Mesa Youth Museum

Hello, everyone!

Yes it's STILL too hot in AZ for the outdoors. If you are feeling the same cabin fever that we are, take your little ones to the Mesa Youth Museum for some craft time and playtime. The children's zone is for children four and under and PERFECT for us. Sarah and Sean enjoyed the kitchen room, along with the car and slide. Jake's favorite room had lots of colorful building blocks on light tables. He was fascinated with the way the blocks lit up.

Roar!

Hello, everyone!

We recently visited the AZ Museum of Natural History. We've been members for a while and it just gets better. They will have a Mars exhibit next month. However, the current Feathered Dinosaurs exhibit is worth the trip as well. Sean and Leah are big fans, but Sarah is pointing and roaring right along with her brother now. The second video clip with Sean was taken during the "monsoon storm" that occurs every half hour or so. The dinosaurs are roaring right along with the thunder and lightning.

Jake's First Week

Hello, everyone! It's Sunday morning and we have a house full of happy children. Jake has settled in well and his bother and sisters are making him feel right at home. Jake is never without a toy or a bottle. If he cries, there is a child's hand to help comfort him. Sean and Sarah are anxious for Jake to join in. Sarah wonders why he can't play ball with her but that hasn't stopped her from trying.

After a weekend of living in the Sonoran desert, we decided it was time for a haircut for Jake. He was sweating so much that his hair was always wet. Father and son went together for the big event and both returned covered in hair. I'm including a picture taken right afterwards...he seems pretty happy!

Jake spent most of the week in a carrier with mom or dad. He is now crawling around with confidence, but still let's us know that he prefers that we are in the room.

We had a small Labor Day celebration on Monday and learned that Jake is a pretty social little boy. Where Sarah wouldn't allow anyone else to hold her for weeks, Jake enjoys being with both grandmothers. A special thanks to all our friends and family for the food, gifts, help with diaper changing, and just the general support. You allowed us to focus on Jake's transition and make this as easy as possible for all of our children.

Stay posted for more pictures!

Love,

Chris

Bringing Jake Home

Hello, everyone! Yes, I am posting a week after the event, but I am now the mother of 4 small children and beg your understanding. We left Eastern Social Welfare Services at 1:30pm, after a short meeting and prayer by the director, Dr. Kim. This is the moment we all look forward to yet fear just a bit. The word that comes to mind is simply "Bittersweet". Yes, we are bringing him home and he will be our son. On the other hand, his mother of the past year is the one who places him in our arms. Jake's foster Mom handled it with a dignity that I will never forget. She is a better person than I am, I think. Her last words were of his nap schedule for the day, when to use the pacifier, and when his next bottle should be. Words of advice that we used to the letter. She even packed a pair of socks for the trip, in case his feet were cold. Words are hard enough to find in these situations, even without the language barrier. "Thank you" falls so very short.

Jake did very well, smiling and laughing for most of the 15 hour trip. He did cry a little before his nap on Daniel's shoulder, but that was it until he was tired again. He played in the Children's Play Room at the airport before the flight. I think this tired him out, since he slept a great deal of the first half of the flight. Of course, there is plenty of activity to distract a 1 year old on a large aircraft. I am including a few pictures. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all smiles. However, just like any child, when Jake is tired he will cry.

These pictures and videos show Jake during the van ride to the airport, playing in the airport and having a snack at the airport. Finally, you will see him on the airplane. We could not have asked for a happier child on this trip. Jake is obviously a content and fun-loving boy.

Korea, Day Two: Secret Garden

Hello, everyone!

We are leaving in a moment to do a little shopping. Yes, it was actually Daniel's idea to shop. He is full of suprises.

We will meet with our new little one at 1:30pm and then leave for the airport. I will share our experience with you when we are back in WI-FI range and Jake is asleep. We are preparing as many things for him as we can fit into carry-ons...foods that he likes, books, toys, my video i-pod...we want to make this flight as easy as possible for him. I'll let everyone know when we arrive on Friday in LA. I should be able to blog and make calls after immigration.

Yesterday was a full day for us. We had an incredible meeting with Sean's foster Mom. I am including her picture here but will not use her name for privacy. The baby in the picture is 7 months old and will be going to NYC soon. The young man is her son. After loading us up with gifts and sharing photos, she told us of Roo Da's time with her. She has had many foster children, yet she remebers him well and carries his picture. We look forward to meeting her again with Sean. We left with each other's address and look forward to corresponding with her and her family. Okay, it's campy to say...but, HOW COOL IS THAT? =)

We also met with both the director and the founder of ESWS. The current CEO will be in PHX for our celebration in September. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch here at Eastern, including traditional Korean foods such as Kimchee and Be Bim Bop. (Yes, Terri, I now know what the bowl looks like!)

Afterwards we met with Jake and his foster Mom for a visit. He does have stranger anxiety, but not to the degree that Sarah does. He has the most fun-loving personality, and is both smart and cute. Yes, I am biased, but it is a fact. =) We can't wait for you to meet him!

The travel log should begin here, but I will have to fill in the details later so we can be on our way. The pictures are of a palace with a Secret Garden. SO BEAUTIFUL! Yes, we rode the subway everywhere today...look at us, getting around Seoul and only getting a little lost. =)

Enjoy the pictures!

Korean Fun 101:Korean Folk Village

Hello, everyone! I'm just hoping to spell correctly at this point. I think we have slept 5 hours in the past 50 hours, so my wits are a bit dull. We had a great day and wanted to get in as much as possible. Daniel is STILL out walking around the area while I write this blog. He is having the time of his life.





We set out right after meeting Jake today for Seoul Station and the train ride to Suwon. Just a bus ride from there, we visited the Korean Folk Village. I'm including a few pics here. Remember how disappointed I was when I visited Seoul last year that there was "just too much city"? Well, I found the trees and it was beautiful. (Okay, the mosquitos are the size of a half dollar, but we left when they arrived. In fact, this is mosquito season. Did you notice the bites on Jake's face in the pictures?)





We "strolled" through the Namdaemun market afterwards. Found out that it is around the block from Seoul station. Okay, so we were AT Seoul station and still took a cab. We knew it was close, but the intersections (rotaries) are a bit intimidating at 6pm. Namdaemun is kind of like a park-and-swap, except the stands are in front of shops and there are two humans for every square foot of space. =)





Dinner was at Tony Romas. I needed that comfort food after putting in such a long day. =)





Enjoy the pics. They were all taken at the Folk Village. If you know your Korean history, this village is modeled after lfe in the early Joseon dynasty, circa 1932.

More tomorrow after we see Jake again. =)



Love,





Chris

Meeting Jake!

Hello, everyone! Okay, I cried for maybe a minute when we saw Jake coming down the hall...but I pulled it together. Yes, he's adorable, of course. We visited for over an hour and had a wonderful time. Jake is very happy and very chatty. It did take a few minutes for him to warm up to us and the fact that all of these folks were staring and smiling at him. However, he took to Daniel pretty quick, and even did the "reach" for him as they were leaving. Yes, it made Daniel's day!

Jake (Byul) is crawling well and can stand on his own. He is not walking yet. We can easily tell that his foster family loves him a great deal. He has two foster sisters and an amazing foster mom and dad. We have lots of wonderful photos of his first year that were given to us today...we can hardly wait to share them with you. Until then, here are a few pics and a short video. I promised Daniel that I would make this quick so we can begin our sightseeing. =)

By the way, we will meet with Jake tomorrow at 1pm. We will leave with him at 1:30pm on Friday. This will be a tough trip for the little guy...he is getting over a cold and will miss the comfort of his foster family. We are stocking up on his favorite foods and will have plenty to keep him entertained on our trip.

Until my next blog, have a wonderful day and enjoy the photos!

Love,

Chris