finally updated e.b. photos!

we did not receive updated photos of e.b. in march or april. i was becoming discouraged. our wonderful case manager e-mailed me to let me know she was requesting information and photos on e.b.. we received news that our little one does not enjoy her visits to the agency in seoul (most likely due to her associating it with doctor check ups and shots.) from what we understand, she cries when she enters the building. her foster mother offered instead to send some photos that she had taken of e.b. when they were out enjoying a day together...so we have photos that show a small peek into one of e.b.'s days. the photos are blurry but knowing how difficult it is to get a still shot of c helps us understand that she is becoming a very busy girl!  enjoy (we have!)

is that a smile?

standing up!

blowing kisses...

(our hearts melt!)

"being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ."  Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

may 5

c and i started the day by visiting a local firehouse that was hosting an event to raise funds for burn camp. c loved his time there...over 8 fire trucks; more firemen than one could count; an open fire station; closed roads for safety (c was able to run, really run, safely around from one truck to another.) it was an amazing event. we even saw two of c's friends from m.d.o. there! he was more than exhausted by the time we left and even as he was saying "no" to the prospect of leaving he was moving towards me with his arms raised for me to pick him up. we are already looking forward to next year! (thank you k for sharing news of this event with us!)

my future firefighter

he's happy beyond words

enjoying a cool drink on the front of an engine

another engine!

more cooling down

starting to slow down

our precious son
(i can catch more photos of him when he's still!)

we finished the day in a whirlwind too. after nap we went directly to a children's day celebration hosted by our adoption agency. it is a wonderful event. c was very interested in the water color painting which surprised me. it's great to see him trying new things. (unfortunately i forgot my camera again so these are phone photos.)

stirring
(he actually asked me if he could drink the water!)

painting

he was given a balloon coconut tree with a monkey from one of the balloon artists. it's hard to tell from this photo but c was using it as a golf club to hit other balloons. he was running around laughing and swinging at the balloons. 

a new olympic event?

if you are not aware, our son has a sweet tooth! he found a table where he could decorate a cookie with sprinkles of all shapes and colors. i think each child was to do one cookie...c went through three in a matter of minutes! his smile was from ear to ear. can you spot some sprinkles on his face?

our little sweet tooth

on our way home i asked c where he wanted to eat for dinner and he said "korean." well, in our family that means one thing...our favorite korean restaurant! so off we went and enjoyed a very tasty and healthy korean dinner. c's favorite treats are mung bean sprouts, cucumber kimchi and mustard greens. next door to the restaurant is a korean market and of course c had to go in to find a package of cookies. we opened them up on the way home and c found a new way to make me laugh! (don't worry...this photo was taken at a stop light.) 

can you see how he has the cookie fully in his mouth?


"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 Korea Children's Day

"...Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders."   Deuteronomy 33:12  (NIV)

date night with c...

while daddy was out of town, c and i had a date night! he chose to eat dinner at chipotle (sorry, no pictures.) he loves to eat outside but unfortunately the wind was so strong we chose to eat inside. then after dinner he asked to visit lowes...so off we went. we stayed over an hour and he was loving it all. he saw a fork lift in action, snagged some booklets on tractors and lawn mowers and played hard. he has such a wonderful imagination and it is a joy to see him learning through play. (the pics were taken from my phone.)

finding a tire

to fix a flat!

off to fill up a tractor with gas...

joy!

trimmers!!!

(no time to stop...)

even power washers!

"Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged."   Hebrews 6:17-18 (NIV)

box number 3 off to e.b.!

we were surprised and excited to learn that we are now allowed to send one package a month to seoul! it doesn't sound like much but it is something we can "do" while we wait. it is so fun to pick out special items for our daughter...here's a photo of our april box and we have confirmation it is already at its destination!

items:

2 floral t-shirt dresses
3 pairs of socks
1 pair of tennis shoes
1 jelly the pug dress (my favorite!)
1 baby nay romper set (bought a year ago in hopes she'd be home at this time)
1 pink cardigan sweater
2 t-shirts (one striped and one with a florescent pink kitty cat)
2 pairs of leggings
wash cloths with fishy poof
1 set of dora toothbrushes
1 toms toothpaste
1 asian baby doll (so sweet that she already has one at home from our dear friends)
1 touch and feel animal book
1 beanie babies hello kitty rabbit (c picked out for e.b. for Easter)
1 O-ball
2 first friend figures (orange cat and little girl)
1 gift for e.b.'s foster mother (which will never express our gratitude fully...we are so thankful for her)


"if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself."  II Timothy 2:13

wheels and outside play

our friends and neighbors, k & g, love surprising c with many wheeled vehicles. most of their  kind gifts come in the form of toys, but they recently gave c a big moment when he could climb in a bobcat in their backyard! he was so upset when we left. thank you friends!!! 

how does he look so at home in such a machine at the age of 2?

woo-hoo! a bobcat!!!

c has now been introduced to sears. home depot is still his favorite but sears may come in handy in the cold weather days. in addition to "driving" tractors he carries around a tool box and fills it with tools.  it's fun to see his imagination in play. he sometimes wakes up singing "bob the builder...yes we can!"

c and i had a cool rainy day at home in april. these non planned days bring such pleasure to both of us. first we started out front and then ended up in the sandbox in the back yard. 

these days, it's difficult to talk him out of any footwear other than his rain boots

shoveling just like an excavator!

scooping like a backhoe!

c has become quite fond of helping daddy in the yard. as i peeked out the window at them together i couldn't help but grab the camera to snap a few shots of our big helper.

i found him picking hosta leaves!

c is very interested in ants and loves to watch them work.

off to find a rake after pulling weeds

"Those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."   Isaiah 51:11

first art show...

c's nursery school hosted it's annual art show. he had 8 pieces displayed! c fell asleep in the car on the way over to the show (about a 10 minute drive.) we viewed the entire show while he was asleep. even telling him his sweet friend miss m was there did not rouse him. it wasn't until we were driving away from his school that he woke and could not be persuaded to do anything but return...so return we did. he played and played and we closed the art show down.

in daddy's arms

still asleep...

less than 10 minutes after we left the show...

c was back and enjoying the "big kid" playground swing

in a little truck with his friend k

"The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life."  Job 33:4 

a special visit!

well, ohnie and pahjie came for a visit! of course before they arrived c and i had to do some pie baking! c loves to help me bake. he enjoys measuring, pouring, stirring, whisking, and of course the tasting after our "masterpiece" is finished! (yes, he is in Christmas footie pajamas. our son loves to stay in his p.j.s as long as he can and since he won't use a blanket at night we bundle him up even through the warmer months.) 

focused...

still whisking...

looks ready!

i wish i had taken more photos of c with o & p while they were here...we were just all so busy from the start of the day until the finish. pahjie helped us greatly around the house and while ohnie was with c i was able to get a painting project completed as well. the time went too quickly but we hope that they will return soon. 

checking out trains before our downtown pizza night

(c picked out his outfit... don't you love the rain boots and ball cap additions!)

snuggling with ohnie...

our little guy has a hard time perking up after nap time

"the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you"  Numbers 6:25 (NIV)