wordless wednesday

cuddle time with my baby is so precious to me...Grace will say "cul cul mama"

The final stretch..

Well this next couple weeks is my final stretch to our show with my dance studio. I am sure you have wondered what has happened to me as I have not been blogging too much lately. TO be honest with you this year for some reason has been just a huge challenge. Having to take care of all the details by myself has exhausted me beyond words. Getting home at 8 or 9pm at night is not doing too much for me these days. People really have no idea what goes into something like this. From designing tickets, putting almost 2000 seat numbers on the tickets, ordering costumes, organizing rehearsals, choreographing 20+dances so many details that all add up to so much.....the list goes on and on and I won't bore you with all the bla bla bla. I sometimes ask my self why I continue to do what I do...and the same answer comes back to me, because I love the kids and have a passion to teach them dance. If only I had more help..this I also say every year. But I can never seem to find help that is available, or knows how to do it right. Yes I am a huge perfectionist. In just a couple weeks we have our end of year show and I will not have such a crazy schedule with the stress of deadlines. Well I take the crazy schedule thing back..this may happen, but in a much different way. I work with Gracie with me about 24/7, but with the two older ones in school I don't see them alot lately..kinda starting to wear on this mama.... I look forward to summer break so much...and spending time with my kids! Please pray for me, my family, the studio, and the show over the next couple of weeks. Here is one pic of my preschoolers who had just gotten their costumes in..I have 18 preschoolers in all, but the other half comes at another time. So cute..

Grace Home ONE YEAR today!

Wow, one year ago today we were waiting at the airport for our baby girls plane to land. I remember this day as if it were yesterday, yet at the same time it sure seems like she has been with us much much longer than one year. We were able to track the plane on the internet and see where it was in the skies from the moment it left South Korea...I remember feeling so sad knowing that the foster family had to say goodbye to this sweet little baby that they have loved on for 8 months. At the same time excited that she would finally be in my arms at last! No more looking at her photo and imagining her, soon I would hold her and kiss her for the first time.  Waiting for the Flight to come in was so hard..fog was rolling in that day and we just prayed and prayed God would lift it so the plain could land. There were warning also of a big snow storm that was suppose to roll in as well. All I knew for this moment was that my baby was on that plane and she will be ours forever! There is no other feeling greater than holding your child for the first time. This was the moment we had waited so long for! Our Grace Gyeong-eun.

You can view our gotcha day video on the right of this page.

This brings tears to my eyes because we see how happy we all were this day to finally hold our baby Gracie. You can see it in everyones teary eyes!

Below: Week one home! Gracie was only 8 months old! She was crawling all around, which I remember we were not aware of, so soon after we got home daddy got the gates up near the stairs.

Below is Amanda, Bay, Bi (an exchange student that God brought to us), Me , Gracie, Terry

Only 2 weeks home...

The becco carrier became very handy, and she would point to it for me to carry her like this. It was her way of saying she wanted to cuddle with mama!

She would only go to sleep this way. I remember walking outside and she would fall right to sleep, she just wanted to be close to her mama! Below...we both crashed!

5 weeks home....

5 weeks home..

My sweet baby!

below...Such a Silly Girl! It has always amazed me what a sweet, funny, and so cute personality she has. We have been blessed that is for sure!

The scrunchy face stage...this lasted all summer long! For every photo for a while, she would just scrunch her face..it was so funny!

Loves her big brother Bay.. 2mo home

Some people have asked us if it was a big adjustment having two older children and then having a baby. But for us, we were so ready to have another child it did not matter what the age difference was, it never was an issue for our family. It is wonderful to see the two older ones love on her and play with her like they do. They absolutly adore their baby sister and will forever do anything for her. It was awesome having them older especially for our gotcha day..this is a day we all will forever remember as the most special moment we have shared together. This is amazing to me!

and loves her big sissy!

First 4th of July 2009

3 months home

The getting into everything stage...Still in that stage acually!

Traditional Korean Birthday Celebration 4 mo home..

7 months home

First Easter..

Thank you Lord for blessing us with these three great kids.

there are so many things and so many other photos I would love to share with you, but it would take you days to look through them. To those of you still waiting for your babies...just hold on because soon they will be in your arms and time just will go by so fast you won't believe it. I know waiting is hard trust me I am not the Queen of being patient at all. Hang in there and just know that God has perfect timing.  I prayed Grace would be home just a couple weeks  before my show at the end of the dance season. I had dreamed of taking her on stage to show everyone this beautiful child. God brought her home exactly 3 weeks before the show. I ended the show with a power point of our gotcha day, and a small dance I did with her on stage. A dream come true.....May God bless each of you who say yes to adoption, it is truely the best gift to give a child...a forever family..a forever home! 

Dresses for Orphans of Ethiopia

In the waiting room of my dance studio this week you certainly can not miss all the beautiful dresses that girls are donating for orphan girls in Ethiopia. My passion for orphans is so strong in my heart. When I began collecting dresses it was just something I felt I wanted to start doing. It seems so small, but if we all do something it can make a difference in the heart of a child. I did not even know where the dresses would all go, but I prayed God would open the door. Secretly I really wanted to be a part of a group called Look Development.  I believe in what they are doing with their project of finding sponsor families for children, building a larger orphanage and cottages, a health clinic, school, and a well for fresh drinking water. And spreading the world also looking for adoptive families as well. So two weeks after i started collecting the dresses I was invited to attend a look dev. prayer group. This group also helps with certain projects etc.. I was jumping for joy because at that moment it was like my prayers were answered. I know that the dresses with go to this orphanage.  I love to see the families come into the studio to drop off the dresses and the kids are so full of pride and feel good about themselves. To come out of yourself and think about the well being of someone els is what this is about. This is also spreading the word about the children in Africa and I believe opening the eyes of many! Below is a family that just brought in 30 dresses, this and all the others now has our total up to 160. We are almost there! YIPPY!

below: Terry and I at a fundraiser for Look Developement

some of the children that have been adopted into forever families!

I could not get one at all with them all looking...

Two from Ethiopia, and Gracie sitting on Alyssas lap. Alyssa is from China, and of course Grace Korea

there were many more kids, but could not seem to gather them all..

We had a potatoe bar, worship time and watched the movie Faith Like Potatoes. I think most of the sponsor children they had did get sponsored that night!

Mathew West Concert

Sunday night we attended our kids fundraiser concert. Mathew West was the Christian artist who came this year. It was so wonderful and inspiring. He is such a down to earth kind of guy, we really enjoyed his stories and some of his new songs that will be coming out on his new album.

One of my friends said this guitar player looks like he could be my brother...I just thought he was simply very good looking! :-)

Mathew West signing his autograph on my daughters shirt!

During the concert he came and sang to Amanda and touched her hand..."oh my gosh , Im sure she won't wash for a few days now" :-) . Amanda is also sporting her new glasses!

Not exactly a good start to the day...Wowza!

You know it is not a good start to the day when you have been up from 1am to 5:30a.m. with a dog that is throwing up all night long. We were up and down all night long letting her outside, we could not leave her out because she is a barker and would just bark all night long and wake the entire house and neighborhood. By 5:30 I just decided to get up and get ready for the day, I walked out of my bathroom to find my daughter telling me that her bathroom has water all over the floor. Yep the toilet must have overflowed in the night. Water everywhere, and went through the floor into the downstairs game room. Oh yeah this is not exactly the way I like to spend my night and start my mornings out. What can I say, what els does this day hold?..You'll have to stay tuned!  Now I somehow need to get some energy to teach 18 little 3 years olds today. That may have to come from an overdose of Dr. Pepper! Hope you are all having a much better Tuesday! :-)

Happy Easter-He is Risen

Gracies first Easter!

This morning the Easter bunny sent us on a treasure hunt to find our baskets..

after searching and looking for the clues they finally found them.

Off to church we went..and what a great morning of worship we had for our Lord and Savior!

After church we came home where Grace had her first egg hunt (inside, because it was so cold out)

Gracie was sooo proud of all the eggs she could find!

Of course, her big sissy helped her reach the ones that were hidden much taller..

Bay, just juggled the eggs...so funny!

Then family and friends came by for a nice Easter Dinner. This is my Sister Mandi and my new brother in law Jason. Just married last summer this is their first Easter as husband and wife. They live just 10 miles from us and we are loving it! I can't wait till they have babies..(teehee)

My sister Mandi and I are 10 years apart...Did I acually admit that? I usually and mostly claim to be the same age....."we look the same age don't we"?  I love her and adore her to pieces! My baby sister!

I think we prepared quite a feast that is for sure. Everyone got stuffed and over stuffed for lunch!

Along with my sister and her hubby, we had three of our exchange students over too.

Happy Easter From our Family To Yours!

 Our baby girl was very tired later in the day..

Thank you Lord for all your blessings!