Easter 2013 - Part 2

Brody's school had a Kindergarten Easter egg hunt at the park on Thursday, and they had a blast! It was a beautiful day, and I got some cute pics of Brody and his little friends.

Easter 2013 ~ Part 1

Our Eater celebration started last weekend with our church's egg hunt! It was cold and rainy, so the hunt was moved to the gym. It actually was just an egg "pick up", but the kids loved it anyway! :)

I only got a few pictures. It's hard to watch all three kids fill their baskets and take pictures...I felt like I was running around like crazy! The kids had fun though. Levi really got into it this year, which was so cute to watch. Glad they got some practice, because I'm sure they'll be hunting plenty of eggs this weekend!

Sweet Little Update

We got a wonderful little update on Lennox today! We only get these detailed written updates when staff from our agency travels to Korea (about twice a year), so they are treasures to receive. We were able to submit three questions for them to ask his foster mother...the answers are below :)


1) What is his daily routine?
~8 am: wakes up and takes 240 cc (8oz) of formula. 11am: he takes a short cat nap. He doesn’t have a regular bath time as it typically follows a bowel movement. In the afternoon, he takes another short nap for less than one hour. Throughout the day, he is very busy exploring his home. He is able to pull up to stand, he attempts to climb onto objects like the sofa, and he also walks with support. His foster mother is convinced that he’ll walk independently before he is a year old. He goes to sleep around 9-10 pm and wakes up around 7 or 8 am. He sleeps on his stomach next to his foster mother on the floor. He takes 240 cc of formula every five hours. In the meantime, he eats the snacks that were sent in the care packages and he enjoys them very much. He also eats three or four spoonfuls of rice. He does not like cheese. If he doesn’t want to eat, he closes his mouth. If we say to him “ ahn-dae” (no) or “ha-ji-ma” (don’t do it), he stops doing it. He seems to know what he is told.

2) Can you describe his personality and share some of his likes and dislikes?
~He is curious and enjoys playing with things that are new to him. If he is hungry or sleepy, he gets fussy. If he’s very hungry, he cries very loudly. In general, he is a cheerful and attentive little boy. He enjoys playing peek-a-boo and smiles when he hears ‘ka-koong’ (the Korean version of peek-a-boo). There is another foster boy (age 8 months) in the home. His foster father describes his as the most diligent person in the home. He likes toys that make noise and he likes to push the buttons over and over again.

3) What items are most important for us to include in future care packages for him? ~His foster mother shared that all the items included in recent packages have been appreciated and age appropriate and she feels this is experience his adoptive parents gained through parenting their birth children. She sends her thanks for the gifts. Snacks, clothing without footies, toys that make noise, shirts and long pants would be helpful in future packages. She did share that onesies are difficult so she prefers separate pieces.

It is so wonderful to feel like we know a little bit more about our boy! We were glad he hear that he has a foster brother in the home with him - maybe the shock of having three brothers when he comes home won't be quite as overwhelming. :) And I have no doubt he is being loved and taken care of. I can't wait to give these people a big hug!

Sounds like we need to send over plenty of snacks, outfits, and interactive toys! I love knowing what he needs the most. I feel like I can prepare care packages more easily now. I am so thankful for our wonderful agency and the extra effort they put into getting info about our kids. Such wonderful people they are!

We are expecting to receive a short video of him by the end of the week, so that's super exciting!

I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
Lamentations 3:24-26

Six

I'm a little late writing this, but a few weeks ago, our big boy turned 6. 6 years ago, we welcomed our first son into this world, kicking and screaming. And he hasn't slowed down since. On some levels, I can hardly believe that he is already six, but then again, I can hardly remember not being a mom. This boy is the one who welcomed me into the beautiful role of motherhood...he and I will always have a special bond because of that.

At six, our Brody is as energetic, hard-headed, and fun as he's always been. He never stops talking and asks 7,989 questions a day. He is so smart and wants to know exactly how and why everything works the way it does. He pouts and whines and argues like every other six year old, but this boy...oh this boy. He loves with his whole heart. His best friend is his mommy. He teaches me so much every day. He loves those brothers of his, and he has embraced the adoption of his baby brother more than anyone else. He sees it through innocent eyes...without judgement, without complication. He speaks with me about Lennox every day. And I can't wait to see their relationship when we bring Lennox home.

At six, he loves baseball. He loves climbing trees and taking walks. He loves cowboys and superheroes. He loves to wear his camo and target shoot with his grandfathers. He loves to play golf. He loves to snuggle on the couch and watch tv. And I love everything about him at six.

Happy birthday to my little buddy! Our Brody man. We love you so much, little dude! I can't wait to see what six brings!!

Catch Up ~ Part 2

Catch Up ~ Part 1

Trying to get caught up on pictures! Of course, they are all from my iPhone, but these are our everyday moments!

Adoption Update - One of those downhill moments...

When we started this process, everyone told us that there would be lots of ups and downs along the way. When The Lord began to impress upon our hearts that our fourth child was waiting for us on the other side of the world, He never promised that the journey to get to him would be easy. But He did promise that He would walk with us every step of that journey. I will admit that I was very naive and brushed the thought aside when others tried to prepare us for those downs that would come. The Korean program was moving along smoothly when we turned in our application, and I just knew we'd sail right along and bring our little one home without much of a hitch. I assumed the long wait would be the only downfall we faced.

Well, this week our roller coaster took its first big downhill ascend. I really can't go into detail...our agency has asked us to share as little as possible until we have more clear answers. But the Korean government is making more (and even bigger) changes to the program. In the past, families traveling to get their child only had to stay in Korea for about 5-7 days. We were informed this week that our stay will now either be 2 separate trips to Korea or one really long trip (they are estimating 3-4 weeks). Either option adds tremendous cost...and if its one long trip...well I have no idea how I will leave my boys for that long. Brent would be able to leave and return to work after a certain amount of time, but I would be required to stay. We will find out more specifically how this is going to work in the coming weeks.

We are also expecting that all of these changes will drastically increase our wait time. While we had hoped to have Lennox home by the end of the year, we are now just praying that we can go get him by Summer 2014, when he turns 2.

As difficult as it was for us to receive this news, we know it didn't take God by surprise. This is the verse that keeps coming to mind this week as I try to process my emotions over all of these changes.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Philippians 4:6

Brent and I talked last night, and even though these new travel requirements are much different than what we had anticipated, we will figure it out. If Lennox is supposed to be part of our family, God will provide a way. For us to give up would be so much more than us not able to get this child we've waited so long for. It would be this child not getting a family that he's waited so long for.

While these changes may stretch us and cause a bit of of discomfort, please know how grateful we are that they are manageable changes. They won't be easy, but in the end, still manageable. I think so often of those children in Russia who were still waiting for their families when adoption to the US were banned. And I'm thankful that, for now, that's not the case with Korea. We've fallen in love the picture and the story of this little boy. We just want him home with us.

We hope to get more answers in the coming weeks and months, but until then, please join me in storming the gates of heaven with prayers for these little ones to be united with their families. For families to be provided a way to make these new travel requirements to work. For any decisions that are made, that they would be in the best interest of these children.

I've been humming this old hymn a lot this week! We are truly just resting in his promises.

"Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God!"