Sand Key Photos I

Sand Key Photos II

Sand Key Photos III

We're Back!

We're back and will blog about our Break as soon as we can!

Happy Valentines Day Y'All!

Blog Break

If you've been reading this blog for awhile then you know that we're fond of taking little Blogging Breaks from time to time. ;) I like to let y'all know about our Blog Breaks so that nobody frets over what horrible thing has happened to keep us from blogging. Don't worry; all is well. We'll be back to blogging in a week or so. We'll catch up with you then.

Photos of the Day

Lately, whenever I pull my hair into a ponytail, K & O want their hair in ponytails too. This morning Braydon left the house before the rest of us were awake to head into the city for a meeting... (although he was just in NYC Kyle was convinced that "Papi was on an airplane"???--but that is a whole other story)... Anyway, I had to drive the boys to school. Although they wear their hair in ponytails around the house a lot, today was the first day that they were insistent on wearing the ponytails to school. They specifically both chose orange ponytail elastics so that they would have "match to match ponytails!" They were proud to show off their hair to anyone who would pay attention in the Acorn Room this morning. It was quite a scene. ;)

P.S. Thanks to Mrs. Peterson (I know you're reading!!!) for K & O's favorite socks of all time!!!

Finally Caving In

O.k., so my mother has been begging me to post a photo of my prego self on the blog. After all she did for us last week, the pressure has finally got the best of me, and I'm caving in to her wishes. From here on out (this week starts my third trimester), against my better judgement and fighting my own self-consciousness, I will post photos periodically (note I did not say regularly) of prego me for all the world to see. I can understand how my own mother wants to see the prego development on the blog, but it is hard for me to imagine that the rest of you want to see it. Either way, for better or for worse, here goes. For Mom (taken last night), the bump that we call Baby Sister:

3 Years Home From Haiti

Owen (wrapped in yellow blanket) & Kyle (in blue blanket) asleep in the Hotel Montana the afternoon before we were to fly out of Haiti. Braydon had just spent hours trying to arrange for flights to the U.S. We were in Haiti during a very dangerous time, very few Americans were in the country, and all flights were booked due to the movement of United Nations troops and foreign dignitaries trying to get out before the then predicted violence related to Karnaval [click here]). Braydon was finally successful when a Haitian airline employee at the Port au Prince airport became committed to personally seeing to it that we get the boys out ASAP. We spent an incredible amount of money on the tickets, but had not one care in the world about that. The sense of relief that washed over us -- knowing that we had four tickets to leave Haiti the next day -- was intense. I remember taking this photo of the boys sleeping on the hotel bed, thinking how completely oblivious they were to how their lives were about to be completely transformed.

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Three years ago today we spent our first day at home as a family of four. We celebrate our Adoption Day as January 31st -- the day we were united as a family forever. But each year on February 5th, I cannot help but think about our homecoming. This year February 5 is no different for me than the past two years have been...

These two photos (Kyle top, Owen bottom) were taken by Braydon our first morning in the U.S. with the boys. We had just been home a few hours (we had arrived at our house at about 2:30 a.m.). K & O were still wearing the clothes that they had worn on the plane flights home. Those red onesies with tropical palm trees on them were the first clothes we bought for the boys. We had bought them the day after we had received our referral in late May 2004.

...I'm distracted all day with it. I think about our travel, our immigration of the boys in Miami, of our drive home from the Philadelphia airport in the pitch dark wee hours of the night. I think about those first hours in our house with Kyle and Owen. I think about those first days and weeks with them at home. And I think about Haiti. I can't help it; those few hours, days, and weeks of early 2005 transformed my life in the most profound ways. It isn't simply about becoming a mother, or becoming a family. Yes, of course those things are powerful. But it is more about the profound transformation in me in as the result of experiencing the most true miracle of my lifetime. A miracle in the most real sense: unexplicable by science, logic, or reason. The possibilities of the human heart and soul, at age 8 months and at age 30-something years -- the human capacity for love, healing, attachment, and transformation -- were made real to me in those moments of our early family life. There is nothing that compares (at least not in my lifetime so far) to witnessing such a profound transformation in myself, Braydon and our boys.

Kyle (top) and Owen (bottom), in the family room, one of our first days home.

Acting in the world to use what one has to give new life to another human being... originally it was, for us, meant solely to empower two others, but it unexpectedly resulted in empowering four. I have never before felt such a profound miracle, such a profound sense of empowerment, such a profound knowledge of knowing with absolute certainty that our lives were being used in exactly the right ways. The depths of this cannot be overstated. The human heart knows no bounds. The soul can be set asail. Home can heal. Hope is transformative. These things became real to me, in the truest sense, in those first few minutes, hours, days, and weeks home from Haiti. In my mind, there is no greater miracle.

Kyle (top) and Owen (bottom), in their bedroom, one of our first days home.

Today we've been home from Haiti for 3 years. Although so much has happened since then, that first day home with Kyle and Owen is so vivid to me today that it is as if it was yesterday. There is a Haitian proverb that says, "Piti, piti, wazo fe nich li" -- translated to English it says, "Little by little the bird builds its nest."

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Please click here to read an Associated Press article entitled "Poor Haitians Resort to Eating Dirt." This article was released a few days ago, but I've been waiting for today to post about it. For those well-aware of the dire situation in Haiti, the eating of "mud cookies" in Cite Soleil (where Kyle and Owen were born) and elsewhere throughout Haiti is old news. But still, given how little news coverage Haiti receives, we celebrate any internationally recognized press on Haiti in hopes of raising at least some public awareness.

One of my favorite pictures -- Braydon and Kyle, 2 days after our homecoming.

Last year on our Adoption Day we posted a bunch of photos of our first days and weeks together. If you're interested in seeing more photos, you can check them out by clicking here.

Update on Owen's Pacis

Owen has slept the past two nights with no paci. Still we are seeing no regret or remorse re: his pacis-no-longer. Last night he opened the trash can and said, "Mommy, look, inside, that's where I put my pacis." I said "Yes! And I'm so proud of you!" He said, "But I don't see them." I said, "Papi emptied the trash, that's why you don't see them." He said, "Oh!" And ran off to play. He has mentioned a couple of times that "Baby Sister will have pacis." I wonder if she'll take a paci?! For her big brother's sake, I sure hope she does!!! ;) It seems like we may be in the paci-clear. A week ago I never would have imagined we'd be here today. Wowsers. Just another reminder that we have no idea where we'll be a week from now either.

P.S. Don't worry, I took all three of his pacis out of the trash and saved them in a secret place. Braydon asked me why I was doing that and I said, "In case of a paci emergency!" But barring any paci emergency, then we've got them for sentimental value. My guess is that Owen will get a kick out of seeing them someday down the road. At Christmas my Mom showed me my beloved "blankie" from when I was little. I used it for years and years and then finally she took it away from me when the thing became a health hazard. I had no idea she had kept it! And it was such an experience seeing it again!

Owen's Pacis

For some background on Owen's Pacifiers, click here.

So yesterday we were driving to the grocery store. Owen was sucking his thumb (which he often does when/if he has no paci; and since he was about 18 months old we've not let him leave the house with a paci). From the backseat, with his thumb still in his mouth, for no apparent reason, Owen says, "Mommy, look, I'm sucking my thumb." I said, "Yes, I see. And you're such a big boy, I just know that someday soon you will be all done with pacis and just suck your thumb. When you're ready, you'll put all your pacis in the trash and be all done with them." I've said this sort of things many times, but for whatever reason it really registered with him yesterday. He asked, "And what will happen to the pacis?" I said, "They will be all done. You won't need them anymore. You'll be all done with pacis. And pacis will just be for babies." That last little line seemed to really strike him. "Babies! Like Baby Sister!" Owen exclaimed. "Yes," I said. And then Owen said this: "I'm all done now. I'm ready. I'm going to put all my pacis in the trash when we get home. I'm all done with pacis." He seemed sincere, so I'll admit, I did have a thrill of excitement at the moment. But... I was very skeptical. I said, "Ok! Great! That's a great idea!! But that means you'll go to bed tonight with no paci. Do you think you're ready to sleep with no paci?" Without any hesitation, thumb still in his mouth, he said, "Yes!" Braydon and I both said, "Great!" but sort of rolled our eyes at each other in the front seat. 'We'll see' was basically the sentiment. The pacis were not spoken of the rest of the day. Fast forward to last night. We're getting the boys ready for bed. I said, "Owen, remember, in the car today, you said you were ready to be all done with pacis and put them in the trash. Do you still want to do that?" "YES!" he exclaimed, "We need to go downstairs and I'll put all my pacis in the trash." I couldn't believe it. I went to his room with him and we collected his three remaining much-loved, worn-and-torn, adored pacis. "My two blue and my red one" he said. I got the lump in my throat like I might break into tears. Without even flinching, standing proud, with his head held high, he carried his three beloved pacis downstairs. He marched straight to the trash, and dropped them in. There seemed to be no reservation, no sense of remorse on his part. As for me, I was having all I could do to not start crying hysterically, watching this ending of an era, watching my baby boy carry out this act like a courageous big man. He said, "See Mommy! My pacis are in the trash!" "Yes, I see! I'm so proud of you Owen! What a big boy you are! I'm sooo proud of you!" Still looking at his pacis in the trash he said, "Now someone will take them out and they will be for Baby Sister." This threw me a bit but I tried to take it in stride. "O.k.!" I said. We headed back upstairs, hand in hand, with Owen's other hand at his mouth-- thumb in. As I tucked him into bed I tried to give him extra love and warmth, imagining what a big thing this was for him to be going to bed without a paci for the first time since he was 9 months old. But he seemed unphased, sucking his thumb hard. And he slept through the night, no problem.

"MorMor Left Us"

My mom left yesterday morning to head home "to her own house." Throughout the day yesterday the boys kept saying, "MorMor left us." All I could say was, "Yes, she left us." She's gone. We're sad. We like having her here. But she left us with a lot of things. Homemade granola, chocolate chip cookies, Scottish Oatcakes, carrot cake cupcakes, blueberry muffins, and a fridge full of leftover dinners. She also left us with loads of clean laundry, a clean kitchen, a clean garage, and a whole bunch of clean windows (plus a lot of 'clean' things that I probably haven't even noticed yet). And-- most of all-- she left us with full hearts. She spent a whole "six sleeps" giving, giving, giving to K & O (and therefore, to Braydon and I -- who, by the way, knowing that K & O were in such a happy love fest with MorMor were able to fit in more work and meetings and special projects during that one week than you could possibly imagine). K, O, and MorMor built forts, she set up obstacle courses for them, they played for hours outside, and she picked them up from school every day. She held them and read to them and snuggled with them and loved on them 'till their hearts content. She left us all in a good place.

Dinner with Friends

Saturday we had The Waters and "The Tall Frys and Small Frys" over for playing, chatting, and Chili. We get together with the Waters on a regular (at least monthly) basis, but this time the 'Tall & Small Frys' joined us-- driving 2.5 hours each way just to hang with us. Families like ours are often willing to go way out of our way to find similar families to spend time with. The reasons seem obvious: the comraderie of being with families that 'look' like us (that even remotely slightly resemble us), that have had some similar experiences, who know some of the same joys and challenges, etc., cannot be over-exagerated. And, simply, we want our kids to be able to know other kids with life stories somewhat similar to their own. In their day-to-day lives at school and on the playground, etc. it just is not an every-day occurance to run into another kid who was born in Haiti, lived in a Haitian orphanage, was adopted by white American parents, transitioned to life in the U.S.A., etc., etc., etc. For Kyle and Owen these sorts of get-togethers are very important. It normalizes things for them. The power of that cannot be underestimated. Plus, what a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon/evening!!! 11 kids -- 10 of them Haitian-American -- running around the yard, wheeling around the driveway, chowing down around the table... it doesn't get any better!

Lucky Ducks

As far as K & O are concerned, everything is more fun with MorMor! Everything. Even a bath (which you wouldn't think could possibly get any more fun)! Today when MorMor gave K & O a bath it wasn't with just a couple of duckies in the tub, but with every single bath toy in the entire house in the tub. Plus writing on the tiles with bath crayons. Lucky ducks! And, as if having MorMor here for six sleeps isn't enough... school was cancelled today because of rain and slick roads! So, the boys got to play at home all day with MorMor today! What a way to end the week! Lucky ducks! And... for the first time ever Braydon and I lucked out with coincidentally having MorMor here on a school cancellation day--- neither of us had to skip work. What lucky ducks are we?!!! MorMor has been cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and PLAYING HARD all week long with K & O. Tonight she announced, "Tonight is a two drink night!!" Absolutely it is! She deserves a dozen drinks. She'll have a couple. I'll try to refrain (given Baby Sister). But if you're having a drink out there in the blogosphere tonight, please raise your glass with a "Cheers!" for MorMor! We are such lucky ducks!