National Adoption Month

If you know me, you know that my family doesn't look like most other families.  We are a colorful bunch.  We don't all share the same DNA.  But, we are a family all the same.  I believe every child is a gift from God.  Sometimes this gift is received through the miracle of pregnancy and delivery, and sometimes this gift is received through the miracle of adoption.  I have been blessed with the privilege of experiencing both of these miracles.  There is no way to compare one to the other.  There are commonalities, of course:  both result in the addition of a child to your family, and most importantly, experiencing God's undeniable presence in each process.  When I was expecting my eldest child, I was sure that I would never feel that close to God or so sure of His presence ever again in my life.  That held true until I experienced the gift of adoption.  I cannot describe how it feels to be an adoptive parent, reflecting on all of the anticipation, waiting, stress and uncertainty, only to find that the one special child from halfway around the world who was meant to be yours somehow found his way to you.  Indescribable!  God's presence in adoption is undeniable.  His hands are all over it.  God sets the lonely in families... Ps 68:6


Two precious gifts

November is National Adoption Month.  If you have ever considered adoption, I urge you to take that next step in faith.  I'd be happy to assist you in finding an agency that is right for you.  Or, maybe you are not at a place in your life where you can adopt, but you have a heart for children.  There are many ways to make a difference in the life of an orphan:  child sponsorship, foster care, or give to organizations like the James 1:27 Foundation to help families just like ours.  Above all else, PRAY for all of the children around the world who are going to sleep lonely, helpless and unsure of their future tonight.  And, pray for those families who have stepped out in faith and are answering the call to care for orphans by bringing them home to a permanent, loving family.

Monday, Monday

I had a fab day today with my boys!  After waiting not so patiently for me to run my errands in DSM, we set out in search of the perfect Halloween costumes.  And, here's what we came up with:



Elias as Darth Vader
(looks like Darth could use a new pair of socks)
Trent as ????
(doesn't matter - he has a gun that makes noise when you shoot it)

Good stuff!  I am blessed!

Orphan Sunday

Please join me along with the James 1:27 Foundation for Orphan Sunday 2010 - Sunday, November 7. Many events are planned in churches all across the country.  There is sure to be an event near you!  Get involved!  There are so many EASY ways to be involved in orphan care - child sponsorship, supporting families who have stepped out in faith to adopt a child or provide foster care, PRAY, give to a reputable organization that helps families finance their adoptions. 

Things

Things.  I am happy to say that today I am no longer a slave to my things.  I have been in the past - before God opened my eyes to other countries, cultures, and peoples, and urged me to start living beyond myself.  It is so very easy to fall in love with worldly things and base our self worth on the number of shiny new things we possess (or, rather, the shiny new things our lenders can repossess).  Here in America, even those who are considered poor usually have safe drinking water, an air conditioned and heated roof over their heads, a new flat screen TV in their living room, cell phones, computers, transportation, education, and food to eat.  Meanwhile, at least 80 percent of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.  Ten dollars a day.  And, it is much less for many of that 80 percent.  These people, these human beings, are forced to make impossible decisions every day of their lives - will I eat today so I'll have the strength to work, or will I feed my children? - which child will I let go in order to be able to care for the others?  This is real.  I have seen their faces.  And, the images haunt me.  It is these images that make America's fascination with new cars, big new houses, the "right" neighborhoods, the "right" schools, the "right" clothes, and the debt that goes along with it so absurd to me.  I know this does not apply to every American.  If this is not how you live, I applaud you, because you are one of the few.  It is very hard to live in this world and not be of it.  Many times as I pull up to my son's preschool in my 1996 Buick Roadmaster station wagon I find myself looking at the other vehicles parked there and feel a twinge of jealousy, or maybe a bit ashamed of my humble mode of transportation.  But, as I am unbuckling my children from their car seats, I look into the eyes of my youngest son and am reminded of all that is good and true - none of which includes a car payment.
A couple of years ago I ran across this prayer, and I have been praying it ever since.

Lord,

May we who have plenty live simply,

so that others may simply live.

Short and sweet, yet it encompasses everything that I want to pass on to my children.  I don't want them to get caught up in the things of this world.  Life is too precious to be wasted in the pursuit of worldly things. 

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy,

and where thieves break in and steal,

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy,

and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21

2 Years Ago...

September is special for our family because two years ago on September 5, we arrived home with our second beautiful son, Elias, from his birth country of Ethiopia.  And, when I say beautiful, I mean total ladykiller.  He is just an amazingly beautiful human.  I am in awe that God has allowed me the privilege of parenting him.  Here are a couple of pics from our first few days home.

See what I mean?  I love him fiercely.  It's hard to believe that it has been two years, yet it also feels like he has always been with us.  I had to work really hard to get that first smile out of him when we were in Ethiopia, but it was soooo worth it!  And, he has been charming everyone with it ever since. 

He was such a little peanut when we first met.  He was 19 months old, but he was just beginning to fit into 12 month clothes.  He was walking, but it was slow and guarded.  In Ethiopia, the children are carried most everywhere for most of their early lives.  Many of the children we met, including Elias, had very weak leg muscles.  Since he has been home, he has grown by leaps and bounds.  He will always be small in comparison to the rest of our rather giant family, but as you can see he is as healthy as can be.



Showing off the fort he made.

 

A couple of chuckleheads.

I love you, Elias!  Thank you for two years of those heart melting smiles!

Change

September has brought about big changes in the Cakerice household routine.  Trent started preschool at Clemons Lutheran School.  I was really worried about this as Trent really likes his routine and really dislikes having it changed.  I tried to prepare him as best I could - really talking it up, telling him how great school was going to be and how much fun he would have.  Thankfully, it worked!  He absolutely loves it! 
Elias, on the other hand, is having a hard time being away from his big brother.  He cries when we drop Trent off and tells me repeatedly how much he loves Trent until, at last, it is time to pick him up again.  Poor guy!  I think he is starting to enjoy his time alone with me, but I'm clearly not a satisfactory substitute for his beloved big brother.


Trent ready for his 1st day of preschool

 

Exploring his classroom



June 2006 - Trent is born!

God is good!

Trent Alan Cakerice.  This is what a 10 lbs. 5 oz. baby looks like, my friends!  Notice how small the nurse's hand looks in comparison with my big, beautiful boy! 

We became a bit of a freak show at the hospital.  Several nurses stopped in, exclaiming, "I can't believe you had a 10 pound baby!"  Apparently, at my pre-delivery weight of 207 lbs, I didn't look pregnant enough to be carrying this child.  Are you kidding me?

Trent meeting his Aunt Rachael and Aunt Rochelle. 

I can't believe this sweet little guy is 4 years old now.  He was such a beautiful baby.  And, look at all that hair!  Trent, I love you SO MUCH!  It is a privilege to be your mom.

Welcome!

Okay, so I finally decided to dive into this weird cyber-journaling thing called blogging.  I suppose it will consist mostly of my family and our daily lives so I can keep extended family members in the loop.  However, you should know that I am passionate about orphan care, and this topic, along with other random items of interest, will occasionally pop up (sometimes at length).  See, I'm not blogging because I feel that I have anything profound to say, so much as I just have a lot to say ;) 
I'm a stay at home mom to two busy boys, and I'm blessed to be married to a great guy.  Just when I think my cup is full, God goes and heaps on more blessings!  I don't deserve it, but I'm trying to enjoy every minute of it.  (Yes, even those excruciatingly long minutes of two preschoolers engaged in a full out fit in the middle of our church parking lot).
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to take a walk down memory lane and share with you some of the good, the bad, and the ugly of how we became the colorful family of four we are today.