Thank You April for this today....................

For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, "Do not fear; I will help you".

Isaiah 41:13

When Life Throws You Lemons............

You make lemonade. We got some discouraging news yesterday. We got a letter from Shoannah's Hope saying that they could not give us a grant. Out of all the grants we have applied for they were the ones I thought for sure we would get. When we adopted Chloe we received a 2,000 grant from them, so I am not sure if that is why we didn't get one this time or not. Maybe because they had already helped us one time.
Also my mother informed me that it is not the time to sell flower bulbs that you plant them in the fall.
Nevertheless, I know God is in control. Kaitlyn & I just put some of Chloe's smocked dresses on ebay. I hate to part with them but it's not like Zane could use them so if they sell we will put that money toward our adoption.
God has led us on this path so I know He is going to provide!!!!!
Prayers would be appreciated though!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas with our 2 Guatemala Princessa's

Christmas at Our House............

Was wonderful. My children had a great time of eating & exchanging gifts.
So much fun, so much love, so blessed................
Kyleigh lost her peke of 12 years a couple of weeks ago and she has been so sad she has done nothing but cry for 2 weeks, Matthew couldn't take it any longer and went out and bought her another one (he didn't listen to his mil). She now has Bella so there have been no more tears.
Brent well what can I say other than he is Brent. As always he was his fun loving self with the exception of being in love this year. That's right, if I had any doubts I don't anymore my son for the 1st time in his life has actually fallen in love. Luckily for us we love Meghan too and I couldn't think of anyone else I would rather have for my son than her.
Kaitlyn got a cruiser bike this year, a nintendo ds and clothes. Bless her heart she has been so wonderful with Chloe having tea parties today and dress up.
Chloe ask for a pink car but when she saw Bella she wanted her instead. Too bad, I told her she was getting a baby brother not a dog.
Lastly, the pictures of my 2 oldest goof balls with the oreos in milk, well there is a story behind that. Kyleigh & Brent have always and still do tell all their friends that I scarred them for life because I would never let them dunk their oreos in milk. The reason I wouldn't is because they would never drink the milk, and I wouldn't let them waste it. Anyway, one of my gifts to both of them was their very own bag of oreos and jug of milk. It was priceless!!!!!!!!
We really did have a wonderful Christmas and even though I missed my youngest son terribly and wondered many times what he was doing, I am okay.
God has been so good to us and I know that next year he will be with us dunking his own OREOS!!!!
Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Three More Days.............

Can't I just open one gift now???????????

The "Girls" Celebrating Christmas Early.........

Kaitlyn, Chloe & Abigail

Waiting....Waiting....Waiting.....

Adoption journeys are difficult no matter how long or how short it is. The unknown is the absolute hardest part of waiting. Knowing your children are out there and you have fallen hopelessly in love with them just through pictures and you helplessly long to hold them in your arms. At times you even feel a certain amount of resentment because it is someone else holding them, feeding them, hopefully rocking them and putting them to bed at night. You wish more than anything else that it was you. We wonder over and over again why our timing couldn't be God's timing and is this journey ever going to end.
And we pray! We pray and pray and when we don't think we can pray anymore we pray one more time.
While we are waiting for Zane, I am always praying that he is happy & healthy and that his nannies love him. I pray that he enjoys playing with his buddies and that when the time comes for them to leave him behind that he isn't too sad and he finds more friends. I pray that he is being fed good and that somehow he knows that the teddy bear blanket he snuggles came from his mommy, daddy, brother & sisters and that it makes him feel secure. I also pray that our process is smoother than the last one and that no matter how long the wait that God continues to give me the strength to carry on. But there are so many more than just Zane waiting to come home, would you please remember these every day that you pray?
Ethan, Soccerboy, Princess, and Loida that are still in Guatemala after years of waiting for their forever families. Four precious children that I refuse to beleive are not coming home. Four reasons that I find myself questioning the Lord "Why".
And that is when I am reminded Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.
There is not only Zane, but Jay, Sara, Jaydon and Sophia that are together in Vietnam waiting to come home. Jay, Sara and Jaydon are oh so close but because of changes with the US Embassy have been delayed for another 2 months. Meaning 2 more months in a baby home when they could be home with their families.
Again, I am reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6 and I take comfort.
Please pray for all of these precious children!!!!!!

Happy 10 months Birthday Zane........

Our baby boy turned 10 months old today. I am hoping our facilitator delivered the care packages we sent to all the babies this week and maybe just maybe he took more pictures. If so we should get them in the next couple of weeks.
I would love to see new pictures.
It is just unbelievable how different this journey has been from Chloe's. Daniel & I were talking with Julie & Joe today and I had made the comment that the day Chloe turned 10 months old I cried myself to sleep. Julie said how well she remembered and if I needed a reminder she would send me some pictures of that day.
I miss my son terribly and can't wait to hold him in my arms but there have been no tears. We actually celebrated Christmas with Julie, Joe & Abigail. They came down and we went to lunch and then came back to our house for dessert and the girl's exchanged gifts and played together. It was a wonderful day. There was a time that I couldn't say this but I often think how different our lives would be, how different we would be if Chloe's adoption had been a smoothe one. Would we have the friends in our lives that we do now. Sure Julie & Joe would still be part of our family because we started our journey's together and our girl's were meant to be together but there are so many others I would have never met. Without them there would be an emptiness so I can honestly say it was worth the wait. Yes it was worth the wait.
Pray for my sweet boy tonight, help us pray for his continued health, pray that he is happy and most importantly pray that he feel's the presence of the Lord.
Happy 10 months birthday Zane!

WOW! Talk about God answering prayers!!!!!!!!

Jelly Bean is coming home!!!!!!!!
He is the little cutie pie I was telling you about a few weeks ago.
Well his mommy D just found out today that they have to leave for Haiti tommorow!
We have prayed for this day for over 2 years and every time I have thought about how so many times we think God doesn't hear us, He proves to us that He indeed hears our cries, but He waits until HIS PERFECT TIMING!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Lord for bringing this precious precious child home!!!!!!!!!!!

19 years ago today...............

I gave birth to my son. Brent Jordan William came into this world after 37 hours of labor weighing 8 pounds 1 ounce & 21 1/2 inches long. They brought him to me in a Christmas Stocking. Where in the world does the time go, I look at Brent now and think sadly wow, before I know it Chloe & Zane will be at that age. They grow up way to fast. Instead of taking him to a fancy restuarant he has asked me to cook his favorite meal; lasagna, so I will be cooking for a group of 10 lasagna tonight and we will have birthday cake.
And I will be wishing Zane was here to celebrate such a wonderful occasion with his family, yet I am at peace. God has given me such peace that I know can only come from Him and for that I am oh so grateful.
My children are such a blessing and I thank God for them everyday!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENT!!!!!!!

All I really want for Christmas by Steven Curtis Chapman

Well I don't know if you remember me or not
I'm one of the kids they brought in from the home
I was the red-haired boy in an old green flannel shirt
You may not have seen me - I was standing off alone
I didn't come and talk to you, 'cause that's never worked before
And you'll prob'ly never see this letter anyway
But just in case there's something you can do to help me out
I'll ask you one more time

All I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose
Shoulders to ride on if I win
There's so much I could ask for
But there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas is a family

Well I guess I should go ahead and tell you now
If it's really true about that list you have
Somehow I always seem to end up in a fight
But I'm really trying hard not to be bad
But maybe if I had a brother or a dad to wrestle with
Well, maybe they could teach me how to get along
And from everything I've heard
Sounds like the greatest gift on earth would be a mom

All I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose
Shoulders to ride on if I win
There's so much I could ask for
But there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas

Is someone who'll be there
To sing me "Happy Birthday"
For the next 100 years
And it's OK if they're not perfect
Well, even if they're a little broken, that's alright
'Cause so am I

Well, I guess I should go
It's almost time for bed
And maybe next time I write you
I'll be at home

'Cause all I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
Tell me I'll never be alone
Someone whose love will never end
Of all that I could ask for
Well, there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas
All I really want for Christmas is a family

Just a family

That's all I really need

Calling Home to GUATEMALA...........

Sunday night we called our foster family, we usually do call and talk to them about every couple of months. We feel so blessed to be a part of their family and we want them always to know how much Chloe is loved and how well she is doing here.
So Sunday night I asked her did she want to call home to Guatemala and she said "yes mommy I need to tell Nan a story about dinosaurs". Well Mammie & Poppy do not speak any english but Nan; Chloe's foster sister speaks it well enough that I can understand her and she understands us as long as we don't talk way to fast. Usually we call on Mondays and she knows to answer the phone, well by us calling a day ahead she did not answer the phone and poppy answered instead. I kept saying "Hola, Nan" because I can't speak spanish and he started yelling "Rapido Nan, Rapido Nan it's mother Teresa, it's mother Teresa". My heart just melted. The love I have for this family runs deep to the very core of my soul.
Nan got on the phone and for 15 minutes, she told me how much they loved us, how much they missed us, they wait on our calls every day, they pray for God's blessings on our family every day and to give Chloe Faith hugs & kisses. Chloe Faith is very smart & very beautiful and they love the pictures I send them of Chloe Faith. She also tells me how I am her other mother and she loves me just like her mother.
Again, my heart just melts because I know she means every single word of what she is telling me.
I put Chloe on the phone and Chloe tells her she loves them and she misses them and she says all her abc's for her, then she counts to 20 for her in english and 15 in espanol, then she starts telling her a story she has made up about dinosaurs. Well by this time I am getting the phone away from her because I know a dinosaur story would lose Nan. We end the call with more promises to call, more promises for pictures and that Chloe would speak to them again on Christmas Day.
Blessed doesn't even come close to how I feel regarding this wonderful very special relationship with our foster family. Mammie told me when we visited Chloe over 2 years ago, and she was handing me the most beautiful wall tapestries of Guatemala, "hang this in your home and everytime you see it you will remember that your family and my family are one family". She is absolutely right, I am reminded every single day that we are a part of their family and they are a part of ours, one family. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS BLESSINGS!!!!!!!!