Photos taken this morning. Kyle and Owen’s baby dolls are not new to this blog. For other appearances of Donald (Kyle’s baby) and Douglas James (Owen’s baby) click here, and here.
Kyle & Owen, July 2006
***The photo above and the two below were taken one year ago. I know it is so cliche, and everyone says it, but really— I cannot get over how time flies. The truth is: I can barely stand it. I love every single stage and phase (so far at least), and I miss every single one too. I see these pictures and I recognize these bambinos as my own two boys — but the difference between then and now is just stunning to me. Last summer they couldn’t get enough of these strollers (photo below)… they’d push them around 24 x 7. The fun seemed to be simply in pushing them. Now just to push the strollers is not enough. This morning they had these same two strollers turned upside down on the floor, they had all their toy tools out, and were pretending to “fix the strollers!” with their “DRILLS!!!” After much, much busy action, when the strollers were finally “fixed!” K & O went upstairs together to get their babies. They got side-tracked though, and I found them in Owen’s room, “feeding the babies milk from bottles!” They were both sitting on the floor, each with a baby doll in his lap, pressing the toy bottles to the babies mouths. They said, “Look Mommy! We are feeding these babies. They were sooooo hungry. They were crying. Because they were hungry. They were not acting up. They were just crying because they were hungry. Because babies cry if they are hungry. They have no teeth. They need bottles!!!” As usual, they announced to me that “We are the MOMMIES!” (side note: this continues to fascinate me… for all the gender egalitarianism that we try to model and instill, they both still insist that they are the “mommy” not the “papi” when they play with their dolls?????). Anyway, I said, “Oh! Yes! And Papi and I used to feed you two just like that! With bottles! When you were little babies!” Owen said, “But we are not babies now! No!!! Because we grew big! We are growing and growing and growing! Now I am bigger!” And Kyle said, “We are grown up now! We will be a big man soon! Pretty soon we will be sixty just like MorFar! And we will be driving our own car! And we will be going to the restaurant — just me and Owen. Me and Owen both. Just us. And we will leave you Mama, but we will come back.” I had all I could do to not just fall on the floor in a weeping heap right then and there.
Kyle: “I don’t like sleeping.”
Yesterday was a planned day-off for Alex. My goal was to spend the day at home with the boys trying to unwind/de-compress/come-down-from-the-natural-high-of-the-“Haiti Reunion”… I had envisioned the three of us lazing in the sun, splashing in the pool, quietly chatting about our experience at the reunion, and catching up on sleep. It didn’t work out that way. And that is an understatement. Who was I kidding????—– “lazing”?!— “quietly chatting”?!– “sleep”?!– This is Kyle and Owen we’re talking about! “Teeming” – “screaming” – and “wide-eyed-awake” is more like it. Plus. It Rained. ALL. DAY. LONG. The highlight of the day, by far, was that the three of us made blueberry oatmeal muffins together. The boys are waaaay into cooking right now. And they are getting easier and easier to cope with in the kitchen. The muffin making was good. The rest of the day… was… um… let’s just say: it wasn’t as good as the muffin making. I think I broke up more fights yesterday than in any other day ever (click here for just one of many examples). The combination of being all wound up from the awesome weekend plus being cooped up inside from the rain (plus, let’s face it, the real culprit: I did not have a rainy-day Plan B in place)… well, let’s just say, it wasn’t one of our better days. Here are some photos from the good part of the day! (and below them a funny overheard car conversation…)
So, Braydon had mercy on me and decided we should go out to dinner last night. On the way to the restaurant this is the conversation we overheard in the backseat (sometimes it is so hard to not laugh our tushes off at the things we overhear — but we try not to laugh when, as was in this case, the conversation between K & O is completely deadpan 100% serious)– Try to imagine that their tone here is totally earnest, sober, contemplative; like they are talking about something very, very, very serious.Kyle: Hey Owen. What you want to talk about with me Owen?Owen: What Kyle?
K: What you want to talk about, you and me, Owen?O: Oh! Um.K: What Owen?
O: Kyle, you will have french fries at the restaurant?
K: Yes! French fries! And ketchup! You will have quesadillas at the restaurant Owen?O: Yes! And queso dip!K: Oh!O: Kyle, you want no queso dip? You don’t like it? It is too stinky for you?K: Yes, too stinky for me. Owen, I am so tired from a K. I am so tired from a K Owen.O: Oh.K: I am so tired from a K. K-Y-L-E. I am soooo tired from a K. I want to have a O now Owen. Just like you. I want a O. Not a K. Just a O.O: You are so tired from the K?
K: Yes. I so tired from the K.O: Oh. You want to have a O? Just like me? Us both? Both have Os?
K: Yes. I want to have a O. Kyle and Owen both.O: O.k. Kyle! But. You have to be careful with the O. You have to be careful!!! It is so dangerous!!!!K: O.k., I be careful. I so tired from the K. I will have a O.O: And you have to be so careful with the O!K: O.k.!O: You will have no K. We will both have O. Two O’s. O-O. Just like a zoo! Z-O-O!K: YES!!! Just like a zoo!!! O-O! Match to match O’s!!!O: Yay us!K: Yay us!
Look at the look on my Owen’s facein the midst of this fun/chaotic/healthy/happygang of Haitian-American kids!Could he be any happier???This past weekend was one of our best family experiences ever. We have had many amazing family experiences in the past 2.5 years, and this one was right up there. We spent the weekend together with 14 other families at the 4th Annual Pennsylvania Haitian Adoptive Families Reunion. Before going I thought, “Wow, only 14 other families in PA??? What a sad statement?!!!” And it is a sad statement — only about 150 Haitian kids are currently adopted into the U.S. each year… and that is not for lack of kids to be adopted… that is for lack of U.S. families adopting them. Anyway– I don’t want to get up on my soapbox about that so I’ll stop there. So, I must say: although collectively we were only 14 families from the entire state of Pennsylvania… 14 families can go a looong way. 14 families with super exuberant, happy, healthy, well-adjusted, thriving Haitian Adoptees can go a looooooong, looooooooooong. loooooooooooooooong way. And when you’re Kyle and Owen… and the kids from those 14 families are all super energetic/active/running-non-stop/happy/lovely kids… and those 14 families are all smack in the middle of an outdoorsy woodsy camp — complete with pond and playground — well, suffice it to say, K & O were in their glory.
The point of this Reunion is for us in Pennsylvania to get our families together for a weekend; to share in a way that, realistically, when you’re a Haitian Adoptive Family, you can really only share with other families just like your own. It is a unique kind of family. It is special in certain ways. It is challenging in certain ways. It is miraculous in every way. It was really special to be able to talk openly with other parents who have gone through and/or are going through similar experiences as us. And it was really special to watch our boys PLAY. ALL. WEEKEND. LONG. with all these wonderful kids who have life histories so similar to their own. Kids who were born in Haiti. Kids who survived in Haitian orphanages. Kids who were adopted. Kids who know resiliency. Kids who know transcendence. I could write forever about the past weekend, but instead I’ll just let the photos do the talking. It was hard to choose just 14 photos because we have so many beautiful ones. I will leave it to you to take from these photos what you will. There is a lot to see in them. I will only say this: each of these kids have an intense look in their eyes, an intense history, an intense engagement with their world, an intense zest for life. All of these things are familiar to me because I recognize it in my Kyle and Owen too. Spending the weekend together with these families really was spectacular, invigorating, affirming, and rejuvenating… especially for K & O. For all of you reading who were there—– thank you. We cannot wait for next year.
for more, click here, and here.
(click to see any photo larger)
The whole weekend was one huge highlight for Kyle and Owen, but when we try to break it all down with them (try to help them process it all — it was a lot for a three year old to take in!), it is clear from our conversations that there were three major highlights that really stood out. From Kyle and Owen’s perspectives the top three highlights of the 4th Annual Haitian Adoptive Families Reunion were: Tenting, Tabitha, and Together
TENTING
The reunion was at a campground – we tented as a family for the very first time! It was awesome. We all four absolutely loved it. I wasn’t so sure how it would go, but I never should have even questioned it — the boys are game for anything, anytime, any place. And as always, they did not disappoint. The boys were totally into it. They loved sleeping in the tent. Absolutely loved it. Both woke up (at 9am!!!) with huge cozy cuddly smiles on their faces. Today they spent a lot of time talking about “the tent!” and “sleeping in the tent!” and how “it was soooo dark in the tent!” and “it was sooooo fun in the tent!” This was our first tenting experience, but definitely not our last.
TABITHA
Or, as the boys say it, “Ta-vik-a.” Oh my goodness. The boys (Owen especially) adored her. Tabitha was one of many kids at the reunion. But for K & O, she stood out in the crowd. And I can see why. What a gorgeous, sweetheart, fun-loving, super-sporty-super-wonderful girl?!!! The boys couldn’t get enough of her and stuck to her like glue. As soon as they’d lose sight of her for a minute they’d start persistently asking, “Where is my friend Ta-vik-a???” until they’d find her again and off-and-running they’d all go. Luckily, Ta-vik-a has more than enough energy to keep up with the two of them. She’s an extroverted energy force in her own right. And she definitely kept them laughing and on their toes. As our little family was going to bed Saturday night, lying in the tent, here were Owen’s last words before he fell asleep: “Mommy, I love my new friend Tavika. I love her. She is so beautiful. She is so nice. She is black like me. She is so gentle. She is so soft. I love her mommy, I love her.” As he drifted off to sleep all I could think of was, “God help me (and all the Tabithas of the world) when this boy is sixteen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Last night, at home, when I was getting Kyle ready for bed he said to me, “Mama, I miss Tavika. Tavika is at her own house in her own bed crying because she misses me mama. I need to see her. I miss her.” All day long today the boys talked on and on about “TAVIKA!!!” At one point they even were pretending to be talking with Tavika on the telephone. I have assured them repeatedly that I did, indeed, get Tabitha’s parents’ phone number and we have plans to try to get together sometime soon.
TOGETHER
When you ask the boys what their favorite part of the “Haiti Reunion” was they say “together! the slide all together!” I know what they are talking about because I happened to see this happening and ran over to take some photos of it. A ton of kids were all riding down the playground slide together one right after another over and over and over. They’d purposefully make a huge big pile-up at the bottom… all laughing hysterically and dramatically the whole time. It was priceless. I’m glad I caught some photos of it because it really truly was K & O’s top highlight of the entire weekend. And from the photos you can see why…
I am working from home today. It’s raining here and a little chilly. That of course, means everyone is inside. That of course means it’s gets a bit hairy – – fast. Oh – and Alex has the day off. That means that Heather is giving up another day of work. Thank goodness she planned to take it a little easy this summer.So, Heather has been valiantly attempting to keep the boys noise level in check during my conference calls. She has made muffins with them and had them playing upstairs. Then they went to the basement to play. Things got a bit rough and much crying ensued (on the part of the boys). Then I hear the following exclamation in addition to the scampering of little feet:
“Both of you go to your room nooooow! There is absolutely NO hitting your brother with your drill!!!!”
Now that is not something you hear everyday….
Congratulations to our dear friends Ben & Ruth (click here) whose brand new baby girl twins were born today! Robin Catherine, 6 lbs 8 oz & Anna Dorothy, 7 lbs 3 oz!!! Anyone who knows anything about twins knows that is two big healthy full term babies and one totally incredible mama! We’re so excited to have some of our very closest friends also be a twin family now!!!!
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