My Very Special Day

Today has been a very special day for me. I got to sleep in. Then, I was awakened by the sounds of Michael giggling and stabbing me in the face with a card. It was a beautiful card from him and Baba. He even signed it himself. By the signature, I think he will be a doctor when he grows up. After my shower, I had breakfast waiting on me. Bill had made a very tasty meal. It was nice to have breakfast with my two favorite guys. We got ready and headed to church. When we got there, I was met by Joseph. He told me to close my eyes and then made me count to three. When I opened my eyes, he gave me a card that he had made at school. For those of you who know our back story, you will know how special this is. He is a lot like a son to me. It made me cry.... tears of joy. He is such a wonderful kid.

The rest of our day is going to be quiet. Bill is going to clean out the van and change the oil. This is a great present. Do you know how messy a van can get when you have a 2 year old??

I could not have asked for a better first Mother's Day.

Below is a picture of my card from Joseph:

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! This is for all the mother's who have children in their home, out of the nest, in their tummies, and in their hearts. We know that with adoption the "pregnancy" just takes a little longer.

Today, I get to celebrate my first official Mother's Day. It is hard to believe that this time last year we were waiting to find out when we would go to China to get Michael. Life has changed a lot since then. We were happy before, but it is amazing how much more joy we have in our life now.

After church today, we will do what we do each Mother's Day. We will put flowers on Bill's mom's grave in her memory. There have been so many strong women in our lives. Some are still here with us and some are in heaven looking down on us. Below are pictures of the women who are still with us and have had an impact on each of us.

Gamma (my mom)

Mamaw Kadle (Gamma's mother)

Mamaw Ryan (my dad's mother)

Nana (Bill's dad's mother)

Birthmother's Day

Many of you may not know this, but today (the Saturday before Mother’s Day) is Birthmother’s Day. As I sit here and think about it, there are so many things I wish I could let Michael’s birthmother (and his birthfather for that matter) know. It could not have been easy for her to let go of this precious little boy, but living in China it may have been the only choice that she had. I imagine that she couldn't afford either the fee for a second child or the medical care that was necessary.

I wish I could tell her that he is safe and has a good home. He has a mother and a father, a large family, and many friends who love him dearly. He takes on the world with a handsome smile and a laugh that warms the heart. He is bright, funny, inquisitive, mischievous, fearless, and rambunctious. He is one of the bravest kids that I know. She would be so proud of him.

However, what I really wish I could tell her is that she did the right thing; she gave him life. By her giving him up, he was able to get the medical attention he needed. By her giving him up, he now has a future full of endless possibilities. By her giving him up, we have a son. For that, I will always be grateful. For that reason, today will be a day that we remember her.

Under Construction

Please bare with me. I am going to be making changes to the layout of the blog. It may take a little while to get it exactly the way I want it. Thanks!

What a difference 6 months makes....

I plan to post an update in a few days, but wanted to quickly post these two pictures. We went to the Strawberry Festival at Chesterfield Berry Farm this past weekend. Michael loves to ride the barrel train. He also rode it when we were there in October 2008 at the Pumpkin Festival. It looks like he rode in the same car each time. It is amazing how much he has changed and how much he has grown in the past six months.

Here are the pictures from both of those days.

May 2, 2009

October 4, 2008

Family, Tours, & Easter

We had a busy, but good week last week. Gamma drove from New Hampshire on Monday. On Tuesday, Michael went to school. Then, I took him to get tested for allergies. We thought that some of his stuffiness might be seasonal allergies, but were wrong. They tested him for allergies to pollens, dust, foods, and animals. Thankfully, he is not allergic to anything. On Wednesday, Michael went with Gamma to visit Aunt Carrie in Charlottesville.

At the end of the week, the rest of our family arrived from out of town. Midday on Thursday, I picked Papa up from the airport. On Friday, Mamaw & Papaw Ryan arrived at the house midday.

Bill, Papa, Joe, and Big Bill went to play golf on Friday. After Papaw and Mamaw arrived, we (Gamma, Michael, Joseph, Papaw, Mamaw, and myself) all loaded into the van for a driving tour of Richmond. After our tour, we went to lunch and then returned home.

On Saturday, we loaded into the two vans and headed to Washington, D.C. We parked in Springfield and rode the Metro into DC. While in DC, we went to the National Air & Space Museum. I think Papaw really enjoyed it. It was very crowded though. After a while, Michael started raising his voice and telling all the people to "O AWAY!!" I really didn't blame him. After the museum, we hopped on a trolley and toured the rest of DC. We had lunch in Union Station before heading back to the Metro and home.

On Sunday morning, Michael found an Easter basket that was left by the Easter "RABBIT!" He enjoyed reading his new book with Papa. However, he really didn't care for the candy. We all got ready and headed to Charlottesville to have brunch with Carrie and Patrick. Michael was really excited to see Aunt Carrie again. When I asked him if he wanted to go see her, he said "YAY!!!!!" We waited for our table for a bit and tried to occupy Michael. There were 9 of us so it took just a little while for them to get our table ready. However, the wait was worth it. The food was very good. After brunch, we headed back to Carrie's where we all went our separate ways. Mamaw & Papaw started on their trip back to Alabama. Bill, Michael, and I came home. Gamma and Papa stayed in Charlottesville and left the next morning to drive back to New Hampshire.

We had a very good visit with everyone. However, the time together always seems so short. We miss them all already.

Here are some pictures of our time with everyone:

Day Care & Easter Eggs

I have a few new pictures below. The first is one of Michael's day care pictures. The slide show is from our Easter egg hunt at church. Once Michael figured out what to do, he looked like a pro. We will be pretty busy for the next week. We hope that everyone has a very happy Easter.