A Tree for Tae

On Sunday we invited our neighbors to our front yard for a tree planting in honor of Tae. We wanted to celebrate our new family addition with a symbol of Tae's rootedness in our family and neighborhood:

Before we planted the tree, Mike cut off a bracelet I had been wearing for the last few months that some dear Ministerial Association friends had both given and worn themselves as a reminder of my connection to Tae even though he hadn't yet arrived in our arms. It was my "umbilical cord" to Tae (and a Chinese belief called "the red thread" -- that there is an invisible, unbreakable red thread that connects all those who are destined to be together), but since Tae is now in our arms, we cut the bracelet off and buried it under the tree -- new life for everyone!

Here's the tree going in the ground (it's a beautiful Coral Bark Japanese Maple):

Neighbors and friends, especially the kids, helped put dirt on the tree and water it:

Afterwards we all had a toast to Tae. He loves watching people clink glasses, so we used real wine glasses for everyone and kept clinking and toasting and Tae would smile!

The tree will grow as Tae grows, reminding him he is rooted in his family forever:

Thanks for watching our little family grow, too!