Father's Day...The Best Yet?
I think Dan now understands why this past Mother's Day was an emotional one for me! It certainly was not our first, but it certainly was one of the most special. As with Mother's Day, we made this year more of a weekend celebration than just a single day. Somehow the grand adventure of finally bringing our daughter home from China warranted an extra special celebration this year! It is hard to explain, but Dan and I feel a tremendous relief that this empty spot in our family has finally been filled. We have waited for so long in anticipation of the day when Kaylie would join our family, and have felt driven through this whole process to bring her home. It at times has felt more like a force guiding us to her rather than anything by our own choice. At each step of the way, we made choices without a second of hesitation that led us directly to Kaylie. I don't think we have ever been so confident in our decisions as we have been through this process. All I can say is that there is remarkable peace for Dan and I both to know that she has finally been united with us.
As for Father's Day, we had a great weekend! It started with a fabulous day on Lake Mille Lacs with our kiddos (see pics in the album). With the lakes so low around here, we headed north to find deeper waters. We had an incredible day...just beautiful on the lake and all the kids really enjoyed the fishing, innertubing, and swimming in the lake! Kaylie did fantastic on her first big adventure on the boat, and even got pulled behind the boat with mommy on the innertube! Sam and Kendra were equally excited to finally make it on the boat this summer as we did not get the boat out of storage last summer. Sam started the summer last year with surgery to reconstruct his eardrum, and since he was not allowed to swim all summer, we didn't think it fare to tempt him by being on the boat and not able to go in the water. It was a long time coming, and the day did not disappoint!
Sunday was a much quieter day, and we relaxed at home. Dan had a bit of a stomach bug that I had shared with him from the weekend before, but he managed to still enjoy the day with the kids. He received some WONDERFUL homemade gifts and cards from the kids, and a very special poem project that Sam had made in kindergarten and managed to keep secret until the big day. He asked Dan to read it out loud, and Daddy got more than a little choked up (because he was sick, ya know!). To top it off, he got to hear a very special "Happy Father's Day Daddy" from his newest daughter, in her heavily-accented, but certainly discernable, English! Here is the poem (which Sam was quick to point out that he did not write)! The poem came complete with a message from Sam and an imprint of his footprints.
FootPrints
"Walk a little slower Daddy" said a child so small.
"I'm following your footsteps and I don't want to fall.
Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they are hard to see;
So walk a little slower Daddy,
For you are leading me.
Someday when I'm all grown up,
You're what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who'll want to follow me.
And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you."
I don't think you will find two parents on earth who feel as blessed as Dan and I do! We are so incredibly lucky to get to see life through our children's eyes, and so grateful for the chance to love and care for them.
Kaylie continues to amaze us every day with her adventuresome spirit, her zest to try anything new, and the humor in which she approaches everything that life has to offer. She is a living example that we all have a choice in how we approach life...to see the lemons in life or to make lemonade.
We did hear back from the doctors at Mayo this week, and that will be the subject of another post. For now, we want to make some lemonade and enjoy the afterglow of a truly remarkable weekend with our family!
~Mommy
