oh the drama!

So yesterday we had our final visit from the post-placement social worker...YAY!! It went really well...but on with the story. Towards the end of the visit, Elijah was sitting in a chair looking out the window with a super sad look on his face. So as our social worker left, I had E sit on my lap and asked what was the matter. In response to my question, he buried his head and just started sobbing. So, at this point, I start to worry a little bit...wondering what was going on. Finally after a couple of minutes, he started to breathe normally so I asked again what the problem was. He goes on to explain that he misses our old dog Cooper. OK, for those who don't know might think, "Aww, how sweet, poor kid" And then the rest of the story...

Cooper was a beautiful, yellow lab that we had for a mere 8 months. Not only was it 8 months, but it was when Elijah was like 7 months till 15 months. Yeah, exactly...the kid doesn't even remember the dog, other than the ONE page dedicated to him the scrapbook. And yet, I was finding myself consoling this heart-broken child! I totally wanted to start laughing...which is what Scott did when he walked in the room. Anyway, such a random thing...no clue where it came from, but nonetheless, I thought it was funny(-:

My little guy is Three today!!!

It's so hard to believe...not so much that he is three but that a year has almost gone by. One year ago we had yet to hold him in our arms and smother him in kisses. Instead we were at home wishing the next 2 weeks would fly by and we would be in Addis Ababa with him. I remember crying silently to myself on the eve of his birthday last year, wishing I was there with him. Well...like I said, a year has gone by and we are finally able to celebrate a birthday with our son!

Yonni, you have blessed my life in so many ways this past year. You have stretched me into becoming a better mom and given me an even more exciting journey to be on. You have grown so much since I first laid eyes on you. It is so fun to see the world through your little but very smart mind. I love and need to appreciate more your curiosity for the small things! I hope I have not already taken for granted your bright eyes and beautiful smile that you greet me with every single morning. I hope that I always cherish your sweet kisses that you give me at least 100 times a day. I pray I never forget how I felt the moment I saw you coming down those stairs and then how it felt when you were placed in my arms. You are such a blessed gift from Heaven to your brother, your father and to me and that is what I am thankful for everyday! I love you little guy!! Happy Birthday!!

Its Christmastime...

Ok, well, not so much anymore...but apparently I vanished for the entire month of December. This past December was a whirlwind. From the moment my plane from St. Croix landed on Dec 1rst it was nonstop...several school concerts, parties, more parties, church activities, wowzers it was crazy. So now, I am finally getting back online and don't know what to say so....In case I didn't have your address....here is our Christmas letter we sent out...

Top Ten Ways God has blessed the Williams family in 2009

1. God has blessed us so much this past year, but by far the most exciting thing that happened to us as a family was that we FINALLY were able to go to Ethiopia and unite with our son Yonatan. We met him on February 2nd and were able to bring him home shortly after that. It was and continues to be one of the most humbling journeys we have embarked on. Yonni LOVES swimming, Handy Manny and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

2. In March, Elijah turned 5, and thanks to the Lexington Church of Christ who blesses us in so many ways, we were able to celebrate at Kalahari! He had a great spring of Upwards Soccer and loves swimming, books, Wii, and legos.

3. It’s hard to believe, but in June, Scott and Frances marked 5 years of working with the students from LCC. God has blessed us so much in this ministry and we are so thankful for the people here in Lexington.

4. Also in June, Scott and Frances celebrated 8 years of marriage! While Scott’s working at LCC, Frances continues to hold down the fort at home, gives piano lessons, accompanies for choirs, and helps out with the music ministry at LCC.

5. We were blessed with a non-stop summer full of trips with the youth group, camps and just hanging out with the kids from Lexington.

6. Scott has felt blessed this year with the opportunity to start competing in Scottish Highland games both in Ohio and Michigan.

7. This doesn’t happen every year, so we were very blessed this year to be able to see all of our siblings and parents.

8. By the time August came around, our family was blessed again with the addition of a new cat, Charlie. Emma (our other cat) doesn’t quite feel the blessing part yet!

9. Also in August, Elijah started kindergarten at a Spanish Immersion School. We feel so blessed that he is able to be a part of this program, and are looking forward to next semester.

10. To bring our year to a close, we were so blessed to be able to go visit family in St. Croix in November. It was a great time to relax and rejuvenate, and we were so thankful for the opportunity.

So Thankful

Another Thanksgiving came and went. My family and I enjoyed a morning at the beach and an afternoon celebrating with very hospitable people here in St. Croix. It was fun making new memories of a totally different Thanksgiving. And then as the evening came to a close...God reminds me of how blessed we really are. As we were driving home we passed a lady who was waving down cars in the dark. After stopping we realized she needed a ride home. I am so ashamed to admit this, but because this is the world we live in, we are driving her home and all of us in the car were secretly saying our silent prayers..."please keep our family safe" The lady came and went...and all she needed WAS a ride home. This poor women who apparently was not having a good Thanksgiving...mentioned her husband was shot and killed a couple years ago...mentioned she was shot as well...she is in shambles.......and then, bam....the guilt set in, "how could we immediately think she would bring harm to us??" And then more set in....we are so blessed. God has cared for our every need and we have been given WAY more than we deserve. Sitting on this gorgeous island in pretty much paradise I am reminded of how blessed I am to even be here. I am so thankful I have a risen Savior that brings hope to my life. I am challenged to be used by Him in every way possible...that I allow Him to work through me for the benefit of His kingdom and that I love unconditionally those who need it most...without reservations...without fear...

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1 John 4:7-21

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 1 Samuel 1:27

So, this verse has been posted on my blog for a year now! Its so hard to believe that a year ago I was wrestling with God and the purpose of the waiting and the journey in general. And then at 1:30pm my phone rang and caller id said CHI and the rest is history. Yep this is the celebration in our home of "The first time I saw your face" day! And what a face it was!!!Its so crazy to look back and see how small he was and realize how much he has grown. Little dude, I love you so much and wish you the world! Actually, I've been debating all day as to whether or not to post this next thing...but I guess I'm gonna. That's the thing with blogging, you can be as vulnerable as you want to sometime..well today I'm letting it all out there. A couple weeks ago I was sitting at the piano playing through a few chords and for some reason just started singing some random stuff. Well, anyway...this is what I came up with...mind you I am no lyricist, songwriter, singer or whatever...but here are some thoughts what this journey was and what I thought of after finding out who Yonni was and how he was with his mom for 18 months before being taken to the orphanage...anyway....sorry if you think its silly...ok now I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't post...better do it before I change my mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dca6krEw7tM

Trunk or Treat

So tonight was the first of the Halloween activities in our house. We had a blast at our church's trunk or treat tonight! It was Yonni's first time to dress up and say those magical words, "trick or treat" and had no clue why he would say it...and then noticed that afterwards candy went in the bag. He was a quick learner!! Here are the boys as we were leaving the house. Elijah is Harry Potter and Yonni is Handy Manny. The hat that came with the belt kept falling off so our backup was this angel's visor.Here's big brother showing Y the ropes.

He's figured it out!

So a great amount of thought doesn't go with my van. After lunch today, we finally decided to carve the pumpkins. We went again this year with Nightmare Before Christmas pics, so then I decided to add some Christmas stuff with our halloween stuff and played The Nightmare Before Christmas on our lappy. yep...nothing spectacular.

The pumpkins came out cute though...

So they say I'm 30 now.

Yep, today marks my big 'ol 30th birthday! So what's a girl to do other than...get a nose ring??

Haha, yeah, I've been wanting one for forever, but was always chicken...So, all this year I have been saying for my 30th I was getting it pierced. I think it was just a year long process to get my guts up to it(-: Anyway, last night while Scott was at a soccer game with the boys, I had it done. Even my husband was surprised, he thought I would come back and not gotten it done. hee hee, yep, I finally did it!
Anyway, so now I'm thirty...I thought maybe I would feel depressed or whatever...but so far...nada...nothing. I've known many people who have freaked out about it, but its just another day, right? Took Elijah to school, worked out at the Y, did laundry, baked a cake (gotta have cake pops for my bday!!), had a yummy lunch thanks to Scott and now just chillin while Yonni is napping and waiting for Elijah to come home. Same ol, same ol I guess.
I will say this though, I am way more content with where I am in life than I have ever been. Oh my, last year on this day I was a wreck! Maybe not so much on the outside, but I was struggling so hard on the inside. I wanted so badly for my phone to ring about news on my new child. That was the only thing I wanted for my birthday. It came and went and I just felt like giving up. I feel silly saying that now, but that process was so hard on the emotions. Today, I sit here alone in my quiet living room so thankful for all the blessings God has given me; a man who loves God, me and our boys more than anything...and the boys, the 2 most "perfect" little dudes I know. I guess the only thing I have to say about turning 30 is, "what's next?"

Oh yeah, and I totally look like my mom here!