Home Improvement Project?!

"Why the picture of Ronn working in a pink room?" you ask!  Our pink office has been on our list of needed renovations since purchasing our home FIVE years ago and one thing after another has prevented it from happening.  Well... a couple weeks ago (sorry we're a little late in posting) we found out that our trip to Korea is very likely not going to happen in June.  It seems that the Korean government is a bit less efficient than the U.S. government so now that things are in their hands we have reached a stand still.  Our best case scenario for travel may be mid-July and our worst case scenario may be early August.  So with this in mind, we decided that a home improvement project would be a productive way to keep ourselves occupied as we wait. We would, again, ask you to keep us and our precious Titus in your prayers as we trust God with this disappointment.  Even in our disappointment He is good and His plan is perfect. 

Increasing anticipation

Our mail slot has become the source of great excitement these days!  Peeking under it this past Friday revealed more unexpected good news - Titus' paperwork passed through the National Visa Center in record time!  Instead of sitting there for two to four weeks (the standard time frame), it was in and out in just over a week!  The last thing on the agenda now is his visa and passport.  As soon as that is issued we will receive our travel call!  Perhaps we will be traveling in June, maybe even EARLY June!  So... we made a trip to the consignment shop and brought home a fun bundle of 6-12 month size BOY clothes.  After shopping in girls' apparel for the past five years, it is great fun to search through shades of blues and greens!  

 

The drawers are filled, the crib is made, and this lonely rocking chair is ready for a baby!  Please pray that it will be in use very SOON!  

Faster than expected...

As I peeked under the mail slot this past Thursday I noticed an envelope from Immigration Services.  Given that we were not expecting this for at least two more weeks, I cautiously opened it thinking it must be a request for more information.  But instead I read the word "approved" on the front page!!  I immediately dialed our program director who said that she was as shocked as I was and told me that we may actually find ourselves on an airplane in just one month!!  It seems that God may want our baby boy to join our family much sooner than we had expected!  Please keep praying with us!   

Awaiting Titus

As we wait for our little Titus we are finding ways to help the time pass more quickly.  Something that was very fun for all of us was putting together a package for him.  We held several photo shoots around our house (see below) to get just the right pictures to place in a baby photo album for him, we picked out a soft, sweet lion for him to cuddle, and we wrote a letter to his foster family expressing our gratitude for their wonderful care of him.  

Please continue to pray with us for patience and for things to move along at the expected pace, or maybe even a little bit faster!  His paperwork is currently in the hands of U.S. Immigration.  It takes about three to six weeks for them to process everything and then it will be passed on to the National Visa Center and remain there for two to four weeks.  When it finally reaches Korea we will wait for him to be issued a Visa and a passport.  Once this occurs we will be given a ten day notice to travel to Korea!  We hope to be on a plane by mid-July, but we know that God's plan is better than ours and we are comforted to know that Titus is resting in HIS arms as we wait for him to be in ours.  

Wonderful News!

This past week we received the wonderful news that our precious little son was born in October of 2008 in Seoul, South Korea!  He is very healthy and very cute (unfortunately we had to remove his picture due to confidentiality rules, but if you didn't see it previously feel free to e-mail us and we will send you one privately).  He has been living in a great foster home since birth and will stay there until we are approved to travel over to pick him up.  Please pray with us that he will remain healthy and continue to grow and develop well.  Pray that we will be able to travel as soon as possible (the typical wait time for travel is three to six months).  Given that he is already five months old we are hoping that we don't have to wait the full six months.  Our arms are aching to hold him and we can't wait to kiss his sweet little face!  We would also appreciate your prayers for us to be able to bring all the finances together to fund the remaining costs of the adoption. Words cannot express our joy over this precious gift from God!!

Two-Year-Old Delights

For reasons unknown to us Elaina has formed an attachment to this sun hat... it is especially important that it be present at bedtime!  She is also enjoying the experience of sleeping in a big girl bed and sharing a room with her sister.  Although, the newfound freedom of sleeping without bars has caused her parents a bit of stress!! 

Since then...

Since our last post in September, which covered June, we've enjoyed many blessings. Sorry for the delay, we hope you enjoy...

Fashion is very important in our home... one of several outfits donned by Elaina in a given day!

Summer crafts at Mimi Lulu's

It's a hard life - the summer knees of our active little ladies!

Mmmmm, fudgesicles at Mimi's!

After the kids go to bed we spend quality time together... rousing conversations!

Each summer, Sadie (Elizabeth's sister) spends some extended quality time with us - it's always a treat to have her all to ourselves for a while!

This lady, Gramma 'Laine, has been a powerful influence in my (Ronn's) life. As a teenager I spent many late nights talking with her about life and Jesus

Elizabeth's October excursion - meeting up with dear friends (college roommates) for days and nights of uninterrupted conversation, fabulous food, and sweet fellowship in San Francisco

An excursion to the park during Elizabeth's absence - Ronn did a fabulous job and even learned to fix both heads of curls! Although he did enlist the help of the grandparents for part of the time!

At the patch in Puyallup (pew-al-up)

A productive December as we renovated our guestroom/playroom

I'm only allowed to wear this shirt in the house. This picture is dedicated to my friend, Matt Stanley, who inspired me with a very similar creation (he actually wore his out of the house).

The result of our efforts...

Our Decembers are filled with many birthday celebrations...Jesus, Brielle, Elizabeth, Elizabeth's brother Joey, our niece Claire, and Elizabeth's mom

There's a little taste of our life since the last post in September. Hope it was worth the wait!

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