More Pictures and another Care Package

Dec 2011 - We sent Isaac a second Care package for Christmas that included more pictures of us and his room as well as some videos of us and the house. We also sent more clothes (from Mommy) and a Mr. Potato Head (from Daddy). We sent the foster family some syrup from Cracker Barrel (the best!) and Starbucks instant coffee packages.

Isaac with our sweater and Mr. Potato Head

We celebrated Christmas and the girls got 'Nuna' necklaces (big sister in Korean) to match Sharon's Omma (Mommy) necklace, and some Korean dresses for their American Girl dolls.

We received more pictures from the foster family of Isaac. He is getting so big and we are starting to see his personality coming out. He is a happy boy and though we have never met him, we miss him!

Letter from the Foster Family

Nov 10, 2011- We were blessed today to get a letter and CD with pictures and videos from Korea! The foster family wrote a very special note to us telling us about Isaac and thanking us for the gifts that we sent.
They said that Isaac sleeps with the bear that we sent and goes to sleep listening to our voices. He even kisses our pictures! They said that they have been praying that Isaac find a good family and thanked God for answering that prayer! 

The pictures of Isaac were such a treasure to us. The only pictures that we had seen up until now had been a few baby pictures.

It's hard to explain, but videos of Isaac truly brought him to life...made him real to us. Seeing him in his home and how he interacted with the foster family was such a blessing. There was even a video of him taking his first steps! We realize now how rare it is to get videos like this so we are so thankful.

First Care Package

Oct 4, 2011 - Today we sent Isaac and the foster family a care package, which included a letter, several things for Isaac as well as some honey and Centrum Silver vitamins (really!). These are gifts that our adoption specialist (who is Korean) recommended to us because honey is expensive in Korea and they are a very health-conscious culture. Centrum is a brand that they trust.


We recorded a message on the recordable bear for Isaac so that he could hear our voices and sent some pictures in a kid-proof album.

The package arrived safely. Here is Isaac after he open the package. Looks like they already ate some of the honey. (They said 'it was the best honey we've ever tasted!')

He is wearing the clothes we sent along and, of course, he loved playing with the vitamins! 

The Referral - "For this boy I prayed..."

On August 12, 2011, we were waiting to hear from the adoption agency. This was the fourth time that we had submitted our name for a boy on the waiting child list. The first three times we had not been matched but this time felt different to both of us.

During lunch, Brent was praying that we would be matched with this boy and as he opened his Bible, it fell open to this exact verse: 

1 Samuel 1:27 NAS "For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.”

This verse was Hannah's prayer of joy regarding the birth of Samuel, her long awaited son; but to us this seemed like quite a confirmation. Sharon also felt in her prayers that this child was the one. 

Later, the phone rang around 5 PM, and our social worker, Tara, informed Sharon that we had been matched with this child. Sharon came downstairs crying, she could only say "you have a son!" The girls came running down the stairs, we were all so excited!

Isaac at 15 months old

Later that evening, we went to Symphony on the Prairie and had a great time. Everyone was in a great mood!

That night, Olivia wrote in her journal (the girls running down the stairs to hear the news...check out the pants on Daddy!?!) :