Kindall Family News

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

2012-01-16T22:07:00.001-06:00

We finally visited Crystal Bridges Museum this afternoon. It has been open for more than 2 months and I am ashamed to admit that it took us until now to visit this incredible place. If you live in NorthWest Arkansas you have to see it! If you don't live in NWA, this is a great excuse to visit (and a great excuse to visit us)! Check it out by clicking on the link here.

One half of Crystal Bridges from the overlook off the Compton Garden's trail.

I am including some highlights (in pictures, of course) below. Enjoy the show.

Entrance to Crystal Bridges with Roxy Paine's Yield sculpture

Beard's It Is Very Queer, Isn't It?

Luci made the docents in the museum very nervous here...she was so good though, resisted temptation, and just looked!!!


Gilbert Stuart's George Washington

Curtis's Geronimo photograph

VERY UNIQUE! Sperber's After the Last Supper created inversely using spools of thread. I was amazed!


Sound Suit; Luci was mesmerized!

Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter

A much needed break outside...freedom...

...and a little bit of room to run equals...

PURE JOY!!!!

Hide and Seek...Dombek's Tour de Tree; it isn't real but this sculpture sure blends in nicely with the surroundings!

Finally headed back to the car with a major case of the sillies! Snoopy on a stick!

However, when you visit know ahead of time that you will not be able to get away with ANYTHING!!! Luci couldn't ride on Jason's shoulders (insurance reasons), we had to stay further than 18 inches away from the painting (I think some docents may have had a ruler stashed on their body), and we got caught chewing gum (my mistake...I should have thought of that!). Still a great trip and we had lots to laugh about later!

First Trip to the Theater

2011-12-12T12:43:00.000-06:00

We went to the theater yesterday afternoon to experience some of Eric Carle's classic stories live on stage! Mermaid Theater of Nova Scotia brought blacklight puppet versions of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear Brown Bear, and Papa Please Get the Moon For Me to the Walton Arts Center. The first two stories are some of Luci's favorite books...we read them ALL THE TIME! In fact Luci was narrating the show to me before the puppets would act it out. She had a blast.

I apologize for the quality of the pictures ahead of time. We were in a dark theater balcony and all I had was my phone but I couldn't not document Luci's first live show!!! So bear with me and here we go...!


Before the show...she was so excited!


Puppeteers showing the audience how the caterpillar eats the fruit.


Luci is transfixed!


The Brown Bear puppet


Luci at home after the show...she passed out on the way home! Too much fun!!!

Harvest Time

2011-11-22T20:28:00.001-06:00

Today was Luci's Harvest Feast at school! This is always such a fun time!

This year her class was responsible for making the pumpkin pie. They made several at school Monday but didn't quite get enough made for every class in the school so Luci and I made one at home Monday evening for her to take to school this morning.

She was very excited that I would be joining her for lunch. When I arrived each child was dressed as either a pilgrim or a Native American...Luci, appropriately, was dressed as a (WILD) Native American!


So excited to have Momma join her at school!

Everything tasted so good!

Happy Harvest Time to one and all!


My wild child appropriately dressed!


Showing her serious side...kind-of...if she can keep from laughing!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

"I be a bullafly!" Luci has been talking about dressing up as a butterfly for weeks and the night finally arrived! She was so excited and couldn't wait to visit everyone in her costume!

We only visited family to trick or treat this year, but she didn't know the difference and she truly enjoyed being the center of attention...as always!

Enjoy the pictures!


Thinking since she has wings, she can fly...


I landed it!


"Trick or Treat...Smell my feet...Give me something good to eat!"


Trick or Treat, Pops!


Pretty proud of her loot!


Taking a break to swing.


Trick or Treat, Grandpa and Grandma!


Notice her mad sorting skills!!! (And yes, she has developed an aversion to pants.)

Pumpkin Patch Outing

2011-10-12T12:01:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we visited a Corn Maze/Pumpkin Patch/Petting Zoo Extravaganza! The weather was beautiful...blue sky, sunshine, gentle breeze, etc...

We started out at the petting zoo. Luci got braver as the time went on but at first she would take my hand and make me pet the goats and sheep or make me take her hand to feed the goats hay. She eventually got to where she would do it herself as long as I was right there with her. Where did this timid girl come from???


Momma, you do it!

Now I'll do it, but you hold my hand!

Then we went to the corn maze. Luci had fun telling us which path to take. We completely disregarded the map, but who needs a map anyway? She lost interest pretty quick since a field of corn is just that...a field of corn.

Then we headed for the "cow train". Cow train translates to "torture ride for adults". The train was made up of several plastic drums with people size holes cut in them; wooden cow heads and wheels attached; hooked together and pulled by a small tractor. Luci liked it and I was happy when the bumpy ride was over!

Waving to no one in particular...watching the tractor that is pulling us!

We ended the outing with a visit to the pumpkin patch where Luci picked out a Luci-sized pumpkin. It's not really fall until you head to the pumpkin patch! Check...done!


Got my pumpkin!

Trip to Woolum and The Narrows

2011-10-05T12:29:00.000-05:00

We visited a very special place on the Buffalo River this past weekend, Woolum and the Narrows. It was a first visit for all of us except Jason and he had only accessed this point by boat, never by vehicle. We did have to access this point by truck because the water levels are too low to float there. We drove to Woolum, which is a mid-point on the Buffalo, and then did a bit of light rock climbing to reach the location known as the Narrows.

Isn't that a gorgeous view???!!!

The Narrows is a rock bluff that overlooks the River on one side and the fields next to Richland Creek on the other. It is beautiful and VERY narrow...as the name implies. We were safe, no matter what the pictures look like. However, Jason commented as we left the area that Luci is probably one of a very few 3 year olds to have set in that spot.


Luci and Jason enjoying the view


My curious girl wants to look over the edge...Notice that Grandma has a tight hold on Luci!

Chuseok and a new hanbok

2011-09-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

We received the most wonderful surprise in the mail a couple of weeks ago...a new hanbok straight from Korea! September 11-13 was the Korean holiday of Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving. It is typical for Korean families to buy new traditional clothing for this holiday so a Korean friend did just that for Luci. It is absolutely gorgeous and should last her for several years! We absolutely treasure anything from her birth country so this was an especially nice treat! Thank you David!!!


Beautiful hanbok...height is VERY deceiving! She is standing on a 9 inch step stool!

This is more like it...here she is standing on the floor. Still lovely!!!

To read more about this Korean holiday, visit the following websites:

Korea Tourism Organization
A Multicultural Thanksgiving

Kiawah Island/Charleston Vacation: Part 2

2011-08-09T22:24:00.000-05:00

The last part of our week in South Carolina provided us with many wonderful experiences...just as the first half did! We spent more time on the beach and saw a few more sights as well.

Luci had an encounter with some seagulls too! Those birds definitely recognize snack food when they see it. Luci has some goldfish in a bag and they literally swarmed her! Check out the video below. Hilarious!

We took a sunset cruise out of Bohicket Marina and Luci got to drive the boat. We saw several dolphins up close and a beautiful sunset!

Below are pictures of the Angel Oak; a HUGE live oak estimated to be over 1400 years old. It provides over 17,000 square feet of shade and it literally the biggest tree I have ever seen. It is protected but if it wasn't it would be a kid's climbing paradise!

We had a fabulous time and as always the week went by entirely too fast! Now to sail back to the real world...

Kiawah Island/Charleston Vacation: Part I

2011-07-27T12:12:00.000-05:00

Luci has been waiting for our beach vacation for the past 6 months. Every time we get in the car she says we are going to the beach...I honestly think she had given up on us ever really going. I mean, how do you explain to a 3 year old that you are going to the beach at the end of July?!

Well, we finally made it! We left Arkansas Friday morning and headed to Augusta, GA to spend the first night at Ryan and Sherri's house. It was a LONG first day and we finally made it about midnight. Luckily the 2nd day's drive to Charleston was going to be short so we could spend some time Saturday morning visiting instead of getting straight back in the car. Very nice!

We made it to Kiawah Island, SC late Saturday afternoon and immediately hit the beach...had to prove to Luci that we weren't lying!

Sunday was spent at the beach as well with a side trip in to the local marina for a dinner of seafood...delicious!

We headed to the South Carolina Aquarium on Monday. Fun times!

Up close look at the lobster tank!

Chasing the pigeons outside the Aquarium...what is it about Luci and chasing birds?!

Tuesday was rainy so we decided to spend the afternoon at the Children's Museum and then walked around the streets of Charleston admiring the architecture.

Painting at the Children's Museum

One of the many beautiful churches in Charleston

I'll update on the remainder of the week in a later post! Enjoy the pics!


We have succeeded in wearing out our sweet, tireless Luci!!

Birthday Weekend!

2011-07-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

In Luci's words..."I getting bigger Momma!" Yes she is! I can honestly say that my baby is no longer a baby...she is a big 3 years old. What she lacks in size she more than makes up for in personality!!!

We had the big birthday weekend this past weekend...Luci and Jason both added a year to their age on Saturday. Luci is now 3 (although she will hold up all 5 fingers) and Jason officially entered mid-30's.

I will warn you now...this post will be mostly pictures but I did want to recap the weekend and give my readers a run-down of Luci-things.

Saturday was the actual BIRTH-day and we celebrated just the three of us. Luci went to work with Jason in the morning for a camp close (and so I would have some time to clean the house for the big party). When they got home, Luci spotted the presents immediately on the table and wanted to open them. We can't say no...she loved her 3lb. bag of gummy bears (actually for her and Jason), her real camera (a Luci blog post in the near future) and a matching/memory game with animals. We had a delicious dinner at home (all of Jason's favorites) and just relaxed together.

Sunday was the big party. Luci woke up Sunday morning and immediately announced it was "PARTY-TIME!". She was excited all day! She definitely understood the whole birthday concept this year. It was all about her!

Waiting for all her "peoples" to arrive!

So what is Luci up to in her 3rd year? So much! It is truly hard to believe how many changes a child this age goes through in such a short period of time. Luci...

is talking CONSTANTLY...not just single words anymore. I am able to carry on a back and forth conversation with her and many of the things she says are HILARIOUS!
is still my sweet girl! She wakes up every day and announces "I need to snuggle". She means it too! This is one girl who loves to cuddle.
still doesn't eat much...much to my dismay and not for lack of trying on our part!
is a whole 26 pounds but the pediatrician is never worried about it...she is healthy as can be!
answers questions honestly and always beginning with "maybe..." such as maybe in there, or maybe over here, or maybe Sunday, etc...
is still extremely coordinated and loves to jump, run, and dance.
sings all the time (her current favorite song is her own combo of You Are My Sunshine and Ring Around the Rosy...cracks me up!).
loves her chickens, helps collect their eggs, and feeds them lots of "scratch".
loves her family and is EXTREMELY attached to Mommy right now.
has begun to drop the "Momma" and started calling me "Mom"...isn't it a bit soon?!
loves to help cook, help clean, help shop, just HELP!
is very excited about our upcoming beach trip and talks about "making sand castles" all the time.
is a ham but can be subtle about it if you don't know her.
is the absolute light of every day! We love you Luci Kate Da-In!

First TRACTOR Ride and some Cousin Time

2011-06-25T21:00:00.004-05:00

Luci has been fascinated with tractors for the past 6 months. We drive by tractors on the way into town, on the way to school, as we go by hay fields, etc... She will squeal with delight when she sees them and never fails to explain that "tactors workin' hard!" It is a special treat when we get stuck at a red light by a construction site! I don't know where this fascination came from but it appears it might be here for a bit.

When Uncle Kerry found out about the tractor fixation, he immediately offered to take Luci for a ride on his tractor...anything for some Luci love! She loved it and has talked about it several times since the ride. Uncle Kerry, you may have found the key to her heart!

The look on Luci's face says it all!

Done already?!

I couldn't resist ending the post with a couple edited pictures of the cousins, Luci and Allie! These girls LOVE each other and it is so fun to watch them play!

Father's Day

2011-06-21T21:48:00.000-05:00

We spent Father's Day in one of our favorite places...tucked away in the perfect swimming hole on the Buffalo River. The pictures below say it all! This is one devoted Daddy who absolutely adores his daughter...and the feeling is mutual! I love my two loves!

Daddy and Daughter

Helping Luci swim

Talking to my Daddy

Tricked Daddy...he thought Luci was going to give him the cookie she just ate!

Miss Independent..."I do it meeself!"

SPLASH!

Watching Movies

2011-06-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

Thought I would take a few minutes and let you all have a peek inside our living room. The following shots are of Luci as she was watching her movies this past week. Let's just say she has a lot of energy!

With a few of my friends!

And upside down...!

13 Years of Wedded Bliss!

2011-05-30T20:52:00.000-05:00

May 30, 1998

In addition to being Memorial Day, today was also our 13th wedding Anniversary. Our wedding day had to be the hottest day of the whole summer even though it was only the end of May. My grandfather recently reminded me that it had to have been at least 100 degrees! Even though it was hot, our wedding was beautiful and the past 13 years have been full of love and adventure. It is hard to imagine that we are even the same people that said "I do" that hot May day so long ago. We have been through so much together and have grown through it all. I can't imagine sharing that time with anyone else!

Well, Jason and I had our Anniversary date last night and decided today was a "whole family day"! We spent this beautiful Memorial Day on the King's River floating from Rockhouse to Trigger Gap. The river was up and super easy/fun to float! We are always ready to get in the canoe and go so we took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed out. As always, we had a blast!!!

Ready to go!

Eating chips in the river

Beauty all around!

End of the trip...exhausted!

First School Program

2011-05-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Luci had her first school program. Each year her school puts on an International Dinner and each class chooses a country to study and perform something from. Luci's class was Romania so for a day she was our little Korean-American-Romanian! Talk about identity confusion!

Her class prepared a dance to a traditional Romanian folksong and learned to count to ten in Romanian and speak some common phrases like please, thank you, and good morning. She has been practicing these phrases at home for the past month!

Back in the chaotic prep room waiting for her turn to perform.

I was so proud of our little Luci yesterday...The atmosphere was definitely not something she enjoyed but she was a trooper and got up on stage and performed with her class (without coaxing from us). Luci does not like chaos, noise, and she definitely doesn't like it when other kids are upset. All of this was present yesterday so prior to the dance Luci was stressed.

On stage with her class

What a cute day though...all the kids and teachers worked so hard and the families really enjoyed watching all the classes perform! Both sets of Luci's grandparents came to see the performance. She was so proud and very excited to come sit in the audience with her peeps when she had finished.

Below is the video of her class dancing. Luci follows along and even stomps in a few places. There were A LOT of people there...I would have been overwhelmed! There is even a bit of excitement at the end...see if you can spot it!

Forever Family Day 2011, otherwise known as Gotcha Day!

2011-04-29T23:03:00.000-05:00

This week we celebrated two years as a family of three! April 27 is the anniversary of the day Luci came to live with us forever. She made Jason and I more than just husband and wife that day; she made us Daddy and Mommy!

Luci in Korea, April 2009 and Luci in Daddy's truck, April 2011!

We, of course, spent the day as a family...even though it was the middle of the week! We couldn't possibly do our normal things on a day that will never be normal for us.

We began the day with a laid back morning and breakfast at home. After getting around (slowly), we went to Barnes and Noble and let Luci pick out her Gotcha Day gift. She LOVES books and picked out My Garden by Kevin Henkes as well as a watering can to use on all her plants. After our shopping excursion we ate lunch at one of Luci's favorite places, Red Robin. She adores the "Little Fish and Chips" so it was the natural choice. Following lunch we went to see a "big movie" (HOP) with big popcorn and big Sprite. Since it was 1:00 on a Wednesday afternoon we ended up with a private showing of the movie. This was fantastic...Luci could be as rowdy and wild as she wanted. We took advantage of this when it was apparent that nap time crankiness was rearing it's head; a couple of laps around the theater with the occasional burst of screaming worked wonders. Luci had a blast!

Watering her strawberry plants with her new watering can

It is unbelievable how far we have come in 2 years and how quickly 2 years have gone by! This time of year I can't help but reminisce over our trip to Korea and those first weeks home. Luci has always been a sweet, intelligent, loving child; that was apparent from our first meeting in Korea. It's the little changes that most people don't know about that I spend the most time thinking fondly about. For instance, how my daughter has gone from absolute terror at the thought of someone removing a layer of clothing and putting her in the bath to jumping on the bed while giggling and screaming "I nekid!!!" (naked). Or only being able to fall asleep (and stay asleep) if she was curled up on my neck like a cat to sleeping in her own bed or pushing me completely out of mine! Or screaming as if someone was hurting her when she touched grass to nearly falling asleep while laying on the ground UNDER our beehive with her Daddy. These are the things I never want to forget! I know that each day will be filled with memories and I can't wait to experience them all as a family!

Irresistible sweetness!

Luci's Playset

2011-04-11T11:02:00.000-05:00

Luci has an AWESOME playset in the backyard! It has been a work in progress since this past fall but is now ready for full-time play! The slide is tacked up, the swings are hung, and Luci won't come inside!

She absolutely loves it! Check out the progress in the pics below...


The beginning...even Luci's hen got in on the action!


Luci assisting Grandad


Luci and Grandma figuring out the bolts


The ladder and slide are finally up!


Better let Awckie test it first!


Then I'll try it with Momma...


I LOVE my slide!


My swings are hung and I'm never getting out!

Thank you to everyone who helped...Pops, Daddy, Grandpa, Grandad, Nana, Grandma, and Nanny! These are happy squeals and I'm too busy screaming to say hello...a wave will have to suffice!!!

Happy Wacky Green St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T08:49:00.001-05:00

Luci's all dressed up in her wacky green outfit (that she picked out) and ready for school! Can't you tell she is in a wacky mood?! Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Luci and her chickens

2011-03-02T14:48:00.000-06:00

Luci LOVES her chickens! In fact she loves them so much, they were the subject of her very first show and tell at school. Her took the picture below (from last summer) and an egg (hard-boiled, of course). She wanted to show her friends that her chicken lays "one egg!" Her friends wanted to know if that was a real chicken; if it was a baby chicken; if they lived at her house; if they lived in her house; etc...just imagine the multitude of questions that would come from 2.5 -5 year olds who have lived in a city their whole lives! Hilarious!

Luci has been spending a lot of time outside with her chickens in our warm weather! The following pictures are some I took yesterday afternoon (and then had fun with using photo editing software)!

Feeding my chickens.

"Eat this chickens!"

"More please! See?!"

"Here baby!"

Luci herding her chickens!

Playing after we tired of the chickens...

My beautiful girl is growing up too fast! Don't you think?!

Insane February!!!

2011-02-13T22:43:00.000-06:00

Where to begin...Since it is Valentine's Day in a couple of hours, Happy Valentine's Day! Jason and I celebrated this afternoon with a little theater and some Italian yumminess! We went and checked out a local production called Sundown Town and it was amazing! Some of our favorite artists, 3 Penny Acre, provided the music and the play was written and produced locally! I have posted a link to the trailer if anyone is interested!

As for the beginning of February, well let's just say it has been interesting! We have truly had WINTER! We began the month with a couple of inches of ice immediately followed by about 8 inches of snow. That was enough to keep us out of school and work for 4 days! We went back for 2 days (at least the bigger districts did) and then we got hit with 19-24 inches of snow depending on where you measured! All the weather bulletins were predicting 4-9 inches. I think they were slightly off! Along with the snow, we also had frigid temperatures (-13 below for an actual temperature). I was beginning to question where I actually lived...yep, it was still Arkansas; it just wasn't acting like it. So, this past Wednesday we had record snowfall and today, Sunday, it was near 70 degrees.

We had a blast in the first snowfall! Luci went out and ran, played, built two snowmen, learned how to throw a snowball, etc...

This second snowfall we decided to stay inside. The bitter temperatures combined with the insane depth of snow, I was truly afraid we would lose her! I mean seriously, she is only 34 inches tall! We had drifts around the house taller than that!

Here is hoping that winter is on it's way out and spring is on it's way in! I am ready to get outside and do some planting!!!

Where, Oh Where...?

2011-01-10T12:00:00.002-06:00

Hello...

Is there a little girl in there somewhere?

Oh... There she is!

Luci LOVES to read and simply adores reading to her elephant and piggy while snuggled under a "cozy b"! A girl after my own heart!

2 years ago...

2011-01-06T09:00:00.007-06:00

Its hard to believe that it has been 2 years since we first learned that God chose Luci as our daughter! That's right, 2 years ago today we got a phone call that changed our lives! I will never forget where I was (my office getting ready to rush out the door, heading to Bentonville...boy did I stop and sit down!), the conversation (stunned silence on my part intermingled with "really?!" and "WOW!"), and how I felt (like nothing else mattered and I had to get home right then).

Luci...You are amazing and I can't imagine our lives without you! You are sweet, a little bits nuts, loving, smart, silly, girly and tomboyish at the same time, shy, and boisterous! We love you to pieces!

Our Christmas Celebrations!

2010-12-30T15:04:00.002-06:00

We like to spread out Christmas each year which meant torturing Luci! She figured out that presents under the tree meant she was getting new and fun things! Being 2 means that we are short on patience and she constantly asked when she could "open presents...Luci presents". She also isn't shy about asking the grandparents for "Luci presents". The girl has got it figured out and she typically gets what she wants!

We had Christmas with Jason's side of the family the week before Christmas. Our niece Allie has a birthday that week so we typically celebrate Christmas one day and have a birthday party the next. Luci had a blast opening gifts at Pops and Nana's house and playing with her cousins.

Very serious about opening Christmas presents!

Loving on her new Sing-a-majig! Don't know who had more fun with this toy...the kids or the grown-ups!

I am seriously loving Luci's new rockin' rain boots; she is enthralled with her new necklace!

Cousins playing on their new computers!

Serious conversation over dessert! Notice the bowl of whipped cream by Luci...she kept refilling her plate. The girl LOVES whipped cream!

Helping Pops make waffles the next morning. Looks safe, doesn't it?!

We had our family Christmas (just the three of us) on Christmas Eve night. We ate a ton of food and opened our presents. One of Luci's that I am particularly thrilled with was a Custom Board Book with her story in it. I had it made at My Custom Story and they did a great job. The quality is wonderful! Luci loves it because it is full of pictures of her. She is getting old enough now that she can start to understand some of her story and we thought this book would help!

Open these please!

A sleeping bag of her own...all set for spring family camping!

Her own story... she was mesmerized that it was a book full of Luci pictures.

Helping Daddy open his presents

Curled up in her sleeping bag with Mommy reading a new book. (Yes, that is Luci's new bag and yes, it was the smallest camping grade one we could find!)

Christmas Day we headed out to Mom and Dad's farm in Big Flat. We always enjoy our time at their quiet hide-away. My brother and his wife came the next day and we celebrated Christmas with this side of the family. While we were at the farm we decorated Christmas cookies and had a lot of fun watching Luci try to keep her food away from Ryan and Sherri's dog, Lucky. When Luci eats, the food is about at Lucky's level so it is very tempting! Jason and I also took some time to do a little bit of Christmas hiking in the National Forest...a nice 9 mile hike with gentle (HA!) rolling hills was just what we needed to get the blood moving after all the eating! Sorry though; no pictures from the hike. We left the camera at home so as to lighten our packs!

Rotten girl! Look at all the packages...not like she is the only grandchild on my side or anything!

She loved her vegetables so much that she took the carrot, cucumber, and potato up to her nap the next afternoon!

"I'm so tired but will you please peel my potato?"

Cutting out the Christmas cookies...she is a PRO!

Making Daddy a special Red-Hot Santa cookie! Notice the candy dumping technique Luci developed using the lids!

This is Luci's idea of cleaning up after the cookie decorating!

"Walk away, Lucky!" This is my pretzel!

I truly hope each of you had a very Merry Christmas! May 2011 be full of blessings!!!

Putting up the tree and other Christmas traditions

2010-12-21T22:35:00.000-06:00

This entry is a little dated but this is the first I have had time to sit down, play with pictures, and update our blog. We didn't just put our tree up...its been up for about 2.5 weeks.

Luci is really getting into the Christmas spirit and excitement this year! She absolutely loved decorating the tree and now she is super excited that there are "Luci presents" under the tree. She checks on them hourly and has even tried to open one or two. She isn't very subtle though; the ripping of the paper gives it away instantly!

Luci picked out her own ornament this year when we visited the Plaza in Kansas City after Thanksgiving. She is very proud of it...a pink piggy just like her stuffed one! She hung it on the tree and we found out that it is just as fragile as it looks. She didn't get it hooked solidly and it fell to the floor. Poor piggy's feet didn't survive the fall. However, Luci didn't notice the missing appendages so I was able to slip a new piggy on the tree the next day (after a mad search for an identical one since the original was purchased 4 hours away)!

We continued our Christmas tradition begun last year. Downtown Fayetteville puts on a beautiful Christmas lights display on the Square each year. Its always lots of fun for the kiddos in the evenings. Luci particularly likes the ponies and loves to ride them. (Don't let the picture fool you...she really does love to ride the ponies! She just wasn't feeling her normal peppy-self that evening!) Following the pony ride, we went to get a cupcake at Bliss. Luci decided to bring her cupcake home to eat but she was more than happy to devour a shot of chocolate frosting in the cupcakery! Mmmmmm! Chocic!

There will be more Christmas happenings to follow another evening. For now, Merry Christmas to each of you!

Thanksgiving Week Festivities

2010-11-29T12:50:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving week was a busy one this year! It always is but it seemed extra hectic this year.

Luci had her harvest feast at school on Tuesday and because I didn't have to work I volunteered to help. Each classroom prepared a dish to serve to the rest of the school. Luci's class made the sweet potatoes. I know what you are thinking but yes...11 2-year-olds cut up, mashed, and mixed all the goodies into the sweet potatoes. No wonder they needed parental help! After the preparation was complete, the kiddos delivered dishes of their menu item to the other classrooms. Then it was feast time! It was quite interesting to eat lunch with a group of toddlers! I took Luci home after lunch; we both needed a nap!


expert sweet potato masher!


The delivery and hand-off. This is seconds before the bowl landed upside-down in the floor. Luckily we had made plenty!

Looks deceptively calm, doesn't it?!

Wednesday morning we set out on our annual Thanksgiving trip to Wisconsin to visit my family. We had Thanksgiving on Thursday and since we won't see them again, we had Christmas on Friday. Everyone had a great time catching up and visiting.


Kaitlyn and Luci talking about the nativity set

Best group picture taken...you can't win them all!

Opening presents


Playing the piano and singing! The video below shows Luci's first piano concert. She is very proud of herself!

Playing dress-up with one of her new Christmas presents.

This year we decided to break our trip home into 2 days. We stopped in Kansas City Saturday night to spend some time Christmas shopping on the Plaza. I lived in Kansas City until I was 6 years old and I remember visiting the Plaza each year at Christmas time. I wanted to experience this again with Jason and Luci. We had a lovely time and it made for a nice reprieve from the car!

Jason and Luci as we were waiting for a table at the Cheesecake Factory.

The beautiful Christmas lights on the Plaza.

Hope everyone out there had a lovely Thanksgiving and is looking forward to Christmas as much as we are!

I "boted" and I am sooooo proud!

2010-11-03T09:48:00.001-05:00

Notice my upside-down sticker!

Luci Update and a Fun Fall Festival

2010-10-24T18:03:00.000-05:00

Luci started a new school in August at the beginning of the Fall Semester and we are LOVING it! She is truly blossoming into a sweet little girl...no longer a baby. I can't believe everything she has learned since August! First and foremost...she is potty trained! I can't take the credit for this. It is all her teachers; miracle-workers!

I have to continue bragging just a little...she is also learning the sounds of the alphabet. She knows s, m, a, r, t, c, o, l, b, and j. She also knows several shapes: circle, triangle, oval, and diamond. She is learning her colors and is beginning to count in both English and Spanish although she will occasionally interchange them. We routinely hear "1, 2, 4, 6, 8" or 1, dos, 4, siete,..." I am just truly amazed at everything she is doing at age 2! I had lots of 5 and 6 year olds when I taught Kindergarten that struggled with these concepts. Yes, I am a proud mommy!

This afternoon we attended the Fall Festival at Luci's school. It was so much fun to see all her friends dressed up and watch Luci go through all the stations and games. She wore her costume from last year because her new costume is quite warm and today was a very hot and humid October day. We decided to save her new costume for Halloween night...hopefully it will be more characteristic of October! The following pictures are from this afternoon. Fun times!!!


"Arggg mateys! I am ready to go pillage and plunder!"


Drawing in the black light room


Making a spider


Cheater, cheater...I don't think you are supposed to walk the bean bag to the target in the bean bag TOSS!


Getting a spider painted on Luci's arm (she freaked out when they tried to paint her face!)


What did I catch on my fishing pole???!!


The other side of the pond...helping Daddy load other kids' fishing poles.

Maiden Voyage of the Teal Buffalo

2010-09-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

We finally got our brand new teal Buffalo canoe in the water!!! We ordered the canoe in May, picked it up in July, and it has been sitting under a tarp in the yard since then. There was nothing more irritating than seeing our new canoe everyday for 2 months and knowing there was no water in any of the rivers; it has been an extremely dry summer!

Well it finally rained and Jason kept his eye on the river gauges for any sign of movement. Ahhh...finally there was enough water for us to float in our canoe instead of carry our canoe! We were off to Ponca!

Luci loves the boat and Daddy had her psyched up to go! For two days she constantly asked "Boap? Wawa?" "Yes, Honey...we are going to take the boat and float in the water!" Below are the pictures from our maiden voyage. What fun!!!

Ready to launch from Ponca

Helping Daddy cook the hot dogs for lunch! Encouraging pats on the back help!

Don't even think about trying to take these chips!

Don't be fooled...Luci only eats the filling out of the Oreos. Mommy and Daddy finish off the chocolate cookie.

Jason jumping off the bluff. Luci was very concerned!

Waiting patiently for Daddy to swim back after his jump.

Much-Needed Beach Vacation

2010-08-23T13:22:00.000-05:00

We did something a little out of character for us...we took a spur-of-the-moment, last-minute vacation. And we LOVED it! I say "out of character" because I am a planner. I plan all our vacations out to the minute detail and to do something spur-of-the-moment is slightly unnerving for me. However, we desperately needed a vacation and decided to go for it! (It was the "official" last week of summer as school was starting the next week.)

I found a house on St. George Island that was available for the week and we headed out! The drive was slightly excruciating (15 hours with a 2 year old) but we made it! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for the new movies and entertainment for Luci!

St. George Island Lighthouse

We spent a delightfully relaxing 4 days on the beach with no plans other than eating fresh seafood, splashing in the waves, and digging in the sand. We had never been to St. George before but it was well worth the drive! The beaches were beautiful and VACANT! I don't know if it was the scare of oil, the time of year, or just how they always are but the only people we saw on the beach was each other...just how I like it! It was Luci's first time at the beach and she ate it up!

Beautiful, VACANT beaches!

Where did my feet go?!

The other thing she ate up was all the fresh seafood! This girl would eat fish and shrimp at every meal if she could. She typically doesn't eat that much but on this trip she was a little pig! I couldn't blame her though...the food was delicious!

One anecdote and then I will leave you to enjoy the pictures. Each day we drove to the end of the island that was designated as a State Park. To get into the park, you drove through a booth and paid the rangers a small fee. We had been doing this all week but the final time we rolled the window down, something clicked for Luci. She looked up ever so innocently and asked "french fries?" I couldn't help but laugh at her association with the drive-through. It also made me realize how often we must have been through a drive through for french fries this summer. Oh well...school should put an end to that lunch time routine!

Digging in the sand with Daddy

The perfect beach spot to lay, dig, and splash!

I'll be right "back"! I'm going to go chase this bird!

An unsuccessful chase but not for lack of trying!

Playing in the waves at night

What have we done?!

2010-07-25T14:54:00.000-05:00

Well, we did it! We changed Luci's crib into a toddler bed. I thought it was about time since she is now 2 and has bailed out of her crib a couple of times. She is a climber and I love it but what I don't love are trips to the emergency room so it was time for safer alternative.

I found a wooden railing online that we can stain to match her bed (a project for another time) and when it came we made the switch. Any project we attempt turns major when Luci is around. At first I think she just thought I was changing her sheets so she sat down to read a book and wait it out.

When it became apparent that construction was involved, she jumped in to lend her own brand of helping hands. In the first picture she is putting back in the bolts that daddy just took out. The next picture is self-explanatory. See...everything is easier with help!

Luci was super excited to find that she can now get in and out of her bed all by herself! Once she figured it out she ran to get her piggy, elephant ("awckie"), and blanket ("B"). It wasn't even close to bedtime but she wanted to try it out!

So we are officially into day 2 of the switch. Last night went seamless but she was so tired that she fell right asleep and didn't move till morning. Nap this afternoon was another story. We are in the middle of it as I type and so far she has (1) come running into the living room at top speed, holding piggy by the ears, screaming "PIGGGGGYYYYYYY!!!!", and (2) climbed out of her bed, grabbed her current favorite book off the shelf (Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog), and got back into bed to read it. She finally fell asleep with piggy, elephant, and her book next to her but it took nearly an hour till she wore herself down. Could be interesting; but what isn't with a 2 year old in the house?!

Another year older...

2010-07-17T14:13:00.000-05:00

My two loves are another year older...the big 2 for Luci and thirty-hmmm (rhymes with tree) for Jason. This is such a special day that they share!

singing with daddy

We had Luci's party last weekend and it was superb! The menu consisted of all our favorite vendor foods from Korea. We had bulgogi served in lettuce leaves, chicken and green onion skewers (the first vendor food we tried), and our favorite...sweet, molten hotteok! It was delicious and I think we won all the family over. They now love Korean food as much as we do!

YUM!!!

making delicious hotteok (click here for the link to the recipe)

So, in honor of her birthday, here is a list of all things Luci! (I didn't think Jason would want me to list his developmental milestones on his birthday so I will focus on our sweet girl.)

Luci...

is 32 inches long and a whopping 23 pounds,
talks constantly and adds new words to her vocabulary every day (her latest is booger...so proud!),
loves to skip and jump,
is still the most coordinated child I have ever seen,
wants to be "side" (outside) all the time,
loves to swim, "spash" and paddle in the boat,

loves her chickens on her terms (isn't wild about them on their terms),
tells the chickens "ni-ni" every night when closing them in the coup with daddy,
CONSTANTLY wants chapstick for her "ips"; even knows where to look for all the various tubes, my purse, daddy's pocket, Grandma's purse, etc...,

doesn't like it when daddy goes to "ork",
is a huge daddy's girl,
hates it when anybody leaves,
misses her Cleo ("dog? bye-bye?"),
loves to cuddle and love,
gives the sweetest kisses,

plays hard,
is a wild child, and
is our sweet, precious girl whom we absolutely adore!

They came...They visited...They canoed!

2010-07-09T23:59:00.004-05:00

My family from Wisconsin (Grandma, Aunt, and 2 cousins) came for a visit this past week and we had a blast. This was the first trip to Arkansas my grandmother has made in several years. The last one I remember was when my brother got married (over 10 years ago)! It was nice to see them here on our home turf!

They came over to our house Tuesday morning to see Luci and eat lunch with us. Luci of course had to show her farm cousins how to throw grain to the chickens. She loves her chickens and likes to show them off to others!

Wednesday we joined my parents and the Wisconsin crew at my parents' cabin in Big Flat. We always enjoy visiting that retreat! Thursday morning we went with Dad, my Aunt Lois, and 2 cousins Kyle and Kaitlyn on a canoe trip down the Buffalo River. Luci is a pro at this point...loves to sit in the front of the canoe in her little green camp chair. You couldn't actually prove the float trip happened from these pictures though since we didn't get any of the actual canoeing...only of the cooking, splashing, and swimming (all VITAL parts of a float trip)! We have been terrible parents and actually haven't captured any pictures of Luci in her canoe even though this was her 3rd time! It's on my to-do picture list for the next trip!

With Kaitlyn before the canoe trip

Jason (with his shadow) and Dad cooking lunch. Brats and hot dogs over a campfire...YUM!

Kyle and his "mini-me". Luci wanted to do everything her cousin did (even the stride is the same)!

Swimming with Grandpa

Can't believe this is the same girl who was DEATHLY afraid of bathwater a year ago!

My swimming beauty!

God's Masterpiece!

As you can tell from the pics, we had a great time! This weekend will bring Luci's birthday party on Saturday and her cousin Grace's on Sunday. After all the playmates Luci has had over the past week, next week is going to be a huge let-down...back to just Mommy and Luci! I hope we survive!

Good morning, sunshine!

2010-06-16T15:13:00.000-05:00

This is the smiling face we wake up to every morning! I absolutely love this happy girl! My favorite phrase that she has recently been saying is "happy, happy, happy"! She truly is! Jason snapped the above picture the other morning shortly after she woke up. She wanted all her animals piled up in the chair with her...all her favorite characters are there: bear, bear, and bear, dog, frog, elephant, green elephant, duck, and pig (wearing Luci's prized bunny ears).

Here's wishing you a "happy, happy, happy" day!

A Farewell...

2010-06-11T13:37:00.000-05:00

This is a difficult post for me to write. Over a week ago, we had to say goodbye to our faithful and loving pup Cleo. I meant to do this earlier, but to be honest...I wasn't ready to write these words yet.

Jason and I adopted Cleo into our family when she was an 8-week-old bundle of English bulldog energy! We were married in May of '98 and found Cleo in at the beginning of November. She was our first child and we treated her like one...as any childless couple does with their pets! She went everywhere with us and when she was young enough to jump, even slept at the foot of our bed with us!

This September, Cleo would have turned 12...very old in bulldog years! In the past couple of years, she had developed arthritis and in the past couple of months had started to deteriorate quickly. 2 weeks ago, she stopped eating and finally was no longer able to use one of her back legs. On the morning of Wednesday, June 2 we said a very tearful and painful good-bye.

Even though it has been a week and a half now, I still think I hear her in the house, the click-clicking of her claws on the hardwood floors. She was with us for 12 years and it is hard for me to remember (or maybe I just don't want to) that she isn't here. Luci misses her too and often asks "dog???" and I have to remind her that Cleo went "bye-bye". I know she doesn't understand where her play-mate is. We had some wonderful memories with her and we will miss her for a long time!!!

A picture of Luci and Cleo from last summer as they were just getting to know each other!

Swimming at Red Bluff

2010-06-06T17:25:00.000-05:00

We went swimming this afternoon to get away from the already oppressive heat! Our friend was kind enough to offer up her place on the War Eagle any time we wanted to bring Luci to swim. Of course we couldn't say no! We had a nice picnic lunch and a fun swim with no one around! What a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Waiting for lunch. Luci has learned to say "cheese" for the camera.

Red Bluff! The perfect swimming hole!

Swimming on Daddy's back.

Summertime!!!!

2010-05-31T22:04:00.003-05:00

I love summer around here! Leisurely days...no responsibilities...lots of fun-time with Luci!

So far this summer we haven't done much of anything serious! If we feel like going into town, we do. If we feel like staying home, we do. Luci is a great day time sleeper...long naps with all her friends and blankets (a.k.a. "B").

We have also visited the Farmer's Market during the week (that never happens during the school year)! Our favorite summertime fruit has just come into season so we occasionally have to stop immediately and sample some. Mmmmm...blueberries!

We have also spent some time at the library for the Toddler Story-hour. This past Thursday the tambourine playing was Luci's favorite! The girl's got some rhythm. The librarian who conducts this circus must have the patience of Job! You take 30 2-year-olds, jam them into one room, and try to get them to SIT still and listen to a story while not climbing on you, not pulling the book out of your hands, not screaming and kicking the children next to them, etc...you get the picture! I taught Kindergarten and it had its share of crazy days but this trumps it all! Luci loves it and I love it for her!!! :)

We also (just tonight) got the garden tilled and lots of stuff planted. I know...its late. But better late than not at all! Hopefully it will do well. We have had a small section planted since March with our cold weather crops likes peas and onions and broccoli. Tonight we plowed the rest of it and finished planting potatoes (we will have two crops this year), tomatoes, and beans. We will head out to the nursery this week and see if we can still find peppers and some corn. Luci loved playing in the garden tonight as I planted. She had a spade and we finally gave her a bucket so that she would quit digging up what I had planted. She quickly became consumed with filling her bucket with dirt. The chickens also enjoyed the newly tilled garden with its feast of worms and Luci especially enjoyed chasing them over the potato mound again and again!

We have taken one trip already this summer. We went up to Wisconsin about a week ago to celebrate the life of a wonderful man, my grandfather. I am so happy that Luci had the chance to meet and play with him twice here on earth. There was no one quite like him! We are all going to miss him dearly but I am thankful that now he is in a much better place, rejoicing with his Savior in a newly healed body! The picture below was of Luci, Grandpa, and I last summer during their first meeting.

1st Annual Forever Family Day!

2010-04-28T23:20:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it?! Luci has been home a year!!! I know I can't! So today, I am thinking back on the last year and all the amazing changes our family has gone through...

Last year, April 27 was the day we lived twice...literally! It was April 27th when we woke up in Korea and it was April 27 nearly 42 hours later when we finally laid our heads down in our own bed back home! Granted we didn't lay our heads down for long because our sweet Luci had her days and nights mixed up and she was ready to play at 2 a.m. as evidenced from the precious picture below. Note the sheer exhaustion on my face and the absolute delight that we finally gave in on Luci's face! We will never forget those 2 a.m bonding sessions...actually, they still happen. It is extremely rare that Luci sleeps all the way through the night. This little bundle of solid energy just doesn't need much sleep. Mommy and Daddy do 'cause we are old but Luci doesn't seem to get that yet! HA!

As any parent knows, one year can bring so many changes. We came home crawling, shortly followed by cruising, and immediately followed by walking, running, jumping, skipping, etc...She has always preferred vegetables to any other food and to this day will walk into the kitchen, try to open the refrigerator and say "peas???" Seriously...what toddler begs for peas before asking for any other food???? I know she's weird but I'll take every morsel of Luci weirdness she can dish out! She also LOVES to be outside..."ou-siiiiide???" (Notice the Southern drawl I tried to insert...yes my little Korean will have a Southern accent.) This time last year the idea of touching grass brought a series of panicked screams. Now our bare-footed, nature-lovin', worm-digging girl can't get enough of the great outdoors! And, of course, we can't either! (Check out the picture below from a go-to-work-with-daddy day last week...NOT staged!!!) What an absolutely perfect match for our family!

So, how did we celebrate our 1st annual Forever Family Day? We started about 2 weeks ago with a photo session commemorating the occasion. Mindy of MJW Photography took some absolutely beautiful pictures and now we have the impossible task of choosing which ones to order...below are some of my favorites. I have narrowed my choices down to about 20. I think I need to narrow further.

On the actual day, we celebrated by going to Build-A-Bear and letting Luci pick an animal. This girl LOVES her stuffed animals like no kid I have ever seen. As you can tell from the one of the above pictures, "elephant" goes with her everywhere...even to a photo shoot (yes that is his ear in the big-smile, little-teeth picture)!

After Build-A-Bear, we went to a Korean restaurant for some delicious food..bulgogi for Jason and dolsot bibimbap for me! Luci had the whole restaurant ohhing and ahhing. She got quite a few extras that I am sure we didn't get charged for!

We had a lovely day, but then again...we usually do! I can not imagine life without Luci! She brings joy to every moment of every day!

Spring Break Week

2010-04-02T21:15:00.005-05:00

This post is a little late...meant to get it posted on Monday but I had to play quite a bit of catch up at work. That's what happens when you totally ignore the outside world for an entire week! (It was sooooo worth it!)

We started out the week with a massive snow-fall...13 inches of blowing snow to be exact! Unbelievable and not all that fun. At least Luci didn't think so. I took her out to build a snowman because it was a nice, packable-wet snow and she couldn't even walk. We didn't stay out too long!

Braving the snow-storm to check on the chickens

"Now what do I do?!"

My Spring-Break-Snowman...complete with sun hat and sunglasses

Then, typical NWA-March-style, the snow was melted the next day and we had beautiful 80 degree weather. So we decided to enjoy the weather and take Luci on her first trip to the zoo. She (and we) had an absolute blast! She isn't scared of anything! In fact, I think she would have climbed into the fish tank with the giant alligator gar...she was trying to catch it through the glass!

1st carousel ride...on an elephant of course. (Mommy made me leave my stuffed one in the car.)

In the desert exhibit

Luci's favorite animal at the zoo...a road runner. We have these in our backyard but we went to the zoo to play with them!

Jason and Luci checking out the rhinos. Did you know they "moo"?

Jason teaching Luci to ROARRRRR like a lion!

Wednesday we completely left the world behind (cell-phones, internet, and TV) and took advantage of my parents cabin on the edge of the world in Big Flat. We had a wonderful time enjoying the country-side and each other. Luci is a true back-roads girl. She giggled and squealed all over the bumpy dirt roads. Her favorite part of one of our explorations was when the road and the creek-bed merged and we drove and splashed down stream. If she hadn't been buckled in, she would have fallen out of her seat laughing! She really is a joyous girl!

Luci has her own leather recliner at the cabin. (Yes, she is the only grandchild on my side of the family, in case you were wondering!) She loved waking up in it each morning while she snuggled one of her elephants.

Picnic lunch

Throwing pebbles in the stream with Daddy.

Luci in her first cave. Even I will go in a cave like this one!

The edge of the world

Eventually we had to rejoin civilization so we headed back to town. We ended the week with family hair-cut night. Much overdue for Jason and I; Luci's first!

Prepping for the cut

The only way we could get Luci to sit still long enough for a trim was if she combed elephant's hair while Roxie combed hers! She ended up with the cutest little bob!

Luci news and a funny!

2010-03-08T12:01:00.001-06:00

It has been a while since my last post and Luci is making great strides in her language development. For those of you who know me, you know that I have been worried about Luci's lack of words! Every time we go to the doctor for a check-up I am able to answer with a resounding YES on all her developmental milestones. In fact, Luci has usually been ahead by leaps and bounds on all the checklists. However, until her 18 month check-up the developmental checklists have been purely physical and cognitive with very little language involved, other than babbling (which she has always done). When we went for Luci's 18 month check-up, the doctor asked "Does she have 10-20 words?" I swallowed and answered "No". She really wasn't talking using real words yet. She is a very effective nonverbal communicator and I guess we just never forced the issue.

I am now happy to report that Luci has started speaking in words...usually 2-3 new ones each week! We had "mama" and "da". We now have "woof" for dog, "juice", "hot", "ball", "door", "NO" (a favorite), "book" (for book or movie), "moo", "house", "put", "up", "night, night", and a few others that I am drawing a blank on now but have written down on the calendar. She has even constructed a sentence on a few occasions! Her first was (appropriately) "No, no daddy!" She wasn't ready for her bath yet but it was time!

Here is an example of a conversation Luci and I had in the car yesterday on the way home from the grocery store.

Luci: "house" as she points to a house we are driving by
Me: "Yes, that is a house!"
Luci: "house" another one
Me: "Yes! I wonder who lives in that house?"
Luci: "Moooooo!"

In fact, she is so obsessed with cows that she will drop everything when she hears one outside...enjoy the following series of pictures!

"Wait a minute! Did I just hear a cow?"

"I did! I heard a cow!"

"MOOOO!"

The Snowy Day

2010-02-08T21:50:00.000-06:00

We had a beautiful snowy day today! It has been one of many this year. Usually we get ice, but this year we have been treated to some snow. We took advantage of the beauty and had a little fun outside!

First Hike of the New Year…Lost Valley

2010-01-21T22:49:00.003-06:00

Jason and I were both lucky enough to have Monday off in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Since the weather was warm we decided to get outside and take Luci on a hike. We headed to the Buffalo River and Lost Valley…it's an easy hike with beautiful scenery and it happened to be a place that neither Jason nor I had been in probably 15 years. The following are some highlights of the outing.

View through the few leaves left on a tree

Beautiful Eden Falls…we have had lots of moisture in January so it was flowing nicely

Luci REALLY wanted to get in the water but it is still January so no luck...explain that to an 18-month old!

Found a couple of sticks so naturally we MUST play in the dirt! Who needs toys when you have sticks, rocks, and dirt?!

Luci receiving her first Geology lesson from Daddy

Luci rode the 1 mile in…

…and she HIKED the 1 mile out. Seriously, she hiked nearly the whole way out!

This was how she hiked most of it; hands jammed in her pockets, running full speed ahead (great for balance!!!)

The elk at Ponca…this was the 3rd time we saw them and I finally MADE Jason stop the car and take a picture. At this point in time elk are his least favorite animal. Yes, he is deep into the dissertation again and not really feeling the love for his research subjects!

One Year Ago Today...

2010-01-06T10:00:00.002-06:00

Hard to believe that one year ago today I saw this sweet face for the first time.

It was instant love-at-first-sight. Actually, it was love at first hearing because I heard all the details about my precious daughter over the phone and through email before I ever saw her face.

I have been reminiscing alot lately and I am remembering the day of the referral. I had just come out of a difficult meeting at work and ran upstairs to grab my things before running out the door and up to my internship site in Bentonville for some observations. As I was putting my phone it my purse, it beeped indicating that I had missed a call. I looked and saw that it was our social worker. My heart literally skipped a couple of beats, my hands started sweating, and I started shaking. I didn't even listen to the voice mail that she had left; I simply called her back to see if it was the call I had been waiting for. IT WAS! She had a referral for our sweet Luci. I tried to remain objective but as soon as she told me that her birthday was July 16 (the same as her daddy), I knew. This was the sign that God was giving me...this was our baby! She could have had 3 heads and 5 legs at that point and we still would have known she was the one for us.

Still, we did the "smart" thing and let our pediatrician look over the referral telling ourselves that we were really thinking it over...but we weren't! We knew! She was ours!

I know I have said this before but I am so happy that God chose me to be this special girl's mommy! She is such a perfect fit for our family! Happy Referral Day (even though you didn't know anything about it) to our sweet, energetic, happy, fun, loving Luci!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T17:24:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year from all of us here at the Kindall house! What could be better than ringing in 2010 in your too small bathtub with your favorite elephant and a bowl of snacks?! Hope 2010 is full of blessings for each of you!

Merry Christmases

2009-12-27T15:30:00.001-06:00

We have had an incredible time this Christmas season! It is amazing how much joy Luci can bring to an already joyful celebration! As I look back on the past year, I am simply amazed over how our life has changed...not only does our house look different (several family members have commented on this fact...toy explosion), but our whole focus is different! I won't talk on this for long, but I do feel the need to mention it as I know several families playing the adoption waiting game this Christmas. Last year was...difficult...We had been on the waiting list for a referral for a little over 6 months when Christmas rolled around. This was about the average wait at that time and I was starting to get anxious/high-strung/depressed/testy/fill-in-your-own-adjective. A teddy bear under the Christmas tree to "Jason and Heather's baby" was enough to send me into hysterical sobs and that just isn't like me! I write all this to say...for those of you waiting, just when you think you can't take it anymore, good news arrives! A mere 2 weeks later, we had a referral for our precious baby girl! I couldn't help comparing this Christmas to last...we were no longer missing a member of our family! She is here and she fills our lives with such joy! She is our perfect gift and I am so thankful that God picked me to be her mommy!

On to the details of our Christmas celebrations...

We began the season with a Christmas date, just the three of us. We went out to dinner and then took Luci down to the square for a pony ride and cupcake. It was such a fun evening and we found out that Luci LOVES ponies. The pictures speak for themselves...check out the absolute delight written all over her face! She squealed and giggled the whole time. Other parents weren't even watching their own kids...they were fixated on our joyful one!

excited to be riding my pony

close-up of the excitement

The next weekend, we went home and had Christmas with Jason's family. It was so much fun to see Luci open her gifts and play with all her cousins. Allie's birthday was also that weekend so we had a double dose of celebration! Since the pony had been such a huge success, her Uncle Kerry took her to the barn so she could ride the mule. She loved it as well! The girl is fearless!

LOVE my new frog!

Betsy helping Allie open presents

The movie basket was a hit with Grace and Dylan

Allie and Luci resting on the frog

riding the mule

We had Christmas at our house a few days before the 25th. It was fun with just the three of us too!

unwrapping presents with daddy

reading in my new chair

As soon as she opened one of her new books, she rushed over to my lap to read it

Our last Christmas celebration was with my side of the family. We spent the holiday out at my parents' new cabin. It was very relaxing to get away and just focus on our family! We were so pleased (and surprised) to find that Luci had 2 big boxes of gifts from Korea! A friend of my Uncle, who lives in Seoul, had sent Luci some beautiful gifts!

modeling my new coat from Korea

really getting the hang of this unwrapping stuff!

I'll even help everyone else unwrap their gifts!

vacuuming up our mess...they should figure out how to make a kid-sized vacuum that really works. The owner of that patent would be rich!

We came home the day after Christmas to find that we had gotten a little snow...it wasn't the 6 inches the weather forecasters had promised but it was enough for us to get out briefly and play around in. Luci loved to walk in it but it was so cold and windy that we couldn't stay out for long.

exploring...so cold and crunchy Luci's feet won't even sink!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have many more blessings to come this New Year!!! God has most definitely been good to us in 2009!

Luci LOVES Cleo

2009-12-17T12:06:00.000-06:00

Wanted to share a series of pictures that depicts an almost daily occurrence in our household. Luci absolutely adores our bulldog, Cleo. Cleo loves Luci too...in her own way. Poor Cleo. The first 11 years of her life were very peaceful! Don't worry...no babies or animals were harmed in any of the following pictures!

It's OFFICIAL...

2009-12-11T16:13:00.000-06:00

Luci is legally a Kindall! We finalized the adoption this morning in court. The process only took a few minutes; Judge Martin signed the papers and then we went out to celebrate!! (Interesting to note: both our lawyer and the judge have adopted children so the process was painless.)

Waiting for The Judge...don't really know what's going on!

Luci had an entourage this morning, which she thought was funny! Grandpa, Grandma, Pops, Nana, Grandad, and Nanny all came to cheer us on!

Luci's entourage

Mr. Morrison, Jason, me and Luci, Judge Martin

Is is almost over? I'm so tired...5:30 a.m. was very early!

Following the ceremony, Luci went to Wilson Park, one of her favorite places. She swung; she slid; she climbed; she thoroughly wore all four grandparents out! (They said they went home so Luci could take a nap but I think they went home so THEY could take naps!)

sliding with Grandpa and Pops with Grandma looking on

After the park, we went to our favorite Fayetteville establishment...Hugo's and then home for some celebratory cupcakes!

Yummy!

Feels so good to have this step out of the way! As of today, it is official...she is, and forever will be, Luci Kate Da In Kindall! Just a few more pieces of paperwork to file and then we are FINISHED!!!

so happy!!!

Thanksgiving and the First Christmas of the Season

2009-12-04T15:48:00.001-06:00

I know Thanksgiving was over a week ago, but things have been a little crazy around here! So it took me a while to recoup from our trip and find time to go through our pictures to pick out the ones I wanted to post on the blog.

As is our tradition, we went to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. We always have Thanksgiving on Thursday and Christmas on Friday while we are there. This year, we didn't know how it would go since we were planning to drive (11 hours) and Luci isn't the biggest fan of the car seat. We weren't too excited about the possibility of her screaming for hours on end (she doesn't cry herself to sleep) so we decided to try driving through the night. Yes, we would be exhausted, but if it was easier on her then it would be easier on us! We left Wednesday night right after her bath. She immediately went to sleep as we had hoped. She didn't wake up until Kansas City and then it was only briefly. She woke up for good about 10 miles away from my grandparents house! SUCCESS!!!

Luci helping Grandma cook

We arrived about 7:30 Thanksgiving morning, ate some breakfast, turned Luci over to all the willing and waiting babysitters, and went to take a nap. Luci was such a trooper! She entertained everyone and found some new favorite toys. She absolutely loves her toys and stuffed animals, as you can see from the following pictures. Grandma and Grandpa have a giant stuffed bear that Luci absolutely adored. She could be found often lounging in the arms of the bear.

Hello everyone!

Riding my trike

As I mentioned previously, we had Christmas on Friday...Luci's first one of the season. She had a blast tearing open the paper and seeing what was inside! She also had a great time playing with her cousins Kyle and Kaitlyn.

Tearing into my presents

Had to immediately read the books! A girl after my own heart...makes a Momma proud!

Fun with Kaitlyn!

Reading Outdoor Life with Kyle

We left Saturday night around Luci's bedtime again for the trip home. She did even better the second time around. Driving through the night is definitely the way to go until she gets a little older.

I absolutely love this time of year and it is going to be even more fun sharing it with Luci this year! Enjoy the pictures of my favorite holiday season! We all have so much to be thankful for!!!

Playing with Daddy at the park

We see these faces often after she touches Cleo...she LOVES her dog and squeals with delight!

Telling Uncle Ryan good-bye...he headed back to Arizona

First overnight away...

2009-11-19T12:55:00.003-06:00

Well, this week marked another milestone in mine and Luci's lives (Jason's too). I had a business trip that took me to Washington DC for 2 nights. I have to be honest...the closer the trip came, the more I didn't think I could do it. It wasn't that I didn't trust Jason...I knew he would take super care of our precious girl. I just didn't think that I could stand it! What if she thinks I've abandoned her? What if she forgets who I am? What if...? You get the picture. I was a neurotic mom! But, I decided to act like a big girl and just do it. So, Monday at noon I took Luci to daycare and boarded a plane for DC.

It was my first trip to our nation's capital and I got to see some amazing sights! The hotel I was staying in was within 5 blocks of all the monuments, the capital building, and the White House, not to mention all the Smithsonian museums. So Monday evening, a friend and I took off on an exploration of the monuments by night. Beautiful! We walked to the Lincoln Monument (always been my favorite in pictures) and it was a spectacular sight at night! We looked out over the reflecting pool and saw the Washington Monument and the Capital Building lit and glowing in the night. Then we walked through the Vietnam War Memorial and the Korean War Memorial. We saw the Nurses Memorial, glimpsed the White House and saw the Capital Building up close. The light was still lit at the top of the Capital Building and the flag was flying on the House side indicating that the House was still in session that evening. Wonder what they could have been talking about at 9:00 on a Monday evening?! We saw the Supreme Court Building and caught a glimpse of the houses on Capital Hill. The historical significance of all these sights was overwhelming!

The next day I sat through a workshop (the real reason for the trip) on how to write accreditation reports for our college...fascinating (but seriously, I did learn what I needed to know...I think!). As soon as the workshop was finished, we set out to take in as many Smithsonian museums as possible. We had 2 hours until they closed so we made a run through the American History Museum and saw the ruby slippers from one of my all-time favorite movies, Julia Child's kitchen, an awesome Lincoln exhibit, and the famous soda fountain where an integral part of the civil rights movement took place! There were other things too as we ran through the museum but these were the highlights!

We then headed next door to the Natural History Museum. Here I saw enormous dinosaurs (felt like I was in the movie Night at the Museum), fossils, life-size mammals from all over the planet, the Hope Diamond (I'm asking for that for Christmas!), and a gigantic crystal from Crystal Springs, Arkansas. This crystal was head and shoulders taller than me.

Meanwhile, at home, Jason and Luci were taking care of each other. They played. They chased. They wrestled. They read all her favorite books. And, she ate like a little pig...so I'm told! I am so thankful that Luci has such a caring and doting father! I am also very thankful for my wonderful mother-in-law and my fantastic mother! Nana came and stayed with Luci on Tuesday and Grandma stayed with Luci on Wednesday! This way, Jason didn't have to worry about driving Luci to daycare and leaving work early to pick her up. She has never stayed there past 4:00 and we didn't want her to have to this week when her life was already going to be different. It completely set my mind at ease to know that Luci was being loved and taken care of here at home by some of the people that love her most!

We all survived; it was a good, productive trip and now things are getting back to normal! Hopefully I won't have to be away overnight too often but at least now I know I can do it!

Halloween and Luci things

2009-11-01T17:22:00.003-06:00

We love Autumn around here...normally. This autumn has been a little wetter than we usually like it so we haven't gotten to spend as much time outdoors. We get out as often as possible but I think we only had 7 sunny days in the month of October so outside activities were at a minimum.

We have experienced a lot of firsts! Luci's first hike where she did most of the walking, first egg collection from our very own chickens, first Halloween, etc...She is such a happy girl and genuinely LOVES life! She wants to try it all and can't wait to show you that she can do it on her own!

Here is a list of things Luci is doing lately:

Dancing, non-stop -- even if there is no music (music in her head...should I be worried?!) She has started incorporating hand-moves into her dances as well. Yes, this girl has rhythm!
Loving and cuddling her teddy bears. She must pick each one up and rub noses with them first thing in the morning.
Toting around a blanket. She has become Linus from Peanuts; except she isn't picky on which blanket. She has about 5 she chooses from.
Chasing and harassing our chickens daily. She loves to try to catch them and pet them...screaming "bok-bok" the whole time! She also loves going down to the chicken coop to see if we have any eggs.
Waving WILDLY to anyone around, including cars that pass us on the road from the backseat.
Says "dos" for dog, "da" for Daddy, "ma" for Mommy, "na" for nose, "bok" for chicken
Shakes her head for no and nods for yes. Also says "uh-uh" for no.
Loves going to the park to swing and slide.
Backs up and sits in your lap with a book when she wants to read. She can turn the pages herself but sometimes her pace is faster than yours. :)
Walks backwards. She is quite good at this, even stopping and looking over her shoulder to see how close she is to objects before continuing backwards. Amazing really!
Tries to dress herself. She knows where everything goes and how to get it on, she just can't quite get it done without help yet.
And...drum-roll please...is sleeping THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! Yes, I feel it is safe to announce this bit of wonderful news. She has done this consistently for about 2 weeks now so I think we have arrived! She will go to bed around 8:30 and sleep through till about 6:30. Its a miracle really and a day I wasn't sure was ever going to arrive. The first night she did this, I woke up at our usual 2 am, worried that she wasn't breathing! She even puts herself to sleep now...after our night-time ritual, she lays down in her crib, rolls over, pats her bear, and closes her eyes. So sweet!

We count our blessings each day that Luci is ours! She couldn't be a more perfect fit for our family!

Without further text, I give you what you have been reading this far for...recent pictures! Enjoy and Happy Fall!

Luci's first independent hike. She wanted to do it all by herself!

She has definitely become an outside girl!

Our happy little pirate...somewhat deceiving seeing as she slept through her first Trick-or-Treating Experience (see picture below)

The Kindall kids (aka Marilyn Monroe, the Cutest Pirate, Elvis, and Tinkerbell)

Luci's true reaction to Trick-or-Treating. Poor girl had a big day and she was zonked!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2009-10-04T13:12:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we took Luci to the pumpkin patch and spent the afternoon with some dear adoption friends. It is so nice to have a group of friends who share this life-changing experience. They know the emotions involved; they understand the wait; they have been through the attachment and bonding phases that are so difficult and sweet at the same time. I cherish our get-togethers and love to see all our kids playing together.

Luci is always a little quieter around groups of people and as usual, it took her a bit to warm up to everyone else. However, with Jason and I she was the wild-child we love! She squealed with delight at the sight of the big pumpkins and tried to climb each one. She loved to slide down them and then immediately try to climb back up. She was content to sit on top and just watch the craziness. What fun! Can't wait to see how she reacts to pumpkin carving...watch for that post in the near future!

Me and my friend, Sophia

Where's Luci?!

Picking out my pumpkin

Carter giving Luci, Liam, and Sophia a ride.

How do you get 8 kids 6 and under to stay still for a group picture?

The answer: confinement! This is the best one we got!

Autumn Fun

2009-09-27T08:49:00.004-05:00

Tuesday was the official start to my favorite season of the year...autumn! After nearly a month of rainy days, our weather this weekend has been beautiful! Crisp, cool mornings with blue, sunny skies. It doesn't get much better than this. The windows are open and Luci is enjoying running outside at will. She has been dragging her toys out on the deck and "mowing" with her lawn mower for hours. So cute to watch!

Yesterday we took advantage of the awesome weather and headed down to our favorite Saturday morning activity...breakfast at Little Bread Company and the Farmer's Market. We were surprised to find that the sidewalks weren't crowded at all; in fact, Luci got to walk around by herself which never happens. She loved the freedom. She played with all the "Das" or dogs that were visiting the Farmer's Market and even stopped to watch some belly dancers do their thing; she was fascinated and stood in one place watching for what must have been 10 minutes.

Another event in Luci's life this fall are Wednesday evenings with Daddy. I have class on Wednesdays so Luci and Daddy have an evening alone. This has been really good for them both and she is getting to be somewhat of a Daddy's girl. Below are a couple of pictures from their last evening. Luci loves to blow the harmonica/whistle that we bought her in Korea (a pink Poroyo whistle) and her new favorite spot to sit is on top of the fireplace, straddling Daddy's mandolin case. I am also including a video of the latest trick that Daddy taught her Wednesday evening (I am so proud!). Most of you have seen it on Facebook, but for those of our blog readers who aren't on Facebook (Ryan and Sherri) here is Luci's (your neice's) new past-time. Watch her little cheeks carefully if you can't figure out what she is doing!

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall weather as much as we are!

Weekends

2009-09-12T09:40:00.004-05:00

Luci got us up nice and early on this Saturday morning (5:50 am) so I thought I would take some time and update the blog with some of our latest pictures. We have got to teach this girl that weekends are for sleeping in...especially rainy weekends!

Daycare is getting better, even though she hasn't been in a week and a half. She has had a nasty virus, which she picked up there, and hasn't been well enough to return. However, before she got sick we had moved past the screaming-when-Mommy-leaves phase. We had moved into the slight-lip-quiver-as-I-wave-goodbye phase. She was also beginning to play with the other kiddos and even eat at the big kid table. She had shunned the high chair because that is where the babies are fed. It was so funny to pick her up at lunchtime and see her sitting with the 2 year olds like she was so big! On the sick front, Luci seems to be feeling better this weekend. She is still congested and her little voice is so hoarse, but she is happy and playing contentedly. Also, the fever has been gone for 2 days!!!

Since I last posted, Luci has spent a couple of weekends at the river. She is becoming quite the water-lover! She has no problem just heading into the water and splashing around. It hasn't quite been swimming weather but that doesn't stop Luci from plowing in and sitting down in the water. A change of clothes is a definite must for these quick trips.

Sitting in the water and trying to grab a rock!

Luci and Pops relaxing by the river (the water is so brown because of an extra heavy rain the day before)

Nana trying to teach Luci how to skip rocks

Splashing with Mommy

Can't get enough of the water. Luci and Daddy had just finished turning over rocks looking for critters.

Had to throw in a picture of cardinal flower on the riverbank. Isn't it pretty?!

I know this isn't a water picture, but I had to end with it. I thought it was hilarious. Luci loves the lids to the pots and pans and she loves to put things in containers. How many 13 month olds do you know that can fit in the lid of a 1-quart saucepan with room to spare?!

Summer is over...

2009-08-23T14:18:00.008-05:00

...and we had one to cherish!

Ok, so I have been back to work officially for one week and I can't say that I am happy about it. Luci and I are adjusting to the idea of child-care and I don't know who is having a harder time of it, me or her. Mornings are fairly traumatic but afternoons are marvelous. Let me just say...I was efficient before Luci, but that was nothing; I get my work done and I am outta there! Since I pretty much dictate my own schedule, I have been highly motivated to finish up and go get my baby! Everyone keeps telling me that it will get better and I know it will, but right now is HARD! I am looking forward to those "better" days.

On to better topics...what we have been up to during August! Our chickens are growing and we love to watch them eat our garden bugs. Many of our Facebook followers will remember the trauma of the first chicken week. We lost 4 in one day...3 to a hawk, and one that night to a midnight marauder (raccoon). Since then we replaced them with 4 more mature birds to teach the little ones the ropes. We also built a covered run and only let them out in the evening when we can be in the yard. Success...all 10 are thriving and we are looking forward to farm fresh eggs (from the big four) any day now!

We have also had more cousin-time. Luci and Allie are growing to be fast friends and it is so fun to watch the 4 kiddos play together. Last night we drove to Harrison for our first monthly Kindall family dinner. What a blast to just sit back, visit, eat, and laugh at the kids! So sweet!

Yes, I am going to miss summer! But I am looking forward to all the things that fall will bring! Cooler weather, time outside to enjoy the cooler weather, all the new things Luci will learn, precious family time, and yummy cool garden veggies and fresh eggs!

Photo Shoot

2009-08-07T17:43:00.004-05:00

Luci had her one year pictures taken shortly after her birthday by our wonderfully talented friend Tori. Tori brought her family over to Fayetteville and we all headed for the beautiful Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks. Luci didn't seem to want to cooperate that evening and I thought for sure that we wouldn't get many good shots. However, we got our CD of proofs and I am having a hard time narrowing it down. Way to go, Tori! If you want to see more of Tori's work, check out her Facebook page, Profiles by Tori or her business blog.

Below are just a few of my favorite shots! There are many more but this is just a taste.

Luci's Tol Celebration

2009-07-30T16:30:00.007-05:00

This past weekend we had a big celebration for Luci's first birthday. In the Korean culture, this birthday is called a tol and it is a BIG deal. The tradition started before there was easy access to good medical care. If a Korean child made it to their first birthday, there was a good chance they would survive so the family threw a big party. We wanted to incorporate some of these traditions into Luci's party so we had a Korean/American birthday celebration.

The party began with Luci dressed in the beautiful hanbok that Mrs. Kim (her foster mother) had purchased for her. Jason brought her in and she chose items that represented her destiny. I had laid out a knife representing a good cook, a pen and book (successful scholar), money (wealth), spool of thread (long life), jujubes (couldn't find any so we used cherries for many descendants), and a ruler and scissors (good with her hands). I had our guests vote on which they thought she would pick as they arrived. Everyone cheered her on as she surveyed her choices. She went straight for the pen and book and then moved to the money. Based on her choices, she will grow up to be a wealthy and successful scholar.

Here's a little secret for my blog readers: I cheated! Yes, I set my baby and her destiny up! Luci's favorite color is blue and she loves the book Little Cloud by Eric Carle. So, I chose a pen with a blue cap and put Little Cloud underneath. I knew that would be the first thing that caught her eye. I also cheated with the money. The 1000 bill in Korean won is blue, so I put it on top with the nice, shiny coins laid right on it. I know my daughter and she did well! So we will see if mommy chose the correct destiny for her daughter!

Following the tol ceremony, Luci opened all her presents. She loves her toys and she got so many good new ones! Thank you everyone!

As the kids played with all the new loot, we cooked dinner. We wanted an American take on Korean food so we made Bulgogi burgers topped with onions and red lettuce with a side of sweet potato chips. Dessert was very American...cake and ice cream! She dove right in and made a big mess! Luci never disappoints!

The party was so much fun and we were blessed with wonderful family to celebrate this joyous occasion among. Enjoy the pics!

Birthday balloons marking the party location

Luci's grand entrance in her beautiful hanbok

My wealthy and successful scholar (so I cheated a little)

She sure loves her blue pen!

Opening her presents with cousins Dylan and Allie looking on.

Tol/Birthday cake

Make a wish!

Loving the icing!

Her face just keeps getting sweeter, even without the icing.

Happy Birthday to my Loves (plural)!

2009-07-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

Today is a very special day in the Kindall household...two out of three members have a birthday! Yes, Jason and Luci share this day as their introduction into the world!

First...Happy Birthday, Jason! This birthday marks a milestone; we have been together for half our lives! This doesn't seem possible. Are we really getting that old?! We have been through so much together and I can't think of anyone that I would rather have those ups and downs with than you. And this past year...WOW...what an emotional journey as we prepared to become first time parents; we waited to find out which child God had chosen for us, we met our daughter in pictures and text, we waited again, and then we traveled half way around the world to bring her home! I have so enjoyed watching you become Luci's daddy! You have completely fallen in love with another girl and I'm not even jealous! (For those blog readers out there who haven't read Jason's first words as a daddy, check out the first Luci post..."A Baby Girl")

Now...my precious baby girl is ONE! Happy first birthday, sweet Luci! You have truly lived up to the meaning of your name...you are most definitely a "light" in our lives! I can't imagine going one day without seeing your smile, hearing your laughter, and giving you kisses! God answered all my prayers when He sent you to become a part of our family. I am so thankful for my sweet daughter and I can't wait to see what you will become as you grow older. I can only imagine...scientist, teacher, author, gymnast, singer, demolition master (all I can say is you would just have to see our house)...

So, what are we doing to celebrate this momentous day in the Kindall household? Not much today! We are having a relaxing day, just the three of us. We had lunch at Hugo's (one of our favorite local eateries) and then took a drive to Missouri to pick up our ten chickens (can't wait to have our own eggs each morning). Tonight we celebrated with a nice dinner at home and an ice cream birthday cake! I am taking Jason out on Saturday for a birthday date and Luci's big Tol party is next Saturday, the 25th. I will be sure to post more pictures after the big event. I have been planning for weeks so hopefully everything turns out ok!

I do have one request for all our blog readers...even if you don't normally post comments, please consider posting today. I would love for Luci to look back on this entry and read all the comments from those out there who have followed our journey and prayed for her arrival and adjustment! I am so thankful for you all! I know that we have had this wonderful experience because of your thoughts and prayers. Please wish Jason and Luci a very special birthday!

Luci Goes to Wisconsin

2009-07-07T14:32:00.003-05:00

For the 4th of July weekend, we took a trip to visit my family in Wisconsin. Luci is the first great-grandchild on my mother's side and the 8th great-grandchild on my father's side. We were anxious for them all to meet her.

As we expected, she was fabulous! We began our trip with a flight to Milwaukee Thursday afternoon and then a 2 hour drive to the little town of Highland, Wisconsin. My uncle from Atlanta also made the trip to meet his first great niece. Luci won their hearts! She is an amazing little traveler and adapts well to new situations as long as both her Daddy and I are there.

She met my 2 younger cousins and immediately fell in love with 9 year old Kaitlyn and her beautiful red hair. They were inseparable for the visit and Luci would break into smiles and giggles every time she saw Kaitlyn. She also slept marvelously after a 2 hour chase session with Kaitlyn. I threatened to pack her in our suitcase and bring her back to Arkansas!

Monday morning we left to head back to Milwaukee and fly home. Luci sure is going to miss all the attention. Daddy headed back to work today so it is just Luci and Mommy at home...very quiet compared to the last 4 days. I bet Grandma, Grandpa, and all the rest of the family are missing Luci too! She has a way of capturing the hearts of those she meets!

Luci being such a good girl on the flight to Milwaukee!

Playing Jack-in-the box with Grandma and Great-Grandma

She loved to ride around in Grandpa's wheelchair. Uncle Clarence loved to push and make her laugh!

Luci with her new buddy, Kaitlyn!

4 Generations in the Fellows family

4 Generations in the Davis family

Our flight home was delayed so Grandpa and Grandma helped keep Luci occupied as we waited for the plane. Lots of walking...

Splash...Splash...

2009-06-25T13:18:00.005-05:00

We went to Steele Creek last night, which has some of the most beautiful bluffs on the Buffalo River.

This was Luci's first experience in a body of water other than her bath-tub. It took her a while to warm up to the idea of being in the river but once she did, she had a blast. We splashed; we swam; we played; we laughed. And, of course, she looked adorable in her strawberry bikini (very important)!

Enjoy the pics of Luci's first river experience!

Daily happenings

2009-06-14T15:51:00.005-05:00

What has Luci been up to during the last two weeks? A LOT!!! She is one busy little girl. Her walking is improving every day...in fact she is almost running! Her favorite thing this week is to walk around clapping her hands. If you cheer, she gets really excited!

She is still on a quest to make Cleo her buddy...its not working so well! Poor old Cleo prefers to be left alone. Luci is persistent though!

She enjoys helping me with all my household chores like laundry (unfolding as I fold), dishes (pulling dirty ones out of the dishwasher), and sorting the mail!

Last week we also made a trip out to see all our friends at the Ozark Natural Science Center. They wanted to meet our sweet girl and Daddy was excited to see her during the work day! Below is a picture of Naima and Luci tormenting Toby (I'm sure he deserved it!) and also one of her favorite new look...fish lips!

I'll end this post with some cute pics of our girl...we just can't get enough of this adorable face!

Jason has been demoted...

2009-06-01T13:00:00.003-05:00

...as chief dessert spoon and bowl licker! Luci has now officially stepped into this role and it turns out, she is a pro.

First, she licks off the obvious end...

Then she notices that there is more on the other end...

Jackpot! She is so thorough! Can't let any of the delicious strawberry goodness go to waste!

In other news, Jason and I had our first date night away from Luci and we all survived! Our 11th anniversary was Saturday and we brought in Pops and Nana to babysit and entertain Luci while Jason and I went to a movie and dinner. We had a lovely time and so did Luci...I think Pops and Nana were the ones being entertained! She is such a happy and content baby; has a way of wrapping everyone around her tiny fingers! And, you will be happy to know that we only called home to check on her twice! Not too bad!!!

Home one month!

2009-05-27T11:39:00.007-05:00

Well...we have been home one month! It sure doesn't seem that long, but time does fly when you are as busy as we are and having fun!

So you ask, what have we done our first month? Here is a list of Luci things...

Luci...

has gone from crawling, to cruising, to WALKING (see video below)...
eats anything she can feed herself (we definitely have an independent streak)...
wants desperately to be friends with Cleo (poor old dog...what have we done to you?)...
says dadadada and mamamama (although this is random and not yet attached to any particular person...just a matter of time)...
has cut another tooth (top left)...
gained 1 pound (up to 16 and a half...big girl!)...
has gone from being terrified of anything green to walking and rolling in the grass (we are so excited)...
is content to sit and play for SHORT periods of time by herself...
is curious and loves to people-watch at the Farmer's Market on Saturdays...
loves playing with her grandparents and cousins...
rides on shoulders and when the wind blows, puts her arms out like she is flying...
blows raspberries (even while eating)...
has figured out you can drop food off your tray and Cleo will eat it...
enjoys dancing and shrieks for joy...
balances standing in daddy's hand...
loves attention (its like going out with a rock star)...
smiles easily...
laughs constantly...
is a complete delight to be around!

In short, she has completely melted our hearts! We love her so much and can't remember what it was like without her!

Happy 10 months...

2009-05-16T20:53:00.004-05:00

.
Happy 10 month Birthday, sweet Luci! You have only been home 3 weeks but we have fallen completely in love with your beautiful smile, your quick laugh, and your unquenchable curiosity. What was our life like before you???!!

So you ask, what has Luci been into this last week? Well...everything! The movies...

and pots and pans for starters.

We also had a visit on Friday from Grandma and Grandpa. I had to work for a couple of hours so they came to babysit and play for the day. Grandma tried to teach Luci patty-cake but Luci was more interested in making everyone else do it. Here are a couple of shots of her making Grandma and Grandpa patty-cake. She really showed out for them and we had a great day!

On another note...today is also our nephew Dylan's 7th birthday. We wish you a very happy day, Dyl! Wish we could have made it to your party but we hear you had a great time!!! We will come bring your newest cousin to play soon!

Prime Time

2009-05-12T22:23:00.004-05:00

Just a quick post by the Daddy tonight.

Luci is really settling in. We even took a trip into Fayetteville last night for a shopping trip at Lowe's (outlet covers!) and for dinner at Flying Burrito. Luci chowed on rice and refritos while Mommy and Daddy shared a fantastic quesadilla. We get about 25-30 minutes in the carseat until we enter screaming baby mode, so we pick and choose our trips.

My days at work are just to pass time until I get to come home and play. If it isn't raining Heather and Luci meet me in the driveway. Granted - that means maybe once or twice here lately; we measure rain in weeks not inches these days. Then we're off for a game of chase around the furniture...

or to balance in Daddy's hand...

Maybe we'll play flying Luci for a bit until I worry about getting puked on.

And here's a picture of doodlebug in all her cuteness. Look at those little lips!

Mommy is so proud

2009-05-07T08:26:00.004-05:00

What else could a reading-fanatic-mother ask for? Luci loves books...she will be reading before you know it!

Ok...so maybe it will be a while, but this is a start!

Souvenirs We Didn't Plan For

2009-05-03T19:48:00.004-05:00

Just a quick note tonight. If you're wondering where we've been the last couple of days, we've been here, just mostly horizontal. Turns out we picked up a little intestinal souvenir in Korea or in the airport and it took a few days for it to mature and rear its nasty little head. I took it as a mixed blessing on Friday because it meant lots of Luci face time for me but then Friday night it bore down on my gut and knocked me flat. We started eating again today.

Luci is none the worse for it. She seems to be adjusting and is venturing out from Heather. She explores the house some and doesn't mind if Heather leaves the room for a few minutes. She's becoming extremely vocal. This little one screams all the time. Happy or sad, and the former is becoming the norm. We love happy little baby yelps around here.

Not much else to report, so I'll leave you with a few pictures until next time. Continue to pray that our family adjusts and that Mrs. Kim is doing well in Seoul. Don't let the last picture fool you - she's definitely not a fan of bath time. She does enjoy the post bath cuddling, though, and so do we.

Adjusting and the Reality of Coming Home

2009-04-30T10:12:00.009-05:00

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I think it is important to write a bit on the realities of adopting a 9-month old. I think everyone has this fairy tale image of a baby needing a home, a family wanting said baby, and a blissful unity. We think that the baby and family will be happily together and will have joy in bounds. The truth of the matter is, Luci already had a home. She already had a family with loving foster parents. She had routines, a secure environment, and everything she needed. True - this couldn't last because a pre-adoption foster home is temporary - an infant can't rationalize that. All she knows is that one day she has an Omma and Appa (mom and dad) that shower her with love and the next she's in a strange new home with strange new people speaking a strange new language and no Omma when she needs her. These little ones then go through a grieving process for that lost world and the loss of Omma. It is heartbreaking.

A friend of mine commented on this, relating it to his 24 years in the military. He said, "she'll have to break down for you to build her back up in your family". He's right. And so that's where we are right now. Luci will play and be cheerful while she's well rested, but when she's tired, she wants Omma.

The first night was the roughest. Her little body told her it was daytime and not time for sleep. She wailed and screamed as we walked the house, and it was obvious she was looking everywhere for Mrs. Kim. We tried laying on the bed (we now sleep in the floor of the living room) but that wouldn't work. Finally I told Heather we might as well be up since everyone was awake anyway. Bingo! It was playtime - out come the toys and out came the smiles and baby babble! Here's shot of that 2:00 AM bonding time that other families blog about (and we used to laught about).

Everybody got about 3 hours of fitfull sleep that first night. The next day, we were able to keep Luci awake most of the day with intermittent naps. It was sunny, and her mind told her to be awake but her body said sleep. It was kind of funny to see her fighting it while she played with us. Heather has learned to multitask with baby on her back, and Luci is quite content to let her work while she rides. The plan worked, and she actually stayed asleep for nearly 8 hours that night. She wakes up in a great mood - she'll play in between Heather and I for nearly an hour. She woke me up by kicking me in the throat (best kick to the throat I've ever had).

Yesterday was kind of tough. If we were having a bit of a honeymoon period, it is over. In between fun little play sessions, Luci gets pretty sad acting. She mopes and fusses. It hurts to see her hurting and not be able to do much about it. On the upside, she wants to stay attached to Heather - we hope this is a sign of attachment. I'll share a few pictures of happier times (as much for my own sake as for our blog followers) as we play with toys, eat strawberries and banannas (Cleo's favorite interaction - look in the background), and eat Grandpa Bill's blueberry muffins.

And that's about the size of it. She is adjusting, but the process doesn't happen overnight. She misses Mrs. Kim a ton, but seems to be at least a little comforted by us. She plays and cheers and 'walks' while holding on to furniture or our hands, but then gets sad again when something from her former home crosses her mind. She's our beautiful little angel and we pray that she feels our love and finds comfort and adjustment quickly.