Sweet Sweet Slumber

I was finally able to sleep most of the night last night, how nice it was not to be up for 22 hours out of the day. It wasn't the most restful sleep I had ever had as I did toss and turn quite a bit, but there were no awake periods for hours on end. I was still extremely tired when the boys woke up at 6:30 AM our time (we are in Boise which is an hour ahead) and my eyes were still burning and bloodshot but it did feel good. Hopefully we will get back on track here over the next few days. I had to really fight sleeping this lazy snowy afternoon, which would have been perfect for a nice cozy nap, but I knew it would only make things worse so I was able to keep my eyes open (barely) in hopes that tonight will be even better sleep.

We also celebrated Lance's 40th birthday! Although it wasn't the way he had hoped for I am sure. We took the boys out to Best Buy to try and find Lance a birthday gift (as I was planning all year on sending him to Fantasy Camp). For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a week long camp in Arizona with old retired pro-baseball players of your favorite team. Lance had planned for the last 5 years, in fact, has been talking it about for longer than that! But, our newest addition had not only depleted our funds, but by the time he needed to sign up for it we did not yet have a firm date for us to go pick him up and we were worried that it might be the same time, so he had to postpone his plans until next year hopefully. Although, next year (2011) is also our 20th anniversary and I was hoping to go somewhere exotic so we will see. More than likely my exotic anniversary trip will be to Arizona to watch Lance at Fantasy Camp (is that true love or what?). Well, I hope he had a nice day anyways (amid the boys bickering). At least he got to go to the all-you-can-eat Brazilian Grill where you can stuff yourself silly with grilled meat! Isn't that every man's second choice for a present?

Here is a nice clip of Jack and RJ singing his birthday song. I got some cute pictures too, but camera seems to have crashed, hopefully a quick charge will revive it and I can post some more pics tomorrow. Have a nice night all!

Trey's First Snow

Although the fresh snow put a damper on our plans (we had planned to travel to Boise to see my family today but due to road conditions between here and there we decided against it), it was fun to let the boys get all dressed up in their snow clothes and go sledding with their new sleds they got from Grandma for Christmas. It was also an opportunity for Trey to see the snow for the very first time. He seemed somewhat confused about it at first, but the confusion didn't last long and he enjoyed attempting to go down the sled just like his brothers. Wasn't too successful, however, and without any good gloves that fit him, the time in the snow was short lived. When he started looking at his hands and crying, I knew it was time to go back inside. His poor little Thai skin doesn't seem to handle this cool dry air very well even indoors so I knew our time outdoors would be short, but it was fun while it lasted.

Here is a look at his first impression of the snow.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. I slept a total of only 2 hours last night, from the hours of 4AM-6AM which gave me a lasting headache and ill feeling to my stomach most of the day. I made myself keep busy and awake by taking down all the Christmas decorations which was needed as well. My hopes are that I will be able to sleep tonight, but only time will tell. It sure does seem to make the days long when you are only sleeping a few hours of them. At this rate, the rest of my maternity leave will feel like it lasted a year! Not a recommended method however. I guess most new moms are up with their crying babies during this time and maybe this is my body's way of getting to experience all the "joys" of new motherhood, as Trey, unlike Jack, has been sleeping all through the night with only the first day or two with minimal interruptions. Which is much much better that I had expected.

Well, we will try to head for Boise one more time tomorrow, so pray for good weather and safe travels, thanks!

Insomniacs Unite!

Here are a few more pictures from Thailand. This is Trey sitting at his foster family's house.

Here are the boys posing at the foster family's house

Here is a picture of the Clegg Family, Allayne, Barry, Lincoln and Maggie. They are living in Bangkok right now for Barry's job with Black and Veatch and have been there for a year and a half with another year and a half to go it sounds like. We went to college with them at MidAmerica Nazarene University and it was so nice to see them again and reunite as well as catch up. I am amazed that it took us going half way around the world to do it when we were all living in the Kansas City Area for at least 10 years! Thank you Facebook for putting us in touch!

Well, it seems like I am the only one who is still having trouble sleeping. All my boys are back on track, but I cannot seem to sleep more than 4 to 6 hours at a time. Last night I fell asleep at 11PM and awoke with Jack telling me he had a bad dream at 2AM. I took him back to bed and then proceeded to lay there for 2 1/2 hours before I finally decided to just get up at 4:30AM and go exercise. Although it was nice to have a full 2 1/2 hours to myself to exercise and stretch as well as shower, I have had a headache and felt sick all day! I need more than 3 hours of sleep at night! I am getting very grouchy (just ask Lance as I am sure he will be happy to tell you all about it). I am not sure if this is still jet lag or just the fact that I am at home all day, not busy running around the hospital at 30 miles per hour so I am not exhausting myself enough??? Whatever the cause, it sucks, and I have new empathy for all those insomniacs out there. I am too stubborn to take a sleeping pill as I do not want to start down that path, as I am afraid that once I do, I might not get off of it! I may cave and call myself in some ambien however, if it persists much longer.

Had a very uneventful day around here, boys ran around playing with all of their new toys, went to Fred Meyer's and Target so the boys could buy MORE toys with the money and gift cards they received (as if having a huge boxful of new toys, some of which are still unwrapped) isn't enough! Although they did have fun looking up and down the isle of all the toys and deciding what they wanted (so thanks GG and Aunt Connie!). Came home and played some more until we were to tired and now have fallen quickly asleep. I am hoping they will all stay that way and not come in my room and wake me up if I am asleep (and we steered our prayers tonight that way in hopes they would get the hint!). Trey was a little clingy today, don't know if he was having a bad day or if he just didn't feel as well (he has developed a stuffy nose and cough).

Hope any readers we still have out there have a nice quiet and restful night, if you don't look me up on FB as I might just show up on your little chat line if I am unable to sleep again, as I refuse to lay in bed for another 2.5 hours tonight (although I did come up with a lot of good ideas for new recipes, things to do at work when I return, and new year's resolutions!). Good night!

Merry Christmas!

OK, I will have to type my blog in reverse because all the pictures downloaded in the reverse order of the way I wanted them, and I am too dumb to figure out how to move them (I have tried many different ways but there is no cut and paste option!) Here is Jamelyn and her husband, Rich. Lance's mother and step father. She was so nice to come early this morning (so the boys could get to their presents) and stay throughout the day. She brought all the food and cooked most all of the dinner, and then cleaned the dishes too! I felt more than a little guilty but it was nice not to have to worry about cooking and cleaning and got to spend most all day putting together and then playing with the boys and their new toys. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful Mother-in Law! Love you Jamelyn!



Here is Trey enjoying some time with Grandma after dessert. He wasn't too sure about the pies, but he did really like the whip cream and meringue! This picture is obviously after he got cleaned up.

The boys are pictured here right before we started to open the presents, all bright eyed and bushy tailed! They actually slept in until 7:30 AM (if you don't count Jack climbing into bed with me at 4AM). They waited patiently for Grandma, Grandpa and GG (Great Grandma) to arrive at 8:15 and get some breakfast. Around 9:30 they could wait no more so we headed down to the basement to finally open the presents.

And were there a lot of presents! Wow! I actually felt guilty and the thought crossed my mind more than once how truly blessed I am. The Lord has been so good to me and my family. It was through Him that we were led to adopt these 3 little boys and without them my life would not be complete, so thank you Lord for allowing the Precious Savior to be born today, and for allowing me, such a rotten sinner, to be saved and blessed beyond compare!!

Trey did seem to be a bit overwhelmed by it all, and I think he would have been content with just one present, however, it gave the other boys a chance to open even more presents so they were all happy!

This bath was actually much needed by all (as I am sure you will see in the following clips) after a rowdy session of cookie decorating. Leave it to little boys to get wild and messy with a little project like decorating cookies! We ended up with some masterpieces however, and they were all very yummy. We even had a few left over after all our "mess ups" were eaten. The boys showed Trey how to sing in the bath tub (as well as splash and get water all over!) We weren't sure what he was singing but it did sound a little bit like Rubber Ducky You're the One. (I wonder if they had Mr. Rogers reruns in Thailand?)

Trey decorating Christmas cookies (ended up only decorating himself!) The other boys weren't quite as messy luckily. He ended up with it all over his entire face and all in his hair! I had no idea he knew how to get the caps off the tiny bottles of sprinkles. This kid cannot do anything, I mean anything, without making a huge mess. RJ and Jack were never quite as busy as this little guy. It is no wonder he is so skinny, he is in constant motion and into everything, including toilets! The following is a little clip of his decorating session. I don't think the camera truly captures the amount of sprinkles he had all over his face and in his hair! The bath water afterwards was literally dark blue!

Well, I hope you all had as nice and as blessed a Christmas Holiday as we did. May we never forget the reason for this holiday is the blessed birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ the King!

Another Sleepless Night

Lance got the scanned picture of the boys with Santa available to me, so here it is.

Well, it seems everyone is back on track as far as their sleeping patterns go except Jack. I guess that should not really be a big surprise. He has never been a very good sleeper. In fact, my main concern (after the long flight there and back) with Trey, was that he was going to have the same sleeping problems that Jack did. Lance and I did not have a full night's sleep for at least a year and a half after we got Jack. He was always waking up and crying for one reason or another. It wasn't until we stuck him in with his older brother RJ (as opposed to having his own room) that they finally subsided. That was the main reason we decided to stick Trey in with his brothers from night one. In Thailand, for the most part the whole family usually sleeps in the same room. Sometimes the parents have a separate room but RJ, Jack and now Trey's family did not. Therefore, they learned from an early age that there was always someone there when they woke up, and I think when they don't, it was very disturbing to them. So, despite the fact that we have 2 other separate rooms, all 3 boys are now sleeping in the same room for now.

Last night, I didn't hear a peep out of anyone except Jack. He came into my room and got me up to go get him a drink of water. Then 45 minutes later he came back again and said he was scared (that his is new way of getting all sort of attention) and crawled up into my bed where he continued to tell me all about various parts of various movies for the next two hours! I was too tired to go put him back in his room. Lance didn't even know he was there until he woke up with him there this morning. I am hoping not to repeat it tonight!

This morning, I did wake up around 7AM before everyone got up so that I could finally get some exercise and start to get my schedule back on track (despite the 3 hours I was up last night) and went in to check on RJ and Trey one more time, but Trey wasn't in his bed. I looked in Jack's bed, in our room and still could not find him. I started to panic and look all over the house, waking up Lance to do the same. Lance finally found him in the top bunk, under the covers with RJ sound asleep (didn't even think to look there!). Sometime last night he must have crawled up there and climbed in with RJ. That makes me more than a little nervous though, what if he had tried to crawl back out and fell and broke his neck?! I am beginning to understand why his foster family tied those little bells around his ankle and also tied him to his bed at night with a sheet around his ankle. That little booger is always running around or hiding. He is in constant motion until he gets too tired, and even then he refuses to lay down and usually falls asleep sitting up until he can no longer hold up his little head! I do not remember RJ or Jack being quite this busy, although I may have forgotten. I mean you literally cannot take your eyes off of him for a second or he is into something he shouldn't be. He is a constant mess too. I have never seen a child drool so much or have his hands in his mouth constantly so that everything he touches gets slimy and sticky. Oh well, such is the fun of a toddler! Especially one who is discovering a totally new world.

Stay tuned! I am sure Christmas Eve with baking and decorating cookies for Santa as well as trying to watch the Polar Express and read the Night Before Christmas should be interesting with Trey around!

Trip to see Santa

Today our big outing was actually getting dressed in real clothes (as opposed to staying in our pajamas and sweats), combing my hair and even putting on some make-up! All this for a quick trip to see Santa. RJ and Jack seemed to be really excited, and though Trey was excited just to come along, he didn't really have any idea who this weird looking man was in a red coat and with a scruffy beard. The picture I got wasn't as good as the one we bought from the shop (for a measly $32.95!), but I wasn't smart enough how to figure out how to scan it onto my computer so this will have to do. Both Jack and RJ were smiling pretty for the camera and Trey had the same scared, bewildered look on his face, but he didn't cry, which I thought was a major accomplishment.




We ran a few other errands, but even two hours out in the sun and 45 degree temperatures did a lot to cure some of my seasonal affective disorder (since there hasn't been any real sunshine since we got back). In fact, 2 hours of errands going to 3 different stores with 3 kids was enough to wear me out so that I needed another 2 hour nap to recover. The jet lag seems to be still wearing on, the boys did better last night, RJ was up only about an hour from 1:30-2:30. Jack slept until 5AM and then quickly back to sleep. It was Lance and I who once again awoke at 3:30AM and couldn't go back to sleep until 5:30AM (although Lance just finally gave up and got up out of bed suprisingly). That is what I should have done, then I would have had time to exercise and get back on my schedule. That is my plan for tomorrow, make myself get out of bed by 6:30 am (sleeping in when compared to my regular wake up call at 5:15 every morning), get some exercise and not take any naps and I am hoping that will allow me to finally be able to sleep all night.

I have to find some time tomorrow to go by myself (watch out as this is a spoiler for all those who still believe in Santa!) or with Trey to get Santa gifts for Trey, stocking stuffers and wrapping paper. After that however, I am planning on staying inside and away from the stores and mall until after Christmas and am looking forward to it plus doing some more holiday baking (although my waistline does not need any more, as I sit here and eat a other peice of pound cake). I need to come up with some ideas for things for little boys to do indoors that doesn't involve watching TV or playing video games, so if any of you have any ideas, let me know! Thanks for still reading!

Jet Lag Hangs On

Trey's first smile (day #3)

Group picture of Trey's foster family and us (minus RJ who refused, talk about embarassing!)

RJ and Trey at both of their foster family's home (they were the same family) before RJ's meltdown

RJ in front of a laying Buddha at the Ancient Ctiy

RJ and Jack hat shopping at a local market

(below)

I can't remember, but how long does the jet lag last? The boys have been up from 12AM until around 3:30AM or $ AM ever since we got back (minus the first night, which I think was just pure exhaustion on every one's part). When they don't sleep, neither do Lance or I. Lance has been good at taking the first part of the shift, and then I usually pick it up around 2AM. Good thing I am not working as that afternoon nap seems to get me by. I have not however, been able to get up and exercise like I normally do which is furthering my exhaustion. Exercise is my form of coffee and stress relief and I am missing it greatly. Hopefully, tonight will be the night. We mad the boys (and ourselves) pry our eyes open at 8AM and then take afternoons naps in hopes that letting them stay up until 10:30PM may help get them back on track, let's pray it heps for all of our sanity!

Trey seems to be doing remarkably well when it comes to his adjustment. He seems to have made it quite quickly and does very well except when we try to leave the house. When we get ready he starts crying and won't stop until he is in the car. I think he is afraid we are going to leave him, which just about breaks your heart. It is such an awful thing to think that he is already feeling some form of abandonment and that we were the cause! Since we ripped him from the only family he has ever known I can certainly understand his fears. If I hadn't been through this 2 other times before and know that it will fade with time I would be feeling extremely guilty right about now (and I did with RJ). I have to just keep reminding myself how much better off he will be here in America with us than he would have been in Thailand and that seems to comfort some of my guilt. Even then, it sometimes isn't enough, as I know that the only real thing that a child needs is love and he had plenty of that where he was living luckily.

About the only real things we did the last two days were to go to Wal-Mart for food and supplies, and then to Target to get some clothes for the little guy. He is so little I didn't have any 18 month clothes for him and only had 2T's which he seems to drown in. I can't imagine how he stays so tiny as that little guy eats all day long! We haven't seen any signs of the breathing problems or cough that the foster family had said he had quite frequently. In fact, they had him in the hospital for several days last winter with respiratory issues. As far as I could get in the translation it sounds like he had to go for breathing treatments and was possibly diagnosed with asthma, although the foster family did not have to administer any regular medications. They also reported that if he ate or drank too much he would get sick, like I said, we have seen no problems since his arrival here in the states. I suspect he had some sort of allergy to the immense air pollution, coupled with the fact that he was surrounded by construction dust 24/7 certainly didn't help.

Well, stay tuned, I am sure with our big outing to see Santa at the mall and get pictures will be packed full of adventurous tales to tell (not!).

Jetlag

Wow! I had forgotten how much traveling all over the world catches up with you. By the time Lance and I made it to bed at around 9:30PM last night, we both had been up for over 36 hours. The boys were able to sleep on the plane, we were not so lucky. I think maybe I caught an hour nap from Portland to SLC but Lance couldn't sleep at all. I am not sure how I ever was able to get through my residency and do 36 hour shifts every other night during the ICU rotations, because I felt rotten by the time I layed down for bed (I guess that is what 10 years does for you!). We all slept until noon today, although even then, I have still felt wiped out all day, and in fact, have not gotten out of my pajamas! We are living on scraps we had left in the cupboard and freezer so I guess I will have to get my butt out of bed and to the store early tomorrow morning.

The plane trip was once again interesting. We checked in at 0330 hours only to have them tell us that because Trey was now 2 years old (he turned two on 12/18 so had only been two for 3 hours) that we had to buy a one way ticket for 72,000 baht (the equivalent of $2000!). After we agreed (as really, what choice did we have?), then they had a hard time finding him a seat on all our planes, and in fact, we left Bangkok not even having a seat for him for the last leg of our flight, SLC to Pasco. Luckily, all went smoothly and even though the Tokyo to Portland leg seemed like an eternity (when in fact it was only 9 hours which was shorter than our 14 hours flight from San Fran to Taipei) we all ended up with seats somewhat together, all safe and sound and on time into Pasco at 5:30pm on the same day we left 12/18. Trey got to celebrate his second birthday for two days, although I am not sure he enjoyed his present (an airplane seat) too well. We did go ahead and make him birthday cupcakes and sing the birthday song, although am pretty sure he had no idea what we were saying or doing. Here is a little clip of his birthday celebration, first us decorating the cupcakes, and the second us singing him the birthday song, you will see Lance's hand in front of his face as all he wanted to do was blow out the candle (he had obviously done that before).

Well, my hopes that are I get my camera pictures uploaded to the computer tomorrow so that I can share some of the cute shotes I got while in Thailand of all the boys, but that would require us getting out of bed before noon, so we will see :) Take care and thank you for all the prayers, so far I would call Trey's adjustment a success, however, I know it is a bit soon to be making that statement. The only one who seems to be having difficulty is not Trey, but Jack. Knowing Jack and how happy and friendly he is, I am sure he will come around soon, but then again jealousy is sometimes a tough emotion to get over. I am trying to make sure he gets some extra special attention right now, but not sure I am doing that great of a job, especially today in my fatigue I may have been a little short with them all. Trey seems to be adjusting to me now, and sometimes even prefers me over Lance, but I am sure the moment Grandma comes around again I will take second fiddle, as he got really attached to both the grandmother's on the flight home. Thanks again for reading and stay tuned.....

Our Last Day in Bangkok

Yeah!! We got Trey's visa today as planned and should leave for the airport early tomorrow morning (at 3AM!!!). We had a fun and busy last day. Lance, Trey and I got up early and took the train to the US Embassy, where we sat around for 2 hours waiting for our name to be called. We had an appointment at 8AM and were finally called at 10:30AM for our application (sounds about right for our government, and they want to run our health care?? NO THANKS!!).

We then picked up the boys and the rest of the family (Lance's mother, Jamelynn, and both my parents have been travelling with us) and headed back to the Siam Center where we fed the boys and then went to the Aquarium. The older generation were not interested in the fish so it was just Lance, me and my "boyz". We had a really nice time and Trey absolutely loved all the fish. He was running around the Aquarium shouting things in Thai. I am not sure what he said but it sounded as if he was having a great time. I wasn't able to get any really good camera or flip shots, not only did he move too fast, but it was quite dark in there. Lance then had to go with Trey to pick up the visa so RJ, Jack and myself stayed a little longer. They played in the little playground and then we all took off our shoes for a "fish massage". We placed our feet into this small little pool where there were literally thousands of small fish that looked like minnows. The fish then would "eat" your feet and it felt as if someone were tickling the bottoms and sides of your feet. I am not sure how to describe the feeling but it definitely tickled and the boys and I were literally laughing out loud (and with the boys I mean out LOUD). We were definitely the loudest group in there but they were having such a great time and have been such good boys the whole trip that I did not discourage them, and in fact, I joined them! We then picked up Grandma Duddles and went to see a 4-D movie. We weren't sure what the 4th dimension was until we got into the theater. It was that the seat was interactive and it moved, vibrated, blew air and even a fine mist at us in tune with the movie. I thought it was pretty neat but the boys were both a little scared (even though the film only involved Santa and a snowman!) I think it was the small theater, the dark, and how loud it was that startled them.

I then dropped off the boys back at the hotel with Lance and Trey and my father and I went and got a 1 hour foot massage that was heavenly. In fact I have had a few of those since I have been here, and my father has had some form of massage every day we have been here. In fact, today he had a full body massage and then went back for the foot massage with me! It is so cheap here, around 7-8$ American money for a full hour! Wish we could get it that cheap in the states.

After a long dinner (all the boys were extremely tired and a bit cranky) we came home, bathed and went to bed (where I am headed as soon as I am done) since we have to get up in less than 6 hours I am hoping they all make the most out of their rest.

The cameras are packed so I will post more videos and pictures when we get home and unpacked. We can still use all your prayers for a safe and on-time trip home!!

It's Official!

Trey is officially ours. I would say that he is officially a Beeson, and in our eyes he was from day #1, however, that process will take another 6 months and probably another $5000, but in the eyes of Thailand he is officially ours. We all got up early, put on our Sunday best (Thailand style) and hurried up to wait. We had to go to the Adoption Center of Thailand, which once again because of this crazy traffic here took us over an hour to get less than 10 miles (not sure exactly as one corner looks like all the others to me but I know it wasn't very far). We then arrived and waited about 2 hours in 90 degree heat and 90% humidity and only one small fan for the whole room. Our name was finally called so we went in to sit in front of Thailand's Adoption Committee, where they asked us about two minutes of questions, we then had to leave the air conditioned room and wait for another 30-45 minutes to get the official paper. We finally got it and he became officially ours. All that was a small price to pay for such a great reward and we really had it easy compared to some of the other couples who used a different adoption agency. We met another couple who still had to go to the hospital where they had to have all their son's legal documents translated, a process that I am sure was going to take them all day in a small crowded hospital with likely no air conditioning. That is where our adoption agency comes in tops. We have heard horror stories about poor couples having to have longer waits than ours, then having to do all sorts of other things that our adoption agency takes care of for us, so we are very grateful for their such hard work, even as much as it sounds sometimes like I am complaining when in reality it is only a reflection of my own impatience (a trait I am trying to work on!). Here is a short video clip of Trey at the adoption committee waiting room, he is still very attached to Lance and will not leave his side, I think this clip is cute because it shows how stuck on Lance he truly is, if Lance walks, he follows, if Lance stops, he stops and he constantly wants Lance to hold him or at least hold his hand and I think it is really cute! (Even though I am still a little jealous since he seems almost repulsed by my touch yet. It is a good thing that we have been through this before and I know that things will get much better and he will come to want my touch and hugs soon. Now I know how Lance must have felt the first two times around, although I think it is a little tougher being the mommy and feeling a little left out!)

After we returned home, Trey was revitalized after his nap in the van on the way home. He had a grand time with RJ and Jack in the hotel room. They teased each other, they played ball, they turned the TV and lights on and off and he really let loose and started even laughing and smiling, which was the first time since we took possession of him. What a welcome site that was! He has been such a quiet and solemn looking fellow so far! Those antics must have worn him out as he and his daddy took a little nap then we headed off as a family to the local shopping center again. Took the train, stopped in the toy store to buy the boys a little something for being such good kids (and I have been so impressed with RJ and Jack's behavior, they have really been great kids and so well behaved, I was actually dreading this trip with them coming because I thought they would make for so much extra work but they haven't at all!) then headed back down to the food court again. We have eaten there at least 3 nights but this place is the largest food court I have ever seen and you have so much selection, from KFC and BK to real authentic Thai, Chinese and Indian food. Everything I have tried has been fabulous and I am dreading going home and stepping on that scale because I have eaten so much and exercised so little! (sorry Pam! my trainer).

As soon as we returned home it was baths and bed and all the boys are sleeping soundly right now. I suppose I should do the same while I can as I am sure Trey will wake up tonight and once again get up at 5:30 AM. We have a long morning ahead waiting to apply for Trey's visa. Pray that it gets completed tomorrow as we have plane tickets to leave Friday AM at 0530 hrs and if we don't get his visa done we will once again have to change our tickets, eat the extra cost and stay around Bangkok for several more days (and as much as I love the warm weather, I am ready to get home away from all these millions of people and smog!).

Here is a clip of Trey eating his dessert. Not sure if this was his first ice cream cone or not but he did look perplexed on what he was to do with it, but after watching his brothers he quickly figured it out!

Our first whole day together

Today was the day when we got to keep Trey in our possession, from now and for the rest of our lives. They dropped him off this morning around 10:30AM. While I got all the instructions, Lance took him for a little tour of the hotel lobby. Whatever he did, it really seemed to work, as Trey has wanted nothing but Lance (or daddy) since. Even when we loaded the social worker's van, he sat contentedly on Lance's lap. Surprisingly, when we arrived at Jack's previous foster family's home, he even stayed with Lance as opposed to running straight for the social worker, which I felt was a great break-through.

We got to go see Jack's foster family. They were so excited to see him, but unfortunately Jack did not seem to share any of their excitement. He seemed very scared that we were going to leave him there, even after all this time, and wouldn't hardly look at them or leve my side or his Grandma's side. Just before we left we were able to get him to pose for a few pictures (as long as I stood right by him) which I'll post once I get home and have the correct camera cables.

After we got back to the hotel after our trip, Trey seemed fairly content, as long as Lance was around. He even played a little play-do with Jack (although dad had to be very close by).

For the evening meal we took a very short train ride to another upscale mall (for as much poverty as they have here it amazes me that every mall we seem to go to has all upscale stores such as Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Hermes, etc) where we had dinner at a Mexican Restaurant (we actually needed a break from the Thai cuisine if you can believe that, with 3 meals a day of Thai food it does seem to get a little old, despite how good it is!). Trey still stuck to Lance like glue and would not let anyone else hold him except for my dad, grandpa, for a brief time. I am a little jealous but I remember that it was just the opposite with RJ and Jack (who were both much heavier than him despite Jack's young age!) so I don't feel too bad. Actually, it is a little bit of a relief to not have a young one tied to your hip and allows me to pay some extra attention to Jack and RJ so they don't feel as left out. It also so far has saved my neck and back and arms a lot of pain!

Tomorrow we go before the Thai Adoption Committee to get the final approval. It really is just a formality but it feels good to get that done and be over that and know that when you leave there Trey will be "officially" ours. Will keep you updated, thanks for reading!

Shopping Spree

We got to see Trey again today, although we did not get to spend as much time as we would have liked. We got to take Trey to a local store and buy him anything that we thought we might need that we didn't already have. After two other boys, we had most things luckily, as he wasn't too happy to have to be shopping with us. About the only thing we needed were shoes. He definitely did not like us taking off his shoes and screamed the whole time, needless to say, we bought the first pair we tried on because they seemed to fit and the only thing that would stop his screaming was placing his old shoes back on. Let's hope they actually fit when it is time to make the switch!

We then got to eat lunch with them again, this time he fed himself and did not want anything to do with my helping him out. He did seem content to have me hold him during most of our shopping spree, but the minute his social worker returns, he does not want anything to do with me, and since his social worker was there for lunch anything I tried to do for him didn't make him happy.

We then got to take Trey back to our hotel room without the social worker present. He wasn't at all happy. He kept walking to the door and pounding on it with his hands. he was grabbing my shirt and pulling me toward the door. It was nice to know that he is able to express himself and communicate with me, although it was hard to see him so sad. This is the third time however, that we have been through it so it does make it easier for us to know that just 2 weeks from now he will be content to stay with us. The first time we went through it it almost broke my heart to see RJ walking to the door, pounding on it and screaming "ba-ba" (his name for his foster mother) over and over and at the time I wasn't sure we were doing the right thing by ripping him from the only family he had ever known. Being the third time and knowing how things will all turn out makes it so much easier for me, if not for Trey.

This evening we got to meet up with some old college friends who happen to be living her in Thailand. Barry and Allayne Clegg and there two beautiful children met us for dinner tonight at a wonderful Thai restaraunt. I ate so much tonight I am almost certain I gained 2 pounds (especially since I have been taking a break from my regular exercise routine since I have been here). It was so nice to see them again and catch up on all their adventures here in Thailand.

Well, tomorrow is the big day, he comes to us at 10:30AM and will be ours forever. Stay tuned, as I know there will be tough times ahead. I am going to go to bed and enjoy my last night of uninterrupted sleep for what will likely be several months from now.

Our First Meeting

After over 13 months of waiting we finally got to meet the latest addition to our family, Trey Teepop Beeson (formerly know as Teepop Buadepresert). We initially found out about him last November of 2008 when we got a call out of the blue from Holt Adoption Agency (the agency that had handled our two previous son's adoptions) saying that they had just found out that RJ's (my eldest son) mother had given birth to another baby and were wondering if we wanted to adopt again. After I got over my initial shock, I started to get excited, as I had felt the Lord was preparing my heart to the possibility of going back for a little girl just before we had gotten the call. At the risk of sounding like a horrible person, you can imagine I was quite dissapointed when I was told it was another little boy. My disappointment quickly faded, and I began to get excited about the possibility of adopting another child into our home. Lance however, did not initially share my same excitement but we decided to have them send us the information about the child for our review. It took us many hours of prayer and discussion with friends and family before we decided how to proceed. In the end, we felt that the miracles that had to occur for this little child to even find us were all just a sign from the Lord that he was meant to be part of our family. I had further reassurance from the social worker today who actually told me that they (meaning the Thai Holt Adoption agency) were not even sure that they should even tell us about Trey since we already had our hands full with two other boys. I mean think about this, Bangkok is a town of over 10 million people and the fact that Trey's mother happened to give birth at the same hospital where RJ had been born, and that someone happened to recognize her and know that she had given up her previous child for adoption, and that that particular person happened to notify Holt (a very samll adoption agency in this huge country and city), and Holt finally decided to notify us, could only have been divine intervention and I tear up everytime I think about how many hurdles this little boy had to overcome just to meet in my arms today! God is so good!

I will post a couple of videos of our first meeting below. As his brothers before him, he was not too excited about the idea of having all of us around him most of the day. He didn't start out crying but just staring at us like, "what in the world is going on and who are all these funny looking people?" He only cried when either Lance or I touched or held him. He was able to get over his shock however, and eat a good lunch with us and his social workers around. He even let me feed him for a while, then he decided that eating his little blanket was much more fun. After lunch we wnet up to our hotel room for an hour, chaperoned by his social worker. He seemed to really enjoy throwing the ball and having RJ go chase it down for him.

We then had the pleasure of going to meet his foster family, who happened to be the same foster family as RJ's, yet another "coincidence", out of hundreds maybe thousands of foster families around the Bangkok area. Once in his home enviroment he became a more happy and playful child and it was nice to see and exchange gifts with RJ and Trey's foster family, who were more than gracious to give us drinks and presents even though I know that just taking care of Trey for the past two years has likely been a financial burden upon them (the foster family system is all voluntary here, they do not get paid like they do in the US). I really felt that no gift I could give them would be adequate and left there feeling almost ashamed and guilty of all that I have at home, as it seems like so much and all so unecessary, as all I really need are my four "boys", Lance, RJ, Jack and now Trey to be truly blessed and happy.

Well, so sorry for all the sappy rhetoric, but it really is humbling being halfway across the world and being witness to the true generosity of the human spirit. I will forever be grateful to the Poontip family for taking such good care of first RJ and now Trey, as well as to their birth mother who made the ultimate scarifice of giving up her children so that they could have a better life, and although she didn't know it at the time, so that I could have the wonderous joy of being their mother! Stay tuned, we have many adventures (although may not be truly exciting adventures) still to come.

Day 3

The last 2 days have been good. Still 85 degrees and 90% humidity but am getting used to it, and since I heard it was snowing in Kennewick, WA I enjoyed laying out by the pool in the sun for 30 minutes today even more! The boys had fun playing in the pool, and although it was a little cold for my taste, they didn't seem to mind at all. I am looking forward to the day when they are all strong enough swimmers that I can just sit by the pool and watch instead of having to get in.

Yesterday we took the boys to the zoo. It was quite an experience getting there with our 2 child stroller in such little cabs with no trunk space. Although I know it isn't as good for the animals, the cages were much smaller than we are used to and the animals were very close so the kids really enjoyed it. I am going to try and put some video of it down below (this is an experiment and hopefully will be successful so that I can post some of our first view of Trey tomorrow).

Then, my parents, myself and my mother-in-law went to an international buffet with a traditional Thai Theater production. I think I had a bite of about every thing they served. I got to try some new exotic foods that I had never heard of, and while I can't say I enjoyed them all, I did enjoy the majority of them, even if I couldn't pronounce them. The show was really neat as well, such beautiful costumes and dancing, although I don't think there was a spoken word, just music and sound effects. It was enjoyable, so much so that my mother-in-law fell asleep! Some of us are still suffering from jet lag, especially after a good meal and then when sitting in comfortable chairs in a nice cool dark room!

Today we got to experience the weekend market. It boasts to be the one of the largest markets in the world with over 15,000 vendors and over 200,000 people every weekend visiting it. It was an interesting mix of old vintage clothing (we even saw an old Baker University T-shirt!) to different animals, homemade crafts and traditional souvenirs as well as plenty of knock-offs. I bought a Gucci watch knock off for 18 American dollars. Doubt it lasts very long but thought it worth the try. I am constantly amazed at how many people there are wherever you go and every time you get on the train no matter what time of day it is always full! I do not know how people can live like this everyday of their lives, it would drive me crazy!!

Thanks again for reading, tomorrow is our big day, we get to meet Trey finally! These first two days are always so hard you wish they would just let you keep him because once they are in your arms it is so hard to give them back even though you know it is for the easiest transition for them.

Day 2

First a correction on yesterday's blog, it took us 30 HOURS not minutes to get here, thanks for pointing that out Diaz! Sleep deprivation does funny things to my poor typing skills.

Well, another day down. We are enjoying the 85-90 degree temps but the 90% humidity is a good reminder to me as to why I do not miss the Midwest, whew! We took the boys to the ancient city here in Bangkok, a neat place where they have a bunch of old relics and houses on a huge area of land. It would have been fun to read about all the temples, ruins and houses but with 2 little boys we were on the go quickly so didn't get to learn much about the history. Thanks Allayne for the nice recommendation, the boys did have a great time.

Still no pictures, like I mentioned earlier forgot my cables to connect my camera to the computer and today I forgot to take the Flip! Am hoping my memory improves as my sleep gets caught up.

Boys are tired and ready for bed so will sign off. Not sure what we will do tomorrow (I can't believe Lance didn't have a day to day, hour by hour itinerary of our whole trip!) but hopefully I remember the camera and have some nice video to post tomorrow. Our first sign of Trey won't be until Sunday but I am sure that will be here before you know it!

Thanks for reading!

We Made it!

Well, it was once again a long trip to get here. It still took us 30 minutes from the gate in Pasco, WA to the gate here at Bangkok so it didn't save us any time leaving closer to the pacific ocean as I thought it would. Oh well, we are thankful to be here, after getting over an hour and a half delay on the FIRST plane, then getting our plane seat reservations "lost" on the San Francisco to Taipei, Taiwan we ended up arriving here in Bangkok right on time. The boys were wonderful and so well behaved, so much better than the nightmare I had expected (they will probably save that all for the plane trip home!). I think taking the red-eye on the longest leg of the trip really helped for them. RJ actually slept almost 7 full hours (although he has always been a great sleeper), Jack also got almost a total of 8 hours together. The little booger outlasted me, I remember really trying to keep my eyes open as he asked me for the 100th time when the oxygen masks were going to come out from the ceiling of the airplane. He was very safety conscious and payed attention to the stewardess's instructions and literally spent hours studying the safety brochure they leave in all the seats. He seemed very preoccupied with crashing (I was kicking myself for letting him watch those Lost episodes with me!)

I have forgotten my cables to connect my camera so that I can upload pictures, but now that I am here I am going to break out my little Flip video camera so stayed tuned there should be at least some video clips to watch (if I can figure out how to do that).

We will keep you updated, stay tuned.......!

FINALLY!!

OK, we are finally leaving today. I know that I sent our a plea for prayers in regards to the paperwork we were needing to get to travel as had been planned on Thanksgiving day, so thank you for all of those who did pray, the paper I needed got done and in time, but they changed our date to travel anyways!! I was so mad I didn't feel up to sending out another mass email so sorry if you hadn't heard.

We are finally leaving today. Not really looking forward to the 19 hour flying time plus another several in airports but will be excited once we get there so I will try to post daily updates and pictures and if you aren't a friend already look me up on face book as I will update that too! Thanks for reading!

Fall Update

Well, for those of you still checking this blog, here is our update.

We are still awaiting news on when we get to travel to Thailand to get Trey (that is the name that has stuck and seems somewhat fitting for our third little boy). I am hoping it is anytime now and definitely before his 2nd birthday in December.

Above is a picture of RJ and myself on his first day of 1st grade. So hard to believe he is already 1 month into his 1st grade year! He was a little nervous as this was his first foray into public school and the school bus, but now he is an old pro and I think (although he won't admit it) likes it. His Kindergarten teacher definitely did an excellent job of getting him ready and he seems to be way ahead of his class when it comes to reading and math, thank you Mrs. Foss and Kingspoint Christian! Although we do miss having the Christian influence on his life daily, it is so much cheaper and more convenient to have him at public school near our home. We must be saving hundreds on gas alone!


We got to celebrate G.G.'s (that is great grandma, Lance's grandmother) 90th birthday this summer. She looks so good and seems to get around so well for someone of her age. If it weren't for her bad knees I think she would still be out chasing around after the great grand kids. We love her so much and pray for her health and comfort daily.

We took a trip up to the Cascade mountains with my folks this summer. Although it was brief, we had a lot of fun and am hoping to return next year for a longer trip. This was the boys' first experience in fishing and thanks to Grandpa they all caught a fish! We stayed at the cabin in comfort but am hoping next year we will "rough it" for at least one night in a tent away from it all. It should be interesting to say the least with 3 little boys but I am looking forward to the chance.

We also had a couple of the cousins to our house this summer. RJ and Jack sure had fun playing with Parker and Avery and we are hoping they, and all their other cousins can find time for a visit next summer now that we have the back yard finished off and a nice place to play and visit. Maybe next year I will have money for some patio furniture so we can enjoy it even more!

Well, I hope all of you stay tuned as I am anticipating a trip to Thailand to pick up our new little guy soon and will definitely do daily updates while overseas for anyone interested in our adoption travels! Hope you all take care and email me dlbeeson@charter.net. I so love hearing from all of my friends and family. You can also look Lance and I up on facebook now!

Happy Fourth of July

HAPPY FOURTH EVERYONE!!

I wish I could post a cute little picture of the boys in their red, white and blue clothes with nice cute little sparklers, but I had to work today, never got around to buying any cute matching little clothes, and am so exhausted after a really tough week at work that I put the kids to bed and am planning on heading there myself! Lance did take the boys to the parade in Pasco, if you could call a few cars, a couple of bad marching bands and of course, the Shriner's driving around in little cars a parade. It is a poor excuse for a parade, but I think the kids have fun which is really the point anyways.

The past couple of months have been pretty busy. RJ finished up school so Lance is keeping both the kids home for the summer. RJ is taking golf, which he really enjoys, and that makes Lance happy since he loves it too! They are now going to the driving range together too which is a great thing for the both of them to get to do. Jack is at home too, so Lance is keeping extra busy. I feel guilty that he has to do so much as I have been working a lot to try and save money for our upcoming trip to Thailand, as well as pay for some unexpected medical bills.

Jack had to have some very expensive dental work, which I hated to do, I did not want to put him under general anesthesia, but to pay so much for teeth that are going to fall out! But, it had to be done, his teeth were literally starting to rot, the product of no prenatal care. He does seem to be eating better and he no longer complains of his food being too hot, so I guess if he is more comfortable and it will prevent permanent teeth damage then it is worth it.

We got another update on Trey (that is the official name we have come up with and it has seemed to stick for the past several months). He had to be hospitalized for a stomach virus and dehydration for 3 days but seems to be doing well now from what we have heard. Above is the latest picture we have of him. He looks a lot like RJ did at that age I think. His eyes are slightly more almond shaped than RJ's but they seem to have a lot of other similarities.

Well, hope you all (those 3 of you who are still checking in!!) are doing well. I just want you all to know I count myself lucky to have friends and family like you, and I count my blessings every night before I go to sleep. I feel so privileged to have been given such wonderful friends, family, husband and 2, soon to be 3, beautiful children that I sometimes wonder why God is so good to such an undeserving sinner like me. Praise Him! Take care and love you all!

Happy Easter

Beeson Family with Grandpa Pete and Grandma Neola

Well, sorry it has been so long since our last post. There have been many times that I have thought about sitting down and updating friends and families, then those thoughts pass fleetingly by as I hurry Jack to the bathroom or ice down RJ's latest boo-boo.

We had a wonderful visit to Denver over Spring Break to Lance's grandparents, Pete and Neola as well as his Aunt Connie. It was cold but despite that the boys had fun playing with their cousin Connor. It was so nice to see Pete and Neola doing so well.

A couple of months ago Lance decided that we should do a duathalon. It was in Portland, we would make a weekend of it and it would be fun. I was shocked that Lance actually wanted to do any form of exercise so I readily agreed despite my working 11 to 12 days out of each 14 day span since the first of the year. the good thing was that we were able to write out a check in full for the costs of our new coming son, that bad part was a lack of time to train properly for the race, but I figured I was in good enough shape from my daily runs however to get me by. I guess I was wrong! Despite running my 5K heats in under 28 minutes (which is pretty fast for this slow methodical former marathoner) I was still almost last in the entire race! I got passed by every single person out there on the bike, no lie. I was absolutely the last person to come off the bike in the entire race! Talk about a little embarrassing, luckily I was able to catch a few people on the last run but I wasn't expecting to do so poorly on the bike. I mean there were much older people, even much younger people and a few people that hardly fit on their bikes, just fly by me like I was standing still! I guess I need a little more practice than just one 10 miler in the last 3 years on my bike if I ever expect to get any better. Lance did well for his first race ever and I think it has encouraged him to keep going, which I find great, because if you know Lance at all, you know how long it has actually been since he did any form of exercise and I am very proud of him for choosing a race and a goal and sticking to the training and doing it! You go big guy!

The race also gave us an excuse to get away to Portland and see some old friends, eat some good food and go see the Blazers vs Lakers game. I thought it was a lot of fun and it made me long for our "big city" days and got us both thinking about possibly moving to a bigger city again someday so we can have those opportunities to do those type of things again.

The boys had a very nice and exciting weekend as well. They got to spend the night at Grandma Jamie's. They had a great time watching movies, doing Easter crafts and going to Easter Egg Hunts. We do so love to having Jamelyn (Lance's mother) so close by and we do not know how we got along without her before. She is so wonderful with the boys and they love her so, it is truly a blessing to have her so near. We feel so blessed to have our familes so close by, I personally feel so blessed by all the things the Lord has chosen to bestow upon me. It actually brought me to tears this morning as I sat in church, singing his praises and thinking of how good God has been to me and my family and I hope all that read this can say the same.

Well, stay tuned, I am going to try so hard to post more often. We are started our 6-9 month wait for Trey (that is the name we have all decided on for Teepop, as RJ made me very aware that Cooper rhymed with pooper so that was not a very god name). So hopefully we will be going back to Thailand soon to get our new addition.