Answers: Part 2

Well, since yesterday's anwers took a bit more thought :) I thought I'd answer some of the basic ones today... So here you go!

Do you have any hobbies that you enjoy in addition to your photography? Do you participate in any sports or clubs at school besides swim team?

*Yes, I love taking pictures! I also love being with friends, writing, playing ultimate frisbee and other things outside, baking, and babysitting! The school sports I do are swimming and track (I do the throwing events... ha!) As for clubs, I'm in Beta Club and National Honors Society.

Anywhere other than China you would like to visit?

*I've been to Romania on a missions trip and had an amazing time there. Would love to go back sometime. I also still really want to go to Haiti (I was supposed to go on February, but we weren't able to because of the earthquake, and the trip was rescheduled to dates that we were in China) and would love to go to Africa. Really, anywhere. I LOVE traveling. I went all over Europe with my dad during my 7th grade year, and there are places there that I would love to go back to! I also have a goal of going to every state in the US!

Where do you get the little girls' clothes? They are always dressed so cute! Love the striped PJs in the "pancake" photo too. Do you help pick out the matching outfits?

*Of COURSE I help my mom pick out the clothes! She runs everything by me before ordering! :) We order most of their stuff from Boden, which has the cutest clothes ever. We also buy a lot from HannaAndersson (that's where the striped jammies are from). Most of their smocked dresses are from little shops here.

how's it going with the giant new van?!

*We're loving our van! It's hard to park, but it's so nice that we can drive as a family to Church in ONE car! It will be really nice, too, when we roadtrip!

Since we live close by what is your favorite place to shop.

*I adore everything from J Crew and Anthropologie. Sale racks, of course :) I also really like a store called Franchescas, which is a little boutique and has such acute clothes!

Do you have any desire to learn Chinese? What about any plans to keep Gracie fluent?

*I would LOVE to learn Chinese some day. If my school offered it, I would definitely take it! Unfortunately, I have to stick with Spanish for now. We would love for Gracie to stay fluent, but at this point, we are really just trying to work on English with her. It is coming VERY slowly.

If you could travel to any country in the world, where would you go?

*China, of course!

I know your siblings have special needs and you've never mentioned what it is. Is there a reason? I know you're not the only person to not disclose a sibling/child's special need.

*I don't talk about their "special needs" because that's not what defines them. I want people to know them for the AMAZING little people they are. Honestly, we rarely even think about their "special needs!"

Is there any reason that you've only adopted from China?

*Because that's where God has called us, and that is where he showed us 4 sweeties that he had planned for OUR family! :)

You obviously have an immense love for and bond with your younger siblings. Do your brothers have the same?

*My brothers might not have a blog all about the littles, but yes, they adore them! They are such good big brothers, too! They don't get to see them as much as I do, but that doesn't change anything!

List your favorite...food, song, book, movie, thing to do on the weekend, vacation spot, subject in school, Bible verse, thing to wear, time of the year, and websites/blogs!

*Food- pancakes

Song- mostly anything by the Avett Brothers

Book- anything by Nicholas Sparks! The Choice is probably my favorite. (Yeah.. I'm not much of a reader!)

Movie- My all time favorite is probably The Parent Trap. I just love that movie!!

Thing to do on the weekend- hang out with friends!

Vacation spot- Fripp Island. It's a small island outside of Beaufort, SC!

Subject in school- English. My favorite class I have ever taken was AP Language, which I took this past year. I love to write and it is a LOT of writing. I also had an awesome teacher, which helped a lot! :)

Bible verse- there are a lot of Bible verses that I love, but my favorite is probably Phillipians 3:8-9. "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

Thing to wear- nike shorts and t-shirts!

Time of year- summer, because there is no school and I love just sleeping in and being lazy! Aside from that, probably spring. I love the feeling of it getting warmer, being able to wear shorts again, the flowers blooming, the BEAUTIFUL weather, and school coming to a close!

Websites and blogs- I spend entirely too much time on Facebook. As for blogs, I follow a lot. I love following the ones of families who we met in China and have traveled with during our three trips. I also love following the families that we know personally. Ni Hao Y'all and No Greater Joy Mom are two of my other favorites. Not only because they take amazing pictures and are about two amazing families, but I also feel like they speak a lot of my heart in ways that I could never express.

And thirdly, what are a few of your favorite/least favorite things about China?

*My favorite things about China are the people, the food, the history, and the culture. The people there are, for the most part, just so sweet. So generous, honest, and helpful! The food, I just love. There's something about the way they prepare everything that just makes it good. Of course, that is if you stay clear of chicken with bones and other things that you wouldn't typically see in the US! I love the history there, because it goes back so far, and admist all of the modern parts of the cities, there are little reminders of how ancient the cities actually are. I also just love the culture... the big shopping areas, food being cooked on the streets, horns honking, the hustle and bustle of people... The things I don't like about China are "gross" aspets of it. Gross as in people spitting anywhere and everywhere. Kids just squatting right where you are about to walk and going to the bathroom. The sewage smell as you are walking down the street. I also hate the amount of pollution and how the sky is rarely blue.

How about, what do you want to name your own babies?? :)

*Esther, Ava, Daniel, Henry, Hannah, Jack, Noah, and Lilly.

How often do you look at the WC lists?

*Way too much. :) Any and every list that I can access, I look at. And it is heartbreaking to me to see how many kids wait and to also know how many families are waiting, too. I wish people would open themselves up more to the BLESSINGS that these older kids, boys, and kids with more major needs are. But anyway, yes I look at WC lists too much. It's hard to pinpoint an exact amount of time, but it's a lot :)

What jobs have you had growing up?
*When I was younger, my two best friends and I had a lot of petsitting jobs. We would put out flyers every summer all around our neighborhood and actually made a lot of money doing that! I was a lifeguard last summer. I loved that job! It was at my neighborhood pool, which I've grown up going to. I knew all of the other guards and we had so much fun! This year, I couldn't work there because I would've had to ask for too much time off. I have recently started working at a nearby jewelry store. So far, it is fun! The people I work with are so sweet, but I have to say, working in retail can be sort of annoying! I think it's a good experience though. I will have this job throughout the school year and next summer, too, and it will be nice to have a steady paycheck during school!!!! I also babysit a lot, which is by far my favorite job. I LOVE the kids, I LOVE the families, it is easy, the pay is so much better, and there are no taxes!