Journey to Lennox - 2nd Meeting

We were so excited for Monday to finally to arrive!!! Another day to get to play with Lennox! It still feels so wonderful to pull up to this place. Where I know he's been coming for the last two years every month. :)

We started our day off with a meeting with the President of Eastern Social Welfare Society. Her father was the founder of Eastern, and they are amazing people. She likes to meet with each adopting family, as did her father. She spoke with us about the history of Korea, Eastern, and was just so kind and generous. She was very apologetic about the long wait families have to endure, and she seemed hopeful that the process may speed up in the future. She presented us and the boys with gifts. They loved opening their little magnets. :)

After our meeting, Eastern served all of the families and staff a delicious Korean lunch. When we finished eating, we went back downstairs to wait. Within just a few minutes our sweet little boy was there bouncing around the halls! I scooped him up, and we headed toward the playroom. So awesome to walk around with him in my arms. IN MY ARMS!!! This moment was the first time he actually felt like I was his mother and he was my baby. 

And those big brothers of his were just as excited to see him!

We played nonstop for a full hour. He is a very active, very busy, very fearless 2 year old. Each activity lasted no longer than a minute and it was on to something else. He was very generous with his kisses and hugs, but he was also kept going back to his foster mom a bit more, just making sure she was still there. I can tell he loves her very much. And her him. She has done a wonderful job with him. I was able to sit down with her and the social worker and get some questions answered about Lennox . . . such as history of allergies or minor illnesses, how he likes the room when he sleeps, where he is used to eating, etc. We got a lot of helpful information. At the end I asked if there was anything else she thought we should know to help with his transition, and she replied that she "wasn't worried about his transition because...many brothers".  Haha. I think she could tell he will fit in with this little band of brothers very well. :)

Before we were ready, it was time to tell him goodbye. He gave each of us high fives, hugs, kisses, and did the little Korean "I love you" sign. I got one last squeeze and kiss from him...and then he walked away with his foster family, waving to us as the elevator doors closed. 

After a bit of a rest in our room, we walked (and walked and walked and walked) until we found a Mr Pizza! We had heard it was fantastic, and it sure didn't disappoint! 

We ended the evening with a stroll by the stream. 

Brody and Beckett have surprised me by how much they are loving Seoul. I'm so happy they'll have wonderful memories of their little brother's homeland to tell share with him. 

They are walking miles with little complaint, hailing taxis, and just truly enjoying the city life for this week we have been blessed with. 

We were all completely exhausted so we finally headed back to our hotel. We passed back by Mr Pizza, so I had to snap a picture. :)

He just couldn't walk another step. 

Very thankful for another beautiful day here. Only a few days left!

Journey to Lennox - City Hall, Cheonggyecheon Stream, & Gyeongbokgung Palace

It's Sunday afternoon in Seoul, and our baseball game plans were rained out, so we are inside our room letting the boys rest. We have had a full day today, exploring a big part of the city on foot! These boys walked for 6 hours today! 

As usual, we were up to watch the sunrise this morning. Today the boys enjoyed a snack of Oreos and OJ on the balcony about 5 am. 

By a little after 7, we were ready and had headed out to find some breakfast! Brody and Beckett were so excited to wear their new Korean soccer jerseys. :)

We walked a few blocks east of our hotel and found a delicious Dunkin Donuts. It was so good! We had a variety of filled donuts, and Dad and I had lattes. 

Our plans were to grab a taxi after breakfast and head to the main palace, but the more we walked, the more we stumbled upon new and interesting places, so we just kept walking! Right next to Dunkin Donuts was one of the smaller Palaces, Deoksugung Palace. Look how tiny the boys look in front of it. 

Then, right around the corner was City Hall Square! We were so excited to see a big patch of green!! These country boys sure were needing to run and play, and this did them so much good!

Seoul City Hall - such a cool building!

We headed north from there, and explored City Hall district, deciding we really love this area of Seoul. It's so funny to see how excited the kids get (ok ok, maybe all of us) when we see restaurants  like this. ;)

Next upon our fun little stroll, we came upon Cheonggyecheon Stream, a beautiful stream that runs through town. 

Giving a peace sign whike taking pictures seems to be the popular thing to do here, and the boys have noticed. They wanted us all to do it in our family pic ;)

We walked down some stairs that led us right down to the water. We put our toes in the water, saw lots of little fish swimming around, and jumped across these little stones from one side of the stream to another. Such a fun little place!!

After playing in the stream, we put on our shoes, and started walking further north toward the area of the main palace of Seoul. We found the US Embassey (which is where we will go to get Lennox's visa on our next trip), and this little museum. 

The kids loved all the little characters outside!

And they were needing a break from the walking. Beckett even gets his back scratched in the middle of Seoul- ha! 

While we were resting, a very kind guard walked over and motioned to the very top of the museum building and indicated that we could take a picture of the palace from there. So, he led us up to the terrace deck of this building. What a view!! You could see the mountains and a great view of this massive palace!! 

He even offered to take a group picture for us. Everyone here has been so kind! We are very obviously tourists, and locals have gone above and beyond to help us out and give us fun little tips. We just love it here. 

As we were walking back through the museum heading down, they wanted their picture by Lennox's flag. :)

After walking just a little further, we finally made it to Gyeongbokgung Palace!  

(Another request for pictures with the boys here...this was a sweet man from China.) 

Historical Military Training

The intricate details of this place were just amazing!  

We also caught a changing of the guard ceremony. 

After touring the palace, we headed over to Insadong, a trendy little shopping district. Brody and Beckett enjoyed a yummy ice cream treat!

Finally, we decided we better start walking back. The boys were beginning to wear down, and we were all getting hungry. Just a block away we saw a McDonalds, and it was oh so good!!

Just a few pictures from our walk back to our hotel...

Back at City Hall square, they had turned on the splash pad, and the boys had a blast!! They would've stayed here and played for hours!!

I still love this sight - skyscraper after skyscraper then suddenly you get a peak of these mountains in the distance. So beautiful!!