Our Exchange Student, Lily

Better yet, call her my first daughter.  She was 17 when she came.  Which would mean I must’ve been 12 when I birthed her.  Okay, too weird.  Anyway, I was her host Mom.

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Lily was our daughter for only a few months before we suddenly got the call we were moving to China.  It was sad to see her have to move in with another host family, but I was always excited that one day she could visit us in China.

And she did!!  She is from Beijing, but came down to see us while visiting family in Shanghai.  She went in to Hunter’s school with me on his birthday, met a couple of my Shanghai friends, stayed up till midnight watching shows on the internet, and we even went out to “Johnny Moos”, b/c Lily hadn’t had American food for a long time.

@ Johnny Moos, eating burgers, fries and shakes.  Because I’m sure she missed the cholesterol of the US diet.  Who wouldn’t?

With Hunter’s Birthday cookie, bringing it to school.  This is a new Calton family tradition, and how fun for Hunter’s ‘big sister’ Lily to bring it in and surprise him with me!

Funny Lily fact: Girlfriend can fall asleep anywhere.  Seriously.  And stay asleep, solid.  Anyway, here she konked out, and little opportunist Tanner found someone to snuggle.

I sure do love this gal, and was soooo excited to meet up with her again, on her side of the world, over 2 years later.