Storytime with Bryn

2nd Annual Xinyu Mini Reunion Part 1

Last weekend Beth, Helena and Ava, one of our Xinyu families from Edmonton, came for a visit. Shea and Caia came to hang out too, and we were also at their place -- we spent as much time together as we could.

A happy crew: us with Shea and Caia, Helena, Beth and Ava.

(Hopefully one of these times James will be able to join us.)

We had a great time but the weekend flew by too fast. We went for dim sum, played in the park and enjoyed watching the girls play together. It was a hoot seeing them interact, all three of them are such characters and have such fun personalities -- they kept us laughing the whole weekend. It was a great few days of catching up, hanging out and having fun. We also got to see Shea's mom, Grandma Dar, and we always love seeing her.

Looking back at last year's photos it's amazing to see how much the girls have grown and changed. I managed to get all three of them to stand still long enough to weigh and measure them (surprise!!). Bryn is 32 lbs. 37", Caia (the youngest of the three born April 21) is 29 lbs. 35.75" and Ava (March 10) is 28 lbs. 36". Three or four pounds makes a big difference at this age -- Caia and Ava seem so light compared to Bryn. I think she also looks a lot bigger because of her sizable noggin. :)

Thanks, Beth, for making the long drive out to see us again! We loved having you and hope you make it an annual visit. Maybe next year we can talk some more of our Xinyu families into joining us!

Yum, yum, dim sum! Rowan, Lorraine and Adia joined us for our delicious lunch. They traveled to China the year after we did and live in Saskatoon.

Jessie enjoyed some loving from Helena.

Bryn loves Helena and followed her all over the house. Thanks Helena, for being a wonderful big "sister" to all our girls!

Thanks to Skype we were able to have a visit with another one of our Xinyu families. Carolyn and Marvin live in PEI with their beautiful daughters Kennedy and Jaida. Unfortunately their girls were already tucked in for the night when we were having our virtual reunion so we didn't get to see them. We miss you guys and wish you could have been here in person!

Budding artists hard at work.

After they were finished painting the girls moved on to sculpting.

XMR Part 2

More photos from our fun weekend.

Beth was making faces at the girls trying to get them to smile for a photo, so Ava and Bryn decided to make silly faces right back at her. Caia, bless her heart, was the perfect little model (she looks like she's trying hard to be serious despite the goofs sitting beside her -- the look on her face is priceless!). 

Xinyu sisters.

One for all...

and all for one!!

Fun in the park.

Ava trying very hard to help Bryn up after she'd fallen.

Helena and Ava.

Beth, Caia and Blankster having some loves.

Some bonus video.

"Mom, can I ask you a question?"

That's what I hear over and over every day. The first time I heard it I laughed and thought, "How cute is that?!" Now, not so much. Oh, it's still cute but after that question comes another one which, quite often, I don't know the answer to. My three-year-old daughter has made me realize how very little I really know. Thank goodness for the Internet and Google.

Bryn's "why" stage started a few months ago. I thought she asked a lot of questions before but the past few weeks it's never ending. Non-stop. All. Day. Long. I've come to the conclusion the reason she doesn't sleep well is because her mind never stops. She's constantly thinking. I hear her talking in her sleep at night about things she's done during the day. When she's awake she's constantly asking questions -- why this, when that...it never ends.

Some of her questions are easy to answer. Why can't I have chocolate for breakfast? Can I have coffee when I'm bigger? Why do I have to go to bed? Are you old? I'm newer than you, right? Am I your baby? Was that good manners, mom? Can I have a goldfish?

Others require a little more thought and explanation ("because" isn't an acceptable answer anymore). Why can I see the moon when it's daytime? Why doesn't Jessie have hands ? Why can't babies walk? Why is poop stinky? Why does Jessie chew with her mouth open? Why do my fingernails grow? Why doesn't Pubba have hair on top his head? Why are you my mom? Why does Jessie have a hole in her bum?(!!) Why does the water go down that hole (in the tub) -- is that its home? It's hard to keep up!

The other day she asked me something and when I answered she replied with "why?" For every answer I gave her she asked why again. After a few minutes of that I finally said "Bryn, you can't ask why again every time I answer your question." "Why not?" she said. Sheesh.

Yesterday when I was answering one of her many questions of the day she interrupted me and said "Mom, what are you yakking about now?" Well, my sweet girl, I am not yakking I'm answering your question. "But why are you, Mom?" she said.

Fun with fingerpaints.

All dolled up for Chinese New Year celebrations.

Bryn has been a busy girl the past couple of months. She started another gym class in January and is having tons of fun there. She's had her first salon haircut (believe it or not, she has still only had her bangs trimmed), her first eye exam and her first dental appointment. The weather has been horrendous so we haven't spent much time outside this winter but we managed to take her skating for the first time. She spent the whole time watching her feet and asking questions about her skates but she seemed to enjoy it. 

She also started at a new day care at the beginning of February and loves it. She surprised us by adjusting quickly to her new place and is always coming home with all sorts of stories of what she did that day. She loves her new caregiver and has lots of fun with the other kids there. 

Potty training continues to be a challenge. I've tried everything -- stickers, Smarties, M&Ms, reverse psychology, pleading, even threatening to give her potty and Smarties away to someone else -- nothing works. The only time Bryn wants to sit on her potty is when I tell her it's time for her bath. Then she decides she wants to "try to go pee." She'll sit there and read and sing and accomplish nothing, sometimes for 1/2 an hour or more. Every time I try to take her off her potty she says she's not done trying and since I'm always trying to get her to sit on it, I can't very well insist she comes off. It's a stall tactic, I'm sure, because after her bath is bedtime and she's never in a hurry to go to bed.

"Lookit dad, I'm skating I'm skating!"

Bryn's very first professional haircut. Girard was so excited.

Helping great-grandma eat her birthday cake.

Bryn's imagination has really taken off and she loves to play pretend. She plays with the little people in her dollhouse and they have some very interesting conversations. She pretends to cook for us and has invented some delicious recipes, like mushroom dessert. She makes up her own words to the tunes of the songs she knows and she reads her books "different" a lot of the time with her own stories, which can be really entertaining.

Every day she says something to make me chuckle. One day she told me she doesn't like when it's snowing, she likes it "better when it's grassing." It took me a minute to figure that one out. A few weeks ago she was standing in front of the TV, which wasn't even on, just looking at her own reflection. I asked what she was doing and she told me she was "watching the Bryn show."

Here are some more things Bryn has said over the past while that have made me chuckle:

•  that's kinda weird
  
•  that's hilarious
  
•  speaking of which
  
•  for some raisin I'm not tired
  
•  I don't mind vegetables
•  I was working too hard to pee in my potty so I peed in my pants instead
  
•  I will be back in five-dee-five minutes. Is that a long time?
•  I'm s'posed to listen to mom and dad and you're s'posed to listen to me. So listen!

I can't argue with that.

The Birthday Girl

These are Bryn's "official" I'm 3! photos. She's still not fond of having her picture taken but we thought these turned out perfect.

She had a blast at her party. She was so excited about everything ("It's a party for me! I'm three! Mom, can you believe I'm so 

big?!") and loved every minute. I thought she was going to bust with excitement when we sang to her. Thanks to everyone for coming to celebrate her special day with us (and those who couldn't be here but who celebrated in spirit!) and for loving Bryn the way you do.

Two years ago today we arrived home from China with our precious baby girl. She weighed just under 16 lbs. then and was a whooping 28" tall. Now, at 3-years-old, she's 30 lbs. and almost 37".

Here are some photos of her special day. 








This week two of the families we shared our Forever Family Day with are returning to China to meet the newest little loves of their lives. We're so incredibly happy for them and can't wait to meet the additions to our China family. We send much love to Carolyn, Marvin & Kennedy and Monica, Paul & Claire. Travel safe, dear friends, and give Jaida and Ren huge hugs from all of us!