Lincoln - 1 Year Ago

With it being Lincoln's first birthday yesterday, we can't help but reflect on the days leading up to his birth and when we met him for the first time.

We were chosen by his birthparents in the middle of November, which left us about 5 or 6 weeks to prepare for his birth as his due date was December 27th.

That date came and went and the waiting continued. Finally, on December 30th, we got a call in the evening that Lincoln was born that afternoon, just after 4! Healthy! And things are going well with the birth family, as best as they could be going during a time like this. We tried to get some sleep that night but it sure was hard, knowing that we were about to meet a little boy the next day who we hoped would become our son.

The next morning we sent Keziah to her friend's house for the next few days. I don't think we told her what was going on, as we weren't sure if Lincoln's birth family was still going to go through with the adoption plan (You never are sure until those days of waiting are over).

We came to the hospital around 3 and finally met him, a time that is ingrained in our minds forever.

Here he is, all of 7 pounds and 20.5 inches

Within 3 hours of meeting him, Lincoln was buckled into the carseat and put into the back of our car. We met him at 3, left at 6 and had him home just after 6:30. Talk about a whilrlwind!!! It all happened very fast! Things were rushed a bit due to it being New Year's Eve. I don't think we'll ever have a New Year's Eve like this one!!

Another thing that went so fast was calling everyone. I was able to call everyone on the way home and by the time we got home I was done!! We couldn't help but compare all this with Keziah's. Keziah was born on a Thursday and didn't come home till Sunday; and calling everyone took over 2.5 hours. All of this was mostly due to her birthmark. But with Lincoln, we didn't have any of that and so things went so quick.

Home, without a care in the world.

Keziah came home the next day and was instantly enthralled with this new "doll"

She took on her role of big sister right away and was my righthand "maid" from then on

Lincoln was a very easy baby. He got into a routine really quickly, even sleeping through the night since about 8 weeks old. He loved to snuggle and I treasured every. single. moment. of this. Good thing as he sure didn't stay little for long!

And life hasn't been the same since! To which we are so thankful for!! Lincoln remains to be a very easy kid. He is determined and keeps me more on my toes than Keziah did, but has a happy and spunky disposition just like his sister! We are so thankful for him and pray that God will continue to bless him in his second year. Gulp. My baby is growing up! I just need to post a few more pictures of him as a baby so I can remember him again, so tiny and sweet-smelling

Oh, and as for his name. We chose "Lincoln". Lincoln has been Nathan's pick since before we got married, so that name has been his favourite for over 14 years. He always said if we ever had a boy, his name will be "Lincoln Edward". Who knew that this would be the case??! Lincoln has two middle names: Denver was chosen by his birth mother, and Edward. But get this, we didn't choose Edward. His birth father did!! His birth father wanted Edward without knowing that that is actually Nathan's first name! (Edward Nathaniel). Isn't that the coolest thing??! And so that is how his name came to be: Lincoln Denver Edward.

And while we celebrate, we know this day has come and gone for a family that is sad. We pray for Lincoln's birth family, that they may receive the strength they need to carry on. We know they are very happy for Lincoln for where he is, but it doesn't earse the hole that has been made. May God be with them all.

Somebody's ONE!!!!

Today is our dear son's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINCOLN DENVER EDWARD!!!!

There will be another post coming about his birth and his birthday, but for now we are just enjoying this day, thanking and praising God for blessing us with Lincoln this last year.

Sinter Klaus #2

Awhile ago, December 15th to be exact, we celebrated Sinter Klaus with our very close friends, Arie and Tamara. Arie and Tamara have always included us in their family activities from the day we all have been married (they got married 2.5 months before us), especially after their first was born, William. This was so special considering we did not have children of our own for so many years. By including us in their family, this eased the pain of childlessness at a time of the year that would otherwise be so hard to get through.

I can't remember when we started celebrating Sinter Klaus with them, but for many years, it was just the 5 of us, with William being the only child for a number of years. And today? Well, today the adults are completely outnumbered, like 4 adults to 7 kids!!! 8 years ago, we would never have thought this could ever happen. There were times when both families thought it would be the way it was: a family of 3 and a family of 2. But God has been gracious to both our families and now these Sinter Klaus gatherings are filled with laughter and joy from all the kidlets running around. God is good. Below is a glimpse of the 5 out of 7 blessings, surrounding Uncle Arie.

What makes our gatherings so special is not only has the Lord blessed each of us with children we hoped for, but we have the added blessing of witnessing our children being friends with each other. Esther is 2.5 months younger than Kez. They get along fabulously! Esther is everything Keziah is not, including physical appearance! They compliment each other marvelously and Tam and I find great joy watching these two together.

And not only does Keziah have a friend in Esther. Arie and Tam were blessed with a little boy 6.5 months after Lincoln was born, so that means Lincoln has a buddy in Jonathan!! Lincoln is patiently waiting for Jonathan to catch up to him. Right now 6 months is a huge difference. Give it a few years and that difference will lessen, and both Tam and I will be holding onto our hats chasing after these two.

It is so special to see our kids being loved by this family.

But onto Sinter Klaus. Every year, it's the same ritual: the kids go downstairs, peppernoten is thrown down the stairs by "Santa", who also knocks hard on the front door. Well, you can guess who was petrified. Poor Keziah. I knew she would be scared so I went downstairs with her. Sure enough, she heard the pounding on the door which made her jump. And then little cookies (peppernoten) came flying down the stairs. She didn't know what to do. While all the other kids were running around gathering all the cookies into their bowls, Keziah clung on to my hand with such a fearful look on her face. I tried to encourage her to pick up some cookies, and I think she was brave enough to find 3 to put into her bowl. Oh, my darling little girl.

After the peppernoten was all picked up, the kids scurried up the stairs to open the door to see if they could still see Santa. Well, not all the kids scurried up the stairs. One held back in fear.

"Mom! I don't want to see Santa!!!! I don't want to go upstairs!!". I tried to convince her that Santa is not real (oh no.....I hope you aren't reading this to your child :o) and that he is not there. After some convincing, she went upstairs but only if I would carry her.

But once she saw what was at the door, all her fear was gone!!

And let the opening begin!!

Candyland!!! Every parent's dream game!!! :o)

What?? But it's not PINK!! It's not PRINCESSY!! You mean to tell me, it's actually a boy toy?? Yay!!! The first one yet!!! :o)

William received a gift and in it was bubble wrap. I think that was the favourite toy of the night!! The girls spent a lot of time and energy hopping up and down, trying to pop all the bubbles.

Who doesn't like a Richard Scarry book?

Enjoying the gifts together:

I am so thankful that of all the gifts I received that night, it is these 3 that I get most excited about taking home with me:

And last but definitely not least, I do believe this picture below sums up everything of that night: peace, contentment, humbleness, love and joy, plus a few more but I'll let the picture do the talking.

Merry Christmas!!!

From our home to yours, we would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!!! May the Gift of our Saviour Jesus Christ be our focus not just this week but all year around.

M&M!!

Usually if someone asks you if you remember much from your early elementary years, not a whole lot can come to mind (depending on how long ago those early elementary years are for you :o). For me, I am thinking of a particular grade, Gr. 3. I was in this grade about 26 years ago. Although it was quite awhile ago, there are a few things that stick out in my mind from that grade. One being that I failed this grade; well, actually, I repeated this grade, a term my parents insisted on using because they said I did not "fail". I tried my best but was unable to meet the requirements to go to Gr. 4 (later those requirements were met, and then some, as I later skipped a grade).

The other thing that stands out from that year is the time I was set up with a penpal. My teacher had a friend out in Edmonton who was also teaching Gr. 3. The class lists were swapped and penpals were chosen. On the class list from Edmonton, there was another little girl with the name Michelle. And so we were put together. Little did our teachers know what they were doing :o)

Michelle and I wrote (that's right, people. Wrote. Not emailed. And yes, we still have all the letters, much to our chagrin!!)  back and forth for a few years and then met for the first time between Gr. 7 and Gr. 8. I went out to Alberta for 3 weeks with my cousin, to visit my grandparents who were living in Neerlandia. While there, we met for the first time! We booked 3 days together, that way, if we didn't get along, it wasn't too long, and if we did, it wasn't too short. Or so we thought! Thankfully, those 3 days were waaaaaay too short!!! We hit it off and that was it. As they say, the rest is history. I don't know how many trips we have visited each other back and forth over the years, but let's just say the airlines have made a lot of money off of us.

The last number of years, we have committed to visiting each other every two years, taking turns, which has worked out great!!

Despite being such good friends for more than 26 years, we had yet to celebrate a birthday together. I felt that needed to change. Without Michelle knowing :o)

So last Monday, on December 10th, which is Michelle's birthday, I surprised her by appearing in her living room. Thanks to her wonderful husband, who was in on these plans for the last month and a half and who picked me up from the airport so this surprsie could happen!! The fact that we threatened him with "you are paying for half the ticket if you tell" may have helped him to keep his mouth closed about it. If you know Ryan, that can be hard as he is quite the exuberant guy!! But he did it!!!!

Needless to say, Michelle was shocked. So shocked that for about 12 seconds I doubted my surprise, thinking that this was not a good idea. But that doubt didn't last long as it became apparent that although she was surprised, she was very happy to see me.

And so we spent Monday to Friday together, chatting, reading, chatting, relaxing, shopping, chatting, eating out, chatting, and chatting. It is such a blessing to have a friend that you can just pick up where you left off.

On to the sights of last week. We didn't see much of the sun, but I did see a bald eagle right close to their home!!

Michelle has 3 handsome boys. Here is Dylan who is 3:

Tyler, who is 7:

And Joel who is 10:

Michelle and Dylan. I LOVE this picture!!!

For the first few days, we lounged around. It was pretty rainy and wet so there wasn't a whole lot to do, which was fine with me as I didn't mind to relax at all. Wednesday I met up with another friend, who I had never met before, but was "introduced" to her a few years ago by Michelle due to the common link of adoption. We met at a coffee shop and hit it off, yakking for 2.5 hours straight. It was SO nice. Her little girl is also adopted and is 6 weeks older than Keziah. So it was neat to pass stories and chat about things with someone who has gone through very similar situations.

On Thursday, Michelle had someone look after the boys all day and night so we could spend it together. We first hit Lynden, a nice little town that is dutch. This gives it away when you enter the town:

And if the windmill doesn't convince you of the town's heritage, maybe the front page of their newspaper will!!

After browsing the secondhand stores, we headed to Fairhaven. This town is filled with shops that you just don't take kids to, nevermind boys or girls. And so we both felt this was the perfect opportunity to peruse the quaint expensive shops. We also enjoyed a yummy lunch and later a "pot of tea" (to be said in a British accent :o)

Once done with the shops, we went to see a movie, Life of Pi. It was very good. I had read the book earlier this fall and I was impressed with how well they stuck to the story. Usually I am quite disappointed. I am thankful for reading the book though as it was better. But the movie was good, too. Hey, no sex or blasephemy, and those kind of movies are hard to come by!

To top the night off, we went to Applebee's where we sat and chatted for a number of hours. I am so blessed to have this friend in my life. We have shared a lot with each other over 26 years, the ups and downs of life. And boy, have there been some ups and some downs. Although we have always lived miles apart, we can feel very close as our friendship is rooted in Christ. I pray that it may continue to be blessed.

Before I knew it, Friday came. The day to go home. While it was hard to leave, knowing who was all waiting for me back home was exciting!!

It is so neat to fly over the mountains. You are so high and every once in awhile you see a mountain tip here and there. To think, the plane is flying at an altitude of 39,000 feet!! It is so vast and it leaves me speechless. Our Creator is awesome.

I couldn't wait to get home to hug my babies, especially after flying on the day with the tragedy of Connecticut being played out everywhere on TV.

It was good for me to fly over those mountains and to take pictures of what God has created. It helps me to remember Who He is and who we are when trying to grapple with what has happened. I will never understand fully this mighty and powerful God, but that is because of my tiny and limited human mind. I do know that He is faithful when we are not. He is good, and we are not. He is perfect, and we are not. And it is this faithful, good and perfect God that we need to turn to at all times. I know, easy for me to say when I still have my two little ones to tuck into bed. But I pray that God will hold each family that has been affected by this tragedy close in His hand. And I pray that more will turn to seek His face while there is yet still time.

Gift Exchange

Coming from a dutch background, we take on a tiny little bit of the tradition of December 5th, which is known as "Sinter Klaus and Swarte Piet" day. Although I am actually not too familiar with all the traditions of December 5th (should really look them up some day), growing up we've always kept our gift exchanges in and around this date. The benefit of this is that on the actual December 25th date, we may focus on the One and Only true and perfect Gift: Jesus, God's Son, sent to earth as our Saviour. The other added benefit of early gift-giving is that I can stay far and clear from any store in December and not get all caught up in the over-commercialism and busyness/stress this time of year brings for so many!! 

 

So, that is why on November 30th, we left our place at 5:15 to make the 30 minute drive to Nathan's brother's place in Grimsby, to spend some time together with the Helders and share in some gifts. And what a night it was!!!

 

To start, it was snowing, but not bad. Little did we know that every single road in our area was covered by black ice!! In order to get to the highway, we needed to get down the escarpment (I would use the word "mountain" but I know if you live out west, you will scoff at that term :o). Knowing that we were leaving at a very busy time traffic-wise, we figured we would give ourselves an extra 15 minutes. HA!!!

 

2 hours later we had to stop at Mapleview Mall. For those of you who are not familiar with the area, Mapleview Mall is about 12-15 minutes from our house. 15 MINUTES!!!!! But for us, on this night, it took us 2 hours to get there.

 

Yes, there were times we contemplated turning around to go back home, but the problem with that was trying to get back up the escarpment. You see, we were sitting on the road, having our own personal YouTube videos happening in front of us: cars sliding down any incline, whether they be steep or not. And they weren't sliding down backwards, no, forwards and sideways as well!! Most of the traffic just could not get up due to the black ice. So really, by turning around, we knew it would take another 2 hours to get home.

 

And so we stopped at Mapleview Mall, with a little girl in tears because she had to use the bathroom in the worst way. Seeing as the time was now 7:15, we took some time to grab some supper, much to the relief of our other little munckin who was in tears because he was so hungry. I guess I could have given him one of the 14 gingerbread men in the back of the vehicle.....I didn't. I figured French Fries were healthier :o)

 

We left Mapleview Mall at 8 and thankfully arrived in Grimsby at 8:30, safe and somewhat sound. The family did go ahead with the gift exchange before we got there and some kids were in bed already, but yeah, we didn't want them to wait for us because we had no idea if or when we'd get there!

 

So our kids opened up their gifts and then went to bed, only for us to leave about an hour and a half later to head back home, which took us the normal time, 30 minutes.

 

You bet I had my camera with!!!

 

Darling girl, waiting patiently in the car before she spoke those dreaded words "Mom, I have to go pee."

 

"HI!!" Happy at first, but not so much after a while.

After we had supper, Lincoln promptly fell asleep on the Skyway Bridge.

Yay!! We made it!! Here is Keziah, tired and somewhat overwhelmed with everything.

Nothing like opening gifts at 9 at night!!!

Someone woke up long enough to open his gifts and then was very happy to be put back down.

Spending some time with Opa

And this is the next day, shovelling the snow that we got. It wasn't a lot, but it was the black ice under the snow that caused all the problems the night before.

And so, although the evening turned out much different than we thought, we were still able to enjoy some family time and give and receive some gifts. But I must say, even though I received some gifts off my list, the best gift of all that night was the gift of safety. We are very thankful that it was God's will to allow us to arrive at our destinations without harm.

Oh, and the gingerbread men? Yes, they made it safely too, without a crack or smushed icing. And I am pretty sure they were a hit with the nieces and nephews :o)