Brandy and Gabe are building a small wooden barn he got for Christmas.
The rest of the kids are playing an animal version of house so very nicely! They don't want to stop and I don't want to stop them. They are all playing together!! Yeah! (Oh, yikes, I believe Summer and Jaden are still sleeping...hmmm...maybe should wake them up. We went caroling to a couple of neighbors with a popcorn mix and Christmas cards in the near blizzard, and came back VERY cold and tired, about an hour past nap time. Hence long nap)
Oops, hang on...Gabe needs paint...
Oh...and now Summer and Jaden are up...Jaden's on my lap...oops, now he's off for a snack.
Anyway...I have munchies in the kitchen, something we really never do here--snack, yes, definately, but I don't let the kids graze--so it's special to the kids. I figured it's what we'd do if we went to Grandma's today. In a little bit I'm putting pizza in the oven to go along with our munchies.
So I thought I'd take a minute and share our Christmas card and letter with you all...
I usually like to have our Christmas letter only one page, but with all that’s happened in 2009, we’ll see how well I can do!
The year 2009 kicked off while we waited to pass court in Ethiopia. In other words, for the Ethiopian government to recognize us as the parents of Svanna Feruz, Gabriel Asmelash, and Summer Firewoyni. The last weekend in February we received the wonderful news that we passed! Then we waited for our own government to give us the go-ahead. Finally, Brandy & I traveled to Ethiopia to meet & bring home our newest additions the beginning of April. What a joy, & what amazing kids they are!
With language barriers, culture adjustments & all the kids have gone through, while the first couple of months were wonderful, there were some difficulties. But with only a few bumps in the road, we praise God that Svanna, Gabe and Summer’s transition to America & our family has gone very well! Adoption is truly a miracle & a gift. Since we started the process, we knew they were meant to be a part of our clan…but now they truly are & we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Brandy & I celebrated our 15th anniversary this year. Who would have guessed that we’d be blessed by seven children down the road? Not us! But God had wonderful plans!
Speaking of God’s plans…for a little while we wondered what He was thinking. I broke my ankle only 6 weeks after we came home from Ethiopia. And I broke it well. The kids were just home and I was out of commission. Two surgeries, eleven weeks non-weight bearing (aka: crutches), 5+ months of physical therapy (I’m just finishing up now), & a little card for when I’m at the airport—to let them know I have permanent hardware when I set off their machines!
Oh, how did I do it you ask? Surfing in Liberia. Yeah, I wish it was that cool. But no, I stepped on a toy in my very own living room. Snap.
But God did have a plan through all of it. In fact, there were many blessings that arose from it, although I don’t have the space to write them all here. One huge blessing was our niece, Kaitlin. She graduated from high school just days after I broke my ankle, and started coming to our house to help right after that. We couldn’t have managed without her! She spent most of her summer with us. We love her dearly. Towards the end of the summer I could have managed our large family household on my own as I was given a walking boot. But then Kaitlin stayed on to help me pack.
Yes, pack! We’ve moved! And what a move it’s been. We gave away our large dogs (our two house dogs will always be part of our family) & our horse, & left the country life for town life. We love it!
It’s amazing how having seven kids can change your perspective. To both Brandy & I, the conveniences of living in town looked better & better. Even though Brandy drives 17 miles to work, he likes the commute. He has time to gear up before and gear down after work.
We live in a wonderful neighborhood, we love our house, & the transition has been remarkably easy. Even though we miss our old school & school friends, our “new” school has been a blessing. Personally, I love being minutes away from shopping, school and closer to church; having more family time because we don’t all have to be away from home when one of the kids has an event; having less yard (and dog) work; & having friends pop in to say hello. The kids are making good friends. Before we moved I was concerned that they would play outside less, when in reality they’re outside more. The Borchers house is a great place for neighborhood kids to stop—because there’s always someone to play with! The kids know if they’re outside, there’s a good chance friends will stop by.
Harvest has been a challenge this year. A cool summer & an extremely wet & cold October has drawn it out much longer than usual. But thankfully there is an abundant crop! By the time I drop this Christmas letter off to you in the mail we should be done. Yeah! The kids and I are really looking forward to having Brandy home on a regular basis again.
Quick recap on the kiddos. Shianne is 11 and loving 5th grade. Sierra just turned 9 and is in 3rd grade. Svanna is 8, almost nine, and also in the 3rd grade (enjoying her first year of school ever and learning a lot). Tye is 6 and in Kindergarten. Gabe is 5 and in Transitional Kindergarten. Summer is 4 and in Preschool. Jaden is 3 and ready to be in school, too! Oh, & Brandy & myself? Brandy is still enjoying working with his family at the farm & their business. Me? Well, let’s just say 7 kids is a full time job!
Love to tell you more but if I go on to 3 pages I’ll lose you for sure! You can follow our family’s journey at www.1familysjourney.blogspot.com. God bless you in 2010 and may Christ truly be in your Christmas!
Brandy & Carey (the letter writer)
Shianne, Sierra, Svanna, Tye, Gabe, Summer & Jaden
1 comment:
What an amazing year your family has been on this past year! Through the joys and trials your faith has been so evident! It has been a true testimony to me as a mom and wife! Blessings in 2010!
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