2004 Travel Reunion #asianbabyreunion

Okay, I know I still have a lot of updates to do about my visit with my cousins, but I wanted to put that on hold and talk about my trip home. 

I flew into Georgia on the 11th of July and immediately got in the car with my family to head to Missouri for the Asian Baby Reunion. 

*If you missed my explanation about what an Asian Baby Reunion is click here.

The car ride was not too terrible. {I slept pretty much the whole way.} We stopped in the City of Metropolis for the night, and the next morning we went to see the giant Superman statue.

{Olivia looks thrilled}

After 11 hours we finally arrived in Missouri!

This year the reunion was at a bed and breakfast called Aunt Jody's Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast. It was literally in the middle of nowhere, and I was a little worried that it would be boring. But everything was great. The kids had a great time, and the parents had a great time visiting. This was the largest turn out since 2005! It's amazing to see how much the 2004 girls have grown, and how big our adoption group has gotten!

Overall the kids had a great time. They mostly hung out in the house and played, they adventured to the barn, played in a corn field, and went fishing in the pond.

Next year will be the 10 year anniversary of the 2004 adoption group. I am excited to see all the girls again, and hope that we have a large turn out.

If you are interested in learning more about Children's Hope International click here.

{image via} 

Friday Flashback #58

Last week, I was able to go to the annual Asian Baby Reunion. 

{blog post to come about this year's reunion.} 

If you are confused, I'll explain. Nine years ago my parents adopted Olivia from China. From then on, there has been an annual reunion for the girls that were adopted in the same group and region as Olivia. The parents of the girls decided they always wanted to get together so the girls had a tie to their past. 

I have not been able to go to this reunion since 2009, and I could not believe how big the girls got, and how many more members have been added to the group. 

I thought I would flashback to some of the reunions so you can see the change. I don't have all the pictures from all the years, but here's what I have. 

Reunion 2008 - Georgia 

Age 5 

{From left to right: Katie May, Juliet*, Charlotte, Olivia, KC} 

{Margie, Olivia, Katie May, Charlotte, KC} 

Reunion 2009- California 

Age 6 

{Olivia, Margie, KC, Charlotte, Juliet*} 

{Margie, KC, Olivia, Juliet} 

Reunion 2013- Missouri 

Age 10 

{Back row: Juliet, Olivia, Charlotte, Emily. Middle: KC. Front: Margie, Moira*, Katie May} 

{Back Row: Me, Aiden, Shane (Margie and Mora's siblings), Hank, Mary Kate*

Middle: Margie, KC, Olivia, Emily, Katie May

Front: Charlotte, Alex*, Khole*, Jud*, Moira*, Juliet, Juliet*} 

Look how much these girls have grown, and how big our group has gotten. There were 15 in the group that Olivia was adopted in and many of the families that adopted once went and adopted again. 

*Indicates siblings of the original Guangdong 2004 girls.