Happy 5th Birthday!

Happy birthday Bethany!

Five years ago, unbeknownst to me, our little girl was born in a hospital over five thousand miles away. Although we were apart for the first ten months of her life, it feels as if she has always been a part of me. Today, as we celebrate her fifth birthday, we thank God for creating her, and for making sure she was loved and cared for until she was able to join our family.

We love you so much!

Four Years Home

It was a Wednesday.

Four years ago.

On February 17th, 2010.

In San Francisco.

This little one became a part of our family. She arrived frightened, withdrawn, and cautious.

Four years later, she has blossomed into a sweet, funny and spunky little girl whom we love so much.

We knew from the beginning she and her big brother would become the best of friends.

And could tell from day one mommy would always be her favorite.

Although it took some time for her to warm up to daddy, there's no doubt she's become daddy's little girl.

We are so thankful for you dear Bethany. Every day with you is a gift from God, and we hope you will always know how much you are loved.

Farewell to Elementary School

Oh my! I completely dropped the ball on Austin's 5th grade culmination post. I had typed out the entire thing, and only needed to do a final edit. Tonight, four months later, I discovered I never published it! Sorry little buddy!

*** This post was written on June 30th, 2013.

September  5, 2006, Austin's first day of pre-K.

June 7, 2013, Austin's last day of elementary school.

 As I look back at Austin's pre-K picture, I only see traces of that pint sized boy. In his place I see a budding young man who consistently desires and strives to conduct himself as a child of God. I see a boy who can handle himself when he is wronged or overlooked, a boy who chooses to do the hard (and right) things, a boy who stands up for others, and a boy who always manages to see the good in others. Often times, Austin has been the one to encourage and convict me, and I am reminded of how often God uses our children to sanctify us.

In just a few short months, I'll be entering new territory, and I've been informed, or better yet, warned, that changes are a coming. Puberty, peer pressure, girls, and who knows what else being the likely culprits. Moms have cautioned me to avoid holding hands, kissing on the cheek, and hugging within a five mile radius of his middle school. It's going to take a significant amount of restraint on my part, but I'm telling you now, if I can get away with one or two, or three of the above without ruining his reputation, I'm going for it!

As I look toward the future, I am filled with hope and excitement for what God has in store for Austin. I don't expect the middle school years to be a breeze, but I know God will use that time to bring us closer to Him and to each other. In the meantime, I'm going to spend our brief summer before middle school squeezing in as much hand holding, kisses and hugs as I possibly can. :)

June 6, 2013
5th Grade Culmination

We were so proud of Austin on his culmination day. Not only did he receive the Young Scholars Award, but he also received the Gold Presidential Award for Educational Excellence. He worked very hard all throughout his years in elementary school, and had an amazing seven years. More than his academic successes, I have always been so extremely proud of the ways in which he has shown himself to be a person of character and integrity to his friends, their parents, and the staff at his school. Congratulations Austin! We love you so much. 

Happy 4th Birthday! Part 2

A few weeks after Bethany's birthday, we had a very special joint celebration for Bethany and her good friend Hudson. This was our second year joining forces with their family, and once again, it was a wonderful time. (go here to see their first party together)

Coming up with a theme wasn't too difficult since both Bethany and Hudson are fans of the Power Rangers.

  

Bethany had a great time (i'm pretty sure Hudson did too), and I was especially relieved that Bethany was ready and willing to participate in all the activities. I'm sure it helped that the My Gym staff did an exceptional job, and that she's been going to My Gym classes for the past month and a half. In fact, My Gym has hands down become one of Bethany's favorite places.

I was a little unsure if the older kids would have as much fun, but as you can see by this big kid, the party was fun for kids of all ages. :)

A big thank you to each of these kids, and their moms and dads for coming out to celebrate with us. It wouldn't have been the same without you!

I am so thankful for these two amazing kids, and for the friendship our families share. 

Happy birthday Hudson and Bethany!

 

Happy 4th Birthday! Part 1

Our little girl turned four today.

It feels like we just celebrated Bethany's third birthday not too long ago, but now here we are celebrating her fourth. We passed out small treats to her sunday school class, and didn't get back home from church until the afternoon. Since we'll be having a party for her later on in the month, we opted to have a small family celebration with Korean food and cake to commemorate Bethany's special day. What about our traditional myuk gook you ask? Grandma already came by a few days ago to make myuk gook, and Bethany devoured it like a good Korean. :)

Happy birthday to my little girl who is a daily reminder to me that

our God is faithful,

hope does not disappoint,

every child deserves a family,

love can cross over continents,

 and blood lines do not a family make.

I often think about and pray for Bethany's birth parents, but particularly on this special day. I will always be grateful to her birth mother for having the courage to see her pregnancy through to the end, and for leaving Bethany in the care of those who would eventually find her a family. Our family.

Bethany's birth mother chose life, and today we thank God for that precious life.

Happy birthday Bethany!

We love you so much.

 

After waiting patiently all day, she was so happy to finally have some cake.

Valentine's 2013

 

As I was finishing up Austin's Valentines, it occurred to me that these will likely be the last batch of Valentines we'd be making for his classmates. 

From what I hear, treats for birthdays, Halloween, Christmas, and Valentines all come to an end once your child hits middle school. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

As someone who loves making homemade goodies for my kids to share on special occasions, this makes me sad. Even worse, it's just one more thing to add to the "he's too old for this" list. :(

The bright side is, I'll have Bethany's treats to pour all that energy into, and who knows? Maybe I'll find a way to make homemade treats for Austin without embarrassing him. :) Until then, I'll look forward to making treats for Austin's culmination and last day of school as my last hurrah.

Bethany's Valentines

 Austin's Valentines

Happy 10th Birthday Austin!

We started the day off with myuk gook, a Korean soup traditionally served on birthdays (made with love by grandma who came over just to make it), and even let him watch a little television.

Then we headed off to a middle school tour (yet another reminder that my baby is growing up much too fast). After the tour, I dropped him off at school with cupcakes for his class, but not before I showed him the surprise waiting for him on his school marquee.

In keeping with family tradition, I packed his favorite lunch with a birthday note, surprised him with balloons after school, prepared one of his favorite meal for dinner, and ended the day with ice cream cake.

It's crazy to think how quickly time has flown by, and that the little baby we brought home from the hospital is now ten years old. What a tremendous blessing it has been to watch him grow and mature into who he is today!

Thank you Austin for your tender heart, sense of humor, integrity, and passion for life. Your constant joy and ability to see the good in everything and everyone is such an example to me. Thank you for bringing me so much joy as a mother. I thank God every day for the privilege of being your mom.

Happy birthday Austin!
I love you.