December 22: Day 5

We had a great day today! Long woke up sometime before 5:30 am, but he stayed in his room and played Legos. Timmy woke up and found him, and Long asked for "mommy." Timmy brought him to our room at 5:30 and Rick got up with him so I could sleep. The boys spent the morning playing Legos, building the marble set, and playing the Wii. We also taught him how to play Uno. I think he got it, but he didn't really understand the concept of taking turns. 

Rick's sister gave us tickets to the Kentucky Derby Museum (Thank you, Christa!!!) so we decided it was the perfect day to visit. We tried to explain to him what we were doing, but I am not sure he understood. He seemed to enjoy it, and I think the point about horse racing and Kentucky was clear to him.

It's a Christmas miracle! Thanks to KFC chicken, Long is now up to 270 pounds. Ha, ha. That would be Rick in the background pushing on the scale. Homeboy weighs 65 pounds, with about 300 layers of clothing on.

Long saw Rick carry Matthew like this, so he wanted a turn.

We were going to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory, but we decided Long should pick where we eat. You won't believe what he picked! KFC! He was equally excited today as yesterday. He picked out an entire bucket of chicken, you know...the one intended for a family of 4. Yeah, he though he could eat it all himself. We did let him have 4 pieces, but his eyes are definitely bigger than his stomach. I finally had to tell him he could take it home, he didn't have to finish it all in one sitting. He seemed relieved, because I think he was near the popping point.

We saw this sunset on the way to the Lights. He said "picture, picture" because he wanted me to take a picture. I guess this is something he wants to remember!

We spent the afternoon playing at home. The Tyler family gave us a ticket to see the Lights under Louisville. Thank you Tyler family!!!! We popped some popcorn and packed some drinks and headed out to see the lights. We were one of the first ones there, so we didn't have to wait long. We told him we would drive under ground and see Christmas lights. He seemed to really enjoy the whole thing! When I passed out the popcorn, all of the kids said "thank you, mommy" at different times. In the cutest little Chinese voice he said, "thank you, mommy!!" It was darling. I don't think he understands what "mommy" really means. He just knows that is my name to the children, so that is what he calls me. I can't wait until the day when he has a mommy, and he will understand what that means on a whole new level! He kept saying "picture, picture"" in English because he wanted me take pictures of what he saw. I think he really loved it. 

He fell asleep in the car around 7:00 and I got worried we would have another noodle party at 1:00 am. But when we got home and washed up for bed, he seemed to perk up a bit. He played with the boys until 9:30 pm and then went to bed easily. I put an electric blanket on his bed. He slept all the way through the night until 7:30 am! I woke up to him in my room saying "mommy, mommy..." 

He is such a sweet boy. He is always so happy, and so obedient. We are so incredibly thankful for this experience. He is a blessing to our family!