At the End of 2013

At the end of this year we want to be thankful for all the things that God has done for us.   We have had many changes in our life this year.  Our oldest child graduated from High School in May.   She moved out in the fall and started college in August.  My other two biological children are both in high school and you can imagine how busy it is. We also got to meet our two boys we are going to adopt for the first time.   This was absolutely amazing.   We were excited and we tried not to scare them but we may have been a little overwhelming.   By the end of our visit they were laughing and playing and melting our hearts.   At this end of 2013 we want to share that first meeting with our boys when we first got to hold them and touch them.  It is about 14 minutes if you have the time to watch.   For us, and for those two, we will always have this memory to share.

Our hopes and prayers are that by this time next year our boys will be home and our entire family will be together for the Christmas holidays.

Merry Christmas to all and have a happy new year.

Christmas 2013

Christmas is coming quickly and we finally have the house decorated for this joyful time.   The only thing missing are our two boys from Haiti to make our family complete.   We have hung their stockings at the fireplace so that Santa will know they are coming, but sadly they will not be with us on Christmas Morning to join in the festivities.   Our hope and prayer is that they will be with us next Christmas, and we will leave that in God's powerful hands.  I will put a picture of that fireplace and notice the CCM  stocking and DCM stocking on the end will make us a family of seven total.  Some people count our dog Lucy as eight, but she is not going to get into the official count in my book.

We also received two more pictures of the boys that were taken within the month.   These pictures are always awesome for us because we can keep their photo books up to date.   They are growing each day and it is hard for us to see them grow up without us, but we know we will make up for lost time when they get here and give them the love and attention that every child needs.  

Davidson (November 2013)

Cherdinor (November 2013)

On 12/15/13 it will make 15 months now that our paperwork has been in IBESR with no movement.  I do not know if we are in that department or waiting on the President's desk for dispensation but if we will get dispensation and out of IBESR at the first of this next year maybe they will get home by next Christmas.  This is our prayer every day.  It will be time once again at the beginning of next year to update our fingerprints and get our I-600A updated to stay current until we can go further in this process.  Everything on our end is completed and we just have to wait.

Thanks to everyone following our blog for the continued prayers and for the nice comments that you have sent our way.   We will do our best to keep you updated this next year as things develop.

Merry Christmas to all!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family and friends.   We have so much to be thankful for because GOD has blessed us so much.   As I sit with a full belly, watching the Dallas Cowboys beat Oakland on a beautiful Thanksgiving day with all my family around, laughing, playing and doing what families do,  I cannot help but be thankful.  I know our life is not perfect, no one's life is, but we are blessed far beyond most.  I can not help but think about our Haitian boys and hoping that this will be there last Thanksgiving without us and next year they can be here with us.  I have no idea what they did for Thanksgiving dinner today but I know they are well taken care of until we get them.  We want them with us as soon as possible and this is my Thanksgiving prayer.

Here are Thanksgiving/Christmas pictures early for us to enjoy.  I hope that everyone's Thanksgiving has been awesome.

                                          Davidson, Darby, and Cherdinor 2013

                                          Davidson and Cherdinor 2013

                                          Davidson and Cherdinor 2013

                                                        Davidson 2013

                                                        Cherdinor 2013

                                                       Davidson, Darby, and Cherdinor 2013

                                            Davidson, Darby, and Cherdinor 2013

                                           Davidson, Darby, and Cherdinor 2013

                                           Davidson, Darby, and Cherdinor 2013

We took these pictures in June when we were there but I have been saving them to post around Christmas and could not wait any longer.  

Ironic

When we moved into this house we had thought about adoption, but we were not really that close.   There was a child's room on the downstairs that had this mural  painted on the wall with these words.   We had thought about painting over it but did not.  We later knew this was going to be our Haitian boys' room when they come, so we had matching bed spreads made with Winnie the Pooh characters.   I was in there the other day, and I can honestly say I have never paid attention to the words actually written on the wall and as I read them seemingly for the first time I thought,  "How appropriate for our new addition."  I can't wait to have that room filled with little boys and lots of love .

Waiting

It has been a long time since I have posted and a lot that is due to how busy we are.  My three biological children keep me busy in the fall of the year.  My oldest daughter plays soccer for Freed-Hardeman University.  My son plays high school football at Chester County High School.  My youngest daughter is a high school soccer player at Chester County High School.  Each night of the week is usually a mad dash to a ball field somewhere in West Tennessee.  It is so enjoyable to watch our kids participate in sports but it does keep us on our toes.

Here are some pictures from our fall sports.

                                                                     DARBY

                                                           
                                                                        WILSON

                                                                      MADELYN

The main reason I have not posted is because I have no new news to report.  We continue to skype with our boys every two weeks in Haiti and this is a joy.   They gradually become more talkative with us, but it is hard for them since they do not know English well.  Today it has been exactly 14 months since our paperwork was handed over to IBESR with no movement that we know about.   WE assume that our paperwork is in dispensation waiting for the President's signature.  The new law is soon to be signed that will bring in Hague Adoptions in Haiti, and we do not know how that will affect us.  We know that we will not need dispensation under this new law.  Maybe our paperwork will be ready to leave IBESR then, but we are not sure.

So we wait....So we pray....and we will continue to skype with our boys.

Here are two pictures of the boys that we received in October from other adoptive families who have been taking pictures for all of us.

                                                              CHERDINOR  (on the right)

                                                                      DAVIDSON

We hope that you all will continue to pray with us that these boys will get to our family soon so we can continue to teach them about GOD and about how special they are in HIS eyes.   We will pray every day ourselves and we will wait.  I am gaining a new appreciation for this word,  wait.  Here are some of those feelings in poem form.

                                                           I WAIT

As a hind catcher poised on his toes with glove extended waits for the pitcher to make that perfect crisp snap of the ball in his leather glove,
enthusiastically, eagerly,
I wait.

As a farmer watches his tender plants while looking in the sky for any furtive cloud that might signal much needed rain,
longingly, uncontrollably,
I wait.

As a father stands by the side of his beautiful young wife for the birth of their first born child,
dutifully, exultantly,
I wait.

As a fisherman sits by the side of the water with pole in hand watching all day for his float to be pulled under water without success,
pensively, patiently,
I wait.

I am an adoptive parent who is waiting for his children to come home,
enthusiastically, eagerly, longingly, uncontrollably, dutifully, exultantly, pensively, patiently,
I wait.

R. Scott Miskelly

Some Thoughts from my Heart

This Poem is based on Ephesians the first chapter.  I thought about us all being adopted by God our Father and this poem to our boys in Haiti came out.

Ephesians 1: 5  "....he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,...."




We Are All Adopted


You may not have my eyes, my son,
     you may not look like me.
And gazing in the mirror,
     my genes you can not see.

But you will have my name, my son,
     and you will have my heart.
You will know I love you because
     God's love I will impart.

For I was once adopted, too
    God took me as HIS own.
HE washed away my sins, and
     no more was I alone.

It won't be too much longer,
    I think that you will see,
My name, my heart, and with GOD's love
    a family we will be.


Love,   your DAD


Author   R. Scott Miskelly

Updated pictures of our Boys.

I just recently found updated photos of our boys and wanted to share them with you.  Cherdinor is 6 years old and Davidson is 4 years old now.   They are becoming more handsome every day.

Cherdinor

 

 

 

Davidson

 

 

We also wanted to post a picture of the orphanage where they are living.   They are being well taken care of but we can not wait to get them here.  This orphanage will be a part of their memory and heritage and we will always be thankful for Hal and Chris and the work they do in Haiti.

 

 

 

Everything is still quiet with our paperwork still in IBESR.  Laws seem to be changing and we are not sure how this will effect us, but we will leave all of that in God's hands.  Continue to pray for us for the patience to see these boys home and the strength to help these boys become soldiers for Christ.