On Your First Day

My Dear Oliver,

Today I saw you off to your first day of Kindergarten. Just two years ago we brought you to preschool, speaking and understanding limited English and not yet fully attached to Dad and I. We were all uncertain, not quite ready. 

Then today...you were excited and confident as you climbed onto the bus. We've been getting ready for this day for nearly a week -- making sure you knew how to buy your milk, ask for help and introduce yourself to your new friends. We picked out your first day outfit together (a rarity, since you usually say it's my choice). We went through your backpack and lunch box to make sure you knew what you were bringing with you. 

You went off and did a terrific job!

I, on the other hand, held back tears on the drive over to Oma's. Held back tears (ok...a few escaped) after we waved good-bye. Worried about how you were doing when school started, how lunch went and if you ate okay. Whether you behaved during the long day. Hoping you made it to the bathroom on time, washed your hands, treated your teacher and classmates with respect.

Yet when I saw you tonight at your Taekwondo class you were focused. Well behaved. You flashed me a big smile then went right back to work. You even earned another stripe on your way to your yellow belt.

You amaze me. 

Clearly I should have trusted that you could handle this big day. God is in charge after all.

Dad and I have big dreams for you, our young kindergartner. We pray you will enjoy school, love learning and trying new things. We hope that you find good friends who will help you be the best person you can be. We are excited to find you reading a book to yourself, researching a topic just because you're interested, and taking part in something bigger than yourself because you have a passion for it. I'm glad to be on this journey with you.

Thank you for being a wonderful son.
Love,
Mom

P.S. How can a school offer chocolate milk and think that any kid is going to chose the healthier white milk? Let's add that to the "working on it" list...

Proud to be in kindergarten!

Oliver insisted on a photo op with Otter.

Waiting with Oma to head to the bus stop.

A rainy first day.

Oliver earning his second stripe -- one more and he can test for his yellow belt.
What a big day!

Party Animal

It’s official: we have a party animal on our hands! Since Oliver celebrated his birthday with family on July 7, he has been to five (5!) birthday parties – including his own friend party. Let’s dive into that one first.

Getting ready for the party!

Oliver’s 5th Birthday, Friend Edition:

Oliver asked to invite five of the neighborhood kids over for a bike party (riding their bikes around, racing, etc.). Knowing it would be hot and that kids can only ride their bikes for so long, we decided to add in a bit of water-related fun as well (sprinkler, water guns and water balloons). We have yet to have lovely weather for any of his outdoor parties (crazy humidity and fog the first year; hot and extra windy last year; super humid and hot this year), but we make the best of it. Due to the heat the bike racing only lasted about 20 minutes and they weren’t really interested in the cake and ice cream. They all had a blast with the water fights, though! Oliver had fun and we enjoyed the simplicity of it all.

On your mark, get set....GO!!!!

Oliver requested a chocolate cake that looked like a bike wheel. I gave it my best!

Summertime fun

Oliver wasn't interested in the cake during the party, but devoured it once he cooled off inside afterwards!

The Other Four Parties

For the first time, Oliver’s preschool classmates opted to invite the entire class to their birthday parties. All three of the classmates’ parties indicated that parents could just drop the kids off or stick around. Of course they were also three days in row. The most recent party was for our neighbor and good friend, luckily a week after the first three. Here’s the breakdown:

Party #1: Thursday afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese (I left for a while but then came back to hang out for the last half. Oliver and I played a few games together!)

Party #2: Friday evening at Hy-Vee, where the kids got to make a personal pizza and decorate cupcakes (I stayed in the store and browsed. I GOT TO BROWSE!!).

I stopped by to see how it was going and Oliver got so excited to show me his cupcake. Note: after this photo was taken the jar of sprinkles made their way to Oliver....icing was never visible again!

Party #3: Saturday afternoon, a backyard party that included games and a huge bouncy house (Tony and I dropped him off and came back at the end…it was marvelous).

Party #4: Sunday afternoon, backyard party with a pool and cool Star Wars cake. The party went almost an hour after it was supposed to end, so I’d say the kids were having a good time.

Oliver has now seen the other side of birthday parties – exciting, big to-dos with lots of people. I am thankful that until now our simple home parties have sufficed…but I have a feeling all of that will change next year.

Up next: A big event this weekend will officially give Oliver a new Aunt! Tony’s brother, Mike, will be marrying Holly in a small family wedding on Saturday. The family is growing!

Happy 5th Birthday

Happy Birthday Oliver!

At long last it is July 7....and Oliver is now five years old! He has been waiting for this day since Christmas and is so excited it is here. When I say excited, I'm not joking. He was up at 2:40 this morning, unable to sleep -- finally dozing off again at 4:45 for a little "nap" before getting up to leave for the day. Here's a selfie from this morning. along with a photo of him goofing off:

To celebrate his birthday we had family over tonight for a pizza dinner, gift opening and birthday dessert. Oliver requested carrot cake (note: he refuses to eat carrots in any other form). Not just any carrot cake, and not the beautiful three layer carrot cake I've made before. He demanded requested the "exact same cake my friend from book club brought over that one time." Fortunately she was willing to share the recipe (thank you, Annette). 

The lego set he has been wishing for!!

Uh...what is this?

He gets such a kick out of these books!

A super big lego set!! Thanks Oma and Opa!

Tony made Oliver his very own portable lego table. What a special gift!

His requested carrot cake, still in the pan (per his instructions). Very yummy!
Sorry that the candle is turned around...

I think tomorrow will feature playtime with lots of new toys...

On Sunday we will have a few of Oliver's neighborhood friends over to celebrate with a bike and water party -- bike races and games, cake and gifts, then cooling off with a variety of water-related activities. He set the guest list and theme, and even picked out the cake: a homemade chocolate cake that looks like a bike wheel. Such a cutie!

One thing is for certain: I don't take these birthdays for granted. Having the opportunity to celebrate his birthday is such a gift (even if it means being exhausted from a sleepless night). While I never forget how he joined our family or the first part of his life in Korea, birthdays and holidays bring it to the forefront of my mind. I am thankful beyond words that I get to be his mom. I pray that his birth mother and foster mother are healthy and full of joy. That his foster family remember him on this day and enjoy warm, funny memories without too much sorrow. And I thank God for bringing Oliver, born Chae Ha Lim, into the world and into our home. 

Happy birthday to my amazing, smart, funny, handsome boy.

Is He Breathing? And Happy Fourth!

Ok, here's the truth: this post has been started and stalled numerous times. Now it has to cover multiple topics (sorry!) ... been living life in the busy lane here.

Is he breathing?

That's the question Tony and I have been asking ourselves every night since Oliver's surgery. It has been nearly one month since Oliver had his tonsils and adenoids removed and *wow* -- it has changed his nighttime breathing dramatically! He went from a snoring machine / heavy breather to being so still and quiet we regularly check to be sure he is, in fact, still breathing.

Pretty amazing. Night time breathing aside, he seems to be fully recovered. I'm sure there is still a little healing going on back there, but he isn't in pain and he's enjoying all the crunchy and hard foods he couldn't have during his recovery. 

His recovery was full of ups and downs -- as expected. There was the "wonderful" 2:30 am wake up morning that I won't forget anytime soon, lots of refusals to eat or drink (a common issue when he doesn't feel well), and approximately 20 viewings of the Angry Birds mini episodes blu-ray. Here are a few moments to share:

Not done!!
Apparently he wasn't quite ready for me to clean those cake batter bowls.

A gift from Nana: a lego set Oliver didn't think was for sale yet. Score!

Said lego fully assembled, mostly by myself (for 7 and older). But Oliver was loving everyone moment!
When did legos get so scary?!

Happy Fourth!
Oliver enjoyed celebrating America's birthday this weekend -- so did we. It was a busy and full weekend. So busy, and focused on enjoying the moment, I didn't really capture it on film. A few highlights though:
- Friday night painting party: painted the new outdoor shed....a color that is darker than we meant it to be (painting party #2 coming soon).
- A night away at a waterpark hotel just north of us. Oliver had a blast playing in the waterpark and the family activity area. He also liked having his own big bed (a pullout). Tony won with this last minute getaway!
- Outlet mall shopping
- Hunting for and finding a caterpillar egg on a milkweed leaf; now we wait
- Fireworks on the driveway
- Grilling two nights in a row
- Playing in the sprinkler, water table and sand box. I did get a picture of that lovely (and messy) combo:

Making sand pants....also filled his hair with sand. Not so easy to get out!

Now that the holiday weekend is over we are getting ready for Oliver's 5th birthday. Oliver has been with our family longer than he lived in Korea, but getting to celebrate his birthday with him HERE is something I cherish. The two birthdays we celebrated without him were bittersweet; now they are just sweet...and crazy!

To celebrate we will have family over on the big day (Thursday) and a small friend party on Sunday. Oliver requested a party with just the neighbor kids and wants a bike theme -- bike races, a cake that looks like a bike wheel, and we will cool off with the slip n' slide and maybe water balloons. Should be a blast!