IT CAME...IT FINALLY CAME

We FINALLY got the stinkin' birth certificate for Brennan. Seven months after we initially applied, it finally arrived.

We celebrated Christmas as a family today. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are soooo busy for us and we are on the road a lot, so we pick a day and have a "family Christmas Day". Today happened to be the best day for us. Bucky was home all day and we didn't have any where we had to go. It was so much fun! Be prepared for picture overload.

Exploring the stockings...









Opening Presents...









Enjoying the new stuff... (these are all of Brennan, Xan was running around the house with his new Larrymobile)







Then we enjoyed home made biscuits and cinnamon rolls...







I hope your Christmas with your loved ones is just a awesome as ours was!
Merry Christmas!

Big Boy Bed

In August when Sasha came to stay with us for 3 weeks, we moved Brennan's crib into Xan's bedroom so Sasha could have his own room. After Sasha went back to Ukraine, we never moved Brennan back, we just allowed them to continue sharing a room. Xan has been sleeping on the bottom bunk of his bunk bed for over a year and we decided on Saturday that Xan was ready for the top bunk and Brennan for the bottom bunk. We really didn't know what to expect with Brennan, but he has been awesome. He has not once even tried to get out of his bed. We put him in bed on Saturday night and told him we would come and get him in the morning. He was sound asleep when we put Xan to bed about an hour later, still asleep when we went to bed, and this is what I found when I went to get him Sunday morning...



This is how he sleeps, with his head completely covered by a blanket. It has been almost a week and he has not tried to escape.

Still no birth certificate...

but I am better emotionally today. Thank you if you read my post last night and prayed for me. I know God is working and moving even when I can't see it. God is good all the time!

Two Weeks...

and still no birth certificate. I think the Louisiana Vital Records office has my number blocked because I called AGAIN today and it went straight to voice mail. I normally get to speak to a person. The voice mail message said to leave a message and they would call me back soon. They didn't call today. Makes you wonder what "soon" means to the government.

My sweet husband went and got us pizza because I am too sad and depressed to cook. He also mentioned that God must be trying to teach us something with this wait. And to be honest my response was to scream (inwardly I might add), "I HATE LESSONS! I DON'T WANT ANY MORE LESSONS! JUST GIVE ME THE DANG BIRTH CERTIFICATE! DANG IT!" Honestly that is how I feel right now, I don't want to learn anything, I want this to be easy. I just want to go get my son. I am finding myself running from God and telling Him, "No, I don't want You. You are hurting me and I hate it." I am running from what I know I need the most...the peace and rest of my Savior's arms.

Christmas Picture Bloopers & Update

This picture is Xan's personality...talk,talk,talk,talk,talk...all the time!


Brennan is saying "ball".



Those are my boys and I love them so much!

Adoption Update:
We STILL don't have Brennan's birth certificate. I initially applied for his certificate in the Spring (around May). Apparently their was an error on a form and they denied our application, but never notified us that it had been denied. I called Vital Registry in Louisiana in August (when we decided to adopt Sasha) to check on the birth certificate because our social worker has to see an original birth certificate for all of us before our home study can be sent to the Dept. of Homeland Security (USCIS). That is when I was told our application had been denied. So, we completed another application and mailed it in. I called again in October only to be told that the check our adoption agency had issued to cover the cost of the new birth certificate had expired and they had denied our file AGAIN. So, I completed another application and our adoption agency mailed a new check. I then called again two weeks ago to confirm that all documentation had been received and were correct. I was told I would have the new certificate in two weeks. I waited the two weeks and still no certificate. So, I called back this past Monday and was told that our application would be worked on that day and I would receive the certificate, hopefully, next week. ANOTHER WEEK OF WAITING!!! Another week that Sasha has to stay at the orphanage.

I know that God has a specific time and date for us to go the Ukraine and we had hoped that would be this winter. But now, because of this whole birth certificate issue, it will be spring at the earliest. It could be much later if we experience any more delays. UGH, nothing in adoption is simple.

They were quiet...

I should have known something was up. I was cleaning up the kitchen last night and it dawned on me that I had not heard the boys for a while. So, I went up to the bonus room and found them decorating each other with stickers. Xan had already pulled all his stickers off by the time I got the camera.




Brennan just enjoys being with Xan, he didn't care what Xan was doing to him.

We made the decision last year that we would not go home for Thanksgiving since we do so much traveling on Christmas Day. I am so glad we made that decision because the last two Thanksgiving Days have been so relaxed. Although I would love to spend this day with our family, I am so glad I don't have to spend 5 hours in the car. We will be enjoying Thanksgiving lunch with some good friends.

Things I am thankful for:
1. My God - It is so comforting to know He is in control. Even when things don't go the way I wanted them to, His plan and purpose for me is so much better. Because of Him, I can continue this list.

2. My Salvation - God sent His only Son to pay a penalty He did not owe. I will never understand that kind of sacrifice. Jesus was sinless, yet He took my sinfulness. He was obedient to death - even death on a cross. I will never understand that kind of obedience.

3. My husband - Bucky is a wonderful man. He is a hard worker, self sacrificing, patient, loving, and trust worthy. I love him!

4. Sasha - I wish I could hug him and tell him how much I love him.

5. Xan - He is so quirky, imaginative, and funny.

6. Brennan - He is WILD, LOUD, and CRAZY. But he is also very snuggly and cute.

7. Toilets and Toilet paper - see The Snook's blog.

8. The miracle of adoption - My socks have blessed off by my children.

9. Family - I love my family (Bucky's side included). Bucky and I have NEVER had any in-law problems. My family loves him and his family loves me.

10. Airplanes - I know, you are probably thinking "what?". You see, an airplane will be what unites us with Sasha. I am dreading the 20 to 24 hours in airports and airplanes, but that is so much better than going across the Atlantic Ocean in a boat! :-)

Happy Thanksgiving from the Rogers

November...Adoption Awareness Month

James 1:27, "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..."

Please allow me to share some of the alarming orphan statistics:
-There are over 140 million orphans worldwide.
-Every 18 seconds another child becomes an orphan.
-43.4 million orphans live in sub-Saharan Africa, 87.6 million orphans live in Asia, and 12.4 million orphans live in Latin America and the Caribbean.
-1.5 million children live in public care in Central and Eastern Europe alone.
-At any given point there are over 500,000 children in the U.S. Foster Care system.
-Orphaned children are at a higher risk of being forced into gang activity and the sex trade industry.

I have heard so many excuses for why Christians don't adopt. However, the one I hear most often is, "It just costs so much." Psalm 50:9-11 says, "I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains,and the creatures of the field are mine." God doesn't need anything we have, it ALL belongs to Him anyway. It's All His! If He has called you to adopt, He will provide the funds. Many times people ask me why adoption costs so much. I believe adoption is the proclamation of the truth of the Gospel. God has shown His lavish love for us by adopting us as His own children. And He showed that lavish love by sending His sinless and perfect son Jesus to die for our sins. My adoption cost God EVERYTHING. Now that is expensive!

There are so many ways you can help:
-Be an orphan sponsor
-Take a mission trip
-Mentor a foster care child
-Be a sender (Bucky and I have blessed by so many "senders", people who have given financially to our adoptions.)
-Adopt

God's word is clear, He commands us to care for orphans in their distress. So, what's stopping you?

The Birthday Blues

We had the boys' birthday party at a fire station this year and our theme was "blue". Everything was blue: cake, ice cream, cups, plates, napkins, beverages, balloons, and goody bags. It was all blue! Our teeth were even blue after we ate the cake. The kids had a great time with the firemen and exploring the fire station.






Brennan was not too sure about the candle...




but he loved the cake!

Reflections

We celebrated both boys' birthdays a few weeks ago and I did some reflecting on the past few years.

Xan was born September 23, 2005. I attended a women's conference the evening of his birthday. Little did I know that hundreds of miles away a very young lady was giving birth to a little boy who would be my son. I can't imagine the pain she felt when she left the hospital empty handed. As I was running on the tread mill on September 23, 2009, I began to wonder (and cry) if she was thinking of her baby boy today. What was she imagining he was like on his 4th birthday? Did she know that he is beautiful? Did she know that he is loved by so many? I wish I could tell her all these things. I wish that I could tell her that by the end of this home school year, he should be able to read simple words, something she never had the privilege of doing. I wish I could tell her that he is inquisitive, kind hearted, loving, and reserved. I wish she knew that he loves Larry Boy, trains, swimming, and playing with his brother. Oh, all the things I wish I could tell her to put her mind at ease.

The same reflections occured on Brennan's birthday. The reflections for him were a little different simply because his situation was different. I have questions I want to ask his birth parents. Questions like: Did you expose him to drugs or alcohol while he was in the womb? Did you know you were pregnant when you consumed these things? Is that why you placed him for adoption? Did you bring him home from the hospital hoping nothing would be wrong and then discovered in the three weeks you had him that something was terribly wrong? But, along with these questions, I would want to say THANK YOU!!! Thank you for this blessing! There are things I would want them to know as well. Brennan is a fighter (and I don't mean physically) and God is the Great Physician. Brennan has fought through so many things: partial blindness (God completely restored his vision), multiple ear infections, two sets of tubes, severe increased muscle tone that prevented him from sitting up, crawling, and walking, significant tongue thrust that made feeding him a bottle very frustrating and slowed his speech development. Brennan has had to work and fight to do things that come naturally to most children. But he has done it! I wish that I could tell his birth parents that he is all boy: wild and crazy. He has no fear, he runs full speed any chance he gets, he goes off everything head first, he is tough as nails, sweet, beautiful, and has a smile that lights up a room.

I love these boys and I hope that their birth parents know that!

Goodbye Summer!

We had an awesome summer! But I am looking forward to the cooler weather of Fall. I have not posted pictures in a while, so here are some from our fantastic summer. I had some really good pictures of Sasha, but I can't post pictures of him on our blog until the adoption is final.


We went to Greenville's Children Museum and Brennan loved this water exhibit.


Ahhh....a lazy day with daddy.

We normally wait until after Labor Day to visit the beach. But, this year we went early so Sasha could go with us. Brennan didn't cry when he heard the ocean this year but he did NOT want the ocean to touch any part of his body. He loved the sand though!





Xan really enjoyed the ocean this year.

Adoption Update

We found out yesterday that the Ukrainian government will not be accepting any more dossiers (adoption paperwork)this year. That is a little disheartening, however, our dossier would not be ready until November anyway, so it does not set us back too far. Our dossier will be one of the first (if not the first) to be presented on January 1, 2010. Also, our agency's in country facilitator said that he was pretty confident that we will have a travel date in January or February since we are adopting an older child.

Seperation Anxiety

Bucky and I had to have Sasha in Greenville at 3:00 this morning. We already miss him terribly and are having a hard time adjusting to this transition. It is so hard to send your child back to an orphanage where no one loves him and he is just one of hundreds of other orphans.

God is continuing to supply the funds we need to adopt Sasha. If you are reading this and you are a person who has given money for Sasha or have prayed for our family, THANK YOU!! We REALLY appreciate it.

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow...

To say that God is blessing our adoption plans for Sasha and confirming that this IS His plan for us is an understatement. Yesterday, we had a family come to our home and offer a $10,000 gift to our adoption. Then, just hours later, another $5,000 to $6,000 was offered after a family in our church sold their mini van, which had been on the market for about 6 weeks. God is good! Oh, my gosh, I can't believe we are about to start another international adoption.

Meet Sasha

Updated September 10, 2009 We can't post pictures of Sasha on our blog until he is legally ours.

Through a set of circumstances only God could have orchestrated, Sasha, a 13 year old Ukrainian orphan will be living with us for three weeks. He has been with us for almost a week and we are having a blast with him. Please pray for Bucky and I! We have fallen in love with this fella and are praying God would provide the funding to adopt him (and it looks like He might just be doing it).

About two weeks ago I decided I was ready to adopt again, however, I was thinking another infant adoption. I began to pray that God would drop an orphan off at our front door because we simply do not have the money at this time to start another private adoption. Well, God answered that prayer in record timing. So, here is the story if you are interested...

There is a humanitarian aid organization called Frontier Horizons that brings orphans from the Ukraine and Nicaragua over to the U.S.A. two times a year for a three week period. The purpose of Frontier Horizons is to give the orphans an educational experience here in the United States. A family in our area paid the sponsorship fee and agreed to host Sasha during his stay in the U.S., however, for some reason they were not able to fulfill their commitment. Sasha was already on his way to the U.S. when Frontier Horizons received this news. Through a co-worker, Brian Lambert (Bucky's best friend) received the information and called Bucky. Bucky and I talked about it and agreed to host Sasha for the three weeks he is here. We were approved to host him VERY quickly because we already had a homestudy and background checks from our previous adoptions. All that happeded on Thursday of last week and Sasha arrived early Saturday morning. He is such a sweet boy, a little rough around the edges at times, but hey, what 13 year old isn't. Please be in prayer for our family, we want to be in the center of God's will at all times.

Update on Brennan

Brennan was a different child for about a week after his surgery - happy, cute and content. Then he began getting really cranky again. I took him back to the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor today and his left ear (the one with the brand new tube) is infected. I have to do ear drops for a week and go back to ENT in two weeks. I don't know what they will do if it is still infected in two weeks. Please pray for me. He is sooo cranky! He cries at a drop of a hat, especially when you tell him "no" (that could just be his age,he's almost two). He may be cutting teeth too. Who knows? I am doing all I know to do to keep water out of his ears. He wears ear plugs any time I think he might get close to water. It doesn't help that Xan is going through a really rotten attitude stage with me. I am really working hard on being consistent with discipline with him right now so that this stage will be short lived. But I am about to go INSANE with all the attitudes and crankiness!!!! Ahhh, but my mom is coming in town this weekend and I can't wait to see her.

Sorry that I don't have any pictures. Our camera's LCD screen shattered and we haven't had time to fix it.

Sick Day

You know it is going to be a rough day when your baby wakes you up early, running a 103 degree temperature. Poor Brennan, he can't seem to get a break. He is supposed to have his left ear's tube replaced next Wednesday. So, when he woke up this morning running a high fever, I wanted to get him in to see the doctor asap so we could get him better before surgery. Turns out his ears are in really bad shape (the dr. said he has "angry" ears) and that's what is causing the fever. We just got off 10 days of Augmentin Extra Strength and his ears got worse while on antibiotics. So, now we are trying 3 days of antibiotic shots. He got a shot today and we have to go back tomorrow and Saturday too. They are very painful for the little fella. Please pray that these shots will provide some sort of relief until we can have the surgery on Wednesday because Brennan is miserable.

Duncan's New Park

Laura, Sarah Beth, and I (and all of our kids) went to Duncan's new park on Wednesday for a picnic lunch and playtime. We all had a wonderful time, well, everbody but Jackson, he wasn't feeling so well. :-(

Brennan


Xan


Mary Beth


Jackson


Emily


Hannah

HAPPY GOTCHA DAY!!!

Today we celebrated Xan's third Gotcha' Day. Three years ago today, Bucky and I got on an airplane headed for Guatemala to pick up our beautiful baby boy. We are so thankful that God chose us to be his parents. Xan is a smart, healthy, silly, and talkative litte guy and we love him so much! We enjoyed cake with his preschool class this morning, then this evening we had a small party at CiCi's Pizza (Xan's favorite place to eat).





Brennan is frantically signing that he wants MORE pizza.


These are some of Xan's best friends (yes, he does have guy friends too)

Emily


Hannah


Mary Beth