Why Adopt?

Since I was in high school, I have always wanted to adopt. God placed that desire in my heart at a very young age. This desire did not wane when I married my husband. He knew my heart from the very beginning, but I knew he did not feel the same way. As time progressed, God blessed us with three healthy and handsome boys. Adoption was placed on the backburner for a while, but when my youngest started kindergarten, God reawakened that desire. I mentioned it to Mark, and I could tell he was still not interested. My close friend and mentor suggested I begin to pray about it and not say a word to my husband about it in the meantime. So this is what I did. I began praying in the fall of 2007 about adoption and when spring of 2008 rolled around with little change in my husband, I began to think God was closing this door.

Then one evening, I was folding clothes and contemplating domestic adoption (My brother adopted two little girls domestically and had given me some information to read) I decided that my heart was really stuck on international adoption. About 2 hours later, my husband came home. He had been trying to decide where to invest some extra money we had in checking, and told me that he just had no peace about any option. We had been discussing this for a couple weeks with no resolution. He finally said that the only option that he felt peace about was adopting! I about fell out of my seat and then I almost starting crying! God had brought our heart to the same place on the same night!

Needless to say the rest is history! We are both so excited about this adoption! The boys can’t wait and they will make wonderful big brothers. It is amazing how God has prepared each one of us to love this little girl and I know He will place the perfect baby with our family. Truly God has changed our desires and placed His desires in our hearts. It reminds me of the verse, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

Loyal Fan

Yes, KU lost last night and will not advance to the elite 8, but Drew is still a dedicated fan (or fanatic!!) He is currently watching the DVD of last years NCAA championship game and reliving their past glory. Rock Chalk baby!

Blizzard..well for us it is.

We don't typically have very much snow where we live, but last night we got almost 4 inches and there is about 2 inches of ice underneath that! Snow and ice in March?! How weird.

Why Korea?

Why did we choose to adopt from Korea? Well, honestly the country chose us. I know that sounds weird, but really it wasn’t out intent to start there. For many years I always wanted to adopt from a Spanish speaking country. I have my degree in Spanish and obviously speak it . I have taught in many schools where 90% of the students were native Spanish speakers and through these experiences have learned much about various cultures. I had lofty visions of teaching my daughter Spanish as she grew up, and seeing her blossom in my care.

Well, that clearly didn’t pan out! By the time we arrived at the decision to adopt, there were no such countries still open for international adoption. So clearly this door closed. We then researched China, but the waits were too long so we went back to the drawing board. We then considered the Philippines and for various reasons, that door also closed. We were too young to qualifiy for the Ethiopia program (Who knew?!) I was quite frustrated at this point so I called Holt (our agency) to explain our situation. The lady on the phone said, “Well, it looks like you fit all the criteria for the Korea program.” With that, I called my husband and we decided to go ahead with the Korea program. This is why we say we didn’t choose Korea. It chose us. Actually, I have to say, God directed us to Korea because He knew our daughter was there.

Brooke's Room

My fabulous husband surprised me with the sweetest gift ever! He bought me this frame for baby Brooke's room. I had seen the frame about 9 months ago and the poem on it made me tear up. So, when I finished my Master's degree, he gave me a gift certificate so I could go buy it. I was in luck because the frame was on sale, so I was also able to buy some cute bedding too! I love buying pink!!!

"Drewster"

Here is my middle boy Drew (on the right). He loves sports and will watch ESPN non-stop. He is also completely obsessed with KU (Kansas University). Seriously, he wears a KU jersey or t-shirt daily; just like he did on this "first day of school" photo!

"Nickus"

Here is my oldest son Nick. He loves the Texas Longhorns and has a burnt orange room! He has Alopecia Areata, which is an autoimmune disease that caused his hair to fall out. He is completely healthy; he just has no hair! We love rubbing his bald head for luck and his friends like to write on it with Expo markers!

"Jacker"

Here is my youngest boy Jack. He is a cuddle-bug! He is very easy going and the one who always makes us laugh! He also loves football; especially Ohio State football.