Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and now birthdays??

So where the heck has time gone?!? Seriously!  These last 9 months have gone by sooooo quickly! Who knew adding one little kiddo would make it all fly by that much faster. Once Thanksgiving hit, life has been such a blur. There were so many things I wanted to blog about, but could not find the time! So now I'm throwing them all together.  Here's Thanksgiving with the grandparents:

We have a very special tradition that's been brewing around our house these last 5 years. Both Mike's mom and dad and my mom and dad come to our house for Thanksgiving.  May seem awkward, but it works great for us.  Our parents really enjoy getting together and it's makes things so much easier on Thanksgiving to have it at our house with everyone. If you add up all the years Mike's mom and dad, my mom and dad, and Mike and I have been married, it comes to around 114 years! How awesome is that!?!?!  And of course with a very special addition this year! This adorable kiddo, who on December 12 became an official Lemmons!

So this Christmas was a very very special one! Aiden joined our family officially and we had his first Christmas with us! The month of December seemed really crazy. I had made the Korean flag ornaments in October and November to sell to my AP mamas  to help with Christmas this year.

They were a big hit! Thanks so much for all the mamas that purchased my ornaments! It really warmed my heart to see all your pictures and posts on Facebook, blogs, etc!  You helped this family celebrate one awesome Christmas! I've got great ornament ideas brewing for next Christmas too! ;)

I think Aiden enjoyed his Christmas with us. He seemed like he was learning the whole time.  He really got the hang of opening presents, even helped his big sister when she really didn't want it. But she helped him just as much.

Christmas with the cousins and grandparents was so much fun.  All you needed to do was point Aiden is the right direction of a present and he was on it!

Now we're moving on to birthdays! Yes, I said birthday(s)!  Taylor's birthday is December 30th, this Friday. She'll be 11 years old. Just can not believe how old my little girl is getting to be.  I told her the other day to quit growing up, she just gave me that grown up look that said, "duh mom!".  She's planning on having some girls over for a birthday/slumber party Friday night.  Not sure if I'm ready for it, but I'll certainly give it my all!

Next, it'll be Aiden's birthday January 3rd.  This will be his first birthday with us and will turn 2 years old!  He's grown up so much since we first saw his picture last June. When Aiden was in Korea and we were waiting on him, I often thought about all the firsts that I would be missing, first tooth, first step, etc.  Now all I can think about are all the firsts we're experiencing with him.  I don't think about those firsts we've missed because we're making so many more memories with him actually here! They are far better than I ever could have imagined!

I can't believe how much he's changed in the last 9 months.  Aiden says just about anything you ask him to. Although some words aren't real clear, I can understand it.  He now gives kisses, asks for hugs, helps mama a lot, even when I don't  need it. ;)  In the last month, Aiden has really come out of his shell.  He's become more secure, and loves his mama, daddy, and sister. He really loves his big sister, really!   He actually calls me mama now too.  He'll go running through the house saying "mama" looking for me.  I can not believe how much love this little boy has. He loves us all, grandparents too and we all love him.  He's learned so much now and I've learned just as much from him. He changes weekly, all the way down to the position he goes to sleep in.  I still stay in his room till he falls asleep.  He sleeps really well now. I'll hear him cry from time to time at night, but he goes right back to sleep.  He wakes usually around the same time every morning.  He sleeps good when he sleeps, he's just not a late sleeper. He gets around 10 hours at night and naps for an hour to 2 hours during the day. Eating is still a challenge, but that's with any child. Believe me, Aiden is a solid 28 pounds! And I do mean solid!  Anyone who picks him up will tell you that.

Can't imagine my life without him! Everything feels complete around our house.  He is one awesome kiddo that I love with all my heart! What an awesome year it has been ..... really! Can't wait for the rest of his life!

Here's a funny moment from Christmas morning.

Korean flag ornaments ... Now $10!!! For sale!!

Korean flag ornaments are now $10, shipping and handling included still.  Hurry up and purchase one, two,  three or however many you'd like!  I still have a few of these ornaments left, so email me at mikeleahtn@comcast.net with your email address to send a PayPal invoice to, how many you'd like, and address.  Still discounted if you purchase more than one!  Thanks to all that have purchased them!!  Really enjoy seeing your posts and blogs about you enjoying your ornaments!!  :)

Finalization!! ...

It finally happened! We went to court on Monday, December 12th and finalized Aiden's adoption! :) I can't believe it's finally done. Really. We are Aiden's forever family .... finally! It almost doesn't seem real. To be over in 15 minutes in court after 4 years of waiting ..... WOW!

Although Aiden came home with us on March 5th of this year, his guardian was still Holt Korea.  And even though he lived with us the last, almost, 9 months, he still wasn't ours. During that time, our home study agency came and made home visits to see how we were doing. After 6 months, they approved us to be his family. Next, we contacted an adoption attorney, she wrote up our petition to adopt, our social worker chimed in to give the agency's approval,  filed it with the Robertson County court clerk and BAM, we had a court date to finalize on December 12th, 2011.  Really, it wasn't that easy or quick. But another "wait" is over and now Yeong-min Gim is officially Aiden Lee Lemmons forever!

Mike took half a day off of work, Taylor missed most of her school day, but it was awesome.  My mom and dad were there along with Mike's mom and dad. We all met up out front of this building, the Robertson County court house.



The center of the building was constructed in 1879. The clock tower and wings on either side were added in 1930. The exterior of the building went through renovations in 2006. Main Street is also old highway U.S. 41 and old U.S. 431 and a cross street in TN49.


 Since we were attending circuit court, we went to the old court house, as I call it.  The county recently built a new criminal court building that houses the jail, criminal court, etc.  Glad we were able to go to the "old" one, pretty awesome building! Okay, so here are some pics of us inside, waiting on jury selection to finish upstairs.

Once we were inside, we ended up sitting there another 20 minutes waiting on the judge to come in.  The court room was so quiet, and then there was Aiden!

Needless to say, he had everyone in there smiling and laughing! The judge finally came in and got down to business. He took care of some business first then called us up.  He first said that would be the most rewarding thing all day  he'd get done. After our attorney gave her little spill on us and Aiden, the judge asked Taylor if she wanted Aiden to be her little brother. She said yes, so the judge said he would grant our adoption, only on her approval! lol Kind of funny,  Taylor smiled really big, so cute! He signed our petition and came down to get a picture with all of us.  He shook Mike and my hand and said congratulations and what a wonderful thing we were doing.  The judge saw that both sets of grandparents were there and they should all come and get in the pictures too! So here we are!

By the third picture, Aiden was ready to RUN, been couped up and held all morning.  And then it was done. We went downstairs, talked with our attorney some more on a few details and was finished!  We are Aiden's forever family now!

After coming home and posting some finalization pictures on Facebook, I came across this post from a friend from church.  What an awesome person, he really is! Thanks Kenny, this really meant a lot to me. :)

"Some children are born into the home that God intended. Others have to find their homes by the grace of God. Today little Aiden Lemmons whose life started in a distant land officially found his new home in Cross Plains with a family that prayed for him even before they knew him. Welcome home Aiden!" 


Although Aiden's given name officially changed, his heritage will always be the same! Love my baby boy, my family, and my life. He has changed our home forever, and it will never be the same! Thank goodness for Aiden! He has shown me the way .....

Korean flag ornaments ... For Sale!!

Each ornament is made and painted by hand. Each one has the year "2011" on the back and they also come in their own special Christmas envelope! So you can unwrap your special ornament when it arrives and also store it till next year!  Even though these ornaments are made out of clay, they are very durable. This little guy has proven that over and over.

The ornaments are not fragile.  They're very light and great for households with little ones that help to decorate the Christmas tree or rearrange your ornaments when you're not looking!  Check out the pics.


The felt envelopes are red or green.

If you'd like to purchase one, they are $12, shipping and handling included.  Email me at mikeleahtn@comcast.net  with how many you would like, your name, address, and email address. I will send you an emailed invoice through PayPal. If you'd like to purchase more than one, the price for each will be reduced.

I hope you enjoy your ornaments as much as I have!  Every time I look at them, I'm reminded of my little Aiden's birth place and all the other little cuties who have their forever family! The Korean flag has so many meanings with each aspect shown on it. Click here to find out what each part means.  I have a love for this country that some will not understand. But for those who do, here's one special reminder!  Thanks for the love! :)

Finalization is near ....

Got that ever loving call from our lawyer yesterday. We have a court date to finalize Aiden's adoption!!!!  December 12th never looked so good to me!!!!  I can't wait!! Soon, Yeong Min Gim will be Aiden Lee Lemmons!!  He's always been Aiden to us, and when he's getting into trouble sometimes "Aiden Lee!!" But soon he will be known as Aiden Lee Lemmons legally to our insurance company, his doctor office, and the government - God help them! So I'm super stoked about this upcoming event!

He is a very special boy who has changed my life forever and for the better! He's brought so much meaning into my life, I can't really explain it all.  The experience of going through his adoption has really opened my eyes and my heart! 4 years ago, I never dreamed  how much this would change my life.  I have to admit it was a little scary at times, very uncertain others, and the wait  was excruciating.  But, he's here, been home with us almost 9 months!

God has a way of putting a hand on everything. He certainly had his hand on my heart and helped me see this little boy.  Sometimes I just stare at Aiden while he's playing. He'll catch me looking at him and I'll smile.  He'll smile the biggest, cutest smile back at me and keep playing.  I adore this child so much.  For what he's had to go through to find his forever family is truly amazing to me. He has opened his heart and let us be his family, for that, I am truly thankful!

Dying to do this ...

I've been dying to blog lately, there's so much to show and say, but I've been really busy on a little, okay, BIG project.  I'm trying to get it done before Thanksgiving and I'm really not sure if I can finish it all by then. So, the blogging will have to wait, darn it! I've got all kinds of things to be blogging about, but with this project hanging, I've got to spend every spare minute a day on it.  Which to be honest, isn't much.  Aiden usually takes a nap between 1ish to 3ish. I have to pick Tay up at school at 3. So as Aiden's napping and waiting till the last possible minute until time to pick her up, I work like crazy to get as much done as I can.  The kids are tucked away in bed by 9pm, Aiden by 8:30 and Tay at least by 9, and man is that hard to do sometimes, this girl moves like a snail sometimes! So that leaves from 9pm to 10ish to work a little more.  Not a lot of time see? I guess once I finish this BIG project I'll blog about it too.

So last year at this time was kind of rough. The holidays were right around the corner, no Emigration Permit for Aiden in 2010.  So check it out, here is where I turned a corner and got creative last year.  That creative bug has bit me again.  Stay turned .... more to come ... later! :)

Gothic - Monkey

Okay, so I'll explain the title in a few.  It's Halloween, costumes, candy, and fun! So I found a cute little costume for Aiden. Tay on the other hand had a hard time figuring out what she wanted to be. It went from  a zombie, to a zoo keeper, to a Gothic Vampiress, to just Gothic. Yep, that's what I said.  Gothic, really? Okay, so take a look at this picture before I go any further.

Now, take a look at these.  Would you believe they are the same girl?  I almost didn't believe it, and I did her make up and helped her get ready!  Kind of scary when I look at them together! I hope I'll be looking at the first picture later in life and not the next few.

I'll admit, it was fun putting the make up on and helping her get all Goth(ed) <--is that really a word? up.  I have to say, I think she pulled it off rather well,  maybe a little too well!  Another scary thought! I wondered if Aiden would be a bit scared of her, but he was right there under my feet when we were getting her ready.  Oh and look at this little cutie!

This costume was rather fitting since I've been calling him "monkey" for some time now.  He climbs on everything!  He did really well in it last night at our family Halloween party and tonight at our church's Trunk or Treat! It really kept him warm too.  

So there you have it, Gothic and a Monkey.  I'd say this Halloween was a success.  Had a great time with family and friends and also had Aiden's first Halloween with us.  He enjoyed himself at both occasions.  Although, he didn't sit still for one minute at either.  This monkey does.not.stop! He's on the go all the time! Which is good.  He's healthy, happy, and the most lovable kiddo!  So thankful every day that he is with us and we get to enjoy all of his firsts with us!

Best Korean-American Playdate .... ever!

Yep, that's it! It was the best K-A play date ever! Well, at least so far it was.  ML, an AP from the Boro, got together with another mom, E, from ole Louisville and set up this awesome Korean-American play date at Dinosaur World in Cave City, Kentucky.  We got there at 9 am, to see C from M, Kentucky there, getting the stroller ready.  We'd never been there so it was a new experience all together.  There were around 9 families there, one family came as far as Wisconsin!  Not much else to say except we all had a great time and it was really great seeing fellow AP's again and meeting new ones!

Taylor found a buddy right away.  This is Harrison.  Fellow AP's, Harrison's mom and dad are soon to be parents of the adorable Korean twins, on the photolisting.

Taylor saw her other buddy Ella!  She has been wanting to see her!

                An attempt at a group picture.

     Then time for "the dig".

Ella and Mabel, two of the most adorable little girls!

Olivia, who avoids cameras, still a cutie pie without a smile for the camera! :)

Aiden and Will, with Olivia's pretty orange bow on the right side.

The last few pictures are another attempt at a group picture.  It was pretty funny and a major attempt, that worked out pretty good by the last shot! :)

So yeah,  here it is, the final product. L-R  Ella, Annalee, Mabel, Brodie, Miles, Olivia, Bates, Will, and Aiden.

Whew! I think we were all worn out after this outing, but it was fun, fun, fun.  Aiden was exhausted, but it was a great day to remember and I hope we can be a part of many more to come! Thanks MaryLeigh for the invite! These adorable little kiddies are so special and it really warms my heart that they can get together and share that Korean bond.