I knew it would be beautiful. I just never expected it to be so big. Leaving as quickly as it had come, the dense fog around us rolled back dramatically, revealing steep cliffs that towered over us on either side. Virid moss clung tightly to the damp...
We have a little surprise…WE’RE ADOPTING AGAIN! Four years ago, in early 2017, Brian and I saw a photo of a little boy we couldn’t forget. He was with a foster care organization in China we had recently connected with, so we began seeing updates about...
Over the years - and especially in light of recent events - I have received lots of messages and questions about what books and resources Brian and I recommend in the adoption world. At the same time - and also especially in light of recent...
About 2 years ago, way back when Brian and I were still waiting for the Seoul Family Court to approve us to meet Gideon, my friend Michele invited a bunch of us mamas-in-process to come to her house and learn how to make kimchi. So...
I looked out across a cozy room full of families this week, all considering adoption and foster care. I saw the resolve on their faces and the fire in their hearts. I wondered how God had brought them to this place, and I prayed...
While we were still waiting for Gideon to come home, another mama mentioned a form called G-884 (“Request for the Return of Original Documents”) that we could file with the United States Center for Immigration Service (USCIS) once we got home. USCIS is the agency...
We genuinely thought the adoption paperwork was over once we got home. Now we’ve learned to laugh at paperwork, because I’m pretty sure it never truly ends, haha. We came home from Korea to find we not only had one final mountain of documents to work...
We were SO excited when my Orlando-based company announced they would be flying all employees and their families to Orlando to celebrate our BIG year at the company with a trip to Disney! For one, we had seen the prices at Disney and had pretty...
December flew by as we prepared for our first Christmas as a family of three, Gideon’s first birthday home, and for our trip to Disney World! Gideon’s receptive English has absolutely exploded this month, and he’s gone from understanding some of what we say to most...
Note: This post is part of our full Korea Adoption: Guide to Seoul. Packing was seriously one of the most stressful parts of traveling to Seoul, and it’s still one of the most asked questions we get via our blog! Especially as first-time parents, we really had...