Tracy came over while Y was here and did some quick family pictures for us.
But, we also go a few more pictures too.
The benefits for having a dear friend who knows how to snap some awesome pictures.
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Until We Meet Again
Our last Sunday, Y got a picture with Pastor B.
We had to get up bright and early the day Y had to fly out. Some people were quite cranky about it….
Others were really (okay, really really really) sad.
And others were just plain goofy
I don’t think our Y realized what was truly going on until he had to go stand with the group and away from us. His usual smile turned to a bit of concern when he saw me AND Pa crying and he realized he couldn’t give us hugs. But soon….oh so very soon I’ll have him in my arms again! We can’t wait!!
A Tale of Mistaken Identity
Once upon a time there were two beautiful little boys with the same name who dwelt under the same roof in a land far, far away. One little boy was placed under the care of his aunt and the other had no one to care for him.
Until one day when the little boy left his far away home on an adventure half way around the world. His feet landed on foreign soil and in to the arms of a mother and father who grew to love him dearly.
Alas, that little boy had to leave his new family to return to his faraway home but oh how the mother and father and his new brothers and sisters prayed that one day they would be reunited.
One day, sad news traveled from afar to the mother and father that the little boy was under the care of a kind and loving aunt. While the parents were devastated they would never see their son again, they knew that he was in God’s hands and only God would direct his steps and guide his precious life.
Then news traveled again from afar…the little boys with the same names had been confused. Yes, indeed, the little traveler was not under the care of a loving aunt. It was the other beautiful boy with the same name.
The family from half way around the world rejoiced at God’s timing and His love and began, anew, the quest to bring their son home forever.
But first! The young boy will leave his far away home on another adventure half way around the world for two whole months with his loving, and often times crazy, family!
The Beginning…(Because there is no way this tale is going to end here…we need a happily ever after people!)
Okay, okay, now it’s the non story teller me! Yes. You read that correctly, Y the Brave is indeed available for adoption and we are, once again, on this crazy adoption adventure.
Stay tuned. Keep your eyes peeled. We will be raising money to get the first part of our adoption paid for…and then the second…and the third. We thought breaking it up in to three goals might not make all of our hearts drop to our stomachs!
We’ve got three fundraisers in the works for now and we’ll have more to come. While Y is here over the summer, we won’t be discussing his adoption to protect his heart, so we’ll be doing fundraising via the internet. Mark should have the donate button up soon through Paypal.
Last Hoo-rah!
The day before Y the Brave left, we had a plan. It started with a silly string ambush when Mark got home from work. Don’t worry, I made sure he was properly armed before he was attacked.
Then before bed, we blew up these cool led balloons. And had a small glow party.
These balloons are awesome and were a ton of fun. Several of them are still glowing in fact. We wanted to make sure we had some fun memories with Y and these small things made it a ton of fun.
Happy 9th Birthday, Y the Brave!
Y’s birthday was a week after he went home but we wanted to celebrate with him. He asked for torte (cake) and chocolade (yeah, chocolate…boy after my own heart).
Since Big Hero Six was a big part of our celebration, I made a Bay Max for the top of the cake. It was late at night so any descrepancies are because of that.
When we asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he said a phone. Um yeah right. Aside from it being against our hosting rules, we don’t let our bio kids have phones so that was a big no. But, an inexpensive mp3 player was a yes. And a big hit. Just an FYI, he likes heavy rock like Mark! We loaded it up with several native worship songs and then added on some Relient K, David Crowder, and the like. He jammed with that thing for a looooong time.
Ice Cream for Lunch
Y’s last Sunday, Mark and I had a plan. It included ice cream for lunch among some other things. Convincing the kids that we were going to get ice cream for lunch was a bit harder than I first thought. Upon hearing the plan from a sibling, Liam had to ask Mark if we were really getting ice cream for lunch.
“Oh good!” Liam exclaimed when it was confirmed. “We thought mom had lost it!”
At the ice cream store, I asked Liam if he really thought I had gone crazy.
“Well,” he said rather loudly. “I just thought you were drunk!”
(For the record, I don’t drink and I wasn’t drinking that day)
We thought this would be a fun treat because the first week Y was here, we took a trip to Aldi. We were looking at several different things in the store and I was asking Y what he would like, etc. He kept saying this one word over and over again and for once Google Translate was a big help. Y wanted ice cream. He loves ice cream and so a special fun treat of ice cream for lunch was a must on my to do list.
We split the kids up to share ice cream sundaes and they were all thrilled they got to choose their flavors and toppings, etc. Y and Josiah not only inhaled their sundaes but they then made quick work on the rest of the siblings who said they were too full to finish their own sundaes. We shall henceforth call them the duel trash compactors.
After ice cream we took Y to Build-a-Bear to get a stuffed animal. We recorded a short message and had it included with his bear. We were unsure as to whether he would even want to get one but he not only wanted it, he played it over and over and over again and cuddled with it during the night. I’m so glad we were able to give him something with our voices on it to remind him of our love for him.
In which Y becomes Y the Brave
One of the requirements of New Horizons is that we have our host child go to the dentist. It was clear after Y was here a few days that a dental trip was absolutely necessary. Let’s just say there was a lot going on in his mouth! We got him in two weeks before he headed back home. True to Y form, he was excited about the opportunity and about the new experience. After his first check up, I decided he was no longer just Y but Y the Brave. He had two more visits after the initial to start fixing his teeth. He greeted each visit with smiles and it’s safe to say he fell in love with the staff at the dentist.
I would say the feeling was mutual!
We are so blessed by our dentist and their staff. Not only did they treat Y the Brave with such love, they also donated their services! We were hoping for a price break at the least but when they said they would donate all of his services, my heart melted and my eyes filled with tears. It was such a blessing to all of us.
It’s all a bit fishy!
We didn’t stay in the lakehouse the whole time. Cabin fever soon took hold and we decided to go on an adventure. The Georgia Aquarium was our destination. Mark kept saying that he wanted to provide a good “Wow” moment for Y. Something that he wouldn’t be able to do at home. This was definitely it.
Mark said he’ll never forget that face as the whale shark swam over head.
There was a dolphin show as well. The rest of the trip he couldn’t decide which was his favorite, the shark or the dolphins. All of our kids had a wonderful time and we are so glad we got to share this memory with Y.
The Lakehouse
We enjoyed our first week of the new year with Mark’s college roommates and their families. Sadly, we missed one family but with good reason (twins who are not traveling well at their young age). The house full of lots of laughter and smiles despite the outcome to the playoff game we were able to watch.
Josiah and Liam watching a football game with R,
Our view one morning. Yeah, no filter.
Enjoying some marshmallows at the covered pavilion. The weather was not always agreeable but we managed.
Some flashlight fun.
We kept trying to hide the pool balls and sticks but these rascals kept finding them and then slamming the balls in to their fingers.
We managed some fireworks between rain storms.
I took the New Year’s day supper and went all traditional. Ham, black eyed peas, carrots, etc. It was a lot of work but soooo yummy and afterward we crashed on the couch to watch Alabama (get stomped by Ohio State but that is beside the point). Zoe and Ace crashed in my lap.
Another morning view. No filter again.
Twister. Oh yeah.
Best buds.
Emmie only goes to a rare few people. Uncle M was able to grab her up for a little while. He’s pretty much magic with my babies.
One evening while we were all sitting around talking after the kids were in bed, R excused himself and came back like this. This is the wedding outfits we had the groomsmen wear. Fifteen years later and R still has it. AND the dagger we gave as a groomsman gift! So funny to see it again after all these years.
New Year’s Day
As hard as this is, I still want to share our awesome experience with Y the Brave (more on why we call him that later).
New Year’s Day is a big deal where Y is from. So, we celebrated with a gift for each child and then driving an hour to a lake house to spend time with our Bama friends.
Soccer ball…what almost every 8 year old European boy loves to have. Y was thrilled and any smidge on it was a cause for concern. We also got a pump (which he wanted to use constantly) so we could deflate it for the trip home and he could inflate it there.
I think Ace was more excited than Liam!
Ace got a practical joke gift set-that explains the maniacal face he is making.
Apparently, 12 year olds do not want to have their picture taken when opening a gift.
They don’t do Santa Clause as much as they do Father Frost…nonetheless, Y knew all about Santa and thought his Santa sack gift was perfect to go with his hat!
