Amelia's Homecoming Song

My 4-Ever Family Found!

Performed to the Melody of “If I Only Had A Brain”
by the Collins Family Singers at Amelia’s Homecoming Party on 10-23-11

My Cinderella Story

Is filled with tears and glory

A fairytale come true

So sit down and have a listen

Make sure nobody is missin’

And I’ll share it all with you…

On 9-26 -11

A special gift from heaven

Was sent to me …..Chun Mei

That’s when my life changed forever

And my family came together

‘Twas my fateful “Gotcha Day!”

Oh I cannot deny

That at first I found them strange

But before long my mind changed

And my whole life was rearranged!

Each moment they were loggin’

Up half the night with bloggin’

And Uno in the dark

Surely made for strange bedfellows

But eventually I mellowed

And I opened up my heart!

Now there’s big brother Liam

You’ve really gotta see him

He’s tall with golden hair

Kodak moments he is makin’

‘Cuz there’s simply no escapin’

Paparazzi when he’s near!

Oh I just don’t know why

My mom and dad chose me

Was it simply meant to be?

A stroke of luck? Or destiny?

It may be ‘cuz I’m pretty

Intelligent and witty

With beautiful brown eyes

But whatever their reason

I’m not jestin’, I’m not teasin’

I’m just happy to oblige!

Their hair is gold like honey

They all talk kinda funny

Their eyes are big and round

But despite all their oddness

I’ve developed quite a fondness

Feet still haven’t touched the ground!

Adaptable I’ll be …

In the land of the brave and free

Go from rice to mac and cheese

And from Chinese…

 To ABC’s!

Oh, I feel like I’m spinnin’

But life is just beginnin’

For as Confucius say …

“Journey of a thousand miles

starts with single step” and I will

take that single step today!

Now you may not like flyin’

But there is no denyin’

Free miles are the key

‘Cuz on Cathay Pacific

Business class was just terrific

Even had my own TV!

So now I’m sure you see

What my new life means to me

I am just so blessed to be

Part of the Finney Family!

I’ve got grandparents for spoilin’

And cousins for enjoyin’

And aunts who sing and rhyme

I’ve got uncles and my mother

And my daddy and my brother

Who’s on Minnesota time!

My bedroom’s like a palace

A princess would be jealous

It’s brown and pink and green

With a closet full of dresses

Matching ribbons for my tresses

It’s the wardrobe of my dreams!

Oh how I love to be

Amelia Finney

My incredible journey

The thread of red

My destiny!

By anybody’s measure

My family’s a treasure

Their lovin’ has no bounds

Simply nothin’ could be fin-a

Even all the tea in Chin-a

My 4-Ever Family Found!!!

We Are The Lucky Ones

Our Amelia Mei some will say is one lucky girl.  Well, based on this picture, you could say she is feeling pretty darn happy and loved!!!! 


Our first weeks home have been full of excitement and fun as we have continued to celebrate Amelia's homecoming and have been spoiled by the love and attention of so many family and friends!  Amelia has adjusted so well that everyone who sees us together feels as though we have been together for years.  We have gotten such a kick out of watching our girl interact with all of our friends and family...she has been so friendly and affectionate with everyone and doesn't seem to have a shy bone in her body.  She does show her mommy, daddy and brother special attention though, so it's clear she is attaching without a doubt.  Yet she has quickly come to love and adore her extended family too...oh how blessed she is to have so many people in her life that already love her so much!  Our families have just been amazing throughout this whole journey and it's been priceless to see the bond grow between Amelia, her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends! 


Amelia's Nana (Ben's Mom), came in to visit from Michigan and she stayed with us upon our arrival home.  It was such a big help to have her around and we all had so much fun together.  Amelia is IN LOVE with her Nana!

Amelia and her Mimi (my Mom) have also gotten a lot of bonding time together and now when Mimi comes over, Amelia immediately goes to the door and raises up her arms for a great big hug from her Mimi! 

Our Moms have done so much for us throughout this entire journey and we could not be any more lucky to have these two amazing people in our lives!  We are so excited for Amelia to meet her Papa and Grandma Melody (Ben's Dad and stepmom) in just one more week when we make our visit to Michigan!


Now let me talk about Amelia’s Great Collins Aunts.  My Dad grew up with four sisters (what a lucky guy he was) and these four amazing woman have always played such a close, important, special part of my life!  They are some of the most giving and loving people you’d ever meet and one of their greatest talents is throwing one heck of a party!  These parties often include a theme, with a personalized song that is written by my Aunt Colleen, with coordinated decorations, games, and the whole shebang!  Amelia’s homecoming party was no exception!  The time and thoughtfulness that they put into it just blew us away.  The theme was “Our 4-Ever Finney Family Found” with the decorations tying into the colors of Amelia’s nursery and everything coordinated down to the smallest detail.   They wrote and performed a song to the music of “If I only Had a Brain” from Wizard of Oz, but instead it was titled “My 4-Ever Family Found”, with all of the lyrics speaking to our adoption journey.  I'm including the lyrics in the post that follows and if you really want some entertainment, check out my adoring Aunts singing by going to the link on the right titled “Amelia’s homecoming song”.  We thank Amelia's Great Aunts for giving us a day we will never forget!!! 

We also had a party at our house to celebrate with our close friends and neighbors who have all supported us so much throughout this journey!  We had so much fun, but Amelia once again was the party animal.  She had a blast!  She was just full of smiles all day as she giggled and watched the big kids play in the backyard and as she "mingled" with everyone, going up to one person then to another, sharing her love!

This last weekend we had some more very special visitors---Ben's sisters, Jean and Lucy, and our nephew Luke, came in from Michigan to meet Amelia for the first time.  Amelia took to them all so quickly and within a short time, she was scooching herself onto their laps, giving them kisses, and treating them like the family she was always meant to have!

The week before Halloween, we had a day of fun at Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm.  Amelia especially loved all the animals.  You can stand eye level with the giraffes and while Amelia reached her hand out eagerly to feed, Liam was once again too afraid.  Liam's sister is fearless in comparison!  It was so fun watching Liam and Amelia play around the farm together and pick out pumpkins.  Amelia just added a new level of joy to our annual Halloween tradition!

As we continue to adjust to life at home, we are just amazed by our sweet Amelia Mei.  She is such a happy, affectionate, lovable little girl whose spirit truly brightens our days and warms our hearts!  I just think of the day we met her and of all her tears and then I see her now, with so much happiness in her eyes and joy that radiates through her - it just takes my breath away! 

Then when I watch my two kiddies together, I am even more in awe over how lucky I am to have these two little ones to share life with!  They make every day so fun just by seeing their smiles, hearing their laughs, and watching the world all over again through their young, innocent eyes!  From playing at home or in the backyard, to playdates with friends, to going on nature walks through town, reading books, playing games, having tickle time, cuddle time and play time...each and every day is a new adventure in itself and I think to myself, how did WE get so lucky?!!!!

We've also enjoyed several playdates with friends as both Liam and Amelia love being around other kids and Amelia especially takes to the older kids.  She looks up at them with the biggest smile and immediately tries to play with them.  Several of our playdates have been with my dear friend Sara and her kids, Liam's friend Ben and Amelia's new friends, Jacob & Chloe.  Her son Ben is just 9 months younger than Liam and her twins are almost exactly Amelia's age...so they have a great time together and we look forward to watching their friendships grow!

Looks like Amelia has found her first boyfriend...:)

These last few weeks have clearly shown us that not only is this special little girl OUR family, but she is family to so many others whom love and adore her and who will be such a special part of her life in all the years to come!  We know our family and friends feel so blessed to have this newest addition!  Yes, Amelia is lucky and blessed to have a home, a loving family, and to be surrounded by so many people who just adore her with all their hearts.  But we are the ones that get to hug, kiss, squeeze, cuddle, play with, laugh with, and love this sweetest, cutest, most special little girl each and every day!  We are the ones who now have a daughter to love for the rest of our lives. We are the ones who now have a sister for Liam to grow up with in the years ahead.  We are the ones who feel our family is complete because of this special little being.  Some may say Amelia is lucky, but in our heart of hearts we know, WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We had the best Halloween this year with our sweet little Lady Bug, Amelia Mei and with Liam, our little Wolverine!  The weather was perfect here in Chicago and the kids had lots of fun playing in the leaves in the backyard before heading out for trick-or-treating...

Liam had so much fun at his school Halloween party.  Nothing like starting the candy eating at 10am!  The kids were all so cute and his teacher made it even more fun for everyone.

We had so much fun trick-or-treating with Liam and Amelia's cousins, Noah & Sophia, and we caught up with a few of Liam's good friends as well.  We thought Amelia would ride in the wagon for a while, but instead, she wanted to trick-or-treat at each and every house like her big brother and all the other big kids.  She loved every minute of it and the cold didn't even seem to phase her! 

Liam & Amelia with cousins Noah and Sophia

This is Liam's good friend Mia, whom whenever I say "Liam's girlfriend", Liam has to correct me by saying "no, she's my friend that's a girl, not my girlfriend".  Too cute! 

I'll post again soon with an update on Amelia Mei and our second week at home.  Hope everyone had a fun Halloween...now let the sugar highs begin!!!

Love to you all!