Two Years Today...

...We left for Russia knowing only this face... and our minds full of hope......and quickly fell in love with this little soul...and our hearts filled more than we could imagine... A photo moments after we met him...

... Moments after meeting...

...The 3 headed dragon he would not let go of... Do you know, I recently learned that, in feng shui, the 3 headed dragon protects and ensures better health... Knowing that, it is even more meaningful that he had there with him...he was being watched and protected on so many levels while waiting for us...

...Dozing off at the end of our first visit...

...The years since then have truly been a blink. The saying is, indeed, true, that time flies...

To celebrate today, we had an adventure day.... Aunt Joan flew in for a conference, so we met her in the city...and spent all morning and early afternoon with her!! AJ is awesome and totally down with sharing a morning with a child in the ways a child loves to have a morning :) I am disappointed as I still can't figure out what happened to the picture I took of them together on a wooden slide at a super cool playground we found in the city....

Anyway, then we headed to Papa's work for a surprise visit...

...Then and now shot of my men...

I remember my boys together that first day like it was yesterday... And it's so funny because LM was on that first visit so worried about who this big guy was... and now he can't get enough of wrestling, hiking, and playing with his Papa...And Papa is SOOO good with him... ever since that first moment...

LM and I then headed home for a brief nap... before which he decided to hop into the 2nd bed in his room and say "mama, i jump in the baby's bed because the baby not here. I won't jump in the bed when we share our room together", a playtime romp in a bunch of puddles walking Ashton, a change of clothes and then an adventure to the big mall... where we hardly go but LM loves it there and he really needed new shoes. Especially since I totally disconsidered all the puddles when we went walking, and had him in the only shoes that he can wear to school.. and he literally ensured he tromped through every single puddle today! So boy of him!!
We had dinner at Ruby's, then hit Stride Rite where he was hilarious "Chris, can you measure my feet today, I think they got bigger?" (we had been there for the last few pairs of shoes and always have the same guy)... and what is a celebration without icecream? We are "game on" milk right now for a GI test so, why not, right? Cold Stone Creamery -- he had blue (cotton candy), red (strawberry) and white (paper on the cone)... seems fitting for our lil all american sporty kid...

We had a really fun day together, and as I watched this little boy all day -- silliness on his aunt joan ("Aunt Joan, when I say a joke, you and mama laugh at me, ok? Ok, here comes a joke"...)...flirting with the girls at papa's work, then hitting on the waitress at Ruby's (telling her , "I like your blue shirt and you are nice" - truly, a mom cannot make up these moments) -- then telling a woman at JCPenny's, where we were looking at curtains for said new locale "I like the gold ones. Do you like the gold ones? What curtains are you buying for your house? Oh, those are really nice ones"... Then saying the Cold Stone Creamery lady, "That looks really really good - thank you SO much" -- all without any prompts from me... and a million other things, I am just amazed and inspired by this little boy... While he tests my patience and anxiously worries me with some of his 3 year old ways, he truly is just incredible -- to think that 2 years ago, he was a scared 17 month old who didn't understand a lick of english, and now he can hold a conversation with adults without hesitation... And man does this kid like to laugh, be silly, and talk a good game of soccer/baseball/basketball (ie: anything "all boy")...

...My Dinner Date -- What a Great Smile!!...

If you are wondering it was not coincidence that he was both dressed in blue (the color he had on when we first met him) nor that it was a superman shirt... Bio parents may remember their first ultra sound or perhaps even the day of conception and have vivid memories. For me, blue on my boy will always bring me back to April 12, 2009. And so today, he and I (and papa!) wore mostly blue... ironically, papa didn't even know that was the plan, which makes the fact he picked out blue pants and blue pattern scrub shirt even more cool - we "go" together even when we aren't planning it!! So, anyway, I got the shirt for our LM specifically for this day...not only because it is blue.. but, because, to me, he IS our little super hero... He lived a life most of us adults wouldn't do well with in the regime of a baby home (thankfully it was an amazing baby home, but still, not an easy place for a baby to grow up)... as well as his super hero ways every day -- learning how to be a part of a family, having patience as we learn how to parent for the first time, jumping off every single surface of any height pretending he can fly, and embracing life the way he does. He IS a superhero, and today was a good day to wear this shirt!!

Little man -- Two years ago today, we saw you for the first time in person.... From the very first moment you came into the room, we knew that you were ours and we were yours. There was no question at all... We love you so much, and are so very grateful to all who brought us to you, and you to us, on April 12, 2009... We thank you for your patience with us as we learn how to be the best parents we know how to be... and for your resilience in life -- before us and through our mistakes... I love the way you smile, laugh, and talk about everything and anything -- you narrate every single thing you do... from the steps to opening a cough drop to talking about how you are going to be a good big brother to how you really really liked both the cotton candy and strawberry icecream to how you will go "egg hunting" tomorrow with your friends at school... today, and every day, you just stun me with your processing and chatty ways... We thank you for enjoying every single day with such zest and carpe diem that the world can do nothing short of soaking in the glow of your smiles... You are remarkable, amazing, fantastic, smart, silly, lovable... So very lucky we are to know you in our lives...