Our Adoption Homecoming Story | Bringing Home Our Davis {Texture Tuesday}

This post is long over due.  We now have been home as a family of 3 for four months now, and what an amazing journey it has been to get to this point! Scott and I have been so overwhelmed from all the prayers, love, grace, and excitement y’all have all shared with us on this incredible trip to bring our boy HOME! We have felt each and every one, and it has been so fun sharing Davis with our family and friends.  They finally get to know what we did the first time we saw him.  He was meant to be in our family. Meant to be in Tennessee in his forever home (even saying “Hi” with the most perfect southern draw!”.  And we can’t imagine our life without him.

For months now, I have wanted to share with you one of the longest, most emotional days of our lives.  The day we got on a plane for a 13 hour flight (with our 20 month old son, who knew us for 8 days), and brought him to his new home, with new smells, sights, sounds, and people.  We had about 30 hours of travel time to get home and Davis was such a champ! His little happy spirit is what helped make this day so much better.  Also, we knew the end result meant we would finally be HOME!

We tried to keep our homecoming a pretty small at the airport, mainly family and a few close friends, but of course my dear photographer friends were their to document each and every moment! So thankful that Chesley, Sara, and Wendy could all be there to make sure we never forget this amazing day! These pictures that I am sharing today are from Chesley! She also blogged our homecoming and y’all should definitely go check it out! Every time I look at these, I get so emotional!!!! The power of a photograph, y’all.  This day is forever documented. The emotions are forever frozen for us to relive, to enjoy, and to retell his story to Davis over and over.  So he knows that he was wanted, waited for, prayed for, and loved always! Come take a look at our journey home!

PS- Hoping to get back into the blogging grove and continuing Texture Tuesday! May not be every week, but hopefully more Tuesdays than not! Happy Tuesday y’all! Hope it is a great one:)

July 15, 2014 - 8:08 am

Kellie Carter - So beautiful and filled with emotion! My heart is still beaming with happiness for you and your sweet family!!!!! <3

July 15, 2014 - 12:52 pm

Ebba - I have missed these Texture Tuesdays!! These pictures make me so happy <3

Nashville and Murfreesboro, TN | Ann & Brent {Engagement}

My last blog post was February 28, 2014. Four and a half months ago! With good reason it has been quiet on the blog! Not that it has been quiet in our home, our life, or my work! But 4 months ago we FINALLY got to bring home our amazing son from South Korea after waiting 11 months.  The last 4 months have been spent with lots of laughter, lots of running around, lots of playing, lots of loving, and yes, a few tears.  The last 4 months have been nothing short of the hardest, most amazing four months of our lives! And so while I have been soaking in being a new mama, I am still trying to figure out how to juggle being a mama AND business owner.  I think this will be a constant struggle, but new routines are being made and we are sort of in a groove now.  And I promise, I will be posting more and more of our little family and what we have been up to since February! (follow me on instagram to see our day to day activities! @rwphotos)

Over the last few months, I have still been working and had the opportunity to capture so many amazing moments! One of my recent engagement sessions with Brent and Ann just had to get shared on here! These two! Ahhh! They just melt into each other! My kind of couple:)Happy and in love and hardly able to contain their excitement! My favorite!!! We met on a beautiful May afternoon for their engagement session, and could not love these two more! Take a look at a few of my favorites from their engagement session! 

Stay tuned for their beach front, Hilton Head Wedding that I got to photograph last month!! It was simply amazing!!!

Seoul, South Korea | Travel Call

The day we have been waiting for for the last 11 months came yesterday.  The call that official declares our sweet Davis legally ours.  Something we have known in our hearts since the moment we saw his face on April 9, 2013.  We are leaving for Seoul, South Korea in just two days!!!! We still can’t believe it!!! Another week in the amazing city of Seoul, but this time, we get to see it with our sweet baby.  What an experience!

While we are in this final stretch to bring our boy home, we just ask you to continue to pray for us.  Pray as we travel, as we comfort our grieving son at the loss of his foster mother.  Pray that we are able to meet our son’s needs as we transition him into our care, and to be able to reassure him in his confusion and fear of new faces and places. Please pray that God helps us as we learn to be new parents to our precious 20 month old son.  Pray that our trip home on the airplane is calm and fast.  Our first trip to Korea, the entire time, we could feel the peace and prayers wrapped around us the entire time! We appreciate all the love, support, hugs, notes, and comfort we have received from family, new and old friends, and even strangers! Please continue those prayers over the next 10 days as we travel to bring our son to his forever home! We cannot wait to share his pictures with the internet world as soon as we get him HOME!!!!

April 29, 2014 - 9:53 pm

Lisa - Hi Rebecca and Scott, We’ve been anxiously waiting to hear how you’re doing with your new sweet little guy. Can’t wait to see some pictures of him! I’m sure you’ve been busy. I wanted to let you know that I just nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award! Check out my latest blog at smushedkisses.wordpress for the details. Hope to see you guys soon!

A Trip of a Life Time, Our First Trip to Seoul, South Korea

Where do I begin?  We have been back now for about three weeks.  We have been back from the most amazing trip, adventure of a life time. We are back from meeting our son.  I have been thinking of how to write this post for months now. Imagined what it would feel like to meet our son for the first time. Words are failing me. Maybe they always will to describe the moment, the very moment where I first held my son. The first time I heard the pure, magical sound of his laugh.  The first moment I got to comfort him as he cried.  The first moment we got to take our first family of three photo. The first moment I saw our baby clinging to his daddy. The first moment our feet touched South Korea. The first moments we got to experience our baby’s heritage, his birth place. The first moment I truly knew what if felt like to be his mama. The first moment that I knew my heart would never, ever be the same.

I am not sure if I have the words to describe it all. But I can tell you this.  Our trip was life changing.  In so many ways. Another adoptive mama shared this quote, “From the beginning of my life, I have been looking for your face.”  And the moment that I held our Davis, I knew. I knew that all the hurt, the pain, the waiting, the questions, the heartache, the love, the patience, the grace all came down to this moment.  The moment that my arms wrapped around our sweet baby and his arms wrapped around me.

When we first heard that we would have to take two trips to Seoul. Stay one week, meet our baby, leave him, come back a second time for an additional week, I was heart broken.  The thought of meeting my baby. Meeting him then leaving him has been the hardest thing.  I had a bit of a breakdown watching Seoul get further and further away from us as we flew off back towards the US. Every second was further and further away from our sweet boy.  I couldn’t sleep a wink on the whole trip home.  The emotions were just too overwhelming (not to mentioned we were in the tiniest little seats ever on the plane!!)

As y’all know, we can’t share any pictures of our little guy publicly here online until we get him HOME.  But man oh man, is he the cutest, happiest, most curious little boy!!!! It blows my mind that God chose US to parent this precious boy.  God chose us to get to love on him and make our two become three.  Four years of praying to become a mama, and I finally get to hold our baby in my arms.

We had heard from other South Korean adoptive parents say that this wait, this wait that we are in right now to go back for second visit is the hardest.  To be honest, I didn’t believe them!! We thought, no way.  We have waited 10 months to meet our baby.  Another few weeks can’t be that bad! Another few weeks to come home to have a final prep, final nights of just us two, final moments of sleeping in, final moments of having the house to ourselves. It truly has been the longest three weeks of my life.  It seems like a lifetime ago that we were holding our sweet Davis.  And the stress and anxiety is slowly creeping in and slowly taking over.

I am ready to be his mama.  Be his mama everyday.  Meet his needs, have him hear that I love him every day, feel him in my arms, watch him run all over our house with his toys, comfort him when he grieves the only life he knows, watch him start to trust and depend on us.  I am ready for the lack of sleep, the mess, the tears, the laughter, the love, the kisses.  I am ready…

So the next step, because we are getting asked this A LOT! We have about 2-4 more weeks.  We have no real idea when we will get called back.  As of tomorrow, we are three weeks past our court date. We have been told it could be anywhere between 3-7 weeks before we will get the travel call to come back.  Again, we have no idea other than that time frame.  What we really need right now from everyone is just prayers for peace and patience. We are trying to stay busy and positive and trust God’s timing, but we miss our baby.  We are ready to have him with us for good.

Here are several pictures that we took during our week there! Most of them are from my iPhone or point and shoot camera. I brought my nice camera but did not use it as much as I planned or wanted.  However, we have our story of traveling to Seoul for the first time! Take a look:) 

February 17, 2014 - 11:51 am

Amy Clifton Keely - What a beautiful post straight from your heart! I am so happy for your sweet family of three, and I hope and pray for peace and that you get that call soon to travel again! Can’t wait to see photos of this precious boy!

February 17, 2014 - 12:51 pm

Cindy Love - Praying that call comes very soon! Beautiful post!

February 17, 2014 - 2:27 pm

sara rose - I love y’all!!! Can’t wait until he’s home!

February 17, 2014 - 4:48 pm

Ronda Martin - Rebecca,
I couldn’t help but cry as I read this! I remember my own pain in wanting a child so badly, yet enduring three miscarriages. All I can say now is that Samuel is worth every tear and every ounce of disappointment I felt. Your little Davis will bring you the same joy.

I also could not help but think of Sarah, Hannah, Manoah’s wife, and Elizabeth in the Bible. All of these women desperately wanted a son, but God made them wait because He had a great purpose for the sons He intended to give them. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God has a great purpose for Davis, and what you are doing for him is all a part of God’s divine providence. You are truly blessed, and I’m praying that call will come very soon!

February 18, 2014 - 7:13 am

Linda Bain - Thank you for sharing your trip. My heart is singing for you and your sweet little family. It will not be long now. God Bless You <3

February 21, 2014 - 1:13 am

Lisa - I have been waiting for this post! How exciting! We’re so happy for you that you had an awesome trip to Seoul. Love the pictures. Can’t wait to see little Davis. Praying you get to bring him home very soon! Maybe, hopefully we’ll see you at class :)

Nashville, TN Wedding Photographer The Bridge Building | Kristi & John

Last week, I shared Kristi & John’s engagement session! We had so much fun together at the engagement session, I just knew that their wedding day was going to be even better.  Kristi has taught me so much in the area of patience and waiting, and I am so thankful that her season of waiting has come to an end with marrying a wonderful man! So grateful that she trusted me to capture her big day!

Kristi and John got married at Brush Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  Kristi’s parents also got married at this same church, which made it extra special! We had the most beautiful fall day full of sunshine! Following the ceremony, we went down town to the Bridge Building! What a fabulous place for a reception! The space, the lights, the service, all were excellent! I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites so there are a lot!! Enjoy!

Ceremony- Brush Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Reception- The Bridge Building

Second Shooter/Assistant- Chesley Summar

Dress- The White Room

Florist- Passion Blooms

Bridesmaids Dresses- Target

 

February 19, 2014 - 11:52 am
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