Best Friends

Kai and Ruby have decided that they really like each other.  They reached this realization this month, and are now pretty much inseparable.  Ruby is 16 months, and Kai is 3.5, and they are now best buddies.  It's pretty much the cutest thing ever. 

Kai loves for Ruby to "sit in his lap," which is pretty silly looking since she weighs 23 pounds and he weighs 26.  But, it's what they do.  They love playing in their play kitchen together, and can read books together for a remarkably long while for two toddlers. 

Here they are at the mall yesterday in one of the "ride-on" race cars.  I love the way that Ruby has her arm around Kai from the beginning.  And the cutest ever was when Ruby got scared because the car started tilting and shaking, and she hid her head in Kai's shoulder and gripped his shirt as hard as she could.  Don't worry...I "rescued" her right after I snapped the picture.  :)

Planting Onions

Thought you would appreciate Leroy showing his best side for our photo.  :)

While we are absolutely in love with our sweet young family, one of the most challenging things about having such young kiddos has been that we haven't been able to enjoy living on the farm as much as we used to.  Before we had kids, we would spend every minute of daylight after work and on the weekends planting the garden, repairing fences, working with the animals, and just enjoying the farm.  For the past couple of years, we've spent much less time doing those things, and much more time growing and caring for our family.  Well, I am absolutely THRILLED to report that we have reached the point in which the kids can actually be outside with us contributing to life on the farm.  And they enjoy it!  Hooray for all of us!  Here we all are in the garden planting our onions this afternoon.

Pla Shee and Kai doing their share.

The turkeys eyeing us suspiciously.

Yes, all three kids are eating "hot" cheetos and sharing a gatorade.  Yup, awesome parenting.

Yes, Kai is scratching Leroy's rear with a trowel.  Don't worry, there's a fence in between them.

Kai escaping his planting duties and making a run for the "playground."

Kai's turn at the Perot Museum

On Sunday it was Kai's turn to visit the Perot Museum, as he was invited to a birthday party for a buddy who just turned 4.  Even though it was somewhat of a logistical nightmare, I was able to arrange to just take Kai, and left Pla Shee and Ruby with Aaron at the clinic for a couple of hours.  Side note:  Sunday afternoon is our "refugee clinic," which I've been planning to talk about on the blog, but haven't gotten the time yet.  Soon.
Anyway, it was so much fun to spend a couple of hours with Kai all by himself.  He led the way as we explored the museum, and I just followed and appreciated his energy and joy with all that he discovered.  He is a doll, and I am madly in love with his little 3 year old self.

Pla Shee's Week

This has turned out to be a week focused on Pla Shee, which has been fun.  On Wednesday, the 5th grade at Venus Elementary took a field trip to the brand new Perot Museum of Nature and Science.  I took the day off work and went along as a chaperone, and it was just as amazing as all of the buzz we'd been hearing about it.  Of course, everything was shiny and new, as you would expect.  They had TONS of really fun interactive exhibits...by far the best science museum I've been to.  We bought a family membership so that we can go back as much as we can, and Kai even has a birthday party there this weekend, so we'll get to explore the Children's Museum section too.  Pla Shee's favorite exhibit was in the "Sports" section, where kids can race against a life-size animated t-rex.  My favorite so far is the musical staircase.  Too much fun!

Last night we drove to north Dallas in rush hour traffic (1.5 hours) after work/school to attend Pla Shee's older brother's high school swim meet.  While part of me was lamenting the inconvenience of it all on a school night (cranky kiddos, traffic, dinner out, making sure Kai and Ruby didn't go for a swim themselves), the other part of me was really happy that we were given the opportunity to attend.  Pla Shee was able to cheer on his big brother (a senior in high school) and really look up to him as a role model, something that he hasn't had many opportunities to do since they arrived in the US 6 years ago.  For so many refugee children, developing a sense of self-confidence and pride is difficult because of language and cultural barriers.  So fostering a sense of pride in oneself and one's family becomes all the more important.  Bottom line is Pla Shee is a great kid, and we are incredibly blessed to have him in our family. :)

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!