Adoption Day

Today, in the eyes of the law, we officially became a family of five.  We ventured through the snow this morning to the Family Court, where Sophia's adoption was finalized.

This is certainly a big milestone and we are overjoyed that were were chosen to parent this sweet baby.  We would be remiss, though, if we didn't also share that we struggle to reconcile the feelings of gratitude and joy with the deep loss that has been experienced to lead to this adoption.  While we feel like we have gained so much today, we know firsthand the loss that has also taken place.  As another adoptive mother has so eloquently put this, "A child born to another woman calls me 'Mom.'  The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege are not lost upon us."   So today we remember, but we also celebrate.

Welcome to the family Sophia! We love you more than you will ever know.

Snowed in and catching up

Well it's -7 outside with 12 inches of snow on the ground. School, daycare, and work are closed - so I figured this was a good time to catch up on the blog!

So here is a recap since the last post:

October was an exciting month, not just because of our Superhero Halloween, but because Aunt Angie got married!

December was a busy month.  In addition to celebrating Christmas, we travelled to Texas for a wedding.  The boys had a chance to visit the state capital and took a road trip to the Alamo.  So fun to be with family that we don't get to see often enough.

Probably the most exciting event of the last few months, though, was Solomon's baptism!  He decided, on his own free will, that he wanted to be baptized and we couldn't be prouder.  

We were blessed in so many ways in 2013 and look forward to what the new year will bring for us!

Two real brothers and a sister

"So, are they real brothers?" - random lady at the grocery store

"Yes, they are." - me

"No, I mean, are they real brothers?" - random lady again

These are questions we get asked All. The. Time.  We get it everywhere -  strangers, friends,  family, our patients at the office.  We certainly try to have grace when asked these questions, as we know most people have good intentions.  We know that our family sticks out a bit.  We know we don't look like the typical American family.  We know that people are curious about how our family was put together.  And we understand that when you say "real" you are meaning "biological."

 While I  had been wanting to blog about this topic for quite some time, another blogger beat me to it!  She summed it up nicely so instead of rambling on, I will just let you read it HERE.

As for us, we're not really sure what the best way is to reply to these questions. We are typically nice, but then that brings on a long line of more probing questions.  I think most family and friends are just curious and we don't mind sharing more about how our family was put together with them.  But the person behind us at the grocery store???  That is a bit harder.  Especially when people start asking these questions in front of the boys.

Not too long ago, we overheard a conversation between the boys that went something like this:

"Well, we are not real brothers."  - Joseph says to Solomon

"What do you mean?  You ARE real brothers." - me chiming in

"You know what we mean mom, we aren't real brothers."  - Solomon replies

Ughhh.  And so a long discussion about our real  family ensued.

I love the last line from the post linked above which I think says it all. "Adoption is messy, complicated, bittersweet. But it’s also beautiful, life-altering, and oh, so very real."

Firsts

We couldn't miss documenting these big moments this week!!

First Day of Third Grade

First Day of Pre-School

And First Smiles!!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."    Jeremiah 29:11

God is at it again!

We are a family of FIVE.  Wow - I can't believe I am actually writing that.  God has blessed us with another child - for the third time in three years!  That's right - we have adopted a baby girl.  Praise Him for this most precious gift.

Now, wait a minute you must be thinking.  You weren't in the process of adopting again.  How did this happen?  Well - while adopting again was not in our immediate plans, it was in God's!   Here's how it happened:

On the morning of April 30 during a quiet time that I was having with God, I boldly told Him that I wanted a baby.  We had been exploring the idea of adoption again, but weren't sure what we wanted to do - domestic vs international, infant vs older child?  I told God that I wanted to be open to His will for my life, but also told Him the desires of my heart - I wanted a baby!

Later that afternoon, very unexpectedly and out of the blue I received a phone call from the adoption agency that we had used for both boys.  They told me that they had a unique situation  -  a mother in St Louis had come to them to make an adoption plan for her baby.  They wanted to know if we would be open to considering meeting the mother and adopting this baby.  You guys!  I am not making this up.  I have never had a prayer been so directly answered.  Of course - we said YES!

So over the next several months, we frantically prepared for a baby.  This meant not only preparing a room and all the appropriate supplies required for a baby, but also getting a homestudy and associated paperwork done for the legal side of things.  On June 24th, we were honored to be invited to be at the hospital when our sweet Sophia was born.  We sat nervously in the Labor and Delivery waiting room and within an hour of birth we were invited to be with her!  Here are some of those first shots:

Over the next month, we spent every moment that we could with her at the hospital.  She required an extended stay to learn how to eat and to make sure she gained weight.  Her brothers visited often and are smitten over their little sister.

On July 23rd, we went to court to make things official, and then on July 29th we brought our baby girl home!

We are overjoyed with this most precious gift and are certainly loving life right now!


I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.  1 Samuel 1:27

Happy Gotcha Day Solomon!

It just so happens that Solomon's first Gotcha Day occurred this year while on our family vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama.   Keeping with tradition, the day started with breakfast of Solomon's choice and a small gift that we purchased for him while in Ethiopia.

Does it get any better than Krispy Kreme's on the beach??!!

He loved the Ethiopia bracelet.

After essentially dragging both boys off the beach at the end of the day, we went on a Dolphin Cruise in the Gulf Coast to continue the celebration.  And then headed to Grandma's for cake!

Can you tell we were just a little excited to celebrate Solomon being a part of our family?  We reflected before bed on those first days home last year.  Solomon admitted he was a little scared those first days home, mainly because he couldn't understand what we were saying.  Wow - so much has changed. Over the past year his English has grown tremendously, he has learned to really like American food, he successfully completed the 2nd grade (and loved school), played on a  "real" soccer team, learned how to play basketball and baseball, and has formed a healthy attachment to our family. 

Praise God for how he has grown our family! Happy Adoption Day Solomon!!!

4 years and going strong

In April, we celebrated this sweet boy's special day.  Four years ago a very special woman on the other side of the world gave birth to this sweet boy. Although there are not pictures from that day, I do have this one which is the first picture that we have of our baby.

This is how we celebrated the day.

We interviewed the birthday boy on his special day and here is what he had to say. . .

1 - What do you want to do when you grow up?

• I want to build bridges like my Uncle Greg.

2 - Who are your best friends?

• Declan, Gavin, Solomon, and my Mommy (Mommy conducted this interview) :)

3 - What are your favorite things to do?

• Playing on the Kindle Fire and Daddy's phone and crazy dancing.

4 - What are your favorite foods?

• Hot Dogs, Mac and Cheese, and Injera

5 - Who is Jesus?

• He is our King.

And if you are wondering what the crazy dancing is. . . . well here is a taste of it from a recent wedding.. . .

March Madness

Sometimes it does seem like madness around here, but what I usually tell people is that it is a "good madness" and it sure has been a lot of fun.  The boys finished up their rookie year of basketball season with Upward Sports earlier in the month and both had a blast.  Solomon was able to play on the same team as his best friend and by the end of the season had really gotten the hang of the game.  Joseph, on the other hand, was doing well just to be on the right side of the court at the right time.  He was a hoot!

Solomon thought it was cool that his Dad was a coach!

Tunnel shot before the first game.

A little romance for Joseph on the sidelines. . . .

At the end of March, Jack and Solomon spent a week in Honduras on a medical mission trip with CMDA. Jack was the medical director of the clinic and Solomon helped Grandma run the children's ministry.  We look forward to the day that we can do this as a family of four!

Not the clearest, but you get the picture - making friends in Honduras!

And it is certainly fitting that we would end this last day of March madness with a reminder of the One who has risen from the dead to erase all the madness of our lives.  He is risen, He is risen indeed!  Happy Resurrection Day friends!

Happy 2nd Gotcha Day Joseph!

Two years ago today we stepped off a plane, Joseph officially became a US Citizen, and we started our lives as a family of 3.

Little did we know when we left the airport that day what joy this sweet boy would bring to us over the next 2 years.

To celebrate his 2nd year anniversary as part of our family, Joseph was allowed to pick his breakfast - a chocolate donut with sprinkles!  And keeping with tradition he received a gift that we purchased while we were in Ethiopia.

He was probably most excited to take his "Gotcha Day" cookie cake to school to share with his friends.

Joseph - our lives were changed for the bettter 2 years ago.  We feel so blessed to be a part of your life.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Today marked the official end of our Christmas season and I must say that celebrating Jesus' birth was a ton of fun this year!  Joseph was at a great age to enjoy all the festivities and Solomon loved learning about all of the American Christmas traditions.   Here is a glimpse of our first Christmas as a family of four.

Transformers were all the craze this year according to these two. 

Both boys enjoyed multiple meetings with the jolly old man in the red suit.

Solomon finally got to experience his first snowfall, build his first snowman, and go sledding.  This was huge considering he has been asking since he came home in the 100 degree weather in June when it was going to snow!

This weekend, we celebrated Christmas Ethiopian-style.  Ganna is celebrated in Ethiopia the first week of January, therefore our St Louis Ethiopian Kids Community gets together yearly in January to celebrate.  Here are some pictures from today's party.

Happy Birthday Jesus!!  Thanks for giving us a good reason to celebrate!