the pizza party.

Storytime at the lodge.

We had a great time eating pizza and chatting with families. The kids thought jumping on the chairs was the coolest thing ever!

Lexie loved all of the little girls and she can usually be quite shy, but she was just in awe of Hannah and wanted to hold her hand.

It was very surreal to see all of these children together. I felt as if I knew many of them because I see pictures of them on their blogs. To see these children in person and having Lexie laughing and running around with them was one of those moments that you have to pinch yourself because you can't believe it's really happening.

Lexie was exhausted from the 5 hour time difference and the excitement of meeting so many new friends. She fell asleep on the carpet while watching tv. She slept for about 3 hours and woke up at midnight. We had a snack and she went back to sleep at 2:00am. Lexie had major sleep issues during the weekend, but luckily it didn't affect her mood.

More fun to come!