December Recap

After my thirty days of posts back in November, you'd think I'd have this blogging thing down.... but no. December has come and gone, and I can't believe I have zero posts to show for it.

Lest you think our December was a dud, here's a recap of some of the things our family did during my month long absence.

We started the month off by participating in the Children's Hunger Fund's annual Toy Wrap. According to their website, there were over 2500 volunteers that day, and we wrapped about 86,500 toys!

Later that afternoon, Austin had his last soccer game and party where he brought some Mommas to tears with his goodbye speech. 

That evening (yes, it was a crazy busy day!), we attended a Christmas gathering for Korean American adoptive families through an organization called MPAK. Austin met his first Korean Santa Claus, and I got to meet some of my KA Facebook friends in person. :)

The rest of the month wasn't quite as jammed packed as that one Saturday, but it was full of good times. 

Austin had another piano recital, but boo on us for not taking pictures of him (we only took video). Instead, we have this cute picture of Bethany and her friend, and a handful of pictures of our friends' kids playing the piano. 

Chef Austin made some delicious pizza in his camo pjs. 

We had our final preschool meeting of the year where we made cute nativity sets.

Sam and I went on our second food tour with Sixth Taste. This time, we did the Santa Monica tour and had so much fun eating that we barely took any pictures. You'll just have to visualize the two of us scarfing down a variety of food for four hours. :)

We had a wonderful Christmas season celebrating with many family and friends. 

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Capturing Moments in Time (Thanksgiving Challenge - Day 27)

I am thankful for my camera.

Although I am hoping Santa brings me a new camera this year, I am so thankful for the one I have. This is the fifth camera I have owned since college, and trust me when I say each camera has paid its dues.

I love that I can capture moments in my life that I would simply forget were it not for my camera. For instance, I took a few pictures this evening after we finally got a chance to decorate the tree (we got the tree Friday morning).

I love that I will have these sweet pictures to look back on for many Christmases to come.

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.

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!