Superman Was Adopted - Shirt for Siri

Don't forget, today is your last day to order T-shirts. We'll be deleting the links tonight. With all our amazing friends and family we have sold 120 shirts!! God has really blessed us with some wonderful support, thank you all!

Meeting Siri for the first time

Hey boys! It's your Daddy.

Well, we met your baby sister for the first time this morning!! She was so cute when she arrived with her pig-tails sprouting up.

You'll be glad to know that she's a big eater just like us. She ate snacks all the way down to Bangkok from her foster family's house and was pretty sleepy and ready for a nap when she arrived.

When we first saw her we played with cups and the telephone for awhile, and she also likes playing with balls and balloons, which we tried out later on.

She REALLY liked Mommy today. After a few minutes of playing with her, she immediately sat on her lap and liked Mommy holding her.

When it was time for a bottle, she let me hold her, which lasted for about 5 minutes, then she let everyone know that she was ready to have Momma hold her again.

Like we expected, she was pretty shy at first and still doesn't seem to know how to take all of this change. Even though we've called her Siri since the time we knew we were going to get her, she doesn't really answer to that name yet.

Her nickname that was given to her by her foster mom is, Mae (pronounced, May) and she answers to that better than Siri or Sirithorn. We also found out that her given name is pronounced differently than we thought. The "h" sound is silent and is pronounced, Siritorn.

Her foster home is about an hour and a half bus ride north of Bangkok, and is called, Ayutthaya. It used to be the capital city of Thailand and has a ton of historical temples and sights. In fact, we were told that we could take a boat ride up the river to make a day trip of sightseeing with her on one of our free days after they release her to us. It looks like you can tour her town by elephant and checkout all the landmarks and the famous rice fields, that Ayutthaya is known for.

We had lunch together and she ate lots of rice and papaya. I think she actually ate so much of it that she didn't even care to eat the frosting covered cupcake that I got her for dessert....(don't worry boys, I didn't let it go to waste!)

After lunch, we spent some time back in our hotel room where Siri took a little nap.  Before she did though, we gave her the card that you boys made her with the Hello Kitty stickers.  She didn't say much, but I'm pretty sure she like it. 

Then, she napped soundly until she awoke to see some big ugly guy laying next to her.  Momma had to take her out on the balcony to console her and she quickly fell back to sleep.

 All in all, it was a perfect first meeting! Although she's still pretty unsure about me, I was still able to get her to crack a smile right before she got on the bus to head back to Ayutthaya.

Oh, and as she was leaving she did the cutest thing that I wish I had recorded on video. As her social worker spoke to her in Thai and said what I believe was "Tell mommy and daddy goodbye," she looked at us with those gorgeous dark eyes, clasped her little hands together across her chest, and nodded her head, with a traditional "wae," as they call it.

The gesture was the perfect ending to our first meeting, and seemed to be her little way of letting us know that things are going to be ok.

We love you and miss you!

 

Friday

Hi Boys -

We sure do miss you.  While you were sleeping it was our daytime.  We wandered around and explored Bangkok today.  We bought some soda, aren't the cans neat.  They are different from the ones we have.

We got to ride a tuk tuk.  It is kind of like a motorcycle car.

We went into a store that we thought sold knitted animals.  Turns out it was a yarn store.  The lady that worked there was named Poom.  She actually lived in Atlanta for two years, where aunt Nicola lives.  She let us buy one of the display animals for Siri.  Daddy also got you boys some neat Thai boxing shorts.

Guess what, they have McDonald's here in Thailand.  We didn't eat there, so I am not sure if the happy meals have toys.  We did see Ronald.  He is giving you a Wai.  This is the way people here say hello.  You put your hands together like you are praying and bow your head.  We also found a store that is like Mr. Bulky's.  Daddy got you some candy that looks like rocks.

We get to meet Siri tomorrow.  We'll be sure to send you some pics.  I bet she can't wait to meet her new PiChais (big brothers).

Well boys, you are still sleeping.  We will call you when you get up.  We love you and miss you and hope you are having a great time at Nana and Papas.

Love Mommy and Daddy!

Our Plane

Hi Boys!  Hope you had a great day.  As promised, here is a picture of our airplane.  It is huge!  It holds over 500 people.  So Daddy and I were on the plane when you went to bed last night, and we will still be on the plane when you wake up. 

We love you and miss you!

Mommy and Daddy

Day at the Zoo

Today our friend Shanna and her Dad took us on a behind the scenes tour of the Dickerson Park Zoo.  The pictures say it all, but the kids had a blast.  We started by visiting the tortoises.  The boys even got to take a ride.  Dale was a little leery, but Jack loved them.

After the tortoises, we visited the lemurs.  They were so friendly.  One gave me some little licks and I said “Looks boys, he is giving me kisses”.  Next thing I know Jack gives the Lemur a kiss and says “I love you”.  Then he says “Mommy, he gave me a kiss too!”

The next stop was the reptile house.  We got to see all of the snakes up close.  Well, most of us.  David and Jack stayed at the back of the group.  Jack was not a huge fan, which he gets from Daddy, so David was happy to oblige.  We got to see the rattlesnakes up close and hear their rattlers.

We also got to feed the giraffes and pet a 6 week old baby camel.  He was so soft and furry and he had a white spot on his nose.  He looked more like a lama than a camel, except for the hump on his back.

The grand finale was Harry the Hippo.  The kids got to fed him by tossing fruit into his large, open mouth.  He would wait till he had several, then he would swallow them whole all at once.  We got to scratch his nose.  He felt rubbery and cold and he had short, thick whiskers. 

Thanks Shanna for the best trip to the zoo ever!  The boys have been talking about it all night!

Back By Popular Demand

What!?!  You didn’t get a chance to order a shirt the first time and now you really want one but we told you we couldn’t order any more….well, it looks like we will be able to do a round two of T-shirt orders after all.  I know I have told all of you that asked that we would not be able to order a second time (because we had to meet a minimum number) but it looks like enough people are interested.  Yeah!!

Once again tabs have been added to the side of the blog.  We will be taking orders for these shirts until April 1st (ironically the first day we will meet Siri). Your shirts will be ready by time we get back. 

The cost of the shirts are $19.95.  The adult Double XL and Triple XL are a bit more, because they cost more to make.  There is no tax or shipping.

 

The shirt is available in Royal Blue, Red, Black, or a Pink.  There are two various shades of pink based on the size. Infant and Toddler shirts come in Raspberry (the darker pink) and Youth and Adult come in Heliconia (lighter pink). That is why you see two pink shirts in the samples. The shirts are 100% pre-shrunk cotton in a regular t-shirt cut.

On a side note, we are taking the boys to a rodeo this weekend and they are so excited.  David is at home with them (they are all on Spring break) and I just got some adorable photos of the boys having fun with their cowboy hats.  Dale is totally hamming it up, he is all Cowboy.  Jack is a little undecided, he is stuck somewhere between Cowboy and Army guy.  David tells me the middle, serious picture, shows their cowboys faces.  David tells me the middle, serious picture, shows their cowboys faces. Apparently you need to look pretty angry when you are riding a bull. 

Siri's Room

Siri's room is finally done!  Good thing since we leave in seven days and we need to focus on something else besides her room.  But it was so much fun!  My Mom and sister came over for a painting day and we painted the walls a pale gray, which was a much needed change from the flesh-tone color it was previously.

The crib was our only big expense.  I am not sure what I was thinking when I got rid of my crib and kept the toddler bed.  Not a smart move on my part.  But that meant I could get a white one, which went well with her room.  We found the letters on sale at Hobby Lobby.  I just love that store.

Then we accessorized with donated furniture.  The greatest thing about old furniture is that you can paint it to give it new life (and in my case it was free, thanks Mom and Ang!). 

 This old dresser came out of Mom's storage room.  I wish I took a before picture.  David did the hard part and sanded and painted all of the furniture white.    Then, I painted the drawer fronts in colors that matched the bedding.  Next, we added mismatched knobs.  Mom found the flower stickers at the dollar store.  They are meant for the wall, but they worked well to give a little color to the plain drawers.  The mirrors we bought years ago and just never found the perfect place for.  With a little paint, they matched her room perfect.

I love the framed print on the wall.  A friend of mine, Jessica, made up prints for her nursery and had a few extra.  She also made Korean alphabet posters.  She sells them for $13 in her Etsy store, Simple Culture. 

The smaller dresser was a little red dresser my sister gave me years ago.  We used it in the boys' room, but when we moved them to the same room, they had too much furniture.  So, we thought it would go perfect in Siri's room, with a little paint of course.

I also did a tree mural on the wall.  It was inspired by a tree I saw on rate my space.  Two of the limbs have shelves, so you can add little knick-knacks.  Honestly, the tree almost ruined me for painting.  I never imagined how hard it would be to paint a straight line on a wall with orange peel.  Finally, I gave in and decided, “It’s a tree!  It's alright if it's a little (okay, a lot) wavy.”

We intentionally left the wall above this dresser blank.  We hope to frame a cool picture of Siri's foster home or something else from Thailand.

The boys gladly went through their books to pick some out for Siri's bookshelf.  And I know it doesn't match, but I had to get my Curious George carving on the wall.  When we were living in Honduras we lived near an artist named, Miguel Angel, and he carved the plaque for us.  But since the boys' rooms have been sports since day one, I never got a chance to put it anywhere. 

Once I hung the picture, Jack went and got his Curious George Jack-In-The-Box.  It is so cute to see the boys pull stuff out of their rooms to put in hers.  They sure are ready for their little sister!

 

T-Shirts have arrived

The t-shirts have arrived and they look great.  Aren't those some good looking shirt models!

We have them all labeled and packaged up, so be on the lookout.  Thank you all for your orders.  We feel so blessed to have so many supportive family and friends!

Parents, be forewarned, these shirts will cause your children to turn into superheroes!  Once they put their shirts on the boys flew to get capes (kitchen towels) and were hot in pursuit of bad guys. 

Then Dale asked if he could please wear his shirt till Siri comes home.  I think they like them. 

By the way, if you are adopting and looking for a fundraiser to help with the cost, feel free to e-mail Mary Leigh at mary_leigh@comcast.net.  She was wonderful to work with and I hear she is now selling bumper stickers also!



More Pictures

Here are a few more pictures of Siri for your veiwing pleasure...



Doesn't she have an ornery grin? 



I just love that side pony tail!

What a smile!

 - Danyel Anderson

What a day!!

So, we had an eventful day.  Due to some issues in Thailand, our court date has been moved up to April 5th.  This means we will be flying out on the 30th of March and returning home on the 13th of April.  Yep, you read that right.  We will be going to get our daughter in 29 days!!! 

So, while my head is swimming with the details, like work coverage, plane tickets and such...we get this....

An update on our little girl.  This picture was taken when she was 13 months old.  She is wearing the butterfly shirt we sent.  The report says she walks and runs, is very active, and talks a lot.

Who cares that her room isn't done!!  Packing list, schedules, tickets, all of that, just disappeared when I saw these pictures.  29 days!!  Can you tell I am excited!!

Danyel