tis the season

christmas always seems to sneak up on us, but especially when living in arizona. with 80 degree days its hard for it to "feel" like the holidays. b's aunt tyler introduced us to the jesse tree, a family devotion that traces the lineage of jesus and ends on christmas day. we've had a great time sitting down together as a family, reading out of b's toddler bible and "talking" about the stories with him. i say "talking" because we usually don't know what b is trying to say! but he is too adorable when we pray, i had to post this video. along with the devotional we put an ornament on our tree that reminds us of the story-so you will see me pointing him to different ones as he is praying. he talks a lot about "the moon and the sun" (creation) and "the boat" (noah's ark).

thomas friedman: wikichina

i am a huge fan of new york times columnist thomas friedman and this article is one of the best i have read: from wikichina

to be fair and balanced, below you can check out youtube sensation governor chris christie of new jersey sound like like an intelligent human being. this is not sarcasm, i don't know much about the new republican governor and i am a huge supporter of teachers and teacher benefits, but it was very refreshing to hear a politician answer a question directly and coherently. what you won't hear is question dodging or weightless talking points common amongst so many politicians today.

a visit with poppo and mimi

dave's parents (poppo and mimi) were able to make it out to tucson for a good long visit over the thanksgiving holiday. we all got to hang out together, take a trip to the zoo, go for a hike, and of course, eat! here are some highlights.

 i love corbin's face here! i mean, who doesn't love giraffes?

the funny thing about this picture was there was no animal in the habitat to look at, but we must have stayed there for almost 5 minutes!

b, taking after his uncle paul and watching the turtles swim around.

 feeding the fish..who sadly were not that interested.

beniah fit perfectly in the cousin's red car. he loved driving around!

eric twirling beniah around in the swing. they both had so much fun with this.

reading time with poppo.

pre bedtime with mimi brings books and giggling!

our black friday hike in sabino canyon. we found a gorgeous spot to have a picnic.

a little help from dada.

exploring around our lunch site.

uncle dave/dada teaching the boys how to skip rocks.

humbled (& blessed)

we have recieved some negative feedback concerning our decision to adopt from korea, but for the most part it has been overwhelming positive. and i have been extremely humbled by how many people are willing to support us in whatever way they can.

my partners, or co-workers, (and a couple other starbucks locations) are collecting used whip creme cartridges for me to pick up and take in to recycling. this is by no means bringing in big bucks (two weeks worth of cartridges equals about a dollar), but i can't help it and smile each time they excitingly drop a cartridge in the bucket.

another one of my partners is part of an asian sorority (alpha phi gamma) on campus at the u of a and has asked them to fundraise on our behalf. they are holding a bake sale this week on the mall. students that i don't even know are using their time and resources in honor of our next child.

and a friend from church is putting together a day of photography and donating a portion of the proceeds to our adoption fund. hes a great photographer and i'm so excited he is willing to use his gifts in this way. if you are interested in signing up, go to JB Photography.

and so it begins

adoption has always been something i knew i wanted to do. the thought of a child growing up without a family deeply hurts my heart. all they want is to be loved.

since this has been a somewhat long process for us (always knowing this was something we wanted to do, but trying to figure out the right timing) i am finally relived to have begun! we sent in our application to holt international and we have been accepted into the korea program!

beniah helped me get the final paperwork mailed out for our application. 

we are excited for the journey ahead!

one of our favorites on one of our favorites

john legend was on the colbert report last night, of course our boy killed it. just found out colbert did imporv at the 2nd city...in chicago. christe and i will be returning to the 2nd city for a show with my sister and brother-in-law when we return home for christmas. really looking forward to it.

the song is shine and featured in the new documentary waiting for superman about the public school systems.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
John Legend - Shine
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

photo journal: fall

its finally starting to cool down here, which i love. a couple pictures to get you through our fall season.

beniah loved going to dave's games and cheering on the lady lynx. i'm just amazed at how much hes grown since last season! by the end of the season he was walking around the bleachers and sitting with the students (mostly girls) and giving them high fives. he decided he was too cool to sit with his mom, so he's chilling on the stairs and watching intently. when everyone burst into applause beniah followed suite. dave said he saw him from the bench and it took all he had to not laugh!

on to the pumpkin patch. every year we go down to agua linda farm with the arizona cousins for some pumpkin patch fun. this year, dave's cousin lucy, was able to join in the fun. i think beniah's favorite part was the hay maze. he kept running around and around and getting stuck-then he was inspired by other kids jumping over the walls...that helped him get to the middle to ring the bell faster!

 here is corbin joining in our family picture! too cute.

and how can you talk about the fall without bringing up halloween? while i am not a fan of halloween it was a TON of fun to watch beniah follow all the other kiddos around and get sooo excited about his candy. luckily he's still young enough that he forgot about it the next morning. :) check out our ryu from street fighter.