Halloween fun!!

Griffin turned 5, wow they grow up fast!

One year ago

Last year on November 4, we were told that a little 4-month-old Korean princess named Wooyoun Park was going to be our daughter! I still remember looking at her picture for the first time and wondering how on earth she could be so cute and that she looked like a Lilyana! I remember sharing the news with the boys and with other loved ones. I also remember being so happy that we were expecting a third child but I did not have to be pregnant! You see, for me pregnancy was fine once but that it was out of my system after Carter, so adoption was a wonderful way for us to grow our family! So many more important reasons that we adopted but that one I remember thinking on "referral day." We just knew looking at her that God had designed this adventure from long before adoption was even in our hearts and long before Lily was conceived. So glad that he gave us the desires of our hearts and that we were obedient, even when we had no idea how we were going to do it. I have learned that obedience always trumps fear and the payoff is so much better!

First Day of School

Griffin's first day of 4K

Meeting big brother after his first day of school!

He made it!

Getting on the bus for the first time.

Well another school year is well underway. Carter is enjoying 2nd grade and loving riding the bus! We love his school so much, this year, they had to bring their own bibles as part of their school supplies, I love that!!

Griffin is in 4 year old Kindergarten and enjoys it as well. It is at the same church he has preschool at last year. This year is going to be a year of a lot of growth and maturity for Griffin as they really focus on preparing the children for Kindergarten.

That leaves me and Lily four mornings a week, it is very quiet around here.We keep busy with errands, and play dates. I hired a sitter to come over every Tuesday morning to watch Lily. This was motivated by two reasons, my desire for some time to myself, to get some things done around town, meet a friend for coffee or just enjoy some time alone. Also, Lily is extremely attached to me so this will be good for her as well. Today was week two and she did so much better than last week, only cried for a minute when I left! I enjoyed myself a lot this morning. Now we have to work on her staying in the nursery at church and during my bible study! She is at a very fun age right now, her personality is really showing! It has been interesting having her in a playgroup with 1 and 2 year old kids, she does not know about kids her age and does not like it when they pull her, push her, or take things from her. This will be good for her and for me! I am meeting some new friends with little ones and anybody who knows me knows how I like to meet new people!

I also starting serving on our high school ministry team. This experience is going to change me forever, already has in just 2 weeks! Watching 15, 16 and 17 year olds in love with Jesus, praising Him and trusting Him in ways I just learned to do, is so inspiring! I wish I had known what they know at their ages. I have a lot to share with them but so much more to learn from them.

More Summer pictures!

I took each of the boys out on a "date" before school started. Love one-on-one time with them.

So happy I captured this picture, priceless!

Griffin and his lemonade stand, he also had a thrift sale, made $40 dollars!

Lily, 5 months home!!

Wrapping up Summer

Dad took the boys on a surprise trip to Lego Discovery in Chicago, BIG hit!!

It is hard to get a picture of all three of them. this was just by accident!

Lily loves the beach, she loves the water of course the boys do too!

I know it is already a few weeks into the school year but this post is going to be about wrapping up our summer!

We enjoyed a few camping trips this summer, Lily was not a big fan of camping, but the rest of us really like it! We are so blessed by Ty's parents in so many ways, they offered to keep Lily for a weekend in August so we could enjoy a camping trip with the boys and 5 other families! And enjoy it we did! The weather was perfect and all 15 kids had a great time. The 12 parents all had fun as well. We are so blessed by so many wonderful friendships! That was our last camping trip in our camper, it went up for sale the day after we got home. It is a nice camper and I have no plans of tenting it in the future but have decided that we may hold off on camping for a couple years until Lily is a little older. We will take the boys here and there in the years to come but for now we plan on selling the camper. We hope to get a different one some day as camping is a lot of fun.

It was a fun summer, having three kids at home to entertain was challenging at times but we figured it out. The boys enjoy playing with one another which is good because I am quite busy with Lily lately. She loves her big brothers so having them around was fun for her!

We are ready for the Fall but not so much the winter!

Big Moments!

Daddy and his little princess~

Signing the final papers!

Mama and her baby girl!

Lily in Marshfield.

We have had a couple of wonderful and BIG moments over the past two weeks. Last Wednesday we had our final court date for Lily and Judge Proctor signed the final paperwork so now we can get her a new birth certificate and her name can legally be changed to Lilyana Wooyoun Ellis! We can also apply for permanent citizenship for her once we get her new birth certificate. Judge Proctor was so nice, wanting to take as many pictures as we could, he even requested we send him one and showed us other adoption photos that he has. To quote him, "This is the best part of my job!" Even thought this was just a formality it is nice to have it completed.

This week Ty and Lily went to Marshfield do that she could have an Echocardiogram (ultrasound of her heart). She was born with a hole in her heart so this was a follow up appointment to check the status. Praise God her heart is perfect, "beautiful" as the technician said! The very best news we could get, out beautiful daughter has a perfect, beautiful heart!!

We are so blessed and give ALL of the Glory to God!!

Summer FUN!!

RCU Charity Classic Race!

The boys love to play in their pools! 4 hours straight on this day!

Lily also loves the water, it wasn't long before she was

heading over to the boys' pools.

Lily is getting close to walking, we are ready for her to walk

on her own.

Lily loves sun dresses, OK mom loves her in sundresses!!

Ice Cream Man!!

Who wants ice cream??

Waiting......

We Love Summer!!

See you next Wednesday Ice Cream Man!!

First birthday Korean traditions

There are many Korean traditions that we are trying to carry out for Lily. There are a few that surround the first birthday. Children wear a traditional Korean dress called a Hanbok. They are beautifully hand made garments and we were blessed to get two for Lily's first birthday. One from her foster mother, which was so special and a second from our Korean friends. There is also an event that occurs at the first birthday party called a Toljabee. For this you place several items in front of the child, usually a bow and arrow, a needle and thread, book and pencil, rice cake, ruler, and a knife. When these things are placed in front of the child the child will reach for them. Which ever one they reach for determines their future. Each one has it's own meaning. We chose to skip this at her birthday party and do it as it's own event. Lily reached for the pen first which means she will be a successful scholar.

We could not get a smile out of Lily for her pictures which was a bit strange because she smile a lot now. Turns out she was not feeling well, she got sick a couple hours later with a tummy ache and fever. So we are happy she was just cooperative! She looks so beautiful in those garments!!

End of school and first birthday.

Once again I am amazed at how fast the year went by. Carter completed first grade and Griffin preschool and Lily turned one. Now I have a second grader, a 4-Ker and a one year old. Get this; when Lily is in Kindergarten Carter will be in 6 grade and Griffin in 3 grade, that means three kids in private school, and that will be about the time the orthodontist appointments start, YIKES!! I may have to get a job, I sure hope I don't I love being home. I suppose it will be different when all of the kids are in school. I am very excited to have Carter home for the summer, he is a big help and he and Griffin play pretty good together and Lily loves her big brother. Carter is such a sweet boy with such a tender heart, he is also very active and loud. He has such a silly side which is fun but as I said LOUD! Griffin has matured a lot over the past year and is really starting to be more independent and he has really surprised us with his patience with his baby sister. He is a talker, he talks none stop and some of the things that come out of his mouth are unbelievable, that child remembers EVERYTHING!

We have a few camping trips planned for the summer and the boys are involved in many activities so we will be busy but with Lily we are trying to stay closer to home which is nice.

Lily had a wonderful first birthday, we had such a good day. Lots of family and friends to celebrate with her. Many of my family members met her for the first time last weekend. She is such a sweet baby and totally out of her shell now that she has been home for three months. She is even starting to throw little fits when she does not get what she wants.

So for us, life is full of adventure, love and joy! God has blessed us beyond what we could ever imagine and we give him all the glory!!

More pictures.