Kaiya is 3

I can't believe Kaiya is three years old today. I know it sounds cliché, but it really does seem like I had her just yesterday. She has brought such incredible joy to our household.


Fun Facts about Kaiya:

1. She is a very shy little girl. She can actually "embarrass" herself to sleep---If she has too much attention from people or they just even look at her, she shuts down and closes her eyes until she's asleep. Once your in her circle of trust though, she loves you to pieces!

2. She is a girly girl. She loves her princess dresses and wears them every day. She loves makeup and always asks for her lip gloss. She sleeps every night with her Hello Kitty compact. {Little Asian girl liking Hello Kitty---not breaking any stereotypes, I know.}

3. Every day she breaks out in some form of dance. She likes to pretend she's a ballerina and does her twirls, kicks, and leaps. Her favorite movie is Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses and she loves to dance along with the movie.

4. She is very affectionate. She loves to give hugs and kisses all the time to Jared, Carson, and I. One of her favorite things to say is, "Okay. You say I love you and I say I love you too."

5. She is a "Daddy's Girl." Ever since she was a baby, she has thought the world of her daddy. As a baby, she'd save her biggest smiles and laughs for him. When Jared gets home for work, she still gets so excited to see him. When she is crying, upset, or hurt, who does she want? Her daddy! Jared just melts for Kaiya too. Kaiya knows it though...she has her daddy wrapped around her little finger!



I'm so grateful to have my little girl. She is so similar to how I was when I was little. Not only does she look so much like I did when I was three, but we have such similar dispositions and interests. I was so shy myself and was a "girly girl" who loved to dance.

While Kaiya and I share similar personality characteristics, our upbringings during the first 3 years of our lives are drastically different. When I turned three, I had just been in the U.S. for about 2 months. I was adopted a few months shy of my 3rd birthday and it was such a hard adjustment for me. I had lived with my birth mother and then a foster family previous to joining my adoptive family. I was a 3 year old so unsure of my surroundings, still getting to know my new family, and trying to learn a new language.

Because of my start in life, I'm so happy I've been able to provide Kaiya with the security of having a loving family. I remember when I was 3, I would always race to put on my pajamas right away when I got home from somewhere. At the time, the pajamas made me feel secure and I knew if I was wearing them, I wasn't going anywhere, I wasn't being given away, I was staying home. How wonderful is it that Kaiya doesn't have to rely on a pair of pajamas to feel safe and secure! I know that her little 3 year old self never questions whether her family will be there, she just believes we always will be. I just think that is the most beautiful thing.

Happy Birthday Kaiya!
I love you more than words can say.