1 Year Ago...

We arrived back on U.S. soil after spending two weeks in China.  Can it be a year already?  In some ways, a year feels like eons ago.  In other ways, it's flown by in the blink of an eye.

Our midnight airport arrival after a cuh ray zee airplane adventure-so thankful to see my mom, grandma, cousin, and not one but two sets of friends who braved the late hour to welcome us home

Loved arriving home to a houseful of family-my aunt and cousins had stayed with the big kids the week prior and were still there plus my mom, grandma, and cousin came up

Just hanging out

Zeke arrived with much shorter hair than he has now and a heart that tolerated us but didn't love us.

Tonight, I can't help but smile as he lays down for bed and insists that I kiss him, as he throws his arms out flat against the sheet and demands that he gets not just a kiss but a hug too.

I can't help but smile as I think about his love of sharks and all things ocean, wondering how many times a day he asks a question or shares a story connected to those things.

I can't help but smile as I replay his little voice saying "I sowee" or "I no like that.  Gusting!"  What a prolific talker he is for someone who is 3 and has learned a new language in the last year.

I can't help but smile as he notices "z's" and "e's" and proudly proclaims those to be his letters, as he jumps off of the playground equipment and is thrilled because it is so high, as he counts from 1 to 11 and then skips 12 in favor of another round of 7-8-9.  Oh how he wants to be just like the big kids!

And I can't help but smile as I watch him cut with regular scissors (not his spring loaded purple ones), open the door knobs on our doors, ride his tricycle, practice snapping his pants, put his shoes on by himself, bounce a ball, and pump on a swing with no assistance.  He is such a smart, intuitive kid who simply figures it out, regardless of how many fingers he has.