Happy Halloween!

Need I say more?

Despite Austin's absence on our 2 week trip, the passed 2 days have seen a tight bond develop between Austin and his youngest sister. Truly a wonder.

The day we arrived, Austin was at school until the afternoon. I picked him up from school waiting in the parking lot with a big warm hug, but he practically blew past me, thinking that Danielle was in the car. She wasn't, he was bummed. When we got home and Austin and Danielle met, she was shy, sizing him up and only sharing a small smile and quiet giggle. But after about an hour, she discovered that her newest brother was pretty cool and liked to play with her, so out came the full blown laugh and the endless Chinese banter.

She went to Austin's championship football game on Sunday and cheered from the sidelines. She kept asking which one was "Autin" (she can't get his name exactly right, yet). They won - Austin made some TDs so she was happy to do all the clapping she could!

Then we moved on into Halloween. We weren't sure how she would react, or even understand, this ritual, but after her siblings all donned their costumes, she wanted to get into the action. Luckily I had kept a cute kitty outfit from Avery's past Halloween wardrobes. She was so happy to put the costume on and add some whiskers to her face. Delighted! So then we ventured out to see if tricks and treats were going to be OK. Of course, she was so happy to say a quiet "twick or tweet" followed by some great candy nabbing and a nice "tank you!". She did awesome! We first visited Uncle Bryan across the street - of course they poured enough candy into her small bag to almost fill it after the first house! We moved on to a few more houses and then came back to warm up and answer the door to some other costumed creatures.

The one struggle I am facing still is food. She is a good eater as we saw in China, but she can't seem to find anything here that really peaks her appetite. I am working hard, hope to find some basics that will keep weight on her petite figure!