Boat Trip Day 4

Day four we were off to our next destination.  We were all a little excited to get a break from sleeping on the boat and were going to spend two nights in hotel with real beds, a real potty, a pool and a cool town to explore.

Almost there

Fun little sunfish race we got to cross through

Pulling up to the town we could hear the church bells ringing....it was beautiful!

We pulled into our slip and this was our boat neighbor LOL

View from our bedroom window

View from our living room window

The pool had a beautiful view of the town across the water

ONE, TWO, THREE

This church has been having services for hundreds of years. 

Jeff enjoying a nice explore through a graveyard

Of course this was the first thing we hit when we came into town

Yummy!

Time to explore

It was a beautiful evening and we ALL decided on the crabs even Carrot.  It was fun to have a family seafood dinner.

This cracks me up.  I cant' believe how well they posed their faces for this

Walk from the pool to our room

right outside our room

After our crab dinner we decided to have dessert at our hotel.  They had an awesome dessert menu and the outdoor restaurant overlook the water.  It was awesome.  We got skillet apple crumble and Carrot got chocolate cake.  Ours was good but once we all tasted the chocolate cake we knew we were coming back tomorrow for more dessert. 

Sunset with dessert....how perfect

Getting a little tired so moved to daddy's lap

Full and ready for bed and another fun day tomorrow

Feeling accomplished

Today I tackled some baby gear and to my surprise I was successful.  After completing the easier of the two I decided to go on to the next and after a bit of frustration I did manage to get them both together.....all on my own....sans hubby!

Things are really coming along.  We still have the carseat and several other items but have a good portion under our belt.

EP APPROVAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wahoo!!! Finally!!!!  Little man has Exit Permit approval (official permission to leave Korea).  It has been a long wait but I also can't believe it is finally here.  Our dates of actual approval is somewhat unclear but my agency thinks maybe the 4th or 5th of June.

So now we just need to get submitted to court then wait for our court date and then off we go to meet little man......so excited and SO much to do.

We were also given pleasant news that on average we should get submitted to the court around 7-10 days after EP approval so wow that could be early next week.

Now I feel like I can officially get excited.   We still don't know exactly when we will travel but on average we should be in Korea around 2 months from now.  That being said there are several cases where it is taken 3-4 months from here but the average makes me feel so much more positive.

Can't believe it!!!!!!

Celebrating a great day Jeff's birthday and approval :)

The end of a Chapter and beginning of another

I'm not even sure how to begin this post.  This week has been a whirlwind of emotions.   John's parents came in from Korea for John's graduation.  We shared many dinners with them and then they spend the next day cleaning and packing his room.  I can't really describe the mix of emotions I felt upon entering his room after they finished packing.  It was so empty.  The room has been the hub of a teenage boy for the past 3 years.  We are excited to prepare the room to welcome our new little man but to walk into the room emptied of all of John's things was hard.

What an unexpected 3 years we just experienced.  It seems like it was only yesterday the idea of hosting the boys was presented.  We rushed to paint the room, buy some bunk beds,  and within two weeks had two teenage boys living with us and here it is already over.

I think this summer will be like none other.  I just said goodbye to a boy I never expected but mothered for three years and will hopefully meet a little boy I have longed to mother for over three years.

Sometimes I pause and am in awe of how God connected us all.  He had this amazing plan.  He brought two boys into our home who we though we would just host for one year and we have turned into family.  We have learned more about our little mans birth country and culture and been given a gift to understand it far better than we could have ever learned from books.  We have become like family and made life long connections, and the finances for our adoption have been provided for in a way we never expected.

Today we saw John graduate.  He has accomplished so much and should be so proud of himself.  He has graduated with honors, conquered the culture and another language, and been able to blend both culture and connect both his families.  It hurts my heart a little to know this phase is over.  Our kids were so small when they came and we have made some amazing memories.

I left a hotel parking lot tonight after saying goodbye with my little girl sobbing saying she feels like she just lost her best friends.....what she really lost was a very good big brother.

So blessed

Yesterday I was so blessed to have been given a beautiful baby shower by my sweet friends.  It wasn't a surprise (which is a pretty funny story but I like more of a surprise I know about anyway)

My sweet girl who I bubbled with excitement over each gift we opened.  Love her enthusiasm for her new brother

There were some surprises.  I couldn't believe my Aunt drove almost 3 hours to come to the shower then home again the same day.  So thoughtful.

 My sister made a korean style quilt for his room with bright yellow stars on it.  His name means Bright Shiny.

 HiHi getting to hold his first great granddaughter 

The food was yummy and we were given so many beautiful gifts.  I just feel so overwhelmingly blessed by the love and support for our adoption and our new little guy.

Close but not close enough

No EP approval....Big sigh!

Not the news I was hoping for.  It seems the other two agencies got 2/20 approvals some even saying ALL their 2/20 submissions were approved but not our agency.  

Trying to remember this is all in God's hands....and honestly I would not want it any other way but WAITING IS SO HARD!

So close

Well today was a great day for movement in the Korea program.  Holt got all their 1/23 and 2/20 EPs approved and ESWS previously had their 1/23 EPs approved and today got their 2/20's approved.......so where does that leave us.......very hopeful that little man's exit permit is approved as well and we just don't know it yet.

Our agency is pretty understaffed so unless action is required from our US agency they may not make them aware so there is a great chance our EP is approved but I would love to get confirmation.

I e-mailed our director and told her about the other two agencies EP movement today and ask her if she could email SWS and check and she said she would.  Please Pray..........TO BE CONTINUED!!!!!!!!

First beach trip of 2014

Yay Memorial Day at the beach.  It was unexpected we had planned to go on the boat with friends which would have also been a fun time but much to Jeff's dismay the boat engine was just not working right so plan B was put in effect.  The weather was perfect and we had such a great relaxing day.

Great Mothers Day weekend

We had such a busy but fun Mothers Day weekend.  Saturday we went to a party hosted by a family with our adoption agency.  It was great to meet so many families in the process.  We finished our evening off with a side trip to visit some friends for ice cream since we were not far from their house.  John and the kids seemed to have great fun with capturing pictures while Jeff and I were talking.  

We started Mother'd Day off with breakfast with Jeff's parents and then headed back home to plant our vegetable garden.

Some Mom and Carrot hammock time while the boys dug the garden

 Picnic dinner of pizza and fried dough  

 Beautiful yellow Knock-out rose bush that my mother-in-law gave me for Mother'd Day

 It is always a face with him

We ended the day planting our vegetables.

Such a handsome guy

Mothers Day thoughts

Mothers Day is bitter sweet. I open facebook and  I see so many of my friends with pictures of them and their mothers and it reminds me of how much I would have loved to have my mother to share the day with, but I remember that I was lucky to have such a wonderful mother even if that was cut short.  I had a mother who taught me everything I know and helped me become the mother I am today.

I feel happy and blessed on mothers day to be able to mother two incredibly smart and beautiful children.  I couldn't ask for more from them and my heart swells to think about how lucky I am.  

I am blessed that I am about to mother another beautiful boy.  Though not born from my body I have longed for this child like I have not had to do in the past and the feeling is overwhelming.  I think about him on Mothers Day as I anxiously wait to become his mother and think about the mothers in his life.  

I think about his first mother who made such a brave and loving decision to choose life for him.   I'm sure it made her path more difficult in life.  I honor and respect her for the terribly hard decisions she has had to make and I will share that respect and love I have for her the best I can with our son.  

I think about his second mother who he lives with right now, the woman he calls Umma (mother in Korean).  I am so thankful and blessed for the love and care she is giving our boy until we can make that trip to make him part  of our family.  

It is a thoughtful day but I am beyond blessed.

What I wouldn't give for a picture

It is a lonely place waiting for your little boys and knowing you don't even know what he looks like anymore.    The last picture I had of him was at 7 months and at the end of this month he will be 11 months.  I think back to Banana and how much he changed in those short months and it makes my heart hurt.

The good news is the group of EPs right before us started to get approved yesterday so we are next.....just holding onto hope they will approve this month and not wait for next month.

I am tempted to ask our agency if they will let John take a birthday present to little guy when he returns to Seoul in a few weeks after graduation....also hoping they might allow him the pleasure to meet him and he might be able to capture a picture or two.  It is probably a lot to ask of both John and the agency but 3 years of cooking his dinner and washing his clothes I think I'm going to ask anyway :)