안녕하세요

안녕하세요 (Hello in korean)

You'll never guess what I have been up to ;)

Banana is off to a 4 day camp for school so the Letters to my son will take a break but I will catch up on the other things I have missed while I wait for his return.

If you didn't guess yet I have been up to learning Korean (yeah!!!!).  I'm pretty excited about this.  I had my first lesson last week.

It is a pretty exciting story how this all came about.  I have been wanting to learn as much Korean as possible since I plan to stay in Seoul for the duration of the adoption (about 4-6 weeks) instead of taking two trips and also so I can have a little understanding of the words my toddler will say upon his coming home.

I gave the samples of Rosetta Stone a try and was not liking it.  I also feel like I need the pressure of a teacher coming back each week for me to actually do my studying.   So with John back I ask him to visit our laundry lady (who is Korean) and ask her if she knew anyone in her church who gave lessons.  She knew a girl who did give lessons but she was very expensive and could only come on a Saturday and as all you mom's out there know Saturday's with kids and sports are super busy.  John told her I could not do Saturdays and she took him to meet another lady who was a stay at home mom who was happy to come to my house each week for the lessons.

To top it off she refused to take any money.  She said she was happy to come as she is home all week alone and this gives her something to do and also an outing and play date for her daughter because she is able to play with my daycare littles.

SO EXCITING isn't it!!!!

What is even more exciting is I sat and learned the basic Korean alphabet and over the weekend when John was giving me words I could spell them using the Hangul symbols.

I would love to write more but I have to get back to my studies ;)

Letters to my son: Why the chores

Dear Son,

I know you hate it when I make you do chores.  You probably wonder why I torture you like this.

It does help me out when you do chores but it is it is actually very difficult for me to leave some housework undone for you and your sister.  You know I like to clean....SO WHY DO I DO IT?

1.  It teaches you responsibility:  One day you will have a household of your own and if you grew up never helping do chores WHAT A SHOCKER it would be for you when you house didn't just stay magically clean all the time like yours did growing up when you mom did the housework during the day while you were at school.

2.  Your wife will thank me one day:  I know your dad doesn't have time to help around the house a lot but I would have been a little annoyed if he did not know how to clean up, do the wash, or cook a decent meal.

3.  Independence:  I kind of like taking care of you but I want you to go off to college knowing how to do your own wash, clean your own bathroom, and cook your own meals.

So next time you want to grumble and complain realize it is helping you AND you are just doing 1 of maybe 20+ chores I had to do that day.

Love you,
Allyson

Dear Son: Shower Power

image credit

Dear Son,

This letter can be kept short and sweet.  You actually are pretty good at this but just a good life lesson to always remember.  Take pride in your appearance.

Shower daily, wear deodorant, and keep those nails trimmed.

Love,
Mom

Dear Son: Where I've come from

Dear Son,

I want to start these letter by telling a piece of my story, how I became a Christian.  Sometimes as parents we forget to tell our kids "our story" which we should't because it is important.  By me telling you my story maybe you can learn valuable lessons sooner than I did.

I asked Jesus into my heart when I was 3.  I don't really remember it.  I only remember sitting on the edge of my mom's bed and telling her I wanted to go to heaven.  I guess my mom talked to me and we "prayed the prayer".

As a child and teenager I placed way too much emphasis on the "prayed the prayer" part.  I kind just figured well I asked Jesus into my heart now I'm saved and I just continued on my christian life.  I grew up in a christian family, I was taught how a christian should act and so I just kept on living as a christian (so I thought).  Growing up in a christian family is a blessing but also allows you to overlook a lot.

I was taught how to live and how to do right from wrong.  I lived a pretty straight path (of course still making mistakes) but I always looked at those around me and thought, "wow they do way worse things than me, I'm really not that bad".

I felt that way for a long time......I mean a long time until one day in my early adulthood I realized.....I'm not suppose to compare myself to others I should be comparing myself to Jesus.   WOW!

It hit me then that I took for granted being a christian.  I knew all my life being "good" or "not that bad" was not what got you into heaven.  You know, "for the wages of sin is death" but the GIFT of God is eternal life" or how about "It is not by WORKS so that no man can boast but is the GIFT of God." I knew all this stuff why was I just now thinking about this.  No one is good enough to get into heaven that is why we need Jesus.

If you need to be perfect to get into heaven I will never be that.  It is only by the grace that Jesus showed us on the cross that can wipe away all our sin to make a way for us to get to heaven.

I know you know this.  You have also "prayed that prayer" as a young child and are growing up in  a Christian home,  but I just want to challenge you to think about what Jesus did for you more than I did.

Don't ever just assume you are a christian because you were raised in a christian home and your mom and dad are christians and you live a good "christian" life.

Accepting Jesus is a personal thing.  It needs to be your religion not just the religion your grow up with.  Becoming a christian isn't just praying the prayer it is living a life for Jesus and having a relationship with him ALL throughout your life.


Love you,
Mom

P.S. Tomorrow I promise to go lighter maybe we will talk about B.O. and personal hygiene :)

Dear Son

Dear Son,

There is so much I want to tell you in life and so little time before you are out in the world on your own.  You already face the majority of your day without your parents by your side.

I am writing these letters to help you along your path of growing up.

As your mom I want the best for you in life.  I would love to spare you from many of the hardship you will face while growing up but I know that part of growing up is facing those hardships.  I hope that some of these letters and this advice will help make growing up a little easier.

I couldn't ask for a better son.  I am so proud of you.  You have been a pleasure to raise these 11 years.  Your such a good boy and and have an awesome personality.  Don't let anything change you.

Love you,
Mom

Letters to my son

You have this little boy,  he is perfect, he is small, he is part of you.  I remember like it was yesterday he was so brand new and I was so young only in my early 20s.  I remember looking at him and thinking, "wow I'm responsible for him, without me he wouldn't stay alive, I have to do everything for him and I have to teach him EVERYTHING"

Life with young children is filled with so much work, feeding, bathing, life's basic lessons, how to behave properly....you get through those early years and hope you did it all right.....then from around the ages of 4-10 it gets really easy.  Your hard work on teaching independence and how to behave has paid off.    It can't get any better than this.......but it goes by so quickly.

Now my little boys in 11,  a middle schooler already and I only have so much time left with him.  I get this overwhelming feeling sometimes that here are so many more things I need to teach him but when?   Our days are filled from sun up to sun down with school, homework, you have to get in your trumpet practice!, have you done your chores?, soccer, youth group, how will I have time to cover all the "life lesson" he needs to know?  I try to use what little time I have to get in those chats, but it is hard.

Today his technology became my friend.   I made my blog a favorite on his kindle with instructions to read it each morning, and on mornings that there is not a new post to ponder my last post.

Letters to my son.  They will be a mix of everything, how to be a gentleman, God's promises, things I really want him to know.

 I know I will not capture all I need to say and I know he will not always follow this advice but it will always be here in these letters and even if one day I am not here to remind him he will always have them to read.

Here is to hoping he reads them.

Fun in the sun

Our lovely niece Sarah is home for a break from the Disney Cruise ship so we offered her another try at sailing since the first trip we offered her ended not so great.

It was a beautiful day and she captured some awesome pictures.

My sweet Carrot as happy as can be

 My handsome hubby putting out the anchor

Banana and his cousin Caleb

Boys being weird

Swim time

Skippy all wrapped up to stay warm

Me being silly as well

 Carrot and Sarah getting a foot shot while holding hands

Proving that Banana will never be to old to get Sarah kisses

Picture of our boat headed to the dock

Skippy looking like a drowned rat but enjoying fetch the stick just the same.

Boys in the water

More Carrot cutness

My pretty sis 

Never thought the fenders would make for such a nice picture

Lovely Sarah

....and my favorite freckled cheeks of all

We made it one more time

I am so happy we made it to the beach one more time before the summer ended.  Our last beach trip Jeff kept saying over and over again this is our last beach trip but I had been hold out hope to get there one more time and we did.

It was a very last minute trip but the day was perfect and we guilted John into coming along promising lots of studying time on the car ride to and from.

 Silly John did not bring his swim suit along but ended up getting wet anyway

 Digging for sand crabs

Thinks he is hot stuff

14 Months

Months

 Things ARE moving in the Korean program and I would say things might even be starting to speed up just a bit in both in timelines and referrals numbers.  I am almost scared to say that hoping another issue does not creep in to make a set back.

In the past month and a half I would say we have seen SWS start to issue more referrals.  Finally in August it seemed to hit our agency and they had 3 referrals in that one month where in past months maybe one referral if that would come in.

August brought our agencies is first families court dates and they travel to Korea to meet their babies with returns this month to complete the adoption.  There was also a new court date issued this month and several people are praying their child's emigration permits will be approved.

Overall very positive.  I am still trying to persuade myself that our referral will not come until early 2014  but am secretly holding out hope we get it in the next few months which will in fact make it harder for me if we don't.  

Like a 3 year old

Ps. 40:1  I waited patiently for the Lord

Blogging emotions today :(  After all what did I start this blog for....to document our adoption.  Ok it is defiantly morphed into documenting our life - an on-line photo album I suppose.  But documenting the adoption is in fact going to come with a lot of emotions. 

Today is one of those days.  It has been a strange day actually where my emotions have gone from one end of the spectrum to the other.  One minute I found myself folding laundry and feeling so happy and blessed to be able to be home with my kids and not working outside the home and then I walked over to my computer.  

I read the words I have been dreading that someone who had a HSTK after us got their referrals after only waiting a small handful of months.  I got this pit in my stomach and I am having a hard time getting it to go away. 

I knew it was bound to happen.  I know that our agency does not go in order per-say, I know that God has the perfect baby picked our for our family, I know that God also has the right timing for our family. So why do I feel sad....  

I guess inside we all have that sinful nature just like you see in a 3 year old......NO IT WAS MY TURN!(actually it wouldn't even be my turn there are a few others waiting longer than me)

One day I am going to get our referral and see that sweet little face of the baby I know is out there.  I am going to look at the big picture and realize God had it all in control.  

I am probably going to sit in amazement at how God timed this all out just perfect for our family....but today I feel like a three year old on the inside stomping my feet with a sour expression on my face saying...NO IT IS MY TURN!  

So I turned to HIM and HE Says....Wait patiently on the Lord.

He reminded me that.....

Often blessings cannot be received until we go through the trial of waiting

John is back

We are super happy to have John back from Korea.  He got back last Friday and it has been a flurry of activity since but we are happy to be back to a family of 5 at the dinner table.....and as you can see from the picture they kids were beyond excited.  

This will be his last year with us but he is looking at some colleges within just a few hours from here so hoping he will be with us for breaks and holidays beyond this year.  It will be hard to say goodbye to him after he has lived with us for 3 years.