it honestly feels like i just wrote this post yesterday...
and here i am, nearly 19 months after announcing (at least to the blog world...)
that we were expecting our third child.
that our family was growing, through korean adoption.
little did i know, then.
little did i know about how incredible the adoption journey would be.
little did i know that the boy who would become my son
was already 3 months old,
just waiting for us in korea.
little did i know about his love.
last night, these were the faces (some of my favorite)
that i saw at my dinner table:
my nephew and nieces gabe, lucy, and nora
spent yesterday evening in our care.
their mama and daddy, my sister jessica
(commonly referred to here as aunt sica)
and her husband dan, had a very important meeting.
the first meeting necessary so that our family can grow,
once again,
through korean adoption.
jessica and dan are expecting their fourth child.
little did i know that all three of my boys would have another M family cousin.little did i know that i would get to share this way to motherhood
with one of my sisters,
who also happens to be one of my best friends.
little did i know about this love.
_____________________________________________________
now, i do realize that it hasn't been that long since my last giveaway.
to be honest, when i hosted it and when, afterwards,
i saw how perfectly the prize fit it's winner...
(the proof. pretty perfect himself, no?)
...i wasn't so sure that i was going to be able to top the event in it's entirety. if you've been following along, you might remember that i'd decided, through future giveaways, to feature the incredible talents of some of the creative women in my life.
(again, see proof, above.)
of course, there was no other option but to celebrate
my sister's first step in her adoption process with a giveaway!
but... what?
our last giveaway was merely a celebration of spring,
and the loot stole my heart...
this prize would have to be a show stopper.
enter lorie lu:
now, i'm probably going to get hurt for posting this photo on the www for all sorts of strangers to see... but this photo paints a perfect picture of my sister jessica (right) and her soul mate/best girl/sister-friend.
lorie (the really, really sweaty one, above) has been a part of our lives
and our family for the better part of a decade. she has seen my sister
through thick and thin.
who better to create the booty for this marking?
and so,
without further ado,
lorie and her pièce de résistance,
created expressly for thisfamilysquish...
(the back)
(buttons)
(pocket)
(the apron)
i'll be entering my own name in this giveaway, girls. you can. not. stop me. because this apron is the most delightful little number. the fabric, perfectly and appropriately kitschy. the detail, to die for. (the buttons? my favorite part!) and as if it, in and of itself, isn't plenty, you'll find it's pockets stuffed will all sorts of goodies to include:
(a few copies of thisfamilysquish's favorite recipes...)
there are a couple of ways that you can enter:
you'll notice some bias as
1.) if you've become or are in the process of becoming a family through adoption, leave us a comment telling my sister something that you wish you'd known OR something fantastic that you learned between that first appointment with your social worker and whatever point you are at now.
2.) if you've become or are in the process of becoming a family through korean adoption and you've already traveled or researched traveling to korea, leave us a comment suggesting a must see, must do in seoul.
3.) if you are a blogger, leave us a comment telling us that you have linked this post to your blog and also share one of your families favorite recipes there. (i'm running out of ideas, and it isn't easy to creatively feed these three boys day in and day out!)
4.) and finally, if you don't fall into any of the categories above, leave us a comment about your favorite dish. try to find it's recipe online, and post a link (or the recipe itself) in my comment section.
(if i am doing my math correctly, your name could be entered three times. lucky, lucky you!)
we will pick our winner (the spoon method, of course) one week from today, on thursday april 22nd... (which also happens to be the one year anniversary of our travel call!)
_________________________________________________________
i have to leave you with this, my first and favorite photo of jessica holding rubin. taken moments after we pulled into our driveway for the very first time with him in our arms...
i can not wait to help you hold and love your baby boy the way you've helped me hold and love mine. as usual, i'm with you every step of the way. little did i know...
28 comments:
Oh my goodness! A big congratulations to your sister and her family!!!! How exciting that they chose Korea, yay!!!
That pic of your sis and Lorie is absolutely hysterical! Cracks me up.
I'll enter in under #2 - take some time to stroll Insadong and get fun items for your child to give as future gifts.
ahhh! congratulations to aunt sica! this is HUGE news!!! congrats to your family too!!!!
that apron is simply AWESOME! i.want.it.
1. i wish i would have been more involved in the adoption blog world while we waited. i have found so much amazing support through the women whose blogs i follow. i'm thankful to have them them on board for our 2nd adoption!
2. take a leisurely walk along the river. blake and i enjoyed the time of relaxation away from all the hustle and bustly. it was beautiful and one of my favorite excursions!
3. i'll post to my blog shortly with a recipe!!!
CONGRATULATIONS to your sister! What wonderful and exciting news!! Like Kris, I will enter under #2 (even though I could go under #3 too but I have no recipes because I suck at cooking!). The apron is ADORABLE!!!
We are still waiting to pick up our little Max, but we were lucky enough to travel to Korea last summer just for fun so what I'd recommend is shopping at Namdaemun Market and a visit to the Korean Folk Museum.
i'm. in. tears. so happy and excited to hear about jessica's journey to motherhood this way. give her lots of hugs and kisses from us.
HAHA--Jessica already heard my comments and witnessed my jump for joy when we talked about agencies. My advice, patience--lots and lots of it. Which I know she already has--but as we well know, the world of international adoption is a roller coaster!
How wonderful that you and sister can share this together and that she has you to lean on.
That picture is priceless!!
I'll enter #2-
If you travel in the summer...going to a baseball game is a ton of fun! Also the day we took custody of Gabe, in order to relax, we went to a temple in the morning.
Oh how wonderful, wonderful, wonderful your sister is growing her family thru adoption. I am so praying thru our adoption, others in my family will see the joy we have and adopt themselves. Tears in my eyes, I tell you!
For your sister: We are waiting for our approval for all our paperwork to go to Korea. The one thing I can share is try to relax about the homestudy home visit. I was a complete wreck. And you know what? Your social worker only wants to see you are a loving Mama. And she does not care about your decorating or organization skills. And I wish I had realized social workers do want you to adopt, and are not there to stop you from adopting. I was such a wreck thru all our talks, and now realize it was silly. I wish you the very BEST on your journey and congratulations!!!
OH, and I want that apron! And come to my blog and enter my giveaway! www.lovingourleah.blogspot.com for some Korean magnets!
Hi there - I'm a new reader (just jumped over from Sue's blog). We also have 3 children and our son just came home from Korea last month! As far as a "must see", we stayed near the Insadong area and loved walking through the Jogyesa Temple grounds (followed by fun shopping in Insadong!). I'm looking forward to following your blog and congratulations to your sister and her family!
First of all, your post totally made me cry. Happy tears ;)
For your sister: I wish I would have known that adoption is not always a straight road. Our journey had many curves, many potholes, lots of tears. But in the end ALL of it was worth it. The wait is worth it. Because THEY are worth it!!
I just added this post to my latest blog post. Congratulations again to your sister's family!
CONGRATS!! We are literally hours away from being on an airplane, headed to Korea to meet our second Korean son.
My thought for the day: I never knew I have the capactiy to love a child , whom I've never met, as much as I do....even if all I have are a few photos that I cherish so much. I have such an unbelievable love, that words can not describe. Here's to the journey to meet him! Momma and Daddy will be holding you soon!
Michelle and Stefan
EEEKKK!!! Congrats to everyone!! How exciting!!! (And am I a good guesser or what?!) ;-)
Now... you know I need to win. Right?! I have an appreciation for all things apron. And I NEED this one. NEED. IT.
1. As we near finalization, I'd have to say that I've learned that the paperwork is endless. Even when you thought there could be no more... there is. I have a file folder of copies of all the most important info in an easily accessible place. This includes SS#, green card #, approval forms and most importantly, the letters from our agency that state he is our son... even though his name is different!
2. A must see?! I'm assuming they will also be visiting SWS... so I'm going to go with something completely random and say the Starbucks that is two blocks away. After our first meeting with S we stopped there and got some lattes and sweets (not that we needed any sugars or caffeine since we were on a "baby" high) but it was nice to have a moment to sit and savor what just happened while we reflected on the morning. And the fact that it was a "piece of home" on one of our most important days ever was kind of nice.
3. Now I really need to post that Jap Chae recipe! Do I get extra credit for including photos?!
Yay!!! I'm so, so excited for your expanding family! And for Rubin to have a cuz who hails from awesometown (AKA Korea). Sigh... I need a drink.
Ok, here goes (b/c I super-want that apron!):
1. What I've learned: make copies of EVERYTHING. And "checking in" is necessary. Not everyone in the adoption world does their work in a timely fashion. Or at least not on our timelines. Sometimes a quick phone call can move your name/paperwork to the top of someone's stack. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that...
2. Must-see in Seoul: we're not the type of people who really dig museums or absolutely have to see landmarks. We're wanderers. So my advice: find a cute little street to follow and just wander to your heart's content. This is the way you find hidden treasures in a new city and how you get a feel for how life REALLY is there.
3. Oh, sure... I'll link to this! And my favorite dish? Sigh... I'll have to think on that one. I guess it better not be dessert...
BIG HUGE congrats to Aunt Sica and family!!!
How Fabulous! Congrats to your ever expanding family!
Under #1 Even though the wait is hard hard hard, remember the children in South Korea are being cared for by amazing foster families. There is also first rate medial systems there to keep your child well until they are in your arms.
Under #2
A must see... If you have the time, I highly suggest going to the DMZ. We did and it gave a new appreciation for the current and past political situation with the North.
I also just blogged about your fab giveaway and shared a recipe
http://robinsonsarewaiting.wordpress.com/2010/04/17/emilys-giveaway/
What a totally yummy apron...and I must get in on this give-away, so sign me up...
1. Expect delays...and know it all will work out in the end. I sometimes got so impatient with the adoption process, especially the delays...but I now know...if there weren't those delays Dylan wouldn't be THIS Dylan...and he is perfect for us. Meant to be. I'd tell myself to relax & trust more.
2. A must see in Seoul: Baseball Game! Doosan! Go Bears! Also...stroll along the stream in Seoul. So relaxing. Also: Kyobo bookstore. Enough said!
3. I'll create a link on my blog to this post...I've shared lots of recipes on my blog...but I'll add a link back to one of my faves there too.
CONGRATS to your sister and your whole family on growing...through adoption...from Korea. YAY!
Oh wow... that last pic with your comments made me all teary! How wonderful that you will be able to share the gift of Korean adoption with your sister!!! Congrats to Aunt Sica and her family!
Okay, I totally HAVE TO HAVE that apron! And, does it come with the Michelob Ultra t-shirt? :)
Here are my entries:
1. Between our first appt with our SW and now, one of the most fantastic things I've learned is that it's possible to meet the most amazing friends through the world of blogging. I don't know what I would do without my bloggy friends!
2. Although we were only in Seoul for a short time, I think my favorite place to visit was Cheonggyecheon Stream.
3. I will be posting a favorite recipe on my blog.
am i eligible to enter? i think you already have most of my recipes. anyway, i just wanted, on lorie lu's behalf, to clarify that the shirt is actually a madison marathon shirt. who knew it was sponsored by michelob ultra???
whatever. i thought the beer t-shirt went well with her ink. :)
like scott said, she's a trucker. (who just happened to be willing to strip off her uniform and pose in my front yard in an apron, holding a whisk.)
Congratulations to your sister! Here is one of my favorite recipes, holiday chicken salad:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Holiday-Chicken-Salad/Detail.aspx
Congratulations to your sister and how exciting for your family!!!
1.) I have learned that having a blog and communicating with other adoptive parents has been a wonderful resource and support.
2.) When in Seoul don't be afraid to try the food. We went into restaurants where we couldn't read the menu and no one spoke English but the food was always delicious:)
How exciting, and how special for rubin! You guys are so lucky to have each other for support.
I LOVE the apron, so here are my two entries...
1)Don't be afraid to be an advocate for your child and case. Many times I hesitated to do things worried that I would be a pain. Then I would remind myself that I was doing it for my CHILD, and I would politely push to get answers.
2)I agree that Insadong is a must see. But plan to spend a little time there since there are so many good souveneirs to get as mementos. And one thing we wished we would have done was take a day trip to the countryside. We didn't think of it until close to the day we took custody.
COngratulations Emily's sister!
congrats to your sister...and what wonderful news for your whole family! how special for rubin and the new little cousin too!!!
what a fabulous apron...i hope my single entry under category #1 is a lucky one: the process is long - so never feel bad for "just wanting to check in" with your SW. To pass the time, our SW suggested so many good books and articles on adoption, multicultural families, and how to prepare your biological children for growing your family through adoption. I bet your sister's SW will have a great list for her as well. If not, let me know!! [& of course join the great and wonderful blog world]
happy times!!!
Hi!
I've read your blog a bit before but I haven't commented. It's great!
Congratulations to you and your sister! How awesome to both adopt from Korea! What a great thing for your precious little ones! :)
I'm entering! :)
#1: I wish I had known that your social worker would be so nice, friendly and easy to talk to. That when they write up the home study and you read it, you think maybe you look even better on paper than you thought! I spent too much time being nervous about the home study - just relax and be yourself.
Check out my blog if you get a chance. I'll try to link with a recipe soon. We just had our paperwork sent to CIS so we're still fairly early in the process.
~Christy
www.threelittlemonkeysjumping.blogspot.com
I love the apron but even more, I love that you will be sharing something else wonderful and so very special with your sister and her family. I can't wait to meet her!! And since you included three of my favorite things in this giveaway (cooking, adoption, and Korea!) I, of course, had to enter.
First - what I wished I would have known. I was very worried that I wouldn't be seen as my children's mother because I didn't give birth to them. That hasn't come to pass, but even more important is realizing that my children know I am their mother and that is all that matters.
Second - top things in Seoul to do are Namdaemun Market, Insadong, and a palace. I loved them all. But the place I was most excited about on our last trip was the fish market. Off the beaten path but it was awesome. Well worth it, especially if you love food (me) and fish (my husband).
Third - I will post a favorite family recipe on my blog today!
I am new to your blog, but definitely want to participate. I adore sassy aprons!!!! And a huge congratulations to your sister!
First--this is kind of a downer, but it is something I didn't expect during my process. Attachment can be hard. Your child may attach to you before you totally attach to them....and that is okay, because it WILL happen. I adopted a 2.5 year old, so that was a challenge for us.
Second--my two favorite things we did in Seoul were visiting the Seoul tower and the Insadong Shopping District.
Third--here is a link to my favorite summer recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/tomato-pie-recipe/index.html
Bon Appetit!!
Congrats to your sister! How exciting for all of you. That apron is adorable! You have a lot of talented friends. :)
1. Something I've learned through adoption is how important it is to have friends that have also adopted. There's just an immediate connection and I always find that we have a lot to talk about! I've met so many people because of Joel it's incredible! Seek out those people and form relationships as much as possible.
2. So many things we loved in Seoul, and most of them have already been mentioned. We really enjoyed Seoul Tower--the view of Seoul is amazing, and it's a beautiful walk down.
3. I'm hoping to post a recipe--we'll see if it actually happens!
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