Friday, December 31, 2010

Our journey to Dane at OneTrueMedia.com

~Saying good-bye to 2010~
It has been an emotionally hard, bittersweet, fabulous year.  Here is a quick peek at one of the hardest and most wonderful parts of the year -our journey to Dane. He is such a sweet boy, I am honored to be his mommy. I hope someday he will realize how much he is truly loved!
 Hoping 2011 will bring us another wonderful year as a family!


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Our court day!

December 20, 2010
It was a beautiful day, a day we had been looking forward to for quite sometime. We loved Dane from the moment we laid eyes on him, he was ours and he has always been a part of our family, but to just know he is officially ours is extra special!
We arrived at the court house at 2:45. We greeted our family and social worker. To my surprise my mom was there too! She literally had come straight from the hospital to the court house. She had spent a week in the hospital recovering from surgery where they had removed a cancerous mass and a lobe from her upper right lung. She had been telling the doctors for days that she had to be out, she had somewhere important to be. I had told her several times, despite how much I wanted her there, not to worry about coming and she always told me, "I will be there unless they won't let me out." There was no stopping her. Her love for Dane is fierce, unstoppable, it is that way for all she loves-she is amazing!
A few minutes later we were informed that the judge was running behind - he was dealing with a complicated case and it would be a bit before it would be our turn. We (9 adults & 6 kids) were ushered into a small stuffy room to pass the time. Joel and I looked at each other and smiled...it would take a lot to ruin this day. Throughout this process, we have waited, waited and waited some more; time lines were frequently extended and we ran into many delays. So, it did not surprise us to know that we would have to wait.
A little over an hour later we were informed that the judge would see us. We walked in and took our seats, and Dane began to cry. I think he had had enough of this waiting business, he wanted to go. As I was getting Dane settled the judge began to apologize for the long wait; he was so nice and so apologetic. Finally Dane settled and we got down to business. The judge asked us some questions and really made the day extra special! He was amazing! After all was said and done, he pronounced that Dane was officially ours and both Joel and I were in tears...
The judge allowed us to take our time and take pictures. David and the judge really hit it off. They had a great time laughing together. I have some amazing memories! We ended the day with family and a trip to one of our favorite ice cream places for ice cream.


Dane snuggling Daddy

Dane & Mommy passing time.
Thank you Aunt Brenda for letting us use your bracelet, it was a great toy!

What?? These chairs are fun!

Our family & social worker in front of the judge. Dane is on my lap.

Family pic. with the judge

Our family

David and the judge...givin high fives!

Our official family!

Despite the perfect day, I know that on that day Dane lost a lot, he is no longer a Korean citizen, along with many other things. But he also gained a lot too. I , well we, love that boy to pieces. We are so thankful for him! He is a such precious blessing!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

One year ago today...

One year ago today we received an email that would change us forever. We saw this sweet face for the first time and wondered if we would be chosen to be his family, we wondered if we were looking at the face of our son.


On January 5, 2010 we received the news - we had a son!

Now a year later, our son is home, we finalized his adoption on December 20, 2010. He is officially ours! When I think about the how much has changed the past year, how far Dane has come, and how much I am in love with that boy, my eyes fill with tears. We have been blessed with a wonderful son.


Happy 8th Birthday Alaina!

Well we celebrated Alaina's 8th Birthday a week ago. I have had some camera trouble and  haven't    been able to download pics., so that is the reason for the delay.


We had a wonderful time celebrating. We ate at  Alaina's favorite Chinese restaurant, opened presents, had a pajama party with Grandma and Grandpa, and ended the night with cake and ice cream. We had too much fun!

I love you Alaina! You are the greatest 8 year old I know!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thankful Thanksgiving!

Well, Happy Belated Thanksgiving! I was hoping to post this post earlier but have not found the time...

It was about 5:30 Thanksgiving morning, I was unfortunately awake, I was exhausted,  had so much to do and my head was POUNDING! Alivia was finally asleep, she had been up all night with an ear ache. Joel was getting ready for work, yes work on Thanksgiving. I still had to pack for our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge and get things ready for Thanksgiving at my mom's.  And now Alivia and I needed to make a trip to the ER for her ear. Needless to say I was feeling less than thankful. So I called my mom at about ten minutes to 8 figuring she should be up. My step-dad answered and I shared with him about my morning and that I would probably be a bit late to Thanksgiving lunch...he immediately said, "How can I help? Can I make a dish for you? I am sure your mom will come pick up the kids so you can take Livi to ER."  And that's when it hit me - I have so much to be thankful for!  I have a husband who works all hours of the day and night to provide for our family, I have a mom and step-dad that will do just about anything for me (within reason of course), not to mention other members of the family too.  I was able to get medical attention and medication for Livi thanks to doctors, nurses and other medical staff that gives up their time on Thanksgiving to serve the community and little girls that need to feel better for Great Wolf Lodge.  My day did NOT go as planned and I did NOT get everything done that I needed to but over all it was good day!  And of course it was Danes 1st Thanksgiving with our family - his forever family and that alone was special!  He did really well being away from home for so long too! He even took a short nap - in my arms of course, but he napped!  Joel did make it to Thanksgiving too, about 3 hours late, but he made it none the less!


                                                               A little Thanksgiving fun!
"Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you... For I am the Lord your God..
~Isiah 43:1-3