journeytobrooklyn

Brooklyn's first soccer game

2010-04-10T12:55:00.011-04:00

The journey in sports has begun!

Hurry, get the show on the road!

Water Break, man I'm thirsty!

Spring Break 2010 and Easter

2010-04-09T17:30:00.013-04:00

Spring Break 2010 Daytona Beach

Halloween and Christmas

2009-12-30T16:36:00.007-05:00

Brooklyn Loved to open presents!

All the grandkids except Brandon, we missed you Brandon

The Roemer kids!

Getting ready to take movies before her Christmas program

Brittany turned 21, Yea!!!!!

Sorry

2009-12-19T22:43:00.001-05:00

Ok, Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. My blog wasn't working for the longest time. But, I am back and many more pictures to come!

The wedding

2009-12-19T22:11:00.007-05:00

Our Family--June 27th, 2009 Brandon and Taylors wedding

The beautiful couple!

Our Beautiful girls!

Handsome boys!

My special friends and their husbands!

The happy parents!

Easter

2009-04-13T10:39:00.009-04:00

Our kids who we are so proud of and love very much!!!

Look what I got!

Brooklyn loved the Easter bunny

Princess Brooklyn

Brittany

Brandon and Taylor(practicing for the wedding)

Brady and Scott

cousin Kyle and Sam

Bryce

Taylor and Brandon

Grandma and Grandpa

Uncle Rick and Lexi

My neice Lexi and Brooklyn
Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter...We sure did!!!!!!!

First Big Snow

2009-01-28T20:10:00.013-05:00

Brooklyn had a great time in the snow today! This is really the first snow since we have had her. Her brother Byrce had fun too!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

2008-12-31T14:47:00.014-05:00

Uncle Dave and cousins Ryan and Kyle

CLEAN UP EVERYBODY!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas,and truly enjoyed the holidays with our family. I hope and pray for wonderful 2009 for all our family and friends. Thanks for a great year!

Congrats Brandon and Taylor on your engagement

2008-11-18T19:59:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to our special son Brandon and his girlfriend Taylor on their engagement! They will be getting married this summer in North Carolina. We couldn't be happier with whom Brandon chose to spend the rest of his life with. Taylor is a wonderful person inside and out. We love you both and are very proud!

My Little Ladybug

2008-11-06T22:01:00.006-05:00

Brooklyn loved Halloween! She got lots of candy, and she is eating every bit of it! She got pretty good at saying trick or treat too.

Apple Orchard

2008-10-25T19:36:00.012-04:00

We had a wonderful day at the Apple Orchard. Brooklyn was not too sure of the petting zoo though. I love fall!!!!

COUNTY CHAMPION

2008-10-25T19:26:00.006-04:00

Congratulation Brady!!! Brady was the Johnson County Boys Cross Country Champion on October 13th. We are very proud of you and all your hard work! Thank you to all his fans that cheered him on!

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-17T15:55:00.024-04:00

Well, our Labor Day weekend could not have been any better. Brandon came home for the weekend and brought his wonderful girlfriend Taylor. We had a great time! Brandon, Taylor, Bryce and Brady went to play put-put as soon as they got here on Saturday. I am not sure who won, I couldn't get a straight answer. On Saturday evening we all went downtown and ate at Champs and then walked around the canal. It was a beautiful evening and even better with Taylor here. On Sunday after church, we went to Clay City and introduced Taylor to the Brown clan. I must say, she passed with flying colors. She even likes to fish and go four-wheeling. And anyone that puts on papaws dirty hat is a keeper! They had to leave Monday morning to work on school stuff. I can't wait for their next visit!

First Day of Preschool

2008-08-26T10:37:00.003-04:00

Brooklyn had her first day of preschool, and the teacher said she did great. The only time she would cry is when she saw other kids cry. But it never lasted very long. Brooklyn hates it when others are crying. She has such a tender heart!

HAPPY 1 YEAR "GOTCHA DAY"

2008-08-20T15:35:00.005-04:00

Brooklyn's referral picture taken 12-26-06

Brooklyn taken 6-07

Brooklyn 8-20-08

Well, today is one year since we met Brooklyn for the first time. I can't believe how fast time goes. Our lives are forever changed and enriched. She has been a blessing beyond words. Thank you everyone for your support and love. We love you Brooklyn!!!!!!

St Louis

2008-08-17T14:49:00.018-04:00

Brandon and Taylor

Cheese!!

Listening intently

She only wanted to go to Taylor, sorry Brandon

She loves the fish at Union Station

Bryce's 1st day of school. Brooklyn will miss her brothers(sorry Brady you left too soon, I didn't get a picture)

Brooklyn's bite

We just got back yesterday from seeing Brandon in St. Louis. My mom and I took Brooklyn and went to Brandon's new classroom. He is getting it ready for his kids to start school on Monday. He had it under control and it looked great. Have I said lately how proud of him we are? Well, we are! We also got the pleasure of meeting his girlfriend Taylor. She is wonderful, beautiful and recent graduate of Vanderbilt University. She is also doing Teach for America in St Louis. She will teach middle school math, and I am sure she will do a wonderful job!

Brady and Bryce started school last week. Brooklyn will start a 2 year old preschool class in a couple weeks. She will go two days a week. We think it will be good for her to be around other kids her age. Brittany is busy working, and she has lost 21 pounds and looks wonderful! All of our sporting events are starting(or continuing), so it will be a busy fall.

Good Luck Brandon and Taylor, your students are very lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!

p.s. I took a picture of Brooklyn's ear, because she got bit by something and it swelled huge. Luckily, it went down the following day(after we went to the dr.)

Reunion

2008-08-17T14:19:00.018-04:00

I love baseball!

#1 fan at the baseball tournament

Molly, playing before pictures

Thanks Brady for helping us play

I am hiding, can you see me?

Gracie

Cool shades Paige

Olivia and Anthony

Meet my friend Laney Katherine

Cheese

I love my brother

Love those cheeks

Molly

Thanks to Anthony's parents for sharing their home

Paige

Brooklyn and Ella

Olivia and mom Mysty

Brooklyn watching

Gracie and big sister Miranda

Laney Katherine

Paige

Ella and mommy
We had a reunion with some of the families we went to China with on July 10th. We met in Knoxville, TN. We were only able to stay one night, because Bryce had a baseball tournament we had to go to. We had a great time and I loved to see all of Brooklyn's special friends(and all my special friends). Sorry it took so long to post these!

Happy 2nd Birthday Brooklyn

2008-07-07T16:19:00.018-04:00

What a weekend, that's all I can say! We survived three birthday parties and fireworks and now I get to relax (a little). Brooklyn enjoyed every minute of it. We started out at our favorite bagel place Einstein's. All of the regulars threw Brooklyn a party on Friday. She had a blast, thanks Norma and Gloria. We went to Uncle Kenton's for a cookout and then to fireworks. Brooklyn liked her first fireworks display until she fell asleep after about 10 minutes. Oh well, she had a big day. On Saturday we had a baseball team cookout. Brooklyn swam and enjoyed her birthday cupcakes from Jada. Then on Sunday, we had the big family birthday party. She loved all her gifts and enjoyed opening them. I can't believe she is 2 years old and has almost been with us a year. What a blessing Brooklyn has been to us. Thank you to everyone for sharing in this special time with us. We missed you Brandon, but you are always in our thoughts. We love you! One more week!

PUT ME IN COACH!!!!!!

2008-06-20T18:49:00.002-04:00

HI BRANDON, I MISS YOU!!! DO YOU THINK I LOOK LIKE A BASEBALL PLAYER??? DADDY KEEPS TRYING TO GET ME TO PLAY ALL OF THESE SPORTS. ARE YOU HAVING FUN IN HOUSTON? I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU. TELL YOUR CLASS I SAID HI!

LOVE,
BROOKLYN

Graduation and baseball

2008-06-03T14:33:00.024-04:00

Well it is official, Brandon is a college graduate. We had a wonderful time at his graduation. We all went to St. Louis on Thursday May 15th and met grandma and grandpa Roemer. They took us all out to dinner to celebrate Brandon's graduation. We stayed all night in a hotel and Brooklyn loved swimming with her siblings. The actual graduation was Friday morning. Grandma and grandpa Brown came to that. It was a nice ceremony with Chris Matthews(Hard Ball)as the speaker. We cannot tell you how proud we are of Brandon. He is a wonderful young man with a lot of goals and ambitions. St. Louis school system is lucky to have him for two years. If you don't know already, he has commited to teach in St. Louis for two years with Teach for America. I have no doubt, he will make a difference in someone's life! He has brought us joy since the day he was born and now he is out on his own and I am sure will be a success. Thank you Brandon for being you and making us so proud! We love you and your brothers and sisters have such a role model to look up to! Good Luck!

We have also been very busy with baseball. Bryce just won a tournament and Brooklyn loved every minute of it. Brady is busy playing golf and basketball and Brittany has started her special olympics softball. It will be a busy summer, but it is perfect with Brooklyn here to share it with us. Enjoy the pictures(Mysty)! The one picture is Brandon with the senior boys cross country runners and the other is with the girl and boys c.c. runners. Brooklyn was great at the ceremony, because she slept during the whole thing.(thank you God)

Fishing in Clay City

2008-05-09T19:50:00.007-04:00

Brooklyn had a great day at grandma and grandpa's house in Clay City. She went fishing with daddy and Brandon. She got the best catch of the day. She loved riding on the tractor and four wheeler with her pa paw. Grandma Alice made corn on the cob just for her. Daddy thinks he can make her a tom-boy, but I still dressed her in a skirt and headband!!

Corn on the Cob

2008-04-29T16:24:00.004-04:00

Brooklyn Loves Corn on the Cob!!!!!

Trip to Austin, Texas

2008-04-28T14:31:00.016-04:00

Well, Brooklyn and I just got back from Austin Texas for my cousin Teri's wedding. The wedding was beautiful and Brooklyn had a wonderful time. To top it off, we got to see our good friends the Castlemans. We met them in China when they were adopting their second little China girl. Her name is Avery and she is 4 months younger than Brooklyn. I got to spend the day with Carol and Avery and big sister Emily(and Mike too). Carol made us a wonderful lunch(thanks Carol) and we talked until we couldn't talk anymore. I can't believe how much the girls have grown. Brooklyn had a great weekend and was very well behaved at the rehearsal dinner and wedding. She made friends with everyone she met. Enjoy the pictures!

Baptism

2008-04-14T11:59:00.009-04:00

Yesterday Brooklyn was Baptised at our church. Needless to say, it is much easier when they are newborn. But we survived and she had a great time at the party afterwards. Brooklyn thought is was Christmas again with all the gifts. Thanks to our family and special friends for sharing in this important occasion. And to her godparents Larry and Pam, Brooklyn is so blessed! We love you all!!

Easter

2008-03-25T14:37:00.011-04:00

Brooklyn loved her first Easter. She had a great day and loved the Easter egg hunt at Grandma Alice's. Sorry Bryce, I don't know how I missed taking a picture of you.
Love to all!

First Real Photo Session

2008-03-22T16:07:00.014-04:00

Hi Everyone, This is our first attempt at a real photo session. Brooklyn did pretty well. They took about 120 photos. The Chinese outfit she is wearing, her daddy picked out for her in China. Here are a few of the best! Enjoy!! Happy Easter!!!!!

Hi Brandon

2008-03-21T11:13:00.005-04:00

Hi Brandon, I hope you are feeling better. I told mom to hurry and post a picture of me to brighten your day. I love you and miss you. Do you like the new desk daddy bought me? I love to color. And I like to sit on the step with daddy's tools. I am a really good helper. I will see you soon. Happy Easter! I will show you pictures of me in my Easter dress.

Brooklyn

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!!

2008-02-14T17:11:00.005-05:00

I love my bear Brandon got me, and I had a great time watching Brandon run last weekend. My favorite part of Valentines Day is all the candy I get to eat. I LOVE CANDY!! Just like my daddy.

Congrats Brady! 7th Grade County Champions

2008-02-08T11:18:00.001-05:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!!!

2008-02-07T14:44:00.000-05:00

What sport

2008-02-05T13:37:00.000-05:00

Daddy thinks I should play basketball. Mommy thinks I should be a gymnast. Brandon thinks I should be a boxer. Grandma Doris thinks I should be an artist. Brady thinks I should just lay back and enjoy life. What do you think????

Christmas 2007

2007-12-27T11:32:00.000-05:00

This is Brandon writing for this entry. Christmas for the Brown family is always a three part event. We begin by going to Grandma Doris and Grandpa Jim's house on Christmas Eve. We spend the day over there by eating Grandma's delicious food, opening stockings, going to church, and then opening presents in the evening. Grandma Doris put a new twist on her patented meat balls this year, and I was very impressed. Brooklyn had a lot of fun seeing her uncles and cousins, as well as opening her presents. Like every year, we awoke on Christmas morning to find presents scattered across the living room floor. Brooklyn's favorite presents were her Elmo chair and her candy (skittles, licorice, and chocolate!). For some reason, Brooklyn loves chairs. She even sat in the boxes that her presents came in!

We left for Grandma Alice and Grandpa Howard's after we were finished at our house. Grandma's sausage balls were fantastic as always. It was great to see Carla, Dan, Matthew, and Dani in from Georgia, as well as everyone else. The weather was unusually warm, so Brooklyn played basketball with her older brothers and cousins. A ball came smashing down on her head, and she didn't even think about crying. She's pretty tough. Anyway, Grandma did an awesome job of picking out presents. To carry on our family tradition, we saw a movie on Christmas night while Brooklyn stayed with Grandma and Darla. While everyone was gone, she said "Maa'ma" -- as you can guess, this made Grandma Alice very happy.

Speaking of Brooklyn talking, she is saying more and more every day. She baby-talks constantly, and I think her vocabulary will begin to explode very shortly. I'm looking forward to spending the next two weeks with her before I have to go back to school. I'm not too excited on leaving her again, so hopefully Mom, Dad, and the rest can come to several track meets this winter and spring. Bryce has two basketball games tonight at Martinsville, and Brooklyn can't wait to see her brother play!

It was a great Christmas. A happy New Year to all!

New pictures

2007-12-17T11:45:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to send out a few pictures. As you all know, it is a hectic time of year. We are enjoying every minute with Brooklyn and I thought I would share a few misc. pictures of her. I will update later and let you all know how Christmas went. Everyone enjoy your family, I know I will! Merry Christmas and God Bless!!

6 Ladies and a Baby

2007-11-13T15:22:00.000-05:00

Well, Brooklyn and I just got back from the Cayman Islands with my 6-pack girlfriends. They so graciously included Brooklyn is our girl trip this year. Thank you friends, you don't know what that meant to me. We had a wonderful time and Brooklyn could not have been any better. She did great on the airplane and took all her naps on the beach. We would lay her between two chairs on the sand and she would be in heaven. I could never have done it without all the help from Patricia, Sara, Pam, Alicia and Beth. I love you girls!

Brooklyn loved the beach and the sand. She played in it a lot. She liked for me to take her in the ocean and loved getting wet. When we were in the condo. she just toodled around and as you can see in the picture Pam put her in the washer one day. Now, she couldn't be perfect all the time, she threw one fit(see picture in colts outfit). But I think it was because the colts lost and she couldn't hide her disappointment. But then again, we couldn't watch the entire game. That is another story,(I hate the cable company).

Sara's condo was absolutely beautiful and I thank her for allowing us to enjoy it for a week. Overall, the weather was great, but the company could not have been any better. Guess thats all for now. Like Brooklyn's pink shirt says "what happens with the girlfriends stays with the girlfriends"

Halloween

2007-10-31T22:09:00.000-04:00

OK, I must say Brooklyn is the cutest cat I have ever seen. I had to hurry up and post pictures, because Brandon was very anxious to see his little sister. Brooklyn had a wonderful time trick or treating!!!! She enjoyed every minute of it and really liked all the candy. What a great evening!!!!! Her first Halloween was a success!

St. Louis

2007-10-21T21:13:00.000-04:00

We went to visit Brandon at college in St. Louis last weekend. I took Brady, Bryce and Brooklyn for the weekend. Brittany stayed home with grandma Doris because she had to work. Scott had to work also. We had a wonderful time. It was parents weekend and there were all kinds of activities going on. We had a great dinner downtown with Brandon on Friday night and then went back to the hotel to swim. Brooklyn wasn't too sure about swimming, she got a little cold. On Saturday we spent the morning and early afternoon at Washington University in St Louis, which is where Brandon goes to college. We walked all around campus and had a great time. I can't believe he is a senior. Time just flies by. He has had an amazing college experience and has made us so proud. Later Sat. afternoon we took Brooklyn to the St. Louis zoo. She absolutely loved seeing all the animals, but she was not too sure about the merry-go-round. Needless to say, we had a fantastic time with Brandon in St. Louis and Brooklyn loves her big brother Brandon!!!

Ears Pierced!

2007-10-07T11:09:00.000-04:00

Everything is going great in the Brown household. Yes, I did it, I got Brooklyn's ears pierced.(see Mysty) She did great and now she looks even more beautiful. Brittany and I took her to the park the other day and she loved it. We have been keeping pretty busy with all the sports. Brady did a great job in the middle school cross country meet and Brooklyn loved going to it. Bryce's football season is over and now on to basketball. Brandon has been nursing a hurt knee, so hopefully he will be ready to run by regionals(he works so hard). He has been home all weekend to see Brooklyn and it has been great! Brittany is busy with special olympics volleyball and I must say, she is doing a fantastic job. That is a quick update of our household. Enjoy these last few hot(and I mean hot) days.

A note from Brooklyn

2007-09-17T13:42:00.000-04:00

GO COLTS!!!!! Just a few pictures to tell everyone I am doing wonderful!!! I watched the colts game with my family after I went to church. As you can see, I fell asleep on Bryce after church. I also love going to Bryce's football games, Brady's cross country meets, Brittany's volleyball practices and soon Brandon's cross country meets. What a good life! Hey Brandon, I just wanted to let you know I miss my big brother very much and I can't wait to see you soon. I love you soooo much!!!!!!!

Brooklyn Ru Le Brown

I'm Back

2007-09-07T10:44:00.001-04:00

O.K. I'm back for all you blogger addicts(I am one too). It has been a week since we have been home and the Brown clan is doing wonderful. Brooklyn is getting over a cold and ear infection. I think she is on the road to recovery after her antibiotic took effect. She is pure joy to watch. She is walking around everywhere and is getting very attached to her brothers and sister. She still likes to have ma ma in sight a lot of the time, but she is getting better each day. She is real trooper, she has been to a cross country meet, football practices that last 2 1/2 hours and out to eat numerous times(she is a Brown). She is sleeping better at night. She only cried out one time last night and I went in and patted her back and she went back to sleep. She went to bed at 10:00(half time of the colts game) and woke up at 7:15 in the morning, not too bad. Of course, we are hitting Einstein's every morning to have our coffee and she is a big hit. I haven't taken too many pictures since we have been back, so I will post what I have. Some of these were at the airport before we left. I will start doing my job and get more pictures. Have a great weekend and I will report more soon! I promise!

We're Home!!!!

2007-08-31T12:56:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know we made it home safe and sound. It was a long grueling 24 hours, but we made it ok. Brooklyn was a trooper on the plane. She got upset 2 times on the long 12 hour flight from Hong Kong, but other than that she was wonderful.

We had over 40 people that met us at the airport. Thank you to everyone and we know a lot more people were thinking of us. We have the most amazing family and friends and we will be forever grateful. This has been the journey of a lifetime and we were so glad to share it with everyone. We could not have done it without your words and prayers.

We will update more in the next few days. And yes, there will be more pictures. Brooklyn is already adjusting amazingly well and loves her sister and brothers. Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone, we love you!!!!!

Day 11

2007-08-28T05:05:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone,

This is Scott writing for today. We MISS our KIDS!!!!!!! Just two more days!!!! Laurie and I cannot wait to come home. We were ready to come home after we left Changsha last Friday. Brooklyn continues to do really well. We just can't get over how good she is doing. She has not even had a cold or anything like the other toddlers. We feel VERY fortunate. She is walking around furniture all the time and improving each day walking by herself.

Today was a big day. We had paperwork and pictures this morning and then we went to the US Consulate for the swearing in ceremony. Brooklyn recieved her visa which allows her to enter the US and as soon as she steps foot in the United States she is a full citizen! We can't wait for everyone to meet Brooklyn. I know her brothers and sisters are going to treat her like an angel.

This may be our last blog. We are still arriving at the same time Thursday night in Indianapolis. However, instead of leaving Guangzho on Thursday as originally planned we are now leaving Guangzho tomorrow (Wednesday) at 6:45am. We are doing this so that we will have one full day (and one night) to spend in Hong Kong. We were able to move our flight up a day to Hong Kong without charge. Several other families have done the same thing. We are probably going to go to Disney Land in Hong Kong tomorrow (when would we ever get the chance to do this again!). The tickets are only $35.oo each. If we don't go to Disney Land we are going to at least sight see in Hong Kong for the day tomorrow.

So far we have traveled from Indianapolis to Chicago, Chicago to Bejing, Bejing to Changsha (where got Brooklyn!!!) and Changsha to Guangzho. This is what we have left: Guangzho to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to San Francisco, San Francisco to Chicago, and Chicago to Indianapolis!!!!! We will arrive in Indianapolis on Thursday (August 30) at 9:00pm.!!!!!! If we can we will try and write a blog from Hong Kong but I am not sure we will be able to.

Lastly, I want to talk about my wonderful wife Laurie. She has done ALL of the packing for this trip. We have everything from antibiotics to diapers to Q Tips. She did not forget one thing. She has done just about all of the paper needed for the adoption. And I am not exaggerating when I say there has been paperwork! I don't know what she sees in me, but I feel very LUCKY that she is my wife. I love her very much! None of this would have been possible if it was not for her. Brooklyn could not have gotten a better mom.

See you soon! Hope you enjoy the pictures most of them are in her traditional chinese outfit we bought her. They are the famous red couch pictures in the White Swan Hotel and some of our travel group.

Scott

Day 10

2007-08-27T00:59:00.000-04:00

Only 3 more days and we get to see our family and friends!!!!! Today we had to stay in the hotel room from 9:30-11:30 while our guide went to our consulate appointmemt and turned in all our paperwork for Brooklyns visa into the US. We had to stay by the phone in case they had any questions. Everything went great. The last thing we do is tomorrow, we have the swearing in ceremony. We promise to always take care of Brooklyn in front of a judge(I think). Later this afternoon we are going shopping again as a group to Shamain Island. This has been kind of a lazy day, which in kind of nice. Last night we ordered Papa Johns pizza and ate went friends down the hall. Pizza never tasted so good. A lot of the couples here have been sick. Scott and I have been pretty fortunate, only a few minor problems. Most of the 9 babies from the other orphanage have all been sick with colds. Luckily Brooklyn is very healthy!

Have a great week! We love you Brandon, Brittany, Brady and Bryce and all our family and friends!

Day 9

2007-08-26T02:30:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone,

This is Scott writing today. It won't be much longer and we will be home. We sure miss our kids! We had a free day today and we decided to go to Shamian Island. This is the place that our good friend Denene Stewart recommended for us to go if we got the chance. For those of you who don't know her, she went to school with Laurie. Denene and her husband have adopted two children from China and they are wonderful. Their names are Jessica and Katie. Katie is from the Hunan Province just like Brooklyn and Ellen Vorhies are.

Shamian Island is only 5 minutes from where we are staying (we are at the China Hotel in Guanghzou, China) so we got a taxi and went there. They had lots of little shops (Laurie and Brooklyn loved this!) and we were able to get several gifts for our family at very reasonable prices. Laurie was able to bargain several items down quite a bit. We spent about 4 hours total there and we also ate a restaurant called Lucy's Cafe. It had American food so we ordered hamburgers and french fries.

We can't believe how good Brooklyn is doing. I don't mean to brag but she really is. Lots of times today Chinese women would stop and look at Brooklyn and smile. A couple of them reached for her and she would not go to them. She would just hold tight onto Laurie or I (whoever was holding her). A couple of things we have forgot to tell everyone about Brooklyn. She loves it when Laurie gives her a bath and she also loves Pringles Potato Chips. We break them up into little pieces and she really likes them. I think she likes the salty taste. She is really getting Americanized.

She is walking a lot more now but usually around furniture or when Laurie or I are holding her arms. She is eating really well. She is taking formula in the morning and evening (whole bottle) and the last several days has been eating 2 jars of baby food during the day plus eating scraps from our plates and junk food in the room. We are hoping we can put some weight on her soon. That is about all for today. We are probably going to take her swimming for the first time today. We are going to prepare her for Larry and Pam's pool!

Thanks,
Scott
P.S. A big thanks to the Vorhies and Stewart family for being our inspiration to follow through and adopt Brooklyn!!!!!!!!!!! We are very grateful.

Day 8-Medical exam

2007-08-25T02:50:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

First of all I would like to congratulate my oldest daughter Brittany for being named Johnson County Special Olympics athlete of the year. We are so proud of her. She deserves everything she gets. Brittany has been involved in special olympics for 10 years. She competes all year long in basketball, volleyball, track & field and softball. Love ya Britt!!

Today was Brooklyns medical exam for immigration. She passed it with flying colors. She weighs 18 lbs. and is 75 cm.(I don't remember how to convert that, Bryce would though). They checked her ears, throat, temp., and listened to her heart. She got a little upset with them, but she did great overall. Her droopy eyelid does not look too bad. You really don't notice it too much unless she is tired. I can't believe that is a special need, but if it wasn't we wouldn't have our little Brooklyn.

This afternoon, we are just relaxing in the hotel. We have some paper work to finish in a little while. We are having a group dinner at a Japanese restaurant in the hotel this evening. I hope it is better than the chinese food. Sorry, but it is bad. We did find out today Papa Johns delivers to our hotel YES!!!!

Brooklyn is doing great and enjoying each day more and more. Daddy has her giving him five, clapping her hands, walking more and more, shakes her head yes and no, unscrew loose caps from water bottles, acts like she is talking on a cell phone, and holds her bottle(just to name a few) Her favorite foods are bananas and water melon(just like Aunt Darla). Needless to say she is getting Americanized real quick. She will be ready for Einsteins as soon as we get home.

Enjoy todays pictures! Yes, picture #6 she is doing what you think she is.

Day 7

2007-08-24T02:56:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

Laurie is getting Brooklyn ready right now for a nap so I am going to give the update. First, we really miss our kids! It won't be much longer and we will be hone. Also, a big thanks again to Grandma's Alice and Doris, Darla and Josh for babysitting at home. We love you guys too.

We flew from Changsha this morning and we are now in Guangzhou. We just checked into our hotel. It is really nice. We made the trip to Brooklyn's orhanage in Yiyang, China (which is in the Hunan Province) yesterday. We were gone a total of 5 hours. It was a 90 minute drive to her orhanage. It was an unbelievable experience. We are very glad we went. We got lots of video and camera shots of not only the orphanage, but also her finding place. Her finding place is where she was abandoned. She was abandoned at the Yiyang Civil Affairs Building, which was only about 2 miles from the orhanage.

We rented a Minivan, and Laurie, Brooklyn and I, along with our guide (Mamie) and went to the Orhphange first. Mamie interpreted everything for us and was wonderful. When we first got there we visited the playroom. It was fairly large and clean. It had different toys for different aged kids. There was a total of 5 nannies (from Half the Sky-which is a charity organization-they work with kids one on one individually-and are separate from the orphanages) working with the kids. When we first walked in all of them started shouting Le,Le (meaning Yi Ru Le-Brooklyn's Chinese name)and all of them wanted to touch and hold her. They obviously loved her very much. Brooklyn's reaction was a total surprise to us, and also Mamie. As soon as we walked in and Brooklyn saw where we were, she buried her head in Laurie's chest and cried. She didn't want to go to any nannies at first. When she went to the nanny that was the most excited to see her, she did calm down after about 20 seconds. After about 5 minutes of the nanny holding Brooklyn she reached for Laurie. This obviously made us feel very good. It was apparent though, that all of the Half-The-Sky nannies loved her and worked with her daily. We think this is why she has been able to attach to Laurie like she has.

Next, we went to the small pre-school room on the 2nd floor. The teachers there also knew Brooklyn and were excited to see her. All of the kids in the pre-school came out and greeted us and one girl was taken by Brooklyn's pink shoes. She kept smiling at them and pointing at them. Laurie and I both said we would take every one of these kids home if it were possible. You could tell how excited they became when one of their "own" got adopted. The ages of the kids on this floor were all of pre-school age.

Next, we went to the actual room where Brooklyn spent her first 13 months. We were able to meet and talk with her main care-giver(this was the person that actually fed and cared for her). Her main care-giver was VERY excited to see Brooklyn. She immediately reached for Brooklyn and Brooklyn went to her and did not cry. The care-giver was so proud of Brooklyn. She told us thru Mamie (our guide) many things about Brooklyn. It was like a proud mom! She told us how Brooklyn likes to chew on her blanket (we have posted many pictures of Brooklyn chewing on her bib), likes to play with her care-givers cell phone, and liked to put on her care-givers reading glasses. She also told us that Brooklyn is very limber and very smart (we agree!). Her care-giver held Brooklyn for about 10 minutes and when it was time to go, Brooklyn went immediately to Laurie's arms and did not cry. It made us feel good in many ways. Because she went to Laurie right away, and because her main care-giver loved her so much.

We then went to the orphanage directors office and talked with him. He was very nice and told us some things about the orphanage. They currently have 70 kids, and about half of them are special needs. He said they have placed well over 1,000 kids into adoptive families homes. We got to take our pictures with him also. We were surprised at how we had access to the orphanage like we did.

Next, we went to Brooklyn's finding place. We got pictures at the exact spot where she was abandoned. It was just outside the Civil Affairs Building. Her birth mother knew she would be found at this spot and would be safe. Laurie and I are thankful her birth mother did this. We are sure it was very hard on her.

I am sorry this was so long. It was a wonderful day and Brooklyn is getting more attached to us by the minute!

Thanks,
Scott and Laurie

Day 6

2007-08-22T23:55:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,
We miss our kids at home and in college so much. We love you guys more than you know!

Brooklyn did wonderful last night. She went to bed at 8:30 and woke up at 6:30. She has had a great day so far. We just got back from the embroidery factory. It was really neat. They hand embroidery everything there. Changsha is known for their beautiful embroideries. We are leaving in 2 hours for Brooklyn's orphanage. We are very nervous about going, but we feel we really need to do this. We hope to see her finding place and see some of her caretakers and thank them for taking such wonderful care of her. It is a 1 1/2 hour drive each way in a taxi. I have heard that will be an adventure in itself. WE should have some wonderful pictures when we get back. Hopefully we can put them on tonight when we get back.

Have a great day at school Brady and Bryce. Brittany keep grandma company(have fun shopping). Brandon have a great day in St. Louis(run hard) Mom, hope you had a good trip. We love you all!

p.s. we did not make it to riverboat cruise last night. Brooklyn had some bathroom issues. Oh well, the joys of parenthood.

Day 5

2007-08-22T02:17:00.000-04:00

Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Evening,

I wanted to cover everyone from around the world following our blog (You know my brother and his darling wife live in the Neatherlands). Well, Brooklyn spoiled us a little the night before last, sleeping through the night. Last night was a little different. It was different in two ways. First, she woke up from 2 a.m. until 4 a.m. screaming and would only be comforted by us walking her around the room. We could not sit down. Now, that brings me to #2. Scott was amazing and walked her around and around and around the room. He has never and I repeat never did this with his other four children!!! And he loved every minute of it. O.k. in fairness, he is on vacation for two weeks and doesn't have to get up and go to work in the morning. She finally went to sleep at 4 and slept until 9:00(so not too bad).

Today, we went to Hunan Province Museum. It was very interesting. Scott took lots of vidoe for Brooklyn to have when she is older. We found out a lot about her home province.

She is amazing us everyday with her personality. She laughs a lot and loves to be held. She is becoming a little mommy's girl, but she still likes her daddy. She finally had her first bottle of formula today. Which made us feel much better. She does not like riding on the bus to places. The minute we board she cries and we have to comfort her by holding her and giving her a bib to chew on(they do this in the orphanage). We are going on a boat cruise tonight of the city and we will eat dinner on the boat. So we will add boat pictures tomorrow.

I wanted to tell you the quick story about the day we got Brooklyn. All 10 families get to the civil affairs building to pick up our babies. When we pull in, we see nannies carrying a lot of babies. We all try and spot our baby(we did not see Brooklyn) We go to the 3rd floor and we walk into a big room and all the babies are with their nannies. We quickly count and there are only 9 babies in the room and we knew right away Brooklyn was not there(all of those 9 babies were from the same orphanage and Brooklyn came from a different one). We tried to stay calm(at least I did) and video everyone elses special moment. We ask our guide where she is and she said "just late, don't worry" Well, later was 20 minutes!!!!! Someone finally spotted a baby and nanny coming in the building, we thought that has to be her. It was and Scott filmed them coming off the elevator and into the room. As soon as we saw her, we knew it was Brooklyn!!!! That is how we first met Brooklyn.

Enjoy the pictures today, we will have much more tomorrow. We are going to try and visit her orphanage tomorrow. That will be very emotional! Love you all!

p.s. we can now view our blog, keep the messages coming. Thanks for all of your great comments and e-mails and prayers!!!! Also, the first two pictures are in the playroom in our hotel. She loves it!

Day 4

2007-08-21T01:53:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, this is Scott doing the blog for day 4. Just so that everyone knows for some reason we have not been able to access our journey to brooklyn website while we are in China. So this means that we have not been able to view any of the comments that you have sent. Brandon said there is a lot and we can't wait to read them when we get back. Please keep them coming though. Also, if anyone wants to talk with us please e-mail at: slbrown1980@aol.com. We are getting our e-mail just fine.

First, I want to mention that we miss our kids so much! While we have been gone this has happened with our kids: Brandon is already being recruited for "Teach for America" which is a prestigious 2 year paid teaching position that will also pay for his continuing education. Unbelievable. Brittany just won her Special Olympic State Softball Tourney and scored a run and had a hit. Brady just named team captain (along with Parker Settle) of his CG Middle School Team in cross country. Bryce had 4 sacks in the backfield in his last football game. We have missed alot already and we still have 10 days to go. But, as you will read in the following paragraphs, Brooklyn is worth it and I know our kids agree 100%.

Brooklyn is as beautiful as her mom Laurie! I was worried about when the nannies handed her over on how she would react. She reacted by screaming! She was obviously close with her nannies and loved them. It took her about 15 minutes to settle down. After that she has gotten used to us more by the minute. She is not scared of me at all and likes either one of us to hold her. She loves being held! She smiles easily and so far the only word she says sounds like "mom" (at least we think so).

Brooklyn is also walking. She only does this when she wants to! So far she has walked 3 different times on her own in the 24 hours we have had her. The farthest was about 10 steps. Brooklyn is very alert and has great fine motor skills. She can stack cups and her grip is strong. So far her favorite toy is a toy telephone we got at Meier. She won't hardly let go of it. She is a picky eater. We have not gotten her formula the way she likes it so she has been eating bananas and cheerios and lots of juices. We just got back from McDonalds and she loved her fries (we know she is a Brown now!) and pieces of my quarter pounder!

Brooklyn slept through the night her first time. She went to bed about 9pm got up at 6:30 the next morning. Brooklyn has 8 teeth already! She likes to put a blanket in her mouth when sleeping or upset. We were told today that this a common custom in China. Similar to American babies sucking there thumbs. She is little and petite. Laurie says she wears 9 month clothes (she is 13 months old). Laurie and I cannot believe how good of a decision this was. We are very happy and so is Brooklyn.

Hope you enjoy the pictures and we will try and update more each day. One more thing, we would like to thank both grandma's and Darla for taking care of our kids.

Thank you,
Scott

We have her!

2007-08-20T05:11:00.001-04:00

Welcome Brooklyn Ru Le Brown!! What an emotional day. I will explain about our whole day later, but I wanted to post pictures before the kids went to school. Brooklyn cried when they first handed her to me, but has calmed down now and is doing great. She fell asleep right before we got back to the hotel. Scott is off doing paper work and I thought I would get pictures out while she is sleeping. We think she is absolutely beautiful and we recognized her right away. Enjoy the pictures, I will post more later. Love you all! Gloria, she is wearing the outfit you bought for her. We sent her a care package to her orphanage and they received it and put her in one of the outfits Gloria (my Einstein buddy)got for her.

Day 3 Forbidden City

2007-08-19T07:52:00.000-04:00

Good Morning to you good evening for us. Just a quick update. Another long tired day. We left at 9:00 a.m. and went to a Christian church service for english speaking people. You had to have a passport to get in. After that we went to the jade factory where they make all kinds of things out of jade. We didn't buy anything. Next after lunch it was to the Forbidden City and Tiennamen square. It was very interesting. We did a lot of walking so it was kind of tiring. Tomorrow our guide told us to be down in the lobby by 5:40 a.m. for our plane ride to Brooklyns province. It is about a two hour plane ride. We should have her by Monday afternoon. I can't believe it is almost time. I am kind of glad all the sightseeing is over and we can now get our little girl. Next time we blog you will get to see all the pictures of Brooklyn. We love you all!

Day 2 Great Wall

2007-08-18T07:48:00.000-04:00

What a day!!! We got up early this morning and left for the Great Wall of China at 8:00 a.m. It was probably the most imazing this we have ever witnessed. It is 4,500 miles long and was built thousands of years ago. Picture would never do it justice. After the wall we went to lunch. Then it was off to the Summer Palace. That is where the emperor spent her vacation. Next, was the pearl factory. This is the real stuff. After that we went to the silk factory. They had some beautiful things there. And it was all real silk and they showed how it is all made by hand. We did have to buy a few things there and a couple at the pearl factory also. Then last but not least we had our duck dinner. Needless to say Scott and I are having a little trouble with the Chinese food. But the western buffet breakfast is to dye for. I am now eating low-fat peanut butter and crackers that I brought from home in our room. We are exhausted and ready for bed. It is now 8:00 p.m. and another day closer to Brooklyn!! We love and miss you all! Enjoy a few pictures!

We are here!

2007-08-17T06:08:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

Well we made it safe and sound. It was a long flight. The good thing is that we got an exit seat when we got to Chicago, so it was much better for Scott. We are really tired, it is about 6 in the evening and we just got to the hotel. We have a busy day tomorrow. We are meeting in the lobby at 8:00 a.m. and wont be back until the evening. We will check back in tomorrow! We love you kids!
Here is Scott and I at the airport.

We are off!!!!

2007-08-16T07:27:00.000-04:00

Well, the day has come. We are leaving for the airport in about an hour. I will post again when we get to China. I love you all!!!

Itinerary!!!

2007-08-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

Well, we have received our itinerary so everyone can follow along with what we are doing each day in China.

Thursday, August 16: Depart for Beijing from Chicago
Friday, August 17: Arrive in Beijing(they are 12 or 13 hours ahead of us)
Saturday, August 18: Beijing sight-seeing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, &
Summer Palace
Sunday, August 19: Church service & Great Wall(And a Beijing Duck Dinner)
Monday, August 20: Morning flight to Changsha GOTCHA DAY! We meet Brooklyn in
the afternoon. She will be with us the rest of the time!
Tuesday, August 21: Civil Affairs Appointment to make her officially ours!
August 22-23: Paper work, Sight-seeing and Shopping
Friday, August 24: Afternoon flight to Guangzhou(where the US Embassy is)
August 25-26: Fill out Consulate Forms & Brooklyns medical exam
Monday, August 27: Consulate Appointment at 9:30 a.m.
Tuesday, August 28: Pick up Brooklyn's visa
Wednesday, August 29: All the paperwork is finished. We are free to do whatever we
want.
Thursday, August 30: Leave from Hong Kong to come home, at last!!! Meet us at the
airport at 9:00 p.m. United Airlines flight 7622 from
Chicago(our flight home will take us 24 hours)

There you have it, it won't be long now! We really are bringing our little girl home! Please pray for us and thank you for your support!

Travel Plans

2007-08-03T22:36:00.000-04:00

Well, we finally have our travel plans. We leave Indy at 10:46 a.m. on August 16th and arrive in Chicago at 10:59(time change). We leave at 12:40 for Beijing and arrive at 3:00p.m.(which is 3:00 a.m. our time). Coming home is not as good. We leave Guangzhou on August 30th and fly to Hong Kong. From Hong Kong at 11:45 a.m. to San Francisco at 9:17 a.m. then to Chicago at 4:49 p.m. Then we arrive home at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday. It will be a long trip home about 24 hours to get home(with all the time changes). But it is all worth it! We should get more details this week on what we will be doing everyday. As soon as I do I will post it.

TA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-07-27T17:33:00.000-04:00

Well it is official, we received our TA (travel approval) today!!! We are leaving for China on August 16th. We will get all the details next week. Needless to say, we are thrilled. Three more weeks and we will be holding our daughter, finally!!!!!!!!!! As soon as I get all the information I will post it. Thanks for all your prayers. Brooklyn here we come!!!!!

LOA!!!!

2007-07-09T14:59:00.000-04:00

We just got the call that our LOA has arrived!!!!!!!!!!! For those of you who don't know what that is, it is our letter of approval. It is a letter from China telling us they have reviewed our dossier and all our paperwork is in order and we can adopt Brooklyn. We will sign that tomorrow and send it back to our agency. They will fed-ex it to China on Friday. Now we wait of our TA(travel approval). It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks and then we will be in the air to pick up Brooklyn. I am thinking it will be the end of August! Thank you everyone for their prayers. It won't be long now!

Special Friends

2007-07-07T20:50:00.000-04:00

Well, the baby showers are all over and they were amazing! We have such wonderful friends and I can never thank them enough for all they have done for our family. We have everything possible for our little Brooklyn. Now we are just waiting on our final approval so we can go pick her up. It should come any day and then we will travel in 4 to 6 weeks after that. Please pray for quick travel so we can bring her home to the family that already loves her so much. Brooklyn's room is almost ready as you can see in the pictures. Now we just need her in her bed! Thank you again to all my special friends. We love you!!!!

Brittany's Graduation

2007-06-13T18:00:00.000-04:00

Brittany has officially graduated. She had a wonderful open house! Thanks to everyone that made her day special! We are blessed with such a wonderful family and friends!!!!

Brittany's Senior Prom

2007-05-23T10:33:00.000-04:00

This is Brittany ready for her senior prom. She looks beautiful!! Thanks Madonna for doing her hair. This is her date David. He is a friend of Brittany's from school. They danced all night and had a great time! These are Brittany's best friends, Chelsea, Jaclyn, and Christine. Inside the limo. These kids go first class! Well, this is Brittany's last prom and it is kind of bitter sweet. Her days in school are coming to an end and she will start the next journey in her life. We will be having graduation in a little over a week, so I will update again soon.

Brooklyn's Closet

2007-04-29T20:53:00.000-04:00

Grandma Alice has been busy! She was very happy Ayres closed and Lazarus has end of the season sales. Grandma Doris has added to the collection also. Brooklyn will be very well dressed. And she isn't even here yet!!!!!!!!!!! You all know how I love to dress little girls, right Brittany!

Brooklyn's Finding Ad

2007-04-29T20:36:00.000-04:00

When children are abandoned in China, the orphanage must put a "finding ad" in the newspaper to give the mother a chance to change her mind. I found out about a gentleman that will try and locate your "finding ad". Well, he found her ad and we are so excited that there is also a picture of her. So this is Brooklyn at approx. 18 days old. She is the one on the bottom left. This is priceless! My heart tells me her bio. mother loved her very much and wanted a better life for her.

Hunan Province

2007-04-10T11:24:00.000-04:00

This is where Brooklyn is from. She is from the Hunan Province(that is her state). It is in southern China.

2007-04-09T10:25:00.000-04:00

Here is the Fed. Ex. man that brought our official photos of Brooklyn. He said this was the 4th time in his career that he had adoption information and got his picture taken, so he didn't think we were too crazy. The date was April 5, 2007.

2007-04-09T10:15:00.000-04:00

We are going CRAZY waiting for you!!

Daddy's first look!

2007-04-08T20:52:00.000-04:00

Here is daddy when he sees Brooklyn's picture for the first time! Boy is he happy or what!
Brady and Bryce were in Florida on spring break when I got the call. The Calverts got it all on video tape. Thanks to Patricia for making it special for Brady. Madonna took Bryce to a computer at their condo. they were staying at and he saw her first picture with me on the phone. (priceless) Scott called Brandon at college right away and I think he e-mailed her picture to all his friends. Brittany got home from North Carolina 15 minutes after we got the call and I think she ran around the house screaming for 10 minutes and wouldn't put her picture down.

The Newest Brown!

2007-04-07T15:57:00.000-04:00

We are thrilled to announce that we have a new daughter! What was looking like another year of waiting for a referral from China, turned out to be a beautiful 9 month old little girl waiting for us in CWI of Yiyang City of Hunan Province. Yi RuLe is absolutely gorgeous and we can't wait to bring her home. We filled out some paperwork this week and will wait for around a month for a letter of acceptance. Then, it will probably be a few months to get travel arrangements. We are hoping to travel by the end of summer. Please check back to this blog often for updates on this exciting, awesome journey to get the newest Brown family member, Brooklyn!