Ripple #1: The inner circle

Thoughts from a brother:

I was so exited to see Mei Sims! I was very sad for my mom and dad to leave to go to China but I was exited that my mom and dad were going to get Mei Sims.  I think it is very fun to have a Chinese sister. Mei Sims is very playful. Mei Sims is very cute when she smiles. I think she can have allot of reactshons and she wants to do lots of stuff with my mom. She is very hiper and wants other people’s stuff. she is very funny. I wouldn’t want Mei Sims to be in another family because I love her so much!!!   

~ Rollins (almost 8)

Rollins is basically a 30-year-old trapped in the body of an 8-year-old.... you never know what he is going to say.  But one of my favorite quotes of his from the past year was one day when he said "I am so so fortunate.  You know not everyone gets to have a chinese sister."  He also told me one day "I'd love another sister from china. Not another biological sister.  They are mean".... said with AR standing right there I might add!  They have such a precious relationship.  Rollins has a sweet heart deep down but he has never been the nurturing type with his siblings.  Mei Sims has drawn that characteristic out of him.  She often seeks him out when she is hurt and needs a hug.  And all day long she asks where he is or says "I unt ra ra" (I want rollins).  As their relationship has drawn out his nurturing side, I have seen it bleed into the relationships with his other siblings.... and it is so sweet to watch.    

"Thoughts" from a sister:

AR is an artist at heart... so what better way to express her love for her little sister than through drawings...AR tells me daily that MS is "really the cutest person in our family"... to say AR loves MS is quite the understatement.  Here they are on top of the world, holding hands....

And here they are doing the ballet Swan Lake together:

And this week, I happened to pull out my phone in time to capture the girls walking into church together, holding hands:

When to AR's great delight, MS stopped for a spontaneous hug... I love the joy on AR's face:

~ Anne Rainey (6)



Thoughts from a "twin":

Henry can't write... or sometimes even talk sensibly but this little guy exudes love and joy about everything in life.... especially his little sis'.   He thinks having MS as a sister is pretty awesome.... He had his moments for sure in the early days but now that the jealousy has subsided, he is just pumped to have someone to help him save the world:

He likes MS even more than he loved this pudding :)

And a quick pic of the whole crew out at chinese on MS's Gotcha Day night:

And ironically this was the fortune in MS's cookie.... Funny to read this as we were out celebrating that this in fact happened a year ago that day.  And on the back?  Each one had one word in chinese. This one had the word "December"... the month we began the paperwork to bring her home.  I don't believe in coincidences.... just think this was a pretty cool wink from God.