Sunday, December 21, 2008

Christmas Stuff

We had our family part with my siblings this weekend. My older brother and his wife have hosted it the last few years. It's getting harder and harder to find a space where everyone can fit. They pulled it off yet again and it was a good time.

The food was great. It was fun to watch baby Abbie open her presents. For gift exchanges between my siblings, we changed the rules up a bit this year and said the gifts had to be made or had to be a form of service.

My sister and her husband drew our names and they made us 3 beautiful ornaments with pictures of Nathan, Jessica and Malot on them. I'll post pictures as soon as I figure out the best way to capture them. I was quite touched by them - literally speechless to see Malot's little smiling face on that ornament. Thank you, Z and Aaron. That was the perfect gift for us.

Brent and I don't do much around our own house for Christmas over the last two years. We both love Christmas, don't get me wrong. But lately our Christmas to each other is "the next Haiti trip". Not gonna buy a tree when that money could go to a Haiti trip. Neither of us really need anything, but what we both want is a Haiti trip. You get the idea.

We're just saving and focusing everything on that. I'm sure some of the neighbors wonder if we've changed religions as we don't have a tree up or anything. It's not that, it's just that our hearts are in Haiti and we want to really enjoy our next tree - and have kids home with us to join in the fun.

We ran an errand to Cabella's last night. For those of you that may not be familiar with it, Cabella's is an enormous hunting and fishing store. We have a ginormous store not to far from us. Inside it's practically a wildlife museum with all the different stuffed and mounted animals from all over the world.

When we're at Cabella's I normally think about our kids because I try to imagine what their reactions will be when we get them home and they can see this or that. But this last trip was different for us because we ran into two other families that had adopted black children. And watching the children run around and be so excited and the brief bit we spoke to one of the parents.... It was just a different reminder that sometime this will end and we'll be done and they'll be ours.
Next year.... please let it end soon....

6 comments:

Perla said...

i am praying it will be soon, too, dear friend. i love that shot of you and brent with jess and nathan that you have up now. maybe its been there awhile?? anyway, i love it.

Pete and Mare said...

That was one of the perks we loved about living in L was Cabella's. I look forward to taking everyone there too, it will be great. Maybe we could meet you guys there someday and then head over to Thanksgivingpoint together. ;)

I'm so happy that they do a parent trip within a short time after the Holidays(giving us all something to look forward to, helps the holiday moral as well. I've never been the type of person to mark off the days on our calendar but I've been doing that lately.) I'm so happy that you both will be on the next parent trip.

Our Christmas has always been very simple but the past two years, since Haiti, its changed a lot too. I hope and pray that all of our little ones will be home with us next year.

Merry Christmas guys!
We love you and were thinking of you!

rplatt said...

I found your blog through Tia's blog which was through Noelle's blog - and I am in love with your kids. I hope you get to bring them home soon also! Good luck with the remainder of the process, and you will be in my prayers.

Sally said...

Lori, could I have your code so I can make a button? I saw your offer for it a few posts ago and just realized that I didn't get it. Thanks!

Tifanni said...

Hey,
We are also adopting from Haiti. I wasn't sure how to contact you, but I found your blog off of the Etsy store. I'm a decorative painter, and if your interested, I"d love to donate some painted goods for your store. You can e-mail me at spiffitiffi@hotmail.com
Take care :)

Anonymous said...

Lori
I had no idea ya'all were still living in the area, somehow I ended up back in Payson. I am always in the pg/af area if you want to meet for dinner sometime that would be swell, yes I know my hick chick side is showing.... Merry Christmas! Give my best to your family... You are in our thoughts always
Andrea Christiansen-Fernelius

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