I think I have the greatest church family EVER!!!!!

We are so blessed! I am really feeling the love of God's family these past 2 weeks. When God says that He adopts us into His family....HE MEANS IT!!!!! Sometimes that is hard to get through my thick skull that I am important to someone else and that when I accepted Christ into my life, I gained a whole new family of people that embrace me and my children!

I see this through the actions of my church family. Today alone, part of my "family" picked up my table and chairs from the store and BROUGHT it to MY HOUSE, someone else drove us to the store, and someone else watched my kids while I had to go to an appointment. This all fell into place at basically the last minute and God worked everything out so incredibly smoothly. I put the table together (with only one blister as evidence!! ) and so after almost 2 weeks of eating our dinner on the dinning room floor, we have a beautiful dinning room table! We love Ikea too Mrs. deBlaeij!!!!! :) :) :)

I just want to say that I am so blessed. I am so happy. I am so amazed even to this day that I actually have these TWO AMAZING AND PRECIOUS children in my home and sleeping in their beds in the room right next to mine. It still seems surreal and sometimes tears come to my eyes, what a miracle.

I know it seems weird, since I have had my kids with me for 3 years now, but this is the first time that they've had a bedroom all their own! In Haiti, we were either living with someone else or house sitting and so things weren't really ours. It is so fun to actually begin to have things of our own. To top it all off, the amazing people that helped me is like an endless list!!!! Amanda drove us to Ikea, her husband loaned the truck, Nora watched Jaryse while I ran Ecrissa to the Doctor, Howard and Thomas put the bed and dresser together, and so many people have helped financially and through prayers, I can hardly even count! I am so so so blessed! The kids are having a ball in their very own new bedroom!!!!!

It's so amazing to me too, cause I have dreamed of having my kids home with me where I can decorate their rooms and do the things that every mommy wants to do for their kids. This room, with all the love and support that has gone into it from so many different people, is SO MUCH MORE than I ever invisioned in all of my daydreams of "when I get to bring my kids home". God has sure taught me alot through the adoption and through being a mommy. I am so grateful that He loves me enough to keep teaching me and be so obviously in charge of my life.

So, as you can see by the kids' room, we are settling in. There is starting to be some sort of routine, the kids are feeling more at home and they are doing very well. I am (and will always be) wading through the trenches of programs and such for Ecrissa, but I got some phone calls and contacts today that were very encouraging. I have to admit, there has been some insurance issues already and I FREAKED out yesterday. I was so upset all day long (the story is really very long and complicated) but what it boils down to is by the early evening I realized, GOD IS IN CONTROL!!! I realized that if He could bring us out of Haiti and move us to CA and bless us in so many ways, than why am I freaking out about this!!!! I gave it to HIM. I laid on my face, on the floor and apologized for being such a brat and for losing my temper and so quickly forgetting that I am not the one in control. I am so glad that He convicted me to do this, cause today has been much more promising, I am in a MUCH better mood, the kids behaved better and all in all WE ARE BLESSED. I am thankful for even more lessons daily!!!!!!

blog of pics!

OK, so I finally got a second to upload some pics, I won't bother you with a bunch of stories, cause I know you only want the pics!!!!!


Leah and I at the NCAA Championship Game! Proud spartans all the way!!!!

At the childrens Museum in Grand Rapids, the kids had a blast!

At my mom's for Easter! Picutre of Grandma and Grandpa Holton, Tyler, mom, Jaryse and Ecrissa!

At Dawn's for another Easter celebration! Cousins Ecrissa, Chloe and Kyla!

Ecrissa's hearing test at the John Tracy Clinic! One of the distractions that they used was painting her nails, so not only did she get a hearing test, she also got a manicure! Lucky girl!!!!

Ecrissa at the park! They are loving the weather, the parks and the walks that we are able to take here in California!

Ecrissa is a good little "mommy" taking her baby for a walk also! She is doing so well! Both kids have their moments where their behavior is, well, in my opinion TERRIBLE!!! But, I know that there has been so many changes and there is no schedule and I am sure there is lots of confusion and questions running through their little minds! We are starting to settle in LA and our apartment is starting to feel like home! Jaryse has asked me a couple of times when we can go back to Haiti. He says that he misses his friends and that we wants to play with them! He's mentioned just about everyone that we know in Haiti! We love and miss the country of Haiti and all of our wonderful friends there!

California! Wow!!!!!

Well, I know this post is about 3 days late, but the kids and I arrived in Los Angeles late Tuesday night with absolutely NO problems! God is so good! The kids were great on the plane and in the airport! I am so blessed with two amazing kids! I am also blessed with great friends. Mia and Mike picked up the kids and ALL of our luggage and we stayed the night with Mia that night! It is so fun to catch up with friends and stuff. We went to the grocery store and Target and Mia took the kids to the park while I started cleaning the apartment. Wow, what a mess! I have spent the last 3 days cleaning and re-organizing. The kids have been great. I forgot that I did have some toys and stuff here for the kids and even though the toys aren't new, they are new to the kids and they are having a blast!

On Friday morning a wonderful friend took us to the John Tracy Clinic where Ecrissa had her first hearing test. It was no surprise to me that her results show that she is profoundly deaf in both ears. The good thing is that it appears that the auditory nerve is intact and that she should be a candidate for the cochlear implant. I am looking forward to meeting with the surgeon on May 1st. I am asking for some specific prayers regarding this though. You see, some are telling me that she is on the old side for an implant and I am hoping that the surgeon will be willing to implant her ASAP and do both sides simultaneously! Also, there is some "rule" that the child is supposed to wear hearing aides for 6 months, even though the hearing aides will not amplify sounds enough for her to hear speech sounds. I am praying that she won't have to wait so long, since is she is "old"! ;0) Anyway, I was pleased with the outcome of yesterdays appointment and I am hopeful for her future.

I also took the paperwork to the school district to begin the assessment process to determine the appropriate program for Ecrissa and I am pushing to get her into the summer program that is available. Please pray that the school will work quickly on her file and move forward to provide all that Ecrissa deserves.

The kids have gotten to go to a park every day since we've been in California, yes, that is 3 parks in 3 days and we are planning on going to one today too! Our apartment is a little on the small side and I just want to give them the opportunity to run and continue to grow and develop to the best of their ability. I have lots of pictures, just not lots of time to upload them! I'll work on that this weekend!!!!

Thanks for your love and prayers

4 weeks!

It is a bit surreal still. As I was bathing my son this morning, I looked at him and realized that it's not weird that I'm his mother. It is natural. He is so much my son. Then I bathed my daughter and realized that I don't remember the time that I wasn't her mommy. But at the same time, I am amazed that they are here in the US. That I am their mommy and I am not fighting for them any longer. Don't get me wrong, I am always "fighting" for my children, their health, spiritual, emotional and physical. But, they are with me here and with the rest of their family. They are beginning to experience all of the things that I have dreamed for them for so long!

4 weeks ago today I got on an airplane with my 2 Haitian Angels and brought them to the United States. I am still amazed. I remember that for 17 months after meeting my babies, I cried and waited for them in the states, then for 3 more years I cried while caring for them in Haiti. God used that time to do so much in my life. I am so grateful for His love and His promises. But today, when I look at my kids, I am amazed that we made it! We made it through that very tough adoption. I still feel the anguish that I went through while waiting for them. Sometimes, I forget that I am not still "waiting" for a signature. I am here, it is complete! Wow! Imagine, when God promises to complete what He started. Imagine what that means. If it is so wonderful that He completed this adoption, think about our adoption into His family! How amazing. Just think of the home that He's preparing for us! Just think of the eternal comfort and care that we are receiving right now as His adopted children!

I am so amazed and fully in awe of all that is coming in this life and the life to come. God is faithful and He will complete what He started! I have learned that through this particular trial in my life.And here we are, 4 weeks later still in awe!!!!

WHAT A WEEK!!!!!!!!

This past week has been one of the busiest, most fun, exciting week yet since we've been back in the states! Amazing is all I can say! The above picture is of the kids the first time they actually saw snow fall! They thought it was lots of fun! I, on the other hand, thought it was very cold! We went outside and played for about 15 minutes, which I thought was the worst 15 minutes since coming to the states and the kids thought they were some of the best!!! LOL! Oh to be young again! They had fun watching the snow fall, catching it with their tongues and throwing snowballs! I am glad that they got to see some snow!

Then on Monday we went to Impression 5 museum in Lansing with my Aunt Ginger! It was a ton of fun and the kids loved it and had a blast!

Then we went to the mall and saw the Easter Bunny! The Easter Bunny didn't talk and so both kids thought it was fun to sign with him. I am not sure he signed much either, but he did say thank you and Ecrissa was full of smiles meeting this funny thing in the mall!

Jaryse wasn't 100% sure about the bunny at first, but eventually he warmed up and sat on his lap! They were quite cute!

We have spent lots of time with various grandma's and grandpa's. The kids are really loving the love and attention that the family is showering them with. I am so thrilled that my family loves the kids as much as I do. It's fun to share the kids with my family!!!!

Then..............Saturday night was one of the most exciting nights yet in the state of Michigan! The Michigan State Spartans played in the final four game in Detroit and my amazing best friend from college and her dad got tickets for her and I to go to the Final Four game and NOW the final game too! Detroit was filled with Spartans! Everywhere you look there are people walking around in green and white, the Spartan fight song is heard everywhere, people are screaming GO STATE, GO GREEN AND GO WHITE! It is soooooooo fun!

It was so much fun hanging out with friends from college and then even more fun to witness the MSU SPARTANS DEFEAT THE uconn huskies!!!!!! What an amazing game!!!! Leah and I are so excited to go back Monday night to watch the National Championship Game!!!! YAY GO GREEN, GO WHITE, GO STATE, GO SPARTANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!