This year Dallas obviously could not make the trip with us so it was just the three of us. The thought of driving for around 8 hours each way with the two kids was a little daunting but we went for it. There were loads of snacks, drinks and toys in the van and we made an early start on Friday morning arriving in Syracuse by 1:30PM. The kids watched and I listened to High School Musical 2 about three times that day. Over all the trip was not half bad. We only made two stops on the way up and I had the snacks and drinks close by and just handed them back as needed.
We finally arrived in New York!After arriving at the hotel I tried to convince the kids to take a nap. No dice. I guess they had lots of built up energy to expend so they were wired and ready to go. That evening we went to dinner with a few of the families at a local Chinese restaurant. That mini-reunion was short lived. Tru was so full of energy and only wanted to walk around. As he had done that morning during breakfast at Cracker Barrel he walked around from table to table telling everyone “hi” and looking intently at their food. He refused to sit and let everyone else finish eating so we had to make an early exit. By the time we returned to our hotel Jim, Donna and Mackenzie had arrived. They always stay at the hotel with us. Lin-Ley and Mackenzie were anxious to hit the pool as was Tru. He kept saying, “Water, Water!!” A few minutes of swimming and playing around and it was time for baths and bed.
Bed time was interesting. I had called the hotel earlier that week and asked if they could provide a crib for Tru and they said yes. When we arrived they brought in a small pack-n-play which could accommodate an infant. Plan B. Luckily I had brought along our bed side-rail just in case Tru had to sleep in the bed with me. (That’s the great thing about driving instead of flying – you can bring along everything you think you might need. And that’s about the only advantage over flying as far as I am concerned.) Let’s just say Tru is not a real cuddler. I have tried to lay him in the bed with me at home and he has wanted no part of it. Now we had no choice. That night after the long day of driving, dinner and swimming, Tru lay down next to me and within 4 minutes he was snoring. All night, while Lin-Ley slept soundly in the bed next to us, I kept getting punched, kicked and head-butted. Tru spun around and around in the bed like the hands of a clock. I do not know how he gets any rest.
Saturday – Picnic Day – China Girl Reunion.
This picnic means so much to us all. It’s like an annual love fest of sorts. It is amazing how our families are so closely bonded after spending two weeks together in China and having never met previously. Every year we get together and visit and watch the girls run around. There are hugs all around. So much fun!
Unfortunately I did not get as many photos as I would usually but I had two kids to keep up with. In addition I have to try to keep Tru in close proximity so that I can try to catch him in case he falls (usually hitting his head). And this was Tru’s first year to meet the girls so I had to make sure he met all of them. First impressions….
The pavilion where we were picnicing was next to a volleyball area with sand. The girls took full advantage. Tru instantly went over and as a way of introducing himself began trying to take all of their tools. No luck Mister! Find your own toys!
Tru finally came inside and discovered the wiggle riders. Once he got on there was no getting him off.
Group shot. Becky (our resident photographer – see her blog My 2 Cuties), Donna with Mia T., Michael, Laura with her daughters, May and Claire. Mia S. impresses all with her hula hoop action.
The China Dolls – This is a group shot of all of the children in attendance who were adopted from China. Tru and Beth’s big sister Mary decided not to join in for this photo.Left to Right: Top Row: Beth, May, Lana, Sara, Drew, Lin-Ley, Mackenzie, Maria, and Julia,
Bottom Row: Claire, Hannah, Mia T., Lucy, and Mia S.
2003 Travel Group (Lin-Ley’s China Sisters)Top Row: Sara, Mia T., Mia S., Lin-Ley, Mackenzie, and Julia
Bottom Row: May, Hannah, Drew and Beth
This is 10 of the 14 girls in our group. We have never managed to get all 14 families together at these picnics. Maybe next year.
Family photo. Tru refused to be in the photo unless I allowed him to bring along the pink ball.
Time to hit the beach. Shoes and all. Actually Tru has to keep his shoes on at all times for balance so I brought along an extra pair.
Lin-Ley takes a spin in the paddle boat.
For some reason Lin-Ley thoroughly enjoyed playing with the seaweed.
Tru just decided to wear the seaweed. Check out his right leg.
The Roarkes and The Braatens
The girls were working together to build something with the sand. Tru helped by gathering water in his bucket, walking into the center of the girls and then pouring the water onto whatever the girls had managed to build. They fussed at him each time but we went right along with his water duties.
Each time Tru went into the water to fill up his bucket he plopped down into the water, filled up his bucket and then stood up and headed toward the girls. (This photo was provided by Becky Green – Thanks Becky!)
Time for birthday cake. 
Each year we celebrate all of the girls' birthdays with a huge cake.And that wrapped up another great reunion. But we had one more piece of business…
During Tru’s lake side adventures he managed to fill his prosthesis socket (the part his residual limb fits into) with murky water. I had anticipated a need to clean the socket after the picnic and swimming so Dankmeyer (the company that made Tru’s prosthesis) was kind enough to change the permanent rivet to a removable screw just before the trip so that I could clean it as needed. Well… I had never tried to take the socket apart in fear of not being able to get it back together correctly. It was time for more on the job training….
I mentioned that I needed a screwdriver to take apart and clean Tru’s prosthesis. Michael had one and we tried to take out the screw. It was twirling around but not coming out. Dean saw us struggling and came over to take a look. He instantly knew we needed more than a screwdriver. Luckily Dean and family were camping right there at the park and he went to their camper for a supply of tools.
Tru watched anxiously. He kept saying “leg, leg!” and was unsure if Dean was going to take his leg away
Finally Dean managed to remove the screw, we cleaned up the socket (pouring out about 1/4 cup of water) and then Dean put it back together again perfectly. Thanks again Dean!!!!!!!!!!!
Dean jokingly told Tru that when he gets older it might be cool to put some water in his leg again with some goldfish. The girls might really like that he said.Later that evening the Greens and Wileys met us and the Roarkes back at our hotel for some more visiting, dinner and swimming. When they turned out the lights in the pool at 10PM that was our cue that it was time to call it a night.
I was planning to leave the hotel by 8AM for the drive home but Tru decided that a wake up time of 5:15AM was even better. So we got up, packed the van and headed home. Luckily traffic was great and we got home quickly with another stop at Cracker Barrel for lunch. It is a tradition!What a wonderful weekend. We are already looking forward to next year!
This is a fantastic photo of everyone in attendance!
This photo was also provided by Becky Green . Becky is located in the center of the photo with the blue blouse. Thanks for sharing Becky!!
As I said before I did not get nearly as many photos this year and therefore have not included everyone here. If you want to see more fantastic photos including individual family photos please visit the Our 2 Cuties blog. You will find the link on the right hand side of this page.
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