All Hands On Deck!

There’s a family out there who needs prayer… I know there are many families out there who need prayer right now, but this family should be spending this Christmas with their newly adopted children but has just found out that this won’t be happening.  They are Keri & Nathan and their blog is http://keriandnathan.blogspot.com/ .. the truth of this situation is so infuriating!  This mom is someone who encouraged me through our adoption frustration/delays/roadblocks even though Rwanda had closed her file.  Please take some time to pray for her situation—Their family just adopted 2 children from Ghana (they are legally adopted—have been to Ghana to meet them already, have gone through all the government checks with both countries, and as of a couple of days ago, one of the children was refused a visa into the US.)  This is not just a delay… her son and daughter are in a third world country without their parents and they’re not allowed to try for a visa again for 6 months.  This hits home. 

I know that if Liam or Ezra were in an orphanage halfway across the world right now I would be appealing to EVERYONE I knew to help and pray to bring my children home.  I am asking everyone I know to please pray!

I know that this Christmas when I am sitting around the tree with both of my children it will be bitter sweet—I finally have my son home, but I will be painfully aware that Keri & Nathan and their children will not be together.

It is a privilege that we have to be able to pray for those around the world whom we’ve never met—we are the body of Christ!

This morning Ezra came out the the den with one of his shirts on his head (not abnormal around here at all).  I said to him, "Are you wearing a hat today?", to which he replied, "No, I Massarie".  Massarie is what he called the sisters at the orphanage--I have NO idea how to spell the word.

Ezra proceeded to tell me he was a Massarie at the orphanage and clarify things by saying, "and Ezra no more orphanage".  We have had many conversations this week about his place in our family.  It seems that he is now voicing his concerns/desires about him staying here.  He told Shawn a number of days ago he wanted to stay here with us--to which Shawn tried to assure Ezra that he wasn't going back to the orphanage because he is now here with us... we are his family.  Definitely difficult things to explain to a 3 year old who still doesn't have a perfect understanding of the English language.
I'm really glad that Ezra is talking so candidly about this... it is allowing us to daily tell him that he is staying with us (I'm sure the other shoppers in isle 4 of the store yesterday found our 'orphanage conversation that Ezra initiated rather odd. (It's not the normal thing to come up in conversation here in Canada).
I think/hope he gets it.  I'm glad that he's not just holding it inside--that's a big thing for a little guy to even have to wonder about.

I was fortunate to be able to have my picture taken with the Massarie that visited our house today :)

Balloons!

We don't have a pool, we don't have a dog, we don't even have central air conditioning, BUT we do have our very own balloon pit. 

 

Last month someone at church had a birthday party and felt that our home was the best place for 2 garbage bags of leftover balloons.  Thus was born our balloon pit. 

 

Well our good old balloon pit was getting empty and the balloons that had survived were rather shriveled.  So, seeing as Liam's birthday is tomorrow, I decided it was time to refill the pit. 
So far Ezra has been the one enjoying it, but I'm sure Liam will be jumping in soon enough!

I like having a ball pit... probably more than having a pool or a dog

(however, I would trade it in anytime for central air!)

Coffee House

Our Church had a Christmas coffee house the other night.  The lights were dim, there were goodies on the tables, great conversation, and fantastic musicians playing.  Liam was given the opportunity to play 2 songs on the piano at the coffee house. 

One of them was a duet with his piano teacher and the other song he played by himself.

 

He made some mistakes but it was wonderful to watch our church family speak such kind and encouraging words to him for the rest of the evening.  As soon as he finished playing, he said to me, "I made a lot of mistakes", however by the time we got home, his first words to Shawn were "Everyone said I did really well!!!"  I love our church family. 

 I love to see what the encouragement does for Liam.  Ezra and Liam are opposites--Ezra LOVES attention up front, however Liam is so timid in front of people.

Friends

I love our friends.  This is in no way 'adoption' related, but this is more like "if it weren't for fun times like this I'd be insane" related.
Our friends Allan and Darcie were over for pizza and because I stink at cooking, the bottom of the pizza didn't cook.  SO... plan B was to fry it in the frying pan.  Great, until it was time to remove it from the pan.  That's when the fun began!