Yes!!!! We are still alive and doing well!

I am really sorry for taking soooo long to post.  I have wondered over this past long week if I would survive but today is Saturday and I think I will be ok.  Seriously.....the jet lag just about does me in.  Now if I could come home to a nice calm, quiet house and take it easy for a couple of weeks all would be great....but there is a problem.  I now have 9 children and a husband, 2 dogs and life.  I would like to have  a video of me over this past week.  I know that I looked completely like I was drugged out with glazed eyes.  After going over for a visit with my friend, Nancy, she told me that she didn't think jet lag was the problem.  Katy can be very stimulated by new environments and she is all over the place.  It was that way for a couple of days at home but she is now settled in and calmed down at home.  I have to say I am  little shocked at how well she has blended in our family.  She has done very little bossing of the other children.  She seems really happy hear and our kids happy to have her.  The girls love her.  They have had so much fun playing girl things.  I was a wondering if Katy would decide she liked girly things.  After just 3 wks with her she now tells me she wants long hair(which I don't think they ever gave her that choice before), she wants her ears pierced, she now puts barrettes in her hair and wants her nails painted.  She would have none of that when we met her.  Today Scott got all of the bikes out for the kids.  Katy didn't have one yet so I took her shopping.  We bought the pinkest bike we could find.  She came home so excited.  Hopped on and was ready to learn to ride.  She had never been on a bike before.  She did great.  I think a few more days of practice and she will be on her way.  She went across monkey bars for the first time yesterday and gave swinging a try.  It looks like she has never done that before either.  Amazing.  Can you imagine being almost 10 and having never done those things?  At Target today I wasn't paying attention and she started grabbing items and scanning them.  Oh my!  We have soooo much to learn.  She has been quick to give us hugs and looks at us like she really may like us....a lot.  Oh yes, she is still very stubborn.  She has stamped up the stairs a few times when she didn't get her way.  She corrects easily and oh how she wants to learn.  She constantly asks me what things are and how to say certain things.  Her biggest spontaneous phrase is "No thank you, I just want a coke".  Every word of that was said when I offered to buy her ice cream.  Now if you haven't adopted an older Chinese child this might not mean that much to you, but I am here to say, it is incredible.  As for Katy and Samuel and their interactions.  It is a little different that what I had thought it might be.  They don't seem that interested in each other or maybe just feel a little awkward around each other.  He is very gentle and kind to her but doesn't offer too much Chinese conversation with her.  I catch them every now and then talking in Chinese but not very often.  He does look after her.  He saw her trying to cut up a pear tonight and quickly jumped in and did it for her.  Scott and I mentioned how Sam just seems so grown up now that we have Katy.  He seems to know so much.  At the rate Katy is learning no doubt she will pass up his English knowledge.  She constantly asks me a word and then has me spell it for her.  She will repeat it like now that she knows the word she will remember it.   It has really been great and I look forward to being alive enough to enjoy it.

Thank you all for your prayers and support through this journey.  Keep us in your prayers and I will update here every few weeks so check back.  We are full and blessed.  Thank you God for your goodness.