I call this picture "stuck"

So, this is how Nora spends her day..CLIMBING!! Nora will climb on anything and everything that she can find and honestly I have tried to stop her but...why? She is determined to do it anyway. Determined is one word to describe this child, I am hoping that when she is older these qualities that she possesses now will serve her very well.

Keep climbing Nora just be careful.:)

Listen to this playlist: kbknora's Playlist

Hey guys! I'm 19 months old today!

A new beginning...

So, yesterday was Nora's official adoption day...a day when our agency is no longer considered her legal guardian and Nora officially became a Kutscher and an American citizen..all in the matter of about 3o minutes! As I sat in the court room at the table with Nora in my lap I felt surrounded both physically and emotionally by the people that mean the most to me...I tried my best to really be in the moment and enjoy the day because this has been such a long road. My thoughts wandered a bit to Nora's birthmother, especially when the judge asked if anyone had any objection to Nora becoming part of our family...I couldn't help but think of her first mom and the sacrifices she made so that Nora could be sitting on my lap on April 2oth, 2011. I know I have said this before, but I think it bears repeating...adoption is a wonderful thing but it does not come without loss...for Nora and her birth family...I still see moments of grief with Nora and I know that she is grieving what she has lost and someday she will be able to put words to that loss but now it comes out in different ways, in ways that only a toddler can express loss.

I was able to have contact with Nora's foster family the day before her finalization and when I told them of her special day they said, "oh Nora will have a second birthday now..." they felt that this final step was a new beginning for Nora, a beginning that she never would have had if it wasn't for their love and devotion to her for 10 months in Korea. I will be forever grateful for the love that they surrounded Nora with before we even knew she would be our daughter...

So, as we journey forward as an official family of six I feel so blessed to have family and friends in my life that were a part of this dream from the very beginning. I felt you lift me up so many times. You all made this road so much easier to walk.

Thank you...so much.
Kelly

Three years almost to the day...and Nora is forever ours.

It's been a long, wonderful, emotional, and most of all joyous day...but this mommy is tired so I am going to post pics and
hopefully find some quiet time to write later...it's been an amazing journey....
K

Me and my Dad.

Nora's routine after getting in her jammies is cuddling with her Dad on the couch...well, the cuddling comes after she finishes running and jumping up and down on the couch, nosediving on the pillows, climbing on the coffee table..I'm almost embarrassed to go on...oh, the things that this one gets away with that our others did not...I guess you learn to fight the bigger battles and relax a bit more...or maybe we are just tired???

Well, I will take the cuddles anyway I can get them these days...and she will grow up faster than we we can imagine and I think we will miss the jumping on the couch days.

K

Springtime in New England means...snow on April 1st!

Yes, today was April Fools day but waking up to snow covering the ground was no laughing matter...not when you have four children that are just anxious to pack away their snow boots for good and play outside after school!! Oh, and one mom who really needs to get more vitamin D from nature and not a pill every morning!! Winter in New England was beautiful this year but we are all in need of some fresh air around here!! Nora runs to the door to play outside and we have been lucky enough to have a few days when I have been able to take her to the park to play and not so surprisingly she LOVES to go down the slide on her belly!!
I am going to have to remember my camera for our next trip!

The month of April is going to be a really busy one around here...Emma's play is this coming weekend, Declan's First Communion and Nora's Finalization Day on April 20th! WOW, that's alot of events in one month...I am so looking forward to all of them and to finally have our "day in court" with Nora and our close friends and family too!!

Life is good here, we are looking forward to spending many sunny days with Gramma and Buddy who will be arriving home from Florida very very soon!! The kids have really missed their grandparents and I am not too old to say that I missed my mom and dad alot too!!

Happy Spring,
K