MY KNIGHT...

Tomorrow we will celebrate our 21st Wedding Anniversary. WOW...where have the years gone?
We spent a night away from home last Friday night to celebrate and just get away. As we were driving home I asked Don if 21 yrs ago he thought this is where we would be? He said well... :)
When we got married we both wanted 2 kiddos. Then we had 2 kiddos and I decided I wanted another one. It didn't take me long to convince Don that 3 kids would make our family complete. ;) And then several years later we felt God calling us to adopt and now here we are raising our 4th child. Are we done??? Well...I think I have learned not to say we are. We are praying and will see where God leads us.
We have had 21 years of adventure. Don told me when we got married that we would spend our first 3 years on an extended honeymoon in Germany. That is where we had our first child and we came back to the states expecting our 2nd! It was quite the honeymoon!! :)
We have had many ups and downs but we have always found a way to get through the tough times. Marriage is never easy and you have to be willing to fight for it. We have experienced many times apart (since he has been in the military/Guard) over the past 21 years. We have learned a lot about each other during those times as well. We try not to take things for granted (although, it does happen). We know life is not always what we expect BUT we are sure that after 21 years we are still in love.
He is certainly my knight in shining armor and I love him with everything I have in me. God brought him to me at the perfect time. I thank God daily for him.
Summer 2009 Military Police Ball '94

May 27, 1989

May 27, 1989

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND...THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL 21 YEARS...LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT 21!!!
I LOVE YOU!!!

3 MONTHS HOME...

Yesterday we had been home with Elijah 3 months. WOW! Time flies when you are having fun! And that we are...Elijah has brought so much joy to this household. Don now leaves for work a little later. It is just so hard to leave him! He will get ready to leave and Elijah will yell "DAH" and run to him and hold up his arms. So sweet!! He calls me "MAH".
He, unfortunately, ended up with another ear infection over the last weekend. He doesn't run a fever or really show any signs of his ears hurting so it is hard to tell. This time he woke up Sunday and had drainage from his ear. When I took him in on Monday to see his ped. she said he had a hole in his eardrum. YIKES~ SO...he has been on an oral antibiotic and antibiotic ear drops. He does so well taking his meds and letting me do the ear drops. He doesn't go for his 12 month check up until June due to being late on shots but he now weighs 21.5 lbs! He is a big boy and I love it! He certainly loves his food. :)
He is trying to run instead of just walk now. He loves being outside but since the weather has been so crummy he hasn't really gotten out much. Today was great so we spent a little time out this evening. Then I rocked him in my glider before bed. He enjoyed it until he heard a motorcycle fly by and he had to check out where it was going.
Hubby and I went on our first overnight without him last night. Don said he was taking me away for one night but it was close to home. We went to the Elms in Excelsior Springs. It was very nice and I did have a nice time. I missed the baby but I knew he was in good hands with his Sissy. Tifanie is a great big sis to give up her Fri night to stay with her siblings so Mom and Dad can get away. Elijah was happy to see us this morning, though. He came right to me but when he saw his "DAH" he got all excited. He loves his "DAH".
We are enjoying every minute with our little guy! I can't wait for Em to be out of school so we can plan some fun summer outings with him.

Hope you all enjoyed the great weather today.
Blessings~
Tina

MY FIRST BABY BOY...

Randy went to his Jr prom on Sat. (yes same as Elijah's bday) He took a beautiful young lady and they made a very cute couple. This Mom was a little sad, though. I am trying to figure out when this young man grew up on me. He has become such a handsome guy and a little too grown up for this Mom! I remember those days when I could not get out of his sight without him crying for me. He would even follow me to the bathroom and I would shut and lock the door and he would stick his little fingers under the door and say..."Hey Mommy it's me Randy...let me in...I need you!" Such sweet words from a little guy. Now, he doesn't need his Mom quite as much and definitely not to follow me to the bathroom. :) But there are still those moments when no one but Mom can make it alright! They are fewer now but oh so cherished! All too soon he will be headed out into the world. I just hope and pray he knows that Mom will always be here when he needs me!
***PROM 2010

***Such a handsome guy...

Hope you are all having a wonderful week. It is half over!! :) I know there are 4 families celebrating tonight after receiving their long awaited referrals. Congratulations to them all.

Blessings~

Tina

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIJAH!!

Today Elijah is ONE! Wow, how time flies. We have been home a little less than 3 months and he has grown and changed so much. We love this little guy so very much and are so thankful God blessed us with him. He truly is a perfect fit for our family.
We had a family birthday party on Mother's day. Today we plan on just enjoying the day at home with our boy. He will get a few gifts and we got him a cookie to enjoy. Here are a few pics to enjoy and I will post more pics in a few days of our day today.

*His big gift from Mommy and Daddy

*Riding toy from Aunt Shari and Uncle Brent

*Noisy push button toy from Grandma and Papa (He loves this).

*Cool trike from Mammy and Grandpa (Loves to push this across the floor).

*Not real sure about the choc cupcake and icing.

*Cupcakes made by Awesome Aunt Amanda.

He got several riding toys, some clothes, shoes, and a Cars chair. He likes to push his riding toys close to the tv and then watch his commercials and dance! I need to post a video, it is pretty funny! Many of his new toy make noise...and everyone knows how much I enjoy noisey toys (sarcasm!!!). I am known to take batteries out and tell the kids "so sorry but it must be broke!" :) I promise to not do this too soon!

Elijah is doing great! He is walking all over the place. He is not saying much. Ma and Dada is about it. He knows about 4 signs and uses them correctly most of the time. He has started pointing at things. *(The other day I went to get him up from a nap and he was standing up and pointing to his musical crib toy. I went to push the button for him (which he knows how to do) and it was going very slow. The batteries were running down and he was letting me know. TOO FUNNY! So...we sent Daddy right out for new batteries. This is his favorite thing and he listens and plays with it a lot. After I put batteries in it and turned it on for him he was so excited!* He weighs about 21/22 lbs. He goes back to the Dr in June for his next check-up and shots so we will see then.

I am constantly thinking and praying for Elijah's first Mommy. Yesterday, while we were at the store, a lady asked me where we got him from. I told her he was adopted from Ethiopia. She asked if he had any contact with family and I told her no. Then her comment caught me off guard...she said "I just don't know how people could do that." And...I just looked at her...as I walked away...I thought (and wished I had said it!) she did it because she loved him! I am not certain I will ever understand that love. I think of her all the time. I wonder how she is doing and if she thinks of us and Elijah. I am sure she does. I hope that the letter and pics we gave her

bring her peace and show her how thankful we are to her and how much we love and cherish this precious boy. I still struggle sometimes with the idea of thanking her for our son. Thank you just seems like it will never be enough!

Today we will celebrate and we will be thankful!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings~

Tina

MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND...

Today we had Elijah's first b-day party AND a Mother's Day celebration. I will post pics of his party closer to his b-day but thought I would share other photos from our day and our weekend.

**My 4 blessings!

One of my Mother's Day gifts

My other gift a glider :) Can't wait to sit on the deck and rock Elijah!

Elijah walking

Dad, Randy, and Emilie planting the garden

I am very blessed this year to finally get to celebrate Mother's Day as a Mommy of 4 kiddos. I woke this morning, very early, to a little voice saying Ma...and was reminded of the journey we took to get him home and how I spent a few Mother's Days longing to have him in my arms, to just know who he was and now he is here. I am so thankful for all of my children. They all are huge blessings to me! SO...to all of my kids, thanks for making me a mom! And to God, Thank you for allowing me to be the Mom to these kids!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Tina

TAKING OFF...

Elijah has really taken off this past week. He will walk from one end of the room to the other. He has stood up from a squatting position but most of the time he will find the closest thing he can pull up on and head off to whatever he is after. We did finally get the camcorder out and tape it. Now to figure out how to get it on here.
He is one of our earliest walkers. He took his first steps at 10 months...I think Tifanie took her first steps at 11 months and was walking well at a yr. Emilie took her first steps right at a yr. Randy was our little lazy boy! He took his first steps at about 13 months. I think he figured why walk if you get carried everywhere. :) He was so small that everyone just carried him around. Elijah is our heaviest little one and get heavier the longer you hold him! He is quite the chunk but still so short. He weighs about 21 lbs or so.
He has also discovered how much he loves being outside. Daddy took him for a walk/run the other night and then when he got home Dad had to mow and Elijah was not a happy boy. I don't like to take him out while dad is mowing (for safety reasons). So, I finally had to shut the door so he couldn't see Dad. I guess while Don was out with him, he would stop to walk and Elijah would start signing "more". He loved the running. I am working on a few signs with him. He pretty much does his own version of them but that is ok. He does more and all done and we are working on please next. He does wave hi and bye also.
We are celebrating his first b-day on Mother's Day. My nephew is graduating the weekend of Elijah's b-day so we just bumped up his party one week. We are not doing anything big since we just had a huge welcome home party for him. We are just having immediate family for a bbq.
This week Tifanie and I took Elijah shopping with us. We hit the consignment store first. I was looking for some outside toys for him. We didn't find much in that area but Tifanie found a truck that he was enjoying and I found a rocking police car. He loves them both and since Daddy is a policeman I couldn't pass it up. So...Here he is enjoying his new police car.

***Yeah for my new police car!!

Emilie goes back to the Dr this week to see if her arm is healing and has stayed in place. A broken arm has certainly not slowed her down. She makes me so nervous with it.

Randy has hurt his knee in school so we have a follow up appt this week for him. I am telling you when it rains it pours! :) But we are surviving...and enjoying every minute! Well, maybe not the ER visits but...

Hope you are all doing well. I am still praying for everyone "waiting"!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Tina