10 years ago on October 18th, 2002…“You are a very
observant woman,” were the words that changed my life, our lives forever. Those
are the words that our pediatrician spoke to me upon confirmation of Morgan’s
diagnosis of Achondroplasia, the most common form of short stature, or
dwarfism. (The full story is in “Our story from the beginning” on the home page
of this blog). The blessings that have
come from that day are endless…I did not understand for a long time when other
parents would say, ‘I wouldn’t change my child.’ I understand now, although there are many
things that I would take away from my boys in relation to the medical issues
and some of the worlds’ views of them as people. On the other hand all of those things go into
their makeup…their being…their heart and soul. Refer again to Psalm 139:13-16 (New
International Version)
13 For you created my
inmost being;
you knit me together
in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are
wonderful,
I know that full
well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in
the secret place,
when I was woven
together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained
for me were written in your book
before one of them
came to be.
I haven’t blogged in so long that I have to back track so
much…I am sure I will leave out many things, but I will try to bullet point and
highlight the many things that have gone on (the good, the bad, the ugly!) since I last posted and things will be out of
order so please forgive me …
I believe school was to be a post all its own, it won’t be,
but there is SO much to share, pull up a chair and a cup (or pot) of coffee or
tea…
Here we go…
Prior to school starting I met with the Guidance Counselor and
Curriculum Coordinator to get a plan in place for Michael. It made me ill that they had to give him a
READING test in order to “qualify” him for the ESOL program. So the end result
AFTER school began was a username and password for Rosetta Stone and an
English/Chinese dictionary. THAT’S IT! That
is their idea of ESOL, if he wasn’t so smart, I might have had a bigger problem
with this…
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| self explanatory |
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| WOW! I am so blessed to be his mother!! |
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| I laugh every time he puts hot sauce on everything! In China they said he did NOT like spicy! That is NOT true!! |
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| \My babies!! |
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| Ready for school! |
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| After school rice crispy treats of course!! |
I went to the last ESOL meeting for the district and was
nominated to be the co-chair (or something like that) liaison for the parents.
I feel for parents coming into the district, not knowing where to turn for
guidance for their child to learn English…especially for the non-English
speaking parents! There are only 2 meetings a year, so this is not a big
commitment, but I am very eager to assist anyone that may need help getting
services for their child…I have learned, over the years, you have to be your
child’s advocate, things are not typically given away, which is sad, BUT we
have some wonderful friends who offered to sponsor Michael in a reading
program. So we have that worked out as well. The tutor comes over M-W and then
we do an extra day. They are amazed how
quickly is catching on and actually reading some English. I’ve got some reading
materials from when the other boys were in first grade, so we review that too
(or we don’t!!). Initially when school
started, it was a little crazy, okay a lot crazy! Quite honestly this wasn’t the happiest of
homes and quiet was not this house either (not being quiet was not a new
thing!!) I can’t pretend that this has
been SO EASY! Compared to a lot of adoptions, yes, it has been easy, but it is
all relative to your own situation…so I give myself permission (okay my sisters
gave me permission) from time to time to cut myself some slack, and have a
brief pity party and then move forward, baby steps and huge steps in between…
Mason began middle school with LOADS of homework and also
began swimming in an intense year-round program…that leaves no time for trouble
for a boy/young man in the making…What a year of adjustment for all of
us!! It is true though, if the momma
isn’t happy, nobody is happy, so there have been some EXTRA challenging days…
Adding one child to the mix, a child we really don’t know very
much about has been hard. Again, I am grateful for the love he was shown in
China, but also think about what his life would have been like had we not said
YES to the Lord. He waited for 6 years, 3 years on an adoption list….just
because he was “little!!” I have an
overflowing binder of all the paperwork that it took to bring him home. I
glanced at it the other day and just got an unbelievable feeling of gratitude
to God for making this happen, having us grow in such a way that would not
have been possible if it not been for this precious child of another mother.
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| His teacher gave them all new items to start out the new year...I thought it was hysterical when I found out her name was Mrs. Small!! |
We met his teacher the Thursday before school started began (he
and Morgan are in the same class). I would have been sent to the funny farm had
this accommodation NOT been done. I know siblings should not been in the same
class, BUT this was a necessity! I needed another set of eyes and ears, since
Michael was not going to be able to fill me in on details. Morgan does not catch details all the time,
but I knew I needed this most!! They
have gained a special bond by being together more than the other 2, but it is
fine, for the most part. We went back and forth on what to do for a translation
device for Michael and wound up getting him a mini- Galaxy pad…the only
drawback is that you have to have Wi-Fi in order for the Google translate. It
also doesn’t always translate correctly, and Michael would have a question mark
plastered on his face…Homework is getting somewhat easier, but I have say
initially it was Hell on earth! Maybe it
wasn’t quite that bad, or maybe it was, but there were many tears shed at our
well-loved kitchen table! (THIS table could be a book all its own!) Imagine having to listen to another language
all day long and try to figure out what they are saying…how exhausting!!
Imagine again, not being able communicate with ANYONE! I would notice every few days Michael’s signs
of complete exhaustion, but he would “fight” me on it when I would explain he
was tired and to take a break and maybe it was time for him to lie down and
take a nap…He would take his hands and rub his eyes just like a 2 –year old,
BUT he would never admit it…he would SCREAM, “I NOT TIRED!” that is when the
meltdowns would occur and the tears would flow…It was awful, heart-wrenching,
frustrating, too many adjectives to list, but I imagine you somewhat get the
idea, but really, you only REALLY get it if you have walked it…and then I
always hear myself saying, “walk a day, THEN you can say what you would do…”
then I attempt to walk a day in my son’s shoes… it is impossible…I can’t, even
though I tell all my children to not say, “I CAN’T!” Some things, already, I wish I could do over,
but this is where we are…now…in this moment…I would let him “cry it out” for a
few minutes since I think that he needs to cry…I do not know that he cried a
lot in China…I won’t know some things for a very long time, and then other
things I will never know…
I have met and spoken with his teacher several times to be
sure we are on the same page…in the beginning we tried to do all the homework,
and would be there for what seemed, hours on end. Finally, I threw in the towel, contacted the
teacher and expressed that I could care less if he knew what the word,
“bewildered” meant, I just wanted him to read!
Working on vocabulary was exhausting!! I was told by a friend that he
will be able to memorize the vocabulary! So now, he gets mostly 100s on his
vocabulary tests. I have him translate everything into Chinese so he knows what
it means then he learns it in English.
Math was easy at first since he already knew his
multiplication facts, but 4th grade math is word problems, so if you
can’t read to know what to do then how do you do the work?? Now, if I sit and
read it to him and explain it, he can understand…when he doesn’t, we move
on…again, picking battles and choosing what he really NEEDS now…The end result
on his report card for the 1st quarter was 3 As and 1 C (in Language
Arts). I cannot take credit for his
report card because as in years past, since adding “mommy” to my repertoire, I
won’t be nominated for “Mother of the Year.”
Did I mention that adoption is HARD? Please understand, I am not saying
it is not worth it, I am just saying it is HARD, VERY HARD ( at times)!
Michael is VERY sensitive, we all are in our house, depending
on the circumstance, but this is all so new for him…He doesn’t have the benefit
of having grown up in our home, by that I mean, how everything works, not that
we have the best home or best parenting or ANYTHING like that!! I think I said
in my last post that he had 3 foster sisters, all of course from different
biological parents…There were 4 girls and one died (from her “mental psychosis”
– that is how he translated her demise, I honestly have no idea what happened
to her…) and that is how he came to be in that foster home…They were younger
and so he took care of them, he is mature in some ways, immature in others, not
his fault, it’s not bad, it’s just the way it is…
Soccer started in September, and this was the first season
Mason did not play…Morgan and Michael were on the same team, again, thank you
God! 3 practices a week between the 3
and 2 games on Saturday, swim practice 4-6 days a week (usually 4 -thank you
God for my carpool!) and swim meets once a month…we have found that the
swimming community has an incredible group of kids! Very supportive of each
other and encouraging, although the coaches tell you nothing! That is fine, I try not to be a helicopter
parent and let the coaches coach and the teachers teach, usually works out very
well and seems very much appreciated. Michael knew NOTHING about soccer, but
you really wouldn’t have known it…He did great! Followed the drills and enjoyed
being a part of a team. He was NOT a fan of being the goalie! We had one game
when I was at a swim meet, Matt was at Maddox’s game (since we didn’t really
know his team, we didn’t feel comfortable leaving him with them), and my friend
Peggy was on the lookout for Michael and Morgan at their game…Michael got
smacked right in the face, which knocked him to the ground, and kept him there
for a few seconds. Peggy called Matt, and there were a few seconds of drama,
but after a few tears he was fine…Of all times for us not to be there!! Have to just chalk it up to MORE character
building!! Bless his heart! I feel another award coming to me!! The season
finished mid-November and of course they all received there trophies for
participation...I have to admit, I am not the biggest fan of the “nobody loses,
everybody wins” scenario, but I was so excited to see Michael receive his very
first trophy!!
Now we are onto Upward Basketball which is perfect for Morgan
and Michael. They have Morgan’s coach from 2 years ago and he is awesome! At the end of that 1st season,
Morgan gave the coach a thank you note. I’m sure I made a copy of the note and
it is around here somewhere (I will get organized, I will get organized 100X) ,
but it said, “Thank you so much for teaching me about basketball and keep
believing that Jesus died for your sins.” From Morgan. He was only 8 years
old!! He has an enormous heart for Jesus
and it makes this momma’s heart smile!! That’s not to say he can’t be naughty,
because he surely can, but he really
feels it all…reminds me of someone I have known my entire life!!
October brought about some more fun and more family
introductions…My sister Jane and her husband, Max came for a visit. Max had
business in Florida so she traveled with him from their home in Birmingham to
visit their newest and FINAL nephew. Initially Max was NOT for the idea of us
bringing this little boy into our family. His reasoning was for the love of all
of us here. He was very worried about what this would “do” to our children. He
loves them very much and it was out of love and nothing else…What a difference
an introduction makes! He adores his new and FINAL nephew! I highlight final
again, because this is it. I’m breathing again…Michael meeting Jane in person
was something I had looked forward to for a long time. She was the one that
knew my heart for this child long before Matt was on-board, before we locked-in
and before we went public with the news that we were in the process of adopting
Michael. She has told me several times that she will never forget when she saw
him for the first time on Skype while I was in China. I called him over to the
computer and he smiled and said, “Hi.” She said she knew then that he was meant
to be with our family. As I type this I
feel this all over again. He was meant to be here…as difficult as some
“moments” have been and can be, he IS meant to be here. When Jane came here,
she had been on the Heart Transplant list as a status 2A for about a month.
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| Meeting Momma Zanie |
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| Love this meeting!! |
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| A month before her heart transplant - she doesn't look sick does she?? |
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| Another famous blanket for one of my boys. Momma Zanie has made several blankets for all my boys |
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| Max, Michael and Jane |
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| 18 hours post transplant |
Her new birthday arrived on November 6th. She had
been in the hospital beginning on Nov 1st for some more testing and
released, with a PICC line, 24/7 drugs on Nov. 5th, to help sustain
her until a heart became available. She wasn’t home more than an hour or 2 and
the hospital called with news of a heart…more testing and waiting through the
night, I spoke to her that morning while she waited and cried my eyes out when
we hung up, not knowing if I would ever talk to her again, since ANYTHING can
happen…she went into surgery by 10:30 am…less than 5 hours later she was
recovering…she made it, and after 22 days in the hospital she went home. My
prayers for her recovery for her body, mind and spirit are constant…it is a
long hard road, one that my sister Anne has been on for the past 3 plus years
after her transplant on October 8th, 2009. I covet your prayers for
2 of my very best friends!!
After Jane and Max’s visit we had a trip to Charleston
planned. My dad’s side of the family was having a reunion. When I had first
heard the plans of it being in Charleston I was so excited!! Some of the people I have met during the
adoption process live in the Charleston area, so I thought of the “2 birds with
one stone” and contacted the 4 families to see if we could somehow swing a
gathering…3 of these 4 families actually have children from the same SWI in
China, and Michael knew 2 of them and one of them lived in the same apartment
building!! Somehow, some way I needed
this to happen! I was so grateful for these women! They had prayed me through this process!!
They all advocate for these children and they advocated for our son! We did get to meet 2 of the families and what
a blessing it was. Jenni had just traveled several weeks prior to bring home
her son, Luke from Wuhan. They now have 5 children, with one on the way! I couldn’t be more excited for this family!
Their story is amazing www.ourtestimonium.worpress.com and they answered the call from God by way of
their friend Angie, whom we also met during this visit. Angie is momma to 3
boys, Tommy, Colin and Cameron (Cameron is from Michael’s apartments), and
fundraising to help bring home her last 2 home, hopefully within the next few
months.
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| Cameron and Michael - they lived in the same apartments in Wuhan, and walked to school together from time to time. |
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| Some of our Charleston friends - 3 of the boys from Wuhan |
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| A beautiful night |
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| A boardwalk walk after our pizza dinner |
http://www.rylandsfamily.blogspot.com and
please check out their video of their announcement to adopt again! also read the surrounding blog posts showing God's call on Colin's heart! It is truly amazing!!
Very creative, could you possibly be a part of their story?
The continuation of the weekend took us to visit the Yorktown.
I was already stressed out about the
funds it was costing for the weekend and concerned about what the fees would be
to go on the tour...My father-in-law let Matt borrow his Yorktown pass since he
was stationed aboard this aircraft carrier many, many years ago. We had no idea
that it would allow us access at NO CHARGE!!! What a blessing, as it saved us
about $100 for the day!!! We both looked up at the same time and said, “Thank
you Jesus, God is good!” We toured around the whole carrier and enjoyed a
beautiful family day.
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| Something Michael would not have had if he stayed in China. We are so grateful for our freedom and the ones protecting it each day!! |
That evening we had an incredible feast at one of my cousin’s
homes. Five of my daddy’s six siblings
were in attendance, with his oldest brother, Bill and his wife, Violet on
Skype, later in the evening. The boys played outside with their cousins and we
got some catch-up time with relatives whom we don’t see very often. We are hopeful that we can have another
reunion next October though!
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| Jane couldn't make it due to being on the waiting list |
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| This says it all! |
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| Anne and I (she was the first sister to have a heart transplant, 3 + years ago.!) |
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| Gotta love me, I'm the baby! |
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| Bob, Jim, my daddy, Margaret, Mary and Anne (missing Bill, who is in Birmingham) |
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| When is my turn??? |
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| Cousins Emory and Adam |
The next weekend brought our neighborhood fall festival and church
fall festival! Michael got to carve his
first pumpkin with Matt and he thoroughly was amazed by everything! As Matt was
approaching the soccer field, Michael caught a glimpse of the set-up! He screamed in excitement!! He was unglued! And of course, he got it on video…hoping I
can share, if I can locate it on my computer…(I will get organized, I will get
organized…100X)
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| HE LOVED THIS!!! |
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| almost made it to the top! |
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| Mason and I made it after the 2 day swim meet These are four of my loves |
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| trying to understand the instructions from the worker. He scaled pretty well for a first timer! |
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| He really enjoyed that slide!!! |
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| My forever child!! |
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| This is my Tigger! |
Halloween! Have I mentioned, I am not a fan…Maybe I’m no fun…I
just think the whole idea of knocking on doors and getting candy is a bit
ridiculous…but I know, children love it, most children anyway…I remember some
of my costumes…a puppy, Wonder Woman and the last one, I believe some of us
were Smurfs, maybe we just talked about dressing up as Smurfs… this year for
Halloween the instructions were, get something from the box or figure it out on
your own…I bought costumes when the boys were younger, and have also been given
SEVERAL over the years…Matt went in the box and came out with the Thomas the
Tank Engine costume, (that no one ever wore)…I decided that I would be Thomas!! It was fun and the boys thought it was
great…the one thing I forgot was my Whistle! I have several, but where were
they?? (I will get organized, I will get organized 1000x!) I found one the
next day, not anywhere I thought it would be…this was the first year that Mason
went off with a couple of friends. WAH! He is growing up too fast! Matt, the other 3 and I went out early in
comparison to most of our neighbors…as the evening grew later we saw more
people out and about. We had forewarned
Michael about some of the shenanigans of some of our neighbors…thankfully he
understood that everything was fake and was not fearful…(the “zip-lining
chainsaw Jason” character was not in costume that night.) Apparently there was another area of the
neighborhood that was full of zombies and was super scary!! We missed it, and I
was glad about that. We got home about 8:45 and the boys enjoyed a little bit
of candy and grabbed a shower and hit the bed. Another first for Michael, he
seems to be enjoying the different activities that he has never experienced… (pick a costume, any costume)
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| James Bond, Thomas the Tank Engine, Maddox Ray , Sports Agent (his idea!!) Power Ranger and the Dark Knight |
November 3rd was Michael’s first concert, John
Waller, singer of the song, “While I’m Waiting” from the movie Fireproof. What
an incredible show! I listened to that
song A LOT while waiting to go to China and bring Michael home! He also had a song in the movie “Courageous”
called “As for me and my house!” If you haven’t seen that movie, I can’t say it
enough - WATCH IT!!! Every family should
see it!!
The next morning, the 4th of November brought about a very special day
for our family, the day we were having Michael baptized and also having an
adoption service at our church. Our
friends, Dana and Craig, had given Michael a Chinese/English translation of the
“Book of Common Prayer” which is the book we use for services at church. It was
such a wonderful gift! I was able to explain and have him read all about what
was going to happen that day. Over these months, we have explained and read
from the Bible, about what Jesus did for us. This child gets it! He is full of
Jesus! One night several weeks ago, Michael said the blessing and quietly, yet
openly, prayed at the dinner table for me about a procedure I was having the
next day. Matt and I looked at each other and we both had tears in our eyes. He
definitely gets a little lot timid when he is unsure of his words, but
we help him work through it. I had
gotten all of the boys’ clothes ready the day before, and had already had
Michael and Morgan’s pants altered. The
plan was “traditional” Chinese outfits for everyone. White is the color of
“death” in China, but the outfit for Michael had navy, burgundy and gold trim
on the collar, and cuffs of the pants and shirt so I ignored it. This day was
about NEW LIFE! Morgan and Maddox were wearing navy outfits with gold/yellow
trim. Mason was wearing a navy shirt, and Matt was SUPPOSE to as well. Sizes in
China are different!! He typically wears
a large size shirt, but I bought an XL. Oops! He looked like the Incredible
Hulk with his arms busting out and the shirt was supposed to be long and but it
was way SHORT!! He wore a suit and looked very handsome…Then it was down to
me…I had tried on a few dresses in China, and finally grabbed one by default
since it was the day before we were coming home…I THINK I tried it on! I had
ironed it the day before the service, but had not tried it on
again…MISTAKE!! I was in a panic when I
realized that the ‘SLIT’ on both sides was RATHER HIGH!! YIKES! (I’m 5’10” with
a 34” inseam, not a typical Chinese woman) I am going to church…I started to
put aside the whole idea of me wearing a traditional Chinese dress, but couldn’t shake it…not only was it a high slit, when I went to sit down that
became a huge challenge as well…Satan was attempting to sabotage our day! I went with the dress and told Matt and Mason
to stand beside me and “cover” me. I had
a few comments, nothing bad, and of course I laughed it off since what could I
do…It was actually pretty funny, but I will never wear this dress again!
Another note…I had also bought a navy outfit for Michael to do a “photo shoot”
(which hasn’t been done), and it was still in the wrapper…suggestion to those
traveling abroad…when buying clothing, take it out of the packaging to be sure
it is what you think it is…I took the outfit out of the plastic wrap, and the
PANTS WERE SHORTS, longer shorts! I was
like, “what on earth??” I didn’t know these particular outfits came in
shorts??!! I had Michael try them on,
and because his legs are short, they are JUST LONG ENOUGH!!!I laughed
hysterically, and called my sister! Good thing it wasn’t for daddy long legs,
Maddox!! (his pants were barely long enough!)
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| John Waller |
The service was awesome and comical at a certain point, not
sure what others in the congregation saw. Anyway, the adoption part of the
service was before the baptism. I had never seen this service before, and
neither had many in our church. It was amazing!
Michael had to “take” Matt as his father and me as his mother. We had to
“take” him as our son. He had to “take” Mason, Morgan and Maddox as his
brothers, and they had to “take” him. My
nose was running, I had tissue in my hand, but I couldn’t get to it. I sniffed,
but couldn’t sniff strong enough! What happened, a “string” came running,
Michael and Morgan both looked at me with a horrified look and a verbal,
“Ewww!” Oh my gosh!!! Laura, one of the Godmothers saw as well!! How embarrassing!! WHO ELSE SAW THAT????!!! I had to laugh to
myself because there was nothing I could do…We had a friend taking pictures
from the side…I since have zoomed in one of the photos, and sure enough it was
CAPTURED ON FILM! I will not be sharing it, but trust me when I say, it is
hilarious…so thankful I can laugh at myself!!
Back to serious stuff.
Michael took all of us, and we took him, then it was down to the
Baptism. He was asked do you desire to be baptized? ‘I do” he responded..WAH!!
At that time, just 5 months prior, he had no idea who Jesus was…he actually had
an idea but it was wrong…he thought Jesus was Santa Claus…NOT EVEN CLOSE! I’m
not sure if there were any dry eyes in the church this particular day…this day
was also All Saints Day, where we remember all who have died in the Lord. We
light candles in their memory, so I felt my mother’s presence there that day…I
know she would have been so happy…oh how I miss her smile and voice and
everything…After church, we - my dad and Betty Lou and the Godparents went to
get pizza at a local restaurant near our house.
It was a wonderful day of celebration!
Thanksgiving day began with a sausage egg casserole! Later in the morning we took a Thanksgiving
feast over to Matt’s mom’s house. They
did not want to get out this year and I whipped up a turkey and some sides to
take over there. The boys enjoyed
playing with their crazy dog and tried to converse with Margie and Bill. Margie
is not able to really communicate coherently any longer, and Bill is very
repetitive since his stroke a few years ago, plus he is 85 this year. After our visit there we headed to my dad and
Betty Lou’s house. That was a welcomed treat!
I knew we would have Christmas at our house, so they offered and we
accepted! This year, Betty Lou decided
to order everything so we could just enjoy each other’s company. (For the
record there is still a lot of CLEAN UP involved!!) We went over early so the men, boys and Betty
Lou could get some “pickle ball” time. If you do not know, which you probably
don’t, or want to know what “Pickle Ball” is just click on http://pickleball.com/. I
chose to be a spectator on this particular day. We all had a great time and also enjoyed some
playground time as well. After an hour
or so we headed back to their house and got down to business of eating! It was a great “first Thanksgiving” for
Michael and he LOVED the turkey. He had
said the day before, “I going to have first turkey.” We were hoping to have a
wishbone tug, but again, I let it dry out, and mistakenly threw it away…No big
deal, no one was too disappointed…
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| Michael's first Thanksgiving |
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| Bu and Michael play the piano |
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| Note: the jackets were not a requirement, the boys chose to wear them… |
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| He loves his BaBa (Daddy) |
Once we got through Thanksgiving, it’s time to get a Christmas
tree and also time to gear up for Advent…this year our family got to light the first
candle for the Christmas season at church…We had never done it before and it
was a great way to tell Michael more about the “waiting” for Jesus’ birth.
Two days later we arrived at church for St. Nick night.
Every year we have a get together in the parish hall with chili and hot dogs, cookie decorating and watch “Nicholas, the boy who became Santa.” After the movie, we sing and then we have a “surprise visitor.” Once St. Nick appears,
the children head to the church, but before entering, they have to remove their shoes…some of the children don’t want to do this, but if you have been to this night in years passed, you definitely want to do it!!! Our deacon tells a story and then when they come out to get their shoes, they find GOLD coins in them! CHOCOLATE COLD COINS!
Every year we have a get together in the parish hall with chili and hot dogs, cookie decorating and watch “Nicholas, the boy who became Santa.” After the movie, we sing and then we have a “surprise visitor.” Once St. Nick appears,
the children head to the church, but before entering, they have to remove their shoes…some of the children don’t want to do this, but if you have been to this night in years passed, you definitely want to do it!!! Our deacon tells a story and then when they come out to get their shoes, they find GOLD coins in them! CHOCOLATE COLD COINS!
Guaranteed, my youngest will have several in his mouth at the
same time!! This night always gets my
boys excited about the month of December!!
After St. Nick night, our next festivity is Mason’s birthday! (the first
of 3 birthdays being celebrated in 6 weeks!!) This year he turned 12…how can that little
baby that we waited and prayed so long for (that also broke my tailbone during
childbirth) already be 12??? Then, at the same time I ask, how can he ONLY be
12, when while we were in China it
seemed as if he was about 25 taking care of his momma??!! It’s hard to believe
that we have a 12 year old and also that we have 4 boys now!! That’s a lot of
milk!! Another story for later…On his birthday we went to dinner and to watch
the boat parade with my dad and Betty Lou.
It was a great night with cake and a few presents back at home. We
thoroughly enjoyed the night and hope to
head back to the boat parade again next year!
A couple of days later, my sister Jane called me and said “The
Wizard of Oz is on.” I was unaware and
excited for the call since Michael had never seen it before…I’m not sure if he really wanted to watch it, but there are
some things I really want him to experience. He did watch it but the very
best thing he said was, “those monkeys weird.”
They terrified me as a child, and still looking at them now, they
are pretty freaky!!! His statement was accurate even if it is just his opinion.
I am thankful he is allowed to express himself and say how he feels…I’m not
sure if he was able to do that in China much. I asked him if he could tell his
foster mother what he wanted for breakfast, lunch or dinner…no, he was given
whatever they had. The refrigerator would not hold much, therefore there were
many trips to gather groceries…many trips by foot as they had no car…
Decorating
the “little” Christmas tree. It’s a
little taller than Morgan will be when he is finished growing. It is several inches taller than Michael will
be when he is finished growing. Ornaments they made at school. Michael’s is a
cross, Morgan’s is a Jesus fish and Maddox’s is a Peace sign.
Trying to cram so many things in this year! So many things I want Michael to experience
since the other boys have. Michael
originally said he wanted to be a cow, but that is because that was the only
thing who knew what it was!!! I just
wanted him to be able to participate in this program one year...He was a good
sport. Obviously he and Maddox were shepherds and Morgan was a speaker this year.
I could not have been more proud. Mason was the prophet Zachariah. They were
all fabulous and my dad and Betty Lou were able to join us for this very
special service. I took the younger
three home after the service and Matt and Mason stayed to serve at the
candlelight service. I am looking
forward to attending that service some time. It has been a long time since we
have been to the late service!! About 12 years!! I got home and the boys were
able to get their NON-MATCHING nite-nites on…Morgan was the only one that had
actual pjs! I used to think it was a big
deal, I got over it several years ago, which has alleviated some stress…some
things are unimportant to me now…so thankful I finally figured out was
taught that one, still much more to learn though! I am a work in progress!!
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| Morgan will be a public speaker! Michael will not be in the program again in costume, and Maddox ...we never know??! |
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| Mostly hand-me down clothes...so grateful for nephews!! |
After church baking cookies for Santa…can’t seem to get it done beforehand EVER!
The boys decided after the cookie baking that this would be a
good time to have Michael FINISH his Santa list! WHAT??? Okay, he had finished it
before, but Morgan and Maddox had helped him, and I think they had him put down
some things that THEY wanted…anyway, he changed his list! I recorded the whole
thing, but of course I don’t know how to get the video on here!! I will try to
get my man to help me with that task…but here are a few pictures I snapped
during the video…he was hilarious!!
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| He was thinking so hard!! |
(tried to upload video...did not work, may place in another post...)
Can’t
leave Mason out of making cookies!!
No sleepovers for Christmas but the boys gathered in Michael’s
room while we were getting ready in the morning…
My video camera had broken WHILE I WAS IN CHINA!!! Matt found our very old TAPE video recorder and was able make it work. We had that going and my little cyber shot and another little cyber shot…the morning was priceless and a BIT loud!! We don’t put presents under the tree until Christmas Eve, that way no one is TEMPTED to peak…we have always done it this way and it works for us. This was not a huge Christmas; Morgan got a new bike from Santa. It’s awesome and everyone was excited for him, especially Michael. I am hoping I can post the video Matt put together of Michael’s first Christmas…it’s really incredible in spite of poor quality taping devices…it was a wonderful morning and then it was off to Church for Christmas day service at 10am.
My video camera had broken WHILE I WAS IN CHINA!!! Matt found our very old TAPE video recorder and was able make it work. We had that going and my little cyber shot and another little cyber shot…the morning was priceless and a BIT loud!! We don’t put presents under the tree until Christmas Eve, that way no one is TEMPTED to peak…we have always done it this way and it works for us. This was not a huge Christmas; Morgan got a new bike from Santa. It’s awesome and everyone was excited for him, especially Michael. I am hoping I can post the video Matt put together of Michael’s first Christmas…it’s really incredible in spite of poor quality taping devices…it was a wonderful morning and then it was off to Church for Christmas day service at 10am.
Matt’s brothers came over later, along with Annie, his brother
Al’s wife, Taylor, his brother Jimmy’s daughter and Dad and Betty Lou. We had a
great meal together with some yummy desserts.
The boys played badminton in the front yard and had a great time!
Morgan’s new bike has 7 gears so he was flying down the street. Michael got a
new helmet from Santa that he traded with Maddox since Maddox’s old helmet was
too big and Michael’s new one was too small…as long as they are safe we don’t
really care who has what!!
The next day Matt told Michael he could take a bath in our
tub. You would have thought he hit the jackpot!
He couldn’t get in there quick enough!
He was hilarious! He had NEVER taken a bath!!! I never even thought
about it. When I was in China they gave me his daily schedule, and when I asked
if he took a bath or shower, they said shower, and he has just taken showers
here…He splashed and played and was so free! He loves the water and said, “it
like swimming.” He kept going under and could have cared less that he had
bubbles all over his face…these were not tear free bubbles, but he loved it
nonetheless…I came in with a camera and he said NO! I said I was just taking it of his face!! He
started calling the bubbles over to “cover” him. It was pretty funny!!!
We had all planned to go to our favorite park on the river,
but Maddox got sick so Matt took the older 3…
New Year’s Eve day has become a tradition in our family, with
a “Prune and Grow” day at our church. The boys look forward to it every year,
using an axe or a machete or a saw. It’s
clean out the old, dead wood and let the new growth begin…This past year has
certainly been a huge year of growth for our family, both physically and
spiritually. It has been packed full of joy, fear, laughter and tears. Through
each and every moment, God was with us…during times of doubt and fear of… What
are we doing? How can we do this? What about the core of our family? The thing is, is that HE is our core…it wasn’t
the 5 of us being the “core.” We are here to serve Him, and help bring others
to Him. It doesn’t mean that you have to physically get on an airplane to a
foreign land and bring someone back with you to take them to church! Although,
I highly recommend it! It doesn’t come without struggle, but it is guaranteed
to stretch you to places that you probably never thought possible, which of
course brings me back to one of my favorite scriptures…
Matthew 19:26 - Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
There was a little something that was found in our memorial
garden at church that day…because I don’t have enough to do, God thought he
would present something else in my path. Actually, I don’t know IF this was a
God thing, but the more I think about it, it is! Our church is named St. Francis…you know the
“animal saint.” That little something is
this…
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The younger boys were asking if we could keep her…I said, no I
do not need a cat…although I have missed having a cat…I believe my husband had
also missed having a cat…Michael actually got MAD at me and walked away and
pouted…do not be alarmed, he does this from time to time, as do my other
children…this is what kids do! Everyone
there that day, had a reason WHY THEY COULD NOT TAKE THIS KITTY! They just got
a cat, they are allergic to cats, I rescued the last cat that was found here,
my husband said he would put it down if I bring it home. (That was said, but
I’m sure untrue!!) Anyway, our minister’s
wife, has a heart of gold and was sitting on the sidewalk by the memorial
garden, crying! Knock it off! I can’t
handle that!!! Matt had said to the boys
“go ask your mother,” so he pawned this all on ME! That is not fair, but again
life is not fair at times...Matt said as he
left the church with the boys, “I’ll be at work, you are the one taking care of
it”…so of course after all that, I told Joan, “okay, I’ll take her…” That made
her day! We found a box in the office
and poked some holes in and off I went with this sweet little kitty, I had no
idea I needed her so much!! (she is so sweet!!) Completely different scale, but
I really never knew how much I needed Michael either…the good the bad and the ugly, WE
ALL NEEDED HIM!! Oh, and Michael’s birthday was the next day, New Year’s
Day! Okay, we know that is not the actual day he was born, but that is the day we were given, so for now that is what we are
going with…we had a fun evening planned for just the family, and then a fun
birthday the next day…
Matt and I haven’t gone out on New Year’s Eve in many, many
years. I think the last time, we even went to dinner that night was when we lived
in our last house, so that would be 10 years ago, when Mason had just turned 2
years old and Morgan was almost 5 months old…that was a different life!! We
love to stay home, cook out steak (which happens maybe a couple of times a
year, not big red meat eaters). In years past we have not made until midnight,
but have woken up, given a smooch and back to sleep…last year the boys stayed
up, I think, and this year they did too, but it was a bit of a struggle for one
brown haired boy about to have a birthday the next day…It was just after 11 and
Michael got up, put his blanket in the cabinet and said he was going to bed. WHAT????
YOU CAN’T GO TO BED!!! THIS IS OUR FIRST NEW YEAR’S WITH YOU AND WE WANT YOU TO BE WITH US!! Selfish family!! Only thinking about ourselves and what WE want! So we convinced him to stay with us, and woke
him up and sang “Happy Birthday” to him when the ball was dropping in Times
Square! Then we said he could be
excused!
And by the way, our new baby girl’s name is Maisy…you didn’t
think we could use a different letter, did you??
Michael’s birthday began LATE in the morning with my famous
waffles, just famous in our house…I love making them and they love eating
them!!
The 6 of us loaded up and went to the movies, which is what he
said he wanted to do for his birthday…good idea, we rarely go, we were all
excited! The best part is it was the movie “Parental Guidance.” If you haven’t
seen it, you must…you don’t have to watch it on the big screen, but put it on
your list as a MUST SEE!
We howled in the movies!
All my boys have hearty laughs!! That is one of my favorite sounds of
all time!!
After the movies we drove down to St. Augustine for the Night
of Lights. It was early and still daylight so we walked around town and
strolled down St. George Street and went by Fort Castillo de San Marco. We
didn’t do any kind of history lessons and didn’t go in the fort but took some
pictures (as usual). Michael had said he
wanted pizza for dinner, so that was super easy!
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| He changed his mind and decided on chicken AND pizza! |
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| Wish this one had come out better!! |
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| Crazy car ride home! |
Home for cake and ice cream and presents
…a little piano and a
scooter…not too much but what he wanted…
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I will try to write more often so anyone following doesn’t
have to block off a good amount of time to read everything (if you are
interested in reading everything?!) I know lots of people just want pictures,
and that is okay. I have said, and continue to say, I do this for me so I don’t
forget…My hope is also that there may be a situation that may speak to someone,
or if someone is on the fence about adoption, maybe this will help them take a
leap, I would love to speak with others…every story is different, nothing in life is perfect and placed in a fancy
box…we all have a purpose that God has placed in our path…we have free will TO
SEE IT OR NOT! (read Mary Beth Chapman’s book – “Choosing to See.”) I pray that
I can be a light to someone, each and every day, whether it is a glimmer of
hope or a shining star. “Please Lord use me.”
Thanks for following....look up, He is always there for you...
Up next, basketball season and school back in session…YEAH AND
YIKES!!!
