I guess I have to buy a new calendar.

So, it's the last day of the year. New year's eve. We're pretty lame so in a shocking twist, we're actually going to be able to go out this year. I hope I can stay awake long enough to make it worthwhile. Last year we made it to about 11:15. I'm aiming for 12:40 this time.

2010 was quite a year for us. At the start, we were living in the city with Max and the dog. Here at the end, in the burbs, driving a minivan with another kid on the way. WTF?! When we look back, we realized we were pretty busy. We bought and sold a house. I made a ton of cakes. I had that heart thing happen. That was weird. Then we get this referral for Mia (yes, that's her new name), which was so fast and unexpected. We got a new dog. Then that dog went away. Max started preschool. We did a bunch of crap to the house. And here we are now.

2011 is going to be full of surprises for us. We hope to have some news about when we're going to bring Mia home next week. I feel like we're cresting the first hill of a roller coaster so I'm just gonna hang on, hope I don't throw up and enjoy the ride.

Have a happy new year!

House pictures

So, while we've been waiting for the babe to come home, we've been occupying our time with home projects. We got the main part of the house done, minus the bathrooms and our bedroom which will all come along next year. Aside from the kitchen, where we took cabinets out, installed a new countertop and some light fixtures. it's been mostly painting and arranging but it's made a huge difference and it finally feels like our home. Here is a before and after tour:

The foyer before:

and after:


The dining room before:


and after:

The living room before:


and after:


The family room before (2 views) before:


and after:


view 2 before:


and after:

The kitchen before (2 views):


and after:


2nd view before:


and after:


Overall we're really happy with how it looks, it's very "us" and feels modern and retro all at the same time. The bathroom in the kitchen is up next. We're laying bamboo flooring and installing a new vanity and cabinet. Depending on when we get word about going to Korea, we might try to get it done before we travel. I mean, why not, right?

Happy Birthday!!

생일축하합니다, Eunie!! I hope your day is super special.

New Pictures!

So, we got a new picture today!!! So adorable, right?


We sent her a birthday/Christmas package that included that cute penguin and that really scary monkey. That was Max's contribution. Sorry Eunie. Come home soon!

Happy Gotcha Day! (4 days late)

So, I'm a terrible mom and completely forgot to honor our Gotcha Day. That is the day adoptive parents celebrate the day they were united with their child. Most parents go out to celebrate, some have parties and we.......well, we installed light fixtures, completely oblivious to the date. It wasn't until my friend Connie reminded me that I slapped my forehead and had a V8. According to my blog, which I have to use because I have lost the ability to remember anything, we picked him up on December 10, 2008. He was 8 months old and FULL OF ENERGY. Now, on December 14, 2010, he is STILL FULL OF ENERGY but totally our kid who says things like "Oh Em Gee" and "AH-MAAAZING" when he sees something he likes. He knows dinosaur names, and can count and say ABCs and has friends and is pretty much the coolest 2 1/2 year old I know. I am honored to be his mom and thank the woman who had him every day for giving us this kick ass person to call our son.

It really is something to see how far he has come in just 2 years. This was little Beom-Ho Gim in our hotel room the day we got him. He had a bruise on his cheek from falling at his foster mom's house. Apparently he was being rambunctious and fell into a coffee table. YOU DON'T SAY? This should have been a tip off.


This was Max on Sunday, all ready to tackle the snowy hill in the backyard but he was too excited to wait for Jeff to get his snow gear on so he just dropped it in the living room. FIGURES.


Max, we love you more than we thought we could. I want nothing more than to watch you grow into the AH-MAAAZING person I know you will be. Life works in funny ways and I doubt two years ago that we would have known how happy we would all be as a family. Thank you for being you.

Snow

So, we got our first snowfall of the season yesterday. Max was pretty excited and stood in front of the slider yelling "HOLY MACARONI" for most of the morning. Then we bundled him up and he and Jeff went sledding in the backyard. He had a really good time.


Who needs a sled when you can just use your bike? This is not dangerous at all.


This is for you.

Eunie's Room

So, we've been knee deep, no scratch that, NECK DEEP, in home projects lately. I will be posting pics probably sometime in the next week or so because right now it still looks like a construction zone. I did, however, want to post pictures of Eunie's room, which I finally put together last week. We're sending her a care package for her birthday/Christmas and I wanted to send a pic along so they could see her cool new room. Like a baby gives a crap about this stuff. Whatever, let me have my moment. I should have taken a before picture but I forgot (OF COURSE) so imagine a white box that now looks like this:

Yes, it's totally girly, but my mother will confirm that I had a pink bedroom when I was a wee lass so it's not surprising. It's a pretty color, kind of a pinkish/lavender, depending on the light. It's funny to walk by now and see a furnished room and imagine that there will be an ACTUAL BABY in it in a couple of months. It kind of still hasn't sunk in yet. Anyway, I hope she likes it and doesn't look at the picture and scream.