Blessed

This week, we celebrated both Max's and Koah's birthdays. This week, Koah turned 10 years old, and Max turned 3 years old. And, this week, as I look at them, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I am blessed to be their mommy. I am blessed that they are here and thriving. I am blessed to kiss their sweet faces and hold them in my arms. I do not take that blessing for granted. I know the emptiness of missing one of my children, and I know that I could have been missing them, too. But, they are here, and I am blessed.

It is hard to believe that 10 years ago I became a mommy for the first time. I will never forget that feeling....it has to be one of the best feelings in the world. Ten years ago, Koah gave me the best gift he could ever give me when he made me a mommy. He was 7 pounds 12 3/4 ounces of pure perfection. He was beautiful, and perfect, and healthy (or so we thought). I fell fiercely in love with him the moment I saw him. I loved every second of being a mom, and all was well with the world. During the next 7 1/2 years, he constantly filled our lives with joy. He was as close to perfect as any child could ever be. It wasn't my parenting skills, either...he was just born awesome.

But, what we didn't know was that Koah was living with an undiagnosed heart defect. He was living with a heart defect that could have taken his life at any second. But, God provided the miracle for saving Koah's life when he sent his baby brother, Isaac, to this earth. At the age of 7 1/2 years old, while Isaac was recovering from his second open heart surgery, Koah had heart surgery to fix his heart. And, I am so thankful for the gift God gave me when he gave my incredible son, Koah, to me twice - first on the day he was born, and then when He gave him back to me again the day his heart was fixed. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I have the privilege of being his mom every day.

I realize from the depth of my heart how truly blessed I am to have him here with me. I am so thankful for the blessing of watching him grow up into an incredible, kind, compassionate, smart, funny, sweet, caring, and loving young man that I am so incredibly proud to call my son. I do not take that blessing for granted.

 

Not only am I blessed to have celebrated another birthday with Koah, I am blessed to have celebrated another birthday with Max. While I had the priviledge of  being Koah's mommy from the time he started growing under my heart, it wasn't until Max was 20 months old that I was given the privilege of being his mommy. I will never forget the day that I first saw him. He was so scared and so sick. We didn't know what the future would hold for Max, but we knew that his only hope for a future would be in a family, and we wanted to be that family. Even once we were home with him, his future was still unclear, but now 15 months later, with his third open heart surgery behind him (his first with us, but not his last), he is thriving and so full of life and joy. And, I am overwhelmed with gratitude once again for the gift God gave me when I became his mom for the very first time 15 months ago and when He gave him back to me again with a healthier and stronger heart 5 months later.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Max, because it tells a story. This is a little boy who, only 16 months ago, did not know what it meant to be loved, and here he is signing his sign for "I love you".  He now not only knows what it means to be loved, but he knows how to give love....how to be love. And, this, my friends, is the gift of adoption.

The magnitude of the blessing that God has given me in these two boys, and in Abigail, Ryder, Isaac, Henry, and Elliette does not escape me. I am beyond grateful. I am beyond blessed. I am beyond loved.

The Ultimate Giveaway

Our dossier will soon be on it's way to China! We are one step closer to bringing Henry and Elliette home where they belong.

 

Here is your chance to participate in an incredible giveaway filled with incredible prizes, including a Disney vacation with tickets to Disney World!!!

You have the opportunity to win some INCREDIBLE prizes, great for Christmas, while at the same time helping two orphans home to their family!

Here is how it will work.....

Ways to earn entries....

Donate to our donate button on the right hand side of our blog under Ultimate Giveaway:

• $10 for 2 entries
• $20 for 5 entries
• $50 for 12 entries
• $100 for 30 entries

You can also receive entries by sharing this giveaway. You can share as many times as you would like. Each share earns you a free entry.

Now, this is a tiered giveaway.....meaning that we will be drawing for prizes several times during the giveaway. Each time we meet the donation amount required for the prize, we will draw a name randomly using random.org.

The earlier you start participating, the more chances you will have to win. All entries carry over to the next prize....even if you win an earlier prize!!!


Now, for the list of prizes....

• Once we reach $500 in donations, we will draw for a $50 Visa Gift Card - WINNER Andrea Harrison!! 

• Once we reach $750 in donations, we will draw for another $50 Visa Gift Card - WINNER Annie Trenda!!!

 

• Once we reach $1000 in donations, we will draw for winner's choice of any American Girl doll on www.americangirl.com/ OR a $100 Visa Gift Card - WINNER Melissa Tannehil!!!!!

 OR

•  Once we reach $2000 in donations, we will draw for an IPad mini - WINNER Stori Wann!!!

• Once we reach $3000 in donations, we will draw for another IPad mini.

• Once we reach $5,000 in donations, we will draw for the GRAND PRIZE, which includes 4 tickets to Walt Disney World, and a 2 night stay in a 3 bedroom condo in Windsor Hills!!!!!  The condo is just 2 miles from Disney (timing of the two days is to be worked out with the owner).

The Windsor Hills Resort includes a double olympic size zero entry lagoon style pool, with a water slide, fountains, and hot tub.

The resort also features a 48 seat movie theatre with HD surround sound, tennis courts, basketball, giant chess, a castle playground, and other amenities.

Please help us bring home our two incredible children, while at the same time, being entered to win some incredible prizes!

Peppermint Bark with a Purpose

All orders for Peppermint Bark have now been shipped out, and we are no longer taking any more orders. Thank you all for your support!

My wonderful aunt and cousin have teamed up with us to help us bring Henry and Elliette home.

We will be selling some delicious homemade peppermint bark in beautiful Christmas tins. These will be great for gifts during the holiday and Christmas season. But, once you taste it, you may just want to keep some for yourself.

We currently have 3 delicious flavor options, and we will be coming out with more in the future.

 Our first, and favorite flavor, is Oreo Peppermint Bark. Our Oreo Peppermint Bark starts with a delicious bottom layer of milk chocolate. Followed by a yummy layer of Oreos, and topped with a layer of Peppermint and White Chocolate. It is DELICIOUS.

 
We also have Milk Chocolate Peppermint Bark and White Chocolate Peppermint Bark available.

 We will be selling them for $20 per tin, which includes shipping anywhere in the United States. We have a few different Christmas tin options, as well.

Come and buy some yummy Peppermint Bark while helping us bring Henry and Elliette home.

You can pay for your Peppermint Bark through the top right button here on this blog.

Thank you for helping us bring Henry and Elliette home where they belong. This will be their last Christmas as orphans.

My Incredible Daddy

October 23rd will be a very special day in this house from here on out.

October 23rd is the day that my Daddy will be getting his bone marrow transplant.

October 23rd is the start of MANY more years here on this earth with my Daddy.


Out of his five siblings that were tested, only one was a match....only one. But, we only needed one match for a transplant, and one of his sisters is a PERFECT match - Thank You God!!!

My Dad will be in the hospital for a month, and then they will have to live close to the hospital for months after that. My mom will be his full time caregiver, while my sister and I help her out.

He will not be allowed to have his grandchildren visit him during that time.

While that may be easy for many people, it will be incredibly hard for my Dad and for us, as my parents are actively involved in their lives on a daily basis.

 

 

 

My Daddy is the BEST Dad a girl could ever have. I have always had a great relationship with him. Growing up, I could tell him anything. He loves to be with his family, and will do everything he can to make sure that we are protected.

In fact, last year, in the middle of chemo cycles, he flew with Abi, Koah, and me to Ukraine. He braved the 16 hour train ride...twice. He stayed with the kids and me for two weeks. He was there as we met Ryder and Max....

And, the only reason that he only stayed two weeks was because he had to get back for platelet transfusions and chemo.

My Dad is not just the BEST Dad, but he is also an INCREDIBLE man. He didn't just tell me what to do growing up, but he led by example. My Dad continues to teach me, as well as my children, what it means to be faithful to God and to your family, about thinking of others before yourself, about having a giving heart, about loving God and loving others with your whole heart, about never giving up on others or on life, about being a person of integrity, and about putting your faith in God.

I would not be where I am today, without the incredible gift of my mom and dad. I am so thankful that God chose them to be my parents. I honestly do have the BEST parents EVER! They are the most giving, supportive, and selfless people I have ever met.

And, although this journey may be hard for a season, and the separation from family during the transplant will be difficult, we know that God will be right there giving us the strength and sustaining us. And it will be WORTH it when we are all living life together again with my Dad full of life and healthy!

Today, marks the day of a new, and wonderful start in life for our family. We know that God can reach down and heal my dad with a single touch, and we also know that He sometimes uses doctors and medicine to heal. We are so thankful for whichever way He chooses to give my Dad many, many, many more years here with us.

Please, I am begging you to, pray for my Daddy. Sometimes, a bone marrow transplant can be a complete cure for the particular type of cancer that he has been diagnosed with. We are believing God, that it will not just put him into remission, but it WILL be a complete and successful CURE for my Daddy from here on out.

Thank You God, that You will bring my Daddy through this transplant better and stronger than ever, and that you will give him a long and healthy life here on this earth.

Thank you all for praying for my Daddy!

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:Who forgives all your iniquities,Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:1-5

With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Psalm 91:16

It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. 

Proverbs 3:8