Catch-up Blog!

Well, it has been forever since I've posted anything, so bear with me while I try to get us caught up with a marathon post, mostly in pictures.  Here goes:

Pla Shee celebrated his 12th birthday with a slumber party and a trip to the roller skating rink.  Here are Pla Shee and Kai with Sah eh Soh and Moo K'paw Soh.

 

 Kai loved it!

 We've "adopted" a Karen family for Christmas every year for the past few years, and this year was no exception.  Here we are with our friends Beverly and Bob and their kids on the afternoon that we delivered the gifts.

Ruby LOVES to read books.  She will get a book from her bookshelf, find the nearest adult, and plop herself down in a lap.  Repeat.  It's pretty cute.

 

 The kids in their matching red snowman pajamas on Christmas morning.

 

 We headed down to Houston a few days after Christmas to celebrate with Nena and Pappy and Aunt Jean and Noodle. Ruby and her Daiya watching Pla Shee ice skate at the mall in Houston.

  

Helping Nena blow out her birthday candles.

  

After Christmas we headed back home, where we visited the Frontiers of Flight Museum with friends.  It was fun, despite the fact that I had to climb to the top of the tower (see below) to rescue Kai, who climbed all the way up but couldn't figure out how to get back down.

 

 Aaron and I just returned from a long weekend at the Society for Social Work and Research conference in San Diego, which was amazing, as evidenced by the pics taken from the balcony of our hotel room.

Here we are at the world famous San Diego zoo.

It was such a great trip, and we are so lucky that Nena and Jean were willing to take care of the kiddos while we were away.

And finally, a pic of our completed Pinterest project in honor of MLK Day yesterday.  It says "I can change the world with my own two hands."  LOVE that Jack Johnson song.  Listen to it here.

UTA Homecoming

We had such a great time at UTA's homecoming a couple of weeks ago.  It is just amazing to see how much the campus has changed in the six years since I started working there.  They've really transformed the campus from what used to feel like a commuter school into a thriving on campus community.  Lots of new restaurants, shops, on-campus housing, and on campus energy has resulted in fun activities that the whole family enjoys.  They had a fun parade, activities and face painting for the kiddos, and then the big basketball game versus OU.  Good times were had by all, though Pla Shee was disappointed we weren't staying for the "after party."  :)

Our trip to Washington DC

I had a social work conference this past weekend in Washington, DC, and we decided to make it a family affair and take the whole crew to visit their cousins, aunties, uncles, and grandma.  We had a blast!

 Riding the metro...who knew it could be so much fun?

Ruby and Kai found a bench to rest on during our walk around Old Town.

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Ruby loves riding on her Daiya's shoulders.

Our handsome almost 12 year old.

A few months ago, we connected via Facebook with a wonderful family who adopted Kai's biological sister, who was born last January.  They live outside of DC, and we were thrilled that we were able to meet for lunch during our trip to meet their sweet girl.  She is such a cutie, and it was so much fun to see her interact with Kai.  It will be fun to keep in touch as they grow up!

Kai puckering up for a kiss for his little "sister."

Ruby loves her auntie!

 Cousin love!

My little pumpkin

Soccer for 3 year olds?

When I heard from the mom of one of Kai's preschool classmates that her 3 year old daughter was playing soccer with the YMCA's "Tiny Tots" league in Arlington, I couldn't resist asking Kai if he wanted to play.  The answer, as you might expect, was a resounding "YES"!  For a little boy who has now had the distinct "privilege" of sitting on the sidelines watching his big brother play soccer for the past 3 years, having the chance to be on a team of his own was quite possibly the most exciting news of his life.  If you're wondering, soccer for 3 year old boys is quite ridiculous.  Please enjoy these pics courtesy of Uncle Lyndy, master photographer.

Camping!

This weekend we headed to Beavers Bend State Park in Broken Bow, Oklahoma for a family camping trip with our new church.  We had a blast!  This was camping "light," meaning that we actually slept in a cabin and all of the meals were provided for us--just our speed!  It was absolutely beautiful and a whole lot of fun. We left this morning wishing we had a few more days to spend, so I think we'll definitely be back soon.  It was really neat to go on a group camping trip because the kids had instant playmates, which made our job infinitely easier.  Plus, I'm a sucker for s'mores and campfire songs, so I see more of this in our future.

Kai posing on the sad looking metal train outside the bathrooms.  We had to rough it in the sense that the bathrooms were in a building that was separate from our cabin, so that's something, right?  Most traumatic part of the trip from Kai's perspective?  Having to take a shower instead of a bath.  You would have thought he was being terribly abused by the sound of the tantrum he threw.  It was memorable.

Ruby hanging out with her "Daiya" in the fancy hiker's backpack we bought off Craigslist a couple of years ago.  The perfect contraption for a little one in the woods.

Kai posing for the camera.

Hiking in the woods on the miniature train tracks.

Ruby on the miniature train.  So fun!

Pla Shee and the other 11 year olds on the trip became fast friends.  They were inseparable and spent most of their time building a fort in the forest (see below) and fishing in the nearby river.  I literally had to drag him away so that we could go on a horseback ride.

On a hay ride around the park.  Pla Shee was too cool and opted for more fort building instead.

Kai even found time to get in some bicycle riding before dinner on Saturday. 

Octoberfest!

This was the first time we attempted Octoberfest in Addison with kids, and we had a great time.  I will admit that bringing kids to the festival dramatically changes the feel of the event.  For starters, we spent much less time downing German beers this time, and a whole lot more time standing outside the various bounce houses waiting for the kiddos to get their fill of bouncing.  At the end of the day, a good time was had by all.

Spider-Man shooting his net:

Kai was so happy to get to ride on this ride!  Usually what happens is we wait in line only for the carney to tell him he's too short to ride.  I think the carney in charge of this ride felt sorry for him and just overlooked the fact that he's super short.  Poor little guy!