Lifelong Friends and Sisters

Adopting a daughter from China in 1999 has been a huge blessing for us. Not only did we get the child we had dreamed of, but the families we traveled with have become our extended family. My daughter Georgia calls the other girls her "Chinese sisters." Luckily, a number of the families live nearby.

Georgia (right) with some of her "Chinese sisters" Jessica, Allyson and Chloe

Our most recent get together was in January. While preparing for the party, we decided we would try making dumplings with everyone, which I had only recently learned is a regular Chinese New Year tradition for families to make together! One of my daughter's babysitters (who is French) is an excellent cook and introduced us to two terrific dumpling recipes. Two of the girls' families made the dumpling dough, and brought their grandparents along to the dumpling party. We sat around the table stuffing the dough with pork and vegetable fillings. The dumplings were delicious and we hope to have started a new tradition to add to our collection of traditions. But mostly, just being with the other families is what we liked best. Being with each other gives strength to the girls and builds their lifelong relationship as friends and "sisters". Staying connected and being a part of each other's lives also creates an extended family of generations of adults, all who have watched the girls grow up.

-Pamela, Georgia and Jim Kahn

Our new tradition of making dumplings together