Visit with the "B" Family

We arrived at the "B" families late morning. It was so nice to meet baby Jae and to visit with Jon, Felicity, Randy, Fern and Angeline. Jae wasn't too keen on visitors yet, but he was so sweet and adorable, that we didn't hold it against him.

Angeline has changed so much since we saw her last. She was talkative, so sparkly and a delight to us all.


Jae, keeping a watchful eye from across the room. Felicity was on the phone and was very curious of what was going on, but did not want to join in. I can't say I blame him....new family, new home, new language, new food...absolutely everything different and very strange from what he had known. I'm sure all of us would be a bit insecure with the situation.

The rest of the gang had no trouble interacting and enjoying the company. Poor Fern had been sick during the night, so she was being very careful to not get too close to us. We were glad she was feeling better and could join us.

We brought gifts for Jae and the other children. He enjoyed the wrapping paper, just like all babies.

Even not feeling well, Fern is gorgeous and has one of the most lively personalities of any child I know.

We ordered out for pizza and then left the Beedes. Felicity's sister and her two boys arrived shortly before we left...talk about us all overwhelming the little guy.

It was wonderful to see them all, even if for a short visit. We will most definitely be planning another trip soon. Welcome to America, baby Jae!

WHFC Winter Party

A couple times during the year, our adoption agency holds regional gatherings hosted by our social worker. These events are fun and I love seeing all the new children and their families. I think it is also great for our international children to see so many other children from their countries of birth.

We get to eat lots of great food, talk with many other adoptive parents, ooh and aah over the gorgeous babies and see the children who have grown so much in the last year.

It took Gabe a bit longer than the other children to venture away from us and chat, but once he saw some boys with Pokemon cards, he made quick friends.

Hannah and Dan always love the play room. They joined right in with several other children and had a ball.

Rachel found the craft table. They had flags from different countries and interesting designs to color. She loves anything to do with art.

Here we are with Lori, the social worker who did Gabe's and the Little's adoptions. She is amazing and we are all so fond of her.

Wide Horizons Picnic - July 26th

The social worker that has worked with us for our last two adoptions, holds gatherings for the families she works with. This is a great opportunity for the kids to see other kids from their birth countries, plus we have become a source for other families to talk to about adoption, especially older child adoption or sibling adoption. We have an enjoyable time and feel like we are helping the cause of adoption.

The summer picnic was held at a local lake. The weather cooperated and we all had a very nice time.

We were able to spend quite a bit of time talking with a couple that are in the early stages of adopting from the Philippines. I think we gave them a lot of good information and we also were given some good insights into Filipino culture as the woman was Filipino.

Adoption Get Together

Last weekend (8/2-8/3) we had three families come visit us at our home. These are families that I had met (well, the moms) on the internet through an adoption yahoogroup. It was so nice to meet face to face after chatting online. One of the families we have met before, but this is the first time the B family has been to our house.


The B family arrived Friday evening. We ate and the kids and Jon took a swim in the pool.

The Bs slept in our "cottage"...aka camping trailer. It is so nice having this extra space for visitors. It allows everyone their own space so no one feels they are crowding anyone else.

Felicity is an early riser, so Brian and Bessie, who also tend toward getting up early, visited with her in the morning over cups of tea and coffee.

After breakfast, Jon and Brian went for a run and Felicity and I and the kids went for a walk. We made quite a gaggle of people with the two of us, Bessie and seven youngers. I did leave Gracie the dog at home, much to her disappointment. We took a side trip to the falls. We love where we live and enjoy sharing it with others.


Maureen (Mel) and Joshua arrived later in the afternoon and then Virna, Doug, Ian and Adam arrived. Virna handed out all sorts of yummy goodies to eat and shared birthday gift bags with the kids. What treasures.


Brian had the fire going and so much conversation was going on that I did not take many pictures. It wasn't until later that I realized I had so few. Gabe was thrilled that Virna and Doug's nephew Adam, who is 11, was with them. Finally, a bigger boy to play with. They had quite a time playing with the Nerf guns in the rain.

Oh, yes, right about the time we were planning on having our outside meal, it started to thunder and then rain. Not to be deterred, we moved inside and shifted gears. Brian moved the grill under the little porch and continued to cook. We added a table for the food and the kids had a picnic on the living room rug. The adults enjoyed some great fellowship in the kitchen. What fun to see all the children interacting and having a great time. They were all go well behaved, full of smiles and laughter.


Virna and Doug and their family had to leave Saturday night, but Maureen and Joshua and the B family stayed until Sunday. The kids were so pooped out by then.

We had a nice Sunday breakfast. Bessie had made these yummy muffins that tasted like cinnamon buns. We added smoothies and some had eggs too.


Then the leavings began. That was so hard. I was so reluctant to see everyone go. The weekend was terrific, I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable time. I hope we can do this again next year.

Picnic With Friends

Last Saturday we had a picnic at a friend's house. They had invited four other families that either have or are in the process of adopting children. It was a terrific day. We had a warm sunny day, tons of scrumptious food, a pond for swimming and kindred fellowship with those that have a heart for adoption.

Brian even found out that one of the moms went to the same highschool and was in his class. They spent quite a bit of time reminiscing.

There were 18 children there, representing five countries, USA, Haiti, Guatemala, Korea and Philippines. We made a very colorful group.

The kids had a ball paddling the boats, catching frogs and tadpoles and swimming in the pond.


This nest was right on the edge of the pond and the mother Red-winged Blackbird was not particularly happy with our group making so much noise.

What a view from their pond. A beautiful day, great food, fun, laughter and Christian fellowship. What more could you ask.

Finally Finalized

Today we finalized the adoption of the Littles.

It was a very quick affair. The judge walked us through all the things he was signing and had us sign a few papers for each of the kids and then we were done. I wasn't sure if the judge was going to talk to the kids at all or not, but there were no official questions, just small talk. He said this is the best part of his job.

I'm sure a lot of the families that come through his court are going through upheavals and whatnot, adoptions are the bright spots. Even the two security guards said it was nice to have a bit of sunshine in the courtroom. It felt good.

One big happy family, well Dan was looking a bit concerned

Dad and mom on one end and the judge and our lawyer on the other

After the proceedings, we went out for an early dinner at Old Country Buffet. Mom and Dad treated. This has become our family favorite as the food is quite good and there are so many choices for everyone and the price is very reasonable.

We made a stop at the Parent/Teacher store where we picked up a few gifts for the Littles, Gabe picked out a couple new pieces for his knights collection and I found another Pockets Guide, some dice and another Professor Noggin' game.

Littles "Plane Day" - 2/16

This marks the second anniversary of Rachel, Hannah and Daniel's arrival. What a day that was. Brian, Bessie and the Littles arrived off the airplane exhausted and bleary-eyed from their 24 hour travel from Manila.

The next days, weeks and months were filled with many difficulties and joys, but we have held steady to the path God has set for us. He is always faithful and so generous with his blessings. Through the difficult times we could see His grace so clearly poured out to us.

We are a family now, with all our flaws and imperfections, but loving each other and still learning new things about each other each day.

Our 1st family picture on February 16, 2006

Our most recent family picture taken at Christmas time 2007