Today is the day..

we meet our son. I am nervous and excited. Sad because I forgot a few gifts....I have no idea where they ended up - but it was not in my bag. Oh well - I brought plenty - but not as many pictures as I had hoped to bring for Ava's foster mom....but it will be OK.

We got alot of sleep last night considering the time change. We woke up 5AM Seoul time - which means we should have quite a bit of energy today! Our bed is wonderful - so that helps alot!

I remember last year when we were here I was so worried about Ava's foster mom and how sad she was going to be. I again am feeling that strange feeling of taking someone who is loved and comfortable from someone who has nurtured them for 15 months away.....away from everything they have known. Makes my heart hurt - yet I know that it is what we were meant to do and being part of our family is where he is supposed to be. Still....it is hard and makes me tear up when I think about how her heart must be aching already.

We are almost ready to head over to the reception center where we will get our timelines for the next couple days.....so we shall visit soon with more details! Love to all! Kim

We are here! We arrived in Seoul about 4:00 PM Korea time (around 3:00AM your time), and all in all, we are doing GOOD. The morning was a "bit" stressful, as we stood in THE SAME SPOT in a huge line for an hour and 1/2, watching our flight get closer to takeoff... listening to other sad, frightened angry people complain about the mysterious holdup... reassuring ourselves that the flight would NEVER leave without us, being we had been standing there for so long... being "re-routed" to a DIFFERENT line, AGAIN being reassured that WE, the chosen ones, would be taken care of and would not miss our flight... and then our flight left... without us. Crapola.

BUT... it only took a few crocodile tears and some small bouts of hyperventilation from my mother to get us rebooked to Chicago through American Airlines FIRST CLASS! We got to Chicago in barely enough time to get on our next flight, and then spent the next 14 hours watching movies, eating yummy Korean airplane food, and dozing with our faces on the tray tables (That's really only me). Our hotel is beautiful, and the view from our room is AMAZING. The weather is perfect, so thankfully I won't sweat my way through Seoul. And since we really haven't slept in two days, I think we will get a good night's rest tonight!

Mom is contacting the adoption agency tomorrow morning, so hopefully we will get to see little man soon! We will keep you posted. We love you, and are thinking about you always.

Pray us home!

Ern

One more party and they're off!!!

Ayden had yet another party last night. THE SPIDERMAN PARTY was a big hit.

Good company and food....

Birthday cake...

and GREAT presents!!!

Fun was had by all.

Momma and Erin left last night to catch the connector flight to Chicago from Kansas City. Of course traveling these days is never easy any more. They arrived at MCI this morning to discover a huge crowd of people missing flights due to computer problems. Kim mentioned there were around 40 people that missed the flight they were scheduled to be on, including themselves. (Sounds alot like our travels back from Korea with Ava) Luckily flight insurance was purchased and they were shifted to another flight scheduled to arrive in Chicago an hour before the flight left for Korea. And first class too! The last word I (who is Daddy by the way) heard was that they were at the gate for the Korea flight in Chicago and going to board in 15 minutes. Whew!!

So Daddy is home with the 2 A's until Wednesday when we'll be traveling to Kansas City to meet Momma, Erin, and our 3rd little A!! I'm taking this opportunity to further transform our home into a copy of a McDonald's play area!!

We love you Momma and Erin!! Have a safe trip and we can't wait until your first post!!

Happy Birthday Ayden!

Today is the official day for our very very special 3 year old! We celebrated last night with our Spider Man party! It was wild and crazy! I think Ayden enjoyed it although he doesn't show his true personality when there is a houseful....but we are so thankful to have such wonderful family that will drive a long way on a Friday night to celebrate a #3 birthday! You guys are the best!! Thank you for all the thoughtful gifts - Daddy and kiddos are enjoying them as we speak!!

A special thank you to Lexi for the airplanes and the beautiful princess shawl! And Aaron - Ayden LOVED his outfit - the man loves to look good!

Pictures will have to come later as Erin and I are sitting in KCI waiting for our new flight to Chicago. We have already had quite the adventure....our earlier flight left without a lot of people due to some computer problems or something - but we got rebooked on a later flight on a different airline First Class! We will only have an hour to catch our Seoul flight - but we should be OK if this one is on time. I will admit I shed a few tears - but Erin kept me from a major breakdown and was very proactive about our ticket situation - which is why we got our new flight!!!!

So we are chilling for a few minutes and then hopefully will be boarding soon.

Hopefully the next time you hear from me we will be in our hotel room across the world!
Love to all! Kim & Erin

We have travel approval!

Here we go!!!!

Erin and I will be leaving Saturday

United 772 from KC - Korean Air #38 from Chicago - arriving in Seoul on Sunday at 4:10 PM...

coming home Wednesday - at 12:00 PM - Korean Air #37 from Seoul - United 7686 to KC from Chicago!

We should be in KC at 2:34 PM on Wednesday! Anyone who feels like a roadtrip is welcome to meet us there!

It is time to bring our 3rd son home.

Let the birthday parties begin!!!

We forgot our spiderman goodies (hats, tablecloth, etc) at home and didn't have time to go back...so we made do with a leftover hat from Jim's birthday and a "girlfriend" hat that Barb cleaned out of her closet today! As you can tell - the hats were a hit.....and the over the top spiderman party is yet to come!

Ayden was a bit overwhelmed with the opening of his first gift...but soon decided to relax and enjoy. I was very proud (after some gentle reminders of course) he gave his thank you hugs with gusto!

A favorite gift was his electric guitar....it plays music Daddy and Mommy love and it has a real whammy bar just like big brother's guitar!
Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for baking my birthday cake!! It was very yummy!

singing

Random harmonica playing with singing.....and "music" books too. (The singing was louder before the camera came out.)

And singing tonite with "microphones"....plus a Happy Birthday song to "boy".

At their wit's end...

I am a devotional reader. I love reading my devotional every day and absorbing just that little snippet of the Bible and applying it if possible to my day. Today's verse really sums up how I feel...."At their wit's end, then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out" Psalm 107:27-28. So many things this week "drove me to my wit's end".....work(not so much fun right now), lack of sleep (Ayden is having "growing pains or something and is awake 5-6 times a night), adoption process(there is no rhyme or reason to it), other people(why are people so inconsiderate?), laundry(12+ loads), dogs digging in my flower gardens(and not just little holes either)...just to mention a few.

Erin roadtripped to see Aaron for one of the "last" times before he goes to Iraq. I don't think it has really hit any of us that he is truly going. I am so glad she has gotten the opportunity to get to know his family(she ADORES them) as it is going to be a long 9 months. Hopefully it will pass fast - they both will be very busy. Erin will be polishing up her house so they can sell it and buy something actually in Kansas City - a requirement of Aaron's job. Wedding preparations can begin and of course school and work. Hopefully we will see alot of her this summer as well...Lord knows I will need a hand with 3 toddlers creating havoc around here.

(Note the cow in the background.....???)

***

Speaking of toddlers....ours are absolutely hilarious. Ava calls Ayden "boy" - which is one of the funniest things I have ever heard. He tries to correct her - but she is adamant that is his name. Ayden's sense of humor is developing at a rapid pace and he can write an "A" which makes him so proud he has to hide his face in my lap because he is smiling so big. They have conversations which I seriously have to get on video - too funny to even try to describe. Ayden has "Brown Bear Brown Bear" memorized....similarly to how Sam did at this age. That also needs to be video taped!

(No wonder I can never find my reading glasses!)

Our friends who got a sibling call from Korea 2 months ago left this morning at 4AM to travel to get him. We are so happy for them.....sad for us since we are still sitting here....but SO happy for them. I am constantly amazed at how differently the process goes for everyone...some it moves super fast...some super slow....and there really is no guideline for the wait. Except that it is hard...that guideline has to be first on the list. Be prepared for sadness, and a supreme test of patience. I think it is preparing you for your toddler....since they daily are a supreme test of patience as well!!! But I would hope our travel call will come next week...he should be ready except for his VISA.


We will be celebrating Ayden' birthday this coming week....with numerous Spiderman parties! He is SO excited! His actual birthday is Saturday - but we will start a little early just in case we could leave for Korea next weekend! He has been "patiently" waiting for this event for months.

Well off to drink more coffee and fold more clothes! Happy Memorial Day! Kim

What a weekend...

It was a bit warm in the gym during the ceremony - but I for one did not care. The band was good - the senior song was great - and I love a little pomp and circumstance! Everyone needed to hug the man of the hour!
I love that I got another picture with my boy.

Good friends.
Her celebration dress - Pinto colors even! One step at at time...this couple...growing together. It really is exciting to be a part of.

The party was fun...lots of friends and family to celebrate this moment in Sam's history!
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On the adoption front....no travel call yet. I was hoping I would get that news today....but soon enough I will and then we will get organized. I am a last minute packer....and I can be ready in no time at all. Erin and I were talking about how much fun this is going to be since we "kinda" know where we need to be and how to get there. Quite an adventure it will be.

Gotta get kiddos in bed. Daddy is sick tonite - so we are on our own! Could be interesting. Maybe I can come up with technique that Daddy can incorporate in my absence!

A Time to Celebrate

For the Lord gives wisdom: from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6

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Baccalaureate services were last night....what a bittersweet time for parents. Watching their child....no longer a child....ending one phase of his life to begin a new one. Praying for protection...and wisdom for him and the journey he is beginning. Looking back at his life so far and saying thank you for being allowed to help nuture such a sweet, brilliant, gentle, talented, funny, kind man. It is so hard to step back sometimes....to allow a person to "fly away" when you love them so much....and for some reason last night really made me realize I am letting go of my little boy. He is a beautiful man and I am so excited to watch him travel on his exciting journey of life....soon to welcome his own child into this world. He is a man capable of loving fully and his Ali is lucky. He is lucky to have her as well....and their child will be well loved.

We look forward to this weekend of celebration of his graduation. I know I will continue to cry a few tears. I remember Erin's graduation - the entire ceremony - tears were running down my cheeks. Her speech was so amazing...so insightful....but yet interjected with lightheartedness. Such an exciting time this step of graduation is. So many unknowns...but such a feeling of "freedom". Choices made from now on are truly your own...and that is exciting stuff.

I don't know if it was because I went to bed a bit emotional or what...but I dreamed of a baby in Korea last night...for the first time. He was very shy....and very sad. I got a call this past Monday asking if I would consider coming to Korea to get him....instead of having him escorted. One reason being he is shy and wary of strangers...and the agency is worried about having him escorted. Could be the swine flu has caused a shortage of escorts....but either way.....I am going to get him. Actually I am thrilled as I kept feeling a sense of sadness not getting to meet his foster mom, not getting to hug Ava's foster mom and to experience Seoul again. I am hoping Erin can accompany me - but if she can't - I am just going to do this. I know I can. Shannon will stay home with the little ones so hopefully they will not experience much disruption during my absence. I do not have a travel date yet - but I anticipate a call soon....so I am starting to pack this weekend and shop for gifts and get my job organized for my absence. My list is pretty long.

Kim

Are you tired DaddyMomma?

Day 3 of the "new" really old house! Mother's day was great...all my kids at church with me....taco buffet at Sam & Ali's....hanging out with family.....and meeting new family. The house is coming along nicely....it is very roomy and has so much potential. Sam & Ali and some friends tore wallpaper off until 3AM last night - fun stuff! Everyone is excited to help get it all fixed up for our cute little couple! But - we must look a little tired when the almost 3 year old asks us "Are you tired DaddyMomma?" Yep - we are a little tired. But it is all good and we look forward to more "tired" weekends! Shelby checked out the roof and sealed some leaky spots (thank you Shelby!) Totally weird stuff with regard to sump pumps happened this weekend. Sam & Ali's house had an old sump pump that broke....so we were using a garage sale find of Grandpa Gary's to pump out water...until today they installed a new pump. When we stopped by to wish Grandma Shirley Happy Mother's Day...their sump pump had died and we just happened to have the old sump pump in our truck which fit their pipe and pumped out their basement in a matter of minutes. How weird is that?

Aaron & Erin head out tomorrow for a week escape before he leaves for military duty. We will miss him....in fact I found myself tearing up a few times when I realized we may not get to see him again this summer. I look so forward to helping plan their wedding next year....we are so glad he is part of our family!

Engaged!!!

Yep - you read right!! Erin called last night squealing with delight! "Squealing" truly is the only word I can use to describe the voice mail I got before I answered the second call on my cell phone at 12:05 AM! The excitement and joy in the voices on the phone still make me smile this morning. Two happy people...thrilled to have found each other.....excited to make plans for the future together....and living each day to it's fullest! I say that is what life is all about.

Truly we are so happy for this couple. They are one of those lucky couples that "knew" immediately that this was the person they have been waiting for. We wish them the best everything life has to offer them. What an exciting journey they are on!

Love you both!!!

The switch is made

We successfully moved Ayden into the bigger bedroom and Ava into the small...painted both bedrooms and put a crib up in our room. Sorted out everyone's summer clothes and packed away winter stuff. And the kids and I went to church this AM...they were wonderful...I coughed too much and probably should have stayed home...but they had a great time at Sunday school - so I was glad I took them. All this while having horrible colds. And Shannon mowed today too! Pretty busy weekend for sick people.
And took Senior pictures of our very handsome eldest son...who graduates in just a couple weeks.

He is super fun to take pictures of.....very photogenic and easy to catch in a great smile.

Ayden thought he definitely needed to be in on the photo shoot as well.

And another cute belly shot of the cutest little pregnant person I ever saw.

And two little kids who PLAYED TOGETHER this weekend - more than we have ever witnessed.