2009 Coming to a close.......

I would post this tomorrow, but in our house tomorrow is a busy day. Since Randy and I had no real New Years traditions and having 7 kids impedes the whole go out till after midnight thing, we came up with a family tradition a few years ago that has quickly become one of the most family fun days in our house. We made New Years Eve a huge day of playing games and eating snack foods! We pull out the Wii and all the board games and we play games all day long as a family. One year we did a whole family whole house game of hide and seek. We make all sorts of food, chicken wings, chocolate covered strawberries and oreos, mozzarella sticks.....that type of stuff and we just let the kids snack all day. No kid has ever made it up till midnight, maybe this year!

Anyway that's why I will post my thoughts on this year today. It has been a harder year for me. This is our first full year here in IL, I was hoping it would grow on me, but it hasn't. I miss our friends in Texas and we aren't close to family so its lonely up here. I have made some friends, but their just isn't the same camaraderie I had before. I did learn that what I thought I missed about winter....I don't! We did have a great vacation this summer bringing all the kids back "home" to visit family. Its the first trip with all 9 of us to visit where Randy and I grew up. I was really hoping Keith would be home in 2009, now I hope its 2010, but I have seen God work miracles in getting us a homestudy in a state that frowns on having more then 6 children! We were approved for up to 9, and Keith will only make us 8! Hmmmm will 2010 bring us someone else????? We finally found a church home here and Alex and I have started working in the Sunday School, so hopefully we will get to know our church family. I am grateful that the kids are all healthy and happy! The greatest thing that happened this year was the birth of my nephew Dominic, he is perfect and adorable and I couldn't be happier for my sister. I am looking forward to a new year and a new decade.....eeks I will be 41 the next time a new decade comes along! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Keith

Today Keith turns 12. Another birthday we will miss, but this year he does have a mom who is praying for him. It is sad that we can't be together. I wonder if he knows its his birthday. I pray he is home before he turns 13. I wondered today what to do. We don't know at this point if and when he will come home. We do know that in our hearts he is our son and that bureaucracy is keeping us from sharing these days with him. Yet I know God knows full well about the situation and Keith was God's child long before we knew him. If God's timing was to have him here today then he would be here today, I am fully confident in that. So tonight we will celebrate Keith, no he is not here, but he is in Liberia and he was born for such a time as this and that in itself is plenty to celebrate. Thank you Jesus for Keith and for bringing him into our hearts!

Crazy Christmas season.........

I have neglected my blog, but with good reason. December has proven to be a crazy month! I spent the first week in Texas with my sister visiting her and my newest nephew. He is adorable and awesome and perfect and I miss them all! Then I returned to the shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking that occurs in this large family and we do Christmas BIG here. Then just to mix it up we had some painters come and paint the whole first floor of our house. Ahh the things you will do when a painter is deeply discounted! So we undecorated, waited for the paint to dry, while corralling 4 kids under 6 in one small room and then redecorated. Anyway here we are 1 week before Christmas and the shopping is done, the wrapping is almost done and the Christmas meal is purchased but not made yet. I can finally relax with a cup of coffee and reflect. I think a part of me has purposely kept completely busy to keep my mind off the disappointment that Keith is going to spend yet another Christmas many miles from us. I have 8 ornaments for the kids to hang up special this year, I purchased them with the hope 8 kids would be happily hanging them up. Instead Hannah will have the honor of hanging up Keiths. But I continue to hold fast to God and His plan and perfect timing. I have no idea what 2010 will hold for our family. I pray its a year of homecoming! However if it is not my prayer is that God will continue to work through us to serve other children. I thought I would feel done with Keith's adoption, yet each time I hear about a hard to place, baby, child or teen my heart aches. I don't know how many will ever grace our doorstep but I have learned that God has not closed my heart to the possibility of more. As the bible says, my tent will be stretched wide!! I know who God made me to be and through the hard times and the good God made me a mom forever........