Welcome Back, today marks Ryan’s Second Year as a member of Team Lockhead.
To start this off we’ll take you back, here are a few photos taken TWO YEARS AGO Today…
One of our first Family Photos with Ryan, as we left the Adoption/Civil Affairs Office in Dongguan, with the uncertainty of the day plastered all over Ryan’s face.
But, nothing a little Mickey D’s can’t cure!!! Here is his first dinner with his new Sister and Brothers.
Later that night, we came back to the Garden Hotel, and Ryan immediately started to settle in…
Here is one more photo of Ryan, several months BEFORE joining our family, on the day we decided that he WOULD join our family. What a great day in the story of our life! (Thanks to the Niles Family for making this happen.)! That’s Ryan, squirting Kyle with a soaking stream of water (you can also see Ashley and Dylan reloading in the bucket). We had no idea any of this was in the cards, and the kids had no changes of clothing! The ride home was a bit soggy, but they were happy that they had a chance to meet the little boy who’d become their brother forever…
Back to the now…
Family life has changed quite a bit since Ryan celebrated his first year. He continues to be an able big brother for his little brother, Tyler. Ryan has been very helpful in helping T adjust to Lockhead life and to the level of craziness that goes on here! He and Tyler share a room and he helps Tyler get ready for school in the morning, and helps greatly to wind him down in the evening.
Just after Ryan’s birthday in March we got hit with a Snow Storm – a good one, too! Kids had a school day and it was “game on” outside for snowmen and sledding. Ryan comes from southeastern China (Dongguan, near Guanzhou) which has a relatively mild, temperate climate. Temperatures range from the 60’s in the winter to the 90’s (with high humidiy) in the summers. Ryan never really experienced snow or even very cold weather until he came to the USA two years ago. Regardless of that, he seems to have developed a LOVE of snow and all of the fun that goes along with it. He is rarely the first one in the door complaining of being too cold or wet (and usually he’s the last one!). Here’s a shot of the Team enjoying the snow:
Once the weather cleared we made a trip to Longwood Gardens on a beautiful early spring day.
In April, we celebrated with Grandma Lockhead (i.e. “Grandma in Philadelphia – not to be confused with “Grandma in Michigan”) on the occasion of her, and Pop-Pop’s 80th Birthdays! Most of the cousins were there, but we were missing Justin and Malissa…
Also in the early Spring we day-tripped to Lewes/Cape Henlopen to visit the State Park at Cape Henlopen. We spent the day trying to stay out of the COLD water while searching for cool shells.
And in the afternoon, we caught a Ferry Ride back over to Cape May, another one of our summer fun spots. As you can see, we rode on the boat named “Cape Henlopen”. We had a nice family dinner, and drove on home…very tired, but a good kind of tired.
We were there when the “Harlem Wizards” came to play at our District High School – Kyle got to run around on the floor before the game in the shootaround.
We also recently enjoyed a spring family vacation in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic. We had a full fun week of Beaches and Pools, as well as great meals every night. Ryan has made tremendous progress with his swimming strokes and continues to grow stronger every day. He practiced his swimming in the resort pools, and spent hours in the ocean and playing in the sand on the beaches. He was an adventurous eater on vacation and tried many different foods that he’d never had before – and he might even see some of them again at home!
With “Oakie” (their school mascot) on the beach
Sailing with Kyle at the Rudder and Ryan working the sail.
In the pool on a Paddleboard with K
Enjoying some pool blow-ups at the Kids Club
Ryan’s certainly not afraid to get under the water
On the night we ate at the resort’s Italian Restaurant, the Chef needed some help rolling out Pizza dough – so everyone pitched in!
No shortage of sand…
An after-dinner shot, headed back for the night…
On most evenings, we’d stop on the beach so the kids could burn off some energy before passing out for the night.
We’re winding down the school year and Ryan’s racing toward the END of FIRST GRADE! It’s hard to believe that it’s gone so quickly. His reading skills are improving daily and Mom is helping him tune up his spelling skills, too! He was always strong in Math and enjoys his Teacher and his friends and classmates. Dad had the chance to volunteer for almost an entire week to help Ryan and his class on a fun playground construction project – lots of fun for both! Tonight was Open House at our school and Ryan proudly showed off his schoolwork, special art projects and writing and weekend news booklets. His Teacher really enjoys having him and told us that he contributes actively in class.
Next up… Planning our Summer, dusting off the Bikes, Scooters & Skateboards, and looking forward to our summer vacations – hopefully to Michigan and Myrtle Beach.
Thanks for being a wonderful addition to our family, Ryan.
We love you very much.