Family Outing

Looking back to our Colorado days, I loved hiking the ski trails in the summer and fall... and always got a kick with combing the areas under the lifts for change that happened to fall out of pockets of skiers. Believe you me, there's a bunch if you look!

This weekend we took a hike up to the top of our local ski resort, hung out, and made it back down for a great picnic. Times have changed. Instead of looking for change, we look for flowers and bugs. Benny now has a pet caterpillar, which he hopes will turn into a butterfly some day.

This goes to show you... the best mountains are the ones where you are, and the best camera's are the ones you have at the time. This was taken by my phone.

Big Daddy Is Watching

It's no wonder Everlie now wants to play by herself. It seems that Delaney has elevated herself to being a "tough guy". We always tell the kids that Mama, Daddy and God are always watching, and remind them they never really do "get away" with anything. This is living proof.

Everlie's Dance Class

It seems our sweet Everlie has dance moves like her Daddy. Good thing she's beautiful like her Mama.

It's been quite awhile since posting. I'm getting my masters at night, so it's kids during the day and study/classes at night. Poor excuses, I know.

Our family continues to grow and be healthy. Delaney is still headstrong and determined, refusing to allow anyone to help her eat, etc.. Everlie is still headstrong and determined, yet mostly potty-trained, and Benny is still headstrong and mellow. I can't believe Benny will be in Kindergarten and Ev will be in PreSchool this fall...actually next month.

For now, here are some pics from the past few months.

Today was my day with the kids. We'll, Benny had preschool until 1:30. Ever have a day where the kids are not cooperative with what you want? This was it for me. Naps...not a chance. Cracking siblings on the head with a light saber...yep. Sucker punches/hits/tattle-tales...yep. Cleaning the bathroom floor and wall...yep (if you have boys, you know what I mean). It was a great day, topped with dinner with Jimmy and Amber. With their girl in tow, they braved our 3 kids. We were even treated with a concert from all 4 kids. There were 4 versions of a song or story being sung and recited at the same time. It was melody to our ears.

A highlight I had was to carve out 5 minutes to con the kids into posing for pictures. Here's the fruit of the labor.

Right now, these pictures really capture our kids' personalities. Benny is still funny, Everlie likes to pose with cute little goofy facial expressions, and Delaney is teething...with allergies...and always lets us know how she feels.

Today we are assembling a swing set in our back yard. Benny is excited and keeps asking when we are starting. I was up at 4:30 this morning, fully expecting him to come down with his boots on.

@ The Arch

Here's a few other photos from the early morning shoot.

Pre-Rush Rush

I headed out to the Arch one chilly morning last week to catch the sunrise for some pictures. Ironically, this was my favorite.

I Love Korean Tradition

We recently went to a birthday party for a friend whose daughter turned 1. Since our friends happen to be Korean, it was a good opportunity for us to break out the girls' traditional Korean hanboks. It is a huge custom for celebrate a child's first birthday in Korea (traditional Koreans consider this day as their 2nd birthday...the first is when they are born).

The birthday celebration includes getting dressed up in traditional clothing, and choosing an item from a table, which represents their path through life (I guess). Articles to choose from include money, food, red thread, things relating to jobs... Our kids chose the cash! Since Lydia's parents are both physicians, it seemed natural she picked the stethoscope...one parent was pleased, the other not so much. I personally think she chose it out of default. It was close, and she couldn't get her feet moving because of her hanbok. Nonetheless, I love the tradition. We have beautiful hanbok's for the kids because of their foster parents in Seoul.

I also love the Guatemalan "tradition" we have instilled with Benny... the ol' pinata and stick! What does it have to do with Guatemala, you ask? Nothing...just our tradition, that's all.

It's nice to have family traditions, and suspect it will serve as an extra dab of glue, keeping our family in love with each other for years to come.

I've created a new website to compliment this blog.

http://focusonthejourney.com/

My plan is to post articles, surveys, thoughts, photos...and have a contest or 2 along the way. If life is a journey...and we are all on this journey together...why not share things to help us all along the way?

Craftsmanship is not dead

I had never been in a woodworking store until my friend Eric (also known as #2 by my wife...only because of the name, though) invited me along. By day he is a doctor. By night, he's an American craftsman in the making. Now, woodworking isn't my cup of tea, but photography is. Observing Eric in his element presented quite a few photo opps. It's funny, but I see him more as a woodworker than a doctor. Not because he is a marginal doctor...hardly the case. He is incredibly humble and doesn't flaunt his MD...he also works hard enough to want to talk about something else when he's away from the hospital. He's the classic case of someone not making his identity what he does. If you want to talk philosophy, books, family, religion, woodshop...#2 is your man.

Getting back to the woodworking store. The employees were attentive to his questions, but they thought I was the goofy sidekick with the camera. All in all, I took @ 150 pictures in the store. Most were deleted, but I found the place fascinating. Here are a few of the remaining pics that I liked.

If you ever run across a museum-quality chair made by Eric, you better snap it up. Anyone that willingly reads a book called "Dust Collection Basics" must be serious..or in need of a good book :)

Simply stated, I love our kids. When people find out they are adopted, they always tell me how lucky they are. I think the opposite. Geri and I are blessed. I figured that God had this planned from the beginning. It was just our job to bring them home.

Speaking of this, we have a good friend that is pregnant...when we broke the news a month or so ago, Benny was somewhat confused...he understands that somehow babies come from bellies, but is still figuring out what an airplane has to do with the process (since his sisters came on airplanes). When he's old enough, I'll just refer to the first paragraph to explain our family.

Happy Birthday Mur

We gave it our best shot to get the kids sing Happy Birthday to Mur (their Grandma). At least they are enthusiastic about raising their hands, letting Mur know they love her.

This is a cute video of Benny and Everlie playing at Olivia Crabb's house in Denver. They are supposed to be The Chipmunks.

Fun in the Snow

Last fall we bought some CHEAP Southwest Airlines tickets to Denver, and heartily enjoyed our stay with the Shaffers this past week. With Michelle gone to A&M and Harry spending part of his week in Seattle for work, I hope we weren't too much a pain. After all, they had a Japanese exchange student staying there along with us. Her name is Mai, and the kids LOVED her. I think the feeling was mutual. She was quite nice and didn't mind the kids mobbing her.

Along with the Shaffer's, we had great visits with the Crabbs and Stewarts. I wish we had more time to visit other families, but there is so much a family can do between naps and bedtime. Some of my favorite moments included an Alvin And The Chipmunks concert with Olivia Crabb on lead vocals, Everlie on backup and Benny on guitar. It was truly hilarious seeing them perform at the top of the stairs. I'll try and post some pictures and video from Geri's IPhone. Their only song was a Christmas tune that Olivia started and stopped at least 10 times. Truly a great moment in parenthood.

We also spent a few afternoons at Keystone's Nordic Center. They have a great tubing hill for little kids. I viewed this as mountain climbing training. Instead of helping to carry up the tubes after each run, Benny would complain of a "sore knee". I never could get him to point out which knee actually hurt, though. So here I was, trudging uphill, with Everlie on my shoulders and Benny snugly in his tube. Delaney didn't last too long out in the cold (although she is a trooper), so Geri took her in the main building to hang out and eat. I was astounded to learn that Delaney ate an entire 1/4lb hotdog. An older gentleman came up to us and declared that even he couldn't finish a hotdog that big. That's our girl!

I took Benny to the Highlands Ranch Skate/Bike park on Friday, where he marveled at the teenagers jumping around with authority. I have to admit that the kids were nice and more than eager to set up some shots for good pics.

Saturday morning came too early. On my way to pack up the car at 6am, I slipped on top of the stairs and promptly bruised my tailbone. Not fun for a 2 hour flight. After Benny's preschool class on Monday, his teacher came up and declared that his favorite part of the trip was me falling down the stairs.

So far we have had a wonderful start at Christmas with 3 kiddos. As I type this, G is asking the kids all sorts of Christmas questions. I'm proud of Benny. He can piece together Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Angels, Bethlehem and manger for the real story. Of course he thinks the Wise Men brought Gold, Frankincense and Grandma (G's Mom is actually called "Mur", which sounds like Myrrh). It's quite funny. Benny is still struggling with the concept that the presents actually stay wrapped until Christmas. He keeps bringing us a present, wanting to open it. Everlie is slowly figuring out all this stuff out. She'll get there. Delaney is happy to start ripping ornaments from the tree.

The kids are doing great. Benny and Everlie are getting to the point where they can play for extended times...without any major arguments. Delaney is enjoying having a big brother and sister. She always wants to be around them to play...unsolicited of course. They are all settled as brother and sisters. It's like they've always been together. Now, if we can just get them to sleep all night through...consistently.

Award Winning Photographer....who, me?

I mentioned on an earlier post of 2 entries making it to the finals of a professional/amateur photo contest, called SEEN 2009. This is an annual event sponsored by Studio Altius (www.studioaltius.com). The photos were judged by professionals.

The results are in:

1. "Heartbreak In Ghana" won 1st place in the Editorial category.
2. "Seeing An Abruni For The First Time" placed 3rd in the Travel category.

Sometimes my wife and I look at each with bewilderment and amazement.
We constantly ask each other questions like:
A. How can a baby generate that much snot and slobber?
B. Why can't our kids just go to sleep at the same time?
C. Can you believe that Everlie and Delaney weigh the same?
D. Will the day come when our oldest child won't have his hands in his pants?
E. Will we ever be able to take the entire family to a restaurant?
F. Who knew we actually had alot of free time with 2 kids?

We usually try to see the lighter side of having 3 kids, because so many moments are actually funny if we stop and think about it. God has blessed us with Delaney, and we are loving it. She is growing like a weed. She has 5-6 teeth, with more coming in. She is also determined and strong, just like her sister. She is standing on her own and will be walking by Christmas.

My favorite time with the kids used to be bath time. I still like it, but 3 is definitely a crowd. Someone is usually upset about bath toys or space. Now my favorite time is when I come home. It's a treat when all 3 kids rush me shouting "Daddy" and want to hug.

Photo Contest Entries

Last month I entered 2 photos in a contest sponsored by Studio Altius (www.studioaltius.com). This contest was open to professionals and amateurs alike. I was recently notified that these photos made it to the finals in their respective categories. These were taken on my trip to Ghana, for the Touch-A-Life Foundation (www.touchalifekids.org). The winners will be announced this Saturday night at their open house, but all 80 or so finalists photos will be displayed at Studio Altius throughout December.

Yesterday I emailed the editor of the St Louis Suburban Journal, informing her of the contest, as well as my entries. I wanted to submit a freelance article promoting local business news, and tying in these pictures to show the work that Touch A Life has done, through the support of many St Louisans. They don't accept freelance work, but the editor forwarded my email to Mary Shapiro. She is a staff writer who wants to do a feature story incorporating these photos, the contest, the studio and Touch A Life.
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“Heartbreak In Ghana”
Editorial Category
Lake Volta
Ghana, Africa
August, 2009
This is Thomas. I met him while on a humanitarian mission with the Touch A Life Foundation. Thomas is a trafficked child, who was more than likely sold by his parents. Lake Volta is reportedly home to approximately 7,000 trafficked children, who are forced to fish these treacherous waters. Many children do not know how to swim and eventually drown. It is very common for these children to work up to 18 hours a day. These children are usually viewed as property and business assets by their masters and are not fed well, clothed well, educated or loved. Many times they are beaten severely.

One afternoon, our rescue team encountered Thomas as he was fishing on the lake. After a few minutes of negotiation, Thomas misunderstood the conversation and thought he was being rescued at that moment. He immediately tried to board our boat. At that point, his “boss” (usually a former trafficked child) told him to get back in their boat. He was not leaving. At this instant, all hope faded from his eyes as he rested his tired head on our boat. This is when I took this picture.

A few minutes later the master (via cellphone) agreed to release Thomas the following day. The following day, we made our way to the shores of his remote village to pick up Thomas. He had hope in his eyes and met us at the shoreline. Members of our team escorted Thomas up the worn footpath, leading to hs village, to visit his master and document his release. At that point, his master sent Thomas away and informed us he was not releasing him. We are continuing our efforts for his release.




“Seeing An Abruni For The First Time”
Travel Category
Remote Village on Lake Volta
Ghana, Africa
August, 2009
I encountered this little girl while on a humanitarian mission on behalf of the Touch A Life Foundation, to rescue trafficked children on Lake Volta. Her village is accessible only by boat. Upon seeing me, she shrieked in fear and ran behind her mom. After a few minutes of crying, she finally peeked around her mom’s dress, revealing her bloodshot eyes. I was walking with a young man in the village, who explained she had never seen an Abruni. This is the Ghanaian term for a white person. Throughout this ordeal, her mom smiled in amusement and didn’t skip a beat doing her chores.

I want to thank my wife for putting together a memorable Thanksgiving meal. It's embarrassing that I actually scoffed at her for putting so much time and effort into the production. At the end of the day, the dining room was beautifully arranged and the food was wonderful. Most importantly we were able to share this special time with good friends...while the kids played downstairs.