AAC Annual Picnic 2015

Yesterday we drove up to Berthoud for our adoption agency's annual picnic. This is the 4th time we've gone, and it is always so much fun. We always see old friends and always meet new ones! And it's always wonderful to see all the sweet little faces, especially those newly home.

I wasn't sure how Samuel would do. If we had attended this event during the first week home, it would not have gone well at all, I'm sure. But since we've been home almost a month now, I prepared him for it as best as I could, and he was fine. He ate a hamburger and had his face (and arms!) painted, and climbed a rock wall, watched balloon animals being made, made silly pictures in a photo booth, and smiled and said hi to everyone we met. He had a good time! :)

Here he is with his first painting, an elaborate spider and web!

Caylie chose a butterfly.

Justin doesn't care to have his face painted anymore, but he does like to make balloon animals!

One of the best things about the day was that we got to meet a family who had adopted from Samuel's foster home, House of Grace, in March. They had met Samuel and spent quite a bit of time with him while they were there, and I connected with them via email a couple of months ago. It is such a blessing to us that one of Samuel's former foster brothers lives here in the Denver area and uses AAC, so we are able to stay in touch with them and see them at family events.

Samuel had been told back in March that this family was from Colorado, and that he would see little Jacob again when he came to live with us. I've reminded him of that over the last couple of weeks, and he was very excited to see Jacob yesterday. He picked him right up and acted like no time had passed! I think Jacob remembered him, too, but possibly not as well, being so young. But we had a good time watching them together and talking with Jacob's parents.

We love the AAC staff. They have worked very hard for us over our two adoption processes. We are so glad that God led us to them when He called us to international adoption in 2012. This is Regina of AAC, who was the first person I ever spoke to about adoption and about Caylie. (And boy, was I clueless!)

This is Christie of AAC. She has spent a lot of time talking with us about older child adoption, which we are very grateful for. Christie met both Caylie and Samuel in China before we did. We will always be connected because of that!

And this is Nicole of AAC. She has such a heart for families and the waiting children who need them. I've said before that I've received several emails late at night and even on Thanksgiving from Nicole. She has spent a LOT of time talking me through our process for Samuel, and continues to check up on us now that we're home. When our plane landed in Denver a month ago, she was there waiting for us. (Insert a big heart here, that cannot be made in Blogger, haha!)

Samuel is very athletic and is fearless most of the time. It amazes me. When he saw this rock wall, he went right over to be strapped up, and proceeded to shimmy up the thing (in flip flops!) in about 30 seconds.