Esther Day

Three years ago today we met our sweet Esther. She truly is our shining star, a bright spot in our days! She is such a gift from God! We love you Esther to the farthest star, back, and more sweet girl!

A Year Of Joy With Our Sweet Boy

A year ago our lives were forever changed when our precious Hudson was placed into our arms. Thank You Lord for the gift he is and for the joy he brings to our lives each day. We love you Hudson with all our hearts and more forever.

One Year Ago

It was a year ago yesterday when we got the phone call that would change our lives and our family forever! We finally knew who our youngest son was!

I am going to back up a bit because I know there is part of this story I have never shared.

I think I knew while we were in China with Esther that we would adopt again. She had changed us and God had changed us through the process to meet her. Our lives were so much richer, we had seen God work in our lives in such a personal way.

Mike was open, but not quite convinced that this would happen any time soon. But within a few months of being home I was talking about adopting again on a regular basis. We began to pray, and it wasn't long before we felt it would be a good idea to grow our family through adoption again. We knew that we most likely wanted to adopt a little boy (Henry had been talking about wanting a little brother for years). So if there was a little boy meant to be our son, where was he? Who was he? Ethiopia? China?

There was not a day that went by that I did not wonder when and how all of this would unfold. Our agency would not let us begin the process for another "special needs" child until we had been home with Esther for 1 year. A few months before we hit the one year mark Mike walked through the door from work just like any other night but said I THINK IT IS TIME! I think we should go back to China. We were all thrilled and the paperwork began. We knew we wanted a son and had asked that he be at least 1 year younger than Esther.

We were told that since we were requesting a special needs boy, the wait for a referral would most likely not take long at all. That it could happen before we were even done with our paperwork. You can imagine how excited I was; I might see his sweet face very very soon! A day did not go by that we did not pray for God's will, His hand, and protection to be upon the entire process. A few months into the paperwork, Our agency received an individual list of special needs children, and I knew there must be a a good chance that we would get a call. I called my sweet friend Amy, and we prayed together. I was so excited!

The call did come and our family coordinator began to share some information about this precious little boy, then she told me his birthday and my stomach sank. He was two months younger then Esther. The one thing both Mike and I felt strongly about was to have a little more space between our kids age. I told her we would want to review the file anyway, maybe God had something else in mind for our family and we wanted to be open to that. I asked her if we could have a couple of days to pray and seek His will for our family. I cannot begin to describe in words all of the questions and emotions that our hearts went through over the next few days.

We fasted and prayed and I cried like I have never cried before. The peace was not in my heart to say yes and yet I never thought I would say no to a child. How could I say NO!!! I was so confused!! I wanted to be in the center of God's will and I did not want to say no if this was our son. We had many people praying and one of the prayers that I kept praying was a prayer for peace. As I was sleeping this verse played over and over again in my mind

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding , will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

Anytime I let this little boy go, that is when the peace would come. It was still so hard, but I knew I was praying to be in God's will and I knew He was big enough to change my heart and Mikes heart if this was His perfect plan for our family. So I called our agency and let them know that we would continue to pray, but as of today we were going to have to say no. I never thought I would make that call. So we continued to pray daily and continued to wait.

We were DTC (dossier to China) in May and in June we received another call; this time about a little boy from the shared list. He was one year younger then Esther and had a very minor medically corrected special need. I told our coordinator I was 99% sure that we would want to lock his file and she told me to call Mike and get back with her in a few minutes, and she would lock it. So I called Mike he said it sounded good. We knew once we locked his file we were committed. Our coordinator told us she was emailing his info. We waited but it never came. I called her a few minutes later and she asked me if I had received his information. I told her no, and she then went on to tell me that she had sent it but the craziest thing happened right after. As she pushed send the power in their office went out. There was a storm in the area and power was down everywhere. We would have to wait.

That was the longest night of my life. We knew we were saying yes and yet we had not even seen his little face. Our coordinator said that she would try to lock his file from home. At about midnight our time the email with his information came through. We looked through it, prayed, and sent an email saying if this little guy was still available we were committed! We were excited, nervous, and just not sure how this would play out. We did know though that God could be trusted and if this was our son He would save him for us. We got a call very early the next morning from our sweet agency coordinator. She had done everything she could to access the shared list the night before but the power was down throughout the entire city and she was never able to do it. During this time, the little boy's file was locked by another family with another agency. My initial response was disappointment, but I knew that God closed this door.

I was quickly feeling like this "shorter boy wait" was beginning to take quite awhile. Shared lists came out again on July 10th and families from our agency were receiving calls. We were not one of them. We knew God's timing would be perfect and we rested in that. Well we didn't have to wait much longer at 7:30 the next morning on July 11, 2008 we got the call that would change our lives. Our coordinator told me about a 6 and a half month old baby boy with a cleft lip and palate. She sent me his info, I called Mike and we saw the first picture of his beautiful brown almond shaped eyes. No need to scroll down further, this was our boy! We locked his file and began to fall in love with our precious Gao Si Jin!

God was so good and so faithful to our family. He answered our prayers.He had a perfect plan. Esther would have a baby brother that shared the exact special need. The same week we said yes to Hudson another family said Yes to the first little boy we had reviewed! He had a family!!! Isn't God so very good?

There are no words to truly express how thankful we are that God has allowed us to be the parents and family of two beautiful children half a world away. They were once called orphans, but are now our BELOVED children. Thank you Jesus!

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3

Every good and perfect gift is from above James 1:17

Prayers Answered

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for Hudson this week. God has been so good and gracious to us! Hudson was in surgery for 3 hours Tuesday morning. We were told that Hudson's palate was very wide. (Both Esther and Hudson's palates were labeled third degree by China)

We got the call from our wonderful surgeon that things went well and I was on my way to the recovery room. Only one of us was allowed to go this time, so I went to be with Hudson.

He was not a happy camper to say the least. He was MAD!!! The nurses were able to adjust his pain medication to make him a bit more comfortable and a few hours later we were on our way to our room. He slept a lot of the day and really did amazingly well throughout the night. He was not allowed to have a bottle until Wednesday morning, and again once he ate he was a different boy!

Within a few hours we were released from the hospital and I am not exaggerating when I say Hudson was running the halls of the hospital. The surgeon stopped by and was laughing at him, joking about how he had surgery 24 hours before. Since being home he really has continued to be a happy boy, the biggest challenge right now is being on a liquid diet (or very soft foods) He wants to eat everything everyone else is having.

God has been so good! We thank Him for all that He has done and for His hand being upon this entire process. How blessed we have been to have a truly AMAZING surgeon repair both Hudson and Esther's cleft lip and palates. Another answer to prayer recently has been that we were approved to have financial assistance for any medical care Hudson or Esther need. We had no idea this was even available through the state, but three days before Hudson's surgery we got the final approval. Any costs involved after being billed to our insurance will be covered. We had no idea there was a program in our state that covers adopted children's medical care. The requirement being, we knew of their medical condition at the time of adoption. Thank You Jesus!

Thank you again for your prayers!

Hudson's palate surgery tomorrow

Our sweet silly loving happy busy determined messy crazy climbing monkey boy is going into surgery tomorrow at 7:30 in the morning. Please pray with us that everything will go smoothly and that God will comfort our little guy. Oh how we love him, and are so thankful for him in our lives. Thank you!

Wordless

Wordless Wednesday

Mother's Day and 6 months with sweet Hudson

Happy Mothers Day!

Being a Mom is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. I am so blessed, and my heart is so full! What a wonderful life I have with these precious children. Thank You Jesus!

I am so thankful today for my Mom and the love she has given to me and continues to give our family. She is such an amazing example to me. I love you Mom with all my heart! I am also very blessed to have a wonderful mother n law. ( I like to say mother in love) Happy Mother's Day Theresa we love you!

Today I also am so thankful for the women in China who carried and gave birth to Esther and Hudson. There is not a day that goes by that I do not realize the privilege I have to be their mommy. Oh how I wish they could see the beautiful and happy children they are. Their smiles light up our lives!

Six months ago today we met our sweet Hudson. Our lives have been forever changed! He is such a fun, happy boy, full of life and energy. We spent the afternoon at the beach and he kept running to the waves, & getting wet. He couldn't get enough. Nothing stops this little guy! We are so thankful God led us to our precious boy, we cannot imagine our lives without him.

Mike and the kids made today so special. The kids drew me beautiful pictures, and made a sign. Henry wrote me the sweetest book about all the things he loved about me. I am truly blessed!

Here are a few photos from my wonderful day

Our Treasures

God has blessed us abundantly with each of our children. They couldn't be more different, and yet each perfect for our family! I grew up in a family of four kids and my dad would always say we were north, south, east and west. It couldn't be more true with our kids. They each add something so unique and special to our family! I think you may see some of their personalities shining through the photos.

MEET SWEET MAYLIE

Almost 2 years ago God blessed us with the friendship of a very special family. God had been placing a desire within their hearts to adopt and we were able to share our story with them. Within a few months our new friends were beginning their own adoption process, to bring home a daughter from China.

Shortly after, we began our process to adopt Hudson. It has been such a gift to be able to share in this journey together as families. We have prayed together, cried together, and rejoiced together in all that God has done. He truly brought our lives together and we are so blessed!

Today our special friends met their beautiful daughter Maylie Grace! Oh what joy it brings to my heart to see them together! God is so so good and I thank Him for all that He has done!

What a wonderful day it will be when we see our girls playing together, and grow up to be special friends! I was just able to "meet" Maylie through Skype and what a sweetheart she is! She is full of life and PERSONALITY!!! Our girls will definitely be having lots of fun together! We miss you and love you W family!

You can follow the journey to Maylie here

Wordless Wednesday

There is lots to catch up on, but until then, here is a glimpse of the new entertainment at our house!

healing and haircut

Hudson had his first haircut today. We all loved his crazy long hair, but it was time! I have a feeling we won't be doing it again anytime soon, because our little guy was crying some big tears the entire time. As you can see even when his hair is short it stands straight up! Hudson was all smiles again as soon as he had a taste of his first sucker.

Hudson has been doing really well. He got the tubes taken out of his nose a little over a week ago and is healing beautifully. He has the sweetest little lips and although he has filled out so much since being home he is a little guy. We go back to see the plastic surgeon in April, and Hudson will begin wearing a steroid tape on his lip to help the scarring. We are happy to have this surgery behind us, and the next one should be in a few months. Thank you again for your prayers.

Thought I would share a few photos from today

Hudson's sweet smile 1 week later

What a gift Hudson's smile is! Thank You again for all of the prayers for Hudson! He has done so very well. The first few nights we had some sleepless nights, but we are on the road to recovery. We went to see the plastic surgeon a few days ago and he gave the ok to take the arm restraints off this week and the tubes in his nose will come out next week. It truly is amazing how quickly he has healed. God is so good!

Hudson has such a passion for life and does not let anything slow him down. He is such a love, and is now saying mama. Such a beautiful sound from my little boy's lips. Just amazing! I think the bonding process has been a little different with Hudson. This week really has been a gift. I am sure I would not choose to go through this if I was given the choice, but God has used this surgery to create truly a deeper bond between Hudson and I. He knows what we need, I think we both needed it. I thank Him for our precious boy, and I am so thankful that I could be with little Hudson as he went through this surgery.

I stand in awe of all that God has done, and I praise Him with all of my heart. Thank You Jesus.

Esterlyn On Tour

Last weekend we were able to see my brother Luke in concert. He is on tour with his band esterlyn and was coming through our area. He recently wrote a song inspired by our sweet Esther. God gave us this verse when we received her referral.

Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
Psalm 147




We knew this was clearly a word from the Lord to our hearts. It was His promise to us. Esther means star, He knew her, and He was going to bind her wounds physically, and emotionally. We do praise Him for all that He has done. It would be dishonest to say we did not have fears when we received her referral, but God gave us His peace. We believed that He chose this precious little girl a world away to be our daughter. We thank Him daily for the beautiful gift He has given us in our precious Esther Li Lyn. He has healed her, and she is a shines like a little star.

Luke used this verse and incorporated it into the words of this beautiful song. He wanted this song to represent all humanity. Jesus knows our names, He is our father and He wants to make something beautiful out of each of our lives.

So last weekend when we saw Luke in concert, He asked us if he could take Esther on stage with him, so he could share a small part of her story. He challenged the audience to consider making a difference in the lives of others today, wherever they are in their sphere of influence. He held little Esther throughout this entire song.

My heart was so full, and I once again cried tears of joy, thanking Jesus for all He has done. How full our hearts and lives are because of the precious gift we have been given in Esther. I have posted a short video, my brother Luke put together on our sidebar.(Esther and Hudson are in it towards the end) He will play this behind him on stage as he sings "esther". May we each be Jesus' hands and feet to those hurting in this world. May we see the world through His eyes, May we be willing to be willing to step out and do whatever it is He has for us. There truly is no better place to be.

If you want to know more about esterlyn or find out where they will be traveling during this tour you can check it out here
www.myspace.com/esterlyn

Here are a few photos of Li Li with her Uncle Lukie having fun and signing autographs. She loved every second of it. Hope you are blessed by the video.

We Are Home, God Is So Good

"The Lord is near to all who call on him" Psalm 148

We are home! Thank You, Thank you for all of the prayers for our family, and little Hudson! God is so good and answered each prayer. Yesterday Hudson had his lip repair and it took about four hours. We met him in recovery and then went to our room at about 11:30 last night. We expected for a long night, but Hudson slept through the majority of it. A huge blessing and answer to prayer for two very tired parents.

I think Hudson was the most upset about the i.v. and not having his thumb. He woke up this morning and once we gave him a bottle through a syringe he was a different little boy. He was ready to go and get back to his busy playful self. We praise God for his successful surgery and being so close to each of us throughout our time at the hospital.

Hudson is resting at home now. We came home to the girls making a sign for Hudson with Mike's parents. I guess Henry had a very specific idea of how he wanted everything to look when Hudson came home. He loves to make things special. The kids have been concerned about little brother. Esther ran to the car the moment we got home and came to his side of the door asking to see her little baby Hudsy. Mae is upset, she doesn't like Hudson's new look. We assured her it would look very different in a few days.

Please continue to pray for his recovery. No big boo boo's on his lip and comfort without his thumb for the next few weeks. He has to wear the no no arm restraints for the next couple weeks. So far they haven't stopped him from doing what he wants. He is one determined little guy. Oh how we love him!

Thank you for your love you have shown our family. Here are a few photos from our day.

It Has Been A Long Day

Thank you so much to everyone that has been been praying for Hudson. Thank you for the encouraging emails and comments, it is a gift to know that he is being covered in prayer. It has been a long day. We left early this morning for the hospital, Hudson was scheduled for surgery at 10 am today. We were in the pre-op room by 8:30 and he just went into surgery at 4:45pm.

He had not eaten since eleven last night, so we had one tired and hungry boy. Overall he has done really well. He is in surgery now, and should be done in the next few hours. Thanks again for your prayers, we will post asap.

Tommorrow is the day

The day has come to have our little Hudson's lip repaired. Tomorrow he will have surgery and we will say goodbye to the sweet smile we have grown to love so much. Please pray with us that the surgery will go well, and that God will comfort and help Hudson.

I know that I have not posted much, but I have felt strongly that I need to focus my time and energy right here with the ones I love so much. I love being a mommy so much, and I know how quickly this time goes. I don't want to miss it.

God handpicked little Hudson for our family. He brings so much joy, life, laughter and ENERGY to our home. He is one passionate and determined little guy. NOTHING stops him. He has begun to stand and it won't be long until he is walking. Life wouldn't be the same without our special boy.

My heart is so full, and I have so much in my heart I want to share about adoption. It is by far one of the greatest gifts I have been given to experience. I want to shout from the roof tops about what a MIRACLE it is! I thank God daily for directing our steps, because I know we could have missed this! The one reason I want to keep this blog is to encourage others in the miracle of adoption. To consider it, to pray and ask God if there may be a precious little one waiting somewhere in the world, created to be part of your family. Thank You Lord for directing our steps. We love you.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will directs your steps."

Thank You for your prayers for our family.

NoiseTrade Widget

My Indian Girls

Grandma was here for the week. She brought the girls some dresses from India that she got on one of her recent mission trips. The girls had so much fun dressing up, doing their hair, makeup and wearing their new pretty dresses.

They kept asking if they looked just like the girls in India. (Yes they did, and a little too grown up for mama's liking) She has taught Li Li and Mae special songs they sing with the children in India, they loved every minute! Thanks Grandma we love you!

Hudson's First Surgery Rescheduled

Hudson was scheduled to have his lip repair done this coming Monday February 2nd. He along with the rest of us have been sick the last few weeks with a cold and flu. We met with the craniofacial team on Wednesday and they decided it would be best to postpone his surgery because he was too sick.

We know this is best for our little guy and even though we are disappointed we are trusting God's timing. My Mom flew in for the week to help with Hudson's recovery. We are blessed to still have her here and hopefully will have a fun and productive week. If you can believe it we still have not quite found a sense of normalcy since being home from the holidays. It seems with each new week someone else has been sick.

We would appreciate your prayers for Hudson and his upcoming surgery. It is now scheduled for March 2nd. Thank You so much! I get to have a few more weeks with my sweet boys big smile!

(On a side note, Hudson was 12 pounds when we came home from China, on Wed at his appointment he weighed in at 18 pounds!)