Blessing with Holy Water

Seong Tae and I were playing upstairs when he decided to get his bottle of Holy Water from his Baptismal font. He blessed his dresser, his books, his bed, the floor of his room, my head, the floor of the upstairs hallway, Autumn's head, the floor of the upstairs bathroom, and himself. I told Mommy about it and she and I went upstairs to check things out and to find the bottle of Holy Water.

Mommy had to bring Seong Tae upstairs to find the bottle. She took it away from him as now it has a damaged cap.

When Mommy asked him why he needed to get it from the top shelf of his closet, Seong Tae responded so that Autumn could be blessed. I think he is done blessing things right now.

~Eun Seong

"You're in My Heart..."

Ryan came bounding up to me this morning and said "Mommy Mommy Mommy, you're in my heart"...right there as he pointed at the area that I'm in. He had a huge smile on his face when he said it.

He said that his heart is big and lots of people are in it. I can only imagine who might be there as right now he is using his magnifying glass to search for something.

~Jen

HUGE BREAKTHROUGH!!!

Ryan had a huge breakthrough last night and today. He has been thinking about himself for awhile and not helping others who are in need. Last night while we were out shopping he wanted to pick out toys for the poor children who don't have any. Jeff and I had discussed before about donating a toy to Toys for Tots so he picked out a matchbox car set for a boy. The girls picked out a musical instrument set for the girls who don't have any toys.

We also shopped for Operation Christmas Child as well. It was suggested to us by several people as a means for our children to further help others. We are joining a homeschooling group to help pack up the shoeboxes.

This morning, Ryan was upset that we couldn't do more. He told me while he was eating breakfast that he wanted Nana and Papa to not give him a Christmas present but to give it to the "poor children who don't have any toys". I told him that this means he may not get a present to open from them at Christmas this year, he said "that's okay I have alot of toys Mommy". Per his insistence, I called my mom up at work so that he could tell her. Then we made two more phone calls, one to my dad and one to Daddy at work.

After the chiropractic appointment this morning, we went to the local dentist who is collecting Halloween candy and paying $1 a pound for it in our Halloween Candy buy back program. We dropped off our candy and got $3...one dollar for each of them for their piggybanks bringing them a step closer to going to Korea.

After we got home, Ryan had a snack with his sisters and asked to help out those poor people who don't have any food. We filled up two grocery bags with peanut butter, rice, jelly, canned goods, and more. After that was done we bagged up the stuff for Operation Christmas Child and got that ready to bring with us to next week's meeting.

Tonight he asked me if I was proud of him. I couldn't be more proud of him. And now he understands why I help out the local mothers who need clothing and baby supplies for their newborn to 2 year olds. He also understands why this past Saturday his Daddy mailed out 5 packages to a friend of mine from one of the adoption boards. She and her family are helping the less fortunate in Mexico. Children that have next to nothing along with their families.

He might be a 5 year old boy but he is wise beyond his years right now. He can't understand why others don't help the poor and needy. He can't understand why people are hungry, why people live on the streets instead of homes, why their children don't have toys to play with, and more.

Can you answer him? Can you help others less fortunate than you this year? While I realize this comes during a difficult financial time, can you afford to purchase one more can of vegetables this upcoming holiday season? Can you afford to buy one gift for a child who has none to open this Christmas? Can you donate coats, hats, scarves, or mittens for those children who have none this winter? Can you pass on the word to help others?

Space the Final Frontier...

My kids, but most particularly Ryan, is highly interested in the space shuttle. For an hour and a half yesterday afternoon, we had it on TV watching as NASA slowly counts down, does all of their last minute checks with inspecting the shuttle until the final minutes and seconds before it lifts off into space. We learned how far away the moon was from the Earth...a question that Katie had.

He made a rocket out of his bristle blocks and blasted it off into the air as the space shuttle lifted off. Then all of the kids cheered and clapped over this.

Ah the joys of the simple amazing things as the space shuttle lifting off to space as seen through my kids eyes!!

We'll be watching NASA TV as they do their mission. And maybe we'll be able to watch them land as well...

~Jen

The Story of a Ladybug...

Today Ryan and I found a ladybug in the family room. Normally a bug in the house makes the kids upset that it is in their home and bugs live outside in their own homes however this was a different story today. Today the ladybug was more than welcomed into our home for a little while longer. We mourned the loss of the ladybug's life in our home for a little while.

The two oldest kids were sad to see the dead ladybug and Ryan didn't want it to go outside. He ended up giving me the dead little ladybug. So in the pouring rain with Ryan looking from inside the house, I said a prayer and buried the little ladybug in our front yard where he could see and right near some bushes that the ladybugs would frequent.

After the prayer and burial, I went back inside the house a little soaking wet and took off my shoes and coat. I gave my son a hug and after a small amount of time he went off to play with his cars a little sad that "his" ladybug was gone but better since Mommy took care of the ladybug by saying a little prayer over its grave.

We miss you little ladybug and hope that you are flying carefree in ladybug heaven.

~Jen

September is a Special Month for us

In my family, I first started as a wife. Jeff and I got married back in 1994 just this very month...has it really been almost 14 years??? Seems like only yesterday that I married my love. Hard to believe that he just graduated college in May 1994 and that I graduated from college the year before. Hard to believe that we had family and friends present at the church that my grandfather did some work in many years ago, the church that I attended since I was little, the church where I learned to sing German Christmas carols and Latin chants in, the church where I was the youngest choir member in (joined at age 17).

Jeff and I started off as a young happy couple living in NJ. We eventually added a puppy in 1997, Jasmine. We lost her too young...she was only home less than 2 weeks. God I hate puppy mills!! After Jasmine's death came Maggie...she's a Jersey girl and comes from a breeder near the Jersey shore. She came home in late August 1997.

Then this month in 2004 one day before our 10th anniversary, we got the phone call about a referral. That referral was Ryan. We accepted his referral on our 10th anniversary. It's a very special time for the three of us. It's a story that I won't stop telling to him. How it came to be that this little guy who was 4 months old waiting for a family came to join ours.

~Jen

Praise for my oldest girl!!!!!

We have a deal with the kids. If they go 7 nights without wetting, they get a trip to the toy store to pick out a present for being so good.

Katie tried before but was unsuccessful. I told her that 3 year olds don't wear pull-ups at night and that worked. The night of her birthday party she insisted on wearing her underwear. She has gone every night since without wetting her underwear and today we went out to the toy store to pick out a toy for her. Nothing tremendously expensive..the toys were her choice.

Her choice was a princess dress up set complete with tiara, necklace, clip-on earrings, bracelet, dress shoes, tutu, princess wand and some other stuff. She also picked up some diapers for her dolls...after all a little princess mommy needs to change the diapers on her babies too right??? We also got her some more princess underwear since that seems to have done the trick...hey whatever works, right???

Ryan, while discouraged, is excited for her as well since he gets to go to the toy store and he is picking out some possibilities for his gift as well. So far on the list we have some cars from the movie Cars and Thomas items.

So we have been cheering for Katie today on her accomplishment and we are cheering for Ryan as well that he will go all night without wetting soon.

~Jen

Remain in One Spot so that I Can Find You...

Ryan needed to go upstairs to his room for something. He told his Daddy to stay exactly where he was (which was in the kitchen/breakfast nook area of our home). Jeff told him that he would remain exactly in that spot. Ryan went upstairs, grabbed what he needed to from his room, and climbed back downstairs. Jeff was still in the same spot where Ryan left him...ready to give him a hug to ease his worries and any of his fears.

When one of his sisters are at my parents' house for the night or weekend, he is concerned about their well-being as well. He needs to know where they are at and what they are doing.

It wasn't surprising for us. We know the thing he fears the most right now is more loss that he can't control. He loves us and we love him very much along with his tender caring heart.

And the message from our son was this Can you just remain in one spot so that I can find you...please??? And by the way, don't leave...

We are always here for you buddy be it during a thunderstorm, be it when you come home from Nana and Papa's house, or be it just a trip up and down the stairs and we'll be here in the future as well...

~Jen

Family Anniversary Day # 3 for Ryan

I thought I would reminisce a little bit and I hope my readers don't mind...

April 12th, 2005

We get the call before 9 in the morning, the one that we've been waiting for, our son is coming home. I'm full of mixed emotions. I'm happy for us, I'm crying over his losses (loss of birthcountry, loss of language, loss of his foster mom, loss of his First Mom, and more), I'm worried (for him, for his foster mom, for his First Mom). We scramble around to get everything ready...all of the last minute preparations.

April 13th, 2005

Jeff is home calling up limo companies until he finds one that will work with us for a reasonable fee. I'm busy packing and repacking the diaper bags and other things for the limo. We prepare the bottles for him. My in-laws are here...they are accompanying us to the airport the next morning. He's in flight with his escort flying from Incheon to Tokyo to JFK airport. I find myself not being able to sleep that night.

April 14th, 2005

My parents arrive at our home. We are getting ready with the bags for the limo and take pictures of us outside the limo and inside of it. I'm sick to my stomach with worry and wonder on how he is and how his foster family is. At the airport we meet a couple from my college alma mater who are expecting the arrival of their first son as well.

There are 3 other couples waiting at the airport with us. They were with a different adoption agency than us. We are waiting for our greeter to come out with the 4 boys along with her own sons that are helping her out. After awhile we were told that "the babies are coming the babies are coming". We all rushed over to the area where the passengers were coming out into the rest of the concourse area where we were. I was directed to the double stroller to the little boy in the back.

I was told that I had to check for his ID bracelet but I couldn't find it. After me frantically checking without any luck, the greeter helped me find it. I immediately tried to take him out of the stroller but had no luck...silly me forgot that he was strapped in. After undoing the straps, I got him out and held him tight. At that point, I didn't notice that we were in an airport terminal, didn't notice all of the other parents around us, didn't notice all of the other people. This little boy who was looking everybody with various emotions in his eyes and on his face.

He went to Jeff and loved playing with his zipper at the airport zipping it up and down. Jeff took him to the telephones there and he pushed every button he could on those phones not once or twice or even three times but many times.

We met one of my friends, Maria who is his Godmother, at the airport...she came to see our little man. Maria gave him a wonderful gift--a Paddington bear and an outfit.

We left JFK airport during evening rush hour...YIKES!!!!! Ryan disliked his carseat at first but got used to it. He loved the rest of the limo ride back home. He pointed at the buttons for the radio in his view and Jeff or I would push the buttons to change the radio stations. In the Hudson Valley area of NYS, we found a soft jazz station that he seemed to like so we left it on there until we lost the station. I was happy in the limo but sad too.

We arrived around 10:30 at night. We didn't know that Ryan could walk. When I put him down on the floor, it was then that I saw that he could walk. I screamed out "look...he's walking, he's walking!!!!". I couldn't believe my eyes. We had no clue. Ryan stayed up until 2 am that first night since he was on Korea time. We stayed up with him and played with toys in the family room.

After that, it was bedtime for all of us. Before I went to sleep that night, my thoughts drifted to the family that took care of him for so many months of his life along with the woman who gave birth to him. I have been thinking of you both daily. I extend my wish of health and happiness always to the foster family as well as my friendship.