Hi all- We went to Kazapalooza this weekend to get together with 3 of the families that we traveled with along with about 62 others who adopted from Kaz and we had an absolute blast. Our Kaz friends and I had been trading emails for the last few weeks so by the time we checked into the hotel I was so excited. I kept looking around at every person in the hotel to see who I knew and you could spot the Kaz families immediately- but not because they looked different in the way you would think. They just seemed to give off an excitement and love that was so obvious. There were no harried parents, no ‘hurry up and get over here’, just happiness. That seemed to be the theme of the weekend. There’s just something about families created by adoption- some extra spark, an extra level of love, that you can’t really explain to anyone who hasn’t been a part of it. What can I say but that adopters are good people? Not because they have ‘saved’ a child- that’s not what I am talking about at all- but because they truly appreciate how lucky they are to have the family that they do. Maybe it’s because of all the hoops we have to jump though to get there, I don’t know, but it comes through nonetheless. The most exciting part of it for me was that we got to see our good friends from Kaz- the ones who were in Astana when we were. It was almost like seeing cousins or something. Instead of feeling like it had been almost 2 years since we’d seen each other in person, it seemed more like 2 days and we were right back to where we left off. And the kids, oh those adorable kids, they had exactly the same personalities that they did back in Kaz and it was so cute to see them all grown up- walking, talking, and being full of toddler spunk. And I got to meet a lot of people whose stories I have followed via the Internet which was so great. I have read all about the and the ups and downs of their lives and now I got to see their sweet children’s faces in person- and they are even cuter (if that’s even possible) than the photos! And speaking of those cute kids- how adorable are those Kaz faces!? I took a minute out to just stand in the doorway on Friday night and watch the ‘family reunion’ taking place and it just filled my heart. People had come from all over the country to be a part of this unique experience and I felt so lucky to be there. Every single one of those families is such a blessing. People tell us all the time how lucky Rinat is to have been adopted by us and my answer is always “We are the lucky ones”. I can guarantee that every single person in that room feels the same way about the little light of their lives. The quote on the T-Shirt for the weekend read “Adoption won’t change the world, but for that child the world will change.” A good quote, yes, but I feel it’s somehow lacking because it changes not only the life of that child but of the entire family. I know that Rinat has certainly changed our world- the way we define family, what we feel is important, and most of all he taught us just how full our hearts could be. He has made our world. So our weekend was pretty much the best I’ve had in a good long while. We are planning on Kazapalooza 2010 in Milwaukie and 2011 in Florida (unless of course we’re in Kaz meeting baby Leggett #2 that is!). Thank you, thank you, thank you to Gretchen, Muriel, Michelle, and Kristan for organizing such a fantastic weekend. It was truly wonderful. Love to all -m
Hi all- We went to Kazapalooza this weekend to get together with 3 of the families that we traveled with along with about 62 others who adopted from Kaz and we had an absolute blast. Our Kaz friends and I had been trading emails for the last few weeks so by the time we checked into the hotel I was so excited. I kept looking around at every person in the hotel to see who I knew and you could spot the Kaz families immediately- but not because they looked different in the way you would think. They just seemed to give off an excitement and love that was so obvious. There were no harried parents, no ‘hurry up and get over here’, just happiness. That seemed to be the theme of the weekend. There’s just something about families created by adoption- some extra spark, an extra level of love, that you can’t really explain to anyone who hasn’t been a part of it. What can I say but that adopters are good people? Not because they have ‘saved’ a child- that’s not what I am talking about at all- but because they truly appreciate how lucky they are to have the family that they do. Maybe it’s because of all the hoops we have to jump though to get there, I don’t know, but it comes through nonetheless. The most exciting part of it for me was that we got to see our good friends from Kaz- the ones who were in Astana when we were. It was almost like seeing cousins or something. Instead of feeling like it had been almost 2 years since we’d seen each other in person, it seemed more like 2 days and we were right back to where we left off. And the kids, oh those adorable kids, they had exactly the same personalities that they did back in Kaz and it was so cute to see them all grown up- walking, talking, and being full of toddler spunk. And I got to meet a lot of people whose stories I have followed via the Internet which was so great. I have read all about the and the ups and downs of their lives and now I got to see their sweet children’s faces in person- and they are even cuter (if that’s even possible) than the photos! And speaking of those cute kids- how adorable are those Kaz faces!? I took a minute out to just stand in the doorway on Friday night and watch the ‘family reunion’ taking place and it just filled my heart. People had come from all over the country to be a part of this unique experience and I felt so lucky to be there. Every single one of those families is such a blessing. People tell us all the time how lucky Rinat is to have been adopted by us and my answer is always “We are the lucky ones”. I can guarantee that every single person in that room feels the same way about the little light of their lives. The quote on the T-Shirt for the weekend read “Adoption won’t change the world, but for that child the world will change.” A good quote, yes, but I feel it’s somehow lacking because it changes not only the life of that child but of the entire family. I know that Rinat has certainly changed our world- the way we define family, what we feel is important, and most of all he taught us just how full our hearts could be. He has made our world. So our weekend was pretty much the best I’ve had in a good long while. We are planning on Kazapalooza 2010 in Milwaukie and 2011 in Florida (unless of course we’re in Kaz meeting baby Leggett #2 that is!). Thank you, thank you, thank you to Gretchen, Muriel, Michelle, and Kristan for organizing such a fantastic weekend. It was truly wonderful. Love to all -m
