Sunday, August 30, 2015

One HUGE step closer to Korea



This past week was huge in our lives.  We found out we are getting very close to going to Korea to meet our son.  The dates are not set yet when we will travel but the preparations have started.  My mind and my heart is filled with so many thoughts, feelings, and a little anxiety.  
We will get to go over and meet him and spend some time playing.  There will be a court date that we will all attend. That may be the anxiety part of my mind!  I imagine that he will find our children more to his liking that Brian and I at first. This is ok as they too have waited a long time.  
There will be heartbreak with this trip. We will have to say goodbye and return to get him some weeks after our first meeting. I think of him then and his little heart leaving all he has known.  There is no way to say it will be easy and my heart aches for all of the emotions of that day.  Adoption is filled with so many sides and perspectives. We will need to bring Luke home and work as a family to create what will be new to us all.  It takes time and patience, but I know with Brian by my side and these kids who so want to help we will be ok.

This trip to Korea is about Mr. Luke but it is also about sweet Katie.  It is our turn to see where she is from and hopefully have a very special meeting for her.  I can tell her mind too is spinning with the thought of going back and learning more about where she is from.  

There is a lot to do now and my "nesting" will start very soon. I am so excited to meet the baby of our family and complete our family! 

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Reflections on the Beach part 2

A final post on our days on the beach.  Being a photographer I had a goal to get a family photo on the beach.  Taking photos of other people's families is very different than my own.  I had taken this photo of the kids a couple of years ago. I wanted to duplicate it as a way of showing our growth that is happening at light speeds before my eyes.

It is a challenge to get a good family photo. When we were done with the formal the fun shots are playing in the water.  I can still hear their laughter that night and just the thrill of soaking their clothes!
I haven't even looked at our formal shot yet because these are the ones I love!


I will move on to fall now, but I will remember these days!

There is big news in our life right now. I will post more about that soon!

Friday, August 28, 2015

Reflection on the beach part 1

Life has gone forward but I still wanted to put at least a little of our beach photos on the blog.  Seems like a long time ago now that we were there. Brian and I were talking about all of our fall schedules (!) and wishing we were back to the calm beach. Seems like a lot more fun than trying to figure out all the kids and events that are upon us.

We spent most of our days on the beach without any other destinations.  Of course they had to stop at one gift shop and only the one with the big shark mouth would do.

I have spent a great part of my adult life scrapbooking.  I sold Creative Memories for a long time and have books filled with lots of detail and design.  This summer I spent a week not sleeping trying to figure out how to get my photos, that I so love, into books.  I decided some of my photos I will continue to do in a more fancy way but some are going to be done with "Project Life".  It has been so much fun and simple. Simple to get my photos where they need to be in books with stories. Always good to change things up a bit...but then again that is what life is about!

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Getting ready for week two of school!

Tomorrow we head back to school for week two.  This was the kids on the first day at school. Everyone on the first day gets up bright eyed and so excited.  They were a little tired by the end of the week, but glad to be back with friends and so many stories of teacher and classes.
Mr. Andrew is in third grade this year.  He was excited to be back with friends and for the first time spent a lot of time picking out his outfit today.
Riley is in eighth grade this year.  He went back as a leader to help the sixth graders learn the ropes.  
Miss Katie is a third grader this year.  She loves everything about school and new books to read and take home will be her favorite.
Sweet Brianna is a fifth grader  this year.  She is so very social and dreams of being a teacher one day.





Celebrate Seventeen Years of Marriage


While on our vacation in Texas Brian and I celebrate seventeen years of marriage.  It was fitting that we would celebrate at the beach.  In August of 1997 we were engaged at the beach. I remember how Brian put the ring in a sock in his pocket as his shorts that had a hole in them.  Fast forward seventeen years and we are once again on the beach this time with a family that is growing and changing.

These last seventeen years have been filled with roads that run straight and roads that curve in the most unexpected  places.  We were just 22 and 24 when we got married. We had no idea at that time just how hard it really would be, how we really did have to compromise, and how it really feels to have unconditional love.  We didn't know what is really means to be a parent and at the same time try to continue to make our marriage work.  I think we were blessed to not really "know" how hard it would be.

I am always thankful for Brian and feel that he is truly the person who knows all of me.  The part that is not so calm (ughh) and the part who has more crafts started than is really reasonable.  He loves me for who I am and has learned to walk away when my Italian blood is making me not so reasonable.  I love how we can still remember how to reconnect on activities we liked when we are younger as well as having new adventures. Of course some of these adventures are child driven as they push us to expand who we are.

I am looking forward to where this marriage is headed. My heart is telling me changes are coming.  Adding (oh hopefully please) another child to love to the mix and other changes on the horizon. I hope one day Brian and I are old together at the beach the place we love the most!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Traveling to Texas

A recap of our first day of vacation:
-4:00 am leaving time
-Thirteen hours
-Six people lots of opinions

-We had packed a lunch and lots of snacks. There is no telling how much they ate I just them eat until their hearts were happy.
-For those of us older or younger than the teenage years we passed a lot of hours listening to "Little House on the Prairie" books.
-We drove through the most amazing sunflower field.  Mom annoyed everyone by needing photos. I so wish the sun would not have been so high it would have been amazing.
- Temperature was 105 degrees in some parts that we drove though

- San Antonio was our first stop for the night.
-Great Mexican food- I had the "George" special after my first love George Strait:)
-I have to admit I was done with this city before everyone else...
because the beach calls my name and I needed to get there!

Beach photos to come.....

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

A Birthday Celebration for Two

Today we celebrated these two turning nine! I can't believe where the time has gone and how big they have gotten.   They are full of life in their own way and style.  Katie is quite and reserved. Andy is full of heart and sounds. They are the perfect pair, and in their own timing and space do well together.

We just got back from a wonderful vacation at the beach. They were less than excited that they would have to be in the car for their birthday. Lucky for them we could not find a room anywhere last night and ended up driving until early this morning. 

I am always so thankful on this day that I get to be their Mom.  I have said it before but my heart breaks for their Birth Mom's today. I wish they could have seen them in the ocean catching waves together, building sand castles, and just being siblings.

Happy Birthday Andy and Katie my heart loves you to the moon and back!



 
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