Friday, December 14, 2012

Cora's Funnies


So this girl...she cracks me up. On a daily basis.

This is her go-to "silly face", by the way.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...and well, this one doesn't disappoint.

Cora with her usual silly antics...Lily looking on with a "seriously, kid!" expression.

Anyway...on to some funny things I've heard her say recently:

 
After taking a swig from her sippy cup, Cora bursts out laughing..."My tummy ate my milk, Mama!"
 
Cora: "Mama, I big...you little"
Me: "Oh really...You're big and Mama's little?!?!"
Cora: (with a little eye roll) "No, Mama...You big...I little!" and then laughs hysterically.
 
We routinely have fighting at the table when it's time to pray. Everyone wants it to be their turn to pray. Good problem to have, really.  Cora's prayer yesterday (said in the cutest 2 year old voice ever):
"Dear Jesus,
Thank you for Grandma's house, thank you for Papa's house, and thank you for Nana's house.
Amen."
 
She loves to talk about the new baby. And she is fascinated with the ever growing bump. She constantly comes over to touch my belly. But she has to be able to touch my skin. (I can only imagine how embarrasing this will be if it happens in the middle of the store) and excitedly says:
"New baby, Mama....new baby!!"
 
She loves to be just like mama. She has an amazing ability to pick out something, no matter how little, to match with me on. It can be where she is bathed in head to toe in pink and I may have a tiny polka-dot of the color somewhere in the pattern of my clothes. She will notice and proudly say:
"Just like mama!"
 
 
 
LOve, LoVe, LovE this little girl. Even when she's in the depths of her two year old tantrums...
 
 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A Few (Pregnant) Details

Things are clicking right along...I'm officially 21 weeks pregnant and have made it to the half-way point. I know that may not seem like a huge deal for some, but for me...well, it's a milestone to celebrate.

As many of you know, I was incredibly sick with Ella. I had hyperemesis gravidarum with that pregnancy. It is the single, most difficult thing I have ever had to endure. I was very sick, lost weight, became dehydrated, admitted to the ER, and finally put on IV therapy. My Mom came down every week (with the exception of one, where my auntie filled in for her) for over 20 weeks to care for me while Jason was at work. I, literally, was unable to take care of my self with only the basic of needs.

Just a quick rabbit trail here, but I learned more from my Mom during those 20+ weeks than she will ever be able to understand. She wasn't feeling well at that time and was dealing with her own health issues. To see her serve, sacrafice, and take care of  me during her own hard time blessed my heart in ways I can't explain and I really saw Jesus shine through her. I was becoming a mother for the first time, and seeing her example of what a mother is, taught me about what it means to sacrafice for your children. It showed me how strong a love can be between mother and her child. It raised a bar in me, set the standards high, and I still work to reach it every day. I strive to be a mother like my own.

*sniff* (The memories are so vivid, even thinking about it all again, brings me right back to those moments in time. How hard they were and how much of a difference my Mom made in my life; physically, spiritually, and emotionally.)

That first pregnancy was something, that at times, I truthfully wasn't sure I was going to survive. Hyperemesis literally is likened to going through chemo treatments. In fact, I was on zofran, which is the drug given to chemo patients for the severe and dibilitating nausea that is experienced. It was as if, each day, I felt like I was dying just a little more...hoping that I would be able to hang on until the baby was born.

SO...a few  some  many people have been shocked off their rockers when they have found out that I am pregnant again.

There are a lot of things that went into making this decision, and let me tell you that this baby was indeed planned. We wanted this baby before this baby even came to be. I am desperately and madly in love with this baby. And I'm thrilled to be a mom to another eternal being.

There were lots (and lots and lots) of conversations with God that took place. Converstaions asking where He was leading, what He wanted for our family. In fact, these conversations started about 4-5 years ago...and that's how long it has taken me to come around. To come to a point of even considering going through a pregnancy again...

*To be contintued*

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Wordy Wednesday

Just a few conversations that have taken place in our home this past week. I love writing these down, because when I go back and re-read a few months down the road, they always crack me up.

 
So come along and have a laugh...
 
***
 
 
Lily thought I was being too pokey and slow at lunch time, she spoke up and said "Mom, if you don't hurry up and eat your food, it's gonna get hot!" Guess I have some more work to do with hot and cold and their differences.
 
***
 
My temperature is all over the map these days with being pregnant. I had a blanket wrapped around me while I was doing a few things in the kitchen. Ella came up, and being the snuggle-bug that she is, asked if she could snuggle inside the blanket with me. She was in heaven...snuggling is on her list of the top 5 things she loves to do. Once she had her fill, she looked at me and this conversation took place:
 
Ella: "My cheeks hurt."
Me: "Why??"
Ella: "From smiling so much."
Me: "Because you really liked all that snuggling?"
Ella: "Yeah."
 

***
 
 
Lily asked me the other day when the cat was going to turn into a little kitty. Hmmmmmm.
 
 
***
 
I was upstairs folding clothes (yes, I do fold clothes...for those of you who know me, you know how much I dislike, don't care for, loathe this chore) and I overheard Ben and Lily talking.
 
Lily: "Ben, I'm sooo mad at you right now!!
Ben: "For what?!?" (insert very confused tone)
Lily: "Cause I told you to get off the stairs and you didn't listen to me...that's why I'm sooooo mad right now!!"
 
 
***
 
As I was typing this post up, Lily came down the stairs and told me that Ella was calling her "bad". I asked her if she was behaving badly...to which she matter-of-factly answered "yes". I guess that pretty much explains it.
 
 
***
 
While at Aunt Jackie's wedding, Ben asked my Mom what the large tub of water was for. She explained to him that it was for when people get baptized. Ben exclaimed "Oh, bathtime..." as if it all made perfect sense now.
 
***
 
And something that I could never capture in the written word...
As I came down the stairs yesterday, Cora was sitting there singing Jesus Loves Me and Jingle Bells in her beautiful two-year old voice. It just doesn't get any more precious than that. Those are moments I wish I could bottle up and keep forever.


Me and My Buga-Boos

Between having some trouble with blogger and not feeling well these past few days, I haven't had a chance to finish my post with details for y'all. It's coming, promise.

But for now...here's a quick pic of me and the kiddos...(all 5 of them)

Thursday, November 29, 2012

In Case You Were Wondering...

Why I haven't been posting regularily...




...more details to come. :)

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Tidbits

Just a few of the things that have been heard around this house lately:

Ella and Lily were in the mudroom, going back and forth about something and Lily was not doing what Ella wanted. This conversation followed:
Ella: "Lily, why do you have to be so disagreeable?!?"
Lily: "Oh yeah....well, you're adorable!!"
Not sure Lily understands that adorable is actually a compliment.
 
 
Ella asked me yesterday if she could make lunch...all by herself...with no help from me. Ummm...let me think about that...."Yes, please."  Hate that my girlie is growing up so fast, but one perk is me getting out of making lunch every now and then. :)
 
 
The kids were playing outside, getting grubbier by the minute. After putting all four in the big bathtub with lots of bubbles, they got out and Jason drained the tub. Lily asked me why there was so much dirt on the bottom, I explained to her that they were all filthy dirty. She just couln't believe that all that dirt could have possibly been on her.
 
 
I went shopping for a few things for the kids this past week. Got my hands on some really good deals. When Lily was presented with her clothes, she said "Oh Mama, they are just so pwetty!"
 
 
I had gotten a few matching outfits for Cora and Lily. Once Lily had picked out what she was going to wear for the day, Cora immediately picked the same thing. She smiled proudly and said "Match, Mama!!"
 
 
Lily woke me up at 4:17am this morning. She came in my room and said she was sad. I asked what was wrong. She stood there, looked around for a few minutes, and looked back at me. This was the following conversation:
Mom: Do you even remember why you are sad?
Lily: No.
Mom: Do you think since we don't even remember why we are sad that we could just go back to bed then?
Lily: Yes.
 
 
I tried a new recipe yesterday: Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were fabulous. After each of us had our allotment of three cookies each, Ben said "I could eat a mountain of these things!" I couldn't agree more son, I couldn't agree more!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Leftover Pickle Juice?

Ever wonder what to do with the jar of pickle juice once all the pickles have been eaten?

Cora has an easy solution for you.


You ask Mommy for some crackers and proceed to dip them in the pickle juice.

I know you may be cringing right now (I was), but apparently the pickle juice is just so good, it would be a shame to waist any of it.

And triscuits are the perfect cracker for the job. Thick and dry as cardboard....they soak up so much goodness.


Cora swears by it.

Just in case anyone was wondering, I had to leave the kitchen. Watching this practice was making me ill.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Halloween 2012

I can not believe that Halloween has come and gone already. It seems like it really wasn't that long ago that I just packed up their costumes from last year...thinking "wow...a whole 'nother year til we do this again". And now...come and gone...just like that. Time passes so quickly...and the kids grow up so fast.

Nana, Jason's mom, took the kids out for some costume shopping. They had a blast doing that with her and they got to pick exactly what they wanted to be.

Lily chose a cowgirl.


She really, really, really wanted pink cowgirl boots to go with her outfit, but those babies just aren't cheap. Besides, it was cold enough out that she ended up with boots on her feet.


Cora chose a lady bug.


I would melt everytime she said "ladybug" in her little 2 year old vocabulary. She loved the outfit so much that she wore it all. night. She didn't last as long as the 3 big kids and wanted to come home to hand out candy with mom...but there was no way she was taking that outfit off until it was absolutely necessary.


Ben chose a pirate.

The sword sealed the deal. A costume...with a sword. Sold. He ended up with a lot of "loot" by night's end. He also couldn't resist saying "aarrrgg" every. single. time. I asked for a picture.

And Ella, she chose a bee.

She was a little pokey (as usual) at the supper table so she was scrambling to get herself ready. Unfortunately, that resulted in me not getting a solo pic of her. But here she is, in all her bee glory. And of course Ben with his usual "arrrggg" face. Gotta love a boy in character.


I had some excited kids. And cute. Ready to tackle the neighborhood in search of as much sugary candy as they could get their little hands on.


Oh my...and this is before the sugar rush.

Jason got the four-wheeler hooked up to the trailer and strung lights around it. The neighbor kids joined us and Jason drove them all around the neighborhood.



They had a blast and were sad when the evening had come to an end. But on the plus side...oodles and oodles of candy to eat, play with, sort, and set up a candy shop. I even snuck some out and made a few math games with them. Oh...and get this...they ended up with 9 full size candy bars and 3 KING size ones. Sounds like a sugar coma, doesn't it?!?

Here are our pumpkins. My brother, Jamie, was down for the weekend and he and Jason became carving masters. We ended up with:


A traditional pumpkin, and an angry bird,


A puppy, an angry bird pig, and Winnie the Pooh.

Girls Shopping Day

The big girls and I got out and about for a little shopping trip. In 2 weeks, Jason's sister, Jackie, is getting married. Which meant we wanted needed a few items.

What girl doesn't need a new pair of special earrings? Or maybe a new pair of shoes? A dress? Oh yeah.

All the kiddos are in the wedding...Ella a junior bridesmaid, Ben a ringbearer, and both Lily and Cora are flowergirls. I can't wait for pics...and I'm sure I'll end up with a few hundred on my camera. You'll have to check back later in the month for those as the wedding isn't until November 17.

I'm guessing I'm going to have the cutest kids ever...just sayin'. Stay tuned.

Jason snapped this pic as we were ready to leave. We had a great time...shopped til we dropped and even went out for lunch together. I love me some girl time.

Friday, August 3, 2012

The Loves of my Life


I'm so blessed that this crew is mine.

I never, in a million years, would have guessed that God would allow me to be the mother of four children. Not that I didn't want a big family, but I just figured it was a dream...something that most likely wouldn't happen. I mean, who's lucky enough to have four kids?!?

Afterall, I married a man who wanted two kids and could call it good. :)


First up....Ella. A biological beauty. A hefty pricetag which equated to an incredibly hard pregnancy. Five months of IV's and being tethered to a cart, ER visits, lots of needles, the list goes on...and yet the miracle of life right inside me. She was worth every minute of hardship and I can't imagine my life without her. I would do it again in a heartbeat for her.

Jason fell in love immediately with her. I remember literally going back and forth in the hospital fighting, discussing, trying to figure out who's turn it was to hold her again. This first-time daddy was a smitten-kitten. She had him wound around her little finger in just mere seconds. And it was a beautiful sight to behold...this man I chose to spend my entire life with holding this exquisite creature, cooing and singing to her. And her responding in only a way a baby does to her daddy.

And now...almost 8 years later, this girl continues to amaze us. She's thoughtful, caring, smart, and compassionate. I so enjoy that she still wants to sit on my lap, have me snuggle in bed with her, or sit for hours and read to her. I love chillin' with this chickie.


Now as much as that pregnancy with Ella was hard, even if it had been easy, we could have turned to adoption next. I always had a desire to adopt and the challenges of the pregnancy only confirmed what I had been thinking all along.

Since Jason hadn't had a lot of exposure to adoption, and international at that, it was an idea that came with a lot of questions. I spent lots of time in prayer, and at the end of our first informational meeting, he was asking for the paperwork and what we needed to do next to get the ball rolling. God had opened his heart to adoption and called him to grow his family in this way.

Adoption is one of those things...a place where you get a front-row seat to watch God in action. An opportunity to see God's hand at work almost literally . Our timeline for Ben moved much, much quicker than the agency's expectations, and a mere 6 months after going to that informational meeting, we were in Korea picking up our son. Ben was still only 3 months old when we landed in Seoul. Timelines and ages like that are just not heard of anymore. Not only that, but shortly after we returned home, the Korea program started to change...drastically. As of today, a lot of the babies...well, toddlers, are around age 2 when they are united with their forever family.

I am so thankful that God had His hand in Ben's story. That nothing was left to mere chance...but that God had a plan all along. Because Ben's Korean mom placed him for adoption, God felt that we were the next best thing. And to be able to parent this child and have the pleasure of him calling me "Mom"...I'm just so grateful.

Jason was amazing with Ben right from the start. It has been so fun to see the difference in him being a daddy to a girl and then to a boy. Ben adores his Dad and wants to be with him any waking second that he can. No one can teach you hockey, how to ride a bike, or how to build things like your Daddy. And being the only boy in the family makes their bond even more special.

At 6 years old, Ben is growing up so much. He's all boy, smart as a whip, and has an energy and infectious laugh that makes you smile. I can't wait to see what God has in store for Ben...I can see him doing big things someday.



Lily. A girl's girl if there ever was one. Pretty hair accessories, fancy dresses, love of shoes, painted fingernails, lipgloss...anything to make a girl feel...well...beautiful. Or as Lily puts it: "It's so pwetty and pescial, mama." (Yes, we are still working on our "s" sound...so "special" is "pecial" and it melts my heart every time)

She loves to snuggle, steal the show with her twirls, and make her eyes "smile". She is full of drama, a real firecracker. And for such a little pip-squeak, she is the loudest one of the bunch. When Lily starts laughing, you can't help but join in. Her beautiful, big eyes can suck you in and if you're not careful, you will find she has just gotten you to agree to something that never should have been. Her prayers are so incredibly sweet and I can only imagine her Heavenly Father smiling so gently down at her when He hears her little voice thanking Him for all the things most people don't even think about. She sees the beauty in everything. At almost 4 years old, she is creative and artsy and I can't wait to see the talents that will flow out from her.

After two kids, I think Jason felt as if we had our hands full. Afterall, it was the perfect ratio. One child to one parent. No out-numbering...just a perfect match-up. I just did not feel like our family was complete. I so badly wanted to go to Korea again as my heart just ached thinking about all those kids there. And I knew we had more than enough to go around that we could easily handle a 3rd child in our family. Besides...why have a mini-van if you are going to stop at only 2 kids?!? I say "fill that baby up!"

After much thought and consideration, Jason and I begin to fill out the mountains of paperwork yet again. He also let me know (in no uncertain terms) that 3 children really were going to be enough to complete the Hubler family. Although I knew I could easily add more, I was content because never in my wildest dreams did I really think I would end up with three kiddos to snuggle and love. Yes, I decided I could settle for three. Not as many as I really wanted, more than I thought I would ever get, and a husband who had whole-heartedly come alongside me for these journies. I would pray, thanking God for these three blessings, for allowing me to parent three amazing children, and for entrusting into my care three eternal souls. And yet. And...yet...

...there was a part of me, a little voice way in the back, that after saying "thank you, God, for these three"...would ever so quietly and ever so gently say "but I think there's room for one more...". Funny thing is...no matter how quietly you say or don't say something...God knows. He knows the desires of your heart, He knows your longings, He knows the yearnings of your soul. And although Jason had said that "we were done...three is more than enough...", God had other plans for our family.

And that's where this little beauty comes in...


Cora Jihee. The best surprise I. Have. Ever. Been. Given. We didn't go in search of her, on the contrary, she came to us. Don't ever think that you can tell God what you are going to do. Because you may just find that He is about to give you the very thing you said would never happen. I think Jason knows better than to tell God that we are done with anything now. :)

With all that being said...I have to tell ya...this baby, well, she stole all our hearts. And in real quick fashion. Ask anyone in this family, and we would tell you the same thing: turned out our family was NOT complete...we were missing our Cora. She is the perfect addition and we cannot imagine our lives without her. This girl is amazing. She is spunky, crazy, affectionate, smart, and an absolute joy to be around. Oh, she has her moments, this girl doesn't take "no" for an answer. She's a strong one, a child with an opinion...on everything, and a fighter. But behind all that toughness is the sweetest and most gentle personality. It took a while for her to trust us and show us who was really inside, but I am so thankful that she did. I thank God for her, He knew she was just what I needed. Cora fills a hole I didn't know existed. Her kisses, hugs, and constant snuggles turn me into putty in her hands.

And Jason? Well...for thinking we should stop at 2 children, finally deciding to go for three, and ending up with four in the end...I know that he cares about all his children dearly, is the fiercest protector, and would never have imagined how his heart could swell with such a deep love for each of them. He is an amazing father. And I got to say...I picked the right man to spend my life with, to be a daddy to my children, and to grow old with.

Oh...the loves of my life.





Thursday, August 2, 2012

Lily Jeeah


This little love....

so much sass and so many smiles.


To say she keeps me on my toes is an understatement.

U.N.D.E.R.S.T.A.T.E.M.E.N.T.


But who can resist those eyes? I love this girly to the core.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Date Night with Lily

Lily and I went out for a date night a few weeks back.

Jason and I try to get the kids out for some one-on-one time every now and then...they love it.

And Lily is no exception!



Lily was so excited the entire day, agonizingly watching the clock tick slowly along.

We both did our hair fancy and got all dressed up to go out on the town.


It's the first time she's ever had her hair curled and being the girly-girl that she is, she drank it all in.

She loved all the pampering and all the comments from her siblings that followed.

And when Daddy got home and told her how pretty she was, well...the girl just about melted.


We went out to Tortes and Truffles for supper and some very fabulous and decadent desserts.

Our date ended with none other than a shopping trip. I asked her what she wanted to do and gave her a few ideas. The one and only thing...the activity at the tip-top of her list...shoe shopping.

And not just any shoes would do. Oh no. Not for this fashionista.

Hot pink, glitter from toe-to-heal, big ol' bow in the middle kind of shoes.

The smile on her face made it worth every dollar I spent. Good gracious, I love this girl.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Hungry?


Question: What do you do when your belly button is hungry?




Answer: Feed it, of course.




Feed it lots. (And, yes, this really is the face I get when I say "smile")

Question: What's a belly button's favorite food?



Answer: Ummmm...duh...spaghetti, Silly!

Yum, yum, gobble, gobble.




One of Cora's favorite things to eat is spaghetti. 




And apparently she was in a sharing mood and didn't want her belly button to be left out.

This girly makes me smile on a daily basis.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Budding Photographer

Guess who's loving her new camera?


I hear "smile", "no, sit like this", "can you turn your head this way" about a thousand times a day.


Friday, May 18, 2012

Dinner-time Fun

Loving that summer is arriving...

And along with that comes summer fruit...



And canteloupe makes excellent beaver teeth. :)

Here's to hoping your family gets a little crazy at the dinner table like mine.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

A Visit From A Favorite Uncle...

Question: What's more fun than playing "Angry Birds" on mom's phone?


Answer: Getting to play "Angry Birds" with Uncle Jamie.

My "little" brother came for a visit...and man, do I love it when this happens. I gotta admit...he's one of my very favorite people on the whole planet.

He's one of the easiest people to hang with...not to mention my kids all adore him.


Lily could barely get enough of him...when Jamie starts playing with her, she gets this infectious laugh that pulls you in until you are laughing and smiling right along with her.


Case in point.

Blurry, but you get the idea.


He doesn't even have to do anything...just being around him makes this girl light up.


I'm pretty sure that if we told her that Jamie would live in our house 24/7, she would faint from happiness.

The kids weren't the only ones who loved having this guy around.

Like I said, I kinda like my kid-brother. Especially when he goes on a 2 mile run with me, takes me out for supper, and then a movie.

We can't wait til he comes again! We miss him already.

Chef Assistants

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to cook.



And sharing that love with these two girls?

Makes it even more special to me.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Milwaukee Weekend



We went to Milwaukee to visit my sister, Zyra, and my neice, Aaliyah this past weekend. My parents and brother, Jamie, went with too.

We got adjoining rooms at a hotel and had an absolute blast spending time together. I'm a big family girl...so spending a whole weekend with my family...well, let's just say that I was in my element. And adjoining rooms...it just doesn't get any better than that.

On Saturday, we went to Discovery World. The kids got to touch all sorts of stuff...including some stingrays. Ella is still talking about it.

This movie is a little something Jamie put together. I love it....might have to enlist him to make some more of my kids!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Homeward Bound

**April 22, 2011**
Friday


Jihee did so much better than expected for her first night with us. She slept on the bed in between Jason and I at the hotel and was asleep a good chunk of the night. So many people praying for us and it was definitely felt. We were hoping for a decent night so we could save our energy for the plane ride home.

We were all up early getting the last of the bags packed. The bellboy came up and took our things downstairs for us and we checked out around 7:30am. We got on the KAL limo for the hour long ride back to Incheon International Airport.


You'll have to excuse the crazy expression on Jason's face. Although Cora had done well during the night, it was by no means a full night of sleep. And since we were sort of already running on half empty, it took a few trys before we could figure out how to snap a picture.

We got to the airport, piled our bags on a cart, and headed for the ticket line. The airline wouldn't let us buy Cora's ticket in advance since they required her passport information. Cora and I walked around while Jason took care of that. Then it was off for the checked baggage line. There were soooo many people in line...it wound around a zillion different metal posts. The thought of standing in that line for the next hour with a 9 month old baby who wasn't too sure of me or what was going on did not sound appealing. Then something beautiful happened. A sign. It read "For families with small children"...woot! That's us! There were only 3 people in that line and Cora barely held herself together during that wait. I was so thankful for that line!

We went to our gate and since it was an international flight, we had to be there early so we had some time to diddle until our plane was ready.


Asiana had arranged for us to have bulkhead seating. It was such a blessing to have these seat assignments. There are only two seats in this "row" and it has some extra leg room or to put up the bassinet. The airline attendant came over and asked if we wanted it and we promptly filled it with diapers, wipes, food, bottles, and toys that we figured we were going to need.


Cora was such a trooper and very brave. I can't even imagine how hard this was for her. She was very uncertain and unsettled.


We flew from Seoul to Chicago. It was a long flight with most of it spent walking the plane. I wore her in the Ergo a majority of the time as that was one of the only ways she would sleep or be comforted. I think it offered her some security being all tucked into that thing with her blanket to hold.

The bulk head space was perfect for our needs. I had just enough room to take two steps forward and then two steps back. I kept that pattern up for a majority of the flight. There were times that I sat on the arm of the seat, and propped my head up with my hand so I could close my eyes for just a little bit.

We landed in Chicago, took the tram to our next gate, and waited for the next plane to depart. It was another windy, rainy day and we were told to expect turbulence for the majority of the flight. They were right, the "fasten seat belt" sign remained on much of the flight as we were bounced and jostled around.

We touched down, stopped in the restroom to change Cora's clothes, and headed for baggage claim.


I was so excited to see Ella, Ben, and Lily. I had missed them so much!!

And I was so thrilled to introduce their new baby sister to them.


We spent lots of time hugging and talking to each other while we waited for our bags to begin their journey around the baggage claim carousel. We waited...and we waited...and we waited. Finally the carousel stopped turning all together...and no sign of our bags.

We found out our bags were on the next flight arriving from Chicago. They ended up sending them in a cab to our house. Since our house was not on any google map at that time, the cab driver called about a thousand times asking for directions. He finally arrived sometime close to 1am. Luckily, we were still on Korea time and jetlag was already starting to kick in, so niether of us 3 were anywhere close to wanting to sleep.

The kiddos had made signs to welcome us home...



There were balloon, streamers, and even a beautiful plant.

Oh...it was good to be home.

Now we just had the challenge of working through jetlag and starting to get Cora settled in.


Jetlag was tough for all of us! It took about 10 days for Cora and Jason to come around and about 2 weeks for me. We spent a lot of time awake at 3:00 in the morning...which wasn't easy since we knew that there were 3 other little children who were going to be awake and ready to go come 7am.


The first step of the journey was done. We had survived the return flight and then the jetlag. Now it was time to start the uphill climb of bonding and attaching. The task of finding a new normal as a family of 6. And the wonderful pleasure of waking up to this precious girl every day.

I can hardly believe that one year ago today, we brought home our 4th child.

We are immeasurably blessed.