We Made It

I see that the last post we had on this blog was from last year, Aug. 2017. And that was quite a LONG time ago. You know, the funny thing about having a lot going on in your life is that you never have time to write about it. You have a lot to say, but no time to actually say it. Thus, several months…

Yes, that’s my horrible attempt at an excuse. But here, let me catch you up a bit.

It’s really satisfying and humbling to say that “We have our new son, Gabe, with us!” Our adoption process is complete!! We made two trips at the end of last year to meet him. The first was a week before Thanksgiving. And yes, we had MUCH to be thankful for. We took the whole family to Korea to meet him and stayed for about twelve days. It was quite chilly, but we did manage to walk around on the streets of Seoul, go to a couple parks, ride the subway, etc. And yes, we took lots of photos, made some good memories, and played with Gabe at the agency where we stayed. Memorable times.

Visiting a really big palace in Seoul.

And again, just before Christmas, Kim and I returned (just the two of us this time) to pick up Gabe and bring him home. This trip only lasted five days. We had one day just to ourselves and we took an elevator ride up the world’s 5th largest building. It was fun just hanging out, me and Kim. We so rarely get to do that these days anymore.

Atop Lotte World Tower, the fifth largest building in the world!

The three of us arrived back home Dec. 23rd, just in time for Christmas. What a wonderful Christmas present we received this year!

We are in a new season now. Sure, the adoption PROCESS has finally and officially come to an end. But our life as an adoption family has only just begun. Gabe is doing really well overall. He has bonded and attached to me and Kim pretty much immediately. He is sweet, funny, smiley, and communicates with us really well. He has gone through a grieving process though and the trauma of losing loved ones in his life has left some deep emotional scars in his heart. He is SUPER clingy to me and Kim. If we walk away, or put him down, or give attention to our other kids he cries out. He wants to be with us ALL. THE. TIME. This wouldn’t be a problem if it were just him. But with three small children in the house, it makes it very difficult. We are sensitive to his unique needs, but where is the line here? We are trying to figure where the boundaries are.

It’s been an amazing ride. We thank God for the incredible-miraculous-jaw-dropping way that He provided for us these last couple years. I keep track of our expenses each month. So I can look back and see how all our (many) expenses were covered each month during this period. Did we have $40+ thousand dollars laying around when we started this? Absolutely NOT! But this is exactly how much money has come through when we needed it. Praising God! A true testimony of His faithfulness and blessing.

We look forward to the year to come. Many transitions are in store….

Trying to get everybody to pose for a family photo….. is NOT easy.