The end is only a new beginning

So I started this blog (Bringing Home Baby Brown) to document our journey to get our sweet little boy from South Korea. I started the blog for him, as a way to tell his story. I wanted to turn this blog into a book for him. But oh, how it grew into much much more than that. I have more people than I ever dreamed of reading this blog. So many people have supported us and prayed our sweet boy home and we are forever grateful for that.

This journey began to a child who face and name we didn't yet know. I look back over these posts and am amazed at the unfolding of the story that brought us to Bates Martin Choe Brown, the son God had ordained for us. I still look at him and can't believe the journey that brought us together. I am so thankful that God placed this call in our lives. This journey has been the biggest blessing, most challenging, most rewarding, hardest, life changing, emotional, strengthening thing I have ever done. God stretched us as a family, He challenged us, He upheld us, and we learned to lean on Him.

This journey has changed us. Nick and I aren't the same two people we were a year ago. We are changed. We are a stronger team- there is no better partner to have traveled this road with than Nick. He was (and is) the calm to my whirlwind, he is the methodical to my fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, he is the rock when I come undone, he is the bag carrier when I just want to hold my son (see the airport pictures)! We have met some amazing new friends on this journey. I can't believe some of these people were not a part of our lives a year ago and now we can't imagine raising Bates without their families in our and his lives. We are a changed family and we won't ever be the same.

But all good things must come to an end... and so is this blog.

This blog was our journey to our son but that journey was over on April 16th when we held in our arms and became his mom and dad.

Bringing home baby brown has been accomplished! Baby Brown has a face and a name and a home! Baby Brown is Bates - and Bates is ours FOREVER!

So come on over and watch Bates' many antics and the fun we have at our new blog: www.someshadesofbrown.blogspot.com

Sweet son,
Your story of coming home to your forever family is over. You are here. You are home. You are ours and we are yours. I love you more each and every day and just when I think I can't possibly love you anymore you crinkle up that little nose of yours and somehow my heart just gets bigger. I am thankful for the journey that brought us to you, I am thankful that God called us (and I'm thankful your daddy finally listened!), and I am thankful I get to call you mine forever! As you grow, never ever ever doubt my love for you. I know there will be times I fail as a parent, but I pray I never fail in pointing you to the Father. May you always run hard after Him and do great for Him. Your father and I love you unconditionally, no matter the time, the place, or the season, we love you. You are our chosen son. I would fly across the ocean a million times for you! I love you, Bates Martin Choe, we love you!

But you, man of God... pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

-I Timothy 6:11