SQUEAKY SHOES!!!!!!!!!!

Some of you may remember this post...the post where my husband hi-jacked my blog and divulged a very serious addiction I have....

Well, it seems my very precious friend, Annette (Kaden's mama), is willingly aiding in my addiction...LOOK...JUST LOOK at what she brought home from China for Jubilee :)

For the China adoptive family, there is something very, very precious about squeaky shoes. I dreamed about our sweet C running around in them. So, when she was finally home...those precious squeaks actually brought me to tears...our little miracle girl finally squeaking around our house. And NOW, another one of our miracle girls will be squeaking before we know it...I have no doubt it will bring back wonderful memories of those first years our baby C was home (of course baby S had some too...just imagine TWO squeaking girls...GORGEOUS music to my ears...memories forever burned in my mind and heart)

 

 

Ummm and YAY...I DID just do an entire post on shoes...LOL!!!

"Brothers" reunited at last!

Although they are not biological brothers, for the first 4 years of their lives they lived as brothers...orphanage brothers...crib mates...

(pics. from their life in the orphanage together)

Their lives FOREVER changed 1 year ago on September 5, 2010 when one of the "brothers" was adopted and the other was left behind. As we rejoiced because our son, Solomon, was finally in our arms, precious Kaden grieved the loss of his "brother" with no hope of every seeing him again....

or so he thought...

(saying goodbye)

or so we all thought...

BUT our God is greater...our God is mighty...our God is a miracle making, mountain moving God!  He heard the cries of Kaden's heart...He heard the cries of our heart for Kaden to have a forever family...but not just any family, a christian family...a family that lived close to us so the boys could grow up together...

Many of you have followed their journey from the beginning...many of you are new to their journey...join us as we marvel at all the Lord has done to bring the boys back together.

Exactly one year after we landed in the United States with our son, the "brothers" were finally reunited!!!!  Our precious friends, the Cox family, are now home with sweet Kaden and it was finally time for the boys to meet.  I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story :)

WE STAND IN AWE!

"He's here...he's here!!!!"
Solomon kept yelling, "I'm right here JianZhu...I'm right here" as he ran to him.

I still sit here in absolute amazement that Kaden is home & that the boys will grow up together.  The precious boy that we had been advocating for since March 2010...the precious boy whom we realized was our son's very, very best friend...the precious boy whom we felt the Lord telling us that his family was someone we already knew...the precious boy that called me 'mama' the day we had to say good-bye...the precious boy who stood there with tears rolling down his face as we left him...the precious boy that our son grieved & longed deeply for...the sweet, precious boy that we have loved so deeply but was not to be ours....

He is HOME...He is with his forever mama and daddy...He is LOVED...He is cherished...and we are honored to be a part of his life...ecstatic to see him with his family, our wonderful friends...honored and blessed that the Lord answered all of our prayers for the boys to be together in some way...what an incredible gift!!!

Sweet, beautiful Kaden, the Lord knew you long before He formed you...He loves you so much and has amazing plans for your life. What a treasure you are to your family!!! We love you so much and are so happy you are home to stay!!!!!

WE STAND IN AWE OF OUR KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!

11 weeks old...

Little Miss Jubilee had a well baby check up the other day and she is in the 90% for height and 50% for weight...our little string bean :) measuring 11lbs. 9ozs. and 24.5". The ped. said in all his years of practice, he's never seen a 2 month old so strong. She did not want to be messed with and she made that very clear. Whenever he'd come near her with his stethoscope, she'd actually push it away! She did show off by holding her head up like an old pro and scooting forward on her tummy.

Little miss Jubilee continues to amazes us everyday. I could just sit and stare at her all day long. I just love our sweet girlie soooo much!!! How my heart wishes more families would not let fear keep them from experiencing this amazing beauty...the beauty of adoption...the beauty of a miracle child....so many are not seeing the amazing treasures that the Lord has right before them...treasures that they are missing.  The thought that we almost missed THIS...our beautiful babes...brings me to tears. I am so thankful the Lord kept pursuing our hearts...kept showing us that what He had for us was far more amazing than we could have ever imagined.

Happy Gotcha Day...1 YEAR ALREADY!

September 5th is an extra special day to celebrate in our family. Today is our precious "S's" birthday AND our sweet Solomon's Gotcha Day!

Honestly...how can it already be 1 year since our precious Solomon was placed in our arms.  I will NEVER forget the HUGE smile he had as he came barreling into the conference room...he was dragging the nanny as fast as he could. He ran straight up to us...huge smiles...then the reality of what was about to happen started to sink in and the smile turned in to..."I don't think so!"

We often talk about the incredible journey to him...how so many of YOU helped bring him home...how the Lord radically changed our lives in ways we never knew possible...

Our darling Solomon...you have no idea the depth of our love for you. We are so blessed by you...so thankful you are ours forever.  You are a living example that our God is a miracle performing, mountain moving God.  It has been absolutely beautiful watching you discover the love of a family. You have taught us to never take anything for granted. You have shown incredible bravery and strength as you left everything you've ever known. You are attaching and bonding so deeply...truly a precious gift from the Lord! We love you baby boy...Happy 1 year home!!!

Happy Birthday to our princess..

Yep..another birthday at our household...5 of the kiddos have bday's in a 6 week span and daddy finishes it off next week :) 

To our precious princess...we love you so much and are still in awe of how the Lord brought you to our family. Your story is absolutely incredible and has God's hand prints all over it!  Your beautiful smile and sense of humor bring us so much joy. You have the most gentle, compassionate heart...your spunk is contagious...We love seeing the world through your eyes. Happy Birthday to our miracle girl!!!!