Missing Easton

Tonight I'm thinking about Easton. It's been 2 1/2 months since we first saw his sweet little face. Next month, he will turn one. And the reality is, we may not even get to go to Korea in 2012 to get him. I can't fathom the thought of not being able to meet my son until 2013. I can't imagine not meeting him until he is two years old. He won't be a baby anymore. He will be a toddler. A talking toddler. A toddler who I've never met and has never met me. A toddler who, at two years old, will be very attached to his foster family, his home, his culture, his language, etc.

It makes me sad, angry, and frustrated that we may have to wait 1+ year to travel. I hope and pray that the Korean government will allow us to travel sometime in 2012 (versus 2013) but that's something that won't become apparent until 2012 unfolds a bit more and we see how things are moving with families ahead of us in line so to speak. I realize I'm rambling...I just feel the need to vent a bit.

God is good. All the time.

We love you Easton Si Hu!

Care Package #2

Well, it's that time again. Time to send Easton a care package. This one is for his first birthday (!) which is next month. The kids and I headed to Target and picked out all his goodies. Colton was especially excited about the hooded frog towel he picked for his little brother. Natalie was pumped about his cute little monkey outfit. Matt was proud of me for sending our son a toothbrush and toothpaste. What kind of a dentist's wife would I be if I didn't encourage good oral hygeine?

We're sending Easton:
-one soft monkey outfit with a hoodie
-a cute, preppy outfit with khakis and a striped hoodie
-party blowers
-a #1 candle
-Leap Frog birthday cake that plays music and lights up
-two packages of Ghirardelli chocolate for his foster family
-Frog hooded towel
-Elmo toothbrush and toothpaste
-plush puppy dog
-around 30 pictures of our family
-a 1st birthday card

I tried my best to write a Korean message in his card. I wrote: "Easton Si Hu, Happy Birthday! We miss you. We love you. Mommy and Daddy." I also wrote Natalie, Colton, and Adelyn's names and ages on the back of some of the pictures I sent. I wrote Mommy (Umma) on the back of a picture of myself and Daddy (Appa)--Afghanistan on the back of his picture. The internet is fantastic--how else would I learn how to write "Afghanistan" in Hangul so easily?

Anyhow, I'm sad we're missing Easton's first birthday, but I'm excited for him to get his birthday presents from us. The kids and I will be braving the post office later this week (hopefully the Christmas craziness will have tapered off by then).

Just some pictures of the kids

Sweet Addy Hope

19 months old now!

Doesn't she look more and more like Colton?

Indoor play become increasinly interesting and imaginative in the colder months. Introducing the Walmart onesie, Natalie's latest creation.

Cute huh?

So fashionable

Two little monkeys on a rainy day.

Not too much going on here...just hanging around counting down the days until Christmas. Enjoy the pictures of the kids Matt! :-)

Endo Residency

BIG news in the Walker house! Matt was accepted into the Army's endodontic residency programs. In case you don't know (I wouldn't if I wasn't married to a dentist), an endodontist deals primarily with root canals. All day every day. Sounds thrilling, huh? Let's just suffice it to say that God places different proclivities within each of us and I definitely do not have the gift of being passionate about teeth, gums, root canals, etc. No thank you. However, Matt does! After praying about it, we decided to go ahead and apply for the Endo program about one week before he left for deployment back in September. Truth be told, we really didn't think he would be accepted into the program. It's highly competitive, and while Matt has great credentials, he doesn't have much experience in endo and has just over one year of service in the Army so far. So, after applying, we just prayed that God would lead us in the right direction, and really expected not to get in the program.





We were SHOCKED and THANKFUL to find out that he was accepted! We give God all the credit and glory for this accomplishment! So, the plan is he will start in this two year residency program the summer of 2013. We will move to one of two Army posts--one in North Carolina and the other in Georgia. As midwesterners at heart, we're very excited to venture out a bit and experience all that those parts of the country have to offer. The residency itself will be grueling, so the kids and I may enjoy the local sites a bit more than Matt will be able to...but I'm sure he will get it on the fun as much as possible. Completing the program will add an additional commitment of three years to the Army, so it looks like it could be awhile before we get back to the midwest once it starts.





We've been so blessed to live close to family since Natalie was born six years ago, and it's going to be straight up HARD to leave our families to head East in another year and a half. On the other hand, we're so grateful for this opportunity and adventure.





I'm SO proud of you Matt!

Easton update

Truth be told, I sometimes *almost* forget that we have a son in South Korea. He seems like such a distant reality. However, getting a well baby check in my email inbox reminds me (pleasantly of course) that we do, in fact, have a sweet little baby boy in South Korea afterall. Easton is 10 1/2 month old and I received his medical update from his 10 month checkup a few days ago.

At 10 months old, he weighs 20.2 pounds already and is 28.2 inches tall. That makes him the biggest Walker baby to date. Natalie, Colton, and Adelyn were well past their first birthdays before hitting the 20 pound mark (they've all been fairly small babies). He also stands alone and has even started walking this month! He has taken (as of his well baby check) up to 4 steps before falling. Oh, sweet boy, how I wish I could have seen those first wobbly steps. Again, he's ahead of the Walker family curve. Our oldest three didn't walk until 15 months. Finally, Easton has one tooth on top and two on the bottom.

I'm so thankful to get his medical updates so I can keep track of all the milestones he's hitting even though I'm not there to see them.

I need to start thinking about what to send him for his first birthday (which is in January). I love shopping for ALL my kidlets. :-)

Baking, Bounce house, and the Blues

Christmas season is my favorite time of year. I love drawing closer to my Savior as I reflect on his birth this time of year. Reading the Christmas story to my children, opening a piece of chocolate each night of Advent, making Jesus a birthday cake, driving around looking at Christmas lights, going to Union Station to see the Christmas train display, Christmas Eve service at church...there are just a few of the things that we enjoy this time of year.

HOWEVER, I'm really struggling this Christmas season. I underestimated how hard it would to have Matt away from home this Christmas. We're three months into this deployment (can I get an Amen???) and I feel like I've definitely hit my stride as far as taking care of the kids and the house etc. But not having my best friend here for the holidays is just straight up hard. I miss him being the one driving when we go to see Christmas lights. I miss watching Elf together (without the kids, don't worry) the week of Christmas. I miss wrapping presents while he....watches me wrap presents. I miss him. Period.

Which brings me to my next point. I've been pretty down lately. I feel like I'm in a funk that I'm having a hard time getting out of. One things I love to do that I'm finding very therapeutic right now is baking. A lot. In the past twenty four hours, I've made pepperming bark, Rolo turtle pretzels, buckeyes, fudge, and cookies. My neighbors have been the receipients of all my baked goods so far. I also plan on taking a big platter to church on Sunday. Natalie has enjoyed making delieveries to the neighbors.

On another note, it's gotten cold outside. Which means the kids, especially Colton, have a lot of pent up energy from not being able to spend as much time outside. Unfortunately, his pent up energy generally manifests itself as less than gentlemanly behavior. So, our bounce house has come back out for the season. The kids had a blast in it this afternoon. Except for Adelyn. She played in the bounce house for about 5 minutes. Then she threw up. Twice. She threw up once yesterday as well, but I thought it was from eating too much. Perhaps not.

Anyhow, that's what's been going on in the Walker house.

Is it January yet???

Christmas musical

The choir
Colton's Sunday School class got to come in and watch (he's in the middle).



Natalie with her "family."

Getting ready to go on stage.

Natalie and some of her friends from church.

This past week, Natalie had her acting debut in our church's Christmas musical and drama. She played...a little girl in a family. I know...a big stretch from reality. She did great though! Anyhow, here are some pictures and a video for you Matt. You'll make it for next year's musical!

Hi Daddy

Hi Daddy!

Sorry we've missed you on Skype lately. Here are a few pictures of all of us, ya know, in case you forgot. Which is unlikely.

Thanks for the package you sent! We loved all the treats, especially the Starburst.

We love you, miss you, and are proud of you!

Love,

Natalie, Colton, and Adelyn

Easton Si Hu

So, the other day I was telling some family and friends that I'm really not having a hard time waiting for Easton to come home. Basically, with Matt deployed, our family is separated anyway...so Easton being in South Korea doesn't tend to get to me too much. Sure, I love him becaise he's my son. But...I've never met him. I'm as attached as I can be without ever having met him. Honestly, if I sat around each day just thinking about him (or Matt for that matter) I would be miserbale. All that to say, I thought I was doing very well putting all thoughts of Easton on the back burner.

Until I went to church yesterday. As the worship music started I looked around the sanctuary and noticed that a mother had just walked in with her baby boy, who looked to be only 1-2 months old. Before I knew what was happening, I was all out crying in church. Nice. Seeing that little baby instantly made me grieve the loss of Easton's babyhood in our family. I will never know what his newborn cry sounded like. I will never rock him to sleep as a tiny baby. I likely won't meet him face to face until he's two years old. I'm passionate about breastfeeding and that's a bond that Easton and I will sadly never share. Adoption is loss. It's a sad fact. God uses adoption as a beautiful way to set the lonely in families, but it's not the way He intended for families to be. Therefore, loss, sorrow, and grief are inherent in adoption.

But so is the complete JOY when I receive a new picture of well baby check updating us on Easton. That's all we have, so it's worth a LOT. Today I was thrilled to get a new picture of Easton via email. He just went in for his 10 month checkup and the care package we sent was waiting for him. I love knowing that he has pictures of us now and he will wear the jammies we sent, eat the snacks we sent, etc. It makes me feel more connected to him. Isn't he just precious?

Deployment car care

So, Matt's cute little Ford Focus just sits in the garage day after day getting no love. I rarely have the opportunity to drive it since three carseats won't fit across the back seat (hooray for my minivan). However, I don't want the poor car to suffer from neglect and die, so the kids and I take a weekly joyride...sans carseats. Before you judge me, I feel the need to add a little disclaimer. We drive up and down our dead end street several times back and forth, but we don't go any further. You know, since it's against the law to have them ride in a car without being in a carseat afterall. If you happen to come by on some weekday afternoon and hear delighted laughter and see little tiny hands sticking out the windows of a little Ford Focus, it's probably us. Please don't call the police on us. We're just giving Matt's car a little TLC while he's away.

Union Station, Polar Express, and a Luminary Walk

Addy spent most of the day on my back. She is SO happy when she's being held.
Tunnel of light--my flash really takes away from the fact that it was DARK and the only light came from the Christmas lights and candles lining the path



Checking out the gingerbread house.

Ceiling of Union Station in the main hall. Isn't is beautiful?

Natalie mailing her letter to Santa.

Just a small fraction of the trains.

The kids, my dad, and I had a day packed with holiday fun yesterday. We headed to Union Station in the morning and met my dad there to see their holiday model railroad. It's amazing! Every year around Christmas, they set up an 8000 square foot display of model trains going around different tracks. The kids love it and honestly, so do I. It's a feast for the eyes. There are so many different trains, buildings, and settings all over the tracks. Afterwards, we explored the rest of Union Station. It's a beautiful building with a lot of history. I always enjoy visiting. The kids even wrote letters to Santa while we were there and sent them off in a big mailbox. What fun!

We came home for a while so the kids could nap. After they all woke up, the fun continued. I loaded the kids in the car, popped the Polar Express in the DVD player (they had never seen it) and we headed to a local arboretum for their annual Christmas luminary walk. Basically, you walk along candelit trails through gardens, woods, around ponds, and along little streams. There are a few bonfires along the way, cider, Christmas caroling, and a Native American wood flute player who serenades the guests as they walk through the woods. There's also a gingerbread house the kids can peer into and see model trains going around a track inside. I mentioned to my dad that I was on my way to the luminary walk with the kids, and he surprised us by meeting us there. I was thankful to have a little company and some help keeping track of the kids in the dark. We all had a wonderful time.

I love this time of year!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful time celebrating all the things we are thankful for this year. We had a morning devotion about thankfulness, prepared food and cleanted the house, welcomed visiting family and a friend, played Wits and Wagers several times, ate, visited, went for a walk (the weather was beautiful), and ate some more.

Today was a little bittersweet to be perfectly honest. Our (not so) little family of six is spread on three different continents this Thanksgiving afterall! I look forward to Matt and Easton joining us next year on Thanksgiving. Matt and I have spent every Thanksgiving together for the past 8 years, so it was so strange not sharing it with one another. We were blessed to be able to skype twice today, though. I'm so thankful for the technology we have that allows us to communicate so easily. Matt ate a traditional Turkey dinner in Afghanistan as well. Although, there was no pumpkin pie. That's okay. I'll bake him one next Spring when he's home to make up for it.

The highlight of the day today was playing Wits and Wagers with everyone. It's a great party game. Natalie is just like her Daddy and loves to play games. She joined in on the fun and ended up beating us all. Matt, she is definitely your daughter! Our little gamer. You should have seen her face when we told her she had won. Sweet girl!

All our company is gone now and the kids are tucked in bed. It's just me and my Savior in a quiet house. Thank you Jesus for dying for me so that I can be reconciled to the Father. Without you, as the writer of Ecclesiastes stated, this life in meaningless. Turkey, football, games, parades, and a day spent with family and friends are wonderful, but they can not bring the peace and deep joy that can only be provided by Jesus Christ.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the father. Colossians 3:15-17

Addy is 18 months old...and more sickness

Blueberry pancakes help upper respiratory infections and ear infections much better!

Addy Hope is 1 1/2 now!

Say cheese!

The tower of healing. Or something like that.

Sweet Addy Hope turned 18 months old this past week. Sigh. I absolutely love this age with her. She's full of personality and is as sweet as they come, but she's seeming less and less like my baby and more and more like a toddler. She talks a LOT. Matt, you will be so impressed with how far she has come when you get home! She can say about 40 words consistently now. The other say we were skyping with Matt and Adelyn walked up to the computer and said her first two word sentence: "Hi Daddy!" It was the sweetest thing and I was so thankful that Matt was able to be part of one of her firsts even though he's not here. Adelyn Hope is often referred to in our family (mostly by my mom) as Joy baby. It's an appropriate nickname. She is so happy, joyful, and full of smiles and laughter. She's rarely in a bad mood. I'm so thankful to call her mine.

The kids and I headed to the doctor the other day for Adeyln's 18 month checkup. Not surprisingly, she is smaller than average with a bigger than average head. That's how the Walker kids roll! While we were there, the pediatrician was kind enough to take a look at the other kids, who have been sick the past few weeks (seriously)! The verdict? Please refer to the picture. They're all on the mend though. As am I. I don't sound so mannish when I'm talking anymore. My cough still sounds like a barking seal, but it's getting better. Thanks for asking. :-)

Here's to happy, healthy days ahead!

What we've been up to...

It's been a busy week. First and foremost, we have reached another milestone. We are officially past the TWO MONTHS mark of this deployment. I love the feeling of making progress. To celebrate, I indulged in a little Starbucks pleasure on Friday. Peppermint mocha = yummy. (Only) FIVE MORE MONTHS to go. We're getting there, slowly but surely.

In other deployment related news, the kids and I were blessed to attend a conference at the Great Wolf Lodge this weekend for deployed families. It was sponsored by the chapel where we're stationed. The kids loved the waterpark and enjoyed marvelling at all it had to offer. Thank goodness my dear mother came with to help out. I was a bit overwhelmed at taking all my littles (none of whom can swim) to the waterpark inside the Great Wolf Lodge solo. Anyhow, a fun time was had by all. They also fed us dinner and then I attended workshops on deployment related issues. There's really no greater feeling of comraderie than sitting in a room with 20 other Army wives whose husbands are also down range. There's so much comfort in that--just knowing I am definitely not alone. Those ladies get it!

We've also been battling a lot of sickness this week. That seems to be the trend so far this fall. All the kids, as well as myself, have BAD colds. Normally I'm not the type to get bent out of shape about a silly little cold...but this one is ridiculous. I'm coughing like a barking seal and the kids have snotty noses, low grade fevers, coughs, and general tiredness. It's made for some nice days of snuggling on the couch with a stack of library books though. All in all, it's not so bad. :-)

Last but not least, my mom and I went on saw Twilight this afternoon while my dad graciously watched all the littles. It was SO good. I loved every minute of it. I know. I know. I'm like a 12 year old girl. Next thing you know I'll be wearing a Team Edward tee shirt and buying Twilight dolls. Seriously though, the movie was highly enjoyable.

We're also prepraring to host Thanksgiving in the upcoming week. I bought all the fixins I'm contributing (thanks mom and dad for bringing the Turkey!). It should be a great day of reflecting on all the things we have to be thankful for. There are many! We are blessed, most of all, to know Jesus.

That's all for now. Love to all!

Date Night with flat Matt

Last night I went on a date. That's right. A night out with my darling husband. And three other lovely couples. What's that? You thought Matt was still in Afghanistan? He is. Technically. But back to my date.

I was skyping with Matt yesterday and mentioned that I was going out to dinner with several other couples for dinner. His response? "That's weird. Won't you be the fifth wheel?" Or something encouraging like that. Which is why I decided the most logical thing to do would be to take Matt along of course. Kind of like a flat Stanley (google it if you're not tracking). That way, it wouldn't be weird. Just Matt and me out to dinner with friends. Nope, not weird at all.

Matt and I shared a plate. We're romantic and so in love. "Here honey! Try a bite of my chicken tikka masala!"

*What on earth is Colleen doing behind us. She's a crackup that one.


Group photo minus yours truly. Matt's back there with Colleen chatting it up. He's the life of the party!

See honey. I told you it wouldn't be weird. Who says date nights have to end during deployment? Love you Matt. Look forward to seeing you in 3d again in the Spring. XOXO!