Happy Thanksgiving!

With the onslaught of family, I (Ruth) was too tired to do any blogging last night...so as usual I am "a day late and a dollar short." All my family was here to celebrate with us. It was a pleasant day.

We spent a fair amount of time trying to prepare Jadon for this special day. Still he can be so unpredictable...we weren't sure what to expect. We shouldn't have worried...he did fine. He ate well, declaring the meal "Yummy!" He shared his toys with his cousins without any fuss at all (although he did grouse a bit this morning upon discovery that a number of them had been left lying on the floor...who can blame him for that?). He ended his day with a "sleepover"---he and his siblings on the basement floor. He thought that was pretty good.

Kirsten and I managed to escape for awhile and take a walk...something I desperately needed after eating waaaaaaaay too much food. We had a great time talking. I so enjoy her. She has been a great encouragement to me. (I know others attest to this also.)

Alan was able to do his own escaping and talk with his family for awhile too. He kept everything balanced...his usual role when the whole family is together.

The most major mishap of the day occurred when Andrew ripped a piece of skin from his big toe running to come to dinner. Poor guy was left with blood running down his foot and tears running down his face. But he was brave and allowed me to clip away the damaged skin and bandage his foot. He waited to got through the buffet line until the very end, placing his foot gingerly above his head as he waited. It did not seem to affect his appetite much when he finally got his food. I predict he will be fine in no time.

We certainly have much for which to be thankful. In the past year we brought home our son after a long wait. We have come through the trials...maybe not with blazing colors, but with a much deeper awareness of God's grace bestowed on us in the mundane things of everyday life. What a gift that is!!!!! We have once again experienced our God who lifts us from the pit and sets us on the Rock; leaned on friends who pray tirelessly for our progress and Jadon's; and observed the love of our church family on a deeper level. None of us has experienced any major illness despite all of us being exposed on more than one occasion to the H1N1 virus. God is good.

Happy Birthday Jadon!

Okay...we're a little slow, like we are with everything these days.

Jadon celebrated his assigned birthday on November 7. He turned nine. The week prior to his birthday was filled with all sorts of difficulty, mostly bad choices in behavior at school. He was excited, afraid and overwhelmed all at the same time. It made for some very excitable behavior and a great deal of hyperactivity. Thankfully his behavior at home was not too bad!

About a week before his birthday Jadon and I (Ruth) went birthday present idea shopping. Jadon was fairly flying. He confided in me that he had never had the occasion to open a gift before. No wonder he was exited!

Friday morning I took cupcakes over to school with some extra for the principal, her secretary and the ELL staff (it had been quite the trying week for them...we wanted to show some appreciation). The cupcakes were left in the office until the afternoon when they were brought out for a special celebration of him. Jadon related that it was a very nice experience for him. I am so glad. He waited so long for this.

We left for Geneva, IL after Jadon was done with school on Friday. We had movies for the kids to watch in the car so that helped keep everyone calm and engaged in something other than making trouble. Traffic was heavy for some reason so the going was a little slower than normal. We arrived at Alan's parents' home around 9:30, an hour after Jadon's normal bedtime. Jadon walked in and took over the place! We finally got him to bed around 10:00.

The boys slept together (probably won't happen again). Since neither one is accustomed to sharing a bed space they both were awake fairly early the morning of Jadon's birthday. Jadon was ready for his special day. After breakfast we allowed him to open a package that had arrived the day before from his friend Drew (whom he knew from the orphanage). He was ecstatic to have received two "racing" motorcycle toys. After lunch he opened his scooter from us. He'd been hoping for a scooter and played happily with it up and down the sidewalk in front of his grandparent's house much of the afternoon.

Aunt Paula and Greg showed up after lunch also and brought several gifts. They allowed him to open the Star Wars Lego sets they had brought. Looking back, we are very thankful that he opened several of his gifts early. It made it an easier transition for him.

By late afternoon Alan's cousins had arrived. Alan and I busied ourselves in the kitchen making dumplings (a favorite of Jadon's) while Alan's mom was busy making chow mein. Alan's dad helped cook the dumplings. Yummy! We finished off the meal with funfetti cake.

Once the dishes were cleared Jadon's remaining presents were whisked in. Jadon had been waiting all day for this! Along with a couple of cards with money he received several games (good gifts because he needs to interact with the family to enjoy them), new pajamas and slippers, a Matchbox fire hose (a politically correct title for foam ball gun!), a new Mario Wii game and a final gift from us--the Jesus Storybook Bible (a wonderful Bible storybook...we'd recommend it to anyone with very young children). He has used or played with every single gift and enjoyed them tremendously. Thank you everyone!!!

The first few days home after the birthday weekend were hard. Jadon liked the idea of having a special weekend celebration just for him. It was a very hard reality that not every day will be all about him. Thankfully that only lasted a couple of days. He seems to be adjusting fairly well since then, settling in more at home especially. He still has minor lapses, benign tantrums that are usually quite easily nipped in the bud, but we are very pleased with the ways that he has demonstrated his trust and love.

When we consider that Jadon has only been with us for just over six months it is astounding to count what has been accomplished in that short time. It is still a long road in developing the man of character that I envision for Jadon but God is so faithful in showing us how He is working. His new storybook Bible has presented more than one great conversation about his relationship to us as well as God's sovereign action in his life. It is amazing (and even humerous) how God "sets" Jadon up to hear these stories... the discussions are so much more poignant than even I could have dreamed. Praise be to God who gives the victory!