Happy Birthday

Lots of birthday’s in our family this week! The most exciting one of course was ADOLF! He turned twelve years old! In actuality, no one knows the exact day or year he was born because there are no official records of his birth; however, the orphanage chose April 4 as his birthdate for his passport, so that is the day we celebrated! What a wonderful celebration! 

The day started out with a classmate picking him up for school and stopping by the donut shop and buying the delicious breakfast treats for the whole class. He is already a popular kid, but walking into a class of pre-teens with sugary goodness for everyone, made him king! His teacher crowned him with a pink sparkly tiara and the entire class sang “Happy Birthday” while he danced around with a huge Adolf-sized smile. His fellow fourth graders were very enthusiastic about his birthday and I think understood that he had never experienced this sort of celebration before. 

On Saturday, we invited a few friends over for pizza and a movie. Adolf LOVES movies and pizza (truly he is Americanized) so I thought it would be a fun party for him. He helped me decorate our living room with red and white streamers and balloons. We popped popcorn and kettle corn and made little red and white stripe popcorn bags for everyone. I imagined the kids eating pizza then sitting nicely to watch the movie while eating popcorn. I even thought I would be able to bathe my little ones and quietly put them to bed while the party guests were occupied with the movie. Well, God sometimes laughs when we try to plan, and this was one of those times. Adolf decided he wanted to watch Life of Pi so we rented it On Demand and the kids settled in to watch it for about 30 seconds before getting out their phones and playing games. Then baby Hayden spilled two buckets of popcorn on the floor and a can of 7Up. After a full 10 minutes of the movie the kids migrated outside and decided they would have more fun doing cartwheels and summersaults in my backyard. In the end only Uncle Laine, Scott, and Hunter spent much time watching the movie. I guess movie-themed parties are not the thing for fourth graders! Oh well, they had a lot of fun playing around outside. We only had one child requiring first aid…and that was Adolf. To continue with the Americanized birthday party we had a huge cake from Costco and vanilla ice cream. Finally we opened presents and guess what his super awesome friends did????? They pooled their money together and bought him his ticket to Disneyland! WE’RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND! He also got some beautiful books about California that he will get to share with his friends back in Uganda and a hat embroidered with his name. 

Adolf and friends "watching" the movie.

Kelly loved "hanging" with the big girls

Adolf cartwheeling in our backyard.

Happy Birthday, Adolf!

Twelve candles!

  

The very Americanized King of Uganda

Baby Hayden enjoying her cake

Adolf's friend reading him his card

Very proud of his Adolf hat

Good things come in threes, right? In addition to Adolf’s birthday, we also celebrated Maverick’s third birthday one day before Adolf and my birthday tomorrow! After that, I think we are good on the birthday celebrations for a while! I don’t have any more space in my fridge for any more birthday cake! 

Happy Birthday to my three-year old Maverick!

In addition to birthday celebrations, we continued with Adolf’s medical progress. He had another procedure on his legs on Friday where he had to be put under anesthesia. It was not a surgery, but he received steroid injections at the sight of his injury to help with the scarring. He tolerated the procedure fairly well and was home before lunch, but rested most of the rest of the day. He also continues physical therapy three times a week in addition to supplemental exercises at home. The good news is that he has full range of motion in his right leg and very improved range of motion in his more damaged left leg. The therapists are still working on strengthening and stretching various muscle groups and his posture as he still arches his back when walking. Overall, he is doing much better and making incredible progress. Seeing him today, no one could notice his gait is any different than an average child. With God all things are possible.  

Adolf at physical therapy

Stretching with Physical Therapist David Shumway and Intern Julie.

Even a smile on the treadmill!

Spring Break

Ahhh…spring break! This year is the first year I have children in elementary school (Hunter is in Kindergarten and Adolf in Fourth Grade) and I realize that spring break is actually a tease! I can feel the excitement and fun of summer just around the corner, but we still have two and a half months left of school. The official summer countdown has begun. I look forward to the seemingly endless days at the pool, beach, friends, and no schedule! 

Adolf continues to do very well. He has Physical Therapy three times per week and still sees Dr. Grossman on a weekly basis for follow up visits. He wears his leg splints during the night to keep his legs from contracting while he is sleeping, but during the day he is a regular active kid! It brings me such joy to see him run, ride bikes, climb trees, and participate in everyday activities that were difficult or impossible for him before his surgeries. It is truly a miracle of God that everything has been so smooth.  

Do you want to see something absolutely adorable? Look at the picture below! Yes, that is our Adolf in a tuxedo and very proud of himself too!

Adolf in a tux ready for the Children's Burn Foundation Gala

Adolf and another burn victim at the Gala

Scott, Adolf, and I at the Gala

Uncle Laine and Adolf at the gala

Each year the Children’s Burn Foundation hosts their annual Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to raise money to pay for the surgeries and rehabilitation for children burn victims both domestically and internationally.  In addition, the foundation works closely with schools and other organizations on burn prevention education.  The Gala is a very important fundraising event for the foundation and we were so thrilled to attend.  Scott and I had been working with Adolf on how to greet adults, shake hands, and have good table manners and Adolf performed brilliantly. People said he was so well mannered and was a miniature James Bond.  We were very proud of him. We also meet another young boy in the United States undergoing burn surgeries. He and Adolf sat next to each other at dinner and it was wonderful to watch the two of them connect.  I would also like to extend a huge thank you to all the donors to the Children’s Burn Foundation. Without their financial support, this miracle would not have happened. 

A week after the Gala, we got to dress up again! This time it was for Uncle Laine’s LA5 Rotary Club. He was the keynote speaker and was speaking about his work in Uganda and Adolf’s story. It was at the California Club in downtown Los Angeles, so again Adolf dressed up in a suit and practiced his “grown-up” manners. Again, he did amazing. I was beaming with pride. Laine did a great job telling Adolf’s story and was even awarded the special Rotary Service Award for 2012. The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self” and he truly exhibited this with all the work he has accomplished in Uganda.  

After the Rotary luncheon, a guest at the club sat down with Adolf and gave him an impromptu piano lesson

One night when Eva was away on an overnight with one of the Uganda Mission members, the family was eating dinner and Adolf was particularly active and talkative, Hunter (my six year- old) asked him, “Why did your auntie burn you?” Scott and I were both quite shocked, and immediately focused our attention on Adolf, not sure what to do next. Adolf replied in a fairly relaxed manner, “My auntie tied my hands to my legs like this. [Gestured with his hands and legs to show them tied in front of him.] Then she put me on fire banana leaves. I scream and scream. Neighbor come and take me to hospital. Doctor could not help my legs. When I wake up, my legs don’t work. They just don’t work anymore. Then my auntie was gone and I had to ask people for food.”  Wow. To hear it from Adolf himself was very powerful. Even with the still emerging English language. I was personally amazed how he was able to describe it in such a detached manner. He seemed fairly comfortable speaking about it and my son asked a few more questions like, “Did it hurt?” and “Who took care of you?” He answered them all in the same tone, without anger, sadness, or other emotion. It almost seemed like he was talking about someone else. This horrendous thing happened to him and he was describing it like he was telling us about a trip to the zoo. He did say, “I see it in my eye sometimes. When it hurts, I see me on fire again.” It was hard not to scoop him up in my arms and tell him how much we love him. I wanted him to continue to talk with our family without me becoming an emotional bowl of mush. I am not a psychiatrist, but maybe my readers know if his ease of talking about the injury shows signs of healing and acceptance or pain that is still hidden. 

 Each day is a new adventure for us and as Forest Gump says, “Ya never know what you gonna get.”

Playing around at home with a colander and pipe cleaners

Baby Hayden with the colorful hat!

We went to the Santa Anita Race Track for a fun day at the races. It was Law Enforcement Day and Adolf got to see a Sheriff helicopter.

Adolf, Kelly, Maverick, and Hunter in the helicopter.

Adolf the cowboy!

After the day at the races, we stopped by a restaurant in Pasadena and the Hunter and Adolf had fun playing around.

Final Surgery Complete!

I feel like such a slacker! Did I really only do one blog update in February? I will place part of the blame on my six year-old son, Hunter. He finally convinced me to download Angry Birds on my iPad, and instead of being productive, I wasted too many hours trying to save the eggs from destruction! Well, I am back on the wagon, and have had my fill of angry feathery creatures so you will hopefully hear more about Adolf’s incredible story. 

On Valentine’s Day Adolf had another skin graft surgery and despite my anxiety going into another surgery, it went very well. The best part: no screaming! Yea! The previous surgeries were such difficult times for the family and Adolf, that I was really dreading going through the process again.  With Adolf’s English greatly improved I was able to communicate to him before the surgery about what to expect and some coping skills for when he wakes up: hugging his teddy bear, holding my hand, deep breathing, imagining himself playing at the beach. I think it really helped and was such a relief for all of us, when he woke up and did not scream. He was not feeling well for quite a while, but was a real trooper! I was so proud of him. This time the doctor chose to use his head as the donor sight for the skin graft. He had been asking for a haircut, so this was an unusual way to grant that request! His head is now completely healed and his legs continue to be in bandages and splints. He continues physical therapy three times a week and will probably continue the PT for quite a while. As long as the grafts continue to heal properly, it will be his last surgery. 

Adolf has been doing great in school! Last week as I was preparing dinner I made him sit at the table and read ­Go, Dog, Go and he did it! There were a few words he did not know, but almost every night since I have had him read it to me and he is really improving. In addition, to the ability to walk, I feel an education is the one thing that can help raise Adolf (and any child) out of the cycle of poverty. There is so much I want to teach him, and I feel like there will never be enough time to teach it all to him. His school has been doing an amazing job as well. I love working with them and feel like they truly care about Adolf, his education, and future. With all the negative talk about teachers and schools in the media, it is refreshing to see the positive results. 

This past weekend, we were invited to a Ugandan cultural celebration and dinner with Ugandans living in the Los Angeles area. They are all living here for various reasons and for various lengths of time, but Adolf was certainly a celebrity at the celebration. Everyone wanted to meet him and he obliged with his captivating smile and sparkling personality. For the first time, I tried Matoke (mashed bananas with a taste similar to mashed potatoes) and other Ugandan cuisine. Adolf and Eva have been very open to trying American staples such as pizza and hamburgers, and it was fun to have the roles reversed. When we first arrived, I was very nervous and felt very out of place. We were one of very few white families there and for one evening I understood what it might feel like for Adolf and Eva on a daily basis. It did not take long, however, to realize the Ugandans we met were very well spoken, educated, and pleasant to be around. My anxieties were soon put to rest as they treated us like one of their own and were very happy to meet Adolf and Eva. They thanked us for loving and caring for Adolf and I was so happy to be included in their celebration. The highlight of the evening came during the entertainment. Two professional dancers (that flew to LA from Atlanta just to preform) presented an incredible show of Uganda culture. There were also some young girls that danced on stage and were amazing. Adolf loves dancing and when the girls started their routine, he stood up by our table and started dancing. Another Ugandan saw him and escorted him up to the stage! He joined the girls and was so awesome! He has great moves and rhythm. It was hard not to be filled with incredible emotion watching him dance on stage. Three months ago, he was crawling dirt paths to get to school, and now he is on stage dancing. A true miracle! Other partygoers said it was the best part of the evening. I wish everyone could that has been a part of Adolf’s journey could have seen it. Truly inspiring.  

We have been having a lot of great fun together and trying to take advantage of every moment we have together. Below are some pictures of some fun family pictures! Enjoy. 

Adolf at the beach! This was post-surgery and he was still in his wheelchair.

Loving the warm sun and watching the ocean!

Eva writing "God is Good" in the sand

Hunter and Adolf playing around by the bocce ball court

Baby Hayden enjoying the beautiful So Cal day!

A visit to La Brea Tar Pits with Hunter pushing Adolf and Kelly following.

LACMA (next to La Brea Tar Pits) had an interesting hands on exhibit. Adolf loved it, but the strands got caught in his wheel chair and it was difficult for him to get out!

Watch out for the mammoth!

Tar seeping up through the ground

Watching the paleontologists work.

Tahoe Trip

Mark Twain said it best when he wrote about Tahoe, “Those who wish to breathe the same air as angles…come to us [Tahoe] and we will meet your wishes in every possible way.” This past week, I truly experienced a slice of heaven. In fact, there could not possibly be a better name for the local ski mountain: Heavenly. The natural surroundings were truly breathtaking and the memories we made will endure through our lifetimes.  

Our good family friends had a charming, cozy house on the lake in South Lake Tahoe. It had a large fenced in yard with stunning views. I am so thankful they allowed our big family to stay in the house for the week. It was a true blessing and I thank God for such generous people in the world. We started our drive Thursday afternoon and stopped for the night in Bishop. We stayed in a hotel, which is always exciting for kids, but not always exciting for the adults. I apologize to the vacationers that had our adjoining walls or the room below ours. Hayden would not sleep in her portable crib and so I attempted to share my bed with her.  She fell out of bed multiple times during the night. THUMP…WAAAAAHHHHH! The next morning at the complimentary breakfast we were the only family there, and I was sure everyone was thinking, “Oh. It was YOU guys that kept us up all night!” Well, yes. It probably was and I am sorry. 

Fortunately, we left Bishop early in the morning on a beautiful sunny, crisp day. Those that live in snow conditions know that these are the best days of all. The roads were clear and dry, but there was snow on the surrounding mountains as we drove through the valley. Eva and Adolf were truly amazed by the scenery as we passed. They have never experienced such majestic mountain peaks. 

Immediately upon arrival the kids found an old saucer sled in the house and took it out to the snow bank wearing only their Southern California street clothes. They were too excited for the snow to care much about mittens or jackets! After unpacking and getting settled, we realized we were missing something super important.  We had: food, toys, books, street clothes, boots, and games, but were missing one box: OUR SNOW CLOTHES! It was the first box I packed for our trip, but it didn’t manage to make it into the car! By this time it was Friday afternoon, so we quickly sent a friend to our house to take the box to FedEx for an overnight shipment with Saturday delivery. I thought it would be expensive, but spilled my hot chocolate when they said “$1000!!!!” Holy Moly! I could buy a plane ticket for cheaper, so we went to plan B. A little bit of overtime for one of Scott’s officers, 10 hours, and a few tanks of gas later we had our box of snow clothes and an extra guest! Thank you to Thomas for driving it up to us! We hope you enjoyed your stay in heaven as much as we did! 

The first full day in Tahoe we decided to start the trip off with a bang, so we went to a tubing hill, rented some tubes and had an awesome time! Most of us declared it was one of the best days of the trip. It had not snowed for a while so the snow on the tubing runs had become very hard and icy. Not so great for building snowmen, but AWESOME if you want to go fast down a hill! All of us had a great time and Adolf learned an important lesson: Do not attempt to stand on a sled. Any pictures you see of him with a multiple bandages on his face will show you the result of his lesson. I have to say my favorite run down the mountain was when Uncle Laine and Neville (his friend) connected their tube to mine and Scott’s. We went speeding down the hill so fast that we crashed through the boundary barriers at the bottom and almost took out an unsuspecting gentleman walking to the snack shack. We then got told by the tubing police, “One tube at a time.” Oops, but totally worth it!  

When we returned to the house after a long day of tubing we were all ready for some rest and relaxation by the inviting fireplace. Unfortunately, when we went to unlock the door, the entire deadbolt broke in the locked position. We called company that manages the house and told them of our predicament and they said they would send someone out “right away.” Well, I guess “right away” in South Tahoe is a little different than “right away” in so cal. We waited and waited and waited. We had five hungry, cold, tired, and cranky kids as well as five hungry, cold, tired, and cranky adults. We called the company again and with baby Hayden screaming in the background, I think they realized they really did need to get to the house “right away.” One hour later, we finally entered the house! It was this point (after leaving the snow clothes behind and getting locked out in the cold) that Laine declared, “I am never traveling with you guys again!” 

Fortunately, the rest of the trip went very smooth and we continued to make many wonderful memories. One of the best points of the trip was when I was making breakfast in the morning and Adolf came downstairs without his leg braces and sat down on the couch to play cards with Uncle Laine. He said, “Look, Uncle Laine. My legs are just like yours.” Reminds me of the things I take for granted every day. Fortunately, Adolf’s injuries were able to be fixed, but there are many others in this world that have to live permanently with life-changing injuries. I pray for them that they may have a strong heart. I am so thankful to walk, see, laugh, hear, love, and have the body that I do (even if it is not in as good as shape as it once was!)

We packed a lot of fun into the week and shared many “firsts” with Adolf and Eva. In the end, I think Laine will travel with us again, but will probably bring extra supplies! Please enjoy the pictures to see a sampling of our activities. 

With all the fun we have been having, we are now back at home and were reminded of the reason of Adolf’s visit to America and on Thursday (Valentine’s Day) Adolf will go back for an additional surgery. This time it is only on his left leg, so I hope it is less traumatic than the previous surgeries; however, I am not looking forward to another surgery as the others have been so emotionally and physically draining. Please pray for a painless recovery and strength for our entire family. 

I wish a happy Valentine’s Day to all my readers!

Adolf in the snow for the first time! Look at that smile!

Playing around with Uncle Laine.

Kelly doesn't care she is in a short-sleeved shirt!

From the backyard of our cabin. I love this picture because Laine is taking a picture of Adolf and Maverick and I am in the background showing them how to pose while holding baby Hayden. You can also see our beautiful view!

Maverick trying to climb over the fence. (He really only had to walk a few feet over to use the gate, but he preferred the hard way.)

Hayden is not so sure about the cold snow.

Eva holding baby Hayden in the snow.

Uncle Laine with Hayden.

Kelly and I are tubing! It was so hard to get good pictures of the tubing because we were going so fast!

Hunter and Adolf tubing.

One of my favorite pictures of our trip! Kelly is wearing Neville's hat while we are eating lunch at a restaurant.

An action shot of Uncle Laine ice skating!

Adolf ice skating! Look at those legs!

The family on the ice!

Uncle Laine ice skating with Adolf.

Eva and Adolf at the end of a two mile hike.

Adolf enjoying his hike.

Eva and Adolf making memories!

Daddy helping Kelly bowl! Unfortunately, the camera battery died after taking this picture, so I didn't get any pictures of Adolf or Eva bowling, but they did great and had a great time.