first trip to see the "Mouse"

my parents generously gifted us a week of their time share in Disney a few weeks ago. after a successful car trip to see my sister in Nebraska last summer, we thought a 1500 mile road trip to Florida would be a good idea. it was sure something!

my father also let us borrow his Ford F150 truck. we stuffed the back full and piled all six of us into the cab one frosty Wednesday morning at 4 am. and we were off. first family vacation 2013!

our first leg was to Virginia to see my mother's little sister. we made it to her house at just about 4 in the afternoon. no mishaps. no fighting, "mom! she's touching me!" of course we we're all touching. six people in a truck? yup, get used to being close girls!

we got to aunt terry's house before she got home from work, so we keyed in and sat and read magazines for a little bit. uh, by read, i mean looked at. our eyes were too travel weary to focus much, but sitting in her cushy leather furniture was a nice treat after the long truck trek. we could pretend to read.

terry took us all out for Italian food and we ate! and ate! and ate some more. i don't think there were many leftovers. driving 12 hours sure works up an appetite.

the next morning she had to go to work, but left her incredibly well-behaved dog, otter, home with us. after an excursion to the local Food Lion, daddy took the kids and puppers out for a long walk, while i cooked a chicken dinner and made a huge batch of fudge. (my aunt, the stinker, had neglected to remind me that she had given up chocolate for Lent.) wonder if it is still in her fridge or if she used the Sunday reprieve card? i wonder just how much fudge can one person eat in one day? maybe the tootsie pop owl might know...

the next morning she had to leave for work early, but not before we captured some bed head pictures!

even though we didn't want to, we had to head out just a few hours later. basha cried so hard. not sure if she was going to miss terry or otter more. that kid sure can love. a far cry from 12 months ago. look how God has created a new-loving heart in her! love it.

we stopped in Georgia for the night and the next morning headed out to visit with my 98 year old grandmother. although it was a short two hour visit, we were so happy to spend the time with her. it was nice that the children could meet their great-grandmother. we don't know when we'll be back in Florida again. i honestly thought that when i saw her a few years ago, it would be the last time, but God blessed me richly with more time. my heart was singing just being able to hold her hand for a short while.

we got back into the truck...not more driving!! ok, but this time next stop...DISNEY!!

we arrived at the same time as our friends from Texas. they moved from Connecticut last year and we promised everyone a Disney trip to soften the blow of the move. the kids screamed and hugged themselves silly in the parking lot. ok, so did the adults. it sure was a celebration.

we got settled into the suite and tried to recover from the drive. the poirier family drove from Texas also. up side, i brought my crockpot and the other mom brought a frozen turkey and other groceries. we're gonna eat like kings!

the daddies doing devotions with the children the next morning before heading into the Magic Kingdom-helps that the other daddy is in seminary and currently a youth pastor

 friends reunited. i think they'll agree it is the happiest place on earth

 learning Chinese hand games on the Disney transport buses. i hear there are children all over a small Texas town now learning the games too. guess our family rubbed off on theirs.

vandalizing Disney while waiting for the boat to the Magic Kingdom

the Disney police found out it was our kids that vandalized the walkway. Zurg is a tough warden, but let them off with a promise of future good behavior.

only in Florida-speaks for itself

cool nighttime shot of the castle

downtime included taking swims in the two garden tubs in the suite, swimming in the five pools and two lazy rivers of our resort, mini golf, making personalized souvenir t-shirts, and a moms lunch out for shopping and sushi. we spent five days in the Disney parks having a ball. we got in some family time, ate awesome homemade breakfasts and dinners, consumed a few bottles of wine, and even had an adults night out at the hotel pizzeria. 

we had a magical week of reconnecting and bonding with people we love. we couldn't ask for more. the last day was hard, but everyone took it better than expected.   

goodbyes stink.

basha again took the goodbyes hard. the entire poirier family went into the room where she was crying and surrounded her promising that this wasn't as much of a goodbye as a so long. we hope to be blessed enough to see them when they come to New England for a wedding in late summer. 

i'm glad they didn't decide to surround me in the shower where i ran off to have my goodbye cry. i'm not so good at them either, but it was time to dry our tears and head out to meet B's Chinese foster family.

because this travelogue is getting overly long, i'll paste Rebecca's post telling about our visit here. but i will add a few things. when we were leaving their house on the first day, B said quietly, "this was the best day ever!" melted my heart to see her reconnected with her foster sister. and  i need to say how wonderful the McKee family is. i love them all. i am so blessed to have them as extended family. it was like we were all cut from the same cloth. wondrous indeed!

http://loveisonthemove-hope.blogspot.com/2013/03/foster-sisters-reunited.html

we all fell in love with Abby

their six with our four

forever sisters

thank you, McKee family for opening your hearts, home, family, and refrigerator to our family. we are truly changed by getting to know you. we cannot wait until summer when we might have the chance to visit again.

we left Florida the following morning around 7 AM and drove straight through, except for a brief stop at a hotel for some rest, arriving home 35 hours later. the trip was hard at times, exhausting at others, fun filled, and blessed. we spent time cultivating relationships, worshiping with friends, bonding as a family, witnessing to strangers, and praising God. it was everything we had hoped for.

just a mere 48 hours later we had everything unpacked, washed, and were back to the normal grind of our lives. daddy went back to working summer hours after only having worked two days a week for two months, and we added in more therapy appointments. we are up to 11 standing appointments, but we have some new diagnosis and some new and exciting life changes coming up, not to mention we celebrated our one year Gotcha anniversary ten days ago. i'll blog about all that later.

for now...

PRAISE HIM ALL OF OUR DAYS. WE REJOICE IN YOUR GIFTS,  LORD. THANK YOU.



two new Christians

sunday, january 20th brought us sunshine, fun, and two new members of Christ's Body.

it was a beautiful service, with many friends and family attending. seeing so much love and support for the girls was humbling.

the pastors asked the children of the church to come up to the alter steps and then invited B and S, myself and their father, and both sets of Godparents/sponsors to come up for the rite.

then Pastor J, who was ordained/installed last summer, baptized B. his first baptism. we are so honored to have been part of his pastoral journey in such a manner.

then it was S's turn. our senior pastor, baptized S. i remember when he was a young newish pastor and baptized A. i thought about how blessed we are to have him part of our community's growth over the past decade. it made me choke up as i considered how our family has grown in ways we had not dared to dream.

as Pastor J prayed over our family and sponsors, i found it hard not to break down. (it didn't help having Pastor R sniffle behind me-God love him for his tender spirit or when i made eye contact with B's lovely Godmother-silly me...why did i do that?) but what gripped me was remembering the constant prayer i had while going through the adoption process. i did not pray for bonding, or perfect grafting, or grateful children. i prayed that the Holy Spirit would fill these children with the knowledge of Him and call them to worship. and here we stood with my prayers being answered fully. it took ten months of  being part of our family for them to choose baptism. i would not push it or do it without permission. i felt we had to let them choose it for themselves. (i do not judge any who do gift it without consent, as it is just that-a gift) i just felt it would be more powerful for them to pick it on their own terms and in their own time. it was a act of patience. how richly He rewards us for our trust.

E recorded it on her nintendo 3Ds and put it on YouTube. it was a beautiful experience! http://youtu.be/Fe1KbpDfGMc

family picture

picture taking is not complete without the silly face photo

F and T with B

perfect sponsors we picked!

S and K with their God-daughter

not be left out of the fun

my mother organized the reception and many of my dear friends/family contributed yummy dishes and treats. we were awash in Love. thank you to all who prayed, supported, fed, gifted, and thought of our growing family through the years. you all rock! 

my husband, S, enjoying the last of the punch. don't ask!

LORD, THANK YOU FOR ADOPTING B AND S INTO YOUR FAMILY THROUGH THE GIFT OF BAPTISM. I AM THANKFUL FOR THE BLESSINGS OF ANSWERED PRAYERS. PLEASE HELP THEM TO GROW IN FAITH ALL OF THEIR DAYS. GUARD, GUIDE, AND PROTECT THEM ALWAYS. LET THEM GLORIFY YOU BY BEING STRONG DISCIPLES. JUST AS THEY COME TO YOU THROUGH JESUS, I ASK THESE THINGS IN HIS NAME. AMEN.   





christmas catch up

i was unable to post for a while because i had so many things going through my mind. don't get me wrong, i have written a lot of posts, but i have not made them public. i have spent the last few months in contemplation. grappling with our new life and trying to make sense of the pain our adopted daughters had endured before joining our family. God continues to grow a new heart in this girl.

besides, raising four daughters ranging from 11-14 years old is a feat! i was fearful we i would not be able to survive the holidays. with nine standing therapy appointments of different disciplines each week, how would we find the time to celebrate properly? when would i get out shopping? how were we going to afford gifts for everyone in our family? all the questions took over for a bit, until i figured out that HE knew what it would look like and it would be prefect.

i reread my Christmas post from last year. you can see it here... http://www.provided4.blogspot.com/2011/12/santa-confessions.html

and it dawned on me that last year was a season of charity and love. we were going without many things so that we could save to bring the children home. we gave to several charities as a way of giving back what we were being given.

but this year saw us on the recipient end of some powerful charity and love.

i got a call from our children's hospital about an Adopt-A-Family program. were we interested in applying? after some consideration we decided to do it. hadn't i been wondering how Christmas would turn out? wasn't this God saying, "I got this"? 

a week before Christmas the hospital called again to say come get your presents. i imagined getting some gift cards to buy what the children had put on their lists. NO! it was exactly what each child had asked for. each gift was lovingly selected and generously purchased. i sat in my room surrounded by a mountain of presents weeping over the provision. i wondered if the company who had donated all this bounty knew what a difference they were making? could they ever know the scope?

there were even gift cards for the adults!

as the days crept closer to Christmas Eve, other people stepped up to shower us with Christmas love. we received a wooden train that the kids say will be part of the tree decorations from now on, about a dozen freshly felled pheasants, a lasagna, a pan of enchilada's, various sweets and homemade candy, and even a check for gas money to get us to Florida next month, all from  members and employees of the club my hubby works for. i was dumbfounded. why would all these people care about us so much?

then i knew. He said He had this. my God was providing for us. the material things were not as important as the feelings of love, protection, and peace i received.

Jesus was born into humble beginnings. i recently heard that it was so quiet and humble the night of the birth that the angles had to go ahead and tell people what happened. i never looked at it that way. Christmas should be quiet and humble. it is not about trimmings and excessive gifts.

so this is how our scaled back Christmas went...

Christmas Eve was childrens' service at church. E and A each played a piano piece for the student musician concert. a lovely service it was! 

we always open one gift on Christmas Eve. the children opened footsie jammies. they were so excited-nearly tackling each other on the stairs to be the first to put them on.

Christmas morning was lazy and calm. the children opened their stockings and each of the four gifts under the tree. most of them were from the generous people at LAZ Parking from the Adopt-A-Family program. so blessed.

S is excited by her first stocking ever

 

 E is thrilled with her Manga pens

 A found her orange

B exploring her newly made stocking(yes, i was up to the wee hours of Christmas Eve finishing it)

 

B was very excited to get a stuffed Luigi doll. she has never really played with any of her toys. she doesn't seem to know exactly how to play. but this guy...she brings him everywhere. to dinner, to family movies snuggled up on the couch, outside sledding...etc. she is learning how to love through a doll. isn't that amazing? we take the simple act of a toddler kissing a teddy bear for granted. but when you see an almost grown child not really know how to do that, it is heartbreaking. 

S quietly said, "i like it." to each gift she opened. 

i reveled in being allowed to be part of their first Christmas. 

the presents were opened and cleaned up in about 10 minutes, but we sat there beaming. everyone was thrilled.

E and A didn't seem to notice that this year was so different from what their past Christmases have been. the running around to each family member's houses, tons of toys, excessive food...you know the "traditional" stuff.

the kids got matching Life Is Good tee shirts from their aunts. that was a big hit too. i think the most joyous gifts were the pjs and tees. there is something to having matching things that bonds children. wondrous.

after lunch, i was suffering from fever and chills, so S, took care of making dinner. good thing we were gifted a beautiful lasagna. 

i did drag myself off the couch to get out Jesus's birthday cake makings. the kids had a blast dumping tons of cake sugar on the cake. little candy balls were rolling off the mountain and onto the floor, skittering into every corner of the room. it was pure mess joy.

even though we didn't do the normal Christmas craziness this year, it was just right. very little upset, time with daddy, time to bond with their sisters, no appointments, no stressed out screaming mommy, no have tos.

we celebrated Christmas with my parents on New Year's Day)they spent Christmas in NE with my sister and her family this year). that was a bit more like how Christmas usually was, but even they were sick and not up for staying to eat the pheasant stew I had made. so that "second" Christmas was quiet too.

after i have seen both ways to celebrate the birth of our Savior. i believe we will do the small version every year. we will focus on love and charity and try to be still and watchful for His Coming.

it seems like this month was a turning point for our family. the transition to a family of six has been hard. but, the love that was shared over this season, had a profound effect on B. she has asked to be baptized.

so we will baptize them this Sunday. if you of mind to pray, please pray that the children would allow Light and Love into their hearts, so that they will go out into the world and extend these things to others. let them be disciples ministering to all nations.

and another...

i finally was able to snag this photo from my adoption sister's blog. they adopted two kids this week. they adopted B's foster sister early in the week and now the second child is officially an orphan no more.

meet beautiful Ashlyn- surrounded by her parents, three of her siblings and a representative from her orphanage.

let's celebrate as One, the redemption of another soul! sing Praise to the Almighty God who keeps His promises and loves us like no other can. He held this family in His protective hands while they journeyed through adoption. He leveled their mountains and made straight their path to their children. He called up the Body to raise the ransom money (they are still fundraising... http://loveisonthemove-hope.blogspot.com/) to make this possible. He provided help and family to care for the children still at home. 

let us continue to pray for their safety while they travel in China over the next 10 days. 

LORD, WE SEE YET ANOTHER FAMILY MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH YOUR GIFTS. YOU HAVE GIVEN REBECCA AND MATT COURAGEOUS HEARTS TO SERVE YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN. WE THANK YOU FOR THESE SPECIAL BLESSINGS. WATCH OVER AND PROTECT THEIR TRAVELS. MAKE SMOOTH THE OBSTACLES WHICH THREATEN FAMILY HARMONY. PLEASE TOUCH THEIR ADOPTED CHILDREN'S HEARTS WITH TRUST AND PEACE. PLEASE TOUCH THEIR BIOLOGICAL CHILDREN'S HEARTS WITH PATIENCE, PROTECTIVENESS, AND SELFLESSNESS.  THINGS WILL BE DIFFICULT WHEN THEY TRANSITION BACK HOME. HELP THEM TO STAY FOCUSED ON YOU AND YOUR WILL FOR THEIR LIVES. THANK YOU FOR GIVING US GOOD EXAMPLES OF DISCIPLESHIP TO FOLLOW. HELP US TO LEARN FROM THEM. LET US STAND TOGETHER TO PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS. AMEN.

another

rejoice with us...for He has made new another family. He has redeemed another child and set her in a family of faith and love.

we have lifted this special little one up in prayer ever since our darling B asked us to adopt her back in May. she is B's foster sister. through His great wisdom, He had already matched her with a family 1500 miles from us. but distance has no limits within the Body of Christ. He has blessed these two mothers and two sisters with a connection that will last a lifetime.  

B's foster sister has a forever family. Praise God! her MeiMei is safe and loved.

Gotcha Day with her mama and her big sister

this is my favorite photo. see her surrounded by love and acceptance? imagine being in the midst of that love. i cannot exalt Him enough or thank Him for our extended family.

they have another Gotcha today. their second adopted daughter may even be in their arms right now.

help us surround this family with prayers of peace, protection, love, and patience as they graft two more into their existing six.

one by one we can make the word orphan obsolete! i know we can!

GRACIOUS LORD, I AM AWED ONCE AGAIN. YOU NEVER FAIL TO AMAZE AND DELIGHT ME WITH YOUR WAYS. THANK YOU FOR GIVING TWO MORE CHILDREN FAMILIES TO LOVE THEM. PLEASE GUIDE THEM WITH WISDOM AND PROTECTION ALONG THEIR JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY. COMFORT THEIR FAMILY BACK AT HOME AND BLESS THEIR TRAVELS. HELP THEM TO STAY FOCUSED ON YOU AND YOUR PLANS. WE THROW OURSELVES AT YOUR MERCY, KNOWING THE PLANS YOU HAVE FOR US ARE GOOD AND PERFECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU JESUS. THANK YOU FOR OPENING THIS FAMILY'S EYES AND RELEASING THEM FROM THEIR CHAINS OF BLINDNESS. AMEN.

one more one less

our friends are currently in China adopting their second daughter. we are so excited and privileged to witness another family growing in faith and love!

introducing the newest member of our "faith family"...

juliana with her little sister hailie and mom kathy

(oh, how we remember that couch!)

please help us to lift them up in prayer...

LORD GOD. HOW AMAZING YOU ARE! WE LOOK AND SEE ALL THE WONDERFUL GIFTS YOU GIVE TO US DAILY. IN YOUR PERFECT WISDOM YOU CREATE FAMILIES TO GLORIFY YOU AND STAND WITNESS YOUR GREAT LOVE. HOW CAN WE EVER EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE FULLY? HELP US TO CONTINUE TO CHAMPION THE LESSER OF US AND TAKE CARE OF OUR NEIGHBORS. WE MARVEL AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR STEVE AND KATHY'S FAMILY. PLEASE GUARD AND PROTECT THEM WHILE TRAVELING WITH THEIR TWO PRECIOUS CHILDREN. WE HUMBLY ASK THAT YOU SEND YOUR HOLY SPIRIT TO JULIANA SO THAT SHE MAY KNOW YOU. SHAKE THEIR MOUNTAINS SO THAT NOTHING STANDS IN THEIR WAY OF COMPLETE BONDING AND DEVOTION TO LIVING YOUR WORD. IN THIS ADVENT SEASON WE STAND WATCH AND PREPARE THE WAY FOR JESUS'S COMING. WE LIFT UP ALL THE FAMILIES WHO STILL LIVE SEPARATED WAITING TO BE UNITED THROUGH THE GIFT OF ADOPTION. COMFORT THEM IN THIS TIME AND HELP THEM TO SEE THAT THEY TOO ARE PREPARING THE WAY FOR NEW LIFE THROUGH JESUS. THANK YOU JESUS FOR COMING TO MAKE ALL THINGS NEW. WE REJOICE IN BEING ABLE TO COME TO YOUR FATHER THROUGH YOUR PERFECT GIFT. WE BASK IN THE LIGHT YOU SHINE ON US AND ARE GRATEFUL. THANK YOU DEAR GOD. AMEN.