It's Official! Lydia is now a Melton!

Happy Birthday Brandon!

 

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!  It is hard to believe our baby is 14 years old!  You have always and will forever be our baby no matter how old you get!  I remember the day we held you and marveled at what a beautiful child God had created.  My only wish for you is that you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that you live your life serving Him.  You have been such a blessing to us- and can always make us smile- We love you! 

3 Months Already!!!

Yes, it is hard for me to think it has been 3 months since we stepped off a plane from Korea holding our precious Lydia on American soil!  She is growing so fast!  Girls are definitely different than boys to that I can certainly attest!  Lydia is a complete joy and it seems like she has always been here.  I laughingly tell everyone the reason she is not walking yet has everything to do with 3 brothers!! They are constantly picking her up to the point in which she now has learned to let out a loud scream so they will leave her alone!! She is learning new words every week.  The cutest one is "Hello- but pronounced- Hellwooh"!  Of course the boys say she picked that one up from me!  LOL

I have officially changed the title to the "Melton Family Journey" so that those of you who follow this blog can continue to see what is going on in the life of the Meltons!  The boys are doing great in school, and I am reminded each day of what little time I have left with them.  They are growing to be wonderful, godly, young men and Bob and I could not ask for anything more.  Zach is now 17 and looking forward to the day he officially owns a truck!  Of course I told him it could be a car but he quickly let me know that real men drive TRUCKS!! LOL  Brandon is 13 (going on 33) and full of himself as always.  He keeps it fun around our home! Matthew is 11 and he absolutely loves karate.  He is also very good at it I might say!  He is working on a purple belt and Brandon is working on an orange belt. 


I stand amazed at how God has worked throughout our entire lives but especially in the area of adoption.  He has brought 2 amazing kids into our lives through adoption and looking back at my life I could never have imagined we would have 4 kids!!  They have been such a blessing to us and it is a constant reminder of how He knits our families together- far beyond what we could have ever imagined!  I am also reminded of how He knits us into His Family- we could never imagine the love He has for us! He has adopted us as His chosen and precious children!  What could be better than that! 

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!  

I know, I know... I apologize for being a very bad blogger!!  But as you can see by this beautiful picture I have been busy with much more precious things that take up my time!! It is hard to believe that Lydia has been home with us for 10 weeks now.  On one hand it seems like she has been with us forever, then on another I feel like "where has the time gone?"  She is a sweet, precious, independent, funny, dramatic little girl.  We cannot imagine life without her.  And now she is 1 year old! 

If you are wondering why she is dressed this way- well, it is a tradition in Korea that on a child's first birthday they wear a traditional dress called a hanbok.  Lydia's foster mom bought this for her and was a gift from their family.  I have to say this is one of very few that we could get her to smile.  That dress is extremely long and extremely HOT!  But she was a cutey in the hanbok while it lasted! 

I want you all to know that every day I look at her and I am reminded of how grateful I am to our Lord for sending people like you to help us in this journey.  We are and will always be eternally grateful.  For anyone out there who may be considering adoption let me tell you from one who has done this thing twice, there is no greater love.  You worry that you will not love them like you love others (especially biological children) but God gives you a love for them even before you know them.  Hmm... kinda sounds like a story I have heard before.  Yes, the story of God's love for us!! The Gospel!  God loved us even before we existed on this earth.  He cares for us and even when we fail and make dumb decisions He still loves us and wants us to be part of His family.  I can say that I understand that now in a way that I did not before we adopted.  To see a child who is fatherless and to know that God had already planned for them to be part of your family and for you to love them as your own flesh and blood seems strange and maybe even impossible for some to believe.  We loved Lydia even before we saw her picture.  How great the Father in heaven's love must be for us if He loved us even before we were born and continued to live in sin yet loved us even more to die for us on a cross!

May you be encouraged today that your Father loves you. 

Now I have to go to bed so that I can get a few hours of sleep before our little one is up and going again!!!

Resting in His Amazing Grace and Love.
Angie 

A Long Journey Almost Over...

Well friends and family we are now back (physically) in America! After a long flight with Lydia not feeling well ( she really was great though!) and 6 more adopted babies on board, we are here in Detroit and anticipate a 11:25pm arrival into Louisville.

Thanks to everyone for your many prayers on our behalf. We love you all and are so glad to be back in America!

My Angel Is Resting!

In Mothers Arms

Through God's grace Lydia is in our arms. We picked her up about 10:30 pm Kentucky time and have her forever!

Please pray for little Lydia. The transition is very tough for her. On top of new faces to get used to she has a cold with fever. We have medicine and are praying they will work in her little body. (Praising God that mama is a nurse too!)

Love
Daddy

Yep! The Boys and I Will Spoil Her!!

Daddy's Little Angel

Mobile Phone Video

Warning: You may want tissues when viewing this post!

 

Ever Wonder What A Traditional Korean Meal Is Like?

Kacy's parents treated us to a Korean meal last night at a traditional restaurant and it was fabulous!
And yes, we tried every one of the items you see in this picture and many more! I think we ate for 2 hours! It makes me wonder, how do they stay so thin? Bob and I could not eat it all! Plus, Mr. Kim and Mrs. Hyun took us by to visit their church ( they have 10 thousand members) and treated us to a wide array of fruits for dessert in their home!! Yes, Kacy, we saw your room and got to see all your pictures from birth to present! Lol

Faith Lived Out!

I'm sitting here halfway around the world with the most godly woman I know, my best friend, greatest mom, and disciple of Christ. James tells us that our faith is lived out in our works and I am so proud of how Angie is living her faith out each and everyday, especially in our journey to get Lydia. I love you Angie and am blessed to have you as my helper! (now I will beg for forgiveness for this post):)

Praise the Lord for Friends!

We made it!  After what seemed like 3 days of travel, we landed in Seoul at 2:15pm on Sunday. (That would be 1:15 am on Sunday for you all!)  We were so thankful to have Kacy Kim's parents waiting for us at the airport with a sign that said : "Well to Korea Pastor Bob and Mrs. Angie!"  They are so precious and warmly welcomed us and drove us to the guest house.  I will add also that if I had to navigate traffic in Korea I would be a mess!!  It is more congested than Chicago rush hour traffic!  I am really having to keep my eye on Bob though, because he is salivating from the "High End" technology they have here!  You should see their GPS systems!  They look like plasma TVs! 

We will spend the day resting and preparing to meet our sweetheart tomorrow morning!  Thank you all for your continued prayers!  We love you!

Goodbye America!

We are preparing to board for the long trip almost around the world! We will update the blog when we get to our final destination which will be sometime tomorrow evening.

Please pray for travel mercies ( I cannot sleep sitting up!) and the preparation of Lydia's heart as she meets her forever family. Pray also that the boys will do well while we are apart (especially to not end up at emergent care!)

We love you all...

Question:

Would you be concerned if a gentleman is boarding your plane with a police house arrest ankle bracelet on him? Hmmm...

Here we go!

Well, we are finally on our way for the first leg of the thousands of miles trip!
You can't see our little plane in the background but trust me- it's just that- or should I say in Bob's words " a puddle jumper"!
We love you all and can't wait until we return to KY!