Twenty-Eight Weeks (plus one day) Together

     We came home from Minnesota on Monday afternoon to dinner & some shopping with Gramma. Isaac was FULL of conversation for Gramma, I'm sure telling her all about his adventures on the plane and with his cousins, but he kept pointing to the back of his hand, pretty emphatically. Gramma didn't know that sign and it took me a few minutes to figure out what he was trying to communicate...Cousin Jaelyn had given Momma a tattoo on the back of her hand!  Of all the crazy things that would rock his little world, the fact that I had a funny sticker on my body (an event that took all of 45seconds during a four day trip) is what was MOST important to him...can you believe it?? Doesn't look like I'm going to be able to get away with much around here. Running to go tell Gramma...whatever.

     What was especially cute to watch was when we got to the house. He jumped down and ran through the hallways squealing. He was HOME! He went from corner to corner of the house pulling out the Tupperware, throwing the towels on the floor, dumping his mega blocks, opening up all the doorknobs (a new skill courtesy of Cousin Xander), sitting in his chair...claiming his space as his.  I know he had a good time on our trip, but it touched my heart to see him willfully and purposely proclaiming: THIS IS MY STUFF. THIS IS MY FAMILY. THIS IS MY HOME. For a child that was once officially marked as abandoned ( I hate that word!), this little declaration moved me. You will ALWAYS have a home, Little One. You will ALWAYS have a family...I promise.

One of his newest little tricks...reaching up just to hold my hand (or shirt in this case).
LOVE!

 

    

Twenty-Seven Weeks (plus two days) Together: Trip to Minnesota!

     There has never in my mind been a question of IF Isaac would have his own frequent flyer mile account...it was WHEN.  :)  When you've got a Momma that travels, you get to travel, so this last weekend we flew to Minnesota for Cousin Jaelyn's 5th birthday party and Isaac proved he is a traveling PRO.  I have zero concerns about his ability to fly and already have two more flights on the calendar!

 

0515, on the way to the airport and SUPER excited to be in the car!

Here we go!
(With a full backpack in the back and Isaac in the exo-womb up front, I seriously felt like a human sandwich!)

Sacked out on the plane with our neighbor friend.
(Who, by the way, despite some obvious destain at being seated in a row with a two year old, noted at the end of our flight what a wonderful flyer Isaac is!)

Attempting to get dressed in the airplane bathroom.
Little China Boy is on the plane too!!
 

Elmo, pediasure & pirates booty...what plane??

We made it!
And to a heat wave of 18degrees no less!

 

Auntie Ange!!

    

     Being able to celebrate my niece's fifth birthday with her was super special. She has a tender heart and I am so excited to see how she grows to love the Lord and the people around her. Isaac & I look forward to many more mid-winter family trips to celebrate with her. Your Auntie Des loves you, my sweet girl!

With the birthday girl!

Happy 5th Birthday, Jaelyn Elyse!

Jaelyn and her sweet friends.

Jaelyn's party was at a gymnastic center.
SUPER fun for the kids...and adults.
(One word...TRAMPOLINE!)

Playing duck-duck-GOOSE with the big kids.
He got up and ran around the circle just like everyone else!

 

Yeah!!
Loving running around the gym with the big kids!

First time through the tunnel!

Nah...too much work.

Cousin Xander coming through the tunnel next!

Jet lag finally caught up with him!

 

 

     And although there wasn't much alone time for the adults (save a Downtown Abbey mini-marathon after the kids went to bed!), seeing the kids together and developing little relationships was awesome. Knowing it is the THIRD generation relationship makes it even sweeter. I'm sure the Grammas are reading this now and are smiling. :)

Quality cousin time...in the bathroom, of course!

The boys plotting some sort of bathtub madness.

Xander & Isaac bundled up for a warm day in Minnesota.

Although, I don't know if I'd call it playing together, they were all playing side by side...together.  :)

The classic game of princess cannibalism with Cousin Jaelyn.

A mutual foe between the boys.

Wrestling the mighty vacuum together!

      Of course, being in the Midwest in February means snow...and freezing your face off outside...and a bundled little Asian that can't figure out why his Momma wants pictures outside in the ungodly cold when he is dressed like a giant egg roll.

What. Is. This. MOM??

Huh...

Look...it moves

And flies...

Just give me a second here...

Whoohooo!!!

Snow cousins!

Getting very serious about this snow stuff.

This was a nano-second before his mitten came off and the snow touched his bare skin.
I'll let you imagine the rest.

This is what winter is supposed to look like Seattle!

     Of course the most important part of the weekend is this photo and ALL that it represents: FAMILY. And how God puts family together and keeps them together despite all the miles and state lines and oceans. I am so very thankful for this crazy hodge-podge family of mine and praise the Lord for His constant grace and covering over our lives.

Two Best Friends, two sons, and a birthday girl.
(And a gracious husband who takes the pictures & puts up with the weekends of giggles & chick-flick marathons, but doesn't really mind the extra chocolate laying around!
Love you Scott!)

 

Valentine's Day!

We love, because HE first loved us.

1John 4:19
 

Happy Valentine's Day from
the MOST lovable (and loved!) kid around!

 

Six Month Update--An Interview with Isaac

Happy Family Day, Isaac!!!

We've been a family for SIX MONTHS!

 

 

This last month didn't sound like it was fun. Can you tell us about your trip to the hospital?

I did NOT like those days AT ALL.  I had the snots & the sniffles for a couple of days like my friends at Kollege, then all of a sudden, when we were at the grocery store, I did not feel very good at all. Momma tried to make me feel better at home, but then I felt so bad I didn't want to drink or even eat purple jello. Momma said that wasn't OK and took me to see her doctor friends at the kids hospital. By the time we got there I wasn't breathing very good. Then it took six tries to put a tube in my arm, and I had a glowing band aid on my toe, and a bag to catch my pee, and drops in my ears, and tubes up my nose, pokes on my fingertips, and THEN they kept taking my temperature under my diaper!  It was a really BAD day! I was super mad at first, but then I was too tired from breathing to even be mad anymore so I laid on Momma chest for a lot of days until it was easier to breathe. Gramma came every day to bring Momma food which was nice, but mostly I just wanted to hold on to Momma and go back to my house.

 

Are you feeling better now?

MUCH better. I can breathe without any tubes up my nose and I don't have to take any medicine and my snots & sniffles are all gone too!  Momma still pats me hard on the back to make sure all the gunk gets out, but I like that...especially when I can't sleep at night. AND, no one is checking my temperature ANY MORE. I like that part the best. My teachers at Kollege say I'm a new kid; they've never seen one boy eat or walk so much! I say, you try not eating or walking for 11 days and see how badly you want to eat and walk!! Besides, I've got some growing to do!

 

What are some things you are doing now that you weren't doing last month?
Well, I can walk REALLY good now and I don't even have to hold my hands over my head anymore. After dinnertime, I chase Momma around the house and see if I can get her!  We both think that is really funny. I can also say 'bye-bye' and 'up' with my words. I said 'momma' a couple of times, but mostly if I want her, I just point & chase after her. I can also eat like a big boy and hold my sippy cup all by my self. I those things I couldn't do when Momma first came to get me, so it's exciting.
 

What did you do for your Momma's first Chinese New Year?
We were going to have a special party with my cousins, so we could all wear our Chinese outfits, but we decided just to stay home and get better. But Momma & I talk about China a lot and we read books about China and how much we love our Chinese family.  Next year we'll be able to do some fun things and maybe even go see a dragon parade!

 

Are you eating anything new & special?
I still love me some Pirates Booty.  That stuff is the BEST. When I ask for my special treat, I keep asking until I get THREE pieces: one for each hand and one for my mouth!

 

What fun things are you going to do in the next month?
Momma says we are getting on a plane again...but not as long as last time. This time I get to see my Auntie Ange, Uncle Scott and my cousins in the snow (whatever that is). She said, one Elmo and a nap and we'll already be there.  No oceans. No dinners AND breakfasts. And no movies.  That is short!

Twenty-Six Weeks Together: First Hair Cut!

     Isaac was freshly shaven when we picked him up six months ago. I assume China Momma gave him the clean cut the night before so he could start his new life with the curly-haired-blue-eyed people. It probably helped with the insane Chinese summer heat too.  His fuzz seemed to grow so fast while we were in China, I declared several times he was going to need a cut before we got home!  His Auntie Jessie just kept kissing his fuzzy noggin' & singing "I kissed your head and I liked it!" Katy Perry style.  :)

Meeting my fuzzy-headed boy

Six months later...it was FINALLY time!  I tried to wait, but he was starting to look like a front man for an all Asian Beetles cover band. No es bueno.

 

Getting set up in his super cool Kid Cuts car-chair

Despite the personal TV, he was not too sure about this.

Ready to go!

 

Avoiding a meltdown with a cracker.

Mom...she is touching my head!

Oh boy...there is the meltdown.
Time to put the camera down...

All better!!
Look how handsome!

He looks like a such big boy!

I'll admit, I previously thought kid hair cut places were a sham. $16 to sit in a car chair for 10minutes to get a trim??!! CRAZY.  But I gotta say, I was super impressed with our trip today. We even got a little FIRST HAIRCUT certificate with the first-cut lock of hair for me to keep.  Awwwww.  I'll put in the box and creep him out with it when he is fourteen. :)