out of the blue

we received surprise pictures of e.b. yesterday! we were pleasantly surprised to receive these photos, because we had originally been advised that she would only have a check-up every other month after her first birthday. now it appears that she will still be having monthly check-ups instead! we are thankful and excited to see her face again. we just can't help but wonder what type of goodie she has in her mouth.

e.b. at 15 months

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." I Peter 5:6-7

cameron's second Christmas home...

what an amazing journey we've had since last Christmas. this year was simply perfect for me. i told marshall that it was my favorite Christmas ever! our family at home -- relaxing, playing, enjoying, singing, eating, napping. cameron's eyes sparkled as we walked down the steps together and he first spied the Christmas tree. the entire day was focused on our family (currently of three and looking forward to becoming a family of four!)

Christmas morning cutie

cameron in charge of his lego train set

cameron loves trains

merry Christmas!!!

cameron says "come home e.b.!"

"For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

new e.b. pics!

today we received new photos of e.b.! the pictures were a welcome surprise on this very cold day. it is lovely to see her beautiful face again. she has grown so much. she will be 14 months old tomorrow which places her already at an older age than cameron when he joined our family. it has been 8 months since we first saw her face. we are still waiting to see her smile but know it will be well worth the wait. cameron enjoyed seeing e.b.'s latest pictures today and liked that she was holding his picture in her hand. what a treat it will be to see them together one day.

so serious

snuggling with her foster mother

checking out the photos

she looks ready for Christmas

holding c's peek-a-boo picture

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

what parent can resist...?

how could we resist buying cameron's first "school" pictures? i wish we could have seen him during his photo shoot as it is obvious he really listened to direction and instructions from the photographer. don't you just love the pose for the second picture? too cute! our little guy is too cute for words.

cameron

fall 2011

"'But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me One Who will be Ruler over Israel, Whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.' Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of His brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will live securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And He will be their peace..." Micah 5:2-5

joyfully celebrating Christmas!!! (yes, Christmas!)

we are so thankful to have an opportunity to send e.b. yet another package...this time filled with her Christmas gifts. this is her second Christmas but this year we are aware of her being absent from our family. although, in hindsight, i cannot help but wonder if we were almost "aware" of our future blessing when we added the words "joyfully celebrating Christmas" to the inside of our Christmas cards last year, as that is what her Korean name means..."joyful celebration!"

so the box is 12 x 12 x 5 1/2 inches and it is jam packed. i figure we used 1/3 roll of packing tape holding the box together. praying this is the last package we will ship to e.b. (which would mean she is h-o-m-e before her next birthday!!!) here's the list of the presents we sent:

short sleeve sweater dress (grey & cream striped with pink heart pockets)

long sleeve pink t-shirt

pink leggings with ruffles

long sleeve flowered & striped sweater dress

striped blue & cream leggings

flowered corduroy dress with matching flowered tights

knit cream dress with matching head band

2 pairs of socks

pink tights

pink slippers

hair bows & hello kitty pony tail holders

praise baby c.d.

"splash" book (bilingual)

soft baby doll

stuffed pink bunny

small soft cream blanket

stacking & rolling toy with balls

4 playskool wheelie farm animals

3 wobbles

wooden painted maracas

small wooden flute

canvas gift bag with photos of e.b. & cameron on the outside pockets

gift for her foster mother: knit gloves

Christmas gifts for e.b.!!!

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1:1-5

zip lock baggie #2

yippee! it's zip lock baggie time again. it is fun but challenging to figure out how much we can pack into a gallon zip lock...especially now that e.b. is growing so big. my favorite find was the bunny sweater dress (it is so soft and cozy.) soon it will be on its way to seoul and our daughter with her foster mother.

here's the inventory: aqua fleece jacket, bunny sweater dress, knit long sleeve stripped top and pants, striped socks, flowered hat and mittens, knit stuffed kitty cat rattle, kitty purse, hair bows, laminated peek-a-boo pictures of our family, a necklace for e.b.'s foster mother, a card and gift bag

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.'" Jeremiah 29:11-13

a road trip of tradition

those of you who have known us (or at least marshall) for a long time know about our (his) ties to nebraska. marrying into this family i have really enjoyed learning and experiencing so much of the traditions they share. we were so thrilled to have cameron with us this year to begin sharing in our family and traditions. there is truly too much to write about this weekend but i'll try to share the highlights and some photos.

cameron was able to meet his aunt cammie, aunt julie, uncle cameron, and cousins, elliott, charlie and nicholas. and we were so excited that poppy, aunt buff, uncle mark and cousin trevor drove in for this weekend too! we stayed downtown in lincoln so cameron was able to experience the whole game day/weekend experience. he seemed to thrive in these new surroundings. we were able to walk everywhere...restaurants, shops, campus, stadium, train station, construction sites! enjoying the fresh cool air was good for all of us. we were able to hit the bookstore and found e.b. a t-shirt (hopefully she will be able to cheer on the huskers with us next year).

we had an amazing opportunity to go to memorial stadium on friday night and even play around on the field. marshall proposed to me 16 years ago on the "N" in the south end zone the night before a big game, and there we were this past friday with our son! aunt julie remembered to bring a soft nebraska football for cameron to throw around on the field and he loved it. he was running up and down the field laughing and throwing the ball.

saturday prior to the game the tradition is to listen to the marching band outside before they journey down the street to the stadium. this was cameron's first time to see and hear a marching band. he was rocking, clapping, smiling, laughing and requesting "more, more!" it was so special to have him join in with us this year. cameron and i did not attend the game but left our party at the stadium and we walked around checking out some of the tailgating festivities before heading back to the hotel for a nap.

this was a very special weekend for us and we hope to see our nebraska family again soon.

friday morning hitting the campus

cameron found a construction site

another construction site at the train station

(wow! trucks & trains)

friday night outside the doors that the huskers use before taking the field

a future center?

he could...go...all...the...way!

touchdown!

enjoying the moment with daddy

running around with cousin t

our family outside the bookstore

getting ready to hear the band

this is so fun!

snuggling with daddy

waiting for the band by the redbud trees

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Psalm 46:1-3