Happy Birthday, Kameron and Christmas

On Monday, Kameron turned 14 years old. This was his very first time celebrating his birthday. So we definitely wanted to make this one special! The day before, we took him to Wahooz, a family fun place here in Idaho (ie: games, go karts, laser tag). He was so excited to go! Luckily, the weather cleared and the place was empty. The boys got to play laser tag 15 minute games at a time and had the place all to themselves!

Playing games at Wahooz

Go-karts were a huge hit!

Mini-golf was alright. The boys absolute favorite was getting multiple golf balls to throw into the last hole where, if you get it in correctly, a tiki statue blows fire out of its head. They seriously did this well over 30 times! Thank you to the exceptionally patient and tolerant staff at Wahooz who just went with it.

The next day, mom got off work early to come home and make the birthday boy his favorite meal and a special cake. The catch was, his favorite meal, is "hot pot." Some of you may know what that is, but we didn't. The entire time we were in China, he didn't ask for or eat it once. We were in over our heads!

Thankfully, our community absolutely rocks! Friends who knew about hot pot and a friend from China who attends NNU were able to guide us (literally showed me what to buy at the Asian Grocery store) and lend us tools and tips on how to make it. Ya'll, I was assured it would turn out great. I had faith my friends knew their stuff. But I was terrified! I wanted to make our boy something amazing. And I had never eaten hot pot in my life. Let alone really knew what it was!

As I am getting ready to prepare myself to make this meal, our dishwasher suddenly made an odd noise and water started flooding our kitchen floor! Luckily, Jesse saw it right away and grabbed towels while turning it off. 

This is now our forth appliance to break on us since the adoption. The forth! And it was all so ridiculous, that I started laughing. Because it was terrible timing! But what could we do? Momma was making our boy his birthday meal and cake, come hell or high water! 

And despite our lack of hot water (because not only did the dishwasher break, but it took a toll on the o-ring and caused a gyser there.. Because of course it did) and ability to process dishes, we made our boy his favorite meal! Mommy got a big smile, a thumbs up, and a "this is GOOD!" 

That beauty in the bowl-like skillet, is my very first hot pot. Ridiculously easy to make (once you have the right ingredients) and smelled amazing! It tasted, even better! It is served often with noodles. The next time I make it, I will be posting a recipe (and what to buy) tutorial. It was not anywhere near as hard as I thought! But I am told a good hot pot sauce is hard to come by and not immediately available in most of our specialty markets in Idaho.

After dinner, Kameron opened presents. I was so proud of Jesse Jay and Toby! They spent their own money to get him birthday presents, and oh did he LOVE them!

And afterwards, there was cake. Complete with some of Kameron's favorite things... Minions, and stuffed with bananas and pineapple.

After the birthday festivities came to an end, we kept things as simple as possible and tried to keep expectations a bit low and stay home even more. A birthday followed by Christmas a few days later can be a trigger for behaviors for our child with autism/sensory processing disorder, but also the same is true for an adopted child. And holidays, naturally, are a bit overwhelming themselves. And these are all firsts for Kameron.

On Christmas Eve, we and the kiddos got to celebrate Christmas with the Idaho cousins and Grandma Rose (and her birthday!) We limit our outings right now to family and short periods. It has been nice letting them get to know the newest Maddux a little bit more. Kameron loves wrapping presents-- his love language is definitely high in gift giving! He enjoyed helping mom get presents ready for everyone. 

Happy birthday, grandma Rose!!

The grandkids enjoying jello with fruit cocktail for grandma's birthday.

Jesse Jay snuggling grandma.

Kameron loved playing this game with "my daddy." You push down a tooth. But if you pick the wrong one, he bites!

After the festivities and present exchange with the cousins and grandma, we had a HUGE snow fall in Idaho just in time for a white Christmas. Kameron, daddy, and brothers played in it and enjoyed making their first snowmen. Or, rather, giant snowball face....

And after a low key dinner of pizza and peaches (per the boys request), it was showers and fresh Christmas jammies and slippers for the boys:

Jesse is doing a slumber party upstairs with him and the three older boys in their little pop up tents. Surprisingly, they sleep really well that way. Mom got some much needed quiet time. I cannot tell you enough how amazing Jesse is with all our boys. And seeing him with Kameron.. There aren't words adequate to describe it. It is just so beautiful. 

Then, Christmas morning was upon us. I was shocked how well all the boys did. Despite mom and dad letting them eat whatever they wanted all morning (IE: candy, candy, ohhhh.. And more candy!) and encountering new people, new situations, and traditions. 

And of course, their was a certain gift that was definitely a huge hit....

We always swore that we would never ever buy a trampoline. But with 4 energetic boys, this suddenly became a need! Had it not been so cold, they would have stayed out their for hours!

Christmas dinner was a melding of two cuisines: Part American traditional, part Chinese. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans. As well as spicy noodles with shrimp, tofu, and fishballs and spicy cucumbers. With Martinelli's apple cider and Fanta (Fanta and Coke are huge in China. Kameron loves them.)

Tonight, we are exhausted after such a busy and exciting week. Our hearts are full. Kameron is home! And we feel so richly blessed because of it.

For the Love of Chopsticks (and Chinese Food)

We are all getting so excited these days! Excited for Kameron's 14th birthday on Monday and for Christmas on Friday. Presents are starting to appear under the tree (thank you Amazon for helping this mom be able to shop this year-- alright. Who am I kidding, it is EVERY year :) ). When a free moment allows, we try to bake something-- that way it feels more like Christmas.

But I still feel the pull of how BEHIND I am. How a lot is coming together last minute. And then, I try and remember that-- it is IN FACT-- coming together. I have had so many to do's and not enough time. But, I try and push that all aside-- as it is our season of bonding. Christmas cards/letters will not be making their typical annual appearance. There is next Christmas for that. For this Christmas, we have MUCH to celebrate!

I have to say, ya'll we are having a lot of fun! I believe I have mentioned that Jesse and I are self-proclaimed foodies. We did not realize how adventurous we were with foods until our trip to China.(But not chicken feet or cow tongue-- kind of adventurous). And since being home, rediscovering the Asian Grocery store here in Nampa-- we have been having a lot fun figuring out some authentic dishes and trying to cook new recipes. Kameron, is also a foodie, but is very particular towards Chinese cuisine. He has openly embraced helping mom and dad figure out spices and what pairs well together. He really seems to enjoy it and so do we! We go to the Asian Grocery Store nearly every other day this week. We found Kameron's favorite noodles and all kinds of gems there. We are definitely bonding over our love for Chinese food. I actually find myself at work craving it!

Kameron loves spice. I know I have mentioned that fact a time or two. But here is an illustration: Do you see the two red glass jars that are side-by-side? Those are full of crushed red peppers in oil. That would normally take our family a year or so to eat through it. It took Kameron, literally, 5 days!! Now, he shares lots with mom and dad too-- but DANG!

 

Our lazy susan has a new look to it these day. Bamboo shoots in chili oil, crushed chili peppers, soy sauce, and rice vinegar are now staples for EVERY meal.

The boys are loving trying to eat with chopsticks. Jesse Jay is getting pretty good at it. Kameron, however, prefers to eat with a fork. He does seem to get a kick out of watching Noah try to eat with his chopsticks. (It really is the cutest thing in the history of ever).

And the boys continue to grow in their love for one another. My favorite, last night, was hearing Kameron play battleship with Jesse Jay. It was fun watching them play together. And so helpful for learning English. I giggled every time I heard "HIT!" or "MISS!"

Noah has learned about Piggyback rides from his oldest brother. So now, he likes getting piggyback rides too. Kameron, happily obliges to almost EVERY single one of his 2 year old brothers demands.

And Kameron and Toby-- are a bunch of hams. These two just play off one another and pretty soon--the banana's get involved in their shenanigans....

There are still moments of hard. And we expect that to continue. Grief is a natural part of adoption. But each day we see continued progress (and I do not mean in just Kameron-- all of us are learning to be more patient. To not jump to conclusions so fast. And growing in love and trust.) We see Kameron overcoming so much. As he learns the rules of the house. That mom and dad are not going anywhere. We can visibly see him relaxing. As you may be able to imagine, that means more testing of boundaries. Each time we go through something really hard, it leads us somewhere. To a more open part. To a more vulnerable part. To a part that clearly trusts us.

God is so good! There are some hard moments, sure. But all of it has been beautiful and such a blessing to live out.

Jesse Jay and Toby were recently invited on a fun outing, that they requested not to go to. Which was very atypical for them. When I asked why they didn't want to go, they responded, "Mom, we are really enjoying spending time with our brothers."

.. Well, of course you are. And as you can imagine, my momma heart is about to explode with happiness and fullness.

A lot of Firsts

I think in some ways, we knew that by adopting a child from China that Kameron would get to experience a lot of firsts once he was in our family. However, I do not think we fully realized just how many we would get to have! And we have enjoyed him teaching us a lot of firsts. Now that Kameron is the oldest Maddux boy, we are encountering lots of older child things. Like, "I know you love zombies, but no you may not watch the Walking Dead."

It is amazing how much he already knows too! He took our pineapple and put it in salt water. Jesse and I looked at him like he was nuts! But he assured us he "saw it on a cooking show once." And DANG, was he RIGHT! It was good, ya'll! This boy has a great penchant for food!

He has been a trooper and tried many American foods, despite it being pretty clear he misses authentic Chinese food. Especially the spicy Yunnan foods!  He has experienced his first snow. His first sibling fight. Oh, and my favorite: his first marshmellow roast. And he loved them! He looked at us like we were nuts at first. But one taste and he was smiling BIG time and asking for more!

There have been some sweet and funny moments. Like when Kameron made Noah a hat for his bubble bath tonight.

Or how he thoroughly scoured the dollar store looking for the perfect Christmas gifts for his brothers. He definitely is a gift-giver. He doesn't seem to like getting just himself something. His brothers have to get something too. 

Soon, he will experience his very first birthday celebration (that is right. The very first. Birthday's are not typically celebrated in mainland China) and 4 days later, his very first Christmas. It has been so fun watching his curiosity and amazement with our traditions. Dad putting up Christmas light. The decorating of the Christmas tree. Picking out a stocking. Looking at the neighborhood lights and decorations, etc.

He is learning more and more English. Noah has been a BIG help! Kameron has "cars" "no" "iPad" and "mine" down solid. Kameron's first sentence, nearly brought me to tears! "We are family." Oh buddy, what a perfect thing to say as your first sentence in English!

Kameron already fits in well with his brothers. 

Everyone seems to be settling in. We have all been home together for over 2 weeks. The jet lag has finally subsided. The biggest thing we are learning is about boundaries. And how important it is to respect those. Every single one of us is learning this right now. And sometimes, that is downright tough! And it can often feel like walking in a field of landmines. You never know when one might go off. We are learning to trust one another. To find those bonding moments. And communication is getting.. well, not so much "easier" but definitely less complicated.

Jesse Jay, Toby, and Noah love having Kameron home. Jesse Jay was so sad to go to school and not be with him during the school day (and Jesse Jay really loves school!) that he tried to feign illness to stay home. Christmas break cannot come soon enough for him! Toby pushes Kameron's buttons the most. But he also is the best at discovering things about him we did not know. Noah likes that Kameron slips him treats constantly. He doesn't like the "take Noah's bink game" that Kameron finds so funny.

We have felt very blessed by our friends and family. We have been brought meals almost daily the past two weeks. When our dryer went out, a handful of friends and family did our laundry for us at a time we  couldn't just load it up and take it to a laundry mat, like we typically would. Friends and family who check in and encourage us, but make sure I do not linger on the phone too long so I might return to my guys. Thank you all. It really means a lot! Cocooning is going well. Each day we continue to see progress! 

A Very Good Day

Our days ebb and flow. They wax and wane. But day to day, we are all settling in. There is less jet lag. More full nights of sleep. We are all handling life a lot better.

Kameron is probably one of the bravest boys I have ever met. I cannot even begin to fathom what he must be feeling and thinking these days. America and China really could not be much more different! And, for the most part, he is handling his brothers, mom and dad, and all of these transitions with a smile on his face. After a week at home, he finally wanted to go outside of the house. He asked to go to the store to buy more candy. We JUMPED at the chance! And would you know, our sweet boy dug through the candy bin to find EACH of his brothers their favorites and insisted dad get them for his brothers as well! He is such a sweet boy.

Today, he wanted to go to the Boise Aquarium and feed the sharks and manta rays. And he seemed to enjoy that a lot.

Goodness-- are these boys just hysterical or what? 

Tummies are starting to adjust to foreign foods. I think one of the things that surprised us, is that if he tells us he doesn't like something, you have to let him try it quite a few times because he may just like it yet. We thought he didn't like pizza-- and he ate that right up! He has given us looks of disgust, said "blech" and spit out all things peanut butter, and then-- he ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich after trying and liking his brothers....

And we had been concerned about the cold winter weather here in Idaho and how Kameron would do with it. He has lived in the "eternal spring" city of China for many years. He has never seen snow or played in it before. That is.. until now.....

And tonight, we ran into a bit of a problem: The first sibling argument. Feelings were hurt. Mom and dad had to referee and use Google translate to figure out the affront. It came to our attention that Kameron did not know that some of the toys were not for everyone. Some toys are for just ONE child. (This is something we had learned in our adoption education. The concept of ownership can be a foreign one to orphaned children). Kameron has some clothes, Lego's, books, a backpack, and a car we got him in China-- that is his. But until tonight, he did not seem to grasp that he can have things that he are ONLY HIS. We asked him if he wanted his own stuffed animal-- and he said yes. When I asked if he wanted to go tomorrow. He said "tonight." So we loaded into the car and headed to Build-a-Bear.

"Kevin" and Kameron

 Afterwards, we went and got the boys hot chocolate. It was so fun seeing Kameron's expression when we ordered and got it through drive-thru. Like we were nuts! And come to think of it, we did not see a single drive-thru while in China.

Just before he fell asleep, we asked him, "Was today a good day?" And he said, "Yes."