Six Years Of Forever!

You first came to us in an envelope,

With letters, forms and such

Just two tiny little pictures

With nothing warm to touch

You grew in our imagination

In our hearts and in our minds.

You brought us greater joy

Than we ever thought we'd find.

A phone call started labor pains

Which lasted til we met

Strangers brought together

A day we won't forget!

You bloomed as you were planned

In our hearts, our lives, our home.

Our child of chance, of plan, of will

You're now our very own.

- author unknown

Mason-Kate, you are loved forever and always! Happy Gotcha Day baby girl - we love you from the top of your tiny little head to the bottom of your perfect little feet!

Three Years of Forever - Happy Gotcha Day!

Maddox Ren,

We didn't give you the gift of life,

life gave us the gift of YOU!

May you always have joy in your step as you continue on your journey of forever!

We are so thankful that God chose us to be your family!  You are precious, you are cherished, you are LOVED!

Life is

 one grand, sweet song,

 so start the music - R.Reagan 

Yesterday we had the pleasure of watching Colin, Pryce and Mason-Kate perform on the piano during their recital.  This has been MK's first introduction to formal music training and she has embraced it just as she does most anything she commits to.  She was very poised and did not look a bit nervous as she took her seat on stage.  It is important to note that the children performed their recital pieces on a keyboard, something they are not familiar with but all three handled with grace!  Pryce was up next, played beautifully and then gave the stage to his brother.

Colin took a seat.  He began.  Made it through half of his first piece and then a little fumbling began towards the end.  Ryan and I were seated so we could see wheels turning in is face as he continued to stroke the keys....finally, he went in for the kill, a dramatic ending.  Yet, he hit the wrong note!  And then he cracked up and the audience cracked up and he said a word that we told him later he would likely say a lot in life - "Oops!"  He redeemed himself with his second piece and the day progressed!

We whisked off from the recital to see the boys participate in our local Bible drill and then it was home to enjoy an evening of some outdoor time.  MK had been wanting to ride her bike all day and her time finally came.  

And she rode and rode all over our yard.

And then it happened.  She fell.  Hard.  And she came stumbling inside, Ryan grabbed her at the door.  And then I scooped her up to quiet her screams.  Only, I noticed immediately she was turning blue around her lips and her body was going limp - she passed out!  

Now, she is fine.  She, thankfully did not hit her head.  She hit a rib. And then she held her breath due to the pain....or something like that.  It was another defining moment in my motherhood journey and another reminder as to why I am not and never was meant to be a doctor. 

The end.

MariGentry

We are in a busy season of life.  The activities of the world are swirling around us - school, ballet, swimming, basketball, baseball, birthdays, gotcha days, Valentine days, piano - swirling.  The swirling makes for a beautiful picture of our family life, so very much to be thankful for, so much to celebrate and just "be" in.  And yet, I find myself anxious about moving forward, finding our baby girl.  I dream of her picture, her personality, her age, her size, her needs.  I find myself worrying how she will fit in our family - as time keeps ticking, our boys and girls are getting older and the age gap between little bit and them will be far greater than what we anticipated.  

This is the first adoption that we have truly found ourselves waiting for a referral.  We waited for MK but we knew from day one we would wait.  And then once we switched to the special needs program, though we were told it would likely be six months for a referral, we received her referral just five weeks later.  A welcomed surprise!  For Maddox, we anticipated a two year process, including a six to twelve month referral timeframe.  We received our welcomed phone call about her just two weeks after our paperwork went to China.  This time, we wait.  And we were told we would not wait, maybe a month or two at the most.  It has been six.  And word on the street says we may very well wait up to one year for a referral.  

And so we wait.  And we continue to change her name.  This week it is still Mary-Gentry but spelled MariGentry....and we all bet on when we will get THE call.....and Maddox asks daily when we can go to China so she can chew her first piece of gum!  She is excited about her baby sister but right now the gum is taking precedence!  

And we trust that God is never late, He is always on time and he has our baby girl under His watchful eye.  

Happy Birthday Colin!

What better way to start your 14th year of life?!  Balloons, gifts, family, friends, and a day off from school!  

 14 gifts ranging from clothes to computer accessories to Hot Tamales....lots of fun shopping for this guy who asks for nothing! 

 That evening it was off to dinner at one of our local family favorites, The Garlic Clove.  At the age of 14, food speaks to the heart of a boy!

Since this guy was a baby, I have often said that I read every book on parenting.  I thought I was more than prepared to be a mother.  The books all stated, "Most children do this.....however, SOME children do this...."  Colin has always been our "some" child....never one to follow the books!  He is wise beyond his years, clever, on his own time frame - and I mean that in the best of ways!, and he is quite funny.  We love that Colin is our leader of the pack, our one who paves the way for his younger siblings!  

Happy Birthday Colin!  

"Ann's Bakery" delivered our annual bunny cake!  We all love Ann's cooking and my children all proclaimed, "We don't know why Ms. Ann just doesn't open up a bakery.  She would make a lot of money!"  I must say that I agree - Ann does have a way with baking! 

 The children and I were a bit stressed when the bunny cake came to an end.  Thankfully, I received an email inviting us to come to Bruster's for a free scoop of ice cream!  The catch?  One had to wear their pjs in order to receive said scoop.  No trouble for our crew!  

 The oldest and youngest Drafts....

 pretty sure the cone was larger than her but she ate every bite!

 This guy chose to sit in the shade....this face has super sensitive eyes so the sun is not always his best friend!

 A playdate with Sophie.  Maddox and Sophie enjoyed a day together playing and indulging in sweets while their two big sisters had some time together getting pedicures, dining and picking out new earrings!

 After a busy day, MK had one thing on her mind and she was determined to figure it out....

 her daddy gladly took her outside and talked her through riding her bike all.by.herself....

 and in true MK fashion, she took off!  

 She even accomplished the difficult task of turning....we laugh because when the boys learned to ride their bikes, they both said they would learn how to turn later - one thing at a time for those two!  

She was so excited!  Her big brothers, her sister, her mommy and her daddy all stood aside and cheered her on!  What a sweet moment to see her face light up as she pedaled all by herself!  Way to go MK!

So this winter has proved to be quite the event for the south!  The picture below is deceiving....it appears as though a beautiful dusting of snow visited our little home.  However, it was all ice that parked itself on our house, covered our roads, downed our power lines, and sent trees crashing into unsuspecting territory.  

 Our "live life to its fullest" child took advantage of the ice and decided to create his own Olympic event - ice sledding.

 Then, in the blink of an eye, the power left us.  The limbs began to crack.  The crashing sounds began.  Green lights lit the sky from transformers blowing.  An eery silence fell upon us.  

 Honestly, it wasn't too bad.  My children will remember this event differently - they were all ready to run to safety at their grandparents' homes.  But we stuck it out.  We had campouts in our room.  We played games by the fire.  We talked and told stories.  

 Finally, the power was restored - 48 hours later....we were part of the lucky ones.  Others went without power for several days.  And just when we were all nestled into our cozy beds with our newly reset clocks brightly lit beside us, the shaking began.  The sound of a freight train could be heard.  The house did an amazing little dance.  

An earthquake.

As if the ice was not enough.

 With all of the excitement, we decided to throw a little Valentine's Day celebration in for an added flare.  

 With the power on and the shaking halted, life went on.  Colin has kept the courts warm....

 MK visited with the orthodontist and we were told she will begin ortho preparation for her bone graft surgery, which will likely occur late this year.....

 Maddox and Ava spent their afternoons chasing the "bad guys" - take note of Maddox's sweet face turned into determination AND Ava is holding a stick for shooting.....

 P continued on his path of fun.....

and these three donned their favorite spring attire - craziness....exactly one week ago we were under layers of blankets in our layered clothing doing everything we could to keep warm - and yesterday, 80 degrees and windows wide open!