Lexi's special package

A few days ago we received the most precious and thoughtful package in the mail for Lexi! It came from Canada, but actually, the contents came from CHINA. Our dear friend Bonnie, who adopted Jane from Lexi's SWI in Hengyang, collected treasures for us while she was in China in November and sent them all in a beautiful collection for Lexi's special ~China Box~.
The time and thought, love and kindness that was in this box just blows my mind!

First, and most precious, Soil from the very grounds of the HengYang City Social Welfare Institute, Lexi's Orphanage!! Bonnie collected this right at the gates of the orphanage, Lexi's finding location. The thought that my baby girl once lay on that very soil, all alone waiting to be found makes my heart ache. How amazing that this was collected November 11, 2010, Lexi's last day at the orphanage was November 11, 2009!
 I am in search of the perfect glass bottle to keep this treasure in.

This beautiful container with a painting of the Great Wall will be absolutely perfect to hold

these pieces that Bonnie collected from the Great Wall itself as well as The Forbidden City!! Truly so much LOVE and concern and pure kindness packed in this box!

2 Jade necklaces on the Red Thread. They are just like the one Kai Lan wears and yes, while everyone else was buying these up in China I wasn't real sure we needed a Jade necklace that was on a red string??? Little did I know that it would be the necklace my daughters favorite character wears and that it had special meaning. Bonnie, THANK YOU! Lexi's has declared them hers and mine. (She is so totally my little buddy, always was a mama's girl but now she just really loves to be my little side kick. It doesn't matter if I was just in my room for a second or if I was away from her at the store or whatever, the second she lays eyes on me she shouts Mama like she hasn't seen me in day's and just runs as fast as she can and dives in my arms. She is so easy to love to death and she is filled with so much JOY! So she wears her necklace non stop and makes me wear mine too and if she catches me with it off she brings it to me. The other day I ran to get the house full of girls Subway and realized while I was ordering that I was wearing it. Don't get me wrong, it's lovely, but the Red Thread didn't really go with my eggplant sweater and the chunky silver necklace and wrist cuff I was already wearing...... the guy was looking at me a little funny when I realized ooops, still wearing my Kai Lan necklace!!

She also got her this one from the Yuela Academy! We will keep this one in her China Box.

We bought Lexi a drum just like this at the Zoo in Guangzhou. She loves it and it just so happens YaYa uses one just like it on her favorite show. She plays with it all the time and she knows it is her special China Drum. We put it away when we have other kids over because we would be devastated if it were to break. Bonnie sent us 2 brand new ones!! This way we will always have back ups!

Not 1, but 2!!!!

Chopsticks in beautiful China silk. We actually bought these in China too and we just so happen to not have these nice neutral colors!! They really are perfect!

I love this! Inside this beautiful China Silk pouch was a bowling pin key chain that says Dolton Hotel, Changsha. The hotel were Lexi was brought to us! The hotel she slept her first night with Mommy and Daddy. Where she had her first bottle with us and her first breakfast out the next morning. Where she first tasted solid food. Where we first held her and kissed her and thanked God for allowing us to be her parents. Oh how I love my girl!

Silk Worm Cocoons. Our daughters province is known for its silk and embroidery.
 The time we spent in our daughters province was not spent doing the normal things you do when you are visiting the place your child was born and trying to learn their heritage. The first week we spent there was spent in a hospital and once we came back and got Lexi it was all about doing whatever it took to get to Guangzhou as quick as possible. She came to us late Wednesday night and we were on a plane to Guangzhou Friday!  Bonnie knew this, and she blessed us!!


Legend has it that humans and silkworms met one fine morning in the year 2640 B.C. A Chinese Empress named Hsi-Ling-Chi (various other spellings found) was strolling in her garden drinking tea when a white cocoon plopped into her cup from an overhead tree.


Instead of dumping it out and asking her servant for another cup of tea like any reasonable person would probably have done, she studied the cocoon. She stirred the warm tea with her finger and noticed a fine strand beginning to unravel from the fuzzy cocoon. Being a weaver, she thought of using the fiber to make cloth. She called to her servant and together they unwound the cocoon into a single long filament. Thus, the silk industry was born.

Beautiful framed silk embroidery! Looks gorgeous on my bookcase!

                                                                   Beautiful Fan!

China Daily, dated November 11, 2010. Exactly one year from Lexi's Gotcha day!!

Red Envelope with Chines Coins

More gorgeous embroidery! This one is getting framed and put in Lexi's room!

Cutest little silk box surrounded by Chinese babies!

Classic bamboo combs. If you have been to China you probably remember the one on the right being in all of the hotel bathrooms. I couldn't get a comb like this through all my hair for anything ha ha! Lexi on the other hand......no problem ;)

Books from a little bookshop down the street from the Dolton in Changsha! This My First Book of colors one is soooooo cute!!! She knows 13 colors in English so we may as well work our way through Chinese now!

Are these Chinese New Year Canada stamps cool or what? I need to run pick up the U.S ones this week.

Even A Year of the rat post card!!! Bonnie you rock!

This last piece really sums it all up doesn't it!

Bonnie, Miss Jane, we are SO BEYOND grateful for your friendship. 

 Much Love! Mary and Lexi