Another family celebration

I'm very happy to tell you that Kerry and Sunny are engaged. Kerry bought the ring before he went over to Korea in March and proposed to Sunny while he was there. We couldn't tell anyone until all members of both sides of the family knew about it. We're not sure when the wedding will be but I'm sure when they've had a chance to discuss it, we'll have a wonderful day to look forward to. Hanno and I couldn't be happier to see both our sons married to strong, hard working, beautiful women. 

It is the custom in Korea to have engagement photos taken in formal dress, similar to our wedding photos. These photos were taken in Korea. More photos are taken at the wedding and those photos are of the couple and their families.

When your own children get married it gets harder and easier. Many people told me that babies were difficult, that two year olds were the worst, that five year olds would make me rip my hair out, that teenagers were unbearable. But I found that while it was not always a bed of roses, that each year was better than the one before it and with every passing year I loved my sons more. They may not be perfect but in my eyes they're very close to it. So that's the easy part. I think it's harder because you have to establish relationships with girlfriends, then wives, and that isn't always easy. I have grown so close to Sarndra and Sunny now, I love them as my daughters and have dispensed with the "in-law". I am a very proud mother and grandma and I'm very thankful to have the family I have.

Kerry and Jamie in Korea in March.

Kerry, Sunny and Jamie are still living near us and we look after Jamie when we're needed. Sunny has settled in again since they returned from Korea a couple of weeks ago and while her mother hasn't fully recovered yet, Sunny talks to her and her sisters on the phone frequently. She is looking for a job now so they can both work towards building up their savings again.

Kerry visited Shane and Sarndra while Sunny was in Korea.

Shane, Sarndra and Alex are living further up the coast at Gladstone. It's about a five hour drive from here. They're got a lovely home in a good suburb and they're working hard towards their future. Shane is undergoing training on his job, Sarndra works part-time in a fabric and craft shop and Alex goes to day care on those days. It's a wonderful little day care centre. The woman who looks after Alex takes the children on outings and organises very creative activities for them. She also has a private Facebook page where she posts videos and photos every day so all the families can see what their children are doing every day.

Shane, Sarndra and Alex at the town of 1770.

Here is Alex about to have a snack. : - )

It's Alex's birthday this week. He will be three years old. It looks like we might all drive up to celebrate, not on his birthday but soon after. I think spending time together will be good for both Alex and Jamie. They see photos and can recognise each other so having that face-to-face contact will help build their relationship. And it will be heart-warming for me to see us all together again as a family. I am fully aware that families who love and support each other don't just happen by chance. There is a lot of time and effort that goes into relationship building but we're all prepared to do what it takes to make our family what we want it to be.

I hope you've enjoyed this family post. I get a lot of emails asking me about my family so I'm pleased to share this brief update. Thanks to Sarndra and Sunny too for allowing me to use their photos.