5 years ago ... the adventure begins

Five years ago, Violet and I had just completed the first step in our greatest adventure to date. We had spent all day either at airports or on airplanes and finally made it to our home for a couple of nights — the Poly Plaza hotel in Beijing.

It was a Friday night and we were counting down the hours before we became parents. We had a whirlwind day ahead of us touring the sites around Beijing — Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

After that, it would be off to Xi'an on Sunday to meet our son.

It's hard to believe it's already been 5 years. Jake was not quite 2 when we were united with him, and now he's coming up on 7 and is a big old first-grader.

All of our dreams came true then, and now we are drawing closer to our next great adventure. More dreams are just about to come true as we count down the days until we can be united with Jude.

It's been a wild ride — one filled with lots of love and laughs and a few tears — but one I wouldn't have missed for anything in the world. — Kevin

Here it is, the Poly Plaza, our first taste of Chinese hospitality.