Gotcha Day and Many Blessings!!!

Well today is December 27th, Asher and Emma's Gotcha Day!!!!! This has been the most amazing year of our life. We have learned so much of what it means to give yourself away to others. We have become mini- experts on Down Syndrome, where even Hunter is educating the public on DS! Speaking of Hunter, God really knew what he was doing when He made Hunter. That kid has more love and compassion than I could ever wish to have. I am being honest here, he has NEVER once been jealous of Asher and Emma! It doesn't bother him that people always come up to us and ask about the babies. In fact he chimes in and tells them all about the babies!! And he is the most amazing big brother! He loves playing with them and you can't get Asher to do anything if Hunter is in the room because he just lives to watch his big brother.

Ok I am going to humble myself here. It is hard having 3 kids! Haha! I know what you are thinking.... How is she going to handle 5??? Well I said it is hard, not impossible. Impossible if it was only my strength I leaned on!! With the Lords strength we are able to get school done each day, go to Ot, PT and speech therapy and have 2 EI appointments a week. And God even helps me to somehow try and manage to keep our house somewhat clean ( this is not always the case)!! This year has shown me that keeping your house straight isn't a sign if you are a good wife and mom, although it is something I try and do each day. But when you have 3 kids(or kuds for that matter) and you home school and there is all those therapy appointments each week, you just can't get it all done, and that is ok!!! Remind me that I said this next week! Children are a blessing from the lord!! All of them, the typical ones ( if there are any), the ones with extra chromosomes, the ones with missing chromosomes, all of them are worth the extra effort and work! And for those of you who keep saying how is she going to manage 5 well..... I can't.. alone. But I am never alone and I am strong, not from my own strength but from the one who made me! What blessings and lessons we have had this year!

This last week was Christmas and we really saw the ministry of Christo lived out through friends of ours. These friends of ours were one of the two couples that were our adoption mentors and heroes! The prayed for us and supported us and encouraged us with Asher and Emma's adoption!!! And they are doing the same things again this adoption for Gideon and Zechariah!!! God is so Good to bless us with the people he gas put in our life. Our friends were happy for us and rejoiced on this new adoption journey when many didn't and still don't. They have continued to pray for us and our 2 boys who are sitting in an orphanage waiting for their Daddy and Mommy to come get them!!! They have financially blessed us with our last adoption and this one! As well as asking others to help in the cause for our boys! Thank you dear friends!!!! We are so blessed by you!!! Thank you for your heart for the orphan, the unloved, the people without a voice!! God has blessed us more than we could ever ask with friends such as these. And the amazing part is this is just one of the families who have done this for us, but we have many friends that are our biggest supporters!

And the last blessing I want to share is the most recent one. Last Thursday I took Emma to the doctors office because I though she had an ear infection. As we were waiting in the exam room the lady from the front desk came and brought me a card with our name on it. At the time I didn't think much of it, thinking it was a Christmas card they gave to all their patients. As we were going to bed that night we opened the card to hang on our stairs with all our other cards and there was a gift card in it!!! We were shocked and overwhelmed with the generous gift they had blessed us with! I am not sure why we were blessed with this gift. I know that businesses adopt needy families but I don't think that is the case with this as they know we have military insurance that pats 100%, and there are so many that come in and have to pay out of pocket. There are many more people in need than us. But for whatever reason God blessed us with this gift and we are thankful, hoping for the opportunity to pass on the blessings.

Ok I know I said the last thing was the last blessing but I forgot to mention a wonderful blessing. Tomorrow is Tyler and I's 6th anniversary!! Without that wonderful man there would be no gotcha day, or adoptions for that matter. There would not be all the wonderful friends we met in Italy who will be our greatest friends for eternity. And without Emma there would be no doctors visit. I don't know many men who would want to take on 3 children or 5 children for that matter who don't share his blood, but he does! And God his made him into an amazing husband, leader of our family, father, provider and best friend. And God is the only reason our marriage is as strong as it is and will never break down. God is the reason Tyler has a heart for the fatherless, God is the reason Tyler's heart is turned towards his children. And without God our lives would mean nothing! Thank you God for this day and tomorrow, for all your blessings!! And for the heart you have given us for the orphans! May we share it with everyone we know!!!