A Post from Our Mommy-AMSA fundraiser

I got a new link to a fundraiser for a Korean orphanage. If you're interested in participating, please visit AMSA Fundraiser .

~Jen

Our Trip Today...

After Daddy's haircut this morning, we went to the Post Office. Well they haven't told too many people yet so I'll tell all of you: Mommy and Daddy need Passports to fly to Korea to pick up our sister. After that we had lunch at IHOP and we were playing with a few older kids there while waiting to be seated. We had to eat lunch before we went shopping at one of the Asian Food Market near us. Part of the time that we were shopping there Mommy and Daddy were the minority.

While we were there, the owner came up to Daddy, Katie and I and said "hello" in Korean. Katie and I played shy and stuck to Daddy. Mommy was shopping in another aisle otherwise I bet she would have said something. We went there to check it out and get some Korean goodies for us to eat. Some of which we will eat a Katie's 2nd birthday party on the 25th!! Oh we can't wait!!! Almost all of it is Korean food.

We need to pick up a few more things for the dinner party. We're having 8 other people over for dinner. Four other Korean adoptees are coming. Two are kids just about Katie's and mine age and the other two are adult adoptees.

Next weekend is Katie's party with our family. We are having a more American meal for that one but Mommy is making her famous Chicken Bulgogi as well as putting out Kimchi for all to try.

Well I need to get to bed since it's late and I don't want Mommy and Daddy catching me online!!

~Ryan

An Important Message from Our Mommy

From the Anti-Racist Parent blog

From the Anti-Racist Parent Meme


1. I am:
Polish, German, and a whole host of others

2. My kids are:
my children are Korean
husband is French Canadian, Native American, English, and more.

3. I first started thinking more about race, culture, and identity when:
When I was young and my beloved extended family members started to die. I wondered
more about my culture and my identity than my actual race back then. It really wasn't until
high school that I was exposed to foreign exchange students that my best friend's family
hosted that I was exposed more to race and cultural differences and likenesses.

4. People think my name is:
Unknown...Nobody has really come up to me and asked. However they do get the spelling of
my married name wrong all the time. So I'm forever known as Jennifer C-O-X.

5. The family tradition I most want to pass on is:
Being close to my sibling. My brother and I were very close growing up. I hope that my
kids are the same way.



6. The family tradition I least want to pass on is:
Not sure.

7. My child’s first word in English was:
Both my son and daughter said "dada".

8. My child’s first non-English word was:
"Omma" by my son and daughter. My son can sing London Bridges Falling Down in Korean
now along with Mommy.

9. The non-English word/phrase most used in my home is:
Saranghae...Korean for I love you.

10. One thing I love about being a parent is:
Becoming a kid all over again--learning all sorts of things through my children.

11. One thing I hate about being a parent is:
Trying to potty train two kids at once...sorry I have toddlers here and I know that right now
this is the thing that I hate about being a parent. Ask me this same question in 5, 10, 15 or
20 years from now and I'll have a different answer.

12. To me, being an anti-racist parent means:
Understanding that I have to be there for my children, to protect them from others who are
racist, to educate others about racist language or action that they might be using, to
understand that I have become a little Korean and my kids have become a little Caucasian, to
learn more about my own culture as well as my children's culture as well as other cultures, and
to try to find situations in which I can become the minority just to experience it.

~Jen

I'm a Big Girl Now....

Last weekend, Mommy and Daddy got a mattress delivered that they had ordered for me. On Monday night , I had Mommy and Daddy set up the twin bed for me. I told Daddy "Me sleep big bed" so much that they had to set it up. It was Mommy's old bed when she was growing up. It is the last thing in the set that she had saved for when she had a little girl. I got down out of the bed several times since "I awake" early in the evening after Mommy and Daddy put me to bed.

Around 10:30, Daddy came into my room to find me sleeping on the floor in front of my door. Daddy scooped me up and placed me into my bed. He gave me hugs and kisses and tucked me right back in bed.

I'm slowly getting used to this bed thing. However, last night I told Mommy that my baby sister was sleeping in Ryan's room and not in mine. Ryan agreed and added that she was going to sleep in his bed.

Now I'm working on drinking from a big girl cup this week as well. I refused to drink out of a sippy cup this morning and have started on the big girl cup thing all day today. I still will drink out of a sippy cup but ONLY when we are traveling around.

Now all I need to do is figure out this potty training thing and I'm all set.

~Katie

Things Moving Along to Get Our Sister

Mommy and Daddy took us to see the clerk at our Town Hall yesterday afternoon. Daddy got out of work early to get his physical and when he got home we all got into Mommy's car and went to Town Hall. We played in the office while Mommy and Daddy signed some documents and got some stuff notarized.

We're almost done getting most of the application and affidavit paperwork done to submit it into Parsons. Hopefully the rest of the paperwork will get done by the end of this week. Mommy hopes to submit everything into Parsons either Friday or Monday of next week.

After this we wait for other paperwork so that we can head into USCIS and hand in our I-600 form. Then we wait until the phone call. At that point, we'll hear Mommy screaming with delight that our sister is able to travel home to us.

~Ryan and Katie

Please check out JIMBOB's blog!!!

Hi all,

Sorry the kids' Mommy took over here.

Please check out the link that I have for JIMBOB (see http://jrjschrandt.blogspot.com/ ). This little boy needs all of the prayers and support you can give him and the parents.

~Jen

Birthday Party at Our Friends Home

We went to our friend Tristan's first birthday party on Sunday afternoon. We had a blast. Ryan played with Trevor's Thomas the Tank Engine sets that he has. I played with the two little "babies" that were there (namely Tristan and another little friend of his Benjamin). We ate Korean foods that were cooked up and had an ice cream sandwich for desert. We also got to see Tristan all dressed up in his Hanbok.

I gotta go before Mommy catches me online!!

~Katie