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. 

Preschool 2012-2013

Technically, tomorrow is Bethany's last day of school, but we couldn't have little sister miss her big brother's 5th grade culmination now could we?

So today she said goodbye to her teachers and friends, some of whom will be back again next year, and some of whom will be moving onto kindergarten. I tried to explain to her that it was her last day of school, but to her it was just the end of another day. Hopefully she won't be too disappointed when we don't go back all summer. 

I can proudly say Bethany's first year of pre-school was a success. She had a great team of dedicated teachers, teacher's aides, and specialists helping her every step of the way, and it shows in the amount of progress she has made. She still has a lot of work ahead of her, but I'm confident she will make great strides in the year to come.

Congratulations Bethany on completing your first year of preschool.

We are so very proud of you!

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