Happy Family Day, Charles!

4 years ago today, Charles came home. Another family was also waiting for their little boy who was on the same flight. We had been talking about how old they were, and the other family, who had recently received an update on their son, was saying that their little guy was over 20 #. We had also just received an update and knew that Charles wasn't that big. So, while we waiting for him to come through customs, the airline attendants and pilots came off. They stopped to ask us which one had the 'big, wild one.' The other mom spoke up that it was probably her son. Then they said, 'Oh, you have the little docile one!' Of course, Charles might not be that big, but he's certainly not docile. Travis and I sometimes watch him and then say, sarcastically, 'Oh, he's so little and docile.' Anyway, we had a nice quiet day at home. Travis' brother and family came for the weekend and left this morning. So we were all a little tired...especially the boys. However, as is the tradition in our family, Charles got to pick where he wanted to eat....the Sky Dragon....and what kind of treat he wanted....chocolate cake. We let him open his present....a video about two kids and their families in Korea. He loved it...and so did Henry. Andrew has learned how to bow and everytime someone on the video would bow, he would say, 'bow,' and...bow. His other new word for today....mandu. We made mandu and bi bim bop (both Korean dishes) for supper last night, and Min certainly does LOVE mandu. This past week he also learned to say, 'si chak (means start in tae kwon do) and 'june bee' (means attention in tae kwon do). Certainly interesting words for a 16 month old, but when you spend as much time with Henry and at tae kwon do, I guess it's only fitting that those words would join his list. He also LOVES to say 'no', especially when he doesn't mean it and then gets mad that you didn't give him what you asked him.

A few pictures of Charles on the day we brought him home. He was sleeping when they gave him to us, but woke briefly to smile at Henry. He then slept for the rest of the day and into the evening. Sleeping in the car
With Dad and big brother
Kisses from Henry

One of my all-time favorite pictures.

Here is Charles 4 year later. I took these a couple weeks when were were out playing in the snow. They just show such classic Charles expressions...the only one missing is that grin with the eyes just say they are up to something. Making a snow angel.

Bold, Audacious, Daring,

We've been working on a room in our basement--which is still largely unfinished--but we did get the very back room sheetrocked, mudded, textured, and painted. We've used many words to describe how we decided to paint our new room. They ranged from bold, audacious, creative, fun, and patriotic....though not to the US...but to a very cl0se friend of the U.S. We now have a taegukki room. The taegukki is the name of the South Korean flag. And, now we have one proudly and boldly painted on our basement wall. It looks really good and we had a great time doing it. I forgot how much I liked painting things just a little bit bold. The boys LOVED it. We brought them down when we had finished and they just stood there looking at it without saying a word. And, then they smiled...'It's the taegukki!' Even Min pointed and smiled...'gukki,' he said. We've moved a sofa in and a TV along with a few toys. Now we have one clean, livable space in the basement while we try to work on the rest.

I have a few more pictures to post tomorrow. We went to the Cities on Friday for a vacation. It was sort of a family time since all the boys Family days are close together, and it was the day after Soel Nal, which is the Korean word for Lunar New Year, a huge holiday in Korea. And, we had a REALLY great Korean lunch.

Happy Family Day, Min!

Today was the day I brought Min home. I can't believe that it has already been a year. He still seems so little but when I look at these pictures I see that he has changed so much.
Taken in the van on the way to the airport in Seoul. I was so excited to finally be able to take him home, yet so sad that I was taking him away from such an amazing country.
Sound asleep on the airplane. Thankfully, SOMEONE got some sleep...it wasn't me.
This was taken today. His clothes came from Korea and were a gift from a friend.
He certainly has grown and is such an amazing little guy. He's always so happy, and is VERY busy. He has a lot of words and knows exactly what he wants. And, if he doesn't know the word, he points, grunts, and pushes until he gets you where he wants you. He's not afraid of his brothers, and is really starting to like wrestling with them. They are very careful.

I have to finish with a funny conversation I had with the boys on our way home from tae kwon do. We had listened to the CD from their Christmas program for the 3rd time today and Away in the Manger had just finished.
Henry, 'Were Mary and Joseph Jesus' real mom and dad?'
Me, 'Yes.'
Henry, 'But, Jesus is Gods' son.'
Me, 'Well...yes. God helped to make Jesus. But, Joseph helped to take care of Jesus when he was born and while he was growing up.'
Charles,' When were God and Jesus born?'
Me, 'Well, God just was. He wasn't really born. Jesus was born a very long time ago.'
Charles,' Oh.'
Henry, 'Now, Jesus is dead and he lives in Heaven.'
Charles,' Where are Mary and Joseph?'
Henry, 'They're dead too. They live in Heaven with Jesus.'
Charles,' How does God get us to Heaven?'
Me, 'I don't really know. He just has a special way.'
Charles,' Maybe we climb up a stairs or a ladder.'
Me,'Maybe.'
Charles,' Do you think God just drives on a road when he takes us to Heaven.'
Me, 'I'm not really sure. The Bible doesn't tell us how God gets us to Heaven.'
Charles, 'I think He might climb to the top of a tree and jump really high.'

A new level of chaos

Our home has reached a new and incredible level of chaos these days. Part of the reason I haven't blogged for so long. Also, everyone has been sick. I went in 2 weeks ago and found out I had pneumonia and pleurisy (an inflammation of the pleural lining). All that is important is that it hurts like the devil. Anyway, I'm on the mend finally. But, Min has a terrible cough. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to have a fever and has been feeling well. He's also in a terrible stage of separation anxiety. Travis can't even put him to bed.

Andrew is as curious as anything and into absolutely everything. It's nearly impossible to get anything done since he has to 'help,' or make even more of a mess than the one I'm cleaning up. I usually don't load the dishwasher unless he's sleeping since he always tries to climb inside. As you can see from this picture, he LOVES the key drawer and is finally tall enough to see inside if he stands on his tiptoes. He has a favorite set of keys...the camper keys with a little orange flashlight attached.
And, of course, he likes the pots and pans. What kid doesn't? We don't care if he plays in there, but aren't really sure what this was all about. He seems to think that sitting INSIDE of most things is fun. The basket that holds his toys is always fair game when it's empty (which is most of the time).
And....yes....even the drawer under the stove isn't safe. It took him a little while to figure out how to get in there, but was pretty proud once inside. He even managed to convince Charles to give it a try.
Thankfully, it's one of those older, stronger stoves that managed to hold up to two boys sitting inside it.