One Year Anniversary

One year ago today, on October 23, 2009, Aaron and I got up at 4:00 am, headed to the airport, and boarded a plane for an 8 hour flight to Honolulu. We'd made the trip probably 20 times before, but this trip could not have been more different. We spent the 8 hours on the flight in relative silence, as neither of us could think of what to say that might seem somehow meaningful or significant. I think we just didn't want to jinx anything. We had been put through the ringer in the adoption world, and had faced devastation with two adoption plans that had fallen through in the year prior. But on this day, we were emotionally, financially, and physically invested in the 2 month old baby boy that was waiting for us to arrive in Honolulu that we had no words to describe the combination of excitement, relief, fear, anxiety, and joy that we were feeling.

Well, as you know, this story has a happy ending. We arrived in Honolulu uneventfully, breathed in the sweet island air and headed to our hotel. We freshened up a bit and then were called to the lobby where we were introduced for the first time to our sweet baby Kai and his first family. This is a picture of me taken with Aaron's cell phone when I was holding Kai for the first time once we got back to our room. It was amazing. I am, quite literally, glowing.

Kai is an incredible blessing in our lives, and we will always be grateful to his first family for sharing him with us and for allowing us to make him a part of our family. He is loved by so many.

So happy the fall weather has finally arrived!

Life in a small Texas town

With Pla Shee at Venus Elementary, it's forced our hand a bit in terms of getting more involved in the town activities, especially those that involve the school.  Hence our participation in the Venus Homecoming Parade, which unfortunately was scheduled for yesterday afternoon at the exact time we had a huge  thunderstorm blow through town.  We made the best of it, though, and I thought I'd share some of these shots that Aaron managed to capture despite the rain.

Venus Cheerleaders and Bulldog Mascots

Yikes.  Not sure how these folks are associated with the parade.

FFA (Future Farmers of America) "Float":

Whataburger "Float."  Yes, those are cardboard french fry containers taped to the side of the truck.  Sweet.

Pla Shee got to ride on the Elementary School float because he exemplifies "good moral character."  Yes, that's a direct quote from the permission slip he brought home.

Kai hanging out in the rain watching the parade.  Note the package of candy he's saving for later stored safely between his thighs.  Nice.

Kai's 1st steps

Well, maybe not his very first steps, but pretty close.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54vfkBkiriQ

Hangin' with the donkeys

The donkeys, particularly Leroy and 6 month old Batman, seem to be just as infatuated with Kai as he is with them.  Every morning they greet us from the pasture and jog up to the fence to visit and beg for a carrot or some other delectable treat.  This morning, we took a mental health day and skipped out on church and just hung out as a family.  It was very much needed, as it has been a crazy first few weeks of fall trying to get back into the swing of things.  As you can see, Kai was modeling his Romo jersey in preparation for the big game against the Chicago Bears.  I think the donkeys were unimpressed. :)

Soccer!

Since Pla Shee is a very typical 9 year old boy in that he has LOTS of energy to burn, we decided to sign him up for soccer this fall.  He LOVES it.  Even though the other kids on his team have been playing for several years already, and this is his first time, he's caught on really quickly and seems to have quite a knack for it.  Tonight was the very first game for the "Funky Monkeys," who unfortunately lost 3-5 to the "Tornadoes."  The disappointment at the loss dissipated as soon as he saw that each player received a Caprisun and snack--for free!  Apparently it's the little things that make the difference.  :)

Looking very intense!

Aaron & Kai hanging out on the sideline, cheering on the team.

Listening to a pep talk from the coach after the game:

Pu Lue and Pla Shee:

Embracing a lifestyle

As you already know, we've jumped head first into our lives with the Karen refugees, and this means that we often eat, drink, play, and work as they do in some ways.  Our integration with the culture became particularly clear to me this afternoon when I came home from work to find Kai like this:

To explain, Kai is sleeping peacefully in a hammock that is strung up between two posts inside our barn.  What you don't see in the picture is that Paw Moo, Pu Lue's wife, is standing guard about 2 feet away and rocking the hammock.  Why would she need to stand guard, you ask?  To protect him from the stray chickens and goats wandering around, of course.

Kai normally spends his days in his new preschool, but, as luck would have it, he caught a cold that became another ear infection after his first week.  Paw Moo was on vacation this week, and decided to spend the week here at the farm with Pu Lue, and was literally thrilled to keep Kai while we went to work.  A win-win-win, for sure.  Anyway, just thought that this was a great thing to come home to and wanted to share.