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!

 

My Final Days As a Chaperone

Today marked the very last field trip of Austin's elementary school years, and I was so thankful to be able to go one last time. For the past seven years, I have been fortunate enough to be a chaperone on most of Austin's field trips, and have always looked forward to sharing those special times with him.

It all began with his first field trip to the Underwood Farms when he was just shy of turning four, to our final field trip together this afternoon at the ripe old age of ten.

I don't know if I'll have opportunities like this in middle school, but if I do, you can count on me to be there!

October 2006 - Underwood Farms

April 2013 - Los Angeles Music Center

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.

Three Years Ago

 

Today is a special day for our family.

It was three years ago when I first held Bethany in my arms, and we became a family of four. I will never forget that incredible day, and how God grew our family through adoption. (You can read more about our homecoming day in detail here and here, and find our adoption video here.)

Much has happened during Bethany's third year home, and I am happy to report she is doing extremely well. She's our sweet girl, ready to cuddle at a moment's notice, and the first to say thank you and ask if we're okay. She is also our spunky and determined one, sharp and fearless, strong and carefree. You wouldn't think it at first glance, but once she gets comfortable, you'll see her fire. :)

Her big brother is of course her best friend, and Grandma comes a close second. She enjoys being a part of the same preschool co-op from last year, and attending our local public preschool where she continues to receive speech therapy. It's been encouraging to see her interact with new friends, and see steady progress in her speech all year long. Although she has a lot of room for growth, her articulation and vocabulary have improved immensely, and the entire family is having fun cheering her on with every new word. Go Bethany! We hope to hear some good news when she has her annual IEP next month.

Bethany's a bit of an ipad/iphone junkie already, and it always surprises me how these little ones are so proficient with today's gadgets. She loves watching television, and her latest favorites are Dora, Tinkerbell, Sophia the First, and Peppa Pig. Her favorite part of the day is when we pick Austin up from school, and she gets to pull his backpack all the way to the car. Bethany loves to do "homework", cut with scissors, and chase her big brother with a nerf sword and nerf gun. She also loves to sing and dance, and is my tv buddy when shows like American Idol and The Voice are on.

Bethany still sneaks into our room nearly every single night. Once upon a time, we were those parents who would have nipped it in the bud, but having a ten year old, soon to be middle schooler puts things into perspective --- they don't stay little for long. I decided that waking up with her cheek pressed against mine, or her foot in my face was worth it knowing that she just wanted to be close to her mommy. I know soon enough she'll prefer her own bed over mine, and maybe the tables will turn, and I'll be the one sneaking into her bed at night.

Although I wish she could stay this little forever, I know she has a lot of growing up to do, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for her.

We love you Bethany!

Happy third year home!

February

March

April

May

June

July (Preschool co-op)

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

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 Birthday to Me

I was battling the stomach flu on my birthday, and I was feeling quite miserable when I woke up. 

All that changed when I found an unexpected surprise waiting for me downstairs.

Thank you Austin for your thoughtfulness and creativity, and for making me feel a hundred times better!

 

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.