2015

Happy New Year! I hope that your new year is off to a great start.

Oliver, Tony and I had a great New Year’s celebration. On New Year’s Eve we played games, enjoyed yummy snacks, grilled pizzas (thank you, Tony), put on our jammies and watched “How To Train Your Dragon” and counted down the New Year with Oliver at about 9:00 (thank you, Netflix). After he went to sleep, Tony and I celebrated with some champagne, chocolates and the New York Times Square ball drop. A perfect way to ring in the new year!

The final family photo of 2014

New Year’s day is the annual Meyers’ celebration featuring an array of Korean dishes. We had japchae, bulgogi and mandu. Yum! Oliver wore his traditional Korean hanbook for a little while, though he didn’t want to pose for any pictures. This is the hanbook we received from his foster family over Thanksgiving. Here’s a summary of my attempt to snap just one good photo:

Cute, but he wouldn't look up!

Being shy

Being silly

Done letting us take photos, ready to move on to other things

On Friday Tony headed out of town to go ice fishing with his dad, leaving Oliver and I together for a special weekend. In true “holiday vacation” form, we kept busy with:

A trip to the car wash where he gets to squirt the cars:

He just *loves* this car wash!

An ice cream sundae picnic in our living room (he wanted to have an outdoor picnic, but it was a bit cold)

A pancake dinner at one of our local diners

A trip to the zoo with Oma (who treated Oliver to both lunch and a toy from the gift shop):

Look at me! I'm walking on water!

Oma bought me a toy! Now if only the Komodo Dragon would come out...

A daily viewing of his new favorite movie, “How To Train Your Dragon”

In addition to all the fun “stuff,” he also got to sleep in the big bed with me, something he otherwise doesn’t get to do. 

When asked what the best part of the weekend was, he said it was watching the movie. Of course, the one thing that took zero effort! At least he had fun.

He was such a joy and we had a terrific time, though he did miss Dad. Both Saturday and Sunday morning the first thing he asked was if Daddy was home.  After so much time together, returning to work (for me) and Oma’s (for Oliver) was tough on us both. 

With the start of the new year, I am especially thankful that we are now a COMFORTABLE family of three. Last year we were simply over the moon happy to just have Oliver at home. But we began 2014 as a family that didn’t know each other very well — and as two people who were in survival mode as parents. It was not an easy time for Tony, Oliver or I. As we embark on 2015, we are feeling more solid and steady, closer to one another, able to simply enjoy being around each other without constantly trying to figure everything out.

So with that, HAPPY NEW YEAR!