Merry Christmas!!!

We are ready!!!  I wanted to post quickly and wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!  

The likely hood is I  won't have much time to post over the holiday, but will have lots of fun details after!(I hope)

I pray that you all find the peace and love of Jesus as we celebrate His birth.  

I am so thankful that the Lord has completed our family this year and we are so looking forward to being able to enjoy this season with our children.   We have some exciting things planned and can not wait!!!

"Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 

Luke 2:14  

First visit to the ER!

So, yesterday was an interesting one for our household. 

Liam  had his first "asthma attack"  yesterday, although they won't diagnose him with asthma until he has a few more.  He woke up clingier than usual and as the morning progressed, I noticed him wheezing. OK, I thought, maybe he is getting another cold.  It came on quick, but that is what happens with kids right?  A few minutes later, I realize  that he is having some really laboring breathing going on so ....... off to the ER we went.  They were so good to us.  they took him straight back, much to the dismay of others that had probably been waiting hours.  They called the respiratory team in and within minutes after checking his low oxygen level, he was having his first breathing treatment.   He and I were there for about 5 hours before they let me take him home.   Poor guy!!  The blessing is that we didn't have to be transferred to Children's Hospital.  That was the plan early on.   God took care of him yesterday. He put the right people in the right places for us. I have asthma and so does my mom.  It is not fun and it was horrible to be sitting where I was yesterday watching him.    The funniest thing was one of the conversations I was having with one of the Doctor's .  He asked, "is there a family history of asthma?"  I said, "there is, but he is adopted, so for him, I don't know."  Laughing, he said, isn't that funny how adopted children take after their bio parents even when genetics aren't involved?     This led to us chatting about how Alex has none of mine or Gareth's health issues, but Callum and now Liam do.  To me, just another sign that  God intended for them to be our children regardless of genetics and blood:0)

Thank you Lord for protecting Liam yesterday. Thank you for putting the right Doctors in place and watching out for him!!!!

Happy Gotcha Day Callum!!!

It is 3 years today that we met Callum for the first time!!!  What a joy he has been!!  What progress he has made, and what a wonderful little boy he is!!!

Just as the first minute we saw him, he still has a smile that will melt your heart.  He just lights up the room when he walks in.  He has started talking up a storm and now won't stop. He is ever so popular.  It is great to go in his school and see the 4th and 5th graders giving him high 5's, and knowing his name.  That is the kind of presence he has.  He is so loving and gives the best hugs in the world.  He loves to pray and starts our family dinner prayers out every night. 

I could go on and on, but at the moment, I have to go play referee:0)  He also loves being a little and big brother.  What a blessing he is to have for a son.  We can not wait to see what things the Lord has in store for him in the years to come.  Callum, we love you!!!!

Alex and Callum had their Christmas programs at church Sunday night.  Callum sang a few songs (well, kinda)  before Alex's children's choir preformed their musical.   Alex had a speaking part this year and then became the angel in the nativity scene.  Isn't she too cute?  She did a great job memorizing her lines and acting them out.  It was a wonderful night.  I would have posted pictures of Callum, who looked adorable as well, but this was the only one I had between the two of them that didn't have a lot of other kids in. I didn't want to post other people's children without their permission:0) 

Happy Birthday Mom and Happy Anniversary!!

Today, my mom turned 60!!!  Don't know if she will appreciate me posting it, but what are daughters for is they can't embarass their mom's once in a while:0)  

We met for a lunch in with some friends from church and then she and I got to walk around the mall with out kids!  It was really nice.   

So, brag on mom at bit???  Happy birthday to a wonderful, loving woman who loves the Lord.  Things have not always been easy and yet, she never complains.  She is a cancer survivor and yet you would never know it unless you knew her at the time.  Again, never brings it up or complains about it.  She is always giving of her time, (maybe a little too much sometimes, hehehe)  and she never stops.  Things she hasn't taught me.....to sit and relax after a meal.  She always pops right up.(another hehehe) Things she has taught me.  Not to be judge mental, to love others, to take time for myself, to never give up and to never let something get you down.  

Mom, you are an amazing woman, mother and grandmother and i am sorry if I  don't tell you enough!!!

Also, my parents celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary on Friday!  Happy Anniversary!!!

Prayer for court date!!!

I am going to go ahead and ask that you please start praying for our court date now.  We have friends that just had theirs and their re-adoption was rejected. I guess their judge didn't support inter-national adoption, and long story short, didn't approve their re-adoption.  I pray that it can be fixed, although it will prob. take them a lot of time, effort and money. 

After speaking with our lawyer this morning, and telling him this situation, (in another state)  he said that anything is possible, but we won't know until we get there.  

Please start praying for the court date and the judge that will be residing over our case. I truly never even thought that they could reject us!!  I appreciate every lifting this situation up in prayer as often as you think of us. (which I hope is a lot;0)  )  

Thanks a bunch!!!!!  

Court Date!!

We finally received our state side court date for the boys.  I know it sounds confusing huh?

Due to the fact that we didn't visit the boys before their adoptions were approved, they came home on a visa.  (not as US Citizens)   Long story short, we have to apply to re-adopt them, which also gives us the opportunity to legally change their first names.  Once we stand before the judge, we will be able to apply for US Citizenship.   Since we started Liam's adoption 3 months after bringing Callum home, we had thought it was a good idea to just wait and do both boys at the same time.  3 years later we are now able to do both boys:0)  

Anyway, we received a letter in the mail and of course, my heart was pounding. All I could think was that something was wrong with the paperwork etc.  If you know our history, you can understand my feeling here.  I never used to be a pessimistic person:0)   Anyway, the letter from our lawyer stated that our court date is February 17th!!!!!    We started this process with our state side lawyer at the end of August, so it does just go to prove that nothing goes quickly in any country.   That is also 3 days after our 10 year wedding anniversary.  What a wonderful present that will be for us!!!!  What a blessing this will be!!!!!  

Down time between Thanksgiving and Christmas!!

Gareth's parents are over the Atlantic as I type this.   We had a wonderful visit with them, and our goodbyes went a lot smoother than I expected.   It always hits Alex the hardest, but she did very well tonight.  We have such a good time with them here.  The kids did great. There of course, was the jealousy issues between Callum and Liam, but that was to be expected.  Liam adjusted so well!!  He was saying nanny and grandad just a few days in to the visit.  We are truly blessed to have such a supportive family and our children have the best grandparents on the planet.  

For now, I am going to lay low for a while.  All of Christmas is done for us.  My cards are mailed and I am just going to enjoy the slowness of life for a little while. 

  

I have so much more to type and so much to catch up on computer wise, but for now, I am going to go read and try to fall asleep.   More on our visit later........