All About Elijah HyungJoon!

Time flies when you are working full time and raising 2 little boys! Where should I begin? Since this blog originally was started to document HJ's adoption, I'll start there. When we started the journey for HJ, we weren't sure how we were going to pay for all the expenses, but we felt God prompting us to step out in faith and trust Him. He provided in a miraculous way ($14,000 in 3 weeks!) throughout the process. Around the time we brought home HJ, the government decided to change the adoption tax credit to a refund! We have been *patiently* waiting since April to receive our refund, and faced lots of red tape to get it, but last Friday, the money was in our account! So, we were able to completely pay off all of the loans associated with HJ's adoption!!! PTL!

We also finalized HJ's adoption at the end of May. He 'officially' became part of our family and also became a U.S. Citizen. The boys were little charmers at the courthouse, and DW even winked at the judge! We celebrated in American style eating pizza, playing at Chuck-E-Cheese's, and eating yummy red, white, and blue cake.

HJ turned 2 in July. This birthday was extra special since it was the first one we were able to celebrate with him. We had a circus themed party to celebrate complete with peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, hot dogs, cake, ice cream, etc. HJ's favorite part was the elephant cake! The kids also enjoyed playing in the wading pool and sprinkler.

Here is a little more about our happy, growing, active, smart 2-year-old:

• weighs 30 lbs, is 34 inches tall, and is wearing 2T - 3T clothing




• is very coordinated and loves to throw a ball (or whatever is within reach!)




• climbs onto everything!




• loves his "bubba" and imitates everything big brother does (good and bad!)




• is saying new words each day and his favorite sentence is "I want ___."




• is learning the colors




• throws the biggest fits when he doesn't get his way, complete with throwing himself on the floor and kicking his feet




• likes to play with cars and trains (or anything that big brother is playing with)




• enjoys using his riding toy to drive around the house




• really loves music and dances whenever a song comes on that he likes




• feeds himself well but continues to be the messiest child I have ever seen!




• favorite foods are fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, cheese pizza, spaghetti, and anything sweet like cake, popsicles, cookies, chocolate, ice cream, etc!




• is very attached to daddy and loves to sit in his lap




• gives the cutest little kisses!




• is starting to laugh more and more like the happy baby we met in Korea

6 Months Home Update

A post I started in April:

Wow...it's been awhile since I updated the blog. Everytime I think to do an update, my husband is using the computer or the boys wake up from their naps. On the weekends, I tend to like to take a nap when they do, so it doesn't leave much time for blogging.


We just passed the 6 month home mark with HJ which means we can finalize his adoption soon. We are just waiting on a few documents from our agency, and then we'll forward everything to our lawyer. Hopefully within the next few months, HJ will "officially" be ours!



HJ has adjusted well and acts like a typical active toddler boy. He is almost 21 months old. His latest word, said in the most annoying and whiny way is, "miiiiiiiiiine!" He and DW fight a lot. DW gets easily frustrated and aggressive over the littlest things, and HJ likes to take things from DW and try to wrestle with him. These things don't go over well with DW, so the fighting begins. Just in the time span of writing this, I've had to get up twice to mediate! He also puts everything in his mouth and has started really testing limits. He stands on top of furniture, dumps out the dogs' bowls, tries to play in the toilet and trash, pulls the dogs' hair, runs away from us when we tell him to come, drags shoes all over the house, throws food from his high chair, wipes food in his hair, and throws really big temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way. On a more positive note, he is really cuddly, loves to give kisses, and laughs and squeals when you wrestle with him. His favorite toy is a riding toy which he uses to move all over the house. He also likes to dance, especially to Justin Bieber's "Baby" song. Not sure how that started since neither Tim nor I are Bieber fans, but we can pull up the music video on YouTube, and he squeals and starts dancing and saying "Baby, baby, OHHHHH!!!"


I realized I didn't even do a Christmas post. That shows how crazy my life has become! Gotta go, kids are waking up from naps!

S*N*O*W Days

You would think after being off work for almost a week I'd have time to update the blog. However, Tim made a new discovery, Netflix Instant Play, and he hogged the computer ALL week. But now, since the Super Bowl is on, the computer is all MINE!!!! At one point this week, our computer crashed, and we thought we were going to have to take it somewhere to get fixed. But the roads were icy, and we couldn't get out. I was very frustrated, and from the other room, I heard DW say, "Don't get mad, get glad." I couldn't help but laugh! Luckily, the computer fixed itself overnight, and the next day it worked. Actually, I don't think it was luck - I'm thanking God for that little miracle!

Here is a recap of our week. We worked on Monday and then early Tuesday morning we got freezing rain, sleet, and then about 4 inches of snow. Then, the temps were below zero, so everything turned into slippery ice. The preschool where I work was closed the rest of the week. Friday, we were supposed to get a "dusting" of snow, but it turned into about 3 - 4 more inches on top of what we already had! Saturday, everything started melting so we finally got out to the grocery store. And today, we went to church!

Everyday, DW would ask, "Where are we going today mommy?" And, sadly, I'd tell him, nowhere because the roads are dangerous. We had to find alternate entertainment: putting out birdseed and then bird watching, cow watching, making cookies, painting pictures, building with legos, playing with the train set, watching lots of "Thomas" movies and PBS kids, and reading lots of books. I also trimmed the boys' hair and my own! We attempted to play in the snow, but it only lasted 10 minutes and then both boys were crying. HJ can't walk in the snow without falling down, and DW got snow in his mittens and had a meltdown. :(

I have enjoyed my time off (especially since I just replenished my supply of Diet Coke and chocolate!). I took a nap and exercised almost every day. I also cleaned and organized the hosue and worked on our taxes. Tim and I also watched a lot of movies and tv episodes from Netflix while the boys were asleep. I also got lots of cuddle time with both of my boys. Now, we're waiting to find out if we will have yet another day off. We are supposed to get more snow tonight, temps below freezing, and then another BIG snowstorm on Tuesday night/Wednesday. Below is a picture of our flooded backyard now that the snow is starting to melt. Hope everyone is staying warm!