America World zoo outing, and nama biru

Last month, our adoption agency, America World, hosted a family zoo outing at the National Zoo.  About 100 families came from the DC area.  You can see Ariel in the back (on Jeff's shoulders.)  We sat with the little girl holding the sign.  It was her birthday!

After the zoo, we stopped for nama biru (Japanese draft beer) at a restaurant called Mum Mum in Adams Morgan (a DC neighborhood with lots of ethnic restaurants.)

Now and

3 years ago (at Hamazushi in Akishima, Japan)

Don't worry, Ariel drank pineapple juice

and surprised us with her chopstick skills!

eating, eating

 At Osaka Japanese restaurant

 Ariel was in heaven with sushi rolls.

 At Udvar-Hazy Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, sharing french fries with classmate & friend Steven.  We had a fun day trip with Steven and his mom.  Udvar-Hazy is way out by Dulles Airport.  It has a space shuttle, lots of aircraft, and room for kids to run around.

 Vegan spaghetti & meatballs, with kale pureed into the sauce.  Drinking out of her special goblet from the Goodwill Store in Newark, Delaware (Aunt Sandie helped us pick it out.)

 She had to check out what Jeff was eating (it included vegan pizza and quinoa-jasmine rice-coconut-tofu.)

 Sharing a peanut butter & grape sandwich.

Raisin Irish soda bread at Bilbo Baggins pub.

Lovin' Hut

Our neighbor, Jehangir, and his friend, Mitch, ventured with me to Lovin' Hut. Jehangir & I have been going to his standing appointments, so decided to have a lunch outing in Mitch's town of Falls Church.  Lovin' Hut is a worldwide chain of vegan restaurants.  Supposedly, there were some in Tokyo and Taipei, but we could never find them (addresses can be confusing in those countries!)

This Lovin' Hut specialized in Vietnamese food.  We ordered a few dishes and shared them all (eggplant & tofu, vegan spicy shrimp, I forgot what else.)  I had mango tapioca drink and we even had vegan cannoli and chocolate cake.  It

We talked with the owners/workers, including Mimi Clark, who teaches vegan cooking classes.  I really admire them for running an all-vegan restaurant.

at home (start of school)

 On Ariel's first day back to school (after Labor Day), Ralph and Nene helped her ease into it.

 They continue to comfort her.

Jeff heard "Monkey Preschool Lunchbox" game music and found Ariel high in a closet.  Time to find a new hiding place for the iPad.  Clever girl!

a visit with Aunt Sandie

 We met Sandie for a girls' weekend in Wilmington.  At the mall, Ariel insisted on carrying Sandie's purse around the makeup store.  Ariel also insisted on sleeping with Sandie our first night at the hotel.

 We visited Longwood Gardens

 and saw "Mothman" orchids

Until next time, Aunt Sandie!

Maggie's wedding

Ariel & I went to Gloucester, Virginia in August for a wedding.  Our friend & neighbor, Kelly, from Yokota has a daughter who was getting married.  We got to meet Kelly's extended family and also celebrate her 50th birthday.  The wedding was very nice and simple at a country church.  Ariel cut up the dance floor.  We had such a good time, the only photo I had time to take was of Ariel and her friend Katie.  Katie told me she was adopted into her new family when she was 6 years old because her parents couldn't take care of her.  Katie and Ariel had good snuggly time together.

Carousels

 Ariel loves carousels.  These first three photos were taken by friend Eva, when we met her at the National Harbor.  The Harbor carousel offers unlimited rides for military kids for the day for $3.  Ariel also climbed on "The Awakening" sculpture and chewed on ornamental grass.

the carousel at Lake Accotink, where we visited on a hot day

Ariel's 4th birthday

For Ariel's 4th birthday (in August), we did more paperwork downtown, and explored Northwest DC by public bus (she find the public Metro and buses thrilling.)  We took her to lunch at Cactus Cantina, a big Mexican restaurant near the National Cathedral.  After fajitas, they sang happy birthday to her, and brought her ice cream with a candle.  The only photo I remembered to take that day was Ariel asleep on Jeff's lap at the State Department.

My little helper

 Ariel & I spent a day in August doing paperwork for her re-adoption in the US.  It's something we've been working on, and it will give her a US birth certificate and legal protections in the USA.  Or it's just another way to get money from adoptive parents (she is already a US citizen.)  But we'll do it for her.  We dropped off the papers early in the morning, and had the rest of the day to play.

 Ariel spread joy to all the people dropping off documents at the State Department.

 It's not all serious inside.

We had lunch together at a Middle Eastern restaurant near the zoo.

 Falafel, tabouleh, hummus, and pitas.

 In Amazonia, the coolest, most tranquil part of the zoo.

Studying nature books in the Amazonia library.

West Virginia Wesleyan

On our scenic drive through West Virginia, we stopped to tour West Virginia Wesleyan College, where Mom went to college.

Hawk's Nest State Park

In August, we met with the Sanders family at Hawk's Nest State Park in West Virginia.  We were in the same adoption travel group.  It was so nice to see them again.

 Ariel, Madison, and Mackenzie had fun in our rooms

 and out in nature

(this is the "album cover" shot - don't they look like a rock group?)

 Waiting for the ropeway down to the river

 swinging

 breakfast at Tudor's Biscuit House (until Mackenzie got her arm stuck in a chair)

view from our lodge room

We think we heard the Mothman the first night, but it may have been the tooth fairy, since Mackenzie lost a tooth that night.

Play date with Hannah

In August, we met up with local friend, Hannah, and her parents.  I remember following Mara's blog when they went to China, because they went right before us!  We didn't know we lived near each other until we recently connected on China Adopt Talk.  We had a fun time with them at a water spray & playground park.  That's where we also ran into one of my old ROTC classmates and his kids.

Aubrey's birthday party (last winter)

 I was looking through photos that friends shared with us on Facebook.  This is from Linda, who is now is now in Korea with her family.  We are cheering them on while her husband is general's aide for the US Forces Korea commander.  We get to see them locally now and then.  This was last winter at Aubrey's 4th birthday party.  We had a blast in the bouncy rooms.