2008 also came in with us STILL waiting to bring home our little boy, Cade. I was not doing well with our wait and just before the new year rang in we learned that our delay was due to a paperwork error on China's side. It has taken me all year to sort through my feelings on this delay, having to travel without James and eventually receiving a little boy who was bigger than I expected, could care less about me and did things that just drove me crazy. I was having a hard time bonding with my new son and he could care less. I was blessed to be able to travel with both my dad and Tacia. I was so excited to share with Tacia the China I had grown to love on our last trip. We had the greatest guide in Beijing and we all rode down the great wall on a toboggan :) It was a special time despite Cade's reaction to me.
Months passed and I can hardly tell you what took place. It felt like I spent much of the year in survival mode with James deployed at different times, his ship catching fire while he was aboard and my babies (all six of them) growing before my eyes. Before long James was home and we worked hard to figure out what was going on in our family. We decided to go on vacation at the same time Jace left for Europe with Ashley.
I had no idea how much I needed to get away. We met up with family who we had missed dearly and introduced both Cade and Claire to all the family they had yet to meet. It was the start of what the doctor ordered! We came home to James leaving again soon , school starting and finally a date for both Cade and Claire's surgeries. I had no idea how important the last item was in our lives.
The end of October came. James, Cade, Claire and myself al left for Children's hospital. While there for one week and transformation took place in my little man's heart. By the time we got home he needed ME to be HIS mama! He wanted me to sleep near his bed. He wanted me to let him sit on my lap. He wanted me to get him something to eat. It was the most amazing transformation I have ever witnessed! His face came alive with expression. We began to see him smile and even giggle. I was falling in love with this child who I now recognized had been trapped in grief, trauma and uncertainty.
The year left its mark on our family but God is faithful! We are walking out in faith what God has called us to. We are doing our devotionals, eating together as a family and spending some quality time together having fun. We discovered that all the kids LOVE bowling and the base offers some great deals. The kids school schedules do not offer us a lot of free time but we know that it is just as important to make time for these special moments.
I mentioned that Jace went to Europe this year with Ashley. He left just after his 18th birthday. It was such a great experience for them! They stayed with our friends the Field's in Germany and Ashley's family who lives there as well. They got a month pass on the trains there and explored the entire area. they visited Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France. It was the experience of a lifetime and he was most grateful to be able to go. He returned to begin his senior year of high school/second year of college. He is anxious to graduate this year.
Jordon finished up his ninth freshman year and started his sophomore year. He has enjoyed being a big brother again especially since Cade thinks that Jordon is the greatest! We even occasionally find Cade tucked away in Jordon's bed. He has started a new training program with an man in our area who trained Navy Seals. We tease him that he is going to end up being a football player whether he wants to or not! He said goodbye to a youth leader who moved that he really enjoyed. He has opened his mind and heart to a new youth group and they all surprised him at his 17th birthday party this year. Did I mention that they surprised me as well????? Good thing I always cook way more food than we need :)
Tori has blossomed this last year into a beautiful 14 year old young lady. It was the of her eighth grade year that turned into her ninth before our eyes. She completed all her high school freshman requirements this last year and started her sophomore, plus one junior requirement this school year! She has been volunteering with the middle school youth program at church and has even started to sing again. It is so nice to see God using her to further His kingdom.
Tacia, is 13!!! I can hardly believe that she is a teenager. As I mentioned, got to travel with my dad and myself to China this year. Despite Cade not liking me ... he LOVED Tacia! He learned her name while we were still in China despite the fact that he could barely say mama! She was a great help while we were there and brought back with her a new look at a culture she had only before witnessed in books and photos. While we were in China all the boys would ask to take their photo with her. She felt like a star and came home with a taste for the attention. She has since decided to become a Disney star so that she can spend some quality time with her future husband Nick Jonas. Oh ya, she's got it bad! My friend Jenny did not help matters buying her every Jonas brothers poster known to man for her birthday :)
Claire has had to grow up quickly this year. I mean literally ... grow up! When Cade got home he was just as tall and weighed almost as much as her. She looked at him like, "hey, you're supposed to be my little brother!" She was not going to be overtaken by her little brother and we are pretty sure she just willed herself to grow :) She turned four soon after we got home from China. She is still shorter than many children her age and weighs the same as Cade but she is definitely gotten taller!!!!! She had her bladder surgery done in October and she left the hospital feeling MUCH better than she did before she went in! She has been working hard at her speech classes and completed a beautiful dance recital in June with Tori.
You have learned much about Cade already in this post but I could write a whole bunch more about just the last few months. After being in speech for a few months we were thinking that Cade was not going to talk anytime soon. He had little nonverbal communication and it would take his therapist almost an hour to get him to talk at all. In November, when we returned from surgeries he blossomed in all areas including speech. I thought his therapist was going to cry when overnight Cade just began to communicate! He asked for things by getting photos and taking them to her, he began to ask me to "help" at home. It was just beautiful. I knew in the hospital that he was capable of communicating because after not verbally asking for anything Cade suddenly said a three word sentence. NO JOKE! I accidentally touched his surgery site. He looked at me in all seriousness and said in his very deep little man voice, "mom ... don't ... touch!" It was so shocking that I just looked at him and had to turn my head to smile. I was laughing first of all at his seriousness and second at the fact that he cannot seem to ask for a drink but can suddenly use a three word sentence! It has been a year of tremendous growth for this sweet, adorable, energetic three old little man whom I am honored to call my son.
As I mentioned before James was deployed for quite a bit of the year, coming in and out. He is helping his command by ensuring that all their training for their new airplane is done before their transition this coming August. He took our family on a camping trip with the families from his work and we have so enjoyed getting to know those families even better this last year. James has been great with Cade's and my transition period. Cade trusted and loved James to pieces from the moment he saw him! It was a true blessing for James to have that with him since he and Claire had such a bumpy start. It may have even helped that James was not in China with me, at least for Cade's sake.
So, that was our family's 2008! I have not share much of that with everyone before but my prayer is that God had me share it to encourage those who are struggling with obeying God's call or others who are having a hard time bonding with their new child. God is always faithful and when he calls us to something that may seem a bit scary, He will will be with us the entire time.
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