Our Journey

Our Terrific Kid

2012-01-31T08:29:00.003-06:00

Nathanael was chosen as the Terrific Kid in his classroom the start of December. Every child takes there turn but they have to work so hard to be recognized. At first he didn't care to be the terrific kid but I think he was just scared that he might not be picked. The week they celebrated him was the first week of January, and his classmates spoiled him rotten. Daddy and I both ate lunch with him, too. He brought one of his favorite animal books. We have video of him receiving his award, shaking everyone's hands, and giving knuckles to his Principal. We still can't believe this little baby given to us so many years ago could be this old, and he sure makes us proud every single day that we are his parents.

Changes are coming!

2011-12-22T12:48:00.003-06:00

We have decided to sell our house and find a bigger one for our family. It has been a stressful couple weeks but we are really hopeful and excited for what 2012 will bring. I just love this song and has been a comfort to me in the past few weeks. I know that God has a plan for us, and I need to trust in him that things will work out in his timing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IG5N27gFXs

ELBIS, Where are you?

2011-12-14T09:09:00.002-06:00

Most every morning, Joshua comes out of his bedroom aimlessly wondering saying "Elbis where are you?" Elvis has been sneaking around doing all sorts of things. Just last week he had a snowball fight with our stuffed Santa Claus using mini marshmallows. It was hard to tell who won because the boys ate all the evidence. This morning he was hiding in his first original spot and left the boys chocolates.

The Magic of Christmas

2011-12-06T21:10:00.007-06:00

Our family like everyone else is real busy this time of year. It seems like 2011 just started and here we are in December already. Last week we decorated our tree. Joshua has been just a delight to watch, it is almost like you are witnessing the magic of Christmas for the first time. We have an elf named, "Elvis." Joshua goes around the house saying, "Elbis, where are you?" It is so cute. I NEED to get this video taped before he is talking even clearer. That will be my goal for the weekend to charge the camera and get it recorded.

Growing Boy

2011-11-01T15:23:00.003-05:00

Joshua had his 18 month checkup last week and has really grown since his last check up. He

weighs 26 lbs. 4 oz. and is 34 1/2 inches tall. He has grown 13 1/2 inches since he was born on March 30, 2010. He is in the 95% for height. Before Dr. came in he was very busy reading books.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T15:19:00.005-05:00

Lucas (Lightening McQueen) Joshua(Blues Clues) Nathanael's (Angry Bird)

This year we did our trick or treating in record time. Usually it takes us a couple hours for 5-7 houses. Last night we started about 4:45 and were home by 8:30. We did come home about 5:45-7:00 for supper. Joshua at first did not like his bee hood on his head but by the end of the night he wasn't real happy to stop trick or treating. I need to sit them down yet and take their pictures. It is always fun to compare how they looked a year ago. All the boys wore the same costumes as last year.

October Flew By

2011-11-01T15:09:00.006-05:00

Seems like I just wrote a post, and already it is November. Happy 22nd Birthday Auntie Kalli!

We had planned to visit Omaha, Nebraska for MEA this year but we had 2 sick little boys at our house. Lucas had some kind of bacterial infection but not strep, and Joshua had an ear infection. It would have been a great trip because of the location, and we had planned to meet Barry and Jesse with the girls down there. We took the boys to the golf course one Saturday to feed the fish with Grandpa Duane. They really weren't biting that day.

Both Nathanael and Lucas had their eyes check on one of their days off. Lucas turned out pretty well, and Nathanael's eyes have changed enough that new glasses were picked out.

Leaves are Falling

2011-10-16T16:14:00.003-05:00

After lunch we went outside for a photo shoot. Joshua wasn' t that interested in having his picture taken or even the leaf pile. He was on the move, and wanted to do his own thing. The older he gets the more independent he becomes. The older boys used the leaf pile as a mattress when they would run and jump in it.

A Proud Lucas Moment

2011-10-12T21:24:00.004-05:00

Tonight was our 3rd night of Awana at our church. This year Lucas is attending, too. Nathanael is in the blue SPARKS book, and Lucas is just starting out. He was so pumped tonight because he could say this entire verse.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.

Lucas has now earned his green SPARKS book. He was so proud and unlike some of the kids in my Sparks group said it slow and clear. What an exciting time in his life!

Happy Boys

2011-10-09T23:28:00.006-05:00

Nathanael carefully looking at the butterflies. (8-1-2011)

Nathanael, Lucas, and I visited the Butterfly house after going for dental checkups. Nathanael really enjoy looking at them and was hoping one might land on him. Lucas for some reason was very afraid this time. He was a good sport and let me take some pictures.

Riding Daddy's Giraffe at the farm. 8-12-2011Lucas is my best sweet corn eater. (8-13-2011)

I'm up later than usual because I have the urge to do some digital scrapbooking. I have been busy downloading freebies and uploading pictures for August and September to Shutterfly. These are some of my favorites. I wish I had about 5 more hours of each day. I should go to bed but I want to make sure that these last 5 pictures upload.

One Month

2011-10-03T12:46:00.005-05:00

It is hard to believe already we have been in school one month. This is one of my favorite time of each school year once we are past the review, and introductions. I love when I first see my students grab on full force with the topics I present. The other favorite time is around March when I can step back and watch them work with little assistance using their technology skills.

Before our school year began we spent an afternoon with Mrs. Hansen at the one room schoolhouse the Museum owns. All 3 of the boys enjoyed their time spent in her classroom as did their MOM!

First Day of School

2011-09-08T22:07:00.003-05:00

Lucas has been counting down when school starts this year because he has been so excited to start Kindergarten. Nathanael on the other hand was enjoying his lazy days of summer. He loves school but wasn't ready for the homework he might have. Closer and closer to the first day, Nathanael was getting very excited to go back. This is new for us with having 2 kids in school. They are at different buildings. I still find it hard to realize that Lucas is there, and I am not use to Nathanael being at his building. Each day will get better.I finally had time to digiscrap. It felt so good to make these pages for each of them.

Winding Down

2011-08-26T18:10:00.003-05:00

Summer is winding down, and the lack of days is showing its true luster. Nathanael is getting mighty bored with our same old routine of playing at home or outside. Having Joshua still taking naps has really limited what he can do each day. Lucas really loves playing but has a hard time controlling his actions when things don't go his way. Today we went swimming at the pool during Joshua's normal nap time. When we returned Joshua went down for his nap, and the boys played great together for about 1 1/2 hours. They were playing Lego's, and Nathanael didn't feel like playing. Lucas not controlling himself hit Nathanael's back because he wouldn't play with him. I'm sure Lucas took his not playing personal. He was sent to his room for a time out. I went and checked on him, sure enough he fell asleep. This is a typical occurance. I wish he would just listen when I say you need some quiet time to put his actions in check.

Nathanael and I played the game "Sorry!" Time and time again I play this game with him and no matter how hard I try, he always wins. On this 26th day of August in the year 2011, I won the game. The loser had to give Mommy a kiss, and he threw in a nice hug besides. I'm sure this will never happen again!

Things to Do Lists

2011-08-09T22:07:00.009-05:00

Before shots:

Every summer I create a list of things I'd like to accomplish. I generally do get a bunch done but I always seem to have a growing number of things that keep getting pushed to the next summer. I am finding it is really hard to get things done with 3 kids. I was fortunate to do some work in my kitchen and livingroom this summer. I have so much more to do but time will tell if I am motivated to get things done or not.

After shots:
We put new carpeting in the livingroom after the majority of the kitchen was done. I had a nightmare awhile back that we had put the carpet in first and then somehow spilled paint on it wrecking it so had to wait until that was about done. The carpeting we had was old from when my parents had it in their house. They had it for many years and we had it for another 15 years. The carpet layer said it was the good stuff because it did not even fall apart when he carried it out.
(Every part of the floor under our old carpet looked like this. This is the REAL thing not laminate. Nice to know we have a gorgeous floor under our new carpet.)

So nice to look at the floor and not only see lush tans but feel how soft it is, too. Slowly we are making things better at our house. We did so much before kids but since we redid the bathroom 2 yrs ago things have been kind of a stand still since Joshua was born. Our next project includes re-caulking the windows and staining/varnishing them. Hopefully by next summer we will have our basement remodeled and laminate wood flooring in the kitchen.

Up to Bat!

2011-08-08T13:00:00.009-05:00

My Dad use to play fast pitch softball for many years until he was in his 40's.

He played for the Pipestone's Ed's team. I can remember lots of great things about going to his games. Not all of the time did I actually watch them. My Grandpa Wayne and Grandma Emma liked to watch the games from their car. That way they could listen to the Twins play at the time. Rarely did they miss my Dad's games. I can remember when my Grandpa Donald would come and watch his games and play with the little kids that would be me and my brothers behind the bleachers. One time he gave us all gum, it was Juicy Fruit. My Grandpa Donald died when I was about 6. Back then there use to be this concession stand that would come to Harmon Park and sell candy and all sorts of snacks. If a foul ball went over the fence and any of the kids retrieved it, they gave us a nickel. It was a big deal because then you could buy a sucker. Holland ball diamonds had the best suckers. Later when my parents owned the theatre, they sold them at the concessions. Dad(bottom center, white hat)
My Dad was known for his pitching. He use to scare me because he made a lot of noise when he pitched. He put everything that he had in it. I can remember his being up to plate and finding us in the crowd, then pointing over the fence. The majority of the time he whacked it out of the park. One time before Harmon made their changes, he hit one over the two lane highway just about across the street to Brown School. Sometimes if a pitcher would be ready to pitch and they had a hard time pitching to lefties, he would change positions just to be smart. I feel bad because Kalli never really had a chance to see Dad in this light. About the time she was born, he stepped back from playing.

June 25, 2011

Gotcha Days

2011-07-10T16:02:00.005-05:00

Lucas coming home! - July 10, 2006

July 9, 2004 about 12:27 pm. (Nathanael)

Today is Lucas' 5th Gotcha Day. Yesterday was Nathanael's 7th Gotcha Day! We have had a busy weekend and haven't really had a chance to celebrate individually with either of the boys. About a week ago we bought a DQ Ice Cream cake and indulged in that.

Yesterday we were at the lake for a family reunion. Nathanael's Aunt Jesse said to him, " Happy Gotcha Day!" He replied right back the same thing. Its funny because we are so thankful Nathanael is our son that yes we remember his gotcha day but we really try to celebrate him in little ways everyday. We squeezed him a little harder on Saturday and kissed him a more than normal as we celebrated him. I also said a prayer for his birth family as I'm sure not a day goes by that they don't wonder and hope that he is having a better life than they could give him.

Today is Lucas' Gotcha Day! We have pretty much stayed home in our air conditioning. The boys took a nap, and we plan to take them swimming later tonight. Just now I told Lucas that I was glad that he Got us! He said he hopes that we can go back to the airport so that he could thanked them for bringing him here. AWE! Again, I pray for his birthmother that she can feel some comfort in her son is being loved and cared for by us. Its so hard to think about how she sacrificed her happiness to make his life better. We are thankful for her!

Giggles and Grins

2011-06-13T13:25:00.002-05:00

Today is the first Monday of our summer vacation. It has been an eventful day starting with a heavy downpour. The big boys have been busy, and it is so nice to hear them getting along outside looking for creatures. Before our Bumsted and pears lunch the boys found a toad and many caterpillars. Already they have named their toad, "Simba." They are putting the caterpillars in the same bucket as their toad. We will see how long they last rooming together. The giggles from both of them are contagiously funny. Lucas is so excited because today he gets to go to peewee track with his brother and he has his first Tball game tonight. We had other plans but the rain change them. Hopefully soon, I'll add some pictures of their new pet.

Joshua spent most of his morning following me around. He helped me pick up coats and then as soon as I turned around he took them off the hooks again. He loves to be part of the action and do what his brothers are doing.

New Adventures

2011-05-19T21:08:00.004-05:00

Joshua is discovering new things in his world every day. Just last week he figured out how to stand on objects and pretty much seems to not have any fear of what might happen if he falls. Tonight he figured out how to get on top of the coffee table without standing on something. This seems so scary for me even though we have gone through it 2 times already, it just is a stage that I am not ready for. He has also discovered how to get up on the cane rocker chair we have in our livingroom by using the arms to help him out.5-19-2011

New words to him include: Grandpa, babel (bottle), mo (more), ballball(football), done. He can now sign a modified more and all done.

Hanging out with Grandpa Duane!

Afterschool, Nathanael and Lucas helped plant our flowers. We bought a cute puppy dog planter that holds 3 pots of flowers one for each of the boys. Tomorrow we plan to take our camper out for the weekend . I think we should have picked a better weekend or hopefully the weather man is wrong. I guess we will see!

Another picture of our trip

2011-05-16T09:17:00.002-05:00

It was Earth Day so we traveled over to the zoo where they had an Earth Day Event. Lucas really like the worm tunnel. When you crawled through it they pretended to be worms and how it felt was similar to how worms feel underground.

Swimming on the Pirate Ship

2011-05-16T09:13:00.006-05:00

In April we stayed at a great hotel with a pirate ship. We had a pool side room nearby. Nathanael and Lucas had a blast. The water was too deep for Josh so Mommy took him for many walks. Nathanael is now tall enough and a good enough swimmer to go down the twirly slide alone. Lucas is still pretty scared of it so he went down with Daddy. When Daddy would go down that slide alone waves of water would fall out of the pool.

2011-05-16T09:12:00.003-05:00

When Joshua is showing off or excited he always makes this face. He is really likes attention.

A Little Busy

2011-05-16T09:02:00.007-05:00

First of all I have been very busy since my last post. Here's are the highlights:

Joshua celebrated his FIRST birthday. We had his part on April 2nd at our house. Like with his older brothers he liked his cake and didn't care much for the presents. His cake was white and yummy made by his Aunt Connie. She does such a great job matching everything to his birthday invites, too. The big kids opened Joshua's presents since he really was more interested in the paper.

We decided to have a mini Toljabee event for him. He chose thread and knife.

Guests included: our family, Grandma Janelle, Grandpa Duane, Great Grandma Lorraine, Grandma Lois, Grandpa Dick, Uncle Barry, Aunt Jesse and girls (Ava, Cora, Emma), Uncle Randy, Aunt Connie, Cousin Whitney with Baby Zeke. Zeke just celebrated his birthday the Tuesday before. Joshua showed everyone that he was walking a couple steps, and Zeke toodle around on his knees. He overuses his knees so much he has calluses on them.

Let the Countdown Begin

2011-03-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

In 7 days, Joshua will turn one. This year has flown by and so much has happened. He brings us so much happiness, and his smiles make you smile right back. Nathanael and Lucas adore him. Both enjoy helping him and playing with him just to make him smile.Joshua has really grown this past year. It doesn't seem like he is going to stop at any point.
It is so funny how the other two are always about a size behind on their clothes, not Joshua.
His length is the most surprising to me and can easily wear 24 month to 2t onsies. He has no waist so he is in 18-24 month pants. Some of the 12 month pants even fit better but are rather short.

	Weight	Length
30-Mar-10	8 lbs. 14 oz.	21 1/2 inches
23-Mar-11	23 lbs. 8 oz.	30 1/2 inches

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T08:24:00.002-05:00

Every year around St. Patrick's Day a little leprechaun visits our house wrecking havoc wherever he goes. Last year our toilet water was green, and he turned our milk green. So far, he has placed coins all over kitchen, hallway, livingroom, and their bedroom. This year he left them rolos in their book bags. He even made an x out of tape on the doorway in the basement family room. He must have liked that tape because he taped the refrigerator doors shut. I hope when I go home for lunch he hasn't done anymore.

Daily Changes

2011-02-17T21:51:00.005-06:00

Joshua has been busy pulling himself up to all of our furniture. At first he was so excited for just standing in front of things but now he has discovered he can gracefully sit down without getting hurt, and how to go between the couch and coffee table. The grins of excitement on his face are priceless. He enjoys crawling under his exersaucer looking for any food he has thrown there. (cheerios) Joshua is just starting to wear 18-24 month clothing and keeps continue to grow. He really likes eating bits of bread, cheerios, and pears.
Lucas is at a milestone this year and will attend Kindergarten Round Up tomorrow. He is so EXCITED to be at the same school as Nathanael and be there to practice being a student. He has wanted to go to Kindergarten all year. Daddy took the boys to a Monster Truck show a couple weeks ago, and Lucas liked all of it except the really loud noises.
Nathanael just celebrated the 100th day of school with his class. It's hard to believe over half of the school year is over. I am still amazed at how the years fly by when school is in session. He continues to work hard in school. His biggest challenge is reading but he is making steady progress. He has had 3 perfect spelling tests in the last 9 of them. We are so proud of his accomplishments. He participates with our church's AWANA program and has been chosen to participate in the region's AWANA Olympics. He has a couple practices soon and we will go down to watch. Daddy and Nathanael have been working hard on his pinewood derby car for Cub Scouts. He'll paint it this weekend and then it will be just about finished. In January we visited a local Children's Museum again. Since then we have decided it is time to buy a family membership. We love how it is only 45 minutes from here. The kids love going there.

Three Days in Row

2011-02-02T11:35:00.002-06:00

We are on our 3rd snow day this week. Monday went fairly well because the temp was warm enough for the kids to go outside for awhile. On Tuesday, the kids were happy to go to daycare for a little while. Now it is Wednesday and with the windchill the temp is -35. AAAHHH! We watched a movie this morning and probably will this afternoon. Nathanael is suppose to have Awana tonight but I'm doubtful he will go because of the temps. I really HOPE we have school tomorrow.

I can't figure out how to rotate this.

Locking My Blog

2011-01-28T22:11:00.002-06:00

In a couple weeks I'm going to change my settings on my blog so only people we invite can view it. It has been something on my mind for awhile with so many people knowing us because of my job at school, I think it's about time. I plan to make it so all family can view but if you would like to be on my list, let me know.

Having Fun

2011-01-28T22:05:00.002-06:00

Last week we took the kids to a Children's Museum nearby. This was Joshua and Daddy's first trip there. Overall, it was a lot of fun. Joshua was so interested in watching all the people, and he even played with some toys. Daddy enjoyed climbing a wind related exhibit but I'm pretty sure it wasn't meant for Daddy's. That was a popular exhibit. Nathanael and Lucas really enjoyed painting on the window and cleaning it off. Again they loved playing with the water exhibit. On a return trip, extra shirts will be a must.

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-20T18:19:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow winter officially begins and to celebrate Mother Nature dumped 7 inches of snow on us in a very short time. School was released at 1:30. We sent Grandma Lois home early so she would make it and the boys played Lego's all afternoon. I didn't do much which I have to admit felt great. Joshua took a long nap. Fortunately Rod came home at the normal time so the roads must have been alright. I would be shocked if school were on time tomorrow. Really want to go because I don't want to miss any days before Jan. 17th. That's the next no school day but also a snow makeup day. Four more days until my baby turns 7.

Cub Scouts

2010-12-15T11:36:00.004-06:00

Nathanael is in Cub Scout this year. Last night his den went to new fire hall in town and had a tour. He had so much fun and learned so much from the tour. He loves going to scouts each time and learning about everything. On Sunday, they are going bowling for Christmas. This one will be a busier because it is all the scouts in grades 1-12 not just the first graders. Look how big he is getting! Blogger is having trouble today, so my picture I have uploaded 8 times will not load.

A Day OFf

2010-12-11T22:22:00.004-06:00

Today was Rod's first Saturday off since he started his new job in October. When we woke up this morning we found everything covered in snow and the wind was howling. We didn't do much today other than taking it easy and spending time together. I made 4 dozen cookies for Lucas' preschool bake sale. Rod bought some buttered puff corn and we made caramel corn from that. Joshua sampled plain puffs. We had a hard time keeping up with him. The boys played the iPad and the Wii a couple times today. I worked on some calendar pages and did normal household stuff. We even wrapped some presents. We were suppose to go to a Christmas party for Rod's work but with the weather the way it was we stayed home. It's just not worth the risk. Next year, hopefully the weather will be better. These pictures were taken recently.

Zupp2010cards

2010-12-03T14:13:00.001-06:00

With Love Blue Christmas Card

Make a statement with Shutterfly Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T22:05:00.002-06:00

I finally found some time for an entry. I'm getting in the mood to digiscrap again and partook of the black friday deals online for the boys scrapbooks. I'm in the process of making calendars, too. I just decided to see if this short video of the kids playing at Ikea will work or not.

Halloween

2010-10-10T17:16:00.002-05:00

We had a photo shoot today, and I took time to make this card. Now I just have to print them.

New Year

2010-10-06T08:34:00.003-05:00

4 months old(July 2010)

School has started already, and October is here! Nathanael is in first grade and loving all that first graders do. Lucas is going to two different preschools and starting to show an interest in reading. Joshua is growing so fast and doing many new things each day. Rod's job with the wind industry ended on Oct. 1st. He was given notice the 2nd week in August layoffs would occur. We had thought we would need to use his severance pay to get us by but luckily he had a 2nd interview on Tuesday and will start a new position in Garretson with another company on Oct. 11th. Change is all around us, and we are welcoming the change. At some point I hope to do some digi scrapping again. I really would like to arange and create some layouts once more. Looks like I need to do more uploading and find all the pictures from August-October on my camera.

Celebrating Life

2010-08-14T21:40:00.003-05:00

Rod's Grandma passed away the evening of August 10th. She was 95 years old and has had a rough patch the last six months. She had a lot of spunk even up until her last day. Grandma loved to crochet and share her talents with many of the workers and residents at her nursing home. We have many of the doilies she made for us throughout the years. She was a very talented lady and did ceramics in her home for many years. She painted so many things for us to help decorate our home and crocheted afghans, too.
During her time in assisted living and at the nursing home she would play bingo or other games and save her candy for Nathanael and Lucas. Nathanael gave her a treat last spring when his Kindergarten class came there and sang to the residents. So many distant relatives have shared stories of her today. It has been a great day and a day of letting go for our family. Her funeral was this afternoon. Rod was a pall bearer along with his brother, cousins, close friends, and family. She looked beautiful. Her casket reminded me of Grandma Emma's. Rod's Grandma had a green thumb so the african violets on the casket were appropriate. It has given us time to help explain things to the boys, and we are certain they understand things better. They were so thankful that Grandma would have a headstone so we could find where she was another day. They were pleased to know we will see her again in heaven:)

Dave Ramsey

2010-07-16T12:27:00.002-05:00

Most everyday we talk about how Dave Ramsey has changed our family tree meaning how we spend our money and prepare for our future. We have started a commission based system with our older boys and now are in our 3rd month. They are just started to understand and question money and how it works. I posted this on a thread on the My Total Money Makeover. The question had to do with how to manage a commission system with your children.

My oldest sons are 4 and 6 recieving 10 cents per chore they do. They are very happy with what they receive and starting to understand money. Their cap is $2 a week but if they do things out of their way we determine bonus monies. They also can lose completed tasks by fighting, refusing to stay in their room at bedtime or yelling at us. At the end of each week their total earned is divided into : spend(30%), give (30%), and save (40%) Any bonus money goes into whatever place they decide. My 4 yr. old gives it to his baby brother. Nice:) If they have 3 weeks in a row of successful chore doing they get a surprise. One time they each received a wrapped toy per their interests. My 6 yr. old went to the movie with his Dad, and my 4 yr. old chose a McFlurry with me. We are just starting our 3rd month and it works like a charm. It has really helped them understand concepts like cause and effect with their actions.

Remember When?

2010-07-11T15:32:00.003-05:00

Last Hiawatha Pageant - July 2008

This picture was taken in 2007 - Lucas looks so little here about 1 1/2 years old. Ava and Nathanael playing together at Southwest Park - July 2005 Playing in the leaves - Fall 2006 Gampa Duane smooching Lucas at the airport. - July 10, 2006. This was taken the summer of 2006 - Nathanael was 2 1/2.

Happy 4th Gotcha Day, Hyeon Kim!

2010-07-11T15:16:00.007-05:00

On Saturday was Lucas' 4th Gotcha Day. A family from St. Paul took care of him on the plane from Korea. Emily was adopted from South Korea many years ago and is now in Seoul teaching under a grant. She loves it there and misses her MN family and home.

On July 10, 2006 another beautiful son was welcomed into our family, and Nathanael became a big brother. Lucas was the only baby on the plane this time and everyone adored him. Mrs. Cho the Korean Specialist was on the plane. Soon after she came over to Lucas and sang him a Korean lullaby. What a special moment that was! Riding home in the explorer was much easier than our first trip 2 years previously!

Happy 6th Gotcha Day, Yeong Joon Lee!

2010-07-09T15:17:00.007-05:00

Jane S. is handing him over to us! What a beautiful little boy we have!Six years ago today, Nathanael came home from Korea. His escort was a girl named Jenny that also was adopted from Korea many years ago. Her family lived in Plymouth then but now live in Wisconsin. There was one other baby on that plane. A little boy the same age(6 mos.) went to a family in Marshall. You may remember how long his hair was or how pudgey his legs were. He had the best set of "thunder thighs." His smile lit up a room and still does. We made strawberry lemonade popsicles to celebrate. We plan to do some other things soon and celebrate Lucas' gotcha day then, too.

Going Home - On the way home I read his paperwork and about half way home we realized from what we read he suffered from heat rash. About every stop we made along the way, we removed more clothing until he was left in just his diaper. HA! To this day we still can remember the places we stopped and are reminded of that day everytime we travel the same roads. WE stopped at a Burger King in Savage and had a quick bite to eat. There I changed his diaper in the bathroom and a lady who came in just as we were leaving commented about how beautiful he was and how long did we have him. I had told her about an hour, she was very surprised and said "God Blessings to You," while she was leaving the bathroom. When we went to go leave the parking area we saw Grandpa Dick and Grandma Lois just getting into their truck leaving McDonald's across the street.

Relay for Life - June 2010

I'll add some more pictures in the next post. It's difficult to rearrange them once I have text.

Big Weekend

2010-07-03T17:25:00.007-05:00

Enjoying some tummy time in the camper.

Joshua - 3 months old

We took the kids camping on June 29th until July 3rd just down the road from here. It was nice and busy all at once. Nathanael and Lucas had a numbered of activities going on during the daytime so it gave us a chance to leave for a change of scenery if we needed it. On Wednesday, Grandma Janelle watched Joshua, and the boys and I went to the pool swimming for a couple hours. The water felt great and it was nice to catch up with friends there.

Nathanael - 6 1/2 years old

On Thursday, Nathanael made up his mind that it was time to remove his training wheels. He was so confident and did a lot of riding in the grass by our camper. He is really good at riding and can even do some tricks now. Lucas is begging to get his training wheels off, too. Another day we think we might just do that. Thursday night when I came in to feed Aiden(fish), I stopped at the grocery store to restock and buy a different pacifier for Joshua. We have discovered he still prefers his thumb. No surprise to me but I hope he quits that habit long before I did.

Lucas - 4 yrs. 3 mos. old

On Friday, we had Randy and Connie over for grilled pork chops, grilled potatoes, watermelon, honey dew melon, and s'mores. It was nice having them there. The boys enjoyed chasing some cute girls last night with their squirt guns.

Lucas caught 2 bullheads, and Nathanael caught 1 bullhead.
Today, was a pretty low key day until after lunch. We grilled eggs, bacon, french toast for lunch. The kids helped Daddy take our grill back to town and then returned to a fishing clinic that the state park put on. What fun that was! They received their very own tackle box and poster all about fish. They had a great time and are asking when they get to do it again.

Flocked

2010-06-10T14:36:00.003-05:00

A couple nights ago we were "FLOCKED" by some good friends of ours. The group brought them between 9 pm - 10:30 pm. Rod was outside just before 9 and went out to the camper at 10:30. He thinks they came while he was rocking Lucas in the recliner. Kind of freaky when you think of it that way. We paid $25 to send them to another's house. Our friends were FLOCKED last night. The kids were quite shocked when they saw the birds on our lawn the next morning. What fun!

First Camping Outing

2010-06-07T22:06:00.007-05:00

We took our camper to Lake Vermillion State Park this past weekend. We had planned to go to the zoo on Saturday but it was really gloomy until about 3 in the afternoon so we shopped instead. We took the kids to Barnes & Noble, they called it the library. While we were there reading in their reading corner another little girl read the book Lucas was looking at, aww! I have a picture of that. Nathanael said to me today, "he doesn't understand why Lucas has so many girlfriends."When it warmed up we took them to the Spray park in Sioux Falls. It is really nice there and they had the whole place to themselves mostly. Later that evening there was a downpour and with the tar as warm as it was, it created steam on the pavement. They went out to try to catch it. It was funny. On Sunday after spending time at the campground we headed home but stop at Ribfest and let the kids listen to Phil Baker who was singing silly songs, and they jumped in the inflatables there.We discovered we forgot a lot of things on our trip but nothing that couldn't wait. We would love to return to that State park again. We all had a good time and Joshua has now slept through the night one entire week. Can't believe it.

Back to School

2010-05-29T15:40:00.005-05:00

Lucas at Ava and Cora's birthday party- May 8, 2010
Just a couple Okoboji boys enjoying tulips!
May 15, 2010 - Orange City Tulip FestivalNathanael playing in Randy's birthday wrap- May 18, 2010

Admiring Uncle Randy's tractors - May 18, 2010

Nathanael is counting down until summer, I think it is 7 days for him. I start back to school on Tuesday for barely 7 days. I plan to wing it as far as lessons because it is my students' last week of school and in years past I give them free time. I was looking at each of the school's I teach at calendars posted and can't believe how little I will actually see them with all the year end activities.

5-22-2010- Mommy's birthday

Joshua is going to spend time between the care of his Grandma's. He is growing so much and looks so differently than his announcement picture and even his very first picture. Last time we weighed him, he was 12 lbs. 4 oz. He definitely is more than that because 0-3 months clothing hardly fits and some 3-6 months don't either.

A Little Behind

2010-05-04T17:31:00.003-05:00

I had planned to add more pictures of our family of 5 but just haven't had a lot of time between feedings and trying to get Joshua to sleep. I did have time to read through my google reader and found this. Before Joshua was born both boys enjoyed looking at pictures of when they were small.

I haven't made these in awhile but they are to die for good.

http://fullbellies.blogspot.com/2010/04/sweet-and-saltines.html

Time Moves On

2010-04-10T14:44:00.004-05:00

Just after birth!

The days went so slow that last month of my pregnancy. Now here on the flip side, time continues to move fast. One week ago, I was released from the hospital. Each day is getting better when I came home I was taking 3-4 pain pills a day to stay ahead of my incision pain. One week later I just took my first pain pill at 2 pm. I'm down to 2 pills a day. Sleeping is getting better and is still on the couch. Joshua spends a lot of time with me. Right now he is sleeping in the Buffington bassinet. Daddy swaddled him, and he seems content. Last night he slept in his crib about 30 minutes and on my chest under my chin the remainder of the night. I think that is his favorite spot. A couple days ago he slept in his crib for a total of 4 hours. I hope for more nights like that. I don't sleep real well when he's on top of me. I'm so aware of him there, that I spend a lot of the night watching him.

In the hospital

He is such a good baby. He was so active in the womb that I was sure that was how his personality would be when he was born but we are finding he is quite calm and loves to cuddle.

Can't complain about that. He sees his Grandparents frequently so they can get their baby fix. If I nurse him right before hand it makes holding him easier.

On Wednesday, Daddy took Nathanael and Lucas to the Rec for swimming. What a nice break for them. One of my colleagues I work with asked Lucas how he liked his little brother, his response was, " He was out!" Out of the mouth of babes!

On Friday, Daddy and I brought Joshua for show and tell to Nathanael's class. He was so proud and almost giddy having us there. So many kids were excited to see him and the adults I work with at the school, too.

Many have asked why his name is Joshua. For 1: we agreed on a name, it means: God Rescues or God's Deliverer

Joshua 1:9

9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORDyour God is with you wherever you go."

Nathanael's name means: gift from God Lucas' name means: to have wisdom, and Lucas' middle names Hyeon means to be wise. (We did not plan that.)

Rodney is after Daddy's name. James means, Supplanter

Joshua's first name was James about a month before he was born but then we couldn't come up with another middle name. The boys' both have 2 middle names, and we wanted that to be the same. Throughout our pregnancy verses in James were signs to us at various places.

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (NIV)

James 1:12

Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (NIV)

Past Week

2010-04-05T21:07:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday, Joshua will be one week old. It is so hard to believe how fast this week has gone. He was born on Tuesday, and we hung out at the hospital until Saturday morning. We were sure that we were going home Friday afternoon but my hemoglobin numbers kept dropping and there was a chance a blood transfusion may occur. Somehow with supplements and time my levels went up on Friday night, lowered again on Saturday but not enough to keep me in the hospital so they released us about 11:11 am.We are all doing well enjoying having him here. The boys are so in love and hardly can wait for the next moment to hold him and snuggle with him. We haven't figured out a sleeping pattern at night yet but each day is getting better. He loves to cuddle and be held. We are trying to have him spend more alone time on the floor on the boppy, vibrating chair, and in his crib. It is real hard to listen to him cry after 10 minutes of one of those activities but know it will be good for him in the end.
Tomorrow I go to the clinic to get my staples remove from my incision. They are starting to itch. This week Rod took vacation time so he will be my chauffeur most of the week and he'll work on other projects he's wanted to do for some time now. Sounds like my time is up and Joshua has decided he is done with his crib.

Joshua Rodney James is Born

2010-03-31T12:38:00.005-05:00

Before: Sunday 9 pm

After a long haul of induction and contractions our baby was delivered by C-SECTION at 8:05, Tuesday morning. He looks a lot like his Daddy but has my nose, smile, and toes. He is a good little baby and loves to cuddle. His brother's are so very proud of him and want him home yesterday. Looks like I probably will go home either Fri. afternoon or Sat. morning. I'm doing better each hour, movement is getting more tolerable and hopefully soon I can take a needed nap. I am very tired. Here are some pictures.

After : Tuesday, March 30, 2010

I'll try to add more when we are at home and have more time.

A Day to Keep in Mind

2010-03-29T02:10:00.002-05:00

This morning at 1:10 am, contractions have become intensifying. It is now an hour later and they are like clockwork 3 minutes apart. Baby has been doing some movement but not as much as normal. I think he might be ready to make his debut. I went to bed early even though at that time I was having contractions, too. Each time I got up for the bathroom it was increasingly harder to adjust to sleeping again until 1:00 am.

We are suppose to be induced at 7 am but it looks like we will probably go in sooner. I am so thankful we only live 4 blocks from the hospital. Hopefully, we will have better luck this hospital stay. Cross your fingers!

Beautiful Saturday

2010-03-27T12:32:00.002-05:00

Sure looks nice out. We haven't made it outside yet because we are gradually getting ready for our day. I made 4 bibs this morning. They turned out really cute. When the fabric doesn't slide it goes real fast, 10 minutes tops. I made all of them out of flannel. I made a couple more layouts just now. The boys are just starting to change into their clothes for the day. I caught Daddy's cold so when I look a the sun, I start to cry. I keep thinking maybe if I sneeze hard enough it might break my water. Wouldn't that be something!

2010-03-26T21:35:00.003-05:00

I think I'm getting either a little obsessed or maybe the waiting is killing me. I have printed quite a few pages for Lucas' baby book today. Lucas was so excited when I showed him what he had so far, very proud little boy. Since then I have made another 5 pages. Some are in this post and the one before. I was hoping to get to the end of December 2006 before Monday. I have other things I'd like to do before then, too. As my list is getting longer I'm noticing I really don't have a lot of time to rest in there. Why is it I generally wait until the last minute for most everything. I think I might just be normal!

Printing Layouts

2010-03-26T14:51:00.003-05:00

The other day I ordered 13x19 paper from HP so I could along with my printer print Lucas' baby pages out. In the past I have only printed to 8x8 but now with this printer I can print 12x12's and then slip them into his album sleeves. I am really pleased with how it's printing. It does use a lot of ink but the cost factor is still cheaper than the old way of scrapbooking and the ink is not that expensive. I also made a page for the baby today. The verse on the page is one of our favorite verses and has made an appearance many times during our pregnancy.

Finally Pictures

2010-03-25T21:23:00.006-05:00

First Photo : 8/7/2009

It's a Boy! - 11/25/ 2009

Toes: 12/18/2009

2/26/2010

My scanner hasn't been working since before CHRISTMAS so one of my biggest frustrations is not having digital images of the baby's ultrasounds. My Mom took the time last night and scanned the majority of our ultrasound pictures and emailed them to me. So here are some, most are identified but maybe some will surprise you. I have quite a few more but the more graphic ones we will keep private.

A Road Trip

2010-03-21T21:35:00.002-05:00

We took a quick road trip to Target on the East side after church today. We really didn't need anything but I just felt I needed a change of scenery and it was worth riding in the van to do it. I pushed the cart and boys helped me when it just was too heavy. We went to iHop afterwards for lunch and then came home. The rest of the afternoon was trying for the boys. I think they need more of a nap then just the ride home so tonight after supper they went to bed early. Hopefully that will help them both behave better tomorrow. Nathanael has a bit of a cold so maybe the extra sleep will help him.

Brrr! First day of Spring

2010-03-20T18:12:00.005-05:00

I'm glad the sun came out but wish it were a bit warmer so I could open my windows today and get some fresh air in the house. The kids played outside for a little while but when they came, hot chocolate was requested. Something about hot chocolate and first day of spring should not be in the same sentence or day.

Another hospital visit

2010-03-20T15:18:00.004-05:00

Yesterday morning we took another trip to the hospital. Contractions were closer together and more intense. They continued throughout the day until about 7:30 and then they tapered off. We were sent home about 9:00. I am so tired. Haven't done much today, laid around in my pj's and robe, made a roast for lunch and did some light household chores. I'm going to do some digiscrapping this afternoon.

Lucas' Baptism Day

2010-03-17T14:29:00.005-05:00

I'm making some progress and am now on July 23rd, the day that Lucas was baptized. His Godparents were Uncle Randy, Auntie Kalli, Uncle Barry, and Aunt Jesse. His congregational sponsors were the Norberg and Larson families. Beth Larson made his cake, it was so yummy and just beautiful.

Time to Digiscrap

2010-03-16T12:38:00.006-05:00

Since I have my digiscrap software on my laptop and most everything saved on cd's and dvd's, I have been digiscrapping when I've been laid up. Some of these I made the other day. The one with the airplanes on it was made today.

The End and Beginning are Coming Near

2010-03-16T12:23:00.003-05:00

Flashbacks of when we received our 2nd baby:

On Saturday afternoon, contractions started up again and much more intense than the last time. IT was a catch 22 on if/when we should go in. I drank plenty of water and timed them to 2-3 minutes apart for over 4 hours. Was this it? We were there for ob observation until about 10:30 Sunday morning when they admitted me. Dr. was out of town but was keeping tabs by phone on what to do. He came in around 3:00 and was basically decided we would continue to see what happens. He also mentioned he wouldn't want this to continue for 3 days. My blood pressure was not real consistent, one or both of the numbers were never within in normal range. At one point it dropped significantly but they think it had to do with the timing of just having my iv put in. That was freaky and boy was I sick. I generally don't have problems with that only when they draw blood. I stayed over on Sunday night and Rod went home to sleep. Before bed they let me take a whirlpool bath. BUBBLES GALORE! Dr. came in the morning and it was decided since the contractions were 5 1/2 minutes apart and not increasing that we need to just wait for it to start on it's own. He is very concerned that with my bp that if we try to make it happen it might be too risky. Baby's heartbeat and vitals are great from what they can tell. I am close to being ready. If my water breaks, we are to return immediately. If the contractions are more intense than now and return to 2 minutes apart, I am to return. Dr. said that generally when women come in like we did on Saturday night 2/3 of them will deliver even with the same stats as we had. He also said you need 5 things in order for labor to happen, I can't remember what they are again but we have 3 of them and with more walking and resting the other 2 will be here shortly. I'm on bed rest until the baby is born. He said get the rest of your to do list done and as much nesting as you can fit in. My next dr.'s appt is on Thursday.

A Better Day

2010-03-09T20:50:00.003-06:00

37 weeks - March 5th, 2010 ( I have more to add but have to rotate them first.)

Today was a better day for me. I slept pretty well other than up about every hour for the bathroom. I did a lot of household things and stairs to get some walking in. Then I would sit for about an hour or so to take the pressure off my belly. I signed Lucas up for Preschool next year at Grandma Janelle's church and went over to fix their computer.
Today also was the first day that Nathanael was dropped off at the end of our block from the school bus. He was so proud to walk home and hit every puddle on the way. He has been working so hard to count to 100 and today his teacher asked him to count. He made it to 59 with only missing numbers 20 and 40. Bravo, Nathanael!

Unexpected Stay

2010-03-08T10:22:00.004-06:00

Sunday was an off day with contractions starting around 1:00 pm. By 7:30 they were pretty regular enough that it get me aware of what as happening. I started writing them down at 8:41 and they were 3 minutes apart for little over an hour. We called the hospital at 10:11 and decided to go in. Grandma Janelle came to watch the boys, and we made it there about 11:00. I was hooked up to the fetal monitor and they clocked definite contractions like what I wrote down. Only thing is I'm not dilating much. The contractions continued until about 6 am and then have tapered off some. They are still there just not so frequent.

Right now they are trying to stop contractions and I would say the iv drip is helping. I still feel the contractions but they are not near as intense as they were even when we came last night. I expect I'll be going home shortly after noon.

Big Boy

2010-03-02T11:11:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Lucas convinced me that since he is now 4, and I promised him it would be okay to try going to bed with just his underwear on. I tried to convince him to wait until Friday because it would be easier to get up in the night when school isn't happening the next day. Well, I did promise him so what would it hurt. Nothing! Lucas was so excited this morning when he discovered he was dry all night. YAHOO!

Happy Birthday to Lucas!

2010-03-01T08:22:00.005-06:00

Lucas is 4 years old today. Nathanael and I sang to him. He popped out of bed and went to tell his Dad! It was so cute! He generally is NOT a morning person so to see him with so much energy was a switch. He has now decided because he is "4", he doesn't want to wear a diaper at night anymore. He was very successful at dressing himself this morning. He can do it just fine but on week days he can't. He always comments that he is "too little."

I had planned to get some cupcakes for tonight but he just won the birthday cake on the radio. I will pick that up for him later. Thank you, Coborn's.

Hiccups

2010-02-28T21:46:00.003-06:00

As I write this the baby has hiccups or at least what feels like hiccups. It is almost a beat that I can feel as he squirms around and see the left side of my stomach move at the same time. Kind of a cool experience. Things have sure progressed. My back started bothering me greatly last Monday like in my last post. I wear a back brace now and either put a heat pack or ice pack in it for the afternoons. Mornings aren't too bad but the afternoons are making it unbearable. I have had what I'm pretty sure are Braxton Hicks contractions off and on for the past couple days. I was lucky today that I didn't have a headache, that has been bothersome the last couple days, too.

We are all very excited here. Scared a bit but excited. Lucas can hardly wait to hold his brother and told him tonight before bed that he missed him. AWWE! Nathanael is looking forward to reading books to him and playing with him. They both can hardly wait. I had the cutest "big brother" shirts made for them. What a cute trio they will make together!

Getting Closer - 30 Days Remain

2010-02-23T20:17:00.004-06:00

Last week, Nathanael accompanied me to my normal doctor's appt because school was late and he needed a place to hang out. The appt was very normal other than I had a couple routine tests done. During the testing phase, Nathanael held my hand and rubbed my shoulder to soothe me so I wasn't scared. How is it possible that a child at the age of 6 years old knows exactly what to say and how to act without being modeled this at all? I was so proud of him at that moment and just a bit teary eyed, too. He is such a good boy.
The countdown has begun and is now at 30 days until due date. Things have progressed pretty smoothly but now I'm getting pretty worn out. I'm hoping I'll be able to work until the baby is born but the past 2 days have been pretty excruciating pain wise in my back. On Monday, I had some symptoms similar to labor and called the clinic. They squeezed me in and had a mini ob appt. They couldn't really find anything out of the ordinary just that the baby is out of room and putting more pressure on my back and pelvic region. I did have a non stress test for the baby to see if it was affecting him. The results are he has a very healthy heart and moves a lot. I've been wearing my back brace again and soothing it with a heating pad at night. It's too bad I couldn't just wear an electric blanket on my back while I'm teaching it would make such a difference.

President's Day

2010-02-15T14:12:00.007-06:00

We were suppose to go to out of town for an eye doctor appt but the weather wasn't very nice. Quite a few schools tried to hold classes to make up a snow day but were in fact canceled. HA!

We ran errands in the morning and went to look at Grandpa Duane and Grandma Janelle's house they bought. It has really changed since the last time we were there. It's amazing how much paint can really change the look of things. I could move in soon if they would let me. On the way home it made me realize that soon it will be final that my childhood home will not be as visitable as it has been. It's kind of sad but yet we are so excited for them, too.

A Day of Love

2010-02-14T22:21:00.006-06:00

We spent our Valentine's Day like any normal Sunday. We went to church, I taught Sunday School, and the kids went to their classes. Today we ate the Villager restaurant in town. Not too much activity around with the weather this way. The boys took a nap, and I went over to Hill for 3 hours to prepare for my long term substitute. I think it will take another 2 hours for that building and then at least another 3-4 hours to cover both Brown and the Colony. It's a lot of work to prepare for a 6 week leave. We ate Tator Tot Hotdish for supper and tried to wind the kids down but with all the sugar from Valentine's treats that is pretty hard to do.

We celebrated Lucas' 4th birthday with the Hess side of the family Saturday night. The menu included pizza, chips, pickles, chocolate cake, ice cream, and pop. Lucas picked most of the items out himself. It was fun and crazy all at once. He has really enjoyed playing with his new toys.

On another note, after uploading these pictures I realized that I never took any pictures in January. I feel really bad about this but what can I do about it now.

Forever Starts Today

2010-02-08T22:31:00.001-06:00

A Trying Day for Lucas

2010-02-06T16:49:00.003-06:00

Lucas has been testing waters lately in all sorts. I think he is working out his 3 year old kinks to get ready for being 4. I hope this every once in a while habit stops. WE just remodeled our bathroom, most everything in it is brand new. Today, he decides to mark his territory on the wall. Definitely not an accident with how much was running down the wall. Hopefully the fear of his mother will make him stop this and the cold bath he had. If he were a little older, I think I would make him clean it up.

I had enough time to scrap another page trying to capture everyone who came to welcome him home. I have quite a few more pages to make that I hope to find time when I can.

Another Lost Tooth and 33 Weeks

2010-02-05T21:18:00.004-06:00

Tonight we went to McDonald's for supper to give the kids time to play and burn off some energy. We have been eating meals planned from calendars since the start of the year. It has really helped for knowing what to make each night and less stress for me. Another bonus, our grocery bill has gone down. Generally once a week we eat out, mostly on Friday's. Sometimes we will eat out if we are out of town but not real often. I hope once baby comes along we still have some what of a plan because this plan works.

While at McDonald's Nathanael lost the other half to his first baby tooth that came in all those yars ago. I had a post about 3 weeks ago about the other tooth. He has now lost 3 teeth and his mouth is getting pretty holey.

Rod hasn't taken a side view picture of me in a long time. Hopefully he will take some more coming up before it is too late. Today marks the start of my 33rd week. I can't believe this!

Mrs. Cho

2010-02-04T22:07:00.004-06:00

Tonight I had a little time to digi scrap another picture from Lucas' Gotcha Day. I wish I had written down better events of the day. I have a copy of my online journal which is very helpful but its hard to still capture every moment. I vividly remember her taking Lucas into her arms and calming him down. She sang a sweet lullaby to him in Korean and within minutes he was soothed. She thanked us for caring for him enough and providing him with a loving home. She touched our hearts.

Digi Scrapping Again

2010-01-31T21:34:00.004-06:00

For a moment tonight, I needed a distraction from normal life and decided it was time to digi scrap. I've been feeling alright have a slight back ache and can't sit for very long without discomfort but thought I needed a little change of scenery. I haven't scrapped consistently for awhile and feel bad that I haven't done as many pages of when Lucas first arrived. With my new printer, once I have paper I can print 12 x 12 layouts for Lucas' baby book. I am so far behind. It felt good to create a page. What a moment that was when Lucas first arrived!

10 weeks to Go!

2010-01-14T21:13:00.004-06:00

Friday marks my 30th week of my pregnancy. Things have been going fairly well. All the things the books and people warn you about are starting: low back ache, swelling in ankles, ligament pressure, sleep issues.

I drank my glucose concoction on Thursday and that was fairly simple. I was not looking forward to this but it really wasn't as bad as I thought. I have not heard the results yet but am hopeful.

This photo was taken on Christmas Eve so that would have been about 26 weeks here. I need Rod to take a couple more pictures before we forget. I also would like to add ultrasound pictures but my scanner isn't working real well right now.

First Tooth

2010-01-08T19:59:00.005-06:00

About 3 days ago we noticed that Nathanael has a tooth coming in behind his bottom teeth. When you wiggle his bottom two teeth, they pretty much move together. Tonight while Nathanael was eating his pizza, he pulled out one of the teeth. It is tiny little thing. I'm surprised it was even in there as long as it was. He is really starting to look different with his smile. He has 2 other teeth that are loose and somewhat ready to come out: one on top and one on bottom.

July 2004

We discovered the tooth he lost tonight was his first tooth that came in when he was a baby. I'll post some pictures of him at some point.

Who Knew!

2010-01-07T15:48:00.002-06:00

This afternoon the boys were working on finishing up their thank you's for Christmas and Nathanael's birthday. They are both very fascinated by letters and spelling out words so I got out my electric typewrite my parents gave me for college. I wrote up a quick little thank you each could type and both of them now have typed 2 each. At first I didn't think I wanted Lucas to do it but after I left him alone I found that he was very careful with it and knew exactly what to do.

Who knew a typwriter would interest kids from the technological age.HA!

A New Year

2010-01-06T21:26:00.004-06:00

On occasion I listen to Dave Ramsey Podcasts from his radio shows. I listen to them to inspire me and motivate me to continue to strive to work our Dave Ramsey plan. We have now been following his BABY STEPS for 2 years. It seems like we just started but really it has been that long. We had hoped to be debt free besides our house early in 2010 but with the baby on the way it will have to wait about a year. I don't know many people that can say they are debt free besides their house.

We had someone from the paper interview us for their financial insert coming in the paper soon. Our name came up because we were victims of Identity Theft in April 2008. Hopefully what happened to us could help someone else out. We felt so helpless once we discovered the mess someone else created.

If you are interested in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University Classes you can click on this link. His BABY STEPS that we are working on are below and we are on baby step 2.

1. Quickly save $1,000 as your beginning Emergency Fund.
2. Pay off all your non-mortgage debt using the Debt Snowball method.
3. Save 3 to 6 months of expenses, completing the Emergency Fund from step 1.
4. Invest 15% of your regular household income for retirement.
5. Create a college fund for your children.

6. Pay off your house.

7. Build wealth and give.

Right now baby step 2 is on hold to rack up as much in our emergency fund as possible. Dave suggests that when you have what could be an upcoming emergency you stop the debt snowball and skip to baby step 3 until after the event has passed. We chose to wait until January to do this and are now doing this. Once the baby is born if things are somewhat back to normal we will go back to Baby Step 2.

One thing we are really proud of with his plan is the fact that before we started we believed we were really giving quite a bit to charities and our church. Since starting this plan we have gone from giving about 2% a month to 6% a month. Our goal is to be at 10% or more by the time we are debt free besides our house.

We are so happy we bought into DR's plan and are where we are today. Makes me wonder if being closer to debt free has something to do with our upcoming baby's delivery.

Finishing up Gifts

2009-12-21T23:42:00.004-06:00

Wouldn't you know it as Christmas approaches one of my main inventions I need goes kaput, my printer. Every year I like to make calendars for my family and for both of our parents for their anniversaries. I made one for Jesse and Grandma Lorraine and then ran out of ink. I decided to purchase a new printer and let's just say I didn't realize how big it would be. It is a monster but really prints slick. It can print paper up to 13"x 19", I really only wanted it so I could print 12 x12's but hope to try it some day. Here are some calendar tops I just finished.

15 Weeks

2009-12-12T15:06:00.002-06:00

Friday marked the start of my 25th week of this pregnancy. I was thinking about it right then how when we were waiting for the boys our social worker had said it could be anywhere from 12-16 weeks before we received our travel call. I remember thinking well, it won't be 16 weeks that is unheard of.

I'd have to look it up but I think it was just about 15 weeks for Nathanael's travel call and 14 weeks for Lucas'. I do remember Lucas' referral came 1 week later than Nathanael's but their Gotcha dates are one day apart and 2 years.

So, now here we are waiting, hoping, and praying that the remainder of my pregnancy will go fine. To know we have about 15 weeks before we first set our eyes on our son brings me back to those moments of waiting for Nathanael and Lucas with fears of the unknown of what might happen on those magical days.

This time has really flown and so far, so good!

An Update

2009-12-07T07:56:00.005-06:00

First day of Kindergarten

Goofy Lucas -Hanging Out

This marks my 24th week of the pregnancy. I have a dr.'s appt tomorrow and will know more details on if my due date is the same or has moved. Rod, Nathanael and I went to an ultrasound appt. on November 25th to see how the baby was growing and possible what gender he/she might be. They kept us in suspense the entire appt until the last 5 minutes when they discovered the baby is a BOY! Another boy, we really weren't surprised at all but had a hard time telling little Lucas whom had his mind set on a girl. It's good he is 3 because he wasn't mad about it for very long and has already adjusted to having a little brother to play with.
We moved the boys into Nathanael's room already. This was planned for Christmas break. We found a good deal on some bunk beds so took the time and just moved them. Most nights it goes fine but every once in a while one or both have to be removed from their room to sleep somewhere else. They sure seem a lot closer now that they are in the same room. Lucas comments often that "Nathanael is his best friend. " Lucas is all about his best buddies but for us to hear him say that twice in the past weekend makes us think the choice of the difference in age between them was the best decision we made. Nathanael has enjoyed the surplus of toys in his room and books. Just yesterday they were playing library but fighting over who would be the teacher girl so Daddy and I took turns for a little bit.

Over Thanksgiving break, the Hess family went to Bridge's Bay in Okoboji and stayed at a wonderful indoor waterpark. Was a lot of fun, the kids were in heaven to swim that many hours in a row without having to stop. We hope to return again.

Hess Cousins and Kalli on the pirate ship

Happy Halloween

2009-10-27T07:48:00.006-05:00

Last night was my first night since before school started that I finally sat down and did some digiscrapping. Usually I have this done a little sooner than this but better late than never. The kids are really excited for Halloween. Nathanael will be Sponge Bob, and Lucas is Thomas the Tank Engine. Their smiles just glow when they wear their costumes almost like they can't believe they are truly the characters. We have a bunch of parties to go to this weekend and hope we can make it to at least half of them. (Fri., Sat., and Sun.) I'm sure they will sleep well Saturday and Sunday nights.

Baby Update:

I'm in my 19th week and things look good. My next appt. is on November 9th, after that an ultrasound will be scheduled.

Changes, Changes, and more Changes

2009-09-18T17:29:00.002-05:00

I haven't had a lot of time or energy to do any posting lately. Our life is full of changes. Nathanael has now started Kindergarten. Lucas has started Preschool. He is so excited to ride the taxi, and Nathanael loves having his Mommy as a Teacher. I'm getting more use to having him in the room, too. It as awkward at first. The biggest change is coming for our family. All of us are expecting a baby, and this time we aren't adopting. It was a SHOCKING surprise but everyone in our families are quite ecstatic. God has given us a miracle. My due date is March 27, 2009.

Unfortunately because I am so tired and our school routine hasn't really sunk in yet, I have no time to digiscrap. I really miss it. I hope to do it again soon.

Happy Birthday Grandma Emma

2009-08-26T10:41:00.003-05:00

Today is my Grandma's birthday. Usually we would go visit her wherever she was but since she passed away we will think about her and reminisce of all the good times we had together. Missing you today especially. I love you, Grandma Emma.

Two Things I Don't Want to Forget

2009-08-20T11:08:00.005-05:00

Yesterday when we were watching Noggin, they had a commercial about the world of shapes and went the through all the kinds of shapes and counted each side. Lucas picked up a pillow off our couch and said, "this matches!" "See, 1," and his hand traced the entire side of the pillow and continued on to the next side, "2, 3, 4, it 's a square." I should have took a picture of that but it happened so fast. I'll have to include it on a digi scrap page soon.

Today, Nathanael was drawing and coloring like he loves to do all day long. He drew a picture of

a tanker truck with a big truck following. He said, "This is Daddy's BIG pick up." There is a waterfall in the middle of the picture and the water is dropping to the ocean where Shamu is swimming. I am amazed at by looking at his picture it definitely tells a story. He generally doesn't draw anything outside of say trucks, cars, tractors, or trains but to see a sun at the top with a sky and another non related truck is amazing!

More Texas Photos

2009-08-17T14:56:00.003-05:00

I'm organizing the pages I have made for my Texas book. Here's another one.

Play

2009-08-14T13:55:00.003-05:00

Everyday is all about play for my kids. It's amazing they aren't bored with our toys in and outside but that sure doesn't stop them. There imaginations just keep going. While they take their rest from play, I felt the NEED to digiscrap.

Uploading Pictures - July 2009

2009-08-12T13:50:00.004-05:00

Lucas has been kind of sleep walking. Most mornings we will either find him in the recliner sound a sleep or laying on our floor. This was after one of his early mornings of sleep walking. He fell asleep, so peaceful. (July 13, 2009)
I made this cute purse for my teaching and sewing buddy for her retirement from teaching.
I love how it turned out and kind of wish it were mine instead. HA! (July 17, 2009)

More pictures to follow when blogger is working better. I have a cute one of Nathanael wearing shades!

Spending time with Grandma

2009-08-06T14:16:00.001-05:00

This summer has really flown and I look at the calendar noticing that school is rapidly approaching. Like last year, I tried to have the kids spend as much time with their grandparents as they can. Now with Nathanael getting ready for school, I have been sending him through the backyard to visit Great Grandma Lorraine. Just today after weeks of going he has been there for 1 1/2 hours. When he first went it was barely 25 minutes. He loves spending time with her and having adventures on his own. Lucas already wishes he could go, too.

My Favorite Cowboys

2009-08-04T11:41:00.004-05:00

These were taken the day after we returned from our vacation. Notice the Texas Rangers' badge on their get up. They each have a plush horse so the shots I have from this are quite precious.

Bed time

2009-07-16T23:05:00.003-05:00

I should go to bed but I'm on a roll. Tomorrow, the boys will go to daycare and I'll be out at Keller's sewing. YAHOO! What to make? What to make? I think either a purse or some pj pants. I also have a couple book bags to make but can't seem to remember where that pattern is at the moment.
42 pages to go!

The House is Done

2009-07-16T14:14:00.003-05:00

We are now back to our regularly scheduled programming. I'm so glad the big part of the house is done. The rest will have to happen when I'm in the mood to finish trim and shutters. I still want to finish our Texas book but it felt good to do something I enjoy like creating pages of my scrapbook.

44 pages to go!

Happy Gotcha Day, Lucas!

2009-07-09T23:17:00.011-05:00

Here he comes with his escort, Emily!
We were just as emotional with Lucas as Nathanael!

Unless you know our story most would be surprised that the boys' Gotcha days are only one
day apart but 2 years. So now, on July 10th we celebrate Lucas' Gotcha Day! He was born north of Seoul so the first 2 pictures on Nathanael's post are the same.

Day 2: 7-11-2006 October 2006 March 2007: 1st Birthday!June 2008

At the zoo with Cousin Cora, April 2009!
June 2009!

Happy Gotcha Day, Nathanael

2009-07-09T09:53:00.014-05:00

Five years ago today on July 9, 2004, we met Nathanael for the first time. It was a day full of nervousness, excitement, and a bunch of emotion. We will NEVER forget that day. I sent an email out to a group of people mostly family and close friends that really supported us on our journey to your son. The first couples are pictures a mom on the Adoption Forum took while she was picking up her daughter in Korea. (Thanks, Chris!)

Here he comes! Our Escort is carrying him! Jane and Jenny took very good care of him on the airplane.There was another baby that arrived at the same time. He lives in Marshall.
First moment, "love at first sight!"

2005
2006
2007
20082009

A Couple More Layouts

2009-06-29T15:03:00.006-05:00

Another summer layout not related to our trip! We have another round of T-ball tonight. We took the boys to Brown to practice hitting from the T and throwing the ball but after 10 minutes neither boy was interested especially the one that needed the practice. We will try that again with friends that he has on his team.

Swimming lessons

2009-06-26T19:21:00.005-05:00

We are so proud of Nathanael because he passed his swimming lessons this morning. Poor kid is tuckered out and went to bed early tonight at 5:30. He is so worn out.

Happy Birthday to Grandma Janelle

2009-06-24T09:32:00.008-05:00

57 pages to go!

A New Week

2009-06-22T15:21:00.005-05:00

The sun has been out all day and is warming us up. After the boys wake from their naps, we will run in the hose in the yard. The pool I'm sure is packed. Tonight we have T-ball. I hope Nathanael has luck hitting the ball. He has practiced running the bases so if he does well hitting it hopefully he'll put two and two together and have FUN! 62 pages to go.

2009-06-22T13:31:00.008-05:00

67 pages to go!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T09:09:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Grandpa Dick's birthday last night with family and Father's Day at the farm. It was fun but we are all worn out and slept in. Tonight we will celebrate with my dad around a campfire. I hope the rain stops so we can have it. It should be a quiet day here. The 3 boys will spend a lot of time watching their favorite shows on our new screen. Rod is pretty happy it finally happened. After watching TV for the past 2 years with 6 inches of lines on the top, it was time. Will take a lot to get use to with the shortness of it but that shouldn't be a problem.

74 pages to go.

Finally Friday

2009-06-19T15:03:00.006-05:00

This week went pretty well. It was a strange one especially for weather. I'm so glad it is warm out and that we had a chance to go to the pool. This week Nathanael visited with Great Grandma Lorraine today, too. Now that he is bigger and wants to do so much on his own, I thought this might be good for him to visit or play a game with her without us around for a short time. (77 pages to go)

Celebration

2009-06-17T17:38:00.001-05:00

We celebrated the sun coming out by going to the pool for a couple hours. It was fun. A lot of people were there. We saw so many people we hadn't seen in a few weeks. The boys did a great job of listening on how far they could swim without being right by me. I really had to keep a strong eye on them with so many people there. (80 pages to go)

Our Journey

Our Terrific Kid

Changes are coming!

ELBIS, Where are you?

The Magic of Christmas

Growing Boy

Happy Halloween

October Flew By

Leaves are Falling

A Proud Lucas Moment

Happy Boys

One Month

First Day of School

Winding Down

Things to Do Lists

Up to Bat!

Gotcha Days

Giggles and Grins

New Adventures

Another picture of our trip

Swimming on the Pirate Ship

More

A Little Busy

Let the Countdown Begin

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Daily Changes

Three Days in Row

Locking My Blog

Having Fun

Winter Wonderland

Cub Scouts

A Day OFf

Zupp2010cards

Happy Thanksgiving

Halloween

New Year

Celebrating Life

Dave Ramsey

Remember When?

Happy 4th Gotcha Day, Hyeon Kim!

Happy 6th Gotcha Day, Yeong Joon Lee!

Big Weekend

Flocked

First Camping Outing

Back to School

A Little Behind

Time Moves On

Past Week

Joshua Rodney James is Born

A Day to Keep in Mind

Beautiful Saturday

More Pages

Printing Layouts

Finally Pictures

A Road Trip

Brrr! First day of Spring

Another hospital visit

Lucas' Baptism Day

Time to Digiscrap

The End and Beginning are Coming Near

A Better Day

Unexpected Stay

Big Boy

Happy Birthday to Lucas!

Hiccups

Getting Closer - 30 Days Remain

President's Day

A Day of Love

Forever Starts Today

A Trying Day for Lucas

Another Lost Tooth and 33 Weeks

Mrs. Cho

Digi Scrapping Again

10 weeks to Go!

First Tooth

Who Knew!

A New Year

Finishing up Gifts

15 Weeks

An Update