All Boy

Today was the monthly application of lawn care at our house.

Ok, more like every 2 weeks. Basically, Sheref gets sick enough of

me telling him the lawn needs attention, so he braves the 100

degree heat and mows, trims, etc. Charlie is very attached to Sheref,

so he cried and whined when Sheref went outside to mow today.

I took him out to watch Sheref, which he loved. He really is all boy;

he loves anything loud, motorized, electronic, or action-related.

Apparently the blower counts as an object of interest. Charlie was not quite strong enough to pick it up, but he clearly knew what it was for. He also knew where the "on" switch was!

Watching Daddy mow

Ode to Ike

There's a new man in town. He's Korean, super crazy cute, and is joining our family. No, no, not our family, but rather our extended family. He's my new nephew. And I would post a picture of him in all his crazy cuteness, but my sister and her husband (understandably) don't want his picture posted on a public blog. So you're going to have to take my word for it: this guy is C.U.T.E.

And, if that cuteness were not enough, I actually have a little bit of name jealousy, because he has the coolest name ever. Ike. As in Ike, short for Isaac. Now, really, can you even imagine a kid named Ike not being super cool?

Coolness and cuteness aside, Sheref and I are really thrilled about the addition of Ike to our family. We are thrilled for my sister, brother-in-law and nephew Cooper, but also for Charlie, who will now share a common race, ethnicity, and heritage with his cool cousin Ike.

Last Day of the Academy

Rose & Lucy's last day at their completely rockin' school was yesterday. They went to "The Academy" for K-3 and K-4 and. WE. LOVED. IT. Now, given, we paid a small fortune to send them there, so we did expect some quality care and education, but still, that place was awesome. It definitely did not disappoint. Fantastic education, fabulous teachers, beautiful facilities (and only 3 blocks from our house) a chef who cooked organic food every. single. meal. (and snacks). Charlie still goes there, but the Twinkies have graduated...

Entrance to the school. There is a receptionist at the front desk, who mans the entrance. They have a security system, so she has to buzz you in. She is super friendly, and I swear she must study the parents' composite photos at night, because I have only dropped off or picked up 10-15 times over the past 2 years, and she still knows exactly who I am.

Anyways, Lucy always used to cheerfully say (in a very sing-song-y voice) "Have a good weekend" to her on the way out the door after school...every single day. Not just Friday. Finally she figured out that was only an appropriate thing to say on Fridays, and learned to say "Have a good night" on the other days.

The twinksters on their

way to school yesterday.

Friday is "Water Day" in

the summer -- hence the swimsuits...

Rose & Lucy walking into school

on their last day

Each classroom has an ocean theme.

Last year they were the Dolphins, this year the Stingrays

Lucy's space

Rose's...

Leaving on the last day...

Finalization: The Real Event

...as opposed to just the preview (see last post)...

So Charlie's finalization court date was today. I was actually half-way dreading it. Now, of course I love Charlie. I was and am excited for him to legally be a part of our family, which, technically, prior to today he was not. However, neither I nor any toddler in the entire world has any patience for waiting. We had been told that court involves a lot of waiting...hence the dread.

I have to say that the whole experience was quicker and better than I expected. We waited about an hour after we arrived for our case to be called. We were then before the judge for only 10-15 minutes, and after another 20-30 minutes or so of waiting for our official paperwork, we were done. Two books, about 5000 Cheerios, a sippy cup of water, and countless walks up and down the hall was all it took to keep Charlie entertained. Well, a few screams too (Charlie's, not ours).

Meet the United States' newest citizen, Charles Jin-yeong:

Me with Rose & Lucy as we were leaving

this morning to go to the courthouse

Me with the kids in the courthouse just

after we arrived (Ella is with my parents in

Illinois, so she missed finalization)

Sheref with the kids on our way into the courthouse

All of us after our appearance before the judge.

There were 3 families finalizing adoptions today.

One of the other dads offered to take our picture.

Sheref with the new American citizen as we were leaving

Me with Mr Chuckles afterwards

This picture cracks me up.

Let's just entitle this photograph

"America's Newest Citizen Needs a Nap"

Finalization -- A Preview

We go to court later this week to finalize Charlie Jin-yeong's adoption. This is his last week as a South Korean citizen, and his last week of not being an official legal member of our family.

We got him an outfit to wear for his finalization, and tonight was the trial run, a "fashion show" of sorts.

Not quite sure about this buttoned cuff thing...

Yeah, I'm rockin' it. I'm a natural.

This is what we call posing. He and Lucy -- they just can't NOT pose.

...aaaand...get that camera outta my face, lady!

"He's so cute!"

That's what Rose & Lucy frequently say about Charlie. And, you know what? I'd have to agree. This guy is cute!!

These pictures are all horrible quality, but I love them anyways.

[Notice the drool trail on the front of his shirt. This is thanks to his erupting molars.]

And this last picture? This is Charlie's cheeseball, posing for the camera look. He's recently caught on that when someone points this camera thing at him and looks through it, he is the center of attention.

Toasting the 4th...errrr, 3rd of July

The Wondertwins say "Happy 4th of July"

[Oh, and by the way, that's sparkling apple juice in the wine glasses...]