Beautiful Day @ The Zoo

The weather was gorgeous last Saturday, so we spent the morning at the zoo. It was so nice to have a family outing outside--for the longest time, it seems, we've been so busy or out of town or Tanna has been working or the weather has been yucky, etc., etc.


Kate was beside herself with excitement over running around outside!


Posing with the warthogs


Kate wore her zebra outfit just for the occasion.


True fanz


We ran into some friends from church ... as well as some other friends, too! Found out later that even more friends were there that morning--too bad we didn't cross paths with them.


Eagerly waiting for her panda stamp


Mother and child--not too much longer before they will be separated (if they haven't been already)


Jump for joy!


Riding the carousel


Playground fun with Ah-Pah

We love the zoo!

Bye-bye, Chairs

It's splitsville for Chair No. 1

Remember the new chairs I was so excited about a few months ago? Well, we had to go our separate ways earlier this evening. Yup, I loaded up those bad boys into my car (all by myself, I might add!) and dropped them off at Lenox, where we first met. I was a little sad about it, but I held it together pretty well. I can't say as much for the chairs--three of them were already coming apart.

Har, har, har. I'll be here all week, people. (Actually, I take that back. We're moving in a few days. I'll be here most of the week. ha!)

Yeah, so on Sunday morning I sat down in one of our chairs to enjoy some toast and Coke. And something kind of pricked me or scraped me or something. Anyway, I turned around to find that the wood on the chair was starting to split! Tanna and I then examined the rest of the chairs, and the same thing was happening to another one--and pretty much in the same place. Not good. We hadn't even had the chairs for three months--and they weren't exactly what I'd call cheap, either. Also, it's not like the chairs are used heavily.

If you look up the chairs on Crate and Barrel's Web site, you will see that the same thing has been happening to other customers. :o( And that meant that I'd need to return the chairs and start my search all over again. If it was just one of them, I could order a replacement. But now we are back at square one. It took me a long time to find chairs that I loved. These chairs were just what I was looking for--the finish, the design,the simplicity. Oh well. I guess it was good we discovered the cracking before we moved them. Four less things to load up this weekend.

On the bright side ... Crate and Barrel was great about the whole thing--score one for their wonderful customer service!


Chair No. 2--splitting in the same place.


When I was getting the chairs ready to take down to the car, I realized another chair was starting to split as well. :o(

Halabaji's Birthday

Halabaji recently turned 73, so we celebrated with sushi at a nearby restaurant. Well, I had chicken--what else?--but the others had sushi (except for Kate). OK, so some people celebrated with sushi, and the rest of us celebrated with them. Happy birthday, Halabaji!


Sharing sake


Kate may work the iPhone better than I do--LOL!


Look at Kate!


Happy Birthday!

Reindeer PJs and a Few Other Tidbits

Kate is obsessed with these reindeer PJs. She asks to wear them almost every night. And lots of days, too. LOL!

A few other items to note:

• "Ah-Pah's in the red car!" One of Kate's quotes lately.
• As soon as we get home, Kate does a great job of sitting down right inside the door to remove her shoes. Sometimes she is kind of in the way to where I can barely get inside, but I am glad she is in the habit of taking her shoes off when we get home.
• Loves going to Sunday school and requests or announces that we will "go to Sunday school tomorrow" or "church tomorrow."
• "Don't drop it!"
• I am constantly amazed at her vocabulary, especially considering where we were this time last year. It's so neat to be able to ask her a question, and she will answer it!
• She likes to play with the two shoe horns that are kept by the shoe rack. She will come up to us and act like she is helping us with our shoes. She also likes to pick out shoes for me to wear--including her cow boots. I try to explain to her that they are too little, but she keeps bringing them back. What a sweetie. :o)
  
• She loves to go to the farmer's market with Tanna and knows the Korean name for it.
• "Great job, Kate!" LOL! She will say this to herself when she does something good or noteworthy. hahaha
• A few weeks ago, I wanted to see if Kate remembered the signs she used to use (for "more," "please" and "all done"). And she does! Since then, she has started doing them every once in a while (in context) and it completely cracks me up. Sometimes I prompt her, and I find it hilarious for some reason.
• For a long time (a long time ago), I tried to get Kate to make the sign for "I love you," but it never caught on. Something must have clicked, though, because when we were in Tennessee, Uncle Steven was saying good-night to her and did the "I love you sign" to her and she replied, "love you." So sweet.

A Date with Da Vinci

Earlier this month, we visited the High Museum of Art and took advantage of Bank of America's Museums on Us program. (If you are a BOA customer, you should totally check out this program. It allows you free admission to many museums and other attractions during the first full weekend of each month. It's a great program--but it does look like some of the participating venues aren't on the list this year. But I digress ...) (Another side note: The High also grants free admission to Fulton County residents the first Saturday of each month. You can read more about it here.)

It was nice to get in for free--especially because parking in the museum's parking garage will set you back $12! Yes, you read that right: $12! Ridiculous, but that's another story.

I really want to like the High. I do. And I will admit that the two times we have been, it has been on a Saturday offering free admission via the above programs. So I understand the crowds. But it is more than that. The museum is so hard to navigate and so spread out. I don't think it is just me, either. You think you can get to one place via this stairwell or that hallway--only to find locked doors. (I don't know for sure, but it seems to me that has got to be some kind of fire hazard or something.) Then it takes about 10 minutes to figure out another route to your destination. OK, I am exaggerating, but you get the idea. I felt like a mouse in a maze with no exit or prize. I wanted to see a particular exhibit (other than the Leonardo da Vinci one), and it practically took an act of Congress to get there. OK, so maybe I was in a bad mood anyway, but still. It was ridiculous. I was so frustrated and turned around, I was ready to leave before we even found it.

On the brighter side, though, the museum does have a great children's area. Kate especially enjoys the area where kids can make marker drawings. I know--what a surprise, huh? ;o)

Oh yeah, we saw the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit. It was neat. I enjoyed it about as much as one can with a 2-year-old in tow. :o) I think Tanna enjoyed it a lot more--he got the headset to learn about some of the pieces on exhibit. He is the one who really wanted to see it, so I am glad. Unlike last time, no photos were allowed--so I don't have a lot of pics. But here are a few of our visit ...


Our budding artist


Explaining her art. I think one of those guys is Ah-Pah. Seriously. :o)


Smiling with Mommy


More art


Outside and ready to go--Kate's face completely cracks me up!


One last photo with the giant horse in the background.

Olympics Theme Song

More thoughts on the Olympic Games to come ... but I found this on YouTube and wanted to share. This song is special to Tanna and me because it is the song we had played when we were introduced at our wedding reception. I doubt anyone else who was there remembers but us--LOL! We got married in an Olympic year--2004--so we thought it was a nice way to commemorate that year's Summer Games. Plus, we just like it, and it makes a great intro piece. Anyway, when we hear this song, it brings a smile to our faces and a very special day to mind.

Come Together Now

Come Together Now - Music City Unites For Haiti from Provident Label Group on Vimeo.

The Breaking of the Dawn

I am not referring to a vampire story--which comes up a lot when you google words like the ones in this title--but rather the beautiful Fernando Ortega song on his record of the same name. I listened to this song on repeat on my way to Tennessee last week. The lyrics recount the overnight drive of a son on his way to his ailing mother's side. While it doesn't exactly fit our family situation, it certainly hits home. I love Fernando's soothing voice, and his songs are so poignant and powerful.

Here are a few excerpts from "The Breaking of the Dawn":

My brother's and my sisters' faces linger
The hours of our childhood, grave and gold
Driving through these solitary places
Memories of their gentile kinship touch my soul

The hawk wheels away as we pass here
The clouds billow up and fly on
Down the road, some hard turns are going to shake us
Ride with us through the breaking of the dawn

I worry for my loving mother
The dimming years, the trials she has known
Her heart, so kind and so weary
Keep her safe one more night till I get home

How I long to be right there beside her
And bring everything back to before
We'll arrive with the first light of morning
Keep her safe; let me hold her once more

Eating Out with Adoption Friends

A few weeks ago, we met two other families--who also happen to be adopting from Korea--for dinner at a local Korean restaurant. We first met them last fall at a "waiting" dinner, an event at our agency where couples who are in the waiting process of adoption get together to share a meal and enjoy an adoption-related program. We talked then about getting together at a Korean restaurant, and I am so glad it finally worked out. The food was good, and the company was even better. It was a great night--it is so nice to connect with other people who are going through the same process.


Julie and Chris--they received their referral back before Christmas (when they happened to be traveling in Korea and Japan!). Their son should be coming home soon! Julie was instrumental in getting us all together. Thanks again!


Jeff and Cathy--their referral could be coming any day now!


Cathy with Charlie, their little boy. What a cutie!


Charlie and Kate had fun together!


Here we are.


The food has arrived! Looks like Chris ordered Bee-Bim-Bop. At least I think that's what it is. :o)


Table shot!

We hope to get together again soon--as well as meet other local families who have been through or are going through the adoption process. It's important to have friends to learn from and also to share this experience with. Sorry for ending with the prepositions there, but you know what I mean.

P.S. In case you were wondering, we ate at Woo Nam Jeong Stone Bowl House on Buford Highway. Nice place! We had our own little room, which was great--especially with the kiddos. :o)

Tea Collection's Korean-Inspired Clothing

Have you seen the latest Korean-inspired line from Tea? I just got my new catalog last night, and I love, love, love it! Tea's lines are heavily influenced by Asian culture, and the catalogs tell the stories behind those influences. I love to look at the catalogs, even though I have never placed an order. (They remind me just a little bit of J. Peterman catalogs, which are so fun to read.) I believe the last Tea catalog I received (before this one) featured items with Japanese influences. I enjoy reading all of the concepts behind the clothing.

Kate has one pair of Tea pants that I bought at a consignment sale--but I think that's the only thing of Tea's we've ever purchased. I have always loved the look of the clothing--and like the fact that merchandise is available in various stores as well as online. But it is kind of pricey. Someone mentioned sizing up, that some of Tea's items may run a bit on the small side. So there you go.

While all of the new line--for both boys and girls--is adorable, I am particularly drawn to the boy's stuff this time around, which is rare for me. (I am a sucker for cute dresses!) These T-shirts are just too much--check these out:

"Gaja" is Korean for "let's go!" Tanna's parents say it all the time, and we also say it amongst ourselves. ;o) However, I would have spelled it "Ca-ja!" or even "Ca-jaaaaa!" if I am really in a hurry. LOL! But this spelling is correct, too. As Tanna has explained to me, the symbol/sound for the beginning of the Korean word is kind of a cross between a G and a C/K.

Kimchee Delivery Shirt. This is awesome! I don't eat kimchee, though I have tried it before. It's the quintessential Korean dish, served with just about everything. People sometimes complain about the smell, but I am used to it and it doesn't bother me. (The smell of Tabasco, however, I cannot stand. Tanna loves that stuff.)

Read more about the Korean inspirations in this Tea Collection blog post.

Kate's Tini Bibs Photo Shoot

Remember when I mentioned Kate had done some photos for a Web site last month? Well, we got the CD of pictures in the mail today! The gal who took the pics also snapped a few personal photos as a thank-you for participating. A few of our friends--both online and IRL--participated as well. Check out the adorable and fun baby products in the Tini Bibs etsy shop. I think a cool new Web site is in the works, too!

Adoption Update: February 16, 2010

Today is the five-month anniversary of our HSTK (home study to Korea) date, which is September 16, 2009. That date is very important--anyone who has ever adopted internationally has memorized his or her family's date, whatever it is called--log-in date, HSTK, etc. :o) From what we have been told, the average wait for a referral (for our program) is about a year from that date. So we are getting close to the half-way mark (though only God knows the real timing of everything, and His timing is perfect).

Some updates about our adoption journey since last month ...

• We received our I-600A approval! We received this last month, actually--almost a whole month ago. It is postmarked Jan. 14. The paperwork reads: "NOTICE OF FAVORABLE DETERMINATION CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR ADVANCE PROCESSING OF ORPHAN PETITION." Yay! It further states that our application has been approved for one child of either gender, age 0-12 months. Additionally, our fingerprints expire on Jan. 27, 2011.
  
  
• We met and had dinner with two other couples who are adopting from Korea through Bethany. I am behind on blogging, but I have a whole separate post planned with photos, etc.
  
  
• Speaking of Bethany, the agency has changed its policy for the Korea program and children being escorted. (We are planning to use the escorting service, which means that our child will be escorted from Korea, and we will meet him/her at the airport (rather than traveling to Korea). We plan to take the kids to Korea later when they will be able to appreciate it and remember it.) Anyway, families with a HSTK date of Feb. 1, 2010, or later, are now required to travel to Korea to pick up their child/children.
  
  From Bethany's South Korea blog: "All families in the South Korea adoption program with a home study approval date of February 1, 2010, or later are required to travel to South Korea to meet and receive their child. Although it is strongly suggested that both parents travel, one parent may travel. Please know that this is a BCSI requirement, and not a Holt-Korea requirement. For families with an approved home study prior to February 1, 2010, it is expected that they too, consider the joys and benefits of traveling to South Korea. To further support adoptive families when they travel, we are in the final stages of updating the Bethany travel packet for South Korea."
  
  You can read more about the policy change here.
  
  
• More on this later, but we are moving--Lord willing--at the end of the month. It's a local move, so our adoption process shouldn't be affected too much. However, we will have to have a home study update--including, of course, a new home visit, etc. We will schedule this after we close and get moved in.
  

Love Bugs

OK. Let me just say that I realize that spiders are technically arachnids, but "Love Arachnids" just doesn't have the same ring as "Love Bugs." And this was for Valentine's Day, after all. :o)

So I loved these cute knit spider dolls from the first time I saw them--despite the fact that I do NOT like real-live spiders. At all. If I remember correctly, I first spied these knit guys (gals?) on the Hanna Andersson Facebook page. I was smitten at first glance, but I just wasn't feeling the $18 price.

Fast forward a few months. Halloween was long over, and Christmas was already a memory. It was hanna's end-of-season sale, and the spiders were marked down to a mere $5 each. I quickly placed an online order (with a few other great deals in my cart, of course) and these love bugs were on their way. I bought one each for Kate and her Tennessee cousins--they have a thing for these knit dolls, you know. In fact, I had the order shipped to my sister's house in Tennessee. That way, I didn't have to pay tax (because there isn't a hanna store in Tennessee). Plus, my sister had a few things in the order anyway. But I digress ...

These were perfect gifts for Valentine's. I just called them love bugs and attached them to little treat bags--great for our family Valentine's Day party. We normally don't really do a lot for Valentine's--but Kate and I were going to be in Tennessee, and we all decided to do a family celebration with the grandparents and cousins. (More to come on that!) The spiders were already there, so it worked out great to make them love-bug gifts for Feb. 14th!

hanna-me-downs

Through the end of the month, you can donate your gently used Hanna Andersson clothing at one of its stores and receive 20 percent off of your purchase! Word on the street is that this discount is good for regular-priced AND marked-down merchandise--just not on their "very güd price" items. You can click on the image above for more details. Hanna donates the items to local charities. I think this is a great promotion!

P.S. Some fine print from the hanna e-mail: "All your hannas will last, but alas, there are a few items we’re asking everyone to leave at home: underwear, swimwear, shoes and socks. Offer not valid on very güd price hannas. Thanks for your understanding. Not available at our outlet stores."

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sorry for the photo quality--it's a picture of a picture. I am so excited about these photo collages that Snapfish is now offering (in sizes as small as a 4x6, too). So easy and convenient--especially when you can order them from home and pick them up at your local Walgreens in about an hour!

More photos from Jody Lynn

Can you tell I am trying to catch up on a few things? :o) Back in November, my brother and his family came for a visit. Like the previous year, they had Jody Lynn take their annual Christmas pictures--and she did a beautiful job. (Check out their pretty pictures here.) Jody also snapped a few photos of Kate. (We had the girls dressed alike because we're like that.) I wish I had fixed Kate's hair better--or at least brushed it--that morning, but I didn't know she was going to be in any formal photos. Also, we were in a hurry with a full house and everyone trying to get out the door. You know how it goes. Fun times! :o) Anyway, thank you for these great pictures, Jody Lynn!