I Love This Shoe I Live In

My Baby Turns Two

2009-03-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

My sickly, skinny, weak little baby has turned two! What a miracle boy he is! There is nothing sickly or skinny about him anymore. He is running full speed and chases balls and cats and his sisters. He has a huge vocabulary and is very, very stubborn. He loves his Kenzie and his Boo and squeals and dances whenever they come home from school. Food is his most favorite thing in the whole wide world, and the scale proves it. He now weighs 29 pounds! He has an infectious laugh and screams like a little girl. We all love him more than we could have ever imagined. Happy Birthday Baby 'Lijah!

A Grandmother's Love

2009-02-23T06:09:00.000-08:00

We received a phone call last night from our adoption agency, and there was a great story to be told. The director of the agency is in Liberia now and was able to travel to Nimba County, which is where McKia and Meckie were both born. The kids spent the first part of their lives there living in extreme poverty. While we were in Africa, we were blessed to meet the birth mother, father and grandfather of our children. It was then that we discovered just how badly the birth families had been chastised and ridiculed for placing the kids up for adoption. This is what our director had to say about the trip to Nimba yesterday, and about meeting our children's grandmother...

"The first stop was the home of 7 of the children. Grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends all came out to see the pictures. When I showed them to an older lady, she didn't hardly see them before she started dancing and praising the Lord! It was amazing! She was so excited to see her grandchildren and how they were doing! She started saying, "I sell my children? I will never see them again? Look here!" She had been chastised for placing her children for adoption. As the common mindset here in Liberia is that 'adoption' means the children will be sold in slavery or taken for their organs or sent to Iraq for war. A big part of what God has allowed me to do this trip is to use the media to educate people on what adoption is! She was so excited to have proof to her naysayers that her grandchildren were happy and alive, and thriving!"

Apparently this sweet grandmother ran up and down the street shaking the pictures at anyone who passed her by while crying out that her grandchildren were alive and well. She wanted everyone to see how beautiful and healthy they are. Man how I wish I had been there!!! I am so happy that even though we are seperated by an ocean and on opposite sides of the globe, we can still reassure these families that their children are being cared for and loved, and that we can help make them feel better about letting them go. We have to remember that as much as we love these children now, they were also loved before.

Birthday Boys

2009-02-20T10:47:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go??? I just knew that when I started this blog, I would just ramble on and on everyday about what goes on here in our little lives. I guess I was being overly optimistic. I can't seem to write anything about us, but I sure do enjoy reading about everyone else!

So far this year we have had two birthdays. Jaxon turned 6 and Meckie turned 4. Jaxon had a family party at Chuck E Cheese and then a friend party at the park. He totally loved having his friends come and jump in his castle and race on their scooters through the park and over the hills. He had lots of friends there, both new and old, and he was having a grand time, until....he fell off of the bench backwards and slammed his head into the concrete. Wow! He had the biggest goose-egg with lots of screams and tears and thus, the party ended. We came really close to taking him to the ER, but all turned out okay and he has fully recovered.

A couple of weeks later Meckie had his MUCH anticipated party at Gattiland. We kept it kind of low key since he is learning how this party stuff works, and he loved every minute of it. I have started a new tradition of taking the birthday kid to the store to pick out all of their partyware and making a really big deal of the whole process. We always go all out with the decorations and such, and Meckie was very excited. I have always made the kids' birthday cakes, and take a lot of pride in the fact that they have always loved and appreciated them. When asked what kind of cake he wanted me to make, he immediately informed me that he wanted to pick one from the store! He chose Micky Mouse Clubhouse as his theme and he had the best time loading the buggy full of all things Mickey. We took him to a special lunch for his birthday and then to Gattiland for his party. After we came back home and unloaded all of his loot, he asked how many sleeps until his next birthday. It certainly doesn't take long to learn how it works!

How to eat a cupcake "Elijah Style"

2009-01-21T12:35:00.001-08:00

Wow, thanks mom!

Look, it's on my finger!

Mmm, I like it!

This is taking forever, and since I am already a mess...

Dad, tell me if Mom is looking!

Maybe I can get it in just ONE bite!

Sweet victory! (And sweet cupcake!)

Merry Christmas in January!

2009-01-09T15:33:00.000-08:00

Wow! This blogging is a lot harder than I thought! It only takes a few minutes to update, but finding those few minutes is a challenge. I am really going to try harder to keep the site updated with new happenings and new pictures. All anyone really wants to see are the pictures anyway, right?

December was a really busy and exciting month for us. We had my birthday and then the very next day celebrated McKia's 5th birthday. I will never forget her face as she enjoyed her day. She was totally the princess and to prove it insisted on a princess party. She and McKenna dressed the part and seemed to love it all. We kept everything pretty low key since McKia seems to still be a little bit overwhelmed by lots of people being around. After the birthdays came mine and Clint's 15th anniversary. Can you believe it??? We have put up with each other for 15 years and it only feels like 45 years! Not really babe. I know you are reading this and I am kidding. It's been a fun ride. Thank you for keeping me and loving me. You are the best!

Next was Christmas. We had a great time with my family and all of our kids. The "new kids" were totally amazed at all that happens during Christmas time and took it all in stride. They loved the lights and the food. They loved the candy and the trees. We read the Christmas Story a lot so that they would understand what Christmas is really all about. It sure didn't take them long to learn the ins and outs of ripping into presents! It was pricesless to watch as they opened each new thing and as always they were so appreciative. All of the kids received so many wonderful gifs. It was a fun fun time!

Finally it was New Years! Hooray! Every kid stayed up until midnight except for McKenna. She just couldn't make it that long. We had a wii tournament and ate lots of snacks. We toasted in 2009 with sparkling apple juice and there was lots of horn blowing and balloon popping. Fortunately we got to sleep in the next morning! The kids started back to school this past Tuesday so everything is getting back to normal finally. Well, whatever normal is anyway!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Many Many Blessings to you all. Thank you for checking in on us.

BTW - Blogger is so not cooperating with me and has placed my pictures here, there and yonder. Sorry for the messy layout!

A little randomness in pictures

2008-12-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

Wow! We have been so busy running around from this to that and I have totally neglected the blog! The kids are growning and thriving and just doing so great. Thanks for checking in on my crew!

Paintin' our Punkins

2008-10-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

We have been having a blast! We love fall around here and have been really busy. The kids have decorated and re-decorated the house with all of their crafts. We have been to the pumpkin patch and stomped through a corn maze. We've had kettle corn and turkey legs and carmel apples. Yum! Our costumes are being put together and we are so excited. Hope you enjoy the pics!

Yeah! Pictures!

2008-09-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

Can you even believe how much everyone has grown??? They are all doing so well. I am amazed everyday by each of these kids. Boo does still live with us. I just can't seem to get any pics of him lately!

Missed Adoption Blessings

2008-09-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

I still have not found my cord for my camera, so this picture from my phone is all that I have right now. I took the kids to a Homecoming Parade and this was taken at the park while we were waiting for the "loud trucks". The kids are doing so well and adjusting to this new life we are creating. They are thriving and are all very happy and healthy. We are very blessed.

I have really been reflecting lately on adoption and how our family has been impacted. Clint and I are blessed with a handfull of true, committed friends. We are so very thankful for those friends and were sad to leave them behind when we moved. The thing is, after moving to a new place with new people, you realize how truly unique those few friends truly are. We have been back to our "hometown" once for an adoption party for our children, given by our great friends. That party made it so evident that no matter what people say to you, no matter how many pats and smiles you receive, no matter how many seemingly sweet wishes are bestowed, people still don't understand adoption. People don't agree with "our kind" of adoption. My family is not looked upon as a family that is doing God's work. We are not looked upon as normal people just trying to live the life that we have been told to lead. So many people are missing the blessings because of ignorace or self-rightousness or whatever their issues are. We did not adopt because we wanted to add to our family. We could have done that all by ourselves. We didn't adopt to save children's lives. We are not that heroic. We did not adopt children that look just like us so as not to have too many people notice. Believe me, people notice! We adopted three beautiful blessings because adoption was laid on our hearts and placed right in our path so that we could not go around it, over it, or under it. We had to plow right through it. I am so thankful to have this family that I call mine. I count my blessing every day when all of these kids give me hugs and tell me they love me. I am so thankful for every night that I am allowed to tuck them all in and get I love you's from them all again.

All that to say, we have made some awesome new friends here in Midland. The people here are so receptive to our family. I am excited to be meeting some new friends on Saturday. I received a random phone call this week from another adoptive mom who has brought a daughter home from Ethiopia recently. She heard about our family and has invited us over for a cookout and some playtime. I am really looking forward to our families getting to know one another and seeing our kids interact with each other! There are lots of familes around here that are made a lot like us and we have been lucky enough to spend lots of time with them. I am hoping to get something organized for once a month get togethers so that we can all be active in each other's lives and have our own little support system. Maybe I can even get some pics before too long to share!

Where have we been?

2008-09-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I have done any blogging! I have been so consumed with sitting watching my soaps and doing my nails and eating Bon-Bons that I have neglected to update my little blog journal.

Oh, I kid.

In the last 30 days we have:
*sold a house
*bought a house
*traveled to Africa
*brought home three awesome new children
*registered in a new school district
*began new school activities and Freshman football
*MOVED!
*started in our new schools
*moved Clint's office to our new hometown

We are now in our wonderful new house and living out of boxes. The kids have made so many new friends and the people here are so nice. Our new neighborhood has lots of kids and very friendly neighbors, so we spend a lot of time playing outside. One drawback from the move was taking our 15 year old deaf/blind dog out of his normal element. Once we got him to our new home his health rapidly declined and we had to have him put to sleep. It was a very sad day for Clint and I, since Paxton is what I bought Clint when we married! I am a great gift-giver! Hee hee! Anyway, while we do love it here, we miss our friends and family at home. We aren't far, but it is still strange to not be able to have morning coffee or our usual playdates with our friends.
Kid update: Boo is LOVING school here and football. He has made lots of friends and is quite the social bug. Kenzie is very happy with her school and teacher. She is starting gymnastics and looking forward to that. Jaxie loves school and jumps right up each morning to get there. The littlest people in the house are spending their days tearing up my house and emptying our fridge. They are all growing and talking and running and jumping and yelling and coloring and eating and playing, and that is all within the first half hour of the day. Life is good. God is great. We are blessed.

More pictures

2008-08-20T16:45:00.001-07:00

I am so bad! I have not uploaded any of the million pictures I have taken since we've been home. I have some really good ones of the kids while in Liberia that are too good to not share, so that's what you get. I promise new pics of all of the kiddos together soon!

Also, could you please keep Meckie in your prayers? We have to see a pediatric cardiologist in a few days to see if there is a true hole in his aorta or if it is just a murmur. We have to do more tests and he was not real excited about the first round that we did, so I don't expect the second round to be much more fun. Thank you!

My baby is crawling!

2008-08-14T18:15:00.001-07:00

No more frog pull! Baby Elijah is now up on hands and knees, cruising around! What a difference seven days at HOME make!

Lots of Firsts

2008-08-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

We have been partying everyday! We are having an absolute blast! All of our kids are adjusting amazingly well, and it feels like we have been a family of ten forever. It has been incredible to witness so many "firsts" for our newest children. Traveling home for two days on four different airplanes was certainly an experience that I don't want to repeat anytime soon. The upside of those loooong plane rides was McKia discovering ice for the first time. She looked at it in her cup of sprite and asked me "What this?" She poked at it and was tickled about it wiggling around in her cup. I finally convinced her to try it so she wrapped it in a napkin and licked it until it was gone. They were terrified of the escalators in the airports, and learned that McDonald's chicken is the best, the french fries, not so much. Their ride home in their first carseats was torture and they let us know that they didn't appreciate being strapped in. Legos are lots of fun and the endless supply of baby dolls is overwhelming. We have had a birthday party for my niece and nephew and days later the Happy Birthday song is still being sung. We have been to restaurants and all of the kids are very well behaved and have liked just about every kind of food that we have given them. The great thing is they will try everything at least once. We have had lots of company and been to visit friends and they just roll with us like this has always been their life. They love church and did so great in their Sunday School classes. Meckie slept through most of his and McKia went to Kids Own Worship and loved it. Elijah hung out in the nursery with the other babies and did great. They are learning to play games on the computer and love to play music for dancing. Let me tell you - they have moves! McKia can't wait to wake up each day so she can pick out her clothes to wear and Mackenzie can't wait to "decorate" her hair. Everyone seems to have chosen a Buddy, and of course Elijah doesn't lack taxi service from place to place. I keep reminding the kids that he will learn to stand and walk if they will ever let his feet touch the floor! Each day is a new adventure and they are excited to see what we have planned for their entertainment.

Baa Baa Black Sheep - Liberian Style

2008-08-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

I recorded this while in Liberia, and I could never get it to load. Turn off the music at the bottom of the blog first to hear two incredible voices!

Home Sweet Home

2008-08-06T20:44:00.001-07:00

We FINALLY made it back home today! We missed our connecting flight from Houston to Midland on Tuesday night, so we had to spend the night in Houston. We got to the hotel at midnight (with NO luggage!) and then were back at the airport at 6:00am. The kids were awesome troopers and hung right with us the entire time. It was nice to just have a short plane ride today since it was our eighth time in a week to board a plane! We arrived at the airport to find my sweet family and friends waiting for us. They were holding signs that our kids made and all had huge smiles on their faces. I was smiling as well but with unbrushed hair and no makeup, and wouldn't you know, the Channel 7 news crew was there to do a story about us. I think we definately looked like we had been traveling for 2 1/2 days!
We have had company all day with people stopping by to meet our new additions. All of the kids have done amazingly well and seem to just fit right in. Everyone comments on how they were made for our family. The kids love their rooms and their things that we had here waiting for them. McKia Magdalene spent most of her day up on her bed fixing her doll's hair. Jaxon has been right along side her. Drayton Melchizedek (Mecky) has run and played all day and just had a blast. Deacon Elijah is the sweetest baby and seems very happy to be here. He is already doing so well compared to when we first saw him one week ago. We are all very happy to be in our beds tonight and can't wait for tomorrow's adventures. As always, thank everyone for your prayers and best wishes. Your prayers got us to Africa and back home again safely and with our children. We appreciate you all more than you can ever know!

Tonight was our last night...

2008-08-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. This time has passed before we could even stop and get our bearings. I cannot believe that we are flying back out and heading for home tomorrow. It seems like we just arrived. This week has been amazing, with each day bringing more excitement than the one before. It will take me months to process everything that I have seen, felt and experienced. Yesterday probably topped all days, with today being a close second.

The picture that you see above is Clint and I with Magdalene and Melchizedek's "first parents". They drove over six hours to meet with us. We were very surprised to find out that they were coming, and only had about 30 minutes notice. We were extremely nervous. We wanted them to approve of us so badly. The instant that they walked into our hotel room we knew that we loved them. They spent a couple of hours here with us and we talked and shared personal stories. They asked the questions that have been weighing on their minds for the past 14 months. They thought that we weren't really coming for their children because it was taking so long. The tribal commity that they come from are primarily Muslim, and they were told horrible things about us as adoptive parents. Near the end of our conversation, the children's father made the statement that this day was "the best day of his life". Can you ever get a bigger compliment than that??? He told us that he and his wife love their children enough to not just let them leave the country with just anyone. They are very devout Christian people and love these kids just as we as parents in America love ours. They just lack the resources and benefits that we are blessed to have to care for them. After our visit, they left with the promise to come back today (Sunday). They came back and also brought the children's grandfather. He apparently wanted to see us with his own eyes, and so he came. We also had the honor of visiting with two more sets of parents and grandparents of the other children leaving Africa. All of the other travelling families had left the hotel so everyone gathered in our room to see our children. For three hours we had 13 Liberians and Clint and I in our little hotel room. The picture above is of some of us, but the woman who I got from out in the hall had never taken a photo before, so this is as good as we got. I sat on the mini-fridge and the others crowded in on the beds, desk and floor. The third picture is of the Three Mama's. The one in the middle is the Mom from the orphanage that was assigned to Meckie anad Maggie and has cared for them for all this time. She came all the way into town after church to do Maggie's hair for me before leaving for home. The one on the end is their First Mom. Two sweet sweet ladies! We had the best time while watching Sesame Street. These precious people have never even seen tv, much less animated children's tv. They asked me how the bird talked like that. We explained everything from puppets to animation and everything in between. We laughed at each other's language and the barriers that we have faced this week. At the end we all joined hands and the children's father prayed the sweetest prayer I have ever heard. We said our goodbye's, and they were gone.

After our visit with the families, we took a trip out to the Children's Home. No number of pictures or video could have prepared me for what I saw. The children immediately began singing to us when we arrived and they are all amazing. Clint had gone to the market and filled the biggest sack full of candy and we hauled it out. Everyone got lots of treats and we made our way around visiting with each group of children. We laughed because Mel and Mag had this little strut going as if to say "I am just here visiting. I won't be staying long." They stuck very close but were still comfortable playing with their friends. I gave out some gifts that we had carried, and then we got the tour from our daughter. She showed us her room where she has spent the last 430 nights on a concrete floor with a foam mattress. Meckie's room was the same. They have new tables to sit at to eat so they are no longer eating from the floor, and the new toilets are in place and very are nice. She and her friend Mary demonstrated how they pump water from a big well to fill a cup of water to drink. She was very proud of her former home and wanted us to see it all. We gave the worker's all a small gift and they were so appreciative. They hugged us all and thanked us. That seems so backwards. They have cared for these children and kept them alive and they are thanking us for a very little something. When we left, I reminded Maggie to get her babydoll that has made every step and trip we have since we arrived and gave it to her. She informed me that "I gave it to my best friend Mary. I don't need it now. I am leaving to America with you." Wow. My new daughter, she is something else.

Our prayer is that we will be flying out of Liberia tomorrow night at 8:30. Please pray that we don't run into any obstacles and that we are allowed to leave with our children and our sanity. We appreciate all of your encouraging words and prayers that allowed us to get here in the first place. We arrive in Midland Tuesday night at 10:30, so whoever would like to be at the airport and can make it is welcome. We would love to introduce you to our three newest miracles!

Exhaustion has set in, therefore pictures have to do!

2008-08-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Another day, another journey

2008-08-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from our day. We went to the market again and purchased handmade African outfits. The room had about 25 old old sewing machines and tons of material. Men, women and children were in there just sewing away. They can turn out those outfits in no time! It was really cool. Then we went and looked at some more shops that sold everything from boiled eggs (we HAD to have those), bread and mayonaise (Had to have that too), wood carvings, paintings and handmade bags. It is amazing what all they tote around. It doesn't take long for these kids to learn how to work it. Everything that Miss Mag saw she would say "Buy it for me MaMa". Brother. It is just so strang to me that people just have these perishables sitting around for sale. There is no refrigeration so those eggs just sit in jars and the fruit is just cut up and in chunks everywhere. They think I am crazy when they drop something in the street and I yell "No! It's yucky!". Nothing is too yucky here.

We went to dinner at the MonaLiza tonight and the kids had spaghetti and ice cream for the first time. They were very impressed! They kept telling me thank you for the noodles. I put some on their plates and then cut it up for them. Each time I gave them more Magdalene would take her fork and knife and cut hers up just like me. I taught her how to blow kisses and she blew them at us all through dinner. They were very well behaved and just sat and sang with the two other boys that are with us and just had a great time together. They all share their food with each other and all eat off of the same forks. I have had to give up on trying to keep germs contained to their rightful owners. It is impossible to make them understand that what they have is theirs. I guess that is a good thing, but just kind of gross!

Elijah has run some fever today and has been kind of listless, so we started him on some antibiotic and tylenol. I think he will be fine. He isn't accustomed to be carried all over Liberia and not napping all day. We have certainly worn him out. He is the cutest little thing! We have so many funny stories - Clint was drawing for the kids today and he drew a giraffe that he was quite proud of. Meckie took one look at it and said "PaPa, that's a donkey!". While we were ordering food, I asked Maggie if she wanted a hot dog. She asked "What kind of dog?" I said "Well, it's sausage (weinie) in bread". She said "Oh, then a Sausage Dog?" Yes baby. Whatever. We were telling them about the things to do in America. They got very excited and Maggie says "I am going to America! My parents are there!". I guess we are just the babysitters.

Thanks for everyone checking in and keep those prayers coming. We travel home Monday so we need lots of prayer to get us through customs and out of the airport. Hope everyone is well. We miss you guys!

A little Liberia

2008-08-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

And then there were smiles...

2008-07-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today has been totally amazing. We were up early and out the door at 8:30am to our Embassy appointment. The wait wasn't too long and we were honored to get to meet with the Consular herself. I was very impressed and she is definately a woman of character and wisdom. Meckie walked right in ahead of me and she stuck out her hand to see if he would shake hers. Not only did he reciprocate, but with great gusto. He kind of gave her a shake/five/liberian snap all in one. She was taken aback and got really tickled. I guess he was proving that he deserved to be there and wasn't leaving without his business. I was so proud! :) We then had a little time to kill so Amos and HollyAnn took us to a market. Wow. It was not like any market I have ever seen, but the people were very nice and we found some awesome things. The kids each picked out a necklace for themselves and then one for their brothers and sisters. After that we had to go to the medical clinic for Elijah to be cleared for travel. He has been reported to have some medical issues, and the dr requested that he be checked out once more before we leave with him. Amos, our social worker (and a Saint I think) stayed with us the three hours that we sat and waited. He escorted us to the "dentist room" so that we didn't have to sit with the rest of the patients there. I am so very thankful for the private room. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see all of those people there in such need and not enough service to go around. After our three hour wait (without airconditioning or any ventilation for that matter) the Dr did an x-ray and then called only me back to his office. Of course my heart was pounding! Amos and I went to his office and he listened to Elijah (who was most unappreciative) and then said the best words - "He is perfect. I see no evidence of previous illness or no current illness.". Praise God!

We did some driving around (it was no Sunday drive!) and then finally back to the hotel. We spent an hour here in our room with Morris and the other awesome, awesome young men that work for Pastor Wesley. At 5:00 all three traveling families and this group of men all went to the beach for dinner. It was wonderful. We got to share stories and learn more of the Liberian culture. Of course I forgot the camera battery, so no pics to share. The kids did not like the ocean and didn't like the sand on their feet. Meckie put on a show though. At one point we were eating and he walked away. I turned to see where he was headed and just a few feet away he had his pants pulled down and was gazing into the ocean and wetting the sand. Everyone got a huge laugh out of it and I assured them that he is certain to be a McCoy. We entertain wherever we go.

We came back to the hotel for Mag and Meckie's first bath in a real tub. They were so excited! The got right in, squatted down and began throwing water all over themselves. Such is the Liberian way! They were laughing and splashing and just smiling from ear to ear. That is when my heart soars! I truly believe that they want to keep us and that we make them happy. Tonight when we were leaving our new friends' room Maggie said "Mama, carry me". I was so excited that she called me Mama all by herself and when I told her so she just smiled and squeezed my neck. She makes sure that she is wherever I am and she will do just as I do. If I have my sunglasses on my head, hers are on her head. If my legs are crossed, so are hers. She is my mirror. Meckie is now very comfortable. We aren't sure if that is a good thing or not. He is so smart and into everything and talks to everyone. It takes one of us to keep up with him! Elijah is the sweetest thing. He has the most precious little giggle and smiles everytime I look at him. I will be honest and admit that I was beginning to worry about him. He just was so blank and had no expression. That timid baby is gone and now we have a very happy, funny baby. He loves to be talked to and constantly touches our faces. Gosh I love them.

I miss my kids at home so badly! As much as we are enjoying our time here, I am missing them so much more. I wish that they could have come with us, but we fully intend on bringing them back someday. We think about them all the time and love showing off their pictures to anyone that will look. We are so proud of each of them and know that if they weren't so great, then we would have never been able to do this. We are a team and it will take all of us together to make it work. I have no doubts that we will do just fine.

Thanks to everyone for the best wishes and sweet words, but most of all the prayers that you are lifting in our names. We definately feel the benefit of those prayers. We have not once been afraid or worried. We know that God sent us here for this purpose and he will bring us home to share these babies with everyone! Goodnight! We will see you all tomorrow!

Sweet Victory!!!

2008-07-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

There aren't really words to describe what we feel right now. I will let the pictures do the talking for me. It is just impossible to explain what it is like to have precious gifts from someone else be handed to you with the agreement that you take care of them from now til forever.

We arrived at the airport and had no problems getting through customs, so that was a huge answered prayer. HollyAnn and David were waiting for us and whisked us off to the van. There was a little boy standing outside of the van with five dozen eggs balanced on the top of his head that he was selling. There were men knocking on the windows with carvings to be sold. There were people everywhere selling everything and men trying to grab our bags so that they could carry them for a tip. It was crazy. We traveled to the hotel with a driver that delivered us safely but was nothing like I had ever experienced. There are not specific sides of the road to drive upon. It is whoever is going the fastest and has the loudest horn wins. Liberia is amazing and beautiful. It is filthy and stinky. There are horns blaring outside our hotel window and we can hear people yelling. Everyone is very polite and eager to help, but they are so hard to understand. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

When HollyAnn brought the kids up to our room, Meckie had just woken up. He was a little timid at first but went right to Clint. Maggie just came to me like she had known me forever. Baby E was at Pastor Wesley's house, so HollyAnn went to get him. We brought the kids into the room and just looked at them and marveled at where we are and how far we had to come. They are absolutely amazing. We got out some toys and gifts that we brought, but Meckie wasn't interested much. We played and looked at books and fed baby dolls and took pictures. Maggie loves to look at the screen after the picture is snapped. I took one of the two of us and asked her who it was. She said "Magdalene and MaMa". My heart jumped out of my chest! Then we took a pic of Meckie and Clint and she said "That is Meckie and PaPa". Tears tears tears! Morris came next and that was a sweet introduction. He said he is very proud to be part of our family. Then HollyAnn arrived with Baby E amongst a lot of chaos. Clint had been helping Meckie in the bathroom and sat on the toilet seat and the whole thing broke and fell in. That was a quick $30 to the front desk. Elijah was half asleep and when I took him he just laid his head on my shoulder. Anyone else that tried to take him made him cry. He was not fond of Clint, but seemed to be comfortable with Morris a little more. He is teeny tiny and has very little muscle tone. He is 16 months old and can sort of sit up and kind of frog crawls. I put the size two diapers on him and they are big. He will be wearing 9 month clothes for a while until we can fill him out a bit. Meckie is small too and wears about a 2t, and Miss Mag is in a 4t. It won't be any time until they are all filled out.

After a dinner of fried rice from across the street, everyone got into their new pj's and climbed in bed. Maggie wants me to sleep with her, and Meckie wouldn't even get onto the bed without Clint getting in first. Elijah went to sleep beside Maggie while drinking his bottle. He woke up a few minutes ago and played with a toy and then went right back to sleep. I think I will just stay up all night and stare at them. I might wake up and discover that this was all a dream!

I hope everyone back home is good. It is almost 10:00pm here and I still need to unpack and do paperwork for our Embassy appointment tomorrow. We love you all and will update again tomorrow. Thank you for checking in on us and praying for us. God is so good!

We made it to Brussels!

2008-07-30T00:58:00.000-07:00

We are here in Brussels, Belgium finally! Wow it takes a looong time to fly across the world! We still keep saying "I can't believe we are in Belgium! Who would have thought???" We have actually had a wonderful trip so far. Our plane rides have been very smooth and we got some sleep while flying across the ocean. The airport here is kind of designed like a mall, only with security checkpoints. The main language seems to be French and German, with a little Dutch thrown in to confuse us. It is a little bit stinky and really loud. Clint is admiring everyone's shoes and I can't believe all the men wearing capri pants! Boo, you would love it here. We have about an hour before check in for our final flight. Clint is trying to find someplace to get a coke, but all of the machines only take Euro bills and coins. We have taken lots of pictures from this first leg of our adventure to show everyone back at home. My computer shows that it is 3:03am there. It is strange that the sun is shining and people are running around here and that at home my family is home tucked snug in their beds. I miss them more than I ever thought that I would, and can't wait to get back home to them.

There are a lot of Liberians gathering around the gate waiting for our plane. I am really looking forward to spending that time learning about the culture and listening to those accents. I get tickled everytime I hear them carry on a conversation. We are sooooo anxious to get to Liberia to love on our babies. My heart skips a beat everytime I think of meeting them for the first time. I have played several scenarios in my head - we'll see if any of them are even close to reality! We keep wondering how we are going to get throught these airports at the speed of light toting three extra bundles. It's a good thing our carry-ons roll. I hope they like fast rides!

Love to you all. We will update as soon as we can and share our precious new ones with you all. We miss all of you at home!

We're off!

2008-07-29T04:22:00.001-07:00

See you in Brussels!

Destination:Liberia....again

2008-07-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

Take Two: We head out of here at 9:35 in the morning!

Thank you for the prayers! They will get us to Liberia yet!

Visas in hand

2008-07-28T06:21:00.001-07:00

We have visas! We received a phonecall at 5:00am from the Midland Post Master. She had our package in hand so Clint drove over and picked them up. Now we just need plane tickets and we are on our way!

So here's the story

2008-07-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

We sent off for our visas the minute we had tickets to travel. Our travel agent kept having to change our flights due to limited seat availability at the missionary rate. Our flights were changed back and forth several times and when it looked like we were pretty set we mailed off our visa applications with our original passports, which is required to process the applications. There is a rule that you cannot apply for a visa prior to 2 weeks from your travel date. We sent it "overnight delivery" and it was due to arrive in Washington DC on Monday. We also sent a return "overnight delivery" envelope for our visas and passports to be delivered back to us by Wednesday. Along with all of this we paid the additional $100 to have our visas expedited within a 24 hour period. I kept calling the Liberian Embassy in Washington, DC to make sure that all of this was okay and was assured that it was. Wednesday came and went and we received no package. Thursday we had to be out of town (you know, to find house) and the mail came and no package. At this point the Embassy was closed and we had no way of knowing the tracking number for our return package. We began our numerous calls on Friday and the woman at the Liberian Embassy was extremely difficult, but finally gave me the tracking number. When we entered that number on the USPS site, it was an "unknown number". She refused to help us and hung up on Clint three different times. She swore that she put it in the mail and that we should have received it on Wednesday. We couldn't ever get past her to talk to someone else. At this point we had Monahans, Midland and Washington, DC looking all over their mailrooms for our package. At 4:00 our time Clint was finally able to talk to the exact postman that picks up mail from the Embassy. He looked over his records and reported back that he had never (NEVER!) picked up a package from the Embassy for our zip code the entire week. This told us that what we had suspected had happened and our package had never left someone's desk.

I had to cancel our flights by 5:00 or lose every last penny. That was the hardest call to make! We spent the rest of the evening being very sad and very angry that everyone was leaving without us and it was all due to someone not doing their job. At 10:30pm I searched the USPS site once more, and low and behold our tracking number was now good. The report showed that our package had been received and scanned at 8:48 pm in MARYLAND!!! What??? Apparently someone had our package and had failed to mail it like they claimed. It was dropped in a BOX in MARYLAND and has now begun it's way to us.

We are praying that we receive our package Monday and we can book a flight for Tuesday. John is trying to get us an Embassy appt for Thursday. IF all of this goes just right we can still be in Liberia to get our children and join the group for the last leg of their journey. We would have to stay a few days past the rest of our friends, but oh well. At least we would have our kids and be on our way back home soon! I will keep everyone updated. I want you all to know that I appreciate your sweet emails and prayers on our behalf. Don't stop now!

Don't even know what to say...

2008-07-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

We will not be going to Africa tomorrow. Apparently sometime this week our visas and passports were "misplaced" somewhere between the desk at the Liberian Embassy's office in Washington, DC and the mail carrier that should have scanned them in. They were late getting to Washington DC from Texas for reasons that can't be explained to me, but hooray, I get my "overnight" delivery fees refunded to me. Aren't I lucky. We have been looking for our package to arrive since Wednesday, and it is just nowhere to be found. I was confident that we would receive it today and we could breathe that sigh of relief. That didn't happen and no one can tell us when it might all be fixed. I don't know why I expected anything different to happen this time. This whole adoption has been one big mess and disaster after another. I don't know why I was silly enough to expect anyone to be willing to help us today because there has certainly not been a lot of guidance up to this point. Anyway, we will see if we can locate our paperwork on Monday and go from there. I don't know when we can travel again. We have to re-book flights (after $1000 worth of cancelation penalties) and re-schedule an appointment with the Embassy in Liberia.

Check

2008-07-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Sell a house....check
Find a house....check
Pack bags for trip....1/2 check
Complete paperwork for trip....check
Prepare decorations for a baby shower...1/4 check
Shopping for trip/kids at home....check
Delegation of duties while gone....check
Becoming a total raving lunatic moron....check, check and once more check

32 hours till takeoff.

I am going to Africa to get my babies.

OMG.

Tick, Tick, Tick

2008-07-23T23:18:00.000-07:00

No not the bugs. I am so feeling the tick tick tick of the clock. Saturday morning is right around the corner. Why is it that I always wait until the last minute to do anything??? The good news is that I have two suitcases packed and ready to go. They each weigh 48 pounds, so that is good. The bad news is I have to find a new house in a new town tomorrow. Our house sold and now we have to find a home or live out of our car. We don't drive a 10 passenger RV, so I have to get busy and pick a place for my people to reside and destroy. We also must get our children registered for their new schools so that we can begin the ritual of crushing skulls at football practice. Can we do it? Sure. Can we do it gracefully? Not so much.

God has opened amazing doors these last couple of weeks, and we are extremely blessed, undeserving people. I just want to give God the glory that He deserves. My children are well, my husband and I are speaking (heehee), and we are getting ready to travel to AFRICA! Have I mentioned that one or twenty times? It's just still so crazy. I'm viewing it as "Spring Break in the Wilderness". To all of my great friends who are waiting for their kids to be cleared so that they can be brought home: Hang in there my friends. Your time will come and until then, we will deliver lots of hugs to your babies and tell them how much you love them. We will bring back tons of pictures to carry you through. Remain faithful! Thank you all for your friendship through this journey. Hopefully you will still be my friends when my person returns and my sanity leaves me!

Preparing for the Squeezin'

2008-07-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

My friend Sarah sent me these pics from the Children's Home during her recent visit. I can't wait to sqeeze these little people! Miss Maggie is above in the pink and Mister Mecky is right there beside her as always!

Eight Days and Stressing

2008-07-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

Eight more days till takeoff. Visas are applied for. Hopefully that was the LAST of the paperwork until we arrive in Liberia. I hate paperwork. I had to send off our original passports and that makes me way nervous. I am making a little headway with the packing. I figure that by the time I get everything in and the suitcases zipped, I will have rearranged it all no less than 68 times. It is amazing to look at the stuff with tags attached being new and crisp and to realize that in just over a week it will all be dirty and broken in. I will lug it all back and probably complain about having to do so much laundry.

It will be a welcome addition to the already ginourmous laundry pile. I can't wait.

Ten Days and Counting

2008-07-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ten more days from today. That's not a lot of time between now and takeoff you know. Have I gotten any packing done? Nope. Have I gotten a lot of shopping done? Heck yes. That's the fun part. I just keep looking at all of this stuff and wondering where I think I am going to put it. Apparently I had the misconception along the way that we could each take 13 suitcases and must be bringing 10 children home. It certainly looks that way judging by the piles I keep sorting through. Oh well. It will be like Christmas when we come home. My current dilemma is chosing what to take for the kids. I realize that these precious babies have worn clothing five sizes too big, and Miss Mag has had on the same dress in every picture I have seen, and they have been perfectly happy about it. For some reason I want to dress them up in perfectly fitting (and matching, hee hee) outfits with cutsie little shoes. I am so worried that things will be too big or too small. I don't want anything itchy or scratchy. I want matching hair baubles for my girl. I don't want my baby Elijah to be swimming in clothes, but I have no idea what size he is now. I am so proud that we have been blessed with these little people and I just want to do it right. I certainly don't want to be the mommy who doesn't know what she is doing with these Liberian children. What if I do Mag's hair wrong? Will they make me give her back and give me all boys? I just want these sweet Liberian people to know that I really can be a good mommy to these kids from their country.

Oh, the pressure.

Can't function

2008-07-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Thinking of getting a one way ticket to Africa....

Still Not Believing It!

2008-07-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

We have an Embassy appointment for July 29th! We will travel July 23rd or July 26th, whichever they have seats for. Please pray that some seats open up because this could still be a problem. I can't believe it! We are going to AFRICA to get our BABIES!!!! Thank you God!!!!!

Stay tuned...

2008-07-10T06:03:00.001-07:00

I think we might have some good news soon...

Same story, different day

2008-07-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while. First and foremost, we have no adoption news. I know, BIG surprise. As usual, we are getting the runaround. When we finally get a response, it is the standard "We are waiting to hear, blah blah blah". Whatever. I have been contacted by many other parents who are in the same boat with the same issues, and these people are ready to move, whatever it takes. It has passed being ridiculous and even shameful. There is absolutely no reason that our kids are not in our homes and being loved and nurtured. There is no excuse for lack of professionalism. There is no point in hiding behind God. That is just sad. God gave us brains and abilities and he expects us to use that to honor Him and His Glory. It isn't God that has kept our children in Liberia. I don't even agree that it is His will. He brought these children to our attention and has now allowed them to be given our name. He has allowed all of the paperwork to be completed. He has paved the way. Now we just need someone who feels the same urgency and determination to get us an appointment at the Embassy. We are tired, but it is okay. Fortunately there is more than one way to achieve results.

We are making big changes around here and it is very exciting! The kids are enjoying their summer and we are of course just trying to keep up. We made it through vacation and had a blast being together with our family. I hope everyone is well!

Lasy day here, then back to reality

2008-06-28T22:22:00.001-07:00

Beach Pics

2008-06-26T17:02:00.001-07:00

This is how She rolls...

2008-06-24T22:18:00.001-07:00

Family Fun, or something like that

2008-06-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

I am vacationing with my people. Please pray.

We arrived in San Antonio on Sunday instead of Monday because "We just have to leave Sunday Mom. It is so boring here and we have to have some fun". Now you all know that we have been doing absolutely nothing with our days and nights this summer. Well nothing aside from the swimming, going to the movies, having 35 friends spend the night, the shopping, the crafting, story hour at the bookstore, Bible School, going to the park, softball games, t-ball games, the having our hair done and just making sure that we don't spend more than two minutes being still and/or quiet. I'm sure you all can see how bored we have all been. Anyway, we left a day early because my family likes to challenge our laundry system (or lack thereof) and I to see how many loads of "quickwash" we can run before the washer shakes down the hall and right out the door. After that marathon of preventing nakedness we threw clothes in bags, snacks in sacks, gathered our assorted beach tools and towels and headed out. I wish I would have taken a picture of our pile of junk before loading. It is truly something to see what we think we need for a simple relaxing time at the beach. Seven people and all of our necessities is quite a site.

We arrived at our hotel with all of our children, my mother and the new puppy accounted for. We unloaded and headed for the Riverwalk. Of course it makes perfect sense to visit the Riverwalk at 4:00 in the afternoon while it is 106 degrees and walking 4 miles in flipflops. Poor Stet and Boo - they ended up carrying Kenna. They both drew the line and refused to carry me. Brats. We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (I am not only old but now deaf). Then we came back to the hotel for swimming and margaritas. (Well, the kids swam and I had the much needed margarita.) The agenda today consisted of the Market Square (fun), the zoo (eww), Dick's Sporting Goods (I have 3 boys) Target (hello, we can't miss one) and then to Dave & Buster's (Yum!). Now everyone has passed out from exhaustion (yeah!) and we will swim in the morning and head to Port Aransas tomorrow afternoon.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far. I pray that your families don't get "bored". I would recommend a list of chores or at least a Valium before a vacation! :)

Summertime, ho hum

2008-06-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since the last McCoy Madness update. We have some big things happening around here! The latest word from our agency is that "travel is right around the corner". I wonder how many miles that corner is? We are very hopeful that we can travel around the first part of July. We will leave for vacation on Monday and be gone one week. We are all looking forward to being out of Monahans and lounging on the beach. The kids have been making their lists of things to do and it looks like I will need Valium and Dramamine! They want to parasail, go deep sea fishing, ride roller coasters and cook live crabs. Maybe there won't be much lounging after all! We will be vacationing with my mom, my dad and my sister's family so it should be lots of fun. I love my little niece and nephew and always have a good time with them! Now if I can just get the seven of us packed! Someone has to do some laundry around here. Maybe we can just find a nudist beach and then I won't have to pack anything! There will me lots more to do when we return home, so we have to take notice of our time away before the craziness continues!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer! It sure is flying by!

PS- Several people have asked how to leave a comment on the blog. You can either set up a free Blogger account and sign in to leave a comment, or just click Anonymous and then leave your name in your comment. It's really easy and lots of fun. I have several blogs that I like to read, so it can become addicting! ha

New Picture

2008-06-10T23:07:00.000-07:00

This is a current picture of Melchizedek, Magdalene and our new friend Morris. He is a student who lives by Pastor Wesley and has been sort of a "student" under the Pastor. Morris is now attending the University and our family has agreed to be his sponsor. Just like our adoption, we have gotten more benefit out of our new relationship with this awesome man that he could ever experience from us. He is 21 years old, and has had a very rough life. He desires to make something of himself and is attending school to become a doctor in Liberia. We have laughed because since our very first email from him he has addressed Clint and I as "Mom and Dad". Looks like we have been blessed with a grown child as well! ha He really is great and he emails us daily. This is a huge feat for him since he has to travel to an area that not only has internet connection, but it must have electricity too! That is not something that is easy to find in Liberia! He was very excited to learn about Mel and Mag and went straight to the home to meet them. He visits them very often and always reports back to us about how they are doing. We will get to meet Morris in person when we travel to Liberia, and I don't know who is more excited about that - us or him! He wants to show us his school and has promised to escort us around and seems to be really proud about us coming to see him. We see how little it takes to make someone feel like they belong in a family no matter what age, color or background. Everyone deserves a family, even if they are on the other side of the world!

It's A Boy!

2008-06-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

WahHoo!!! We have a Court Decree for Elijah! He is now legally Elijah Yormie McCoy. Isn't that awesome??? Once we get him into the states, his name will be changed to Deacon Elijah McCoy. Our Agent emailed today (about three minutes ago!) and said that she would be contacting the Consular to make our Visa appointment. We will then purchase our tickets and go get Our Kids! Oh My Gosh! We have a Baby Boy! We have another Daughter! We have another Son!!!!! Praise God!

Adoption Update

2008-06-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

Our new and exciting update for today is once again, nothing. Our adoption decree may or may not be signed. It may or may not have been picked up from the judge. It may or may not be waiting to be registered. No one seems to know anything and apparently no one can find out, for whatever reason. Three weeks ago we thought we were days away from FINALLY getting to travel. Why haven't we learned our lesson? What seems to be just within our reach is yanked to the ends of the earth and here we sit once again, waiting for tomorrow. Then we wait for another Monday. Then we wait for another couple more days. We have to explain to our kids everyday that we are doing everything that we can as parents to get these kids home. We can only do so much - it is up to the "professionals" to do the rest. The kids are past being upset or disappointed. They are just mad. I think if we let them be in charge of this mess our kids would be home next week! They would get results. They don't take to "waiting" very well, and wouldn't be quite as patient as we are expected to be. One of the most frustrating aspects of this adoption thing is the negative reflection it has for prospective adoptive parents. When we first started the process and accepted a referral (OVER A YEAR AGO!!!!), we had so many people ask us how it is done and all seemed so interested. We had several families tell us that they really thought they would love to bring in a child or children to their home to be a Forever Family. Well, that has certainly changed. Due to this process being so ridiculously long and drawn out, those prospective families have seen the heartache and anguish that has gone on in our lives. We keep smiling and saying the right things, but they know better. They now think adoption is something they would never do. Think how many children could be brought into their Forever Families. Think how many lives could be saved. Think how many eternities could be spent with Jesus if they could just know about Him. Think how many families would be blessed by adoption. Adoption is such a wonderful thing, and something that should be happy. Maybe I should get a tee-shirt made that just says "Really, I know it will be worth it when the kids are home. Just don't ask me about it today."

Say a prayer...

2008-06-01T20:38:00.001-07:00

Our great friends Cindy and Todd are in court RIGHT NOW (10:32 pm) in Russia before a judge who will approve their adoption of sweet Valerie. Everyone say a prayer that the judge sees how great they are and how great they would be for Little Princess V. Pray now- hurry! God will most certainly hear us!

Happy Day - School is almost out!

2008-05-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

We have been running around chasing kids from one end-of-the-year activity to another. Whew - we are almost finished! I am really looking forward to spending the summer with them just playing and hanging out together. We have not planned a lot of things for them to do individually since we are all on an "extended life hold" due to the adoption. We will visit the pools and probably the sandhills and just have fun. We are not a family that adheres to schedules very well and structure tends to be overrated. We like to sleep late, stay up later and have lots of fun in between! Happy Summer Ya'll!

And the wait continues, and continues, and ...

2008-05-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

So, yeah. Saturday was a day of celebration. Elijah was made a McCoy. We were so optimistic that we would hear more positive news in the coming week. Wrong. Again. You would think that we would be used to the roller coaster ride of adoption by now. Not so much. One might assume that each time we heard good news, we would progress with more good news. Negative. The new story that we get is basically, no one in Liberia has had time to go to the judge's office and pick up the signed decrees. That's it. One trip for one person to handle. It apparently is not priority this week. We don't know when it will become important. No one likes to ask too many questions. The closer to the end we get the more confused I get and the more I ask "why does it have to be so hard". I just keep reminding myself that we know with all of our hearts that these three children in Liberia were each born by one mother, but were placed by God to be raised by another. We don't doubt God. We doubt the system. We have lost faith in those we placed our faith in from the beginning. Adoption is the absolute most wonderful gift (for the receiving parents) and it is frustrating that the way by which adoption must happen is so ridiculous. It is simple really. All children need love. Families provide love. Children need families. Why can't everyone get it? Why do the people holding the cards not feel the same urgency that we do? Why does it have to be so hard?

Official Panic Mode has begun

2008-05-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Oh.My.Gosh.

We received word from our Adoption Agency that Baby Elijah's court decree has been signed. This is what we have been waiting on (rather patiently in my opinion) for a loooooong time. He is now officially Elijah Yormie McCoy. We are now the proud parents of eight children. All McCoy's.

Eight.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
That is a lot.
We are blessed.
Times eight.

Thank you for your prayers.

Good Times

2008-05-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

So, there is nothing more entertaining than lowering oneself down onto a softball park toilet and hearing these words come from your daughter:

"Look mama! There is a spider crawling right up that potty!"

Good times for sure. Now let me pause while I wipe off my leg.

That's my Jaxie-Man!

2008-04-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

This morning Jax came up to me and we had this conversation:

J: Mom, when are we going to get our babies?

Me: I don't know sweetie. I think the time is getting closer.

J: Can you send Africa an email and tell them that we have been waiting long long? Tell them that we want them here because we love them and I need someone to play with.

Me: I can't really send them an email, but you could pray that Africa says we can get them soon.

J: Okay, I will pray that they come soon. Tell me again, when did we order them?

I guess he thinks they will be shipped FedEx, much like our internet orders. Does that mean that our children are "backordered"? Maybe we should just let five year olds run things a while and we might get some results!

Orphanage Project Liberia

2008-04-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Here is someting VERY exciting! My new friend, Kami Johnson, is partnering with her husband and others to complete a vision in Liberia. Kami traveled to Liberia in January with a group of families that were picking up their children. She was blessed and got to meet and love on my babies for me! She went along on the trip to do some research for the construction of a new orphanage building. The building that Greater Love Children's Home maintains now is small and cramped. The new building will be two story with lots of room for sleeping, school, and everything else that the children need. Orphanage Project Liberia has been created to raise money to complete this buidling project. I have added their button to my sidebar so that you can check it out! They are selling t-shirts and bags with the Africa logo printed on them. Feel free to browse around and see what amazing strides are being made to help these precious African children.

The picture above is of some of the boys from the orphanage. Mecky is sitting on the log third from the left in the light colored clothes. Isn't he the cutest thing???

Adoption Update

2008-04-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

The question that I receive each and every day is "Have you heard any news on the adoption?". The answer to that is... NO. We have made absolutely no progress whatsoever. To say that we are frustrated is a huge understatement. We are STILL waiting for ONE judge to decide to sign ONE piece of paper and then we can move forward. Until that happens, then our baby must remain in Liberia. The older two are set to come to the US if we can get our paperwork processed through two sites here in the US and then on to Liberia. We have no idea of the timeline for that, and even then there will probably be a wait of some sort. We are having Mel and Mag escorted here by the man who runs the orphanage in Liberia, and we are not sure how and when he will be traveling back and forth.

We have faced major disappointments throughout this whole journey. Our faith in other people (never God!) who we thought were really dedicated to a mission has diminished. We don't know what, if anything, is being done at the moment to get our kids home. All we can do is know that God led us to these precious babies and that they need a home. We know that they will get home to us, one way or another. It may be later instead of sooner.

We would appreciate everyone's prayers on our behalf. Pray that our children remain healthy while we wait. Pray that they don't develop trust issues since they have been waiting so long. Pray that we don't have to redo a ton of paperwork because of all of these delays. Pray that the Liberian government recognizes that someone needs to care for these children, not only physically, but emotionally and spiritally as well. We can pray these kids home!

Happy Birthday Kenz!

2008-04-15T16:28:00.001-07:00

My baby turned TEN!!! Oh my gosh where has the time gone? Just last week I was rocking her and watching her smile for the first time. She has grown up to be such a wonderful, beautiful young lady. She is our first princess. She is very compassionate and serious, silly and cautious. She is wild and giggly, artistic and affectionate. We are so proud of who she is and what she stands for, and can't wait to see what she becomes. WE LOVE YOU SWEET-PEA! You make us very proud to be your mom and dad.

A great post - Let me know what you think!

2008-03-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

This is a post written by a woman named Erin. I have never met Erin, but feel like I know her from just reading her blog. She is an awesome statement of what I desire to be like (when I grow up of course!). She and her husband have just added their eleventh child to their diverse family, and these are her latest thoughts. It looks like a lot to read, but I promise it is worth it.

Kids and Moms (and Dads)

I have been thinking a lot about kids lately... kids who don't have moms (and dads)... kids waiting for moms, and what life is like for kids who do not have parents. I have been thinking about the transformation that occurs when a child realizes he has a mom, a dad, a family...security, love and somewhere to belong.

With some of our kids, that "realization" that they have a Mom and a family, that they have someone to belong to, someone to watch over them, someone to care for them and someone to love them, has been gradual. With some of our kids, there has been this "a ha!" moment, where you could just see that they "got it".

There was baby Maggie... almost four months old... laying on the bed in our hotel in Vietnam on our first full day together (I had been visiting her for days at the hospital before this point). Before her hospitalization she had lived in a government orphanage where the babies had their names written on their legs in black magic marker so they could be told apart, and got very very little personal attention. She didn't cry when she was hungry or when she wanted something. She was quiet and tiny, but I could tell she loved being held and loved the attention I was giving her. I walked away from the bed where she was laying to get a bottle for her, and she made this teeny tiny pitiful (feeble attempt at a) cry, and I rushed over and picked her up and offered her the bottle. She got this look of amazement on her face with a little smile that seemed to say, "Holy cow! You mean that crying thing WORKS with you??" and after that she did not want anyone but me and always wanted me close. She got it. I was there for her. I was her mom.

With Mercy, she was nine years old. She had had a mom before, who did not value or respect her role as a mom. Mercy knew neglect and abuse and loss. Despite that, she came to us with an open heart and a surprising amount of trust. At one point during our first week, Des needed her hair washed (and Mercy had been the one to care for Des up until that point, even though she was only three years older). Mercy told Des to go into the bathroom so she could wash her hair, and I gently told Mercy that I could wash Des's hair, and reminded her that that was the kind of thing a Mom should do. The social worker had warned us that "letting go" of being the caregiver of Des might be hard for Mercy and we might have some power struggles over it... but Mercy looked at me and looked at Des and looked back at me and said, "You wash all the other little kids... You would wash Des's hair too?" and I said, "Yes". And she said, "And then what would I do?" and I said, "Well, you could go play." And she looked at Des again and then back at me, and then she got this huge smile on her face, and you could almost SEE her letting go of the responsibility of caring for her little sister. She ran over and gave me a hug, and then took off to play. She got it. I was there for her and for her sister. I was their mom.

With Solomon, that moment came when we left AHOPE for the second time together. We had spent two days together, and then we had gone back to AHOPE to visit. As we walked through the gate and the kids called out his name and came running to say hi to him, he sat in my arms with huge, silent tears running down his cheeks. He would not make eye contact with anyone (including me, the kids and the nannies) and just stared ahead with this heartbreaking acceptance of the fact that he thought he was being left. Again. It hurt me so much that he had come to accept this from life... that nice people came and went, but he did not truly belong to any of them. I couldn't imagine how his little heart felt and how he had endured all that he had already. I comforted him and held him close and told him over and over again in his ear that I would never, never, never leave him. He started to relax a little the longer we were there and I stayed with him, but he was not his usual self. And then it happened. I put him in the sling, we waved good-bye, went back out through the gate and headed back up the road towards the hotel for some lunch. He got this HUGE grin on his face, and was bouncing up and down in the sling laughing, and then grabbing my face and kissing it over and over as we walked. He was so happy and joyful. He got it. He was not going to be left again. I was HIS. He was mine. I was his Mom.
Since then I have watched him blossom with love. I have watched him learn how to expect and look forward to being held often, comforted when he cries, rocked to sleep, having his needs met, getting individual attention and being smothered in hugs and kisses often. As I crawled into bed last night, a few hours after I had put him down to sleep, his little body turned towards me, and without waking up, he put his arm on me, snuggled in close and let out a content sigh.

All kids deserve that knowledge, that peace and that comfort. All kids deserve to know that they are loved and that they belong to someone. I believe with all my heart that our Heavenly Father did not send us down here to go at life alone, to worry about ourselves and to focus our lives on material and trivial things. I believe with all my heart that we are meant to live in families... mothers, fathers and children together, focusing our lives on loving, enjoying and serving each other.

We have several reasons to believe that Solomon most likely spent very little (if any) time with his first mother. And yet even after multiple changes in caregivers and "homes", multiple losses and lots of suffering without a mom to comfort him, he KNEW what a Mom was for from our very first days together. His heart and soul reached out to mine and grabbed on firmly. He knew that he wanted a mom. He knew that hugs, kisses and rock-a-byes were something he wanted, deserved and needed. The other kids we met in Ethiopia knew it too. They knew that they belonged with parents. They knew that something big was missing from their lives.
My heart rejoices for my kids and others that have had their lives changed so drastically...who were once alone, and now live with love, security and family. Watching Solomon over the past few weeks has reminded me of what an incredible miracle adoption is. And at the same time, my heart aches for the so very many kids who are living life alone right now. . Even the very best orphanage is no comparison to a home and family. It is wrong that these kids must wait and yearn for a family. They deserve, as all children do, the peace and security that comes with the knowledge of knowing that they belong to someone, that they are being cared for and that they are loved.

This is why I support adoption...because I have seen the sadness in the eyes of the children who wait for moms, I have seen the amazing transformation in children once they have been "claimed" and loved, and because I believe, with all my heart, that that love and belonging is what our lives on this Earth are supposed to be about.

Spring in Monahans, Snow in Ruidoso

2008-03-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the McCoy Maniacs. They are certainly a silly bunch! We had the best time over Spring Break spending time together and just having fun. We rented a house in Ruidoso that had three levels and an awesome gameroom. I cleaned the table playing pool! We ping-ponged (or pong-ball as Jax says), we played golf, we shopped and we drove up to Ski Apache. That was interesting since Clint is afraid of heights and my mom was in the back with all of the kids. Needless to say we appreciated the Dramamine! We were loud, we laughed, we ate. We hiked up a mountain and slid and fell back down. We spent the last days of Spring Break going to the Sandhills, going to the movies, and just having a great time with each other and with friends. I love my people so much and just enjoy every minute of getting to be together with them. For now my kids are all still happy hanging out with Mom and Dad (within reason!). They are all so much fun and there certainly is never a dull (or quiet) moment. I am blessed.

Someday soon

2008-03-23T00:12:00.000-07:00

"I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you." John 14:18

When I'm an old lady, I'll live with each kid

2008-03-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

When I'm an old lady, I'll live with each kid,
And bring so much happiness... just as they did.
I want to pay back all the joy they've provided.
Returning each deed! Oh, they'll be so excited!

When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.
I'll write on the walls with reds, whites and blues,
And I'll bounce on the furniture....wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, how they'll shout!

When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.
When they're on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, they'll snap their fingers and then shake their head,
And then I'll go and jump on their bed.

When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.
When they cook dinner and call me to eat,
I'll not eat my green beans or salad or meat,
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
And when they get angry... I'll run... if I'm able!

When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.
I'll sit close to the TV, through the channels I'll click,
I'll cross both eyes just to see if they stick.
I'll take off my socks and throw one away,
And play in the mud until the end of the day!

When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.
And later in bed, I'll lay back and sigh,
I'll thank God in prayer and then close my eyes.
My kids will look down with a smile slowly creeping,
And say with a groan, 'She's so sweet when she's sleeping! '

By Joanne Bailey Baxter

More practice needed in certain departments

2008-03-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

Clint and I went out to dinner with some friends last night, which is an event that doesn't occur very often around here. It is always a challenge to get everyone grouped together strategically and where no one will kill each other and there will be no insurance claims. Anyway, we were successful and got to leave the house for an hour. We left Jax with Boo and a friend and went on our way. We didn't exactly advertise that we were leaving and exited quietly. When we returned Jax immediately demanded to know where Clint and I had been. I explained that I had gotten to go out to eat, like a REAL DATE. He said "Oh....so who did you go with?"

Clearly we need more practice.

You know you're an adoptive parent when...

2008-03-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

1. The fact that there are 143 million childrenwithout a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.

2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love & family.

3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.

4. The fact that, if 7% of Christians adopted 1 childthere would be no orphans in the world, is convicting to you.

5. You spend free time surfing blogs about familieswho've experienced the blessing of adoption.

6. It drives you crazy when people ask youabout adopted child's "real" parents.

7. You've been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longerthan it takes an elephant to give birth.(2 years!)

8. You'd no idea how you'd afford to adopt,but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing He'd provide. (& He does!)

9. You've taken an airplane half-way around the worldwith a child you just met.`

10. You believe God's heart's for adoption.

11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart & familyis one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.

12. You know what the word "Dossier" means& you can actually pronounce it correctly!

13. You've welcomed a social worker intothe most private parts of your life.

14. You shudder when people say your child's so lucky that you adopted them,knowing full well you're the blessed one to have him or her in your life.

Well, I did it, but I didn't do it well

2008-02-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

My apologies to all of you who I attempted to send a blog invite to. It really was not my intention to fill your inboxes. It is a good thing that I never claimed to be a bloggy genious. Apparently I am no good at email either.

Here is an update on my people for those of you that we have lost touch with: Clint is great. He is the Materials Control Supervisor for a company here where we live. He rocks at his job if I do say so myself. I am staying home with my little ones playing cars, barbies, and whatever else they want to play for all of 30 seconds at a time. Stet is 15 1/2 and a soccer jock. He is taller than me and an awesome guy. Boo is 13 1/2 and plays all sports and is great. We spend all of our time chasing him from one event to the next. Kenz is 9 (almost 10!) and is absolutely beautiful. She spends all of her time with her very best friend. Jax is 5 and is our comedian. He will start kindergarten in the fall. Kenna is 3 and our little diva. Between Jax and Kenna we never have a dull moment and never a second of quiet. Never. Ever.

Our exciting news is that we are adopting three precious children from Liberia, Africa. Our girl is 4 and our boys are 3 and 11 months. We are really, really close to finally getting them home. It has been a long process, but we know it will be worth it. Adoption is the most wonderful, frustrating, beautiful, bang-your-head-on-the-wall experience. I would encourage anyone who has ever been interested or even curious to seek out information about adoption. It is the best gift that any parent can receive in my opinion. I could be biased since we are getting the three cutest kids in all of Africa!

My parents are both still in town with us. My mom is preparing to retire at the end of the year. Happy Day!!! We plan on having lots of fun. My dad is still working and just being Dad and Poppy. We see each of them almost everyday and that is a blessing. My sister is going to school to become a teacher and has given me the most beautiful niece and the cutest nephew. Our niece loves her cousins and happens to love her Aunt Christi and Uncle Clint, so that works out well for us. We definately enjoy their visits, and can't wait until the next one.

Now that you all are updated and educated with this extremely interesting information, I can begin telling you of my children's entertaining skills and funny little things they do. I hope that you think they are half as funny as we do. Please keep us and our adoption in your prayers. Stay tuned for the next earth-shattering posts!

I finally did it!

2008-02-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

I did it. I created a blog. I have wanted to blog for a long time, but I have been afraid that I wouldn't have anything to say! I hope to use blogging as a tool to journal my life with my family. I am not good at recording memories on paper, so I hope that this works! I also want to include our adoption journey so that everyone can meet our three new "crew" additions. I would love to have all of my family and friends be a part of this crazy ride we call life, so feel free to read and comment! Thanks for visiting!