The California Kids

There's A First Time For Everything

2008-09-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about men asking for directions or something that monumental... just events like Justin going golfing for the first time and Dylan going to Kindergarten.

In regards to golf, Justin and I went to a "executive" course for his birthday. He has been asking to go for some time and it is only $5 for him so why not. We warmed up a little bit and then headed out onto the course. He did as any other newly turned 8 year old would do and was pretty erratic at the beginning. On the 3rd hole, he hit a good drive over the water and began to "settle in a groove." By the 11th hole, he was hitting the ball well and actually drove the green on a 90 yard hole. He calmly two putted for par and showed me a little Tiger fist pump. Pretty cool!

Dylan had a great summer while being able to attend basketball camp with the big kids for a week and also shedding the "floaties" and swimming like a fish in the deep water. Now, the summer is over and it is time for Kindergarten. He went for a 1 hour orientation and did well as he sat at his desk and listened intently. Tuesday was his first full day and he came home with a glowing report. He said, "Daddy, there was a scorpion in my class today!" Sure enough, there were several creatures on display and he enjoyed them all. I was happy to see that he woke up wanting to go back on the second day. We're hopeful that he has a great year!

Carson is just being himself. He walks everywhere, talks a little, and loves to eat. Beka has more time with him now that the boys are in school and he is loving all the attention.

A Walk in the Park

2008-08-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Carson recently discovered that walking was faster than crawling and has since chosen this as his official form of travel. He still falls occasionally but is getting better each day. Enjoy a quick clip of him tooling around in the living room.

A Look At The Boys

2008-05-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

Still Living

2008-05-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, time flies when you are having fun. March and April have passed and we are already in May. Many things have happened over the last few months of which I will try to update you of a few. March was consumed with Easter. Our church hosted an Easter musical entitled "Who Will Crown Him King of Kings" that went very well. I, Steve, played the part of Paul and had a lot to memorize for this particular musical. We had two services and it went off without a hitch. That consumed a lot of time and energy, but I was thankful that all went well and that my parents were able to be in town and observe it first hand. My mom cried through the whole thing, then again, she always does. Justin began his big league career this year by playing for the Padres in the Oceanside Valley Little League. The park is close to our home and that was convenient as he played over 20 games this season. It has come to a close and he did a great job. April was more of the same and May is now in full swing. Beka took a trip to AZ recently and Carson did great on the 6 hour one way drive. We are now celebrating Carson's 1st birthday and just can't believe how well he is doing and how our life has changed having now three children. He is not yet walking alone, but will go anywhere while pushing his little walker. Justin and Carson have adapted wonderfully to having another brother. We look forward to many more joyous and happy years together.

Reflections

2008-02-06T21:52:00.001-08:00

We want to share our joys with others and here is a look at the last few weeks of time with our boys

A Spelling De"boch"ul

2008-01-18T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today was the ACSI spelling bee for Justin and second graders from several different schools. Justin was one of 3 representatives from over 60 second graders in his school. He did a splendid job in the practice rounds and in the first few actual rounds. The word "botch" was given to him and he spoke clearly and confidently "botch, b-o-c-h, botch." Whereas other students left the room crying, Justin quietly came to sit next to me and innocently asked, "Can I go back in the next round?" Unfortunately, that was not the case but we stayed to see one of his classmates get third place. For the record, the blue ribbon winner was a young Korean boy. Maybe that bodes well for the future Samuel spelling bee contestants.

Adjusting Well

2008-01-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

There is one more crazy kid in the mix, but he happens to be at school. The boys are all adjusting well to one another and Carson is beginning to figure out a good sleeping cycle. We have been truly blessed to have 3 wonderful boys in our family and thank you for all your prayers.

Gotcha Day - Take 1

2008-01-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

Holy cow! What an adventure the last few days have been. I will go into detail at a later time, but for now, Carson is home and enjoying the company of his new family. Everything went smoothly in regards to Gotcha Day, but there was simply a lot to do. Beka got to meet Carson as soon as he got off the plane and before he went through customs. The video clip is of her and Carson exiting customs and introducing themselves to me at the San Francisco airport. The picture is of him in my arms shortly after meeting him. He has been rather laid back all day and simply seems to enjoy life. We had more video taken in San Diego when we flew home. I will edit the video and put together a picture package soon. That's a wrap!

The Call Has Been Received

2008-01-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

2008 is off to a great start! Michigan beat Florida, West Virgina thumped Oklahoma (Wolverines new coach must be a good one!), and Baby Carson will be coming home. Beka received a phone call this morning from our agency and we will be travelling to San Fransisco on Wednesday, January 9 to pick him up around 8 in the morning. We're not sure exactly how it will all work out, but our plan is to fly there and then return to San Diego later in the day. Praise the Lord and we will keep you posted.

Days of Anticipation

2007-12-19T18:25:00.000-08:00

Well, we are still waiting to hear from our agency as to the arrival of baby Carson. I guess the Lord wants to teach us a lesson in patience and remind us that His timing is perfect. In keeping with the Scripture and its record of the season, we keep looking for the great light in the east - i.e. the lights on the plane from Korea. I guess we are looking the wrong way because the plane will be coming from the west. Anyway, we had our Christmas musical over the weekend and everything went well. We had a great attendance at church and several people got saved. Beka's dad and mom arrived safely from Tennessee on Tuesday and we are happy to have them with us. Mamaw, as the boys call her, is celebrating her birthday today and enjoying every minute. As always, we will keep you posted of the latest breaking news of Carson.

Every Day Is One Day Closer

2007-12-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

Well, we heard that Carson was given his visa last week. According to what we know about the process now is that we simply wait for a phone call to say when he will travel. He will travel from Korea with an escort. We had thought that there may be a problem getting an escort during the holiday season. The truth of the matter is that there is long waiting list of those who "want" to escort children any time and any place. It is our understanding that he will travel to Los Angeles and we will there be accompanied by a volunteer greeter from the adoption agency who will show us where to go and what to do.

We met with our representative recently and she said that there is a very slim chance that he may come in to San Francisco. If that is the case, Beka and I would probably fly there instead of trying to make the 8 hour drive during the holidays. Regardless, we are looking forward to his arrival and are planning to capture the moment with a videographer and photographer nearby. We have people in our church who have expressed an interest in assisting us in this way, and I think it will be a true keepsake. We will use this platform to share pictures and video with everyone as it is now very easy and accessible by many. That is all the news for today.

New Beginnings

2007-11-26T21:21:00.000-08:00

We started the adoption process in May of 2005 and are praying to see it concluded before Christmas. Carson Jin-Ho Samuel was born on May 14, 2007 in Japan and moved to South Korea where he was given up for adoption. He is now living with foster parents in Seoul and is doing very well. We hope to welcome him home soon and would like to share this journey with you. Stay tuned for more to come!

Getting Started

2007-11-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

We are counting our blessings this holiday season and look forward to sharing our joys with you.