Happy New Year!!!

                                Just wanted to share a few Christmas pics. Enjoy!

Cutest lil sock monkey:)

Esther's baby doll from Mimi & Papa

Gavin's new vacuum from Mimi & Papa

Making cookies for Santa with Papa & Uncle Billy

Santa came!!!

Daddy's present from Esther:)

We're just missing one sweet baby girl to make our family complete!

                                              Wishing each of you a Happy New Year...
                               praying that many children will join their families in 2012!!!

Bring on the Christmas Celebration!!!

I'm so excited for all the Christmas festivities that have already begun! I love seeing Christmas through the eyes of a 2 year old. What fun!!! I'm hoping that I will experience the blessing of watching two 3 year olds share in the Christmas joy together next year. My emotions are just a little bit crazy as of late. One moment my heart is smiling and the very next I can almost feel it breaking a little more.

Although the hussle and bussle of the Christmas season has helped keep my mind occupied at least for the majority of the time. We finished all the holiday grocery shopping yesterday... received a couple wonderful blessings that allowed us to do so! Gavin and I made Happy Birthday cupcakes for Jesus this morning... oh what fun! He frosted them while singing "Happy Birthday to baby Jesus"... it was sweet:) Daddy and Gavin are going to make cookie dough tonight so that we can make cookies for Santa tomorrow. And perhaps we'll find a Christmas movie to watch before bed:)

Christmas Eve will be busy busy busy! Our dear friends are coming over for a Christmas Eve brunch in the morning. Dana loves to cook and is very excited about preparing the meal. My parents & brother are coming over in the afternoon to celebrate! Much cooking to do in between the 2 visits. Family, lots of yummy food, presents, cookies & milk... I can hardly wait:) Let's just hope Gavin doesn't eat too much junk so he can actually fall asleep after Mimi, Papa & Uncle Billy go home!

Christmas day is filled with more excitement! Of course Santa will have many surprises for our tiny tot:) Can't wait to see his face! We will be traveling a short ways to have Christmas lunch with my Dad's side of the family. Aunts, uncles, cousins... so fun! Gavin keeps asking me to name everyone that will be there... it takes awhile but he likes to hear all about what we're going to do and who we're going to see.

We will spend Christmas Evening with Dana's Aunt, Uncle and cousins. More yummy food and good fellowship! Gavin is excited to bring his birthday cupcakes for Jesus with us so we can have a birthday party:) I'm hoping he will be so wore out from all the festivities that he will sleep in on Monday morning... his late Christmas gift to me:)

Just thinking about all that is to come this weekend makes me tired! But bring it on... we're ready to celebrate!!!!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Sending My Love

Sweet Baby Girl,

Merry Christmas my precious child! I send you all my love. I miss you more than you'll ever know. I love you with all of my heart. Praying that this is the last Christmas we spend apart. Hoping someone hugs you and lets you know how special you are today. May the joy of Jesus fill Kingdom of Kid's Orphanage this Christmas! Mommy loves you with all her heart... always remember that.

Love you forever,

Mommy

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!! May we each take a moment to thank God for all of the blessings in our lives but most of all for King Jesus... the greatest gift of all! 

Callie Mae - 4 years old

Gavin William - 2 1/2 years old

Esther Noel - 2 years old

 If you find time, in the midst of the holiday hussle and bussle, please pray for Esther. Please pray that she would be home to celebrate Jesus with us next year. Please pray that God would protect her and give her peace while she is in Haiti. Thank you to all of you who lift her up to the Lord. We are so very grateful for your prayers. I long for the day when our whole family can be together under one roof. I'm not sure what that will feel like but I do know that it will be nothing less than a miracle!

Precious Moments

Our recent trip to Haiti was filled with so many precious moments that simply cannot be explained in words. Take a look...

Jean Marie & Esther - Priceless!

Snuggle Time!

3 Generations:)

Esther & Mimi:)

Haiti Highlights

It's been awhile since I have blogged.  I returned home from Haiti on December 6th and am just now getting around to blogging about our trip. Life has been a bit crazy around here lately! It was so wonderful to hold my baby girl again. I don't know that she remembered me but she didn't hesitate to come right to me. Those first few moments are always so precious. She didn't want to let go... neither did I:)

And then Mom met her for the first time... tears and laughter! She thought she was so beautiful:)

Esther was doing a lot better this time compared to my past 2 visits. She was walking around which was wonderful to see! She was happier and more independent. She also had a good appetite! She did have a cold with quite a bad cough and some type of head fungus (lovely) but her overall health seemed to have improved quite a bit. She weighs 19lbs and is 30" long. She wears 12-18 month clothes and a size 4 shoe. A little peanut!

She has a new caretaker now named Magdala. She helps out in the kitchen at the orphanage and cares for Esther and another little girl named Siliana. Esther sleeps in Magdala's room with Siliana and several older girls. Their room was nicely decorated and clean. She still had many of the toys and blankets I had brought to her in previous trips. That was nice to see:)

Siliana & Esther

Magdala, Esther's new caretaker, on the left.

We celebrated Esther's 2nd birthday while we were in Haiti. What a pretty princess she was! Thanks to Mimi we had a lovely little party:)

Birthday Princess:)

Mimi's Decorations

Sweet Baby Girl

Cousins:)

Love this!

She loved to play peek-a-boo. It was too cute! Every time I would lay her down to change her diaper she would start saying "peep-a-boo":) She would also say "I lub you", "MaMa", "Mimi", "Papa" and "Jean Marie":)

                     More stories and pictures to come... hopefully in the near future!

24 Hours

We will be on a plane heading to Haiti in 24 hours.... yikes! I have been super excited anticipating this day for the past 5 months but now I must admit I am also very nervous. I always seem to get this way shortly before leaving. I'll be so happy when both of my babies are finally in the same country. That way I won't have to keep saying "goodbye" to one or the other. That is the hardest part!

Esther's not old enough to anticipate our arrival so I have no idea how she will react. In the past she has come right to me and warmed up fairly quickly. I'm wondering if she will do the same this time. I wonder if she will remember me at all... somehow I doubt it after 5 months. That is a long time for a little one. I hope she still likes me!

Please pray for my mom and I to have a safe trip to Haiti and back. We appreciate all of your support and prayers. And thanks to all of you who are helping to look out for Dad, Dana & Gavin while we're gone! Hopefully they will all behave themselves:)

Sweet baby girl.... Mommy is coming!!!

24 hours!!!

Thanksgiving Memories

                                        I’m thinkin Gavin gets plenty of lovin! 

                What in the world is he going to do when he has to share the love???:)

Uncle Billy:)

Mimi:)

Papa:)

Granmum & Grandad:)

Great Grammy Schurman - 91 years old:)

                                                                          

Beautiful Thanksgiving Drive:)

                                                                        

                       Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!
                                                                                  Psalm 107:1  

                                                                              6 days!!!                        

                                                        

  

10 Day Countdown

Sweet Baby Girl,

The 10 day countdown has officially begun!!! I simply cannot wait to hold you in my arms! It won't be long my dear child. It won't be long! There's so much to do before it's time to go. Gavin is sick with a terrible cough so I need to take him to the doctor to see about getting him better soon. Thanksgiving is just a few short days away! We will have a Thanksgiving dinner at Mimi & Papa's on Wednesday evening, one at Camp for lunch on Thursday and a dessert party at Aunt Missy's on Thursday evening. Lots to be thankful for this year!!!  Uncle Billy is coming home from law school tonight. Gavin is so very excited! We haven't seen him since August so I'm pretty sure everyone is anxious for his arrival:) We're having dinner at Mimi & Papa's tomorrow evening so we can hang out with him. You will love Uncle Billy too! We're decorating for Christmas on Friday. It's hard to believe it's already that time of year. I love Christmas!

                                            Uncle Billy and Gavin - Thanksgiving 2010

I hope you're home next year to join in on all the holiday fun:) It's a joyous time but this year feels a little different. The reality of knowing that you won't be home for the holidays is hard. Hard, for lack of a better descriptor. But it's oh so much more than that. There will be a stocking hung for you acting as yet another reminder that you are so far away. We miss you so baby girl, we miss you so! But we will celebrate all the holidays... Thanksgiving, our birthdays, Mimi's birthday, Christmas, New Year's and Papa's birthday in just 10 days.... and for that I am thankful! It will be a week of joyful celebration! I'm thankful for the precious days I will have with you so very soon. I am thankful for you. I am thankful that you have a place to lay your head at night, that you have food each day and clothes to wear. I'm thankful that you have someone to look after you when I cannot. But most of all I'm thankful that God is your Daddy and that He holds you close to Him always. I hope you feel His sweet embrace today:)

Mommy loves you with all her heart... always remember that!

Love you forever,

Mommy

Pretty in Pink

Sweet Baby Girl,

I was blessed to see your sweet face today. New pictures of you are treasured around here:) You're looking so pretty in pink. And walking all around! What a big girl you are getting to be. I've been trying to guess what size shoe you take and what size clothes I should bring. Every picture looks different. Sometimes you look big and other times you look so tiny. Guess I will just have to wait and find out for myself! Another Mommy took the pictures below for me when she visited KKO last week. She gave me the following update:

Angela, Esther is so tiny! U will see in the pics that come. She had pants on & they just kept sliding off her and she's walking with them around her ankles. I pulled them up. Everyone did. Finally they just were taken off! I remembered when she had just gotten there shortly before I visited and she wouldn't smile. And now!! She's so cute. Tiny little legs still but happy. :)

 We got a good laugh out of that picture! We need to buy you a belt:) You're still so adorable even with your pants down at your ankles. Sucking your thumb just the way your brother does. Amazing!

                                                                        Pretty in Pink:)

                                                        My Beautiful Brown Eyed Girl:)

I wish I could reach out and hold your sweet little self right now! Seeing these pictures of you makes Mommy miss you even more. I don't even know how that is possible. Mommy loves you with all her heart... always remember that!

Love you forever,

Mommy

16 days!!!

Story of My Life

I was singing Gavin a made up song tonight about all the things I was doing 12 hours ago, did all day long and somehow was still doing... like wiping noses, changing diapers, doing dishes, folding laundry, cooking meals, cleaning up toys, sweeping the floor, letting the dog out, fishing bouncy balls out from under the fridge in order to avoid a crisis situation, etc.... you know all the things a Mommy does a bajillion times a week and continues to do over and over again for who knows how long!?!? Dana and I were laughing about it as I sang and of course Gavin thought it was a hoot:) The song was funny but it was actually the story of my life... ya, I know... not that exciting or adventurous although apparently entertaining to my family! The mundane tasks of every day life as a Mommy... not thinking I could captivate an audience rambling on about that topic for long:) It may not be a glamorous life but it's my life. Although it is just plain exhausting some days, I simply wouldn't want it any other way. The house is quiet right now. Dana went to bible study and Gavin went to Mimi & Papa's to play. I am thoroughly enjoying the peace but am thankful for the reminder that the silence brings... the reminder of how much I really do love hearing little feet running up and down the hallway:)

17 days!!!

Mommy is Coming!!!

Mom & I went shopping this weekend to pick up the things we need for our trip to Haiti. 18 more days!!! This Mommy can hardly wait:)

Mom picked up some fun things to celebrate her birthday with... cupcakes, party hats, birthday napkins, etc... and of course there will be presents! Granmum & Grandad bought her a pop up toy. Gavin likes it so I have to keep reminding him that it's Esther's but she is letting him borrow it for a few days:) Mom & Dad bought her a ring stacker along with a bunch of other things... getting spoiled by Mimi & Papa already!!! My cousin is making her a couple bracelets. One to match her church dress and one to match her Christmas dress that Mom ordered for her... just can't wait to see them:) We bought her a pretty pink party dress to wear on her special day too. Oh what fun!!!

I was packing everything up, that we had bought yesterday, with my little helper. He was taking all the toys and putting them in piles. "this one for Gavin, this one for Esther and this one for Jean Me Me". He was dividing them up pretty evenly but every once in a while he would say "this one not for haiti... this one for gavin". Just in case I was possibly thinking of taking it:) He's 2 so naturally sharing is not his best quality. Packing up some toys for Esther and Jean Marie has been a great way to practice sharing! It's also a small way of making him a part of the process, which is really nice!

I'm getting both anxious and excited about leaving the country for a week. It's always a little overwhelming thinking about leaving Gavin for a long period of time. He's used to being with me 95% of the time so it is a bit of a struggle for both of us. But I know Daddy will take good care of him. Dana took the week off so they will most likely have a wonderful time together. He'll probably be pretty spoiled by the time I come home. They have already made plans with Papa (my dad) to go to "Donalds" (McDonalds) for supper one evening. He may be glad that I'm going to Haiti just so he can do that!

                                     It won't be long baby girl. Mommy is coming!!!

Bubbles

                               In just 3 weeks we'll be blowing bubbles together again!!!

You Gavin's Mommy

We have been talking to Gavin about Esther for almost a year now. He looks at photo albums with her pictures in it. He sees her in photos all over our walls. He has skyped with her several times and knows that we go to Haiti to visit her. He knows who she is and mentions her frequently in his daily conversations. I've talked to him several times about the fact that she is his sister and is going to come live with us one day. I've tried to explain the adoption concept to him but he really doesn't understand. Tonight was the first conversation I have had with him that I felt like he was really paying attention. He was definitely trying to make sense of what I was saying. He saw this picture of Esther in a photo album.

This was the conversation that followed...

G: Mama, Esther likes lollipops and I do too!
Me: Do you think you and Esther will eat lollipops together when she comes home?
G: Esther in Haiti Mama.
Me: I know, but she is going to come live with us at our house one day.
G: Where is Esther's Mommy?
Me: Right here, I am Esther's Mommy.
G: *giggling* No, Mama. That's my Mommy. (pointing to me)
Me: You're right, I am your Mommy and I am Esther's Mommy. I love both of you!
G: You Gavin's Mommy. (and he runs off to play)

I guess he had enough of that silly conversation. He acted like I was trying to joke around by saying that I was actually "Mommy" to someone other than him. Although he looked a bit worried when I repeated it for a second time. I think we're going to have a bit of adjusting to do in the near future:) What a hard concept to explain to a 2 year old! I would love to get inside that little mind to see what his thoughts are. I'd love to know how much he really understands. He probably thinks we're crazy! Maybe he's right:)

Laughter:)

23 days!!!

Forever Loved by Both of Us

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away! I've been thinking about how blessed I am to have family to gather with and share the blessings of our lives. I've also been thanking God for the blessing of our children. Being called "Mommy" is one of the greatest blessings of all!

Esther's birth mother has also been on my mind lately. I thank God for her. I love her even though we have never met. Our lives will forever be connected. We will always share the joy and pain, although in different ways, of being Mommy to beautiful Esther. Something I will never share with anyone else. I don't know much of anything about her, although I wish I did. The little that we do know we will keep to ourselves to share with Esther privately when the time is right. I am so thankful that she chose to give Esther the gift of life. I'm also thankful that she loved Esther so much that she chose to give her the gift of adoption in hopes that she would have a better life. I wonder if she knows what wonderful gifts she gave to her daughter. I wonder if she understands what an intricate roll she has played and will play in her daughter's life. I hope she knows that Esther will always be told that she has two Mommies. She will always know that she was loved first by her birth Mommy, second by me and forever loved by both of us! I hope someday I get the opportunity to embrace this lovely woman, either here on earth or in heaven. I desire to thank her for giving us the greatest blessing imaginable! The gift of our daughter. For that we will be forever grateful!!! 

            Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. 

                                                           Psalm 127:3

26 days!!!