Thanksgiving Week

(Note: I really did start this before Thanksgiving.)

There is so much to be thankful for this year that it is hard to find a place to start this post.

I am thankful for our son whose smile makes my day and whose "umm, ummmm, ummmm" at Thanksgiving dinner is the best compliment a Mommy can ask for








I am thankful for a husband who has been a wonderful friend and has become a wonderful daddy










I am thankful for family and holidays which give us an excuse to come together







I am thankful for the memories of those who are no longer with us but have shaped our lives

My grandfather, Gordon Burnside, who was and still is my idol

Can you guess which one is me?

My Ojiichan (grandfather on my mother's side)


My Aunt Sandy who passed away one day before Rai was born. We were very close, and I would do anything to have just one more holiday with her. She would have loved Rai...




I am thankful for our furry family members who have adapted well to our newest addition and always make us laugh


Kobe and Hello Kitty have a history (see picture below...)



Kilakochan was my childhood cat who lived 14 years (long enough to see me off to college). She was the only cat I had ever seen who would walk down the street with my dog and me.

Yes, that's Lucy helping Aaron with the puzzle for Rai

I am thankful for friends old and new who go out to lunch on a whim, drop by the house just because, and send silly pictures taken decades ago when big hair and leggings were in




I am thankful for Rai's birthmother who gave Rai the gift of life and whose adoption plan brought him into our lives and for Rai's foster family who opened their hearts to Rai and us and have become an extended part of our family

Rai and his foster mother (Omma)




I am thankful for a healthy family, food in our pantry, a roof over our heads, and the love in our hearts. I am thankful for the little things which make us smile and for the big things which change our lives forever.

Have a Happy Holidays!

A Busy Weekend: Adoption Finalization and 2nd Birthday Party!

Adoption Story Video
Here is our adoption story video (from application to finalization):

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Adoption Finalization
On Friday, November 13, 2009, Rai's adoption was legally finalized.
On this day:
- Rai's name was changed from Yun-Taek Jeong to Rai Yun-Taek Young
- Rai legally became a part of our family, as us legally his parents (a formality in our minds since Rai was been a part of our family since we first met, and arguably before)
- Rai became an American citizen

Our court hearing took about 5 minutes with two quick pictures afterwards. My parents and my dear friend Kimsan (and her son, Cole) joined us for this special occasion and lunch afterwards. Rai was great for the entire morning of waiting, the 5 minute hearing, and the wait for lunch (with one small tantrum, not bad).

(For those adoptive moms who emphathize with the strong attachment generally to daddies...)As we walked into the courtroom, Rai pulled away from me and reached for Aaron (Daddy), but two minutes later, Rai reached for me and leaned in for about 2 minutes worth of kisses. Very cute and funny in the midst of my attempts to answer "yes" to the attorney's questions while Rai's face was trying to give kisses.

Here are a few pictures of our special day:


















2nd Birthday Party
Although Rai's 2nd birthday is not until November 23rd, his birthday party was this past Saturday. We had over 20 people (family and friends) at the house, and Rai enjoyed every second of it. :-) He has just recently learned the word "mine" and used it quite often when I explained that all of the decorations were for his birthday and everyone was coming to see him. (His response was to point to everything and respond with "mine.")

We were very pleased with a photo cake from our local Kroger. After the news of our finalization the day before the birthday party, I thought it would be fun to have a cake with Pororo (Korean cartoon penguin Rai likes) holding an American flag. It turned out beautifully!

Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us this weekend!

And now for pictures:









Celebrating Halloween!
Rai picked out his Halloween costume, and despite my attempts to persuade him to be a dinosaur (very cute costume), he wanted to be a pumpkin. :-) He was very cute! Since he had some difficulty saying "trick or treat" I got him to say "Boo!" instead. It was certainly an improvement from "More!" which is what he said to my college students the night before Halloween at Trunk-or-Treat on the campus. (My students thought he was adorable and nearly poured candy into his bag. I gave most of it back to them at the next class.)









(Yes, one of the students gave out mummified stuffed animal monkeys. Very nice!)


Rai got to have one piece of candy after we came back from trick-or-treating. Of course, he chose the largest piece of candy in his bag: a Tootsie Roll Pop! I was too nervous about him choking on the pieces, so we told him he could only have it if he sat down.



Other Pictures/Videos/Updates:
Rai has always been very helpful. He loves to clean (vacuum, sweep, pick up pieces of hair on the floor, and even wipe down surfaces). His grandparents certainly picked up on this and bought him a child's size broom and dust pan for his birthday (not long after this video). Needless to say, he hasn't put them down for more than the time it takes to eat or take a bath since then!


Rai has recently developed a new game of sliding on the floor on one knee and saying "Dada, dada, dada..." (Dada isn't the same as Daddy, so we think it's something he learned in preschool.) Here is the video:


A month ago, our neighborhood had a Family Fest at the local elementary school with games, food, and music. We were exhausted after a full day at a Japanese festival on the other side of town, but Rai had a great time, especially looking at the puppies and playing in the bounce house!






We went to the mall shortly before Halloween and several stores already had Christmas trees up. Rai was so excited to see the trees, lights, and decorations that I couldn't resist putting the tree up the day after Halloween.








Can you tell that Rai loves to smile for the camera? :-)