Happy 14th Gotcha Day!

 Happy 14th Gotcha Day to this amazing son of ours!  He’s a joy, a blessing and a treasure that we are forever grateful for!

13 years! Don’t blink!

 13 years ago today, we left for China to bring Aiden home!  We had no idea the chaos that was in store for us.  A 12 + hour flight (that we almost missed), all of our  luggage lost for four days, a cancelled hotel reservation /interrupter by our adoption agency, and a 10 year old daughter having full-blown panic attacks along the way.  I honestly want to smack people that say…”Oh  you adopted?..you got out the easy way”. 😳 Others have said “Someday you will find all of this funny”. 13 years have passed and I still don’t think it’s funny! In fact, it makes me sweat!   The “pains of labor” were intense to say the least but the gift of our baby boy made it all worth it!  This kid has been the bright spot in our lives. I wasn’t sure I would survive having a boy (A destructive tornado would be my best description for this little boy who was curious about everything). What a little booger he was! 🤣. But oh what a joy he’s been!  Hard to believe he’s in high school this year and is saving every penny to buy a truck when he turns 16.  He’s a Boy Scout working hard to reach Eagle. He does well in school (once motivated 😉).  He loves life, nature and all animals.  He’s the void we never knew we had in our little family.  Though the journey to Aiden was difficult, the reward we received far outweighed the difficulties!  The pictures below are two of my favorites. One as a mischievous little booger that torn my house apart, and the other picture is recent.  Same smile, same love for life and same wonderful gift!  #loveussomeAiden! 

2018 Christmas

   Merry Christmas from our house to yours!  I have grossly neglected this blog over the years but thought I’d do a quick update here instead of Christmas cards.  We are all doing good.  Busy as usual but good!  Shaelyn is 20 years old now (I know, crazy huh?!).  She is working on an Early Childhood education degree at a local college here is Salisbury.  She helps us with picking up Aiden from school each day,  which has been so helpful!  She has a very nice boyfriend that keeps her attention as well.  She is turning into a fine young lady that loves the Lord. We are super proud of her!
    Aiden is 11 and in the 6th grade.  He started Middle School this year and so far likes it! He  is in Art Club, plays the trumpet in the band and is a Crosby Scholar.  He and Rob are very involved in Boy Scouts and do lots of outings together.  His T1D is well managed and he is growing like a weed!  Hard to believe he will be 12 in Jan.              

    Rob is still at Food Lion and I’m still at ALDI.  Changes are coming for my job sometime in 2019. My current position is moving to Corporate.  Not sure yet what I will be doing  but am Trusting God for His will to be accomplished.   

We both are still active in our church. I am still working with the kids  and Rob and I both are singing in this year’s Christmas Cantata.

   We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas! God has been so good to us!   We trust that 2019 will be a wonderful, prosperous and healthy new year for you and yours!!    Merry Christmas!

Happy 7th "Forever Day" Aiden!

Sept 8th, 2008.  A date that will stand in my mind forever. Chongqing, China.  A place that will forever be etched in my memory.  It was hot and humid with no air conditioning in the Adoption Center.  There we were. Waiting, wondering, and anxiously pacing back and forth.  Waiting for a 20 month old little boy who had never known the love of a Daddy, Mommy or big Sister, but was about to get all three.  Would he cry? Would he grieve for the only life he knew?  Would he eat? Would he sleep? How severe were his special needs?  The questions I had were endless.  How did we get here anyway?  That was the big question.  We had no intentions of adopting again and had set our eyes on moving from our starter home and investing in a bigger, nicer, house.  Through a series of events, God spoke to Rob and I separately with the same message..."If you're going to invest in something....let it be ETERNAL".  A soul is the only thing eternal so we both knew what that meant.  We were being called to invest in a little soul in China. So together, we bowed before the challenge set before us knowing in our hearts that this baby boy was exactly the path God had chosen for us.  Yang FuSheng finally came into the adoption center escorted by a caregiver from the orphanage.  He was wearing the clothes we had sent to him in a care package a few weeks earlier. We were expecting a flow of tears and cries of grief but we saw neither.  It was as though he knew who we were and that our love for him was immense.  He never looked back!  Aiden has been one of life's greatest gifts to our family! Oh how thankful we are that we accepted the call God placed on our hearts!  7 years have passed since that Sept day, and Aiden has faced many challenges since then.  Through all the medical procedures, and daily sticks and pokes, he has never once complained.  Happy "Forever" Day to our wonderful, stubborn, happy-go-lucky little guy - Aiden Chase FuSheng.  He came into the adoption center as an orphan but left as our Son!  A loved, cherished, treasure!!   God's ways are not always easy but they by far are the best!!

God's Plan = My Reward

Happy Mothers Day!  Those words reeked havoc in my heart for many years but for the past 16 years have put a smile on my face.  Why?....because God's plan was far better than my own!

In 1998, after trying several rounds of fertility drugs, 2 surgeries, numerous tests, months and months of temperature charts and endless sticks and pokes, the Doctor finally handed me an adoption packet on the way out of his office.  I was devastated!  At that moment,  I felt like my life was over, my dreams were shattered and I certainly didn't want to think about adoption.   What was seemingly so easy for everyone else was impossible for me.  Little did I know at the time, that God already had my Motherhood planned and in motion.  Not the way I planned, but a far better plan.  A plan that I now feel completely humbled and honored to be chosen for. 

Two trips half-way around the world, thousands of miles traveled, countless hours on stuffy airplanes, mountains of paperwork, language barriers, unidentifiable food, squat potties, etc. etc. -  all of this a far cry from the pregnancy, labor and delivery I envisioned.  My journey to Motherhood may not have taken the traditional route but make no mistake,  it was a journey not for the faint of heart.  But as all mothers say...."I would do it again in a heartbeat to have my child".

Shaelyn came to me as a tiny package of healing for a soul that had been ravished by the pain and grief of  9 yrs of infertility.   Aiden came to me to fill a void I didn't even know I had.  Both were treasures, handpicked by God to be mine.  Not biologically mine, but MINE!  The fierceness of  my love for these two kids is hard to explain with words.

 From the adoption of my two children, I have experienced a deeper understanding of God's love for us.  What a blessing, what a gift, what a treasure!!  Thank you God for such a wonderful plan. My reward for following Your plan has been beyond beautiful! 

                                 Waiting at the US Consulate Appt. in China holding Baby Shay!

 

Aiden and I -  just a couple days home from China.

 

Goodbye 2014

June - Soccer Time! 

As I reflect back over 2014, I am amazed at just how far God has brought us.  He most definitely has held our hands through some pretty intense storms this year.  What would we do without His Grace?  We have had our share of  celebrations and disappointments but through it all, He has remained the source of our strength.  We are humbled that God blessed with so many things this year.  Not the material things that some might define as blessings, but things such as peace of mind and contentment.  Contentment in knowing that the road you walk (though steep and rough at times) is EXACTLY the path you are suppose to be on.    No greater joy I find then knowing who walks beside me on this journey of life.  Praying that 2015 will bring our friends and family much joy, happiness and contentment!



Our year in Pictures!





January -  Aiden turned 7 yrs old. He had a bowling party at Woodleaf Lanes!

February - the big snow! 

 March - Aiden spent 3 days in the Hospital - diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

April  - Easter Bunny goodies and EASTER EGGS!

May - Strawberry Picking!

 

 

 

June - Soccer Time!

June - Car Accident! :(                

July - Sweet Sixteen for Shaelyn!

 

 

July - Beach!!

 

 

 

 August - Look who is driving!!

 

 

 September -  Insulin pump!

October - Pumpkin Carving

 

 

November - Cub Scouts

 

 

December - Merry Christmas!

Steven Curtis Chapman - When Love Takes You In

Busy, Busy, Busy

It has been forever since I posted anything on this blog.  Just a very busy time of our lives and a lot going on.  We found out in March that Aiden has Type I diabetes and our lives have been a bit of a whirlwind since.  Happy to report that we are "weathering the storm" quite well and Aiden has been amazingly adaptable.  Shaelyn recently celebrated her 16th Birthday!  We had a cookout at the park with our family, friends and our church family.  The following Monday we headed to the beach for a few days of R & R.  We are busy, busy, busy but are still blessed beyond measure!

Happy 15th Forever Day Shaelyn!

Happy Forever Day to our beautiful daughter!  15 years ago, God gave us the most beautiful baby girl and we were beyond thrilled!  Today she is a beautiful teenager that is loved by many!  We are thankful God chose Shaelyn to be ours!  Happy Forever Day Shay we love you sooooo much!!

Happy 7th Birthday Aiden Chase Fusheng

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!  

Jan 5th 2007.  The date that my little man made his brave appearance into this cold, hard world.  For only a few days he was in the arms of the woman who gave him life.  Then he began the journey God had destined for him from the moment of conception.  The journey to our family!  That journey took several long months but the outcome was so worth it!  What a treasure we were given, what a joy we continue to experience!
Yang Fusheng was the name the orphange workers gave this little guy.  We were told this name meant "Rising Up".  How fitting!  He rises to each challenge he is given with a big, contagious smile!!  Aiden - the name his Daddy chose for him, means "Little Fire" .  Both names are sooooo fitting for our little man.  He has been an imense joy and a bright spot of laughter in our home since the 1st day.  We love him so very much and wish him many more Happy Birthdays!!!

From decorating the trees, picking out the annual Christmas ornaments, making gingerbread houses, to sitting on Santa's lap....this family has been thoroughly enjoying the Christmas Season!  We are blessed beyond measure and so very thankful for God's many gifts in our lives!

The Blessing of Aiden!!

Sept 8, 2008.....5 years ago tomorrow...God blessed us with the precious gift of our little boy!
We never realized just how much we needed this little guy....thankfully, God knew!  Aiden has been the sunshine we didn't know we were missing.  What a sweet, caring little boy he is!  Last night we  watched the Disney movie "Tangled". At the end of the movie the lost Princess finally finds her family and is reunited with them after 18 years.  I watched his face and was awestruck at the tears that slide down his little cheeks.  What a precious, tender heart!  Today, we visited some furniture stores trying to find Aiden a new bed.  His bed had broken and he was excited about getting a new one.  The ones we found were very expensive and we couldn't justify spending that much on a bed we were pretty sure he'd outgrow in a few years.  We left the stores without his brand new bed. He never uttered a word of complaint or even acted disappointed.  Off to the consignment store we went where we found a used twin bed for $20.  It was very dirty and was not much to look at. I knew we could clean it up and it would be fine but I secretly worried about how he would react to his "new bed".  He never acted a bit disappointed, never uttered a negative word and acted as though we had picked out a $2,000 bed.  We brought it home and the two of us set in to cleaning it out on the driveway.  With magic erasers in hand, bleach, scratch cover and good ole soap and water, we transformed his dirty bed into a very nice little bed.  After we had it set up in his room, I overheard him tell his sister...."Shay, you need to come wook (look) at my new bed, it's amaaaazing".   I have learned so many valuable lessons from this little boy.  He cherishes everything, values every day and every person he meets. It simply amazes me that a 6 year old can find something good in about every situation.   Yes, Aiden was an orphan and needed a family, but I do believe we needed him MORE than he needed us!!  Thank you God for the blessing of Aiden!

Fun Projects

Daddy is in Guatemala on a missions trip this whole week.  We miss him like crazy so I've been trying to do special things with the kids to make the week go by a bit faster.  So far we have gone out to eat, done some school clothes/supplies shopping, made a really neat bird feeder, had movie and popcorn night and today we made a name banner using the boards we've broken in martial arts class. Tomorrow night we are having a pool party (just the 3 of us) in the DARK with glow sticks all in the pool.   Fun times!  I so enjoy spending time with my kiddos but will soooo glad when Rob is home!  Miss him terribly!

Our bird feeder made from a lemonade bottle and 2 wooden spoons.

 

What do you do with broken martial arts boards?

 

 

Paint 'em

 

Hang 'em

Happy 15th Birthday Shay!

Happy 15th Birthday to our beautiful, talented, and kindhearted daughter.  God smiled on our family the day you were born!  He reached down and handpicked you to be ours forever!  We are forever grateful to God for allowing us to be your parents.  May all your wishes come true!

 

4th of July 2013

 Here is our family in the 4th of July parade.  We marched with out Martial Arts group :-)

 Aiden looking very proud of himself in the parade.

Happy 4th of July from the Roberts' family!