December 10th

This date will always be very special to our family. 

 It is the day when our family was reunited for good and Alex came HOME! 

December, 10th - 2011

As Bailey and I were about to get on the escalator, 
we could see all of our family and friends 

waiting for us with balloons, posters, smiles and tears. 
 It had been a long 6 months. 

I paused for a second and looked at my oldest girl. 

With tears in my eyes I told her, 

"Don't forget this moment, because this is what love and friendship looks like."  

I hope she never forgets.  

Gotcha!

June 17th, 2011

JT and I woke up in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to the roosters crowing outside our window. Would this be the day? We had met Alex for the first time on Monday and today was Friday.  It had been an emotional week for all of us as we spent a little time each day getting to know each other. 

CONANI called early that morning to tell us Alex was not feeling well and we may not see him that day. What? My heart was heavy. We prayed.

An hour or so later, we received another call asking us to meet at CONANI.  This was going to be THE day. The day when Rafael would officially become our son,

 John Alexander Thomas.

The day God had ordained from the beginning of time.  

We had been praying for this day for years. 

It had been such a long road. 

Our son - born in our hearts.

Loved.

Cherished.

Ours.

June 17th, 2012


One year later.

Forever Family

Oh my...

This is what happens on a rainy Sunday afternoon

when you have 2 sisters.

Daddy wasn't happy.

Catching up...again!

It's been 4 1/2 months since we have arrived back in the US as a family of 5. Time has flown by!

Clearly, I've been a little busy with my 2 1/2 year old. My blog has been neglected.

First things first...Alex is doing great!

He is as busy, funny and cute as ever. His english is really coming along and he talks all the time.

It's hard to describe, but it's like he has always been a part of us. He is my boy. My heart.

So... on to the catching up part.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We enjoyed our annual New Year celebration with the Obeck family. This has been our tradition for about 7 years now. We take turns hosting dinner at our homes, let the children play and ring in the New Year with them around 9:00 with apple cider! I love this time with our families. It is a tradition I always look forward to.

(Anne and I have been friends for 10 years ago. We met in a Playgroup when both of our oldest children were just one year old. Love her!!!)

(Sweet Cate and Alex. Friends Forever)

(Part of the gang...Jack, Olivia, Drew, Alex and Bailey. Missing is Cate & Reid)

(Good times!)

CDS Lions! - January

Bailey joined her Middle School Swim team this year. At the end of season awards program she received the "Christian Character" award. I told her there was not other award that would make me more proud of her. Not only did she have a great swim season, she displayed christian character by encouraging her team, giving her best and working hard.

Cotillion - January

I wish I could say that Bailey loved Cotillion, but honestly it was like pulling teeth to get her to go! As much as I loved what Cotillion is all about (manners, etiquette, etc.) she repeatedly told me how boring it was to her. ;-) The most fun she had was the Winter Ball where she dressed up with her girlfriends and danced the night away. Yes - she did dance with boys...and managed to survive.

(The CDS gang)

Surgery - February

When we received Alex's referral (February, 2011) we were informed of his herniated umbilical cord. Not only did it stick out significantly, the hole inside had not closed up. We met with a great pediatric urologist here in Charlotte and scheduled his surgery in February.

His surgery and healing process all went very well.

I was very happy to have this procedure behind us.

(This is Alex after his medicine kicked in... he was hysterical! Everyone loved him in the pre-op waiting area)

(Post surgery. What a trooper.)

Olivia's Baptism - February

February 12th, 2012 was a very special day in Olivia's life. An outward expression of her faith.

(Olivia and Gammie)

Olivia~ We are so very thankful for the sweet, kind spirit God gave you. We are proud of your decision to be baptized and pray that you will always love God ~ with all your HEART, all your SOUL and all your MIND. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

We love you.

Zephaniah 3:17

"For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Photobucket">

Unexpected Joy

One year ago today...

we received this photo.

Unexpected Joy

The child God chose for us.

The child born in our hearts.

Our son.

Tagged!

My dear friend Jenny ( http://prayingadamhome.blogspot.com/) has tagged me. Thanks friend!

The rules of the award: 1) thank the person who gave you this award. 2) list 7 things people may not know about you. 3) pass it along to a few other bloggers.

Goodness - the pressure!!!!

This is actually kind of hard for me, but here it goes...

1) My goal/dream is to one day run a marathon. Maybe a 13.1 - here's the thing though, I am not a runner.

2) I can see us having a 4th child - adopted of course . Yep. Just putting that out there - don't tell JT yet.

3) Chipped nail polish is one of my biggest pet peeves. Ask my girls!

4) I was once pregnant with triplets. Naturally. Bailey was 4 yrs old and Olivia was 2.

5) Prefer salty over sweet. Always.

6) I look on the brighter side of things. Look for the good and can be too trusting at times.

7) I am a 70's girl. Love the music! Had I not been in elementary school in the seventies, I am sure I would have been wearing long skirts, with flowers in my long hair promoting peace in the world.

There you have it.

I am tagging my sweet friend Shari - http://mattsharimaggie.blogspot.com/ This will keep her busy while she waits to travel to China. She adopting a precious little girl named Maggie Mei.

Naughty or Nice?

We had a nice conversation with Santa and explained a few things. It is tough being a spunky two year old little boy...

Hung my stocking by the chimney with care...

in hopes that St. Nick would REALLY be fair!

I sat nicely on Daddy's lap and listened to a Christmas story.

Had just a small incident with a candy cane....

NICE!

Santa decided I was extra nice and brought me

a shiny new tricycle!

***************************************************

Alex is doing great! He has transitioned to his new home beautifully. Sleeps in his bed at night and LOVES playing with his sisters. There are a few adjustments here and there but we could not be happier with how our little guy is doing! Thank you again for all of your prayers, emails, phone calls... I promise to catch up with everyone soon!

Love and Blessings this Holiday Season.