In Loving Memory of Madison Grace.

I have been wanting to write this post for a few weeks now but have had no idea what to write.    I am not a writer, as I am sure you could tell from reading this blog, but I wanted to make this post special.  

We started our adoption April 2007.  We started the adoption with a referral for a beautiful baby girl, which is usually unheard of, usually you don't get a referral until about 3-6 months into the process.    We immediately began to fall in love with the little baby girl in the pictures we were given.   A few months into the adoption we decided we needed to go visit our baby girl in person.  So in September 2007 we traveled to Guatemala for a week.  It was one of the best weeks.  During that week we fell more in love with the baby we had decided to name Madison Grace.   Leaving her behind when we came back home was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do but I left knowing that she was going to have the love of a mommy and daddy for the rest of her life.    We went back for a week visit during March 2008 (yes at this time I was 8 months pregnant with Jacob) so that we could be there for her 1st Birthday.  We could not imagine not celebrating such a milestone birthday without being with her.   This week was a hard week,she was sick with ear infections most of the week but we still would not have traded our time with her for anything in the world.   We were so thankful when she finally started feeling better on the day of her birthday and the rest of our visit was wonderful.   Again, leaving her was extremely hard but we were comforted by her knowing we loved her and knowing that we were her parents.   I will not go into the entire struggle of our adoption because if you have followed this blog you already know what happened.    We waited and waited for news about our adoption and over the last year our information about Madison was getting less and less frequent.   We had gone several months without any information about her well being when we received a phone call from our adoption agency on Jan, 9, 2010 informing us that due to paperwork irregularities our case was not going to move forward and thus our adoption would end without us bringing Madison home.   We were devestated by this news.  We spent many months attempting to find out more information and any details we could.  Each time we thought we might get some information the door was shut and we were left without any answers.   We finally decided that when God was ready for us to know more we would find out.  This was extremely hard to accept but we had no other choice and if we truely had faith that God had his hands in this adoption then we had to trust in him.    We began to just accept that while we did not like the outcome we would have peace that God's plan was in motion.   Just a few weeks ago we received a phone call from the division of Homeland Security that handles adoptions.  The Guatemalan government had finally released information on outstanding cases (we had no idea our case was still considered outstanding) and they had some information on our adoption they wanted to pass on to us.   They asked us what was the last we had heard and if we have received any information recently.  We told them what the adoptiona agency told us and about our trying to find out more but nobody would tell us anything.    She then confirmed what I had found on the internet the summer of 2010 but was not sure if it was her or not.    She informed us that Madison had passed away on Feb. 7, 2010 in a local hospital in Guatemala City.   I had come across an obitiuary while trying to find some answers online but could not ever have it confirmed if it was her or someone else.   The information we received from Homeland Security was identical to what the obitiuary had read.     This news was hard for us to hear but at the same time we had peace knowing that she has not been in an orphanage this entire time but instead resting in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ.   We are very sad that we never got to bring her home but know that we will see her again.   She may not have been our daughter by the government standards but the moment we first saw her picture back in April 2007 she became our daughter in our hearts.   
Madison Grace, you were loved from the moment we first saw you and you have been loved everyday since.   I know you are having a blast in heaven.  I am sure you are having fun playing with your, sibling (from a miscarriage),  cousins and your great-grandparents.   WE LOVE YOU NOW AND FOREVER!  

                                             Madison Grace, March 20, 2007 - Feb. 7, 2010

T-Ball

Jacob also started playing T-ball for the YMCA.  He played for the Jeep Rogers YMCA Phillies, ages 3-5.   His team had 12 players and 2 coaches.  Only about 2 of the kids had ever played before and this was the first time the coaches had ever coached.  We could not have been more blessed to have great coaches who really took their time with the kids and had great patience.   The season ended today, August 6 with the final game, a party and a trophy.  Here are some pictures from throughout the season. 

  We are so proud at how much he has learned in his first season of t-ball at the age of 3.  He has not only learned the basics of the game but he has learned what it means to be on a team.   At the first of the season he cried everytime a teammate got the ball in the field and even ran over and took the ball from several of his teammates.  Each week he improved in not only his hitting the ball, his running the bases, but also with his being a team player.   He is only 3 and still has a lot to learn but we couldn't be more proud.    Our next adventure will be to play soccer, which wll start in September. 

Post 3 for June

I know my posts are out of order but I am posting as I remember. The end of May, beginning of June we made a trip to Arkansas for my nephew Matthew's graduation. While there we not only went to the graduation but went to the rodeo parade and the rodeo. Nana and Grandpa bought Jacob an actual cowboy hat for Jacob to wear to the rodeo and just because he wanted one (also because they are grandparents and that is what they do).

All of the cousins together for a picture.

Post 2 for June

Father's day weekend we headed to Myrtle Beach to enjoy some fun in the sun and the nice ocean breeze.   Jacob LOVES the beach. 

 

Post 1 for June!

Haven't posted in a while and I have quite a few pictures to post so I will post in several different posts. 
First post will be the small family reunion we went to at Wayne's cousin Kay's house on June 11.   We had a great time visiting with family and watching the kids play in the pool.  Some of us big kids even enjoyed some time in the pool.  Wayne had a great time shooting water squirty things (they weren't guns) at his younger cousins and did his best to not get squirted back but he did.   He also braved the diving board and decided to go for a dive.   You can see a picture of it on his cousin Kay's blog.  

Puggles preformance

This past school year I helped lead a new class with the Awana program. We started the Puggles class which is the Awana class for 2 year olds. Jacob was part of this class. At the end of the year they have an awards ceremony. The Puggles class don't really get anything other than a cerficate of completion but they did get to perform a song and finger play for the parents.

VIdeo below

Below  is a video of Jacob on the last day of Vacation Bible School.  The kids performed for the parents but I was not perpared since I didn't know Jacob's class (2-3 year olds) were going to be part of the performance since they could only attend if the parent's volunteered and had a abreviated VBS.    I did have my cell phone but have no idea how to change the video from being sideways.  

Vacation Bible School Performance

Jacob turns 3!

Jacob's birthday was this past Saturday.   We started the day off with a birthday party at a local recreation center.   We had several friends and family who joined us to celebrate this special day.  He had a great time running around playing with his friends and the balloons.   He received some great presents- a steering wheel and telescope (for his swingset) from his Grandaddy,  a big Buzz Lightyear from his Grandaddy, a zoo membership and some little animals from his MaMa and PaPa, some cars, a nerf gun, some puzzles, several books,  and lots more stuff from his friends.   Wayne and I bought him all of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters (beanie size) and a Radio Flyer bike.   (Now we have to teach him to pedal).  

After the party inside the kids all went out to run off some more energy on the playground while we cleaned up.    We let Jacob play on the playground for a bit and then  went home and all 3 of us took a long nap.   After the nap we met Aunt Leigh (Lady), MaMa and PaPa for a birthday dinner at Red Robin.  We had a great time at dinner and Jacob enjoyed them coming over and singing "Happy Birthday" to him.  They also brought him out a hot fudge sundae which he had no desire to eat.   After dinner Wayne and I took Jacob over to the carnival rides at the Sparkleberry County fair.  Jacob had been asking for a few days to ride the ferris wheel and so we decided his birthday was a great day to go.  He enjoyed riding several of the rides to include the swings, water bumper boats, and of course the ferris wheel.    After the second to last ride he looked up at us and asked if he could go home because he was tired.  I say it was after the second to last ride because on the way out he wanted to ride the small train they had.  I think it is very safe to say that he had a great 3rd birthday.  

 Holding up his fingers to show us he is 3! (note he has 5 fingers up - guess we need to work on this)

Pinic at Lake Wateree

For a while now Wayne and I have talked about taking Jacob on a pinic to the park one afternoon after church.  Last Saturday we decided that on Sunday afternoon we would do just that.   We invited his MaMa and PaPa to join us.   We rushed home, changed clothes, went through the drive-thru to pick up a bucket of chicken and then headed to Lake Wateree State Park.   It was a little cooler than we had planned but luckily I had a jacket in the car for Jacob.   Jacob enjoyed tossing  "pine corns" into the lake, playing on the small playground, eating marshmallows, and playing with a catapillar that we found.   

a few pictures from our last visit to the zoo.

Nana and Grandpa came for a visit.

The first full week of April my mom and dad came for a visit.  They came during a great week, it was spring break for most of the schools in this area which meant all of our normal weekly activities were cancelled for the week.   We had a great time having them here and hated to see them go.   They came bearing early birthday gifts from everyone in Arkansas.  Jacob loved getting to open birthday presents early.  

While they were here we went to EdVenture Children's Museum, the Zoo, and went shopping.  We also spent a lot of time playing outside and just enjoying the nice weather. 

Pictures of the zoo will come later....need to find the memory card.