Zach gets a new leg!

So many people are curious about how Zach's leg works. I recently documented his journey to get his new leg. As a growing boy we were told he may need one every year ...I guess we were lucky to get 14 months out of the old one! We go to The University of Michigan Orthotics and Prosthetics. They are an increadable group of people there who treat us so well. I don't know how I would have figured the whole limb loss thing out with out them. With Zachary's determination and their effort in building, fitting , designing and educating us I don't know where we would be.

Photograhy- addiction, obsession, my medication!

I have been consumed with photography for the last several years. I have always wanted to spend more time with it but could never actually pull my self away form the kids or life in general to do it. So now that I have such beautiful faces to practice on and more time to do it- I just can't stop. It's better than most addictions I guess. Although the price I pay is large piles of dirty laundry and breakfast dishes in the sink at lunch time.....well sometimes even dinner time. It is one hobby I can at least do with the kids- until they start to hide, which is happening more and more!

The good news is I am portfolio building and taking on complementary family, senior and baby sessions. This fall I will officially start Stephanie Johnson Photography as a business.
Brian has decided to hire out the construction of my studio. Everything should be done by September and I can have my dining room back! Currently it is filled with lighting and backdrops!

Here are this weeks favorites-

Fun in the sun at North Lake

Summer has started and we have had the GREATEST weather. These pictures were actually taken last weekend. For those who don't know we share a cottage with our very dear friends the Culley family. Jen and I have been friends since the 6th grade. Mark and Brian are like brothers. Their dads were in business and now they are. Addrienne is 10 days older than Ethan and Alexa is smack dab in the middle of Abbie, Nolan and Zach.It really makes for some fun summer weekends!

Nolan's preschool graduation

Nolan and his buddies. Flash forward 13 years....Can you see it?
Imagine him graduating from high school, hanging with his buddies, getting ready for college.
Man and I cried at this ceremony, I will be a wreck then!
I guess we should get through kindergarten before I worry about all of that!!
Nolan had the greatest preschool.I loved his teachers and he made some really special friends.

China adoption Facts

China Adoption Photos courtesy Adoptive Families readers An Overview Adoption of children from China to the United States began in 1992 when the Chinese government passed a law ratifying international adoption. In 2006 Americans adopted 6,493 children from China, the largest number of any country. China adoption is noteworthy for its orderly adoption process—all aspects of Chinese adoption (including costs and the referral process) are regulated by the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing. There is no independent adoption from China; American adopters work through a U.S. adoption agency approved by the CCAA. More than 95 percent of children adopted from China are girls freed for adoption because of China's population control policies. One child adopted from China was found with a note that read: "In our countryside, the thought that man is more important than woman is very popular. I myself don't have the strength to overthrow it." Families who have adopted children from China have developed strong support networks throughout the United States. Join of these online communities to connect with other families. Fast Facts: Number of Adoptions from China: 2006: 6,493 2005: 7,906 2004: 7,044 2003: 6,859 2002: 5,053 Age/Gender of Children Adopted From China in 2005 Source: INS Immigration Statistics 95% Female 35% under 1 year of age 62% 1 – 4 years of age Estimated Cost: $20,000 to $25,000 Profile of Children: Over 95% girls; 35 percent under the age of 1 at the time of adoption (2005); all children eligible for adoption must be legally resident in one of China's children welfare institutes. Some use of foster care. Travel: At least one parent must travel to China to adopt. Average stay is 10-14 days. U.S. visa issued at consulate in Guangzhou. Timeline: From completion of dossier to referral, approx. 18-24 months. Shorter wait for pre-identified special-needs children and parents of Chinese ancestry. Parent/Family Requirements: As of May 1, 2007, preference for couples married for at least two years. Singles and parents above age 50 (55 for special needs children) will no longer be approved to adopt. Additional requirements regarding health, legal history, and income are being put into place. Click here to read the full, verbatim text of CCAA's new guidelines. Helpful articles from Adoptive Fam

About Zhuhai City

Located on the west bank of the estuary of the Pearl River,Zhuhai covers 7,653 sq km.Four-fifths of the city's area is covered by sea surface.It is truly a coastal city.Zhuhai has 146 islands scattered in the vast expanse of the South China Sea, hence its nickname City of a Hundred Islands.

Natural geography 2003-06-24 Zhuhai City, set up in 1979,is situated at the southern part of Guangdong Province, P.R. China. It is 140 km away from Guangzhou, stands on the western bank of the Pearl River estuary and is adjacent to South China Sea, borders Hong Kong and Shenzhen to the east by 36 nautical miles and Macao to the south by land. It lies between North Latitude 21ˇă48' to 22ˇă27' and East Longitude 113ˇă03' to 114ˇă19', The land area covers 1,653 km2 and sea area,6,000 km2, including 146 islands. Zhuhai is famous for its hundred-plus islands and one of the first Special Economic Zones in China. Zhuhai has been empowered with the local legislation by the National People's Congress. It governs three administrative districts: Xiangzhou,Doumen and Jinwan and five economic functional zones; Zhuhai National New and High Technology Industrial Development Zone, Zhuhai Free Trade Zone, Wanshan Ocean Development and Exemplary Zone, Hengqin Economy & Technology Development Zone as well as Zhuhai Harbor Industry Zone. By 2002, the city's population totaled 1.23 million, of which, 0.79 million were permanent residents.

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The Myth of Zhuhai 2003-06-25

Zhuhai, The Most Romantic City in China, The legend began a long time ago when the Dragon Girl (daughter of the Mythological Dragon King) was so fascinated by Zhuhai’s beautiful scenery that she secretly descended upon the mortal world disguised as a fisher girl. She fell in love with a young local fisherman named Hai Peng. Believing the gossips of the others Hai Peng insisted that the Dragon Girl take off the bracelet, which if removed would cause her death, To show her love for Hai Peng, the Diagon Girl took off her bracelet & died in the arms of her lover, The young man felt great regret and deep sorrow over her death, Moved by the deep love shared by the couple, the Jiuzhou Elder Man helped the fisherman locate a special herb called “teviving Gras” which only grows with the use of one’s blood, With no hesitation, Hai Peng used his own blood to grow the herb, The Dragon Girl came back to life and became a true fisher girl, On the day of their wedding, she found a huge pearl and gave it to the respected Elder Man, Based on this myth, a sculpture named “Zhuhai Fisher Girl” was erected on a rock in the Xianglu Bay, & since then it has become the symbol of Zhuhai, Alongside the sculpture runs a 26-kilometer “Lover’s Road” which winds form Zhuhai-Macau border in the west to Guangzhou-Zhuhai Expressway in the east, Seeing the beach, rocks, swaying trees and blooming flowers, Lover’s Road fills this seaside city with endless love.

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