Owen's 15th Family Day

Dear Owen - 

On July 30th, we celebrated your 15th Family Day. Fifteen years ago we were standing in the Green Room at FANA waiting for your precious face to appear. Soon there was chatter and laughter coming from the hall and around the corner you appeared, carried by Marina. You were the cutest little boy we had ever laid eyes on. So silly. So smart. So curious. That adorable smile of yours was enough to fill our hearts with pure joy. 

While our adoption journey to you was considerably fast compared to most international adoptions, those 11 days between first seeing your beautiful face in a photo until the day we first held you in our arms felt like an eternity. I carried your photo with me everywhere I went waiting for the day to come when you would finally be placed in our arms. 

And finally that day had arrived! You were the most handsome little boy dressed in the adorable blue outfit we had brought for the special day. As you were carried down the hall and into our loving arms, you charmed everyone watching with the way you waved "hola" to anyone you saw.

As we left FANA together as a family of three, you quickly fell asleep in my arms. It was the first of many sleepy-time snuggles that would be in store for us.

Fast forward 15 years…and oh my, how you have grown!

For your Family Day celebration, you did not hesitate when I asked what you wanted to do. The History Museum has always been a favorite of yours, and it had been years since we had last been there. So our crew of 7 loaded up in the minivan bound for a field trip to the History Museum in St. Paul. We wandered around for hours checking out all the different exhibits.

There was even a special exhibit about the creator of the Peanuts cartoons, and you graciously posed for a photo with Lucy...

The girls were having fun running through the kiddy play area, and you could not resist joining in. Although you weren't super excited to see me at the end of the tunnel waiting with my camera to capture the moment.

We finished up your celebration with dinner from your restaurant of choice.  You requested cheese ravioli from Panino's, a local Italian restaurant. You devoured it so fast you were nearly done by the time the rest of us sat down for dinner.

    

Oh Owen, our sweet little boy, you have grown up before our very eyes. Long gone are the days spent driving around town in the hopes of finding a train chugging along the tracks or the hours and hours spent playing with dinosaurs. 

Instead you are all about your iPhone and never seem to be separated from your earbuds. Even when I catch you napping in the middle of the day, they are still in your ears!

I guess a teenager needs his sleep. You haven't napped this much since you were 5 years old…

Recently, you have become very preoccupied with your hair. You've gone from a child that refused to style his hair to being obsessed with it seemingly overnight. You've even been trimming it all on your own for many, many months following an unfortunate incident at the barber when it was cut too short for your liking.  I must say, you do a surprisingly decent job cutting your own hair. 

Despite being a sometimes moody teenager, you can be the biggest goofball. You get in these silly fits and it's non-stop goofiness from you. We never know when to expect your silly side to emerge, but when it does, watch out! You have a hard time reverting back to your serious teenage angst, especially when your Nana Bev is around. You turn into quite the clown around her. 

Or when the camera is out and you think it's hilarious to get as close to the lens as possible. Then you laugh and beg to see the photo. I usually delete them because who wants a blurry photo, but I had to save just one...

Your wardrobe of choice currently consists of a hoodie sweatshirt and shorts. It doesn't matter if it's 0 degrees out or 99 degrees. In either extreme, you will most definitely be found wearing a hoodie and shorts. And there is simply no convincing you to change despite our attempts to get you to wear more weather appropriate clothing. 

Owen - it's hard to believe 15 years have passed since that first day we held you. It's like I blinked and my baby boy grew up. Although your love for trains and dinosaurs and your curious nature remains.

We have been so blessed to be chosen as your parents. It has been a privilege watching you grow up into a young man. Although you will always be our sweet baby boy. We love you forever and for always. A very happy 15th Family Day, Owen!