The Brichetto Girls

The Brichetto Girls
Gia and Jeannie

Happy Birthday Jeannie!

Happy Birthday Jeannie!
Jeannie's first birthday party

Thursday, March 25, 2010

First Year with Jeannie

Jeannie has been part of our family for one year now. In reality, she had become part of our family long before Bob and I had met her. Gia had spoken of her so often, and we had looked at her photo's hundreds of times. I had always felt that I knew her and loved her long before her "Gotcha Day". I remember thinking - "how can I miss someone that I have never met?".

Jeannie is now a happy, silly, sweet 8 year old. Her nick name is "smiley". She rarely is without a smile on her face. She loves to play school ( she is always the teacher ), play with her dolls, be with her sister, eat everything and anything, sleeps great at night, loves school and all of her friends and extended family members. The grief and rage that she first felt upon arriving home are long gone. She has only happy memories of her life in China, but very rarely talks about it.

Jeannie is now involved in soccer, soft ball and tumbling. She is still very much a "girly girl", loves to dress pretty and always has a bow in her hair. She is beginning to read, can write well and doing great in math. Our worries about her learning our language and keeping up in school have gone. She is a great student and loves to do her homework!

We thank God every day for this little girl and her beautiful sister. We thought so many times along our journey to Jeannie that this adoption would never happen. We had so many hurdles to jump and mountains to climb - but "faith can move mountains"!!

Gotcha Day 1/30/2007

Gotcha Day 1/30/2007
Beautiful Gia

Gia and Jeannie

Gia and Jeannie
Gia on the left and Jeannie on the right.

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009

Gia and Jeannie

Gia and Jeannie

Fu Cheng and Jia Fan

Fu Cheng  and  Jia Fan
Jeannie and Gia March 2009

Jeannie's beautiful smile

Jeannie's beautiful smile

Jeannie and Gia eating macaroni at Omaha Zoo

Jeannie and Gia eating macaroni at Omaha Zoo

First night's sleep in her clean warm bed. She loves her new home and forever family!

Jeannie, Ben and Gia at home.

Our travel group

Jeannie, Mama and Gia

Jeannie loves her Barbie


This is what it is like trying to work on the computer.

Getting ready for bed, and sleeping with their Barbies

Playing on the monkey bars at an outside playground. Jeannie could not do it at first, but after several attemps, she was keeping up with Gia.

Advertisement outside a restaurant. Looks yummy!

Dressed and ready for breakfast.

Three girls waiting for the immunizations.

Jeannie getting a shot and Gia holding her hand

Jeannie loves her hair in pigtails, Gia had to copy.

Sldeeping beauties. Notice their arms locked together.

Dressed like "twins" in $1.00 Walmart shirts.

Jeannie Fu Cheng

New back packs from Walmart

Gia helping mommy make blankets for the babies in the orphanage.

Happy girls. Notice Jeannie's pig tails. She loves to have her hair done.

Photo from Gotcha Day

I got my sister at last!

Jeannie told us through a translater " Now I won't be alone, I have a sister and a family"

After bath and ready for bed. Notice the hair clips in Jeannie's hair. She is a girly girl!!!

Close up shot of the nicest port-a-potty we have ever seen. Electronic sign to tell you if "occupied or vacant".

Bob and Gia in front of the "birds nest".

The Water Cube

The Olympic Torch

Beijing Airport

Our airplane over the North Pole

Look who we found in the suitcase.

Gia and Jeannie

Gia and Jeannie
Dancing girls

Foster Mom

Foster Mom
Gia, Foster mom and Jeannie

Our Family

Our Family
Bob, Theresa, Ben and Gia