Blessed and Thankful

Here I am on Mother's Day 2012 with two beautiful children that I thought
I would never have.  The name "Mommy" eluded me for many years and all
of the Mother's Days were so painful.  I am beyond blessed and forever
thankful to God for allowing me to experience the joys of motherhood!
 

Mother's Day 2012

On Saturday, Rob took the kiddos to town while I was mowing the backyard. 
When they returned, they rushed out to the backyard with their Mother's Day
gift selection in tow.  They were so excited they couldn't wait until Sunday to
give it to me.  I had just completed the yard mowing and knelt in the grass
and opened my gift.  They had picked out a couple of really nice dresses for
me.  They (well their Daddy) knew I had to dress up every day for work and
that I really needed a new look.  They did a great job of picking out
something that I would like!  It did my heart good to see them so excited!
I am so blessed to have these two precious treasures that I can call my own!
Love you Shaelyn and Aiden so very much!!!!

Tooth Fairy Made a Visit

When Aiden had his teeth cleaned a few weeks ago, the Dentist
told him that he had two wiggly teeth on the bottom front and that
he should wiggle them as much as possible.  On Easter Sunday
(during church), Mommy "accidently" pulled the 1st tooth while
checking to see how wiggly it was. The Tooth Fairy came that
night and left Aiden a cute little note and $5.  He was impressed!
This picture is of Aiden taking matters into his own hands a few
days after he lost the 1st tooth. He pulled the 2nd one himself.
My baby boy is growing up! (Sigh)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!  This is our attempt at a family picture on Easter Sunday.

Forever Ours

 Thanks to God, and to the Peoples Republic of China, my arms no longer ached!

On 2-22-1999, my life changed drastically.  I went from being a childless women with an aching heart to the MOTHER of the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen.  I can never adequately convey with words just how much joy my heart was afforded that day in Nanchang, China.  On that wonderful day, every tear that I had shed during my struggle with infertility seemed like a vapor in the wind.  Why God had blessed me with such a beautiful little bundle was almost more than I could comprehend.   A lot has taken place since that day in 1999.  Shaelyn has grown into a beautiful little lady with a kind and sensitive heart.  She has brought immense happiness and joy (as well as typical teenage moments - lol) to our home.  I have thanked God repeatedly for allowing me to walk the path that he chose for me - the path of adoption.  I am a better person today because of a tiny baby girl that he intrusted me with 13 years ago.  Happy FOREVER day Shaelyn!  I love you more than words can express!

Aiden's 5th Birthday Party

We had Aiden's Birthday party this past weekend and it was
so much fun.  We had it at the YMCA.  They pretty much
did everything for us!  (I felt like I cheated a little)  We invited
several of Aiden's little friends from playgroup, church and of
course his cousins.  We had pizza, chips, punch and cake. The
party theme was Spiderman.  The kiddos enjoyed playing on
the giant inflatable and the adults enjoyed just "hanging out". 
There were 34 people in attendance.  Aiden got lots of nice
gifts and felt very special!  It is hard to believe that he is 5
 years old already!  Where does the time go??

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

5 years ago, a baby boy was found at the back door of a hospital in
Chongqing, China.  He was wearing only a thin, t-shirt and was
wrapped in a thin blanket. He weighed 8 lbs and 5 ozs. A nurse
heard a baby crying loudly and soon found the most precious little
bundle at the back door.  I've often wondered if his birth mom was
waiting in the bushes or somewhere out of sight making sure he
was found safely.  I'm sure the decision she was forced to make
was horrible for her!  I pray that God gives her peace.  In the darkness
of that cold night, God was watching his plan unfold.  I am so
humbled to have been a part of His plan.  Aiden has been such
a blessing to our family that it is hard to comprehend what it would
be like without him.  I am VERY thankful to God for my
sweet little boy!  Happy Birthday Aiden - you are treasured!

Happy New Year

Wishing each of you a very happy New Year!  May 2012 be filled
with lots of happiness and joy!  Remember that no matter what the
future holds....we know who holds the future!

Christmas Time at the Roberts'

All dressed up in their Christmas outfits! 

Mimi and Papaw gave the kids a gingerbread house to decorate.  Here they are having a good ole time decorating it!

Aiden concentrating on decorating the gingerbread house that Mimi and Papaw gave him.

Our Asian-themed Christmas Tree.  LOVE it!

Pumpkin Faces

We tended to be a bit lazy this Halloween and not carve pumpkins.
Instead we got this cute little face features that you can simply push
into your pumpkin.  The kids loved it and I must say...it was soooo easy!
Warning....Aiden is going through a phase where he does not want to wear
clothes!  At home I let him run "free".  Some battles are just not worth
fighting!  :-)

Happy Forever Day Aiden

Sept 8th we celebrated Aiden's 3rd Forever Day!
We love you Aiden!!

Our Sweet Aiden

Three years ago today, I paced nervously around the
lobby of the Chongqing Civil Affairs Office waiting on

the arrival of a little 20 month old baby boy that I

loved dearly but had never met. How is that even

possible? To love someone that you've never seen

seems impossible, right? But I did! The love I

had for this little guy, far before he was ever declared

legally mine, is hard to explain. The love was nothing

short of simply miraculous and God-given. You see,

I did not seek out this adoption (like I did with my daughter)

to help feel the void left by years of infertility. I had

already experienced the joy of Motherhood and had

experienced nearly every "first" that a biological

mother would experience. My desire for a child had

been satisfied.....so why? Why was I pacing nervously

in the lobby of an adoption center in China? Simple.....

I did not think of this adoption on my own,

so God thought of it for me!! He CALLED me to

take this journey, not for myself but for a precious

little boy who so needed a Mommy! Funny thing is...

God knew all along that not only did Aiden need this

family but this family desperately needed Aiden!

The void that I thought was so full really wasn't filled

to capacity until this little guy came into my life! NOW

I feel complete. When God calls....He equips! He equipped

me with such a love for this little boy that I would have

given my life for him without a moments hesitation, before

I even had met him. THAT is a God-given love!!

When Aiden finally arrived at the civil affairs office,

he was escorted into the lobby by one of the caregivers

at the orphanage where he had spent 20 months of his

life. There was no emotion by the caregiver as she

pointed at us and gently pushed Aiden towards us. I

was expecting an outburst of tears and intense separation

anxiety and was pleasantly surprised that there was

none! God was in control of the entire process and

the peace that I felt was like none other! I did not want

to scare Aiden so I did not swoop him up into a giant

bear hug like I so wanted to do. Instead, I sat down

on the floor and played with him for several minutes,

occasionally stroking his back and hair. When I felt

like he had warmed up to me, I then embraced him!

My love overflowed for this little boy, not biologically

mine, but make no mistake.....HE WAS MINE!

I do not know every detail of Aiden's story or what

he experienced in that orphanage for 20 months.

I do know that Aiden has permanent scares on his

little body that tell a story of trauma, pain and fear.

Aiden's life may not have had a happy beginning, but

it will have a happy and beautiful future. Thanks to a

God who knew exactly what Aiden AND our family

needed!!   Happy Gotcha Day Aiden!!  We love you
so much!!!!!

Aiden Goes to the Dentist

Aiden first trip to the dentist went very well.  He loved
Dr. Y and his staff!  The checkup went well, his
teeth are perfect (Thank the Lord) and are now nice
and clean and pearly white! :)  Great job Aiden!

It's time for School!

Aiden started the 4 year old Pre-K program at one of

our elementary schools this year. He is thrilled beyond

words! He will go all day/5 days a week. He says he

is going to big boy school now. He will be getting

speech therapy through the school system and we

are hoping for great success! Shaelyn started 7th grade

this year and has quickly gotten into the "swing of things".

She is enjoying her classes. Shaelyn started school a few

days before Aiden and he didn't understand why he

couldn't go too. But now he is happy and LOVING his class!!

Let's just hope this "love of learning" continues!

Soccer Camp

Our church had a Soccer Camp this year instead of VBS. The

kids really seemed to enjoy it despite the fact that it was blazing

hot. They each got a trophy and a t-shirt at the conclusion.

The were both pretty excited about their trophy. All in all

it the camp turned out really nice!

Happy 13th Birthday Shaelyn

My little girl is not so little any longer! Shaelyn turned

13th on Friday. I took off work to be with her and we

packed in a lot of fun during the day. First we gave her

the Jade ring we had purchased for her while we were in

China adopting her in 1999. This was really special!

Then we went out to eat breakfast. After breakfast

we visited a local field of sunflowers for a photo shoot.

That was fun :) Then that evening we gave her a bowling

party at the local bowling alley with some friends and

family. I had ordered her a really special birthday cake

from a friend of mine who owns a cake decorating

business. We LOVED the cake...it was beautiful and

so yummy! All in all, it was a wonderful day!!! You turn

13 only one time and we wanted to make sure Shaelyn

knew just how special she is to us. I'm confident that she

knows!! :)

Family Beach Vacation

This past week we took a family vacation to

Springmaid Beach Resort in South Myrtle Beach, SC.

Lilly and Sophie stayed home and were well taken

care of my our good friends Chris and Kathy. Not

having to worry about the pets was WONDERFUL!

The resort was great! It has 6 pools, 2 lazy rivers

and its own private beach. We enjoyed every

minute of it! Shaelyn and Aiden are very tanned

despite the fact that Mommy chased them around

with SPF 50! Aiden got to catch (well "reel- in") a baby

shark from off the pier. He was thrilled! Shaelyn

even got enough courage to touch the shark!! We

saw a 5 foot shark swimming near the pier and many

other species of fish that had been caught on the pier.

We had a wonderful, wonderful time!!!