Dog vs Horse

Brian Sr. got a kick out of teasing the kids and the dog with this horse! Justin thought it was so funny at first but soon grew tired of being chased by a horse on a stick! Roc, however, lasted a bit longer and soon decided to teach the horse a lesson! He was playing and even though it looks as if he is trying to take the horse's head off, he was being gentle!

Unwed Mothers in Korea

This article was in the NY Times today. It is very interesting, and sad. Adoption is so bittersweet. In order for their to be a gain, there has to be a loss. There cannot be joy without sadness. I am sad for the the loss that the birth parents have to endure, and happy for our family. I am sad that Kathryn will be losing every thing she has known when she arrives here, but happy for all that she will gain with us. Her birth parents are heart broken, but also (I hope) hopeful for her future. I cannot imagine the sacrifice in wanting more for your child than you are able to give.


The article is really good. I get a lot of questions about Korea and unwed mothers and adoption and this story explains it all. I am happy that steps are being taken to help unwed mothers, even if they are small steps. There is a rumor that Korea is trying to put steps into place to end foreign adoption in the next few years. If this is to be achieved, I guess there is almost no choice but to start implementing some sort of incentives and support programs for unwed and single mothers.

Funny Faces at Dinner

The boys grew tired of waiting for Justin to finish his dinner, so they got a bit silly! The boys ate quickly because spaghetti and meatballs is their favorite! Of course, it was not long before Justin had to join in!

Sean

Brian

Justin trying to finish quickly
Justin's first face

The winner!

Kathryn's Carseat!

Woo-hoo! Kathryn's car seat has arrived! I found the one that I really liked and my Mom said she would buy it for me! I haven't seen this fabric in stores and found a website that had it on sale really cheap - with free shipping! I wanted something that said girl, but nothing too frilly. It also had to be dark in color because the boys will constantly be walking by it to get into the back of the van! Now we just need a baby!

Tough Game

Brian's soccer team played so well today! They are undefeated and were also playing another team that was also undefeated! The other team had not even had a goal scored on them in the first three games! It was a really closely matched game and Brian's team ended up winning 3-1! It was a really exciting game to watch - kind of nerve racking for the parents though!

Fair and Festival!

Today was the boys' school fair. They always have a great time. It is nice that they are old enough to run around the school yard with their friends. They of course got a lot of silly prizes that will soon be in the circular file! Shhh, don't tell them! This year was really fun for Justin. It is the first year he was really able to play some of the games. His favorite was searching for candy in a huge pile of hay!

After the fair, we went to the University of Pennsylvania for a Korean Festival. Friday was Chuseok, with is the Korean Thanksgiving. They make a big traditional meal, visit family, and give thanks for their family and food. The boys were a bit shy when we got there, but quickly warmed up. It was sponsored by Korea students there. They had a few craft stations for the kids - coloring pages, making hacky sacks, and making kites. They had Korea food, which we arrived too late for and even Korean music playing.

The best part was that I got to talk with some of the students about Korea. They have all been there and some were even born there! They taught me how to pronounce Yi Seul - which I was doing all wrong, and still find it hard to say! The "s" sound in Seul is really hard - it is said which teeth together and sounds nothing like anything in the English language.

They made a list of the best things to see in Seoul too! They were so nice and helpful. They started their club to help bring Korean culture to Korean adoptees. They are even doing a mentor program for the older kids. I have a few e-mail addresses and they said they would help and answer any questions I had about culture or language or Korea! I am so excited to have that connection and hope they continue the program in the future for when Kathryn is older!

Brian's Birthday

Happy Birthday Brian Sr! It is his last without a daughter in the house! Boy will things change when we add some pink - and another kid!

Passports!

I was really surprised today when our passports arrived in the mail! It was really quick, we just applied on September 16th! I wasn't expecting them for another few weeks! Okay, so we are ready to travel! I wish the rest of the paper work would go this quickly!

And we decided to bring Brian Jr. with us to Korea. He has been asking us all the time and is really wants to go. I think he is old enough to get something out of it, and also old enough not to melt down in a foreign airport! We took him to get his passport tonight. He is very excited to be getting a passport!

Oh, and when Brian was born, our county only gave out the "short form" birth certificates. It only has his name, birth date and hospital on it. In order to get a passport, he needed the "long form" one. It has more info included - but the part we needed was the parent's names. So, we took a fun trip into the city.

While I was there, I also got a new one for Sean and I. Justin has the long form one since he was born after 2005! I figured while I was there I might as well get them all done! Brian Sr. got a new one a few months ago because he lost his! Now the whole family has the "long form" and we are ready for anything!