Happy 1 Year Anniversary

It has been exactly 1 year since Savannah Jiang Yu was placed in our arms. Our lives has not, and will not ever be the same. Savannah has changed so much in the past year. When she came home she would not leave her Mama, and Baba had limited time with her. We could not leave the room without her screaming at the top of her lungs. And she would not let anyone hold her. Now, she will go to just about anyone. She still prefers Mama unless Baba has been at work then she waits for him at the door and gives him a big hug and kiss. She doesn't cry when we leave the room anymore. Most of the time we have to go find her as she will leave the room and get into things she knows she's not supposed to, and when we find her she always has a big ornery grin. We love Savannah very much and will never forget that moment on September 16th, 2008 when she was placed in our arms. Congratulations CCAI Group 1409 on our 1 year Anniversary.

Gotcha Day 09/16/08


Mama and Baba with Savannah

Savannah's (very hot) first bottle

Baba with Savannah

a year ago on Sept. 11th

One year ago we stepped on a plane for a trip that would change our family forever. We left our house for Yeager Airport on Sept. 11th, 2008 at 3:30am, our flight left at 6:21am bound for Chicago's O'Hare. After a 5 hour layover and lunch at McDonald's, we were off to Beijing. We had never ever been on a plane before. WOW! What a long and somewhat rough ride. I guess 75mph head winds will do that to a plane. We then made it to the Beijing airport where we met our guide Helen and 17 other anxious but tired CCAI families. All week I have reflected back on those first few days in Beijing, it was absolutely AMAZING to be in our daughter's homeland, to take in the sights, the smells, and the culture. It seems like yesterday. I miss China, it's people and our wonderful group of families who came together to share the most personal, magical moment in our lives, the moment we met our beautiful children for the first time.

Brian and I waiting for our next flight out of Chicago O"Hare

Haleigh and Brian playing Nintendo DS to pass the time

Our Chariot awaits us heading for China

Back to School!!

Today was the first day of school for the Decker bunch. It was a good thing and a bad thing. It was sooo peaceful around the house today, well except right up until my little energizer bunny with the beautiful almond eyes awoke! I was so glad not to hear the I'm bored there's nothing to do bit, but yet they did help with Savannah a lot and kept her entertained. It was so hard for me this year to see my baby girl Haleigh start her first year of Jr. High School. In our area we have a grade School k-6th and a Jr./Sr. High School 7-12th, so no middle school. Haleigh is growing up so fast as is the boys too. She's a 7th grader, Jordan is a senior, and my Tan-Man is a sophomore. She was so excited this morning to be at the same school with her brothers. It saddens me to think they are going to be leaving the nest sooner than I think, but I find great comfort in knowing that the Lord will watch over them and keep them on the right path he has chose for them. I thought Savannah would look for them and ask for them today but she was way to busy getting into things as usual. And to think we don't have to worry about grade school again for another 5 years!!! lol

Savannah waiting to see them off to school

Triple Decker Threat!

My beautiful young Lady

Great week!

We had a very busy but great time attending our county fair this past week and Jordan's scrimmage game on Saturday. I can't believe football season is here already! Savannah had a good time at the fair. We put her on the carousel but she wanted nothing to do with it, or any of the rides for that matter. She did like the music entertainment though and danced to it. We have always entered our kids in the pretty baby contest, it started when we had Jordan and kind of became a tradition with all three kids, so this year keeping with tradition we entered Savannah. Savannah's good friend Leila was also in the contest. Neither of them placed but that's ok, we already know we had beautiful little girls. Leila lives about 15 to 20 minutes away from us. One day when we were getting ready to travel to China for Savannah, we had to go to our board of education office to get a form for Haleigh to miss 2 weeks of school to go to China. While we were there we found out that another local family had came there to request a form for their two children to miss school for a trip to China to adopt also. We had no idea! It was amazing to find out that through our three years of waiting for Savannah, another family in the next town over was waiting to be matched with their little one. We kept in touch through e-mails the next few weeks while getting ready for our travel and met them at the airport on Sept. 11th, the day we left for China. They were with a different agency and we went our separate ways after that but seen them again while both our agency and theirs were on a tour of Tienanmen Square. If you know anything about Tienanmen Square it is a huge place filled with thousands of tourists, and amazingly we found each other while touring. they then went on from Beijing to Guangzhou to meet their beautiful daughter, who was from the Guangdong district. We still keep in touch with them through e-mails and met up with them a couple of nights of the fair. and plan on getting the girls together as often as we can. When they are together it is so cute.

Savannah and Leila trying to buckle and unbuckle the stroller belts

Friends for life!

Savannah sporting her ladybug swimsuit at the contest

A year ago today on august 12th 2008, we fell in love!

Our Beautiful Savannah's (Qian Jiang Yu) referral picture sent to us on August 12th, 2008!

A couple more pictures That were delivered to us the next day by the Stork!

(You guessed it) the Stork!

Our sweet Savannah Jiang Yu today at 2o months

It has been one year ago today, on August, 12th, 2008 that we met our beautiful baby girl and it was love at first sight. I can remember every second of that day as we waited for that very special phone call from our agency telling us they had our referral. We had already decided that if the call came and Brian was at work that I would take down all the info but wait to open the e-mail with her photo when we could all see it at the same time. If the kids were back in school when we got the call then we were going to take them out for that day, so they could share that moment with us. It was so important to me that the whole family be together for this special moment. God answered my prayers and we were all home for the call. We were all huddled together around the speaker phone, the camcorder was focused on us to record every second of our call, and of course we had a voice recorder for back up setting by the speaker phone to tape the conversation, let me tell you we were prepared!! When the phone rang at 1:00pm it was Kimberly from our agency CCAI. I will never forget her words "Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!" Then while she gave us some of info she wanted to send us her picture by e-mail, as we waited for the picture to download my heart was beating so fast. The picture came up and as you can see on the video below I LOST IT, which was something I promised myself I wouldn’t do but when I saw her face my heart just melted. And what a head of hair she had and still does. I know some people might not believe it, But I instantly fell in love with her. This was the daughter I had prayed and dreamed about for three long years, the little sister that Haleigh had longed for, and she was everything we had wished for and more. She was exactly the daughter God intended all those years for us to have. He had hand picked her before she was ever born to be placed into our family, and for that I am forever thankful to him! We are truly a blessed family!! Kimberly then finished sharing all of info with us. I had e-mailed and talked on the phone with Kimberly a good bit through our adoption process and was so excited she was sharing this very important and special day with us. It was a day our family will never forget and we will share it with Savannah when she is old enough to understand. It was a day that changed our family forever and brought us even closer together.

Another Birthday Bash!

My sweet Tan-Man is growing up! Tannor turned the big #15 yesterday!! Tannor was born August 5th 1994 and weighed a whole whopping 6 lbs, 14 ounces. He was small and had very long little feet and big hands. I went into preterm labor two months before my due date and was in the hospital several times, and put on meds to stop it and then finally had to deliver due to developing toxemia. It was so scary but when I held him in my arms, all of that was forgotten. Tannor has always been a Ma Ma's boy from day one, he is so sweet and loving. He always has a smile and a big hug waiting for you. It's is so hard to believe he will be getting his permit now and I'll have two of them on the roads! He has had so many obstacles thrown at him through the years but by perseverance and his faith in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ he has overcame everything. He has always been in the gifted program at school and has always been advanced one grade level. (I know It sounds like I'm bragging but I'm his proud Mom).

Tannor, Mom and Dad love you sooo much!!!

Our Tan-Man's very first Christmas

Always had a smile waiting for you

Picking the guitar and singing with Ma Ma Tweet

Tannor's fifth birthday with the king and queen from Medieval Times

Tannor at ten years old (only five years ago, WOW he has grown so much!)

My poor baby after splitting his toe in half at youth camp this year :(

Wonderful pics we took at Tennessee this year ( very handsome)

To my sweet young Man "Happy Birthday" Tannor!!!

Savannah's first time on Broadway!!..........Broadway at the Beach that is.

Savannah blowing up her ladybug for the pool

A very nice lady offered to take a family photo at Broadway

Ma Ma and my very tired little ladybug watching the fireworks display

Beautiful

Jordan and Haleigh having fun and being silly

Ok, Mom and Dad too!

Savannah building her Panda

Haleigh and her new doll named shelly

Savannah and her new Panda friend whom she named Qian Jiang Yu

We have had such a good time on our vacation. Tuesday we went to Broadway at the beach which is huge place with lots and lots of little specialty shops including restaurants, candy, ice cream, and fudge shops. We try and go on Tuesday night when we come to the beach because they have an awesome fireworks show. Of course they also have a Build-a-Bear store. Haleigh has always made a bear every year and now she got to share the fun with her little Mei Mei. A couple of years ago I went in with Haleigh and made Savannah a rabbit dressed in a Mulan type outfit, it is sooo cute. It was so exciting making one for a daughter I'd never even seen yet but loved so much. This year Savannah got a panda made, I think I enjoyed it just as much as the girls!