A year ago today ...

...the three of us became four! It is so hard to believe that it has already been a year since we stepped foot into the place Kiah had spent the first year of his life and walked out with him. All the emotions still seem so clear, and looking back at pictures from that day brings them back even more. Kiah's furrowed brow, Laney's beaming smile, Perry's anxious eyes, and me trying to hold back tears of joy and fear for most of the day. But, we all survived that day, those two weeks in Vietnam, the plane ride home (barely!), and the rest of the year somehow. Kiah has changed so much. He can still furrow that brow, but now he is usually not worried about something, he is just mad that he is not getting his way! He is such a sweet boy, and has brought a lot of energy and movement into our home. He loves to play with Scuttle by throwing a ball to him or getting Scuttle to chase him, and he lights up when we pick up Laney from school. Over the last few weeks, he has started running up to her and hugging her legs when she walks out of her classroom, which absolutely melts my heart. He is enthralled with the Christmas tree and insists that the lights be on at all times. He has some favorite musical ornaments that he loves to play with, and other musical decorations that he must hear at least 50 times a day! I was able to capture a picture of him playing with one of his fave ornaments. His expression says it all. What a different Christmas we will have this year as opposed to last. Merry Christmas everybody!

Gingerbread House Decorating Party 2009

We had our annual FCC Gingerbread House Decorating Party this week at a very brave mother's home. There were about 20 kids (mostly girls), sitting at tables diligently squirting out icing and sticking on tons of candy. There's lots of laughing and talking, and the occasional eating of a stray piece of candy. That was what was going on at Laney's table, at least. Kiah, on the other hand, was perfectly content to sit at a table with a bowl of candy (yes, that I gave him), and watch everybody else hard at work. He had fun though, and afterwards the girls were running from him and saying, "the baby's coming!!!!", while they screamed and laughed. He loved chasing them almost as much as they loved being chased. This party was the last Christmas event that Laney got to go to last year because we left for Vietnam 3 days later. It is so hard to believe that Kiah hasn't been with us forever, and this time of year has been made even more special with all the memories that keep flooding back. How grateful we are to be home this year, and to be making Christmas memories with Kiah now as well.

Laney and Kiah discover "Disco Fever" at the local skating rink

Laney was invited to a birthday party at "Scooters", which is a local skating rink that allows you to bring in scooters or any other kind of riding device. Kiah was allowed to join in (and was one of the few boys there, which highly worked in his favor), and of course, I brought Laney's Barbie 3-wheeler, which Kiah absolutely loves. By the end of the party, the music was pumping, the disco ball was in full force, and Laney and Kiah were getting their groove on. This was definitely one of the best times the two of them have enjoyed together. I hate to sound like a broken record, but we are truly blessed with these children.

What really happens when I'm not at home ...

I found these and several similar videos on our camera one day after I had been away for a few hours (probably doing something for the kids!) No wonder Laney and Kiah enjoy their "Daddy time" so much!

Pool Fun

Our kids love the pool, which is good because our neighborhood has 3!! And we were able last night to visit with friends who have a super-cool pool that has a current in it, and jets! It is so funny that two kids who cried like crazy the first (and in Kiah's case, the 20th) time we tried to bathe them, now can't get enough of the water. Here are some favorite pics from the summer.

One Year Ago ...

One year ago tonight, I was preparing for my next day of work at Wal-Mart in Wallace. I had no idea what God had planned for me that day. I left Laney with my parents and made the 1 hour commute up I-40. I saw old friends and co-workers and had to answer the inevitable question, "Have you heard anything about your adoption", with the sad but true answer, "No, not yet" We had been waiting to adopt a child from Vietnam for almost a year and things were turning bad fast. The international adoption agreement between the US and Vietnam was set to expire on September 1st, and anyone who did not have a specific child assigned to them at that time would not receive a child -- no exceptions. Perry and I were anxious, mad, scared, and every other emotion you can imagine. But, we were confident that God had led us to the Vietnam program for a reason, and we were determined to ride it out, no matter what. So, a little after 3pm on July 24, 2008, my cell phone rang. I pulled it out of my pharmacist's jacket, and immediately recognized the number as coming from our adoption agency. I think my heart stopped beating for a second. I tried to calmly answer, "Hello?" and then heard the happy voice of Mary Beth (from our agency) telling me she had good news --- WE WERE MATCHED WITH A LITTLE BOY!!! I tried writing down all the info she gave me -- his name, birthdate, where he was, etc. It is all a blur. I cannot explain how surreal it is to find out all this information about the child who is about to join your family forever while being surrounded by ringing phones, beeping scanners, overhead announcements and customers trying to find out what OTC pill is going to help then lose 20 lbs without changing their eating habits or exercising. But, I got as much as I could from her and then had to explain to all my co-workers what had just happened. They were thrilled and so excited to be a part of the moment. I don't think I got much done the rest of the day. I called Perry (who hadn't answered his cell phone when Mary Beth called him first because he "didn't recognize the number(!)") and told him the news. Mary Beth said she would send the pictures of our son to us via email. The drive home was possibly the longest drive of my life. I got home before Perry (who had picked up Laney and was out and about with her). I couldn't wait and immediately opened the email. That is when I saw these pictures of Kiah for the very first time. It amazes me now how much like "him" he looks. The first viewing of your child who is literally half-a-world away is a little distanced, to say the least. You don't know them and you can't recognize what their expressions mean. But, looking back at them now, I can see Kiah in all of them. He has some of the exact same expressions today, but now, I know what they mean! What a blessing this child has been to us. I had no idea what God had in store for us, but HE did and we are humbled beyond words to be the offical and forever parents of Kiah Thanh Allen.

A few "firsts"

Here are two recent videos of some Allen Family Firsts. The first one is of Kiah's first visit to the beach. It took him a few minutes to warm up to the whole idea, but then he quickly embraced it! The other one is of Laney and Kiah actually playing together and having fun as brother and sister (we look forward to many more of these moments, but for now, we take what we can get).