Elias is 4! (Just like Trent!)

Elias is such a good little brother.  He idolizes everything about his big brother Trent.  His whole life is spent watching his big brother and then trying with every fiber of his being to be just like him.  We affectionately call him Elias "me too" Cakerice because it doesn't matter what Trent is talking about or asking for - Elias says "me, too!"  Well, now when Trent says he is 4 years old, Elias can happily and rightfully chime in "ME, TOO!"
Trent takes his role as big brother pretty seriously, too.  He often will step in when I am getting after Elias for something, telling me to "back off!"  I never could have imagined this love that has developed between the two of them.  It's so fun to watch them play together and listen to their cute conversations at night before they fall asleep. 
When discussing birthday plans, Elias was only concerned with the food.  He needed to have pizza and chocolate cupcakes with green frosting on top - you guessed it - just like Trent's last birthday! 



Mmmmm.....



The new bike!

And here are a couple of cute Elias quotes from his birthday celebration:
after opening a gift - "My hit the jackpot!"
after opening a card with money in it - "Cash!"
I think we're the ones who hit the jackpot!  Happy Birthday, Elias!  We love you sooo much!

Cakerice Christmas 2010

This Christmas was especially fun with the boys being 3 and 4 years old.  They started getting really excited for Christmas back in mid November, and they were about to burst by the time Christmas morning finally got here! 
We started our celebration at Trent's preschool program on December 17.  His class dressed up as angels and sang "Away In A Manger."  He informed me as we were leaving for the program that he was going to sing the loudest!  (Every class has one of those, you know!)  He did a great job, and we could definitely hear him singing!  Trent goes to preschool at Clemons Lutheran School.  He loves it!
We had a great time with Al's side of the family on Christmas Eve, including an epic snowball fight and sledding behind the 4-wheeler.  Good stuff!
We spent a quiet Christmas day at home enjoying our gifts and eating Al's homemade cinnamon rolls.  Yum!
The day after Christmas we headed to New Providence to celebrate with my family at the Roundhouse.  This is always a highlight for the boys.  They get to run off some of their cabin fever in the gym with all of their cousins.  Fun time!  Here are a few photos from Christmas 2010.



Christmas Card



Grandma & Grandpa Harrell



My favorite pic - My brother, Tom, and his son Kayne



Elias opening his scooter - the only thing he asked for for...

...and the reaction!  I think it was very nearly the last gift he opened.
Big brother is pretty excited about it, too : )

I am so thankful for my family!  We always have a great time when we are together.  We're very fortunate to have all of our family so close and able to gather together for the holidays. 
We also attended a wonderful Christmas Eve service at our church, along with a wonderful day after Christmas service.  The gifts are fun, the food is great, and family time is wonderful - but all that pales in comparison to the birth of Jesus Christ!  I hope you all had a wonderful, Christ-centered Christmas! 

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!