A bunch of little performers!

We have had a busy few weeks!
Ethan had his Fall band concert. He plays the trumpet!
Heidi and Isabelle were in our Church Christmas program. Heidi had a speaking part -she did an amazing job.
We were very proud of them!
Here are a few photos. (Both of the girls are in the first photo, and we have a group photo at the bottom)

Getting back to normal

Things are going great! Riley is starting to sleep and that makes for a happier family. The other kids continue to have fun with him.
They are all wonderful helpers!!
He is very, very busy! He smiles all the time and loves to play with toys.
He was dedicated at our church last Sunday, and he also visited with Grandpa and Grandma M. who came to meet him.
Below are a few photos. I will try to post more often.
Until next time...

He's home...

and he is beautiful and perfect!
At 7 months he is crawling, pulling up to furniture and trying to stand by himself!
He is almost 19 pounds and loves to be held.
His foster parents took a picture of him each day and made us a beautiful scrapbook. They took amazing care of him, and we will be forever thankful.
I will post some more when I have some sleep. That is something he doesn't care much about right now.
We are so blessed!

Travel Call!

What a surprise!!!!
Here is the scoop. I called DC to verify that his visa was issued, and it was. So I decided to go vote, run to Walmart and get my free Chic-fil-A for voting.
I had just pulled out of the drive-thru and was sorting the food for Izzy and the little girl I babysit when the phone rang.
I saw that it was Holt, but I thought they were just verifying that we received the visa. The lady asked how I was doing, and I said fine and I asked her how she was doing. When she said "not as good as you are going to be doing - your son is coming home"! I was shocked, and just couldn't believe it. An even bigger shock is that he will be home on Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have so much to do, but I am so excited. I can't wait to tell the kids when they get home from school.
Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts for this adoption. They have meant a lot to us.
Until next time...

VISA!!!!!!!!

Riley is ready to come home!!!
Now we wait for Holt to call us and tell us when he is coming home. As long as Holt can find an escort - he should be home by Thanksgiving.
We will keep you updated.
Hurry home Lil' Dude.

Until next time...

Happy Halloween and more

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Halloween! We did, and the kids got a lot of candy.
Here is a photo of the day!



We also remembered the 2nd Gotcha Day of Isabelle. We love you baby girl, and are so glad that we are your family!!!!!



Finally, we found out today that Riley's visa interview is scheduled for tomorrow. That is the last step. We are now waiting for Holt to find him an escort home.

Until next time...

No News!

Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the P3 to be sent back to the Embassy. It is hard to say how long this will take. It usually takes about a week, but we have now waited two weeks!!! We are starting to get anxious, but we know Riley will be home soon.
Check back soon for our Halloween photos and Isabelle's 2nd Gotcha Day!
Until next time...

P3 sent

Yippee! One step down and one more to go. Once Holt Korea sends this package back to the Embassy in Korea they will schedule the visa interview. That is the last step until we receive the travel call!
We can't wait to meet our baby boy!

Also, Congratulations Jeff and Kim! We are so happy for you guys.

Until next time...

NVC out!!!!!!!

You might ask what is this...it means that the National Visa Center has forwarded our approval to the Korean Embassy. Korea will process this paperwork (P3) and apply for Riley's visa home!!!! We are so close. Once this is completed we are just waiting for the travel call.
We will keep you posted!

Catching up!

Where to start...
Heidi turned 6! We also celebrated the last 3 years she has blessed our family!!

The 3 older kids started soccer!

Isabelle decided to scare us and spent a couple of days in the hospital. She fell down about a month ago on the sidewalk. We thought it had healed fine, but she ended up getting a staph infection. She was in a lot of pain, but is feeling a lot better now.

Finally, we have received wonderful news about Riley! He has his Emmigration Permit for Korea and his Immigration approval from the U.S. Just a couple more steps, and he will be home. I am still hoping for an October arrival, but it will most likely be the first part of November.
Until next time...

Unexpected Surprise

Today we received new photos of little man. He looks so sweet. I love his little smile and his chunky legs!
We have decided to name him Riley Alexander.
Here are his updated photos - he is 5 months old.




Check back soon...

School Days

Today was the First Day of School! I can't believe that I have a 6th, 2nd and Kindergartener!
Here are a few photos of the day!

It's a Boy!

We received the referral of beautiful baby boy on August 11th.

He was born on March 24th, 2008 and weighed 6.6lbs.

We hope that he will be home in November.

We still haven't decided on a name, but we sure hope he will have one soon.



Check back soon for Back to School news! Heidi starts Kindergarten!!!!!!!!!!

July 4th and more

It has been busy around here! We are happy to report that Ethan and Chris made it back from Boy Scout Camp after 10 long days. It is great to have them back. I attached a photo of our visit.

We also had a great time on July 4th. We missed Ethan and Chris, but we enjoyed the evening with our good friends.

Finally, Devin had his 3rd set of ear tubes put in 7/11. He is doing great! Here is a picture of before the surgery.

Until next time...

Heartbreaking News

Last Monday we received a phone call that broke our hearts. Cooper’s birthparents have decided to parent him. This was definitely not the news we were expecting. Things were going so smoothly, and we hoped he would be home in just a few weeks – just in time for his 1st birthday. We had everything ready for him!
Even though we are very sad that he is not coming to our home, we know this is a huge blessing for Cooper and his family. His mom and dad get to raise their beautiful baby boy, and he gets to grow up with parents that we know love him and want the best for him. Our hope for him is that he grows up healthy, happy and loved beyond measure.
We know he is a special little boy, and he will always have a special place in our hearts. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers - especially that our children understand. Finally, please pray that his transition to his parents goes smoothly.

Quick update!

Just wanted to share that we have received our immigration approval and been submitted for EP (Korean emmigration approval). The EP should be approved in about 1-2 more weeks. That is the last step before receiving Cooper's visa. There is now a glimmer of hope that he will be home for his 1st birthday (Aug 1st).

Hurry home little man!

Fun in the Mountains

We had a great time in Colorado. We visited Garden of the Gods, Focus on the Family, Seven Falls, Colorado Museum of Science and Nature, the Aquarium and Casa Bonita. We also did a lot of swimming. Here are a few few photos of our vacation.

Preschool Graduation

Our newest graduate!

Heidi graduated from preschool on Monday night!

We are very proud of her and all that she has learned in the last year!

Congrats!!!!

Until next time...

New Picture

I just wanted to share a new photo of our little man. We can't believe how big he is getting.

In his last WBC (well baby check-up) he weighed 17 lbs and is crawling!!

Hurry home!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy the photo!

Coming Soon... Heidi's preschool graduation update!!

Red Letters Campaign

"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Deu 10:18

You might have noticed the new link on the blog! This campaign is the result of an adoptive mom and some of her friends' passion for the orphan child and finding a way to end poverty and disease that destroys millions of lives around the world.
Our family has this same passion!

"Much is required from those to whom much is given" Luke 12:48.

Did you know...
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep... That you are richer than 75% of this world!

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish somewhere...You are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy!

Please take a look at this organization. There are so many ways to make a difference. You can pray, sponsor, advocate, donate, visit and/or adopt.

"Pure and lasting religion in sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us." James 1:27

Our family has been blessed beyond measure through birth and adoption. We believe that each one of our children was meant to be ours from the beginning of time! If you feel a tug at your heart to adopt - I urge you to at least consider it. At first, it seemed a little scary, we had many doubts, it was financially straining, but....
we learned a lot, we learned to budget, we learned to trust God, and we received 2 (soon to be 3) of the most amazing gifts in the world!!!!!!!!

We're Back

It has been quite some time since I last blogged. Everyone is doing great, and we are sure looking forward to summer.
We are planning a vacation just not quite sure where!!

Here is a little update:














Ethan (5th grade) is now in Boy Scouts and was the first one to receive Tenderfoot. He is playing the trumpet in school and is pretty darn good. He is still doing great in school and loves to play on the computer or video games.













Devin (1st grade) is in Cub Scouts and his dad is the scout leader. He took first in the Raingutter Regatta. He is doing good in school and becoming a good reader. He recently had his ear tubes out, but he might have to get them again. Bummer.

Heidi (5) is about to graduate from preschool and will start Kindergarten in the fall. I can't hardly believe it!! She likes to watch tv and play with her sister. She is a great big sister!! She loves wearing dresses and playing dress-up, too.

Isabelle (2) is one busy little girl! Seriously, she is handful but she makes us laugh all the time. She talks all the time and is in more things than even Devin thought about.














We are also in the process of adding one more to the family. Cooper is 9 months old and living in Korea. We hope that he will be home in August!




















Stay tuned for more updates and adventures.

Until next time....