The Holt Adoption Picnic

Adopting has been quite an experience. 

From the moment you start exploring the feelings/idea to adopt, to going to classes and meeting other couples, to the expressions/reactions of people as they learn what you're about to do, to the paperwork, to the moment you see pictures of your new loved one for the first time, the waiting (my GOD!! the waiting!!),  the doctors appointments, fingerprinting, more waiting, receiving travel dates, the day you fly out, the moment you realize that you're on the other side of the world and are really, really tired, to the moment you see the little guy (or girl as it may be) to the moment they first trust you enough to go to the bathroom with you (yes, it was a big deal!), to the moment the little critter melts into your arms for the first time, to the first time they kiss you, to the first time I heard, "Daddy, I love you!"...

Okay, got a little personal there and welled up a little bit even typing it.  But I think you get the idea.  It's a wild ride.

Then you settle into life.  Most of it's just as it was before, albeit a little more chaotic, but nothing crazy.  

Sometimes you meet people in the checkout line who ask you point blank questions like, "What province in China did he come from?", which catch you off guard until that person explains that they too, have a little one from China at home.  Then you talk with them briefly and almost dread the moment the conversation is over.

Sometimes you have people look at you with a look that can only say one thing and leaves you wondering what happened in their lives previously to create such a hole in their hearts.  Happily, that's only happened once that I can recall, but perhaps my meager recollections are because I'm usually beaming with pride and thinking, "you're just jealous that YOU didn't get him!".  :-)

Sometimes, like at Sunday school, you have one of your kiddos (Sunday school kiddos, that is) ask, "is he your son?", and I get to tell them a cliff's notes version of the story and introduce my boy.  And I may note here that a seed is planted in the kid that asks the question and I always pray that God waters it as he see's fit to do, according to his will.

Sometimes you get sweet stories like we did at conferences last week.  It seems that Caleb loves his big brother Robby and is proud of him. He'll see him in school and his teachers said that he'll tell them, "That's Robby! I love him!!", in a big, happy voice.  Or when I asked the ELL, speech and kindergarten teachers if he ever seems to get frustrated.  They all replied "no, not at all".  But then the speech teacher relayed this story.  She said sometimes she gets a little frustrated, not necassarily with Caleb, but rather with herself or her own methods because she didn't/doesn't recognize what the starting point should be with him.  She said, "I can always tell when I need to take a deep breath because Caleb will get out of his seat and come pat me softly on the shoulder, as if to tell me, 'It's okay'". 

Then there's the moments where you'll be walking up the steps from the basement, thinking about something and totally off in another world when you realize that there's giggling...  and it's coming closer to you... quickly... perhaps, too fast...  that's when you realize that the little China boy, who obviously trusts us with EVERYTHING at this point, has leaped from the top of the steps into what he hopes is your arms!!!!

I'll admit, I don't like that last one at all.

And then there's things like the Holt Picnic.  It's a once a year affair and we've attended it last year, while we didn't have Caleb yet, but knew we were traveling, and then again this year with our lad in tow.

In 2012, it was Sept. 22nd.  It's great to see all of the kids and talk to the parents and share experiences and stories and did I mention watching the kids?

Here's the scene of the crime.  LeGrand Iowa, a hop-skip-and-a-jump Southeast of Marshalltown Iowa, which probably doesn't help a lot of the readers...  suffice it to say, it's a small town and the picnic likely doubles the population for a few hours every September.

That's Caleb at the end of the blue slide but the real reason I included this picture is because the three kids just to the left of the yellow slide are attempting to catch a purple football.  That's notable because a football is in the air and Robby is nowhere to be seen!!!

AHA!!  That's Robby throwing the football to his buddy of the day, who brought his own Green Bay Packers football from Lansing, Iowa.

Momma Chaos and Calebber walking the PVC edging of the playground with Roberto playing football catch in the background.

Random kids and the kinds of games that will break out early in the picnic while kids from all kinds of different races are getting to know each other and size each other up.  That's some of the best times at the picnic for me.

The arts and crafts table That Robby hit immediately after our dinner.  That's his football buddy (in the red shirt), whose name escapes me now and his little adopted brother, Isaiah (in the blue).

The varmints with their craft projects.

This is one section of the community center where all of the eating is done.  Yes, that is a decent sized tv on the far wall showing whatever the most interesting college football game of the moment is.

Random groups of kids out playing.

Caleb, having a blast!

Most of the people present.  There were probably another 20 -  30 that are not in the photo. The Schmitz Mobile Chaos Unit is about 5 people in from the left of the photo... sans dad that is, because I'm obviously taking this photo.

Robby and his football buddies.  That tall lad is adopted and now hails from Bondurant.  He is awesome with the younger kids and makes sure that everybody touches the ball and everybody has fun!

Caleb taking a photo of his daddy "modeling" the craft project.

The little man struttin' his stuff!

Chalk drawing on the concrete.

Candy bags that they hand out to all of the kids. Yes, ALL of them!

The balloon-bender vendor. You'd be amazed at how popular this guy is!

That's Robby and his football buddy, Daniel (I had to ask Lesley...) on the top of the "rock wall" sword fighting with Caleb (on the left) and a couple of other random kiddos from various countries.

I can honestly say that of all of the stuff that takes up time in our schedule, I probably look forward to this event the most.  There's just something incredible about it.

So, until next year!