Blessings

For those of you that follow my blog, you may remember this post. My dear friends have been wanting to have a child join their family for many years. And thanks to the miracle of adoption, yesterday was the day! After a month of this and that for them, they got the call a few days ago that they had a baby! Their son joined their family "officially" late yesterday evening. He is a little over a month old, and while I have not had the honor of meeting him in person, I got a picture... and can I just say... absolutely adorable!

Words can not express the joy I have had in my heart these last 24 hours. Pure, Complete, God Honoring Joy!!!

To me, this is just an amazing example of how God works. These two people have followed the Lord whole heartedly, through some amazing trials, that I could not imagine. All while holding their heads high, and honoring the Lord! Words will never describe the gratitude I have for these friends, who time and time again have shown me that following God is not only the right thing to do, it's the only thing to do! And the blessing they are now holding, is proof that God answers prayers!!

God is Good!

The Last Day of School...

Well, today, I put the kids on the bus for the last time as a Kindergartener and Fourth Grader! I truly couldn't be prouder. Because I'm a psycho mom, I made the kids where the shirts they wore on the first day of school. Actually they didn't even fight me on it, they thought it was a neat idea!!

So here is the first day of school for Taylor...
And Drew...
And here they are on the last day of school! Drew really fills out his shirt, and Taylor looks so much more grown up!


Drew's class party was today, and it was a joy to be there celebrating with he and his classmates!
They got to play Freeze Tag!
Mr. Ickes joined in a game of Kick ball!
One last photo of the Kindergarten Kean Class of 2020 enjoying a popsicle snack! We were teasing that Mr. Ickes was hanging himself in that tree after this year! This was his first year teaching, and the kids LOVED him! It was really a great year!
They had a little time at the end to enjoy in their classroom, while they munched on pizza, fruit, cookies and chips. I don't think anyone went home hungry!

And one last photo for Drew and Mr. Ickes. He will be remembered for the friendly rivalry he and Drew had regarding the Browns and the Squeelers... Err...Uhh..I mean Steelers. Mr. Ickes is a BIG Browns fan!

It was a great year. One that the children have grown tremendously through. I look forward to the fun we will have this summer, the wonderful weather (Okay, I live in Ohio... a girl can dream!), and the time we will have together!

God is Good!

Taylor's Awards and End of Year Party

Tomorrow is the last day of school! I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT!!!

Taylor's awards program and end of year party were today. Tomorrow is Field Day! Drew's party is tomorrow, since Kindergarten does not participate in Field Day! I will have Last Day of School photos and Drew Party photos on here tomorrow!

Until then, here are some photos from today!

Taylor received two awards. One for helping in the cafeteria, a job she LOVES! And she also received an award for being on Honor or Merit roll each grading period this year! YEAH TAYLOR!
The kids enjoyed pizza to kick off our party! They ate well... pizza, chips, cookies, brownies, snow cones!! We had 3+ hours with the kids, and I thought for sure we would run out of things to do, but we didn't!
Taylor's giving one of her BFFEAEAE... Maddie a hug while they wait in line for a game.
They played Limbo! Of course with our being vertically challenged it should have been an advantage! Taylor did well, but did not win. She had fun anyway!
We had a water balloon toss! We told the kids the first ones to "throw" the balloons instead of toss would be done for the game. Sadly, it was the parents that began throwing the balloons at the kids, and things went crazy! The kids had fun, though and everyone was wet!
We had a few sack races. First as individuals, then as teams (3 legged). I haven't laughed so hard in a long time! We played several other fun games, too. We played a game where the kids had to find a piece of gum in a plate of whipped cream, without using their hands. The first to blow a bubble wins. They had a great time! And I have many funny pictures of Taylor's classmates. Unfortunately, I didn't get any of her, dadgummit!
And lastly, a photo of Taylor with her teacher, Mr. Legg. It has been a fun year, and Taylor has grown in so many ways! She keeps reminding us that she is a "middle schooler" now, even though Woo doesn't have a middle school!

More photos tomorrow!

God is Good!

New Family Tradition

Well, as you will see over the next few posts, we had a busy, but fun weekend! On Sunday, we attended the Asian Festival in Columbus. I heard about it last year, but Toby wasn't yet home, and we had plans that weekend, but this year, we knew we wanted to attend. It is every Memorial Day weekend, and it is a free event. It was a lot of fun! Here are a few photos from our day.I think Toby was ready to take a nap here. We were hoping for a nap on the ride down, but that didn't happen!
Yeah, Taylor is still wearing her Kutless shirt from the night before! I did manage to get it off her and washed today!
Daddy got a little cuddle time!
Here the kids are watching some dancers. It was fun, and we enjoyed some great food while we were watching! Daddy is wearing a craft Toby made. Not intended to be a necklace, but that is what Toby wanted. What a dad!
It was a fun day, but it was long. Drew took advantage of a moment when Toby was not in the stroller, to relax a while!

Again, a day that was busy, but so much fun. Just being together as a family enjoying the things around us! And we did the entire weekend of fun for under $100! You can't beat that these days!

God is Good!

The Indians game and Concert!!

On Saturday afternoon, we headed up for an evening in Cleveland. Our plan was to spend the night at the Indians game and then enjoy a free Kutless concert afterward. For those of you that actually follow the Cleveland Indians, you know they haven't started off too well this year. So we thought we wouldn't have a hard time getting tickets...
So here is Toby hanging out with Dad while mommy tries to get tickets. Then the ticket lady tells me "SOLD OUT". What.. huh.. are we talking about the same Cleveland Indians game? "Yes" she says! They had some $65 per seat tickets remaining... "FORGET THAT!" So this is how Drew took the news...
Not well at all!
So we hung out in the concourse area between the Progressive Field and the "Q" Arena and waited for the concert. The kids really had fun, just running around, playing with Aunt Katy and Cousin Sara, and listening to the game...
So Nate and Taylor worked Merch for the concert, and Taylor got a free shirt from the Bass player...

And we enjoyed a wonderful show from Kutless...
Toby had a blast! He was dancing and screaming (good kind of screaming, and his ears were protected!) It was a lot of fun!
And the kids were lucky enough to get autographs after the show!



As we left, we all agreed that even though the night didn't turn out quite like we expected, it was a lot of fun! It always is when you're with family!

God is Good!

Family Photos

My younger sister got a new camera this weekend, and wanted us to go out to the Ohio State Agricultural and Technical Institute to get some photos with the blooming foliage! It was fun, and we got some great photos!
If I know my boys, they are likely talking about how to throw a baseball! I love this photo!
Yeah, once again.. it's impossible to get everyone to look at the camera!
Mommy and her baby!
The older boys had already headed back to the van, but we got this nice photo just before we left!


God is Good!

TRAGEDY!!

I received a call from a friend this morning, asking if I had heard about the tragedy in the Steven Curtis Chapman family. I hadn't, but quickly began searching the internet. Sadly, it was true. At the Chapman home, the family SUV was being backed out of the driveway, and hit their youngest daughter, Maria. She was rushed to the hospital, and then air lifted to another hospital, but it sounds as though she didn't survive the transport.

I can not imagine the heartache this family is dealing with. It seems that the family may have been witness to the accident. Please pray for the Chapman family, especially the young member that was driving the SUV. Pray that they will be comforted by their church family, and that God would provide a peace beyond any understanding. That they may continue to be raised up in prayer by the many families they have touched through their organization Shaohannahs Hope.

Here is a photo of us with Steven Curtis when we had the opportunity to thank him for the grant we received to bring Toby home.

Here is an amazing video Steven Curtis Chapman created, singing Cinderella. It will bring tears to your eyes! I just can't even imagine...



And here is a link to a site where you can leave your condolences for the Chapman family.

God, you are Good, but I know this family is hurting. Please be with them, comfort them, help them grieve, let them know that many are holding them up, when I'm sure they can't imagine how they will lift their heads from their pillows this morning. AMEN!

Some Great Books

With the summer reading program at our library in full swing, we are reading up a storm around here! It is fun to see the kids so excited about reading! I saw a post on an adoption board about books about adoption, so I thought I would list some of my favorites here, in case any of you are interested in speaking with your children about adoption!

Here is a book we got from the library, and I hope to buy as a gift for Toby on the anniversary of his Forever Day in July! It is a very sweet book that touches on foreign adoption, the differences in appearance of adoptive children and their parents, as well as the questions they have about their biological parents, like "Does my birthmom's hair stick up like mine?" It is very sweet, and I look forward to many discussions with Toby as he grows up because of this book!

This is a very cute little book about a bird who is trying to find his mother. Many other "mothers" say they can't possibly be his mother because they have differences in appearance, until he meets Mrs. Bear. She looks past that and loves Choco. He comes to find out she has many children, that all look very different. While it doesn't speak about "adoption" exactly, it is a sweet story of how we should love people, no matter the appearance.


I had to throw this one in there as well. Shaoey and Dot is written by Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman. They founded the Shaohannah's Hope Foundation, which provided a very generous grant for Toby's adoption. This story is about an adoption from China, but is still very special and can be related to our situation with Toby. A dear friend from church gave me a copy of this book, and it has been well loved! Thanks Becky!
For those of you that wonder about the Birth Mothers, and what leads them to make such difficult decisions, this book is a great one! This is a compilation of letters Korean birth mothers have written to their children. It is BEAUTIFUL! While I have only read through half of the book, it brings tears to my eyes with each letter I read. I look forward to sharing this book with Toby many years down the road. Letting him know that while these letters may not be specifically from his Birth Mom... I'm positive they are words she would want him to hear!


I have a shipment coming from Amazon this week, with four new adoption/Korea books! I may post again soon on my thoughts/recommendations of these books!

Happy summer reading everyone!!

God is Good!

Happy Anniversary!

Well, it's been 11 years since this photo was taken! Where has the time gone? This is with Nate's parents, I had it on the computer from a video I created for them, no disrespect to my parents!

Anyway, it has been a wonderful 11 years. We got married after 5 1/2 years of dating and it was a beautiful, sun filled day! Everything went beautifully! God has blessed us so much since that day! Ten months after the wedding, Taylor Brooke joined our family! And to think the Doctors told me I likely wouldn't have children of my own! God knows best!! Then 3 1/2 years later, little Andrew Nathanial came into our lives, bursting forth with as much energy as he has today! We bought our first home nearly 6 years ago, and live in a very special neighborhood that we love to call home.

While our joy took a few detours while trying to expand our family, and we have four wonderful babies in heaven, God knew that he had even bigger plans for us, and nearly a year ago, little Toby Joon Suk joined our lives forever! God is so Good!

I look forward to what our future holds, more children... only God knows, a different house... only God knows, new jobs... only God knows! Isn't it awesome that we don't have to worry about these things? God already knows the path our lives will take. We just need to continue to be obedient to His calling, and I know... he will continue to bless us, for many, many years!

So today, as Nate and I take the weekend to reconnect, and re-energize, I know that God has everything in his more than capable hands! I will miss my kiddos tonight, but I know that this time away, will only make me love them, and their father, even more!

God is Good!

One Tired Momma!

Toby has been sick! UGH! The poor kid! He's been spiking a fever at night. He's fine during the day, but running a fever through the night. At about 1:30 Tuesday morning, it was over 104, so I decided to take him to the ER. Because of his kidney problems, I didn't want to chance anything. So after sitting in the ER for over 5 hours (and going on about 3 hours sleep), enduring many painful tests, a failed blood draw, an X-ray of his lungs (yeah, no cough, just trying to bill us for everything they can!) they sent us home, saying it's a virus and will run it's course. Again last night, fever over 104, another fitful, sleepless night. So I call the Pediatrician today and they want to see him... again, sent home... it's only a virus... which can take 5 days to get through the system.

Two more nights of this will put me in a straight jacket!! So if you see me around, and I appear to be drugged, I probably am!

Pray for me... pray for my family... pray for poor Toby, that this crazy fever will not return!

But still.. God is Good!

Happy BIRTHday my sweet Angel

Today is Mother's Day, but it is also Kaleb's 4th BIRTHday. The emotions are undescribable! I have a beautiful new son this year, that God has blessed us with. Yet I continue to mourn on this special day. These past few weeks have been difficult. I'm not sure what the trigger is this year that has made it more difficult than the past few. Several weeks ago, as I was in church, I ran into two families in the same morning that have children that were born the week Kaleb was due. Seeing these "big" kids, heading into their classrooms, so independent and happy, instantly brought tears to my eyes. Now I see these children often in the halls of church, but for some reason this particular day, it was more than I could handle. There is a beautiful song on the radio, "Held", sung by Natalie Grant, that for some reason, I think they are playing every 20 minutes. It seems with every turn Kaleb is there, and I am missing him.

So, with that said, I had a wonderful morning. My family knows the pain in my heart today, and Taylor made me breakfast. It was WONDERFUL. Scrambled eggs and toast. She did such a great job. And I received a beautiful card and necklace. We plan on going to church, then to the cemetery to celebrate Kaleb's BIRTHday. It's a gray day! I know God is sad and carrying my hurt with Him. Then we will have lunch at home and Taylor has a soccer game up by Lake Erie, so that will consume the rest of our day!

I thank God every day for my beautiful healthy children that I have the chance to watch grow up. But that doesn't mean I don't hurt and miss the four that are in heaven, especially Kaleb, whom I was blessed to hold with my own arms. The same arms that ache for him each day, even though he'd be a big boy now!

God is Good

Several Videos

Okay, so after a few weeks, I finally got some videos done. It just takes so much time to "upload" them... so they are short and sweet! But fun nonetheless! Check out the next several posts to see the videos!

Also, Nate's band had their first "gig" this past weekend... here are a few photos... (Pay no attention to the empty chairs... the place was PACKED!! All 10 kids from the youth group were there!! We knew it would be a small crowd, but still it was a good opportunity for the guys to play in front of people!






And Taylor is back in Spring soccer outdoors, so I can take photos again. So here are a few from the game this past weekend... she scored a goal by the way!! But they ended in a tie!


God is Good!

Drew Riding a 2-Wheeler!

Well, after much coaxing, (and bribing)! Drew stopped crying and tried to ride his bike. While he still needs some practice and confidence boosting, here is one time when he took off!

Toby Singing

We were all outside while Drew was learning to ride his bike (the reason for the crying in the background) and I caught this "moment" Toby was having! I love when he dances!

Toby Talking

Toby has been in speech for several months now, and is getting so much better. So here is a video of us "talking". Please ignore my annoying voice in the background! Isn't that awful, hearing yourself!

Toby's Birthday Video

A short video of Toby at his Birthday party riding his scooter.

Splash Kingdom

The kids at their Church choir performance - Splash Kingdom