10 Day Update - Ethiopia

Today was the day the we were hoping to hear something from the Parliament regarding the direction of International adoption and how they would like to proceed where the care of orphans is concerned in Ethiopia.  Unfortunately no announcement was made today from Parliament and it could take another week or longer.

While this is frustrating, AWAA has noted they have heard some positive feedback from officials over the last few days and some regions have acutally completed clearances for children waiting to be adopted.  This is good news in itself.  We will have to wait and see what happens. God is moving in Ethiopia and I believe he is hearing all of our prayers.

Please continue to pray and I will keep you updated as to where things stand.  Though we were hoping for more news, any news of movement is an anwered prayer today.

I have been praying over a couple of scriptures that have given me comfort while we wait that I have listed below:

"The Lord directs the steps of the Godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble they will never fall for the Lord holds them by hand." - Psalm 37: 23-24

"The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength" - Isaiah 58:11 NLT

"Wait with hope, hope now, hope always." - Psalm 131:3

As Daniel always says "God can do anything mom, because he is God"

Update on Ethiopia - Fasting and Prayer

Last week our agency had a conference call to update all of us on the current "scare" of Ethiopia shutting down International adoptions.  While the agency feels strongly that a shut down won't necessarily happen there will be some kind of reform.  What that looks like at this time no one really knows.  We do know that by January 13th, next Monday we should have some answers on what is happening.  Here is a blog post from our agency - they are doing a 3 day fast in prayer for the outcome of this decision in Ethiopia:

http://adoptedbydesign.typepad.com/blog/

Please join all of us as we wait and pray.  On my way into work this morning I was listening to my Sidewalk Prophets CD and the song Help Me Find It came on.  Here are the lyrics, it really hit home today:

I don’t know where to go from here
It all used to seem so clear
I’m finding I can’t do this on my own

I don’t know where to go from here
As long as I know that You are near
I’m done fighting
I’m finally letting go

I will trust in You
You’ve never failed before
I will trust in You

[Chorus:]
If there’s a road I should walk
Help me find it
If I need to be still
Give me peace for the moment
Whatever Your will
Whatever Your will
Can you help me find it
Can you help me find it

I’m giving You fear and You give faith
I giving you doubt
You give me grace
For every step I’ve never been alone

Even when it hurts, You’ll have Your way
Even in the valley I will say
With every breath
You’ve never let me go

I will wait for You
You’ve never failed before
I will wait for You

[Chorus]

I lift my empty hands (come fill me up again)
Have Your way my King (I give my all to You)
I lift my eyes again (Was blind but now I see)
‘Cause You are all I need
[Chorus]

 The lyrics to this song are a perfect reminder as we sit and wait that God is in control.  We need to turn to him and let him Help us find peace in his will.  He can move this mountains we just have to pray, trust and wait.  Will you please join us in praying and fasting on January 9th - 11th?

Praying our baby boy home.  Hopefully 2014 will be the year.

Urgent Ethiopia News - Please Pray

As you all know we are in the process of adopting another little boy from Ethiopia and have been waiting for a referral for 25 months.  As of now we are only 5-7 months away from a referral for 0-2 year old brother for Daniel.   There are many families waiting to bring children home and even more children needing homes and forever families.  At this time Ethiopia is still OPEN for international adoptions, but over the weekend there were talks about shutting down international adoptions in Ethiopia over the last few days.   

Below is a post from EthioStork that expains a little bit of what is going on:

There is nothing done yet in any certainity or conclusion but.."the meeting of the adoption network with parliament didn't go well. The minister of federal MOWCYA, Minister Zenebu had declared she wants to shut down adoption in the coming weeks. It was very political, "we have controlled the spread of AIDS, we have dared to build a dam at the Nile, surly we can put a stop to adoption as well". The speaker of Parliament agreed with her. The meeting was adjourned with the plan to create a committee that will present a "plan of action to end adoption" not poverty or orphaning, mind you, within 10 days. If this gets accepted by parliament then next will be getting the prime minister to sign it. Let's hope that doesn't happen." ~EthioStork Ethiopian Adoption Resources

Here is a link to the full article:  http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201312260586.html/?maneref=http%3A%2F%2Fchildrendeservefamilies.com%2Fhuman-rights-violation-alert-ethiopia-proposes-ending-international-adoption%2F

How can you help:

1.  Pray that this does not happen. Ask God to step in and move these mountains and soften the hearts of those involved and open them up to adoption.  Ask God to protect all the children that this will affect in Ethiopia.  If this happens these children in the orphanages will have no Hope.

2. Contact your US Senator and US House Rep.  You can do that by contacting them on their website contact page.

3. If you have adopted or know someone who has adopted from Ethiopia and would like to share your positive stores please email info@ethiostork.org

4. Share this information on facebook, twitter, etc.

We feel there are a few reasons this is happening but one of the main reasons is there have been a number of negative articles in the media lately.  This along with the new PAIR process that has put a huge slow down in the adoption process.

Please pray with us.  We know we have a son out there somewhere.  IF this happens we are not sure where that will leave our process as it currently stands.  Most of all though pray for all those children that will virtually be STUCK if this measure goes through.

God we know you are in control. Please be with the parliament and prime minister this week as all of the talks are taking place.  Please be with the children and the families that are waiting.  We need you to help intervene as we know only you can.

"Wait with hope, hope now, hope always" Psalm 131:3 MSG

"For nothing will be impossible with God" Luke 1:37 ESV

For now we will be praying our son home.

Christmas Shopping - Check this out

Can you believe it is that time again?  I can't believe there are only 35 more shopping days until Christmas.  If you are looking for a gift with a purpose this year check out the new T-shirt a friend has designed for us.

If you would like to order a shirt and help us bring a baby brother home for Daniel you can order your shirt on the left side of the screen or send me an email at lheddleson@sbglobal.net.  

We are taking orders and will place our first order by December 4th.  The shirts will ship in time for Christmas.  

There are also a few other fundraisers on the left sidebar if you would like to help or if you feel led to just make a donation you can do that also.

Thank you so much in advance for your support.  Every little bit helps and we can't wait to bring this baby boy home!  

2 years and waiting

We have officially hit the 24 month waiting point and with the wait time increases and lull in referrals I believe we are in for the long haul.  Wait times right now are about 30-36 months.  We know from experience thought that God is doing some amazing things we just haven't seen yet.  

Waiting this time is so much different, it is hard because Daniel is so excited to meet his brother.  He prays for him each night.  When he outgrows some clothes we put them in his brothers room.  One day he was putting a shirt in there and while he was walking he said "Mommy I wish my brother was here."  I said "Me too buddy" then he looked at me with those big brown eyes and said "It sure does take a long time".  He then went about his business like every other normal day.  It sure does buddy it sure does!

I was going through videos on my phone and i found this one from Mommy and Me day at school:

I am so thankful for this video and I can't wait for the day that there are 2 little boys sitting there singing "mommies are for hugging, mommies are for kissing".  If you look closely you can see the picture of daniel we received for his referral right behind him.  This is one of those moments that makes all this waiting and paperwork so worth the wait.

Daniel mentioned to Mark the other day that he wants to go with us when we go to Ethiopia to meet his brother.  This is something Mark and I had talked about and decided that we would take him when he got older and could appreciate the culture and learn more.  Now we are wondering, since his comment that he wants to go because he can't remember.  He sees pictures but he wants to see more.  Is he to young?  This is something we are trying to decide as we wait.  Should we take him?  By the time we travel for court he will be 5. Being honest, since we will be there for the court date and then come home, leaving the baby until the embassy visit I don't want Daniel to think that we can leave him also.

Long story short, we are in it for the long haul.  That is the nature of adoption.  We had "planned" on getting a referral the end of this year but things change.  In adoption you learn to be flexible things can change like that and only God knows the plan.  So we will continue to pray and follow his lead on building our family.

1st day of Pre-K

I can't believe it is the first day of school already.  Where has the time gone.  Granite we are just in preschool but still so many things have already changed.  The independence is there, which i love, but sometimes a mommy just wants to help.

Daniel still loves cars, drag racing, pretty much anything with wheels.  I am convinced that one day he will be a lawyer or negotiator of some sort.  He knows how to work his magic to get his way.  He loves to say "well how about this plan".  It is cute and frustrating all at the same time!

Daniel has the most compassionate caring heart.  He does not like to see people who are hurting or sad.  He wants to help them feel better.  My favorite parts of the day are when he runs by while he is playing and just yells out "mommy I love you" for no reason and doesn't stop what he is doing to look back.  God is working on this boys heart and I can't wait to see what he does.  He is going to do some big things some day.

Waiting on God

Wow, I just realized today we are almost at the 21 month waiting point.  21 months waiting for a referral to see that sweet little face with big brown eyes.  Really it hasn’t seemed like we have been waiting 21 months.  Part of me is happy that the wait hasn’t been as trying as it was while we were waiting for Daniel, but on the flip side part of me is sad.  I feel like I had documented every single step in the process with Daniel, this time around I am lucky to blog every 3^rd month! 

The wait is starting to get tougher.  The movement of referrals seems to have all but stopped.  Average wait time for a referral now is around 26-30 months.  So in reality we have 5 more months of waiting to go.  Unfortunately once we receive that referral the wait won’t stop there.  When we adopted Daniel 3 years ago the wait was mostly on the front end (in reality, God had different plans for our journey). Now we will wait for a referral and then wait even longer for court, then come home and wait for embassy appointments (while the child is still in Ethiopia).  Processes are changing which is adding more wait time.  While I understand the need for some of the process changes, some are in the best interest of the children, it is hard.  Every time someone asks so what is going on with the adoption.  All I can say is waiting.  Waiting has become a very normal part of my life.  Waiting helps us prepare, waiting helps us grow closer to God and waiting help us to become a voice for the fatherless.    

I know all this waiting is part of a bigger story.  God has plans for this child, plans how he will use our family while waiting and plans to grow us closer to him.  Looking back now on our journey to Daniel, the waiting was one of my favorite times, though if you would have asked me while I was waiting I would not have answered that way.  During the waiting is when I felt closer to God than ever. I needed him, without his strength I would not have been able to wait 11 months to hold my baby.  He was doing big things in that season of waiting.  He worked in our hearts to want to be a bigger voice for the fatherless, to want to reach out to those who were going through the same things we were, to be a support for others who struggled with the wait.  There are a lot of unknowns, things out of your control during the adoption process.  If you are anything like me that doesn’t work well.  But God is in control, God knows the unknowns and God will get you through. 

So while I am waiting, I will continue to worship God. I will continue to praise him and I will continue to stand in awe at the works his is doing in our lives through this journey.   The waiting has helped me see just how marvelous God can be.   I listened to this song below everyday on my way to work while I was waiting for Daniel.  Now I have begun to listen to it again, to help remind me while I am waiting I will wait in obedience and trust in God’s plan:

God has this covered.  He has the perfect child picked out just for our family.   Daniel prays every night for his baby brother in Africa.  I pray that through this wait our 4 year old will be able to learn what it means to wait patiently on God’s plan.   I fully believe in God’s plan, his timing is definitely not always our timing, his timing is not always easy but his timing is ALWAYS definitely better than anything we could have planned.   I just have to remind myself when I get selfish and want my timing to be his timing, to just breathe and wait. Good things are coming. This is the scripture that I am clinging too today:

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

Please pray with us for the movement of referrals, that kids will be united with their Forever Families.  Most importantly please pray for patience and peace as we wait on God’s timing for our story.

Adoption is hard.  Adoption is an emotional roller coaster. Adoption is so unbelievably worth it because Adoption is part of God’s Story!

Daniel's 4 - How did that happen

Well I am not quite sure where the time has gone but Daniel is officially 4!  When this happened I am not sure.  He is getting so big so fast and way to old.   It is kind of funny how when he does something he has not done before he will say “I can do that right mom because I am 4”.  Yep, that is correct.  He is so smart, probably to smart for his own good, and you can tell he is soaking everything in around him.  He never forgets anything.  I am praying that skill stays with him for a very long time.

Some of his favorite things to do right now:

As always, play with cars and anything with wheels
He loves legos and to build things
Helping set the dinner table and clean up his toys
Play games
Play any kid of musical instrument (I love when he puts on concerts)
And anything outside, he is such a boy

Even though he has turned 4 he still loves to cuddle before bed and watch a “movie” which is anything that is animated.  Some of his favorite foods bananas, grapes, ravioli and dippy eggs. For his birthday breakfast we took him to Cracker Barrel for dippy eggs and waffles.  When he was finished the ladies brought him out an ice cream Sundae.  Who doesn’t get to eat ice cream for breakfast on their birthday!

One of my favorite things about the personality Daniel is building is his knowledge and love for God.  He doesn’t miss a beat and loves to go to Sunday school.  He has his memory verses memorized and will randomly pull them out at the appropriate times.  He can recite the stories he hears and then tell you all about them.   Here is one of my favorites of him telling the story of Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego:

For his birthday he wanted a Goofy theme.  Surprisingly it is very hard to find anything with just Goofy, but of course my child would be obsessed with Goofy!  So my dear friends came to the rescue again and helped to make the cake and cupcakes.  I think this is one of my most favorite parts of Daniels birthday, getting into the kitchen for the entire night before with these girls and just baking, laughing and catching up.  Here are some cake pictures:

Daniels day was filled with family and friends all loving on him.  His best friend from his old babysitters was even able to come and spend a few hours before the party with him.  Below is a picture of Daniel and his cousins:

This little boy is going to do some amazing things as he grows.  I can’t wait to see what God has in store as he has already touched and blessed so many just with his cute smile and personality.  Anyone that meets or talks with Daniel can attest to that!

Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. -Proverbs 3:5-6

I pray this scripture for Daniel, that as he grows he keeps his child like faith and Trusts in God as much, if not more than he does today!  He is going to do great things, that is one thing I am certain!

It is always on this day that I wonder and think about the woman who gave birth to Daniel.  The woman that I am so eternally grateful for, who gave us the best gift we could ever receive.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to look into this face and have to turn around and leave.  My heart breaks for her and I pray that someday we will meet so I can tell her how truly grateful I am, how her sacrafice blessed our family in ways we could not even have dreamed possible, how I could not imagine my life if I didn't have this face to wake up to and hear the words "Good morning mommy".  There is a special place in heaven for this woman, of that I am sure, and I can't wait to put my arms around her and say Thank you.

Happy birthday Daniel!  You are a blessing and loved more than you could ever imagine.

2012 Wrap Up

I can’t believe how long it has been since I have taken the time to update this blog!  Wow what a difference it makes having a child around.  2012 was a big year for us.  Mark and I both got new jobs, we moved, marked the one year mark of waiting for baby number 2 and my grandfather passed away.  Most of which happened in the last few months of the year! 

We had prayed from the beginning of the year for God to “shake things up” for lack of better phrasing.  And shake them up he did.  I would not recommend praying that prayer unless you are ready for him to move.  First came the change in my job in March, it was scary since I had been at my previous job for 10 years.  New people, new places and a new area that I didn’t really know how to get around.  But it has now been a year I have been here and I love it!   Next came Mark’s new job in August.  Once again scary schedules changing and the unknown, which we all love so much.  But Mark has been there for 7 months and things are going great.

In November we marked the 1 year waiting for baby number 2.  I can’t belive it has been a whole year.  It is funny how quickly this wait time is going now that I am so busy chasing Daniel around.  We pray for Daniels baby brother every night and anytime Daniel gives a tour of the house it is always “this is my brothers room”.  It was so sweet we were unpacking and a few things Daniel took out he put away for his brother.  I can’t wait until we can all meet him and Daniel can finally be the big brother!  Only 1 more year of waiting to go, and updated paperwork, fingerprints, etc.  The paperwork never ends but is so worth it when we reach that orphanage.

Now for the move!  We had been looking for a house but not really looking saying when the time is right, when finances are in order, etc.  Well the perfect house fell into our lap in October, closer to work and including everything that we were looking that was on our wish list for a house.  So in the midst of crazy travelling for work (yes the one that doesn’t like to travel for work now has to travel quite a bit) we put in an offer.  6 weeks later we had bought a house.  I can’t explain how God worked miracles to make this house come through so fast.  Our goal was to be in the house before Christmas.  So we started moving little boxes at a time getting things in order.  We set up the “big move” weekend and invited our family to help.  Let me tell you we have awesome family and friends.  Pretty much every box was unpacked, all furniture moved and in place and the house cleaned in 1 day.  We were even able to put up the Christmas tree. 

Along with the move meant Daniel had to go to a new babysitter/daycare.  Which was the biggest con to moving.  We had the best babysitter who Daniel loved and he made some really good friends in Leetonia.  This was the scariest part, how do you pick a daycare knowing nothing about the area?! Well I believe God had a hand in this area too, someone mentioned the ACC Preschool.  We toured it and it was all said and done.  Daniel loves going to school and he is thriving learning more and more each day.  He has made good friends and the best thing is the school incorporates God into every part of their day!  Such a blessing.

The week before Christmas we lost the most wonderful man.  My grandpa.  He was such a great grandfather and we have many fond memories.  We are all finding comfort now in the fact of knowing he is in a much better place, telling jokes, bowling, golfing and fixing things.  I will miss him so much and am so glad I was able to be there to tell him good bye.  I was worried what Daniel would say or how he would react.  So of course, I let Mark do the explaining.  When Mark told him Grandpa wouldn’t be there when they got the house he went to be with Jesus.  All Daniel was concerned with was “How did he get there? Did he fly or did he drive?”.   Good questions but how do you answer them?!?  I love the fact that my, then 3 year old, was comforted with the fact that Grandpa was with Jesus and someday he would be too. 

Whew!  Sorry that was so long, so that was our 2012 and 3 months of blog posts that I didn’t get around to.  Hopefully this year will be a little bit better.  I am only 3 months behind now! We can't wait to see what this year will bring!

Christmas Shopping with a purpose

Help us win a Grant for our adoption!  Simply shop on our store using the following link.  For every order processed we get an entry into the drawing.  New vendors are being added daily.  Check it out and go Christmas shopping with a purpose, help us bring our baby boy home:  http://theheddlesons.olivetreepromise.com/

Do you know someone that loves coffee?  You can buy some great coffee from our storefront at http://www.Justlovecoffee.com/theheddlesons, African Skies is my favorite. 

Or if you know someone that would love a T-shirt, we still have shirts for sale, visit the links to the right of the page and select your size.

We want to thank everyone for their support through both of our adoptions.  We honestly couldn't do this without the love and support of our family and friends.  Your prayers are felt constantly and provide us comfort that through this emotional rollercoaster we are on called adoption we truly are not alone! 

Help us bring Daniel's baby brother home so he can use all the things that Daniel keeps hiding for him.  Today he pulled out a hat and put it on his dresser and said, "this is for my baby brother to wear".  I can't wait to see his face when we finally get pictures and information of the child God is choosing for us!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!  This year Daniel wanted to be Goofy.  I did not think this was a hard request until I started looking for one.  They do not make a Halloween costume of Goofy for a child.  You can find them for adults but not children.  So thank goodness for Meka, my mom.  From a picture on the internet she was able to make this costume.

Daniel was so excited to wear it.  Even though it was raining and freezing cold outside.  I am so glad he is still young enough to be happy with not going door to door and only visiting family.  Think it will work again next year?

It is so fun to see Halloween through the eyes of a three year old. He is so afraid of anything with a mask or face paint.  I think it was one of the only times that he would NOT let go of my hands. And I am not afraid to say I loved it!!!!!!

On our way home he said from the back seat with all his candy and surprises, "Mommy I had fun trick or treating and I was a good boy" with such pride in his voice.  Can I freeze time and just leave him this age forever?!?!?!

9 Months Waiting

Nine months waiting! I can't believe it has been 9 months since we submitted our paperwork and were finally DTE for adoption #2. Some days it seems like "Wow it has been 9 months already" and some days it seems like "it has only been 9 months". 

The wait is so different this time.  It is always in the back of my mind but I am not completely obsessed with checking the yahoo groups for referrals and court dates.  I am not constantly checking my phone thinking today might be the day I see that 703 area code pop up on my phone.  Maybe it is because (based on wait times) I know we are only 1/2 way through the wait. 

The wait is the hardest part of adoption.  Especially for someone with control issues like me!  I do not like to be the one who has no control over when this piece of paper moves or when the I might see a picture.  When I think about this I have to laugh because sometimes I think God gave me the passion for adoption and heart for orphans because 90% of it is all out of my control.  There is nothing that I can do to speed up the referral process, there is nothing I can do to make an organization sign a letter, etc.  With adoption you sit and you wait.  I have learned a lot about waiting and patience through both processes.  The biggest lessons I have learned are:

1. I am never alone - even in the roughest times when I feel like He is not listening or not there, He is.  Probably more than ever because I need Him.

2.  I can handle more than I think I can - God won't give you something that you can't handle.  Your head might be saying "Oh no you can't do this or you won't make it through".  Trust me you can.  With the first adoption I said that once we got Daniels referral and picture, if I got stuck in court closures I would not be able to handle it. Well guess what not only did we get stuck in court closures, we didn't get to hold Daniel until 11 months after we first saw his picture.  I made it through, not by my own strength but by leaning on His!  I learned a lot about myself during that time.  I have complete and total faith and trust in God, I have a great support system of family and how to make the most out of a rough situation. 

3.  God's timing is way better than mine!  - the biggest lesson I have learned through adoption is God's timing is way better than mine.  His plan is always better even if I don't agree with the timeline.  If you just sit back and wait He will bless you more than you can even imagine.  We waited what seemed a lifetime to have Daniel and start our family.  But that lifetime (that wasn't so long) was so worth it and I can't imagine life without him.

So we have 9 months at least left of waiting to see that precious face of a baby boy with big brown eyes and a brilliant smile.  What will we learn through this time?  I can't wait to find out and see what God has in store for our little family.  I already have a hint of big things to come...

Out of the mouths of babes

Some days I wish I was 3 again.  Everything is so simple in their little worlds.  The extent of the drama is when they don't listen and have a time out.  They know how to fix everything and don't understand when it really isn't that easy.

Tonight Daniel went to bed later than normal, and like always when he goes to bed late I seem to rush through the very important bedtime routine.  Which I did tonight, instead of 2 stories we read 1 short one.  He was overly tired and not listening so I finally hugged and kissed him, said good night and walked out the door.  About 10 minutes later he yells out to me "Mommy we didn't pray".  Feeling horrible I went in to pray with him.  He looked at me with those big brown eyes and said "We didn't pray after our story" (get the importance of the bedtime routine). So I started to pray and we prayed for all the normal things and then I said "and we pray for those who don't have mommies or daddies, enough food to eat or homes to keep them safe", that is when my 3 year old son broke my heart.  Ready for it? He stopped my prayer and said "Mommy why don't they have mommies or daddies?" I told him that I didn't know and that is why we needed to pray that they would find families to love them (not even thinking). He looked at me with the confused look he gets, that little nose all wrinkled up and said "They just left them".  I was thinking and didn't say anything (trying not to get to deep with my 3 year old at 10:00 at night). He had it all figured out, he said "Well mommy you need to call them" to which I said "and what would I say".  He said "You need to call them and tell them to come back to their families".  If only it were that easy.  Just a phone call and asking to return.  I have a feeling God is going to use him one way or another to do something to take care of those without families or mommies and daddies.  Because at 3 already he is worried for those with no mommies and daddies. What a heart he has already.  

I am so proud to be his mama, so thankful we get to be his forever family and so thankful for the gift God has given us to watch him grow in his relationship with God.  He loves Jesus so much already, God is going to do amazing things with this 3 year old little boy.  I love him so and am so grateful to be a part of his journey.

Happy Gotcha Day - Just a Little Late

I officially feel like a bad mom!  I wrote the post below on Daniel's Gotcha day in May and never posted it on the site.  I have a lot of catching up to do.  Well anyway enjoy.  I love especially the video of Daniel describing what his Gotcha Day is.

Happy Gotcha Day!

Wow how fast time flies!  I can’t believe 2 years ago today we went to the Transition Home, held our baby boy for the 2^nd time except this time when we left he left with us on my lap and in my arms.  I was thinking of this fact this morning when I dropped Daniel off at the babysitters and he wouldn’t let me put him down.  He kept saying “I want to go home with you mommy”.  It is amazing how big he has grown and how much of a big boy he is becoming.  Check out the picture below of our family on that day 2 years ago and our family now.

Life definitely would not be the same without him. God truly does set the lonely in families. We didn’t realize just how much we were missing until we had him in our arms.  I can’t imagine not hearing that giggle or seeing that smile when he was being mischevious, getting those good night kisses and hugs over and over and over (even though it has now become a stalling tactic at bedtime).  I love watching the joy that Daniel brings to everyone he meets and who meets him.  But most of all I love that God chose Mark and I to be the lucky ones to get to call him our son.  Greatest gift we could ever receive.

See what Daniel has to say about this special Gotcha Day and just what that means for him (I love the excitement).

Happy Birthday Daniel

So I am a few weeks behind on events.  No surprise with my now 3 year old running around.  Did you catch that, yes I said 3!  I know it is so hard to believe Daniel is 3 years old now.  He is getting so big so fast.  Everyday it seems I am putting more clothes away that are to tight, to short or all around to small.  He is so smart and funny and is turning into an amazing young boy (notice I did not say man, we are not rushing that one).  He is no longer mommy’s baby, but insists he is a big boy.  He is very opionated and knows what he wants and is not afraid to make it known either.  I am so proud at the big boy he is becoming.  Some of his personality traits that have become very apparent this past year: He is a charmer, a flirt and loves to make people laugh.  He will put a show on for you like nothing you have ever seen.  He still gets shy and holds on to our legs when he doesn’t know someone.  He is so smart and picks up on things very fast (sometimes way to fast for my liking).  He is such a joy and brings smiles and warmth to everyone he comes in contact with.

For his birthday (March 9^th was his birthday, told you I am way behind) he got to have an Alvin and the Chipmunks party.  The cake was amazing (thank you Audra and Mikaela once again) with a stage, all the chipmunks and instruments.  You wouldn’t think it would be hard to find Chipmunk’s themed party supplies but it definitly was.  There is nothing out there.  Daniel’s favorite part I think was playing with all his little friends.   While we were singing him Happy Birthday he sat there and rolled his eyes, he is so dramatic! You can see video of it below (thank you Ryan for all the pictures and video). 

It was such a sweet day. 

On Daniel’s actual birthday he got to pick what we had for dinner and if we stayed home or went out to eat.  He wanted to stay home (he is really turning into quite a homebody) and wanted us to bring dinner home.  So we asked him what he wanted to eat, for those of you that know Daniel you might have been able to guess his answer – Chicken wings, the kid loves ranch chicken wings.  So I picked up Quaker Steak and Lube on my way home.  Before dinner  Mark asked him if he wanted to pray, here was Daniels prayer “Dear God, thank you for my birthday and thank you for my family. Amen”  Melt my heart!  He is such a sweet boy.  That brought tears to my eyes and made this mommy heart full! 

 

I thank God everyday for this gift of this sweet boy.  For those big brown eyes and little chocolate fingers. For the gift of getting to be Daniels parents.  Everyone says how lucky Daniel is to have found his forever family.  I say how blessed and lucky I am that I get to be his mom.  It truly is a gift that keeps on giving.  On his birthday I take a moment to stop and remember the woman who had to make the decision to give her son up for adoption. A decision that had to be in my mind the hardest decision of her life. A decision that not only changed her world forever but changed ours.  Because of this decision we get the joy of waking up to this sweet face, the sweet giggles, the sweet hugs and kisses and the sweet dance moves (oh the dancing makes me laugh just thinking about it) every day.  A decision that I will be forever grateful for, as she gave us the best gift of all. The gift to get to be Daniel’s parents.  The gift to hear him say the words “I love you with all my heart”, the gift to hear him call us mommy and daddy.   God sets the lonely in families and when you answer that call he gives you the best gift of all.  He knew Daniel would be our son and he knew he was the perfect one for us to all our own.