Where to Start...

Life is busy as always...but it's such a good busy!

What have we been up to, let's see...well to start, we are busy packing, planning, making lists, looking at subway maps, and dreaming about our upcoming trip to Korea!  Two weeks, people.  How did this happen?  I feel like I have so much to do all of a sudden!  I am beyond excited though and every day the anticipation grows.  We are leaving on September 11th, taking the train and staying at a hotel near the airport, then flying to Seoul on September 12th.  We will spend three days in Seoul on our own (this is when we will meet with the boys' foster mothers!) and then we will be flying to Jeju Island (it is near the southern coast of South Korea) to join up with our tour group.  Our tour lasts 7 nights so I think we're gone for a total of 11 nights.

Jeju Island:



Beautiful?  Amazing?  I can hardly believe we get to visit such a beautiful place!



This weekend was a special "trial run" for us - we have been away from the boys for three single night trips this summer, and this weekend we did two nights away.  My parents stayed with the boys and I must say it seemed to go better than I could have ever hoped!  The boys did pretty well at night, slept through, and ran my parents ragged I think :)  The boys are pretty go go go, that's for sure!  It was great to spend time away with Brad, to be able to do some shopping for Korea, to watch 5 episodes in a row of E.R. (we've started at the beginning again), and to just not be needed at all!  Weird.

Yesterday, Brad and I were also able to meet with a group of families who are waiting to bring home children from Korea.  It was basically an informal discussion about some of the joys and challenges that come along with bringing home a child who is 18 months old to two years old.  It was a wonderful time to connect with other families, see some old friends, and reminisce about those early days when Nathan first came home.  Those really were some tough days!  I'm so thankful they are behind us!

In adoption news, we had our fingerprints done last week and we hope to get our immigration approval soon so that our dossier can go to China!  Time is flying by and I know our little girl will be home in no time.  I can't wait to have her in my arms!!!!  The other day I was talking to Matthew about how Brad and I are going to Korea soon, and he said, "And then Hannah will come home with you?".  I had to tell him that Hannah was in China, not Korea, to which he replied, "I wish she was in Korea!".  He talks about her all the time and really seems to want her to come home.  We'll see if he still feels the same after she arrives :)