Keller's Gotcha Day

On Friday, Dec 11, 2009 - Joel and Shauna picked up their son, Keller, forever to have him as a member of their family. Their "Gotcha Day" was amazing and here are just a few shots of us celebrating together.

Now, Cooper is not the only "Little Brother" around.

Cooper enjoyed the day, even if he didn't know what was going on...

The kids having a Tickle Fest.

The Oswald Family of Four!!

Sightseeing in Korea

We took the opportunity to see a little of the city and sights while we were in South Korea. Seoul is a fascinating place; there is so much to do and see.

Of course, we will not have enough time to do and see everything that we would like.

To be totally honest, we came prepared for that. We did not want to plan to do too many things and then have the time change, jet lag, and kids' adjustment to create disappointment. It was a good plan because the kids have not adjusted quite the way I expected and so each thing that we have gotten to do or see has been a total blessing (including and most importantly sharing the memories, pictures, and stories of Joel and Shauna's first interactions with their son).

Today we went to the Gyeongbokgung Palace, the Blue House (their White House) & walked through and were overwhelmed by Namdaemun Market----I NEVER thought that shopping would overwhelm me, but you'd have to see this place to understand.

We also had a fabulous authentic Korean lunch at this tiny easily overlooked restaurant. The food was delicious (bulgogi & kimchi) & service was amazing. They found a wonderful man named Chester to translate for us & help us order. The ladies held and loved on baby Cooper while we ate our meal. We all enjoyed the food and the experience.

We still hope to see a few more things before we head home. We hope to do a little shopping tomorrow afternoon and between Saturday & Sunday we plan to go on a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone, between N & S Korea) Tour and go up in Seoul Tower.

DISCLAIMER: I am catching up on blogging, so I am "back-blogging a bit...these are blogs I started a couple of weeks ago and I am just now finishing."

First Day in Korea

After arriving in Korea on Monday night, our first trip out of the hotel on Tuesday was met with a little surprise, SNOW. Not much, just a dusting, but still it invigorated all of us and made it feel like Christmas. The weather was mild and pleasant compared to the forecasts (we overpacked when we brought the long underwear). We had a chance to wander around in the area outside the hotel and the Joel and Shauna also got to meet their son, Keller, for the first time-- Amazing!

**Don't forget, you can click on any picture or mosaic in our blog for a better/larger view.

Getting the Call

On Thursday, Dec 3rd, we were excited to get the "call" from our friends, Joel and Shauna Oswald that they had been authorized to travel to Seoul, South Korea to pick up their son. Needless to say we were all excited. Joel and Shauna have been on the adoption journey for this, their second child, for a long time.

We have prayed and rejoiced with them through the process and were happy to volunteer to help when the opportunity arose. Neither Joel or Shauna have ever been to Korea and would be traveling alone this time (their China trip to get Kylee was done with many other families at the same time) and also, they wanted to take Kylee with them on the trip but would need someone to assist with Kylee on several days because she would not go along to the visits/meetings or to pick up Keller. Since David has many times traveled to Seoul for business, he is comfortable in the city and with the transportation. And since Sybella and Kylee are best friends, we were happy to volunteer to join them on the journey.

On Thursday when the call came, Shauna and I got out our computers and started looking for some flights that wouldn't be outrageous and would get us to Korea in a timely manner; of course they wanted to get their son as soon as possible. Sunday (72 hours later) was the best option---we booked the flights and started the whirlwind process to get last minute preparations done for both the trip and stuff that needed to get done at home.

David and I had decided that we would take Sybella and Cooper but leave Colin and Connor at home to attend school and stay with Granda (my mom).

On Sunday, we went to the airport excited and sure that we were in for an adventure- small children and 14 hours on a plane is certainly never boring. We had a snaffu in the airport, long story short, we left our diaper bag (embroidered with Cooper's name) at the counter and instead of paging us to come back and get it, Delta, who we purchased the tickets thru, called the airport police and turned it in as an unattended bag. Really?! Needless to say, by the time we figured out we didn't have it, we had already come thru security and were almost ready to board the plane. No diapers for 14 hours???!!! Korean Airlines is amazing. They went above and beyond all our expectations. They went & retrieved our bag from the police promising to send it to us the next day and gave us diapers for the trip. Then when the flight was delayed by 30 minutes, they re-opened the plane door to go ahead and give us our diaper bag. Amazing!

The flight attendants were wonderful and the whole flight was kid-friendly. So, despite our anxieties, the flight was awesome!

The Oswalds on the plane as a Family of 3

Cooper's 7-month Stats

These are Cooper's 7-Month statistics: Weight- 18lbs, 55th percentile Height- 50cm, 50th percentile Head Circ- 17cm, 30th percentile

A Hair Cut

Sybella found some scissors today while I was feeding the baby (on the couch- just 15 feet away) and proceeded to RAPIDLY cut her hair. Seriously, she was speed cutting; by the time I got to her and stopped the fiasco, this is what I collected on the floor!!

I didn't take a picture of Sybella after the haircut but here is a shot I took 2 days later (on her birthday) and amazingly, Sybella has so much hair that you can't even tell that she cut it. Gotta love it.

Still Fighting for Freedom

I found out today that our company lost an employee yesterday. Our CEO at Mission Essential Personnel has made it a point to remind us that we are dedicated to human freedom. I think it is easy for people to forget that there is a war going on. Maybe not a traditional war but a war of ideology and a war on freedom.

Seven months ago I made the decision to become part of the company and have not looked back. Being able to be a part of such an important mission has made every day rewarding and gives a clear sense of purpose for what I do. It is so important to be happy with what you do for a living. Having passion about your job can only come from a job that has significance or meaning for you. I once heard someone say, "I hope we don't HAVE to go to work; we all GET to go to work."

Back to the reason for writing this blog. Junaid Hijran, was serving with the Marines in southern Afghanistan. He completed his tour on Thanksgiving and departed

to Kabul for time off. At a checkpoint along the way, he was pulled from his vehicle and brutally murdered by the Taliban on the side of the road. Junaid was 26 years old, maybe 5’1”, and all of 95 pounds. His nickname was, “Tough Guy”, given to him by one of our managers in Kandahar.

Junaid wanted a better Afghanistan that was free from oppression and violence. In the midst of all the potential dangers, Junaid still volunteered to serve. All too often we take our freedom in America for granted.

He is a hero.

Christmas Bazaar

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, Washington Christian Academy (formerly Washington Christian School) has it's Annual Christmas Bazaar. This has been going on for as long as I can remember. You see, I attended WCS from 2nd grade thru 7th grade. Back then it was a small school that utilized combined classes (2 grades together with the same teacher), no lunch room, curriculum taught with the backdrop of Reformed tradition, and most importantly, they kept the main thing the main thing. My greatest childhood memories are from WCS.

Eventually, parents wanted a 9-12th grade option so WCS added high school and became WCA. This fall, WCA opened in it's newest location, a beautiful campus in Olney, MD. So, this year's Bazaar served as both the Best place to get a Bazaar favorite, Dutch Almond Pastry (Banket) and as an opportunity to see the new school.

Students and teachers often pilgrimage back to the school for the Bazaar because it's a great chance to have mini-homecomings. And, this year, that is exactly what I did. I took 3 of my kids (Connor had a soccer tournament) and ventured to my Alma Mater for the day. I was blessed to be able to reconnect with a handful of people and catch up on the stories of many others.

Here are a couple of my pictures from the day:

This is my friend Brenda Ritsema. Brenda and I were close in school and I idolized her sisters (I was the oldest so I thought big sisters were cool). Brenda's mom was our Librarian and the maker of Banket (see above). We hadn't seen each other in 21 years. Brenda married a guy who also went to school with us for a couple of years, so now she is Mrs. Brian Vos. I also got to meet her 3 month old son, Noah. It was amazing to see Brenda and her family again.

Here is a photo I took with Mrs. Dick at the Bazaar. I was absolutely astounded to see her there, along with her husband and son. She was my 3rd, 4th, and 7th grade teacher (I told you it was a small school back then).

Thanks WCS/WCA for providing an environment where kids can thrive while examining things in the light of God's glory-- I only wish that we lived close enough for my kids to attend!