It feels surreal that the Christmas season is here already even though this year there are fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas than in years past. I know this holiday season will be gone in a blink and I have my camera out to remember the next few weeks but here's a glimpse of 2013 before it slips away.
We started off this year with hope of bringing Christopher home. On September 10th Christy and Christopher stepped off the plane in Denver and we were officially a family of 6 all under one roof. Three months later we can all say we are thankful that God has given us a chance to see his grace, mercy and forgiveness in action. The girls love their brother and he can't wait for them to be home from school each day. It has not been easy but we continue to pray that the good days outnumber the days of struggle. We anticipate and pray that by this time next year we will have a clear picture on when Amelia will be joining our family so that we can be a complete family of 7.
Amelia turned 1 without us by her side this year. She had a bout of pneumonia while we were there in February but recovered and is healthy and growing. Haiti has changed how adoption paperwork is completed since we went in the system with Christopher so we anticipate there will be some slow progress as there will be a learning curve. Please pray with us that our dossier will be a blessing to each person it touches and that God will be glorified in the process of bringing her home.
Christopher turned 5 this summer. We were able to visit him in February and April before bringing him home in September. He is about the size of a 3 year old currently but is growing and getting stronger every day. He looks forward to being 6 so that he can "go to school" Fall 2014 as a kindergartener. He loves his "bacon" (biking), to trampoline and "watch a movie."
Mathea seamlessly went from 1st to 2nd grade this year. She thrives at Math and loves to sing. She successfully completed Children's Music Academy's 2 ½ year program with a fun recital and is now on her final graduation year with CMA. She loves learning the guitar and making new friends (& mom thinks she’s a great cuddler)!
Kasia is now in her last year of elementary school in 5th grade. She is in the top of her class in every subject but still gets frustrated if she doesn't meet her own expectations of perfection. She volunteers at the Hug 'n Go lane at school, is playing trumpet this year in school band, participates in Singing Eagles before school and is taking piano lessons. She loves Math and music (& mom thinks she's a great writer).
Ellie is officially a 6th grader in middle school! She doesn't know why mom and dad told her she may not have any fun because she LOVES it. She's in math with 7th graders, is enjoying playing the flute in band, is taking piano lessons, can’t wait to be with her middle school youth group at church each week and wants to get her braces off (& mom loves that she's composing her own piece for her piano recital!)
Christy "retired" after 10 years of the working as a lawyer's assistant. She is still running and was able to complete 6 official half marathons before Christopher came home. Tracy has able to work from home these past 3 months which has been a huge blessing. He is anticipating a continued contract through next year with the company in Seattle he's been working with off and on since 2007.
In September, just 10 days after Christopher came home, we moved to a new home to accommodate our growing family. It was a crazy couple of weeks but we have survived and love our new space. We stayed in Superior so that the girls didn't have to switch schools or change friends. It's really feeling like home. If you need our new address just message me and I'll get it to you!
We are so thankful and grateful for everyone who has supported us through this past year. Please continue to pray as our family finds a new normal and for Amelia's adoption process. Merry Christmas!
