We walked across this very high train bridge that had been re-purposed as a pedestrian bridge.

Then Grandpa introduced the kids to geocaching. Ethan picked out a bouncy ball, Aaron found a kalaidescope, and Caleb chose a bandaid from the box.

These three little hikers walked 3 miles today! Caleb was the only one who was carried for parts of the walk.

The trail was full of bikers out for a Sunday ride.

Beatiful alder lined trail

Adoption is a miraculous event that comes out of such tragedy. I believe this particular blogger gets it, and wrote exactly how I feel. God is good and doesn’t plan for anything not-good to happen. He intended our two little guys to be raised by their birthparents. However, we live in a world where people mess up and are messed up. God is able to take that pain and that hurt and turn it into something beautiful and loving. God is good and I feel blessed beyond belief. I am thankful every day for our family and how our family came to be, but I will never forget the circumstances that brought us here. None of us were “lucky,” but God is good and intended us all for love and a family. If you would like to read this other blogger’s thoughts, you can find them here.

On another note, we have been having such fun in the sun – FINALLY! I posted these pictures on Facebook, but in case any of you aren’t on there, enjoy my beautiful boys!

The most interesting part, for me, was the gallery dedicated to Asian Pacific American Adoptees. I wasn’t aware this gallery existed until we saw it in person. It brought on a slew of emotions for me. I tried to talk with Aaron about what this gallery meant and, after asking only a few questions, he asked me to stop talking about it. I know he has thoughts, concerns, questions, emotions, but he isn’t ready to think about them out loud yet.

Adoption is so wonderful and positive as it brings a child who has lost everything into a family that wants to give them everything. We longed for Aaron and our two other kids and knew they were meant to be a part of our family as was planned out before any of us were formed. Unfortunately, this joy and happiness is born out of brokenness.

Several of the written works in this exhibit told how the adoptees felt torn between wanting an identity that reflected their birth country and how they struggled to achieve that having grown up in a white family and culture. So much is lost with adoption, and so much more with international adoption. Not only the loss of a biological family, but the land, the people, the traditions, the food, the culture, the language.

I want to try, to the best of my ability, to allow Aaron and Caleb to experience those things that make them Taiwanese. I know that I, myself, am not able to teach them what that means, but hopefully we can lead them to friends and experiences that can help establish who they are as a child of God, a child in our family, and a child of Taiwan. I’m sure we will be making more trips to the Asian Art Museum as the kids get older. Hopefully the conversations will grow as well.

This little guy gets a second wind almost every night and just busts out the moves. If there’s music on, his feet start going. This video shows him as you’ve probably never seen him before. Totally uninhibited. haha!