It's been a long time!!

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted in a week. Sorry!! It's been a little crazy around here this past week. The boys have been sick again...I think it's been almost 2 months since I've had 3 well children. Henry and Charles are mostly having trouble with allergies. But with their asthma this always includes A LOT of coughing. At least Henry also has a cold because Andrew has whatever Henry has. And Andrew doesn't have allergies...at least not yet. Andrew has had a terrible cough that has been keeping him up at night...and us, but seems to feel pretty good otherwise. He's been so happy and busy (as always). His cough seems a little better today so hopefully tonight will also be better. This was us last Friday night. We LOVE to sit on the porch swing!! It was a little chilly that day, but I was warm!!
This was our bed on Saturday morning. Saturday morning cartoons!! Andrew really did have fun. We can just never get him to smile for the camera.
I snapped a few shots of Andrew on Sunday in the yard. I'm hoping to take them to Plummer House or downtown one day, but the weather never seems to work out when I have time to actually take them.
On Sunday night, the boys and I left for awhile so Travis could get some extra schoolwork done. We picked up supper and went to the park for a picnic. The boys loved it!! Andrew hasn't been on a picnic to the park before, but he did great. He loves the swing!!
Henry at the park on Sunday.

We're planning to go camping this weekend. Hopefully, Andrew will be feeling better. We're only going to Chester Woods, a local county park about 5 miles from home, but it is one of our favorites places to go. It's so quiet and they have decent hiking trails. Of course, our hiking is of the slower, shorter variety with the boys. Last year we laughed after we got back to the camper because we managed to spot a daddy long leg spider crossing the path as well as a caterpillar. Now you know how fast we go. Hopefully I'll have some good pictures after the weekend.

**As always, please keep James in your prayers. He had an MRI today to check for any Wilm's tumor in his liver, and the results will be given to the family tomorrow. Please pray for good news for them. I highlighted his name so you can just click on it and it will take you to his blog. They have some amazing pictures!! If anyone is interested in donating to his benefit, you can find the information on the flyer below. **

Pray for Baby James

I had to try posting this again. Travis said that he couldn't bring it up at work.

Baby James and his family could use some extra prayers. He had tests today to determine if the new chemo regimine he's been on is working. The cancer has not shrunk as they had hoped..however, it hasn't grown either. They are going to check his liver next week and discuss surgery, radiation, experimental chemo, etc. They have a very thorough update on James blog that gives more information. I met with the planning committe last night for James Benefit in June. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions or donations, we would be glad to have them. None of us have ever planned a benefit before. However, it is amazing how generous people have been with their donations. We are so grateful. Please remember James and his family in your prayers. They are going to be faced with many decisions in the upcoming days and could really use some help.

Baby James Benefit

I just wanted to add in the flyer for James benefit in June. It holds all the information and a really great picture. What a handsome man! I think if you click on it it should get bigger. Not much else for news from here. Andrew has been running a fever for a couple days with no overt signs of illness so we don't really know whats wrong with him. He seems to be feeling a little better today. He's been so busy and only wants to stand up. We've been sitting beside him so he can stand next to the coffee table, couch, chair... He's doing pretty well sitting too, but not very trustworthy yet.

Well, I did it. I bought the photo editing software!! I'm pretty excited, but haven't spent enough time with it to figure out how to use all the tools. So long professional pictures!!

We go up to St. Paul on Wednesday for our 2nd post placement visit. I'm getting pictures printed and our paperwork done. Korea likes to be sure that their kids are adjusting well. I love it that they are so particular and interested in their progress. We'll have one more progress report due in two months and then no other required paperwork for Korea. We do need to submit our paperwork to the government so we can finalize our adoption in court. Then Andrew will legally be ours. Until then, our adoption agency is his guardian.

Hopefully, I'll get some pictures posted soon!!

I LOVE taking pictures!!

Yes, I've found a new hobby. I really love taking pictures!! Especially, when you can doctor them up a bit. I didn't edit any of these photos because I need to have photo editing software. My plan... to purchase some of this software. My practical side says this.... I get the fun of taking pictures and editing them to my personal preference. In addition, I save the cost of taking my children to have professional pictures taken and purchasing their photos. One trip to have pictures taken probably equals the cost of the software. There, I made my argument. I was so happy with these pictures!! These are just in the backyard. Of course, I probably took 75 pictures but I just get to delete the ones that aren't good.
This is one of my favorites. I'm his mom...I can say it...he is so beautiful!! Okay, handsome.
Big brothers helped a little on this one. I was having a little trouble getting a smile.
This was taken in ND. I did crop this one but I'd like to edit it a little since it's a little fuzzy.

The week was busy. I took Henry to visit his kindergarten and teachers on Tuesday. He had been a little anxious with multitudes of questions. The visit was a huge success. Travis asked him what kindergarten was like, and he said...'wild.' Wild is, of course, wonderful in Henry's world. Now, he is so excited to go to kindergarten.

We also had our last planning meeting before Camp Moon-hwa next month. How exciting!! I can't wait for camp. The boys absolutely love it, and are always sad when it's over. It is a very busy and exhausting week for everyone, but also an incredible amount of fun. I'm in charge of the nursery again, and am planning a few more things for this summer. Henry will actually be in class since he's going to kindergarten next year. One of his friends will also be in the same class.

I missed the first planning meeting for a benefit for Baby James. There is a group planning a benefit for him on June 23rd. There will be both a silent and live auction as well lunch being served. They are accepting donations of any kind for both auctions as well as monetary donations. James medications are quite expensive, and his mom is taking extra time off of work in order to care for him. He was just released from his 13th stay at the hospital. Next week on May 24th he will undergo a series of tests to determine if this new regimine of chemo is working. We pray that it is. This little guy has been fighting cancer for over half his life. Please go to his website via the link in my links section. They have posted some videos of James learning to walk as well as updated information on his status. Please keep praying for this little guy. He has an amazing spirit and is such a tough fighter.

What a weekend!!

Wow...what a weekend!! I'm not sure if it's just us, having 3 kids, or what....but, it seems like our house as been absolutely chaos for the past 3 days. Andrew was sick all week, but started to feel a little better on Thursday. The boys went to preschool all day, and he got a lot of rest. Still coughing, running nose, etc. But all in all...much better. I took the boys to the grocery store on Friday afternoon because we absolutely had to go. I hadn't been there since we got home from our trip and just picked up the necessities at the gas station. With Andrew in the carrier and the big boys in the blue truck grocery cart, we started out. They did really well. Except for a lot of looks, the only comment we got was from a woman in the spaghetti aisle. She said, 'You sure have some noisy drivers.' 'Yes,' I replied, 'but hopefully we're not in one place long enought to irritate anyone.' The boys on the porch with popsicles.
Henry decided to have a lemonade stand. What an experience. We were prepared and had bought a lot of lemonade. He made a sign and sold lemonade for 25 cents a glass. Thankfully I had no other plans because I spent the whole afternoon making pitchers of lemonade. They sat out there for 1 1/2 hours. I think the whole neighborhood must have stopped, including a car from North Carolina. They did a great job, had fun, and worked hard....well, Henry did. It's hard for a 3 year old to help at a lemonade stand. He mostly made comments to the people who stopped. I was exhausted afterwards!
This was this morning. It was the only picture where Andrew was partially hidden by one of the boys. It's not the most attractive of any of us, but just look of it screams...'My house is a zoo!'
This was this afternoon. We made bulgogi, rice, and mandu for supper. The boys were sneaky and each took a mandu before supper and went to the deck to eat it. Travis caught them with the camera.

We had a very nice day. This afternoon we went to buy flowers for flowerpots, and started planting. The boys each pick flowers for their own flowerpots which they plant for their moms in Korea. It's always an interesting combination of flowers, and is always special. I had to include this poem today, because it is so special to me. The day was wonderful. I am so thankful for my boys. We have been so blessed by them. But, there is always a little sadness when I think of their first moms and how much they are missing. I am so grateful to them for making such an amazing and brave choice, and giving me a family. As always, they are in our prayers and thoughts everyday. I had to include this poem especially for today.

Legacy of an Adopted Child
Once there were two women who never knew each other..

One you do not remember, the other you call mother.

Two different lives, shaped to make Your one...

One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first gave you life and the second taught you to live it.

The first gave you a need for love, and the second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name.

One gave you a seed of talent, the other gave you an aim.

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears.

One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears.

One gave you up ... that's all she could do.

The other prayed for a child and God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me, through your fears,

the age old question unanswered throughout the years...

Heredity or environment ..

Which are you the product of..

Neither, my darling .. neither..

just two different kinds of love.

~ Author Unknown ~

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Finally...some pictures!

This was a fun day (Wednesday) for all of us. Well, not Andrew, but I'll fill you in on that at the end. Charles has finally decided that he wants to ride and bike, and ride he does. He made it around the cul-de-sac 3 times-- 1 time around is about 1/4 mile. He was so proud!! Riding by the neighbors house at the end of the stree.
Look at that happy face!! He's so thrilled!! He's also going much faster than I thought he should go (it was down a little hill), but he managed just fine. Yes, that is a wet wipe box attached to his bike. He would never ride bike because he was always carrying so many things. I put the box on so he had a place for his things.
And, it's a race! Henry was such a great brother. He pretended to race Charles, but always managed to end up last. He would pretend to fall off his bike, or get a low tire, etc. Once he was on his scooter and would always fall into the grass. I said, 'Henry, your scooter must need to be fixed.' Charles said, 'Henry,you can ride mine!" Charles' scooter has 3-wheels and Henry thinks he's much too big for that.
A little later on that trampoline. This was Charles in mid-somersault. Look mom! No hands!! Oh yes...he's holding 'things'...a stuffed puppy and wooden hammer. Always such a benefit to doing somersaults on the trampoline.
Henry in mid-somersault.

Both big boys are doing very well. I took Andrew in on Tuesday with a fever, coughing, vomiting. We left with a diagnosis..1)viral bronchiolitis; 2) viral throat lesion (he had a little blister on his throat); 3) resolving ear infection (this we knew because we treated him for 10 days). He has been coughing so hard that he vomits. Oh will I be glad to see the end of that. Thank goodness he doesn't eat much solid food so its mostly formula. We think he's starting to feel a little better. His fever is gone, but the coughing remains. Hopefully we'll soon see the end of that. His nose has been so stuffed that he can't use his pacifier well. This has resulted in so many awakenings for 'replugging' that I finally just slept with him. Of course, he LOVES that. So far tonight he's doing a little better and I really hope that continues. I don't think we've had more than 5-6 hours of sleep for the past month. I know that I shouldn't complain. I have friends who've likely been getting much less sleep each night for quite a bit longer than one month...You know who you are!!

I hope you all keep Baby James in your prayers. He finished his second round of chemo and his blood counts are dropping. They are REALLY hoping to avoid another hospital stay because of that. He's also going to have a multitude of tests on May 21st to determine if the chemo is working. Please pray that it is!!

Back to our routine

Korean Children's Day
"Children are the future of our nation. Let's show respect
for children. Children who grow up with ridicule and
contempt from others will become people who disrespect
others, while children who grow up with respect from
others will become people who respect others in turn."
-Pang Chong-hwan, founder of Korean Children's Day

I had to post that. I had been searching for some information on celebrating Children's Day, which was May 5th, which is Korean holiday. I found that quote and had to save it. We didn't really do much for Children's Day, except that we were home as a family. And, that seemed to be enough. I talked to Henry about Children's Day and how it is a special day in Korea. His comment to me was...'We're Korean. We can celebrate Children's Day here.' I said he was absolutely right : )

No pics today. The boys went back to preschool for the first time in a week and did just fine. It was nice to get back into our regular routine. Andrew is sick again. Likely bronchitis since that's what my mom got the day after we left ND, and Travis got it when we got back. He's definitely not feeling good, but we've been able to pull a few smiles from him anyway.

Funny boy comments

I didn't get any pictures posted today, but had to write because of the funny things the boys have said over the past couple days.

In North Dakota, Henry would never sleep under the blankets. Not such a big deal because he doesn't sleep under blankets here either. Says he gets too hot. But, in ND, he would lay one of our own blankets down on the bed and sleep on that. He said it was because there were germs on blankets that weren't ours. Oh my...

Charles coughed until he vomited again today. Wow, do I have a lot of laundry to do. But, apparently, his reason for vomiting was this (as he told to Travis). ' I had to throw up because there was a throat in my stomach.' Very interesting. May be we would all do that if we had throats in our stomachs.

Today, Charles and I were talking about size as related to people. So many people talk about how big he's getting, and, yes, he is growing. But, we talked about how we all grow. And, how it doesn't really matter if we get to be really big or not because God makes us just the size He wants us to be. '
Charles said, 'Then when He's done making us, He puts on our heads.'
Mom: 'Yes, He does make our heads.'
Charles: 'If we didn't have heads we couldn't see. I wouldn't be able to see Andrew.'
Mom: 'No, you wouldn't. What would we do without heads?'
Charles: Thinking a moment..'I don't know.'

Oh, the thoughts of children. They almost always make me laugh, sometimes stump me, and generally make me really work on keeping a straight face.

Have a great day!

Home again, Home again!!

Well, we made it back from a week in North Dakota. Travis and I both grew up there, and our families still live there. Only my parents have gotten to meet Andrew, so it was great way for everyone to see him. We left last Thursday, stayed in Grand Forks with Travis' brother and family, and continued the rest of the way on Friday. Grand Forks is about halfway and makes for a great stopping point. Most of our family live in the same town so it makes for a busy week, but so easy to see everyone. My brother and his family came on Friday from Bismarck to spend the weekend. We had Andrew's dedication at my home church on Sunday. We have done the same with the other boys since it would be so difficulty for everyone to come here for the ceremony. Andrew was a busy guy. He met everyone from grandma's and grandpa's to great grandma's and great-grandpa's...aunts and uncles, great aunts and great uncles, even great-great aunts and great-great uncles...cousins, friends.... The boys had a great time visiting everyone and playing with their cousins. However, the week couldn't be without some excitement. Henry had trouble with allergies and had an asthma attack. At my mom and dad's, he and Charles were napping and I had gone to put Andrew down for his nap. Henry started coughing and then vomited all over his blankets, the bedspread, and carpet. God Bless grandma's and aunts. By the time I got there, my mom had cleaned up the mess on the carpet and my sister had helped him get his clothes off. We thought we left his church clothes in Rochester. He almost had to go to church in shorts and a t-shirt...for the dedication ceremony. Thank goodness Travis found the clothes on the ground by the van. Andrew eating an apple...okay, he's not really eating it. He doesn't have any teeth. But he did enjoy gnawing on it.
Henry and my nephew, Lane, riding horse. This was taken at 10 am Sunday morning. Church was at 11 am. Yikes!!!
This is Andrew and my grampa. Andrew was named after his dad.
Andrew and Charles opening up a present. You can see that Andrew is doing pretty well sitting. He can make it for a little while, but if he gets excited...watch out!!

The boys did everything. They rode horse, tractors, bobcats, 4-wheelers.. all with help. They fed bottle calves, played in giant sand piles, walked on a train track, and Henry helped my dad and brother fix the fence for the cows.

Our trip home was as eventful as the time spent with family. We left Grand Forks this morning at 7:30 am. We made it about 30 miles and Charles vomited....3 times. I tried to clean up the first one while driving.. we stopped at a rest area after the 2nd...and at a little gas station after the 3rd. We only had a carry on bag in the van since we had packed the big suitcase in a little trailer so we could bring home a table and chairs. After the 3rd episode, I had to carry him into the gas station wearing only pants. He had no other clothes so we had to put him back in his pajamas wearing Henry's dirty socks. Oh my. Where was my mom? It took us 2 hours to go about 70 miles. We did make it home with no other problems. But, the van will be taken to get the carpet shampooed tomorrow.

Andrew practiced spitting the whole way home. He's very good at it now.

The boys, and us, were very glad to get home. I took Andrew up to his room and he just looked around, and then he got this huge smile and started kicking his legs and waving his arms and trying to spin around to see everything. He was glad to be home.