Shop Boy

Kai loves being out in the garage with his Daddy. He enjoys using Dad's tools to "fix" the cars and work on his toys. This weekend, Kai put his trike up on the motorcycle lift to work on it. He is intrigued by how things are put together and loves to take things apart and reassemble them.

Imaginative Little Guy

Kai's creative imagination never rests. In some of these pictures you will note that Kai has invited his friend, Hippo, to join us for breakfast. Kai finds his toy replicas of what he is eating and fixes up a similar meal for his little pal several times a week. Unfortunately, he is such a thorough host that he often attends to the needs of Hippo more than his focusing on his own breakfast. All to often, Kai claims that he is done eating before he has had his second bite.
Another common occurance is that Kai walks around with imaginary balloons, musical instruments, snacks/drinks, and on and on. Kai "peels" these toys out of his books and then will proceed to use them as we read each page. Kai is nothing if not amusing. He has always been a creative little guy and his imagination continues to bloom as he gets older.

Kai's 1 year Home Portrait

On Saturday we headed out to get our 1st Family Anniversary portrait. Unfortunately, Kai was not in the right frame of mind for this project (teething and a slightly irritating photographer). When we viewed the few family shots that were taken, there was nothing worth framing, but we got lucky and found one cute picture of Kai alone. We will give the family portrait another try some other day. For now, enjoy a pic of our sweet pea.

A Year In Photos

So much can change in a year. At this time two years ago, Rob and I made the decision to switch from the traditional course of adoption, to the Special Needs program. Prior to that, we had not considered this path as an option for us. I often reflect upon how important that change in our plans was for our family's future. That one change led us to Kai, the son that we had been waiting for all those years. Today we have been a family, united through adoption, for exactly one year. We had come to know a little about Kai through updates and photos six months prior, but on May 9th we finally had the opportunity to care for our little boy and express our love for him. Twelve months has brought us so many changes. We had been "Rob and I" since high school. In so many ways, that was enough. Parenthood, however, has introduced us to a new set of emotions, a new reason for living. Kai has completed us, filling our house with a beautiful presence, noise, and general day to day craziness. Looking through these photos, you can see the dramatic changes in Kai's physique and self expression. What you cannot see, but that's just as real, are the changes that have occurred behind that camera lens. Kai has altered the way I see the myself and the world around me. I am forever grateful for the lessons Kai has taught me and for the sense of purpose I feel as his mother.
This first year with Kai has been more wonderful than I have words to express. I look forward to the rest of my life with this little boy.
April




March




February




January




December




November



October (Kai had a nose and lip revision a few weeks before. The swelling remained for several months as he healed.)





September




August



July





June



May 9th and 10th...Our first two days together