Another Then and Now

Briana and Matthew met for the first time in 2007. They were just babies. Matthew's mom snapped a picture of the kids at soccer class yesterday. I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.

2007...

Hand holding in July 2010...

Today...

Sigh - time goes by so fast.

Adoption Celebration/Reunion Event

Saturday afternoon, our adoption agency hosted a "Celebrate Adoption" event. This is the description of the event from the website...

"Join us for a celebration of adoption and culture around the globe! Gather with adoptive families and friends of Children’s Home to explore the unique customs and special traditions of Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria,Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Romania, Uzbekistan), China & Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam), Ethiopia, India & Nepal, Korea, Latin America (Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru), Russia & Ukraine and the United States."

The event was held at the Fieldhouse at the University of Minnesota and we entered a huge room that was split into eight different cultural areas and had a stage for performances (including a dragon dance and a martial arts performance). There was lots of food from different countries and of course - inflatables to jump in. What is an event without inflatables, right? ;D  Doug bid on two items for the silent auction and won them both. He won a small "American Girl" doll (a girl from China along with the book) and an Asian Raggedy Ann doll.

I believe we were probably the only family that flew in for the event, but it was totally worth it so the girls could see each other again. It may be a few years before we can get up to Minnesota again, but I am so glad we were able to do it this year.

Enjoy the pictures of the event...

 

So glad we got pictures of the mamas and the kids. And of course there were big goodbye hugs at the end. Hope we won't have to wait 3.5 years to all see each other again!

Mall Of America Adventures

When we arrived on Friday afternoon, we checked into our hotel and then headed over to the Mall of America to have dinner with Leah, her brother Tyler and her mom and dad Amy and Dion. Doug and I visited Minnesota and the MOA back in 2006 when we attended our travel meeting, and it felt so surreal to be back there with Briana in tow...

 

Here are the girls seeing each other for the first time...

Immediate hugs. They became friends instantaneously...

Having fun in the Lego store...

More hugs...

Dinner at Rainforest Cafe. The girls loved the frog...

Some hand holding...

We started to wander around "Nickelodeon Universe" after dinner, but Leah and family needed to head out. Doug, Bri and I were thinking of it too, but Bri started to beg to ride some rides. You all KNOW that Briana loves her rides. And we are not really sure when we will make it back to Minnesota, so she got to ride some rides...

Below is a picture of the "Splat-o-sphere." I was terrified to let Bri go on it, but I wasn't about to do it. She was tall enough to go on it alone, so Doug and I let her. I was having a total heart attack, but she loved every second of it...

Look how little she looks on it...

Wanna watch her ride? She smiled through the entire ride...



She rode it twice. A total adrenaline junkie.

It was a wonderful evening and it was so great to catch up with Leah's family. I can't believe we had not seen each other in 3.5 years. Next post - favorite photos of the adoption reunion.