Hello from Korea!

It is hard to believe we have already been in Korea for a day and a half! The flight went very well, although it was so long and I'm not really looking forward to the trip home. 14 hours of sitting watching movies sounds like a great idea...it turns out its not actually as fun as it sounds!! We were very thankful to finally land.

We made our way through the airport, exchanged money, and managed to buy bus tickets to get to our hotel with no trouble at all. Everyone here is very helpful and many people speak English. The bus ride into Seoul took about an hour and it was so interesting to start to experience Korea!

Our hotel is lovely - we had heard great things about it from other adoptive families (we are at the Somerset and would highly recommend it).




We got settled, looked over our maps a little in preparation for our meetings at the adoption agencies on Friday, and went straight to bed! By that point we had been up for almost 24 hours as we hadn't been able to sleep much on the plane. We were feeling a bit zombie-like by then for sure! We went to bed at 8pm and slept until 5am. I kept waking up and thinking, "I'M IN KOREA!"

We are so thankful for this opportunity - being in the country where our boys were born is overwhelming and the emotions have been very strong.

I hope to post soon about our meetings with the boys' foster Moms! And also to share about an interesting situation that has popped up - Super Typhoon Sanba. What an adventure this trip is turning out to be!


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Let the Adventure Begin!

Today was the big day! We said our good-byes, which was not as bad as I expected, and headed to the train station. We took the train to Chicago, another train to the airport, and a shuttle to the hotel. All we did was sit all day but I am really tired!

We had a bit of a change of plans last night. My mom and dad have been planning for months to watch the boys, and we have done a lot of trial runs over the last few months to get the boys used to staying with them. Yesterday my Mom called with some not-so-great news - my Dad has been having a lot of trouble with his eye and has had his retina detach several times, causing him to have to have numerous surgeries. At a doctors visit yesterday he was told that it had detached again :( Which meant he couldn't come with my Mom to watch the boys. Holy moly.

Here's the good news: my parents really trust God. As in, really, really trust Him, even when it's hard and life throws them a curve ball they didn't see coming. They didn't freak out, they calmly decided Mom would come by herself, and they trust God to help Mom with the kids and Dad with his eye.

To parents out there wondering how to teach your kids to follow God, this is how. Live it. So simple, yet missed by so many parents.

My Mom is thankfully not alone in watching our very active and fairly exhausting little boys :) My sisters are both close by and will help out a ton I know. Plus, Brad's parents are nearby and will be spending time with the boys too. I know they're in good hands and I don't need to worry.

One last thing - Mom, in case you're reading this (you know, in your "free time"!) - here is a picture just for Matthew :)




Our flight for Korea leaves tomorrow around lunch time. I can't believe it is here! I am having a blast with Brad and I can't wait to be in Korea!!!


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All Kinds of Emotions

We leave in two days.

Lots of emotions tonight.

I feel pretty ready.  Our bags are mostly packed, I have all the info ready for my parents about the boys, the house is clean, the laundry is done...

The excitement has been building these last few days.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am usually  an anxious, worried, freak-out kind of person.  I'm so thankful for all that the Lord has taught me over the last few years.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6-7

I've learned, over and over again, that this is true.  What God says is true.  He means it when He says He will give you peace if you bring your requests to Him.  So I'm not anxious, worried, or freaked out about the upcoming trip or the thought of being away from the boys for 12 days.

I am sad about it though.  Today, all of a sudden, the thought of being away from my guys for so long just made me so very sad.  I love them so much!  I love spending every day with them.  I love the little things they say, hearing them sing and laugh, breaking up fights (ok, I don't love that part!), hugging and kissing them whenever I feel like it, holding them when they're hurt or upset...it's hard thinking about missing all of that.

I know it's not that long.  I know it will be over before we know it and Lord willing we'll be all together again in just a couple of weeks.  It's just hard to be away from people you love so much.

You know what I super excited about though?  Spending 12 days with my dear husband, Brad, without the interruptions of every day life.  To have an adventure with him :)  To eat new foods and see new places and learn things and experience things together.  This is such a busy season of life with little ones.  I can't wait to spend so much time together!

Not long now...

Pictures I Love

The boys were laughing and playing so sweetly together yesterday...

I grabbed my camera to capture the moment...

and of course that was the exact second Matthew decided

for no reason at all

to lean over and smack Nathan.

Brotherly love!

At least they get over it quickly!

Nathan loves his backpack and his Pooh Bear.

I used to put this shirt on Matthew

but it never quite fit with his personality...

then Nathan came along and I said to myself,

"Ah, yes, this shirt was meant for him!"

Nathan standing at the end of the slide

waiting to catch Matthew!

These boys sure do love bubbles!

Happy days are here again :)

A Year Later

August 2011

August 2012

All About Nathan

I remember a few days after Nathan came home, I sat down to type a blog post and I titled it, "All About Nathan."  Then I stopped, and realized there was no way I could title it that...because I knew hardly anything about Nathan!  But I was learning, and now, almost 15 months later, I feel like I can really type a post entitled, "All About Nathan."

Be still my heart.  This little guy, he has absolutely changed my life.  I didn't know my heart could feel so full of love - when I look at Matthew and Nathan, I feel like I might burst!

Nathan and I got off to a rocky start, but my oh my, how that has changed!  I am so thankful for the way our bond has developed over time.  I notice changes all the time, and even after a year I have noticed some significant changes in Nathan in recent months.

One of my favorite changes...I feel like he has finally let his guard down and let me in!  I can't really even explain it, but the way he looks at me, and talks to me, and squeezes me with all his might with a huge smile on his face...it's amazing.  

Bedtime used to be one of the worst times of day for me, the time I dreaded the most.  It was a battle, it was exhausting, and Nathan was just so stressed out.  The last several months, though, have been absolutely wonderful!  We turned a corner, and it is just so great.  Every night we each put a boy to bed, and we alternate with the kids (although Brad takes Nathan more often than I do).  Tonight was my night to take Nathan to bed, and as I laid down beside him, he snuggled as close to me as he could, with his face an inch away from mine, and I held his hand and sang him a song and just like that he was asleep!  Some nights as I lie beside him, he will suddenly start saying, "Mama. Mama! MAMA!" until I open my eyes and say, "What?"...and he'll smile and say, "Love you, Mama!"

Best. Thing. Ever.

Plus, he's cute as can be and I can't stop snuggling and kissing and hugging him all day long!

He loves to color, do crafts, glue, use scissors...he's always up for anything!  Such an awesome kid, he makes our days so fun!

He and Matthew are moving along in their relationship, too...Matthew is starting to really like having a little brother, and Nathan has always loved Matthew from the moment they met!  The two of them will disappear for ages into their bedroom and I'll hear them chatting away, and it seriously brings tears to my eyes all the time.  I pray they will be the best of friends.

Nathan's speech is coming along at a remarkable speed, although not many people outside of our immediate family get to hear it because he gets so quiet whenever we go anywhere!  He has started saying short sentences and it always surprises me - "Mama, help me!", "Matthew hit me!" (we hear that one a lot, even when I was standing right there and it obviously isn't true!), "I want that."

I'm so thankful for my little fire cracker :)  He has taught me so much about love and I can't imagine my life without him!