What a Difference...

What a difference a year makes. This time last year, we were a family of three eagerly waiting for Bethany to come home.

Our 2009 Christmas card

And now, Bethany has been home with us for exactly 10 months and 10 days, the same number of days she spent apart from us in Korea. We can't imagine our lives without her now and I feel doubly blessed to have not one, but two children to fill my days with such love and laughter.

Our first Christmas together was wonderful and it was so much fun adding these ornaments to our tree.

Happy 1st Christmas home Bethany!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Getting a new car for Christmas was no doubt awesome, but what truly makes this time of the year so wonderful are the memories made and shared with family and friends. Here are just some of the things that have made this year's Christmas so very special.

Annual church Christmas party.
My church family is near and dear to my heart. They are truly like family to me and spending time with them is always a blast. :)

Christmas Eve with Sam's family.
Every year we have a huge get together with Sam's very large extended family. This year, we strayed from tradition and broke off into smaller groups.

Christmas Day with my parents.

Best Christmas Surprise Ever!

Has anyone else seen these Lexus commercials and thought it would be pretty neat to get a car for Christmas?

But that kind of stuff only happens on television, right?

Well, this morning, I got the biggest surprise of my life. 

 I stepped out into our garage to find this waiting for me!

WOW!

We had been throwing around the idea of eventually buying a mini-van, but we weren't sure if it was a good time to make such a big purchase. I just assumed we were going to wait, but I guess Sam had other plans.

After tons of research and inquiries through the internet, email and phone, Sam was able to find us a great deal on the car we wanted. Knowing I'd get a kick out of a bow on the car, Sam even went to a Lexus dealer to see if he could get me one of those giant bows. Unfortunately, they were not feeling the Christmas spirit, so Sam had to resort to the local craft store. I love it though!!! :)

I am so thankful and humbled by my dear husband for planning such a sweet and special surprise.  What's even more amazing is that he was able to keep it a secret. I usually find out one way or another so he is quite proud of himself right now. :)

Thank you so much Sam for making this such a memorable Christmas!
I can't wait to drive around in my new "swagger wagon".

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a joyous Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord!

May the new year be filled with much joy and blessings for you and your family.

Cruisin'

Last month, our family (along with my mom), set off on a 7 day cruise along the Mexican Riviera. For those of you who don't know the back story, our son and his friends won this trip for us last year in the Sound of Music Sing A Long costume contest at the Hollywood Bowl.

He and his friends dressed up as "tea, a drink with jam and bread".
September 2009

Ideally, we would've waited until Bethany was a bit older to take this trip, but the cruise agency had already extended the deadline for us on account of Bethany's recent arrival from Korea, and we couldn't postpone it any longer. The only remaining dates for the cruise was the end of November, so not only did Austin get a week off of school for Thanksgiving, but an additional week immediately after for the cruise. Let's just say Austin was over the moon and had much to be thankful for. :)

Despite our concerns about traveling with a 19 month old, the trip was a success and not nearly as stressful as I thought it would be. Bethany did really well with her naps and bedtime, and Austin had a blast sharing a room with Grandma. Grandma just turned 66 a few days ago, but you wouldn't know it by the way she kept up with Austin. One night, they even stayed up until 3am playing UNO together!

Our family has always enjoyed cruising, but this was the first time we actually had a room with windows, let alone a balcony. Let me just tell you, it was NICE and the view was gorgeous.

Our stateroom balcony.

The view.

Sam took advantage of the balcony and perfect weather knowing full well that unless Austin won us another trip, he wouldn't be doing this anytime soon. :)

Fruit carving demonstration.

Austin spent countless hours at the pool.

Nothing like a ice cold smoothie delivered poolside,

and an all you can eat menu right afterward.

This was the first time Bethany didn't cry in a pool.

Austin and Bethany spent a lot of quality time together.

Daily afternoon tea.

Formal Night Dinner

Dressed to impress!

Highlights from our three ports of call.

Puerto Vallarta

Our tour guide took us to a local taco stand for lunch. It was delicious!

Bethany thought so too!

Mazatlan

After some sight seeing, we girls decided to return to the ship while the boys stayed to have a special afternoon alone.

Cabo San Lucas

Time to say good bye.

It was an amazing trip, but I for one was looking forward to getting back to the comforts of home. :)

The Very Special Ornament

In February 2007, after three years into our adoption process, I bought a Christmas ornament with the hopes that it would hang on our tree that very year.

But Christmas came and went and that ornament never made it onto our tree. Instead, it remained tucked away in a special drawer, and each Christmas its absence reminded me that someone very special was missing from our lives.

Earlier this year our daughter finally came home, and this afternoon this very special ornament was carefully unwrapped, personalized and hung on our tree for the very first time.

This ornament will always hold a special place in my heart because of the story it has to tell. It's an amazing story of how God took our family on a six year journey to bring our family together through the blessing of adoption, and how God truly does cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

We are the family that usually gets their Christmas tree the weekend following Thanksgiving. But this year, our family was too busy enjoying a 7 day cruise on the Mexican Riviera. (more on that in a separate post)

Needless to say, the first chance we got, we were off to find a Christmas tree.

 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!