More than I could ask or imagine....

I am continuing in my attempts to catch up on the missing months of life in our home since this is sort of our family chronicle...so, here goes!!

In November, Mark and I once again (our 3rd year) had the privilege to raise support for Covenant Mercies by running in our first half marathon. We trained for several months and ran 13.1 miles in Philly on a beautiful fall day. Mark ran on his own (he runs at a faster pace) while I ran with my dear friend and running partner, Darlene. In total Covenant Mercies was able to raise over $21,000 across the country as different runners were sponsored. We were grateful to be a small part of making a difference in the lives of African children.
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Later in the evening of race day, P was baptized. What a joy it was to hear him boldly and articulately express his own faith and to once again rejoice in the man he is becoming. It was a special nite' as all of those baptized were either youth or young adults. It was not planned this way...it's just the way God ordained it and it made us all freshly aware of the goodness of God in our midst. After each participant was baptized there was an extended time of prayer and encouragement. M had the privilege of helping to baptize P with our youth pastor( I was concerned he'd be too sore to climb in the tank but he did fine!!) and later commended him in prayer.We were especially grateful for both sets of grandparents once again making the journey to share in the celebration. It was a very special nite!!

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The following week was Thanksgiving and we enjoyed time with both sides of the family.








The next day, our extended family also pulled off a surprise 75th birthday celebration for my mom (aka: Mimi) My stepsister did an amazing job creating a special keepsake album with sentiments from each of my mom's children, stepchildren, spouses, and grandchildren. Family traveled in from other states...it was a wonderful time to honor Mom for the impact she has had upon our lives.

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On December 1st, the youngest 4 performed in our homeschool Christmas musical entitled,"Three Wisemen and a Baby." Each of the kids spent hours in rehearsals, memorizing lines, and practicing dances.They all had significant roles this year and we were so proud of how they applied themselves to the task at hand. It was quite a switch as our older boys are no longer on the stage but working behind the scenes. P controlled the projector and C worked the lights. It was a wonderful nite' and both sets of grandparents once again trekked over the bridge to watch the performance.

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December 2nd was a very special day for our family.... it was the 5 year homecoming anniversary of Mercy and Odesco!! I can hardly wrap my brain around the fact that 5 years have sped by already! It is hard to remember what life was like before they came home. We celebrated on Saturday at the Kachs and we were joined by several others. When we went to take the picture we realized that the other 2 families who joined us were also celebrating December adoption homecoming anniversaries :) How full my heart was that nite' to see 7 adopted children in the group...all completely grafted in to their forever families and our church family. How blessed our kids are to be raised in an environment where adoption is so prevalent. I am so thankful and can't imagine life without any of these precious ones who have made our lives richer. It has not been an easy road but it has been His good and sovereign plan & we feel so privileged to be a part of the miracle of adoption!



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On December 9-10th,my hubby and I were able to have an overnite' locally and then traveled to NYC for the day while the younger kiddos were entertained and well taken care of by Miss Brit and the older boys...Our last time away was almost 3 years ago so this was so appreciated!! That's Central park behind us:) It was a great way to celebrate our 22nd anniversary!!











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The following Monday, all 4 younger kiddos participated in a piano recital. They are improving as they continue on and G especially seems to have an affinity to playing.The recital was held at a local piano store and the kids were able to play on a $66,000 piano!! Grandmom and Pop Pop B made the trip and joined us once again!

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We hosted Christmas caroling at our house the following week and enjoyed Christmas Eve and Christmas morning church services followed by visits to both sides of the family. Our friend, BAA joined us for the day...we love having her be a part of our holiday celebrations!

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We rang in the New Year in Salisbury,Maryland with our "blended family." What a gift it is to have step siblings I love spending time with and cousins our kids can't wait to see! We had a wonderful visit...

Midnite' madness:)!!!

In early January we also had a holiday reunion with the B side of the family...always a joy to spend time with our extended family there too!

This post has embarrassingly been in draft mode for weeks...looking back and seeing all we did in less than a month makes me realize how blessed we are to have such a full life~
I'm thankful for the exhaustion that comes from that blessing!!