Final Post-

I am so excited to finally be at the point where it is time to make this final post. Our adoption is now complete and we are so thankful for everyone who has walked this journey with us. One of the goals we had for this blog was to document this journey, that we may never forget the path God has had us on. This road was much longer, much richer, and much more difficult than we ever imagined ---- and God has been faithful!

We have met so many incredible people on this journey! To each of you, please know that we will continue to pray for each of you, and for those of you still journeying the adoption road, please know that you are close to our hearts.

We invite you to follow the rest of our journey at celebratingchaos.blogspot.com

Many Blessings!

Names

It seems that in the adoption world there are many different opinions on changing or giving a child a new name when you bring them home. As we have journeyed this path, we felt led to give the boys a new first name, adding it to their given Haitian name. We have seen in scripture how God has given followers new names when they began their walk with Him, and we as parents have chosen names for our other kids as well. We believe this is a very personal decision, and wanted to talk to the boys about it to see how they felt about this change before we actually began calling them by their new names.

All of that said, the boys very easily took to their new names and when they realized the names rhymed with the other kids names, they were delighted! On our blogs we have chosen to keep our kids name private so for that matter, Ezechias will become J and Ezechiel will become A.

Homecoming!

Our second day of travel began very early, but we didn't arrive home until around 3:30pm. Unfortunately one of the boys felt terrible, ran a fever, and literally slept all day long -- except for when we made him drink something or change planes, etc.. By the time we finally landed for the last time, he was beginning to perk up, watched the landing and greeted the people waiting for us.

We were so blessed to be greeted by so many precious family and friends who have been such a support and encouragement to us along the way! It truly was a precious experience! The boys, although overwhelmed by much at this point, quietly shook hands and said hello to everyone. I know they can't fully understand what it was all about, but someday I know they will look back at the pictures and listen to the story once again, and be reminded about how much we love them and have waited for them! I don't ever want them to forget that God is involved and has a plan for them!

It Has Been A Whirlwind!

I cannot believe that one week ago today I was on my way to Miami to bring home our precious boys! We spent 3 days flying, and came home to a very full schedule and family! We had no problems at all with our flights, people graciously traded seats with us when they realized the boys would be sitting by themselves, and they were great travelers -- although weary by the end.

Just a note for those of you who plan to fly in and out like we did-- on the immigration form that you have to fill out with an address of where you are staying -- put "in transit". The PAP immigration office didn't quite know what to do with us, but it was resolved relatively easily. As we filed out of the airport my greatest fear was that no one would be there -- which proved to be the case. Fortunately, a dear friend had reminded me to seek out one particular employee who has assisted us each time we have traveled. He quickly took us to the orphanage where we were able to visit a few minutes and then returned in plenty of time to catch our returning flight.

The boys were dressed in matching clothes and looked so good! They were eager to leave for the airport and couldn't wait to get on the plane. By the time we arrived in Miami and got through immigration -- which was only about a 45 minute wait -- we all were starving! The boys enjoyed their first American meal at Chili's, one with a hamburger kids meal and one with a cheeseburger kids meal! By the time we got back to the hotel the boys were ready for bed, and truthfully so were we!

After tucking in those precious smiles, we sat on the couch reflecting God's provision on us- in spite of the painfully long wait, we were grateful! Rob compared the last few days to that of his wait during one of my deliveries. You know what is coming is good, but all of the unknowns can be so overwhelming!

We are grateful, we are blessed!

Coming Home Pictures!

God is so Good! The trip went well, and though not everything went as planned it was all very smooth! The boys came out with huge smiles on their faces and were ready to go! They couldn't wait to get onto the plane, but after 2 days of traveling they were sure ready to get off of the last one! Too much waiting in airports!

It is amazing the changes in them in just a couple of days! They are opening up more and more all the time and doing great! They already love to ride their bikes, have scootered to the park, and played soccer in the culdesac. We praise God for these precious guys!

WE ARE HOME!

Just wanted to post a short note to let you know that we have our boys and are home! I cannot begin to tell you home wonderful it is to know that tonight, they are sleeping here, under our roof! They are exhausted, somewhat overwhelmed, but home!! God's covering over us was very clear and we are thankful for all that He has done!

We will post pics and more later!

Changes are just around the corner for our family and there are many questions that I am sure all of our kids will be asking (along with the many we have already talked about!). I came across a wonderful post on helping your kids understand that we love them all no matter who they are, what color their skin is, or what they have done. I am pretty sure this is a lesson we will revisit sometime in the near future. Check it out here