Gotcha Days!

Will and Lena have the same Gotcha Day which is May 6th so this year marked two years that they have been with us!  We celebrated by letting Lena pick out where to eat and Will where to go for dessert.  Lena was set on Newks and never wavered.  Will was a little torn between Gigi's Cupcakes and Kraze.  He ended up going with Kraze (Andy and I were holding out for cupcakes!).  Then we came home and followed our tradition of sending up one balloon for each year.  Lena sent up a pink balloon for her first year and then a purple one for her second year.  Will sent up a yellow balloon for his first year and a blue one for his second year.  Then we looked at all the pics of them in Moldova (which were a lot of Will because he sort of likes attention!), their very first Gotcha Day and coming home.

Will, Lena and Hope at Newks

Will and Lena at Newks eating breadsticks

Hope celebrated her 7th Gotcha Day on Sunday, May 22nd!  Wow!  She continues to be such a special part of our family and God continues to amaze us in how He has gifted her in multiple ways!  Hope's favorite food is steak which usually leads us to Texas Roadhouse.  However, the restaurant was crowded due to so many high school graduation ceremonies, so we had to settle for Chile's.  Hope wasted no time in claiming the steak she wanted and dug in.  She has been cutting her own steak for quite sometime now and is a pro!  She chose to have dessert at Nancy's.  Hope released seven balloons this year and it was so fun counting down the years.  We are grateful for each one!

Lena, Hope, Beth and Will

Hope's Baptism!

Becoming a believer has been a journey for Hope that seriously began in first grade.  Over the past year, she has initiated MANY conversations about becoming a follower of Christ.  We have answered many questions and even the same ones over and over.  Andy purposefully walked Hope and Will through doctrine (child friendly of course) for many nights at the dining room table.  Her teachers at church and school were praying for her during this past year as well as her family.

Finally, on Sunday night (April 24), Hope told us once again she wanted to talk about becoming a Christian.  This had happened so many times, we were a little unfazed by it.  However, she immediately said she was ready and she couldn't hold it back any longer!  Jay and Katherine Wolf had spoken at church that night sharing their testimony about their life and there soon to be released book Hope Heals!  Isn't there just something about that word - HOPE?  We rejoice in our Savior who is our Redeemer!

We are thankful for the Hope that we have in Christ and are very thankful that our Hope is now our Sister in Christ.  Andy was able to assist in her baptism making it even more special!  I personally thinks she looks like an "angel!"

April 2016!

I never want to gloss over the challenges of adoption or the blessings of it.  Admittedly, somedays the challenges seem to out weigh the blessings!  Will and Lena have been home almost two years now!  There are days when I get discouraged but my ever optimistic husband reminds me of the amazing progress that has been made in the past two years!  I know that is true but some days seem to take more than I have to give and I have had a string of those recently.  I find myself mourning as I write this blog; not because we adopted and not because there are challenges.  I am mourning for all that Will and Lena missed out on in-utero and the first years of life.  Parents of young children and couples who are planning on becoming parents, please do not discount the importance of the life of your child in pregnancy and in those first two years of life.  They are vital for your child's well-being for the rest of his/her life.  Every time you meet your baby's need, you are building a trust relationship.  You do this thousands of times during those first years and you don't even realize it.  You are giving a wonderful lifelong gift to your child (of course this doesn't mean you can slack off when the child turns 2!!!).

Research shows that when children do not get their needs met during those first two years that they are robbed of learning to trust, regulate behavior, feel safe, and develop self efficacy.  As Dr. Karyn Purvis explains, they are robbed of their "Birth Right." Then it becomes the job of adoptive parents, foster parents, and other family members who take over their care to help them navigate all that they missed.  We live in a fallen world and children seem to suffer more due to that than any other population.   Seeing our own children and knowing of many others who suffer to a much greater degree due to trauma at an early age is heartbreaking!  On the other hand, research also shows that these deficits in development can be overcome with a lot of hard work and being committed to constantly connect to your child (even when you just really, really want to do the opposite and sometimes do!).

These past two years have proven to be a trying season for our family on many different levels.  I feel like an old ship that is covered with barnacles and God is scraping those barnacles off little by little to reveal shiny metal that reflects Him.  I wish I could say He never has come back to the same spot and that He has cleaned a lot of barnacles off but unfortunately, He has to revisit the same old spot and rub a little more! The progress is slow.  This sanctification process is really hard especially when He reveals thoughts, emotions and attitudes that lie deep in my soul that need to be cleansed.  It is a very humbling process but at the same time, I have gained a deeper understanding of His love for me!  Only God can do that - reveal my sin and at the same time reveal more of His love for me!!! In turn, I am able to love better, deeper, and wider - I have learned more about what love looks like in the past two years and I am so thankful for that!  I pray that I keep learning!

On a much lighter note, please enjoy the pics of the kids as they experience life and new adventures!

Lena playing at school with friends!

Lena, Will and Hope having their first experience with fondu thanks to Viola!

Lena with Katherine Rowell at her Graduation Tea!

Lena, Hope and Will at the GA/RA box car derby.  Hope came in 3rd!

Lena and Will at school with the Chick-fil-A cow (photo - compliments of Mr. Geiger).  Hope is somewhere hiding!

Hope at Dino Digs at the Montgomery Zoo!