Wordless Wednesday

HOO is 2? Andrew

Well, our baby boy is 2 today!

WOW! Hard to believe we have been waiting

exactly 10 months and 2 days

since we saw his picture for the 1st time.

So many emotions surround his birthday.

I received a call from our local floral shop on Friday that they had a delivery for me.

So, I was not going to be home so they asked if I wanted to pick it up when I came into town.

I said, "Sure".

When I went in and gave the lady my name she couldn't find it

and asked if it could be under anyone else's name.

I was clueless.

She came back out with a huge balloon bouquet and as I studied the balloons,

on the tip top Happy Feet balloon it had Andrew's name under the words Happy Birthday.

I started crying!

I was totally touched by someone's true thoughtfulness.

I was a blubber mouth at that point.

I said,"How do I know who they are from?"

Duh Becky...she probably thought.

"It says on the card" she said.

When I saw the card I really cried.

The fact that it was on someone else's heart that even though

he is not here it is important to celebrate really spoke to Steve and I.

When I called her to say thank you she told me that he will ask one day how we celebrated or what we did each day before he came home, and how important it will be for him to really know that a day did not pass when we didn't think about him.

YES!

I love it when someone totally gets adoption and how we feel as parents to this little guy across the country that didn't grow inside me but in my heart.

I am sure it is a day that will forever be remembered by his birth mom.

She was so selfless to give him life and want him to have a forever family.

Some say, "Well, she may be selfless but maybe selfish."

I find that to be the farthest from the truth.

When a mom chooses to give life and not abort and then takes it one step further and decides that the best for her child is to give him up for adoption...

That is selfless!

Then I think about the foster family that is giving Andrew everything he needs until we can become his forever family.

His foster family has 3 children under the age of 3 that they are caring for until their forever families come.

The love and attention

that he is receiving is so awesome.

The day the foster mom places him in my arms will be so great yet a loss for her too.

She knows that it will happen but the fact that she has been his omma since June 2009 will be hard. Since the EP situation has gotten longer these foster families are providing care longer than they ever did before. It used to be 4- 5 months and maybe even 8 months but now it is longer.....it will almost be 2 years that she has had Andrew.

I so love this sweet lady and I haven't even met her yet!

I see her picture and I have such admiration, respect and true love for her.

Finally us.

We are celebrating just as if he were home.

We want him to know that even though he wasn't here physically,

he was in our hearts and minds throughout the day.

So that is just what we did!

I baked a cake and I let my two middles...Meredith and Caroline decorate it.

Let me tell ya, that was a little hard to relinquish that control..(I am a tad bit of a perfectionist) and let them do what I had envisioned.

They were awesome!

Since we are decorating his room in owls that is what I wanted on his cake.

Meredith put the owl on and the border to the cake.

Is it adorable or what??

Caroline wrote

"HOO is 2?

Andrew."

We are singing, "Happy Birthday", blowing out candles,

and opening a gift wrapped just for him.

Yes, of course we are videoing it too.

I think about holding him and walking into his room with his birthday gift early in the morning and singing,"Happy Birthday" just like we do each year for the girls.

I think about how he will be ripping wrapping paper off of gifts.

I think about all the family that will be here next year to help us celebrate.

Next year it will happen!

Oh what a day it will be!

Snow days and winter memories

When the phone rang Sunday night and I saw the number was from our school district I put it on speaker. I knew it was the call all of us had anticipated all day but were unsure if it would come true. As the girls listened intently they heard the words we all love......NO SCHOOL!!!!

That meant that no early bedtime!!!!

Steve and Lydia enjoyed a book by the fire.

The older girls and I love BOGGLE, so that was in the works.

We decided to mix up a batch of cinnamon rolls after the girls had watched Man vs. Food on Netflix earlier in the day. They were determined that the rolls we were going to roll out were going to be monsters. Well, they weren't as big as on the show but we did only get 6 out of that batch. We let them rise once, then punched them down and put them in the refrigerator to let them rise the last time so they would be ready in the morning.

When we were finally up on Monday.....SNOW DAY..., we all rolled them out and baked them. It truly was a family affair, minus Steve of course because he had to go to work. Sad he couldn't stay home with us for the day.

Oh they were yummy!

Why is it when there is no school, cooking and baking are always something on our mind to do?

Not sure but I do know it is fun.

To Melt A Mama's Heart

So Lydia had her Christmas program on Thursday night.

She has been anticipating it for weeks.

Why?

Because she was chosen to be one of the reindeer.

Comet to be exact.

She has been saying her lines and actually every other person's too.

She literally had the entire play memorized.

She has the sweetest teacher ever!

Her teacher replaced her 1st name labeled on her desk with Comet and every other reindeer's name as well.

It was adorable! Little Miss was so expressive and totally had the stage presence going on.

I see her following in her sister's footsteps with musicals.

She had been telling us she had a present for us but wasn't giving any hints.

Oh my goodness!

When I walked in and saw all the precious snowman plates that these

kiddos had been working on so hard, I was in awe!

So much detail and time went into them.

Her teacher is absolutely just amazing.

These took a lot of time and energy on her part.

This is a plate that I will display every year forever!

It means so much and Miss Lydia knows her mama loves polka dots

SO......the scarf is decked out with them.

Absolutely melted this mama's heart.

Picture Tells So Much

Last week we were so excited to get an updated well baby check on Andrew along with updated photos and video. We had not received anything since July so it was awesome. I had so many emotions as I was about to open the package delivered not to mention I was seriously stalking the mail lady because I knew it was arriving on Monday. I called Steve before I opened it and texted some close friends because I can't even put to words all the feelings that were brewing inside me. Once I opened it and looked at the photos on the computer I just cried.....

our baby boy still so far from us.

Who would have thought we would still be waiting??

However, I also know it is all in God's perfect timing but wow, it is hard.

We truly have decided the song by John Waller

While I'm Waiting

is our adoption journey story.

So, sorry for getting so far off from what I started about a picture telling so much!!

I posted Andrew's new picture on the adoption forum I belong to along with new information the foster mom gave about Andrew. Here is what we know about him from her:

-He sleeps through the night from 11pm to 7am, sleeping in a bed with another baby in the room.

- He sleeps better in a quiet room.

-He is sensitive to noise.

-His foster mom describes him as sensitive.

-He would rather play with others and doesn’t like to be alone.

-He is very active.

-He doesn’t follow directions, yet, but understands “please give me this…”

-He is curious and cautious of his surroundings.

-He can use a spoon and tries to feed himself.

-He likes to mimic.

-He is walking with good balance and beginning to talk.

-He can say dad, mom and why.

Something SO amazing happened I never dreamed about.....

I received a private message from another adoptive mom.

Her message said something like this....I think our babies share the same foster family!

WHAT???

So I instantly sent her my cell number and within 30 minutes she called me!

I asked her if she could email a photo of her little girl and foster mom.

I stood at the computer anxiously waiting for it to come through.

YES! YES! YES!

Our sweet babies have the same foster family!

I was in tears.

So, how did she make that connection?

Remember my title that a picture tells so much?

Well, she saw that Andrew is wearing the same sweater...did you get that?

The same sweater as what her little girl was wearing in her last photo with foster mom.

Also, our foster mom wears the same jacket usually and she could see just a small piece of the jacket and little bit of foster mom's face...

BUT

with just that we have made a connection that we can continue for life!

This other family doesn't live across the country from us but only a few hours.

We will forever be able to keep Andrew in contact with his sweet sister

that he has shared so much with for the last 2 years.

If you would like to follow her blog too it is..

http://ourpromisedson.blogspot.com/

So incredible.

I have chatted with the other family

and whoever travels first will take a care package for the other child.

This was just a great gift to begin the Christmas season.

Why International Adoption?

It seems we get the question...."Why international adoption?"

My response is,"Why not international adoption?

143 million orphans in the world

Each one needs and deserves parents to love them, no matter where they are located.

As I think about this question many things come to my mind.

I think of areas of ministry in which people choose to serve.

My heart is not in high school or jr high ministry. That is not my passion and desire.

I love infants and toddlers so that is where I serve with passion.

God places that in each of us and it is awesome that he does or we would not have people serving where they are so excited about.

Your question may be how does that involve or relate to adoption?

I think a lot.

Our hearts are in Korea and that is where God has called us.

Just as others have a desire and heart for domestic adoption.

We each need to go where we feel led.

There are an abundance of orphans.

I feel so blessed that our son is waiting for us in Korea....

just as God has always had in His perfect plan.

Curtain Call

It has been a hectic month here but now is the time!

The musical in Beauty and the Beast Jr.

Two of the girls are in it this weekend

and we are busy busy with makeup, hair, makeup, hair....and so on.

Lydia is getting pretty good at sitting in front of a show while I spend the

next hour curling her hair and putting on her makeup.

Lydia's teacher came to the performance which was super sweet!

Had to get a picture of the 2 of them.

She is such a great teacher and how Lydia loved her being at the musical.

Last night was opening night and it was a packed house!

Can't wait to have more family and friends come see how amazing all these kids do!

The director is awesome and the students are so blessed to get this experience already.

So, as they say, "Break a Leg"

Our Journey

Well, I am not sure where to start. I have wanted to have a blog going since we made the decision to adopt. However, I am not too computer savvy.. Finally it is ready and I will share our adoption journey with you here. All paperwork is complete on the United States side of things. We are currently waiting for and EP(aka Emigration Permit) to be issued in Korea for Andrew to leave and come here. They only issue so many each year and now they are maxed out of their allotment for 2010. We really so wanted to have our little guy home by his 2nd birthday BUT that is not going to happen. He will turn 2 on December 19th. It is looking like we will travel in March or April of 2011.

The wait is so hard but we know he is being taken care of so well by his foster mom and dad. How great that he has had the two of them as constants in his life this far. I can't wait to meet them and give them hugs for taking care of him. It will be an emotional day for them and us. We are gaining so much and they are losing the child they have so selflessly cared for since he was an infant. Yet, they know when they foster this is why they are doing it....to help a child until their forever family comes. WOW! That is cool!

Here is our sweet boy!

Is he super sweet or what??

We can't wait to hold him, smell him, and bring him into our home.