Just Chillin'

Another Monday...another week underway...

We are just chillin' around here, taking it easy after a good, but busy weekend.

On Friday, Jason took the kids to the Children's Museum in St. Paul. They had a blast! And while Daddy was out playing with the kids, I worked on things for the upcoming Korea trip. It's not far off and I'm scrambling to try and get things crossed off my list. And having the house completely quiet made for a very productive mama!

On Saturday, we had our good friends over who we met while in Korea picking up Ben. We always enjoy our time with them and the day always, always goes too fast! While the kids and daddys were visiting, Karne and I set out on a wild shopping expidition. We shopped until we were ready to fall over and managed to get all the gifts for the trip bought! I am so excited to give these to all the special people we will see in Seoul.

On Sunday, we did a little family visiting and then I got to work on some more knitting. This "nesting" thing has hit and I am always working on something it seems. Much to my liking, I started and finished the project.

Needless to say...we are tired out after a full weekend and have just been taking it easy today.

Oh My! Two geese just flew over the house, honking away, and landed on the pond. Granted, the pond is still covered in ice...but what a sign that spring is on it's way!!

I just tried to post some pictures, but apparently I have run out of storage space! Who new?!? I've purchased more but it takes a day or two to take effect so I'll post them later this week. I figure with the upcoming trip...I'm gonna need that space to keep you all informed on how we are doing, pics of Cora, and all the extra fun stuff that comes with a trip to the other side of the world.

Anticipation

Ask my mom and she will tell you that I have called her about a thousand times over the past few days.

Why? Nerves, my friends. Nerves.

Good ones...anxious, excited ones. Butterflies. Pit in my stomach.

Anticipation.

After checking my adoption forums about 20 times an hour each day and watching for other fellow SWS families, I am getting the feeling that our travel call is not too far away. How far away? Well, isn't that just the golden question? I have no crystal ball and I can only go off of what I am hearing others are experiencing...and then throw in the uncertainty of Ol' Uncle Sam...and it's the makings of a complete guess. BUT, I am gonna place my bet that we will travel sometime in April to get Cora.

April? Wowza...I have a lot to do. I have bags to pack, clothes to wash and put away in Cora's dresser, shopping for all the people in Korea who have been a major part of our adoptions, babyproof my house, dig out baby toys from storage (which coincidently happens to be the garage...in gabage bags...that were ready to go out as donations since I *wasn't* going to need them anymore), figure out and plan my itinerary while in country, make and order picture books to put in birthparent files, write and get translated letters to go along with said pictures, and learn as much korean as I can (tall order).

Did I mention that I'm supposed to be doing all of this in between taking care of the three children who are currently in my house? In between homeschooling? laundry? cooking? grocery shopping? and everyday life?

Well, I've come to my senses. I've enlisted the troops. I've called in the back-ups. I've realized I'm in over my head and I'm gonna need help if I might possibly be traveling in 3+ weeks. A big giant thank-you to my family and my friends who have agreed to come aboard the Crazy Ship. I love ya all!

Anticipation...

She's coming home y'all....soon....very soon!

Last Step State-Side

I was so nervous this morning. I asked a few friends to pray for me and I called my mom to have her do the same with me over the phone. Then, hands shaking, I dialed the number for the National Benefits Center (NBC) and entered opion #2 for adoptions.

Because the agency we are working with in Korea is so fast, we were concerned that waiting for USCIS approval might delay our travel call. Hence the call to the NBC to ask if there might be something they could do to help us out with the approval of our I600A and the I600.

I got my first dose of good news....we had finally been assigned an officer to our case after 2.5 weeks of waiting for someone to even look at our paperwork. I was glad for that. Once transferred, I expected to get the Officer's voicemail. Much to my surprise, she answered the phone. I'm sure I sounded like a bumbling idiot...I was so nervous. I didn't want to say the wrong thing, not ask the right questions, lose my one chance to plead my case. I won't lie to you...the first part of the conversation didn't flow smoothly and based off of her voice, I wasn't so sure she was going to (or be willing to) help me out.

With the phone shaking against my face from nerves, I told her the reason for my call. The Officer then asked for my receipt number and told me that I still needed to get fingerprints done. I told her that we went in early, Feb 22 to be exact, and we were all done. "I don't get updates so I would have never known that unless you called to tell me. I see your appt wasn't originally until March 15, so I wouldn't have looked at your file for days from now" was her reply. Whoa. Sooo glad I called if not for this reason alone! She told me she would take a look at our petition. But before I could let her go, I needed her to know that we also had the next step (I600) already there at the NBC as well...just under a different receipt number. After a long, long pause...she said that it would only make sense if she tracked it down and just approved both of them at the same time. Whew! That's exactly what I wanted to hear. :)

I don't know how fast it will get taken care of, but at least I know we are not at the bottom of a pile anymore. I didn't dare ask for specifics in case I made her mad and she changed her mind...so I thanked her profusely for what she was doing and told her I was grateful she had taken my call.

I most likely won't know about approval until the notice comes by snail-mail. But no matter how slow the US Postal Service is, by the time I get that piece of paper, our notification will be sitting at the Embassy in Seoul.

Can't wait to check off this last step state-side...then everything will be on Korean soil!

I can not wait to get my newest daughter home!! Mama's coming, Cora!!

The Wait Is Over...

Okay...it's time. It's time to let you in on that little secret of mine...it's time to let the cat out of the bag...it's time...well...you get the point...on with the announcment....

There is a Steven Curtis Chapman song called Dive. It came on the radio as I drove into downtown Minneapolis on my way to pick up Jason back in February 2006. We were going to our first information meeting at Children's Home and Family Services. I had always known that I wanted adopt some day. Coming from an adoptive family myself, I knew that I wanted to grow my own family that way. I was nervous for this particular meeting, because after all, when you are married, you don't get to make choices based solely on yourself and what you want...you have another half to consider...another opinion...another voice in the mix. Jason was open to going to this meeting with me and wanted to learn more about adoption. As I was driving, this song came on and the words seemed to stick in my head...

...
And in a rush I hear a voice
That's telling me it's time to take the leap of faith
So here I go...

Adoption...an unknown...a new chapter of our lives...another child in our family. I truly felt that God has called us to adoption and it was time for us to take our leap of faith and trust God and His plan for our family. By the end of the meeting, Jason was signing his name to papers and felt the tug on his heart and the voice of God telling us He had great plans for our family. We took the leap of faith and it's been an amazing journey. Ben joined our family in September of that year and he is an amazing boy and I can't tell you how my heart melts when he tells me in his own special way "I love ya and I cove ya Mom" while we snuggle together at bedtime.

Crazy as life would have it, this song has popped up in my life at particular moments, reminding me that I need to have faith in God and His plans for my life.

...
But we will never know the awesome power
Of the grace of God...

...Along came Lily. And at a very specific time in my life. I time when I needed God's love desperately. It was the first anniversary of my Grandfather's death. I woke up that morning with such a heavy heart. Tears had flooded my eyes the moment that day started. But God had something special planned for me...to show me that He loves me with a crazy love and that He was still the same God I had grown to love and trust my life with. He gave me a present that day...one I will never forget. The phone rang and as I answered it, I realized that I was on a call with not only Jason, but our social worker at the agency. He had called to tell us we had a daughter waiting for us in Korea. Lily was salve on my wound. The news of her saved me that day. Eight short weeks later we were in Korea meeting Miss Jeeah and my life has been blessed profoundly because of her.

...
So if you take my hand
We'll close our eyes and count to three
And take the leap of faith
Come on let's go...

 ...Along comes Cora. We have a daughter waiting for us once again in Korea. Jason and I are taking that leap of faith. It was December 22, 2010. The phone rang at 9:04am. I wasn't expecting it and I just about fell over. Cora Jihee was born on July 15, 2010. We truly feel that this little girl is exactly what God has for our family. I can't wait to meet her and get to know her. We couldn't be more excited. The Hublers are soon to be a family of six! Four. Children. Unbelievable...I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this. They are predicting travel hopefully some time in May. Woot! Woot!

Get ready Korea...here we come!!

THUD...ahhh, pick yourself back up off that floor...I did. :)

Surfacing...Momentarily

I'm sorry...I know...it's been like cricket-city around here for the past couple of months. Things have been pretty quiet on the blog...but the Hubler house...well that's another story.

I haven't been away without good reason...and I'll be able to tell y'all about it real soon. Real soon!

And it's big........ B.I.G.

It's just about time to let you in on this lovely secret I've been keeping.

....THUD!... That's how big this is!!

Cutie Pies

Mornin' Everyone...

Things have been extremely busy around here as of late...sorry I have been missing in action. Just what has kept me so crazy busy other than 3 little ones and homeschooling? Well, that's for another post coming very soon...

In the meantime, here's a pick of my sweeties...

Happy Seollal

Happy Lunar New Year to our friends in Korea! We hope you have a wonderful day and weekend enjoying family and good food. We miss you.

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