Best surprise for last!!!!

I had a nice Christmas surprise today in my email!!

Doesn't he look like he's growing up? Now that he's hanging around the big kids, he must be growing up. :) i love this stage he's in.....we'll just have to pray really hard that our paperwork continues to move!!!

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas----by Third Day

I've always liked Third Day, but this song just made me like them even more :)
Couldn't help an think about Aidan and being away from him.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy8RW6aHXWQ



These are the lyrics in case you're wondering!!



There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are
But half a world away
I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow

But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here
It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
And we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his lifeAnd prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas

I love it...........

I saw this sign a while back and just laughed at it...........there is truth to it :) so this was one of my presents and it's great!!!!!

Our Christmas was good. I think mom and dad were into the kid's presents more than they were this year. We had this great plan to do their bedrooms for Christmas........we put them to bed in our bed and then worked into the wee hours of the night. We switched furniture around and assembled new furniture. The result was that Austin had Alyssa's furniture-----which ultimately we converted to a bunk bed for Aidan and Austin, and Alyssa had a new bed and dresser and new decor. This needed to be done to get a bed ready for Aidan and we thought it would be a fun to do.

Now all we need is Aidan :) This makes me more excited just getting this ready for him.

So in the morning Austin crawls into bed and simply states..............'why do I have a bunk bed" and falls back asleep. Alyssa later comes to our room and says..........'can we get up, I want to check out my room'..............and once she checks it out says...................'oh- nice' ......................and then later opening a few presents ....................'I don't want just blankets and sheets, there is too many cats in my room now (cat sheets which SHE picked out) ........this is what I get for Christmas????..this is it?????...........No real kitties?............No big toys?........This is it????? (don't be feeling sorry for her---she had fun stuff too)

Well we tried. I was envisioning the kids being all excited and checking out the new stuff...........I guess what can I expect when it's boring room stuff-right? We ended the day feeling a little frustrated and sad.

I felt sad because they weren't completely happy. As a parents I'd love to give the world to the kids............................but is giving them that big dream toy really a lesson I want to give them?????............it may have served for immediate gratification for the day............but that's not what Christmas is about-right!! The whole commercialism side of Christmas really gets me this time of year. It brings out selfishness and jealousy of wanting more. Aaarrggghh!! Anyways....

For opening our family gifts we had a lot of fun. You know the typical scenerio............kids fighting about who gets to open a present first......................good thing dad comes up with playing a round of Uno to determine who opens a present. (we've been into Uno lately) That was lots of fun!!!!! You could see the kids scheming on who to lay the draw four or draw twos on.........so they could win. The gifts were like the prizes to the game...............it was great!!!!

Of course we've been thinking about Aidan alot. Sounds like they had Christmas celebrations at the orphanage. There are pictures of them decorating cookies on their web. They took some of the older kids to the Nutcracker........did a pageant at the O.........just sounds like had alot of Christmas festivities. I love how much they do for the kids. The staff at GLA is so incredible. They really give their lives into these kids and we're so thankful for that. Check out their activities. ...http://www.glahaiti.org/toddler_house_blog and also check out the 'life goes on in Haiti" section too.

Seven Years ago..........

Happy Birthday Alyssa!!!

We had a fantastic weekend at Great Wolf Lodge! It's become a tradition to spend a night at GWL for the kids' birthdays----it's a time to get away from the holiday craziness and just have fun and talk birthday stuff instead of Christmas stuff. Each year the kids love it in a different way. This year Alyssa really liked the whole rope/bucket climbing tower. Last year the lilly pads were the big thing. Of course the slids are great...............and Austin gets his fair share in the hot tub :)

Before bed we were telling Alyssa her story of when she was born and just how excited we were. She loves hearing it, and I love telling it. The funniest thing to her was that when they called to tell us her birthmom was in the hospital, they called and told us we were having a boy first. Then they called back and said oh, it's a girl!. She giggles when we tell her that. It was just such an exciting time..........only knowing about her for 1 week before she was born............and just the amazing ways that God showed us He truely had a perfect plan for our family. Unbelievable!!! It's fun to think about all the different stages. How fun each stage is. I remember thinking 'it's adoption--- kind of a random 'next of the list' kind of thing...........and how can a child really be meant for a specific family?'........................but now having been through this process 3 times.............I whole hardedly believe that God does have a specific child for each family. Each of the kids have their own unique story which makes them who they are. This is a time for us to reflect and give thanks for their birth parents--they are special and very courageous people. We're very thankful for them.

With the Christmas season so close to birthdays in our household I've thought about the 2 together alot. I know as Christians we've all been adopted by Christ............sometimes I hear that concept so often, and hear it's parellels with adoption so much, that it looses something. I was thinking the other day that Jesus knows exactly what the kids ever think about adoption. I mean ,Jesus was adopted by Joseph, right? Joseph wasn't his birth father.............yet he was Dad to Jesus. I know that there will be things that I don't get, or the kids wish I knew how they felt, yet I hope they find comfort in knowing that Jesus knows all their needs and knows how they are feeling. He's been there too.

Snow Day!!!

Oh NO----what about my party!!!!!!--those were the first words out of Alyssa's mouth. But after we got past that point, we're having fun having this catch up day.

In the mists of this crazy week, we got our update about Aidan. That is always such a nice surprise to get an email from our SW. He is too cute in the Christmas pictures, and it is good to see his smile! In fact, our update said...


"Every time I see Manuel these days, he has a grin on his face! Manuel is loving the toddler house and living there. Manuel enjoys spending time with his nanny, and I often see him close by her. Manuel also seems to really enjoy the little slides, and one day recently I saw Manuel going down the slide over and over to his waiting nanny! Manuel is surrounded by love and is a happy little boy. He and his perpetual grin are doing very, very well!"




So that was a highlight!!!
Although I have to admit, when we get the updates and see his picture...................I miss him more..................and have a little hint of frustration creep in about why the process takes so long. But, I guess I can't let myself go there and think about that. Although it's funny how our minds are. Even though I know the process, sometimes it's like these fantasy thoughts come into mind that we're going to get a call and Aidan's paperwork was hand delivered to all the various stages and he's ready to be picked up.......NOW!!!! Wow!! Okay--I know it's fantasy and would never happen, but it's all these things that cross our minds while waiting........

So back to reality. I feel like all the hurry, business wrapped up this week and now the fun starts. I hope you enjoy all your parties this season as well..

Christmas Cheer!

Just wanted to give you a great holiday smile!! I'll pass on more of the update when I have a moment. I love getting our pictures!!!

Since we're in the birthday season, I might as well mention it was Bella's 1st birthday today.

Happy Birthday Austin!!

Today our boy turned 5!!!

It seems like he was just born yesterday. I was thinking about the day we took him home from the hospital. We were finishing up a remodel job on our house, and the morning we took him home there was a carpet installer, someone finishing up our kitchen cabnets, an appliance delivery, carpet cleaners, air duct cleaners, a plumber..................family and friends all stopping by. Wow!!!

He has definately added lots of excitement to our lives and he is such an amazing boy!! He is shy at times, yet all boy at other times. He can wrestle with the best of them, yet cuddle with mom and want his blanket.

It doesn't seem like he was little very long. Once he was walking-----he was running at top speed and hasn't stopped. It's so fun remembering all the different stages so far.

I'm so proud of you buddy!!!!

Manger scene from the heart

I absolutely love decorating the house for Christmas. It's a time of digging in boxes and checking out what you had in storage. I remember when Alyssa was 2, she would walk around with tinsel around her and just stay busy while I was putting lights on the tree. Austin's favorite part is hanging ornaments on the tree. For a couple years all the ornaments were at the bottom of the tree, but this year they are making their way to the top. Sigh---it's just a small sign that he's getting bigger.
As I was making supper one night the kids called me to the living room to check out their manger scene:

I love it!! It's so creative.......from the heart .......totally from a kids perspective. They wadded up lights for the manger, used some snow bears for Mary and Joseph and Jesus. There are 3 wise man (other stuffed animals) and 3 gifts of jewels laying by the manger and then there is an angel bear. Just a regular bear with fairy wings.

Isn't it precious? These are the things that make the holidays special. Just having fun...........
These are the precious things that kids do :)

If you need a good laugh.......

This is my day today. Both kids are at home, with a case of the runs out the back end, and the dog is in heat. Does it get any better?? This has truely been an experience. I wish I had taken a picture of Austin checking out Bella. He looked like a car mechanic laying on the floor under Bella looking up and trying to figuer this all out. Let's just say, it's been some interesting talks about how our bodies work!!! And the kids are so funny about these doggy diapers, it's just a hoot to have this all happening. Anyways, let's just say the only thing that could make this a more interesting holiday season is to have that dreaded lice note we got from school last month to actually be true in our house. I think at that point I would evacuate and move. We're all sitting on the couch watching tv and I'm figuering out what I need to do to be prepared for birthdays and holidays :) And in case you're wondering.......... I called the vet and this dog heat thing lasts 3-4 weeks. Yikes!!!! I should have called last month and scheduled her appointment, it just kept slipping my mind. Mental note: don't forget to do those things that need to get done.

Glimpse into Aidan's Thanksgiving

Check out how Aidan spent Thanksgiving:
http://www.glahaiti.org/toddler_house_blog
Sounds like it was a pretty special day :)

Thanksgiving Reflections

Okay, this is so last week's news, but before I jumped in Christmas I just wanted to reflect on Thanksgiving. We had a great time of reflection that week. Let me talk about Haiti in general for a moment, and not specifically about adoption. We definately feel tied to Haiti because Aidan lives there, but we've also developed a special place in our lives for the people of Haiti and referring to the state of poverty they are in. Our church had a Hungar for Haiti challenge in which we ate beans and rice for the 3 days prior to Thanksgiving. It was a time of reflection of what a typical Haitian might eat and ultimately so we can be in prayer for them, as well as prayer for our hearts towards them. I have to say it was powerful stuff. I can't even imagine life without all we have. On a physical side, I felt terrible just eating beans and rice. Not only was I hungary, but I had a terrible headache and really was miserable. Wow---what an eye opening experience. But the devotion that really struck me the most that week was something that was printed from Amy Sherman, author of Sharing God's Heart for the Poor............
"We would feel embarrassed to wait in line publicly for a hand-out of free food. We would be in anguish to watch our child starving to death, having no means to earn bread for her. And if we would feel all these things if we were 'in the shoes' of the poor person,.............then we must understand that he feels them too. We must not allow ourselves to believe that 'they' are somehow fundamentally different from 'us', and that while we would be pained to live their life, they are 'used to it' and so not bothered by it."

WOW!!! How often haven't we thought that..............that 'they' are use to it..........It's easy to think that Haitians in poverty are lucky to be getting beans and rice each day, but wouldn't it be even better if they could have more than that? Wouldn't we want more than that? And then it goes hand in hand with the quote..................."The Lord provides everything that everyone needs...........it's just up to us to share it, or distribute it"
This really goes against all that the culture shouts out to us. Going into Christmas it's so easy to get wrapped up in the me, me, me mentality.............but Thanksgiving was a great time to think about all we have and how we can share what we have.
And then to totally blow my selfish thinking...........one afternoon when I was crabby and cranky from not eating 'normal' I thought...............'i'm just going to sit for a minute and drink my water bottle and maybe some tea'...............and that whole thought process hit me like a ton of bricks that many Haitians don't have that luxury of clean water to drink at any given time, and the idea of a comfy cushiony couch is probably not happening either. We are so blessed. There was so many thoughts that came up that week, it was a great reflection time.

On a side note, Austin said that day that he was thankful for Aidan. I couldn't help think that being thankful for Aidan also meant being thankful to God for his leadings, being thankful that God is a God who knows our thoughts and directs our actions, thankful that God is alive and active in our lives, and thankful that God is amazing. Because without all this, Aidan wouldn't be part of our lives. I'm thankful for Aidan as well!!
I'm thankful for Alyssa and Austin too.............