....Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting.....!!

Zach has been doing karate for a little over a year now, and seems to really enjoy it.....His teacher is EXCELLENT with the kids, and teaches them not only the necessary skills associated with karate, but about being a good person; helping out others; listening to your parents and teachers. It is a great program, and we are happy that Zach enjoys it and is doing well.....Here's a photo that was taken with his karate program....

Bunny pays a visit....

Last year, Easter in China....this year, bunny stops by Mansfield......doesn' get much better......Bella and Zach had fun on their Easter Egg hunt in the backyard....Course, Bella would run past most of the eggs, laughing and giggling....Zach was kind enough to go back and point out 'missed' eggs to his little sister, and they then shared in the 'loot'.....

mmmmmmmmmm Chocolate...!

The ears of the bunny didn't stand a chance..!!!

Never seen snow in Guangxi....

Although this past winter wasn't a fierce one, we did get a few snow storms......Having been born in southern China, Bella had never seen snow ...until this year.....She didn't quite know what to make of it....It was cold....it felt funny......but she had fun with it......She even helped Daddy shovel the driveway one snow storm.......

New friends....

One thing that came out of our trip to China was the new friends that we made....and it wasn't limited to just the people we went to China with.......Carmen traveled to China by herself to bring sweet Jianna home........She had the love and support of her husband and two boys back home, who we now have gotten to know and consider friends.....family.....Steven is almost 11, Michael is almost 16.....We have had the joy of spending time with them and getting to know them.....They have befriended our son Zach, and we are proud to call them our friends.....Michael, love those cartoons....hoping to see them on TV one of these days..Keep pursuing your dream....your passion.......Steven, my hand is still hurting from playing catch with you this past weekend......I know you are a born and bred 'New Yorker', but would love to see you wearing a Red Sox uniform down the road.....Sox are always looking for a good left handed pitcher...!

Guangxi Rocks!!!!!

We thought it would be fun not only to have the girls all in their Chinese outfits (previous picture) but to have them in matching tee shirts.......We got them pink tee shirts that proudly proclaimed "I'm a Guangxi Girl" with their names on the bottom (and their American names, written in Chinese, on the back).....These girls, and our families, will forever be linked....be bonded....due to where they were born....We are lucky and proud to consider the Pagano's....the Trainers....the Benoits....and Sandra....our friends....our family. We hope that we will always remain in touch...Yes, as years past, the visits...the reunions, may taper off due to family commitments.....But we will ALWAYS have China 137.......Nanning....Guangxi province to keep us together....We love you all, and can't wait to see you again....

Guangxi Girls Gone Wild....!!!!

This past weekend we hosted a Guangxi Province reuninon.....As most of you now know, when we went to China (it will be year this April 5th..!), we spent time in Beijing and then headed to the province where our daugther was waiting for us......Isabella was in an orphanage in Laibin, and we flew into Nanning, which is located in the Guangxi province of China...Joining us on that journey were Jacqui and John (who adopted Roma); Nancy and Jimmy (who adopted Laina) and Carmen (who adopted Jianna; her husband, Dante, stayed back home with their two boys, Michael and Steven)...Also joining us on that trip was Sandra (lovingly known as "Peeps" as she was our People and was a HUGE help with all of our families).....this past Saturday, all of the girls (Roma, Laina and Jianna) came to visit us......we had a GREAT time.....we cooked out......spent time together....and just got caught up on everything....it was a nice weekend, that was overdue, and went by too fast.....we had a lot of laughs and memories..Our only regret was that John couldnt make it, as he had a business commitment...he was missed, but we will catch up with him next reunion.....the following pics that I post will be from this past weekend......As you can see, our daughter isn't shy to show a 'little' belly...!! We miss the Guangxi Family already and cant wait til the NEXT reunion!!