Merry Christmas to all of you! I know it’s a few days after the 25th, but Jesus’ birth is just as miraculous and glorious today as it was 4 days ago. I hope you are basking in the joy of that truth. I know I am! God with us has been a long-known truth of which we we have peeled back layers and layers over the past year and it’s been sweet to finish the year with this month-long celebration of Christ’s advent – the very thing that makes it possible for us to experience God with us each and every day.
We had an awesome time celebrating with my state-side siblings this year. We had my sister Martha and her daughter Simone for 8 days; Mark, Hannah, and my brother in law Ian for 5 days, and my Brother Joel, sister-in-law Mary Stuart, and their Oliver for 2 days. Danny and Kimberly and their 4 kids live down the street so we split the house guests between us and had a grand time. We SO MISSED Jonathan and Maggie and their 3 girls in S. Asia, and Mom, Dad, Micah, and Seth in Japan. Still, getting this many of us together for Christmas was quite a feat and I am so grateful.
numbers 1, 4, 5, 6, & 7 of 9 together at the beach!
the little cousins together with Simone before she left and Oliver came
Joel, MS, and Oliver.
(The kids were passing around a stomach bug by the end of our time so we didn’t attempt any group shots, in hopes of sparring him his cousin’s germs.)
I posted about 100 more pictures on facebook and Danny made this video of our time together… yes, you guessed it, it was quite crazy, but it was sweet insanity. 
One huge blessing of having so many wonderful people around and also being so busy making sure there were meals and plans and places for everyone each day, was that I didn’t have time to mourn Jonathan and David’s keenly felt absence as much as I would have with a quieter setting. Still, I went to bed each night in tears and ached and prayed for some “Christmas miracle” that would at least give us hope of them coming home in the new year. I so wanted to anticipate their entry into this beautiful and lively group of cousins who adore one another and and need a few extra boys to even out the mix (right now there are 9 girls and 3 boys among them, with one on the way). But my heart was so guarded and it’s so hard to hope after so many deep valleys in this journey to get them and hardly any good news these days.
Sometimes I ask God how long can I live like this? If we never get them will I always have this empty, aching spot in my heart? Will Christmases and birthdays and celebrations always remind me that they are missing?
I need to write an adoption update, and maybe I will get to that soon. We definitely need your prayers and I want to ask you to pray for some things specifically. Hopefully I can later today after I get all the Christmas decorations put away.
We send our love and thanks to so many of you who have prayed for us and cared for us so generously in 2011. We are so grateful for you and how you’ve shown us the joy of being in God’s family. I pray the Lord is with each of you and brings great blessing and joy and more of His presence in 2012.
Continue reading about a late Merry Christmas! and other tidbits from us
On September 22, Gloria and I were blessed to get to fly to Virgina. Isn’t she just about the cutest traveling companion you ever saw?
When I booked our ticket almost 2 weeks before, it was my sister Martha’s due date with her first baby. My Mom had just arrived from Japan and we figured the baby would be born any day.
So when the thursday morning for us to fly out came, and my niece had still not been born, we were all waiting with baited breath and praying she would make her grand entrance SOON (we only had 4 days there and my mom only had 3 left!).
Sure enough, Martha texted that morning saying she had started having some contractions! As I went through my morning of volunteering at Noa’s school and then a quick lunch and naps at home with my girls, I continued to get updates of progressing labor. By the time we boarded our plane and I had to turn off my phone, they had gone to the hospital and I was expecting to hear news of my newest niece’s birth when we landed.
Well, we landed and Ian’s dad, Frank, graciously picked us up at the airport and took us straight to the hospital. We paced the waiting room and halls a bit, neither of us knowing what was going on, but that the nurses said it was “busy” in her room.
All of a sudden, though, Ian’s mom came out and told me to hurry in, that the baby was about to be born! Frank graciously took charge of Glo and I ran back to Martha’s room.
I got there just in time to pray with my sweet sister (who had been with me for the birth of my first child), and watch her do the hardest and most glorious work of her life. It was such a privilege to see my precious niece, Simone Elizabeth Robinson, be born; and such a joy to watch my amazing sister launched into motherhood.
Gloria and I stayed for 4 days, and my mom was able to extend her ticket a few more days to be able to help out more once they came home. My other sister, Hannah, lives with Ian and Martha and it was so incredible to get to share this precious time with the women in my family. I am just SO thankful for my sisters and mom.
And I am especially thankful for this new precious niece, Simi. She is truly beautiful and delightful and a gift to our entire family.
Funny story (and then photos, I promise): After Martha delivered and we were all sitting there oohing and ahhing over her, the midwife asked my mom if this was her first grandchild. We all kind of chuckled, and she answered, “No, this is the twelfth! And the ninth granddaughter!” Then my mom pointed at me and said, “and she has three of them!” Then the midwife looked at Hannah (a sophmore in college) with a look on her face that said, “so you have the other 8??” but instead asked mom, “do you have other kids?”
It made us all laugh and was just a reminder to me how precious and miraculous each child is. I loved watching my mom celebrate her 9th granddaughter just as much as she did her first (Noa) 5 years ago.
Ok, here’s a few photos:
Glo, Aunt Martha, and Simone this summer
Glo, Aunt Martha, and Simone after she was born.
precious newborn babe
precious family
there's just nothing like sleeping with a baby on you
Ahhh! I just LOVE her
Simone has a matching lion with Noa - this was SO exciting to her big cousin.
love these ladies!
cuddling with Baba - the Baby Whiperer
Glo is a little obsessed with "Bebe Mimi"
I'm a bit obsessed with her too
doing some yard work with Aunt Hannah
saying bye to Baba early Tuesday morning
And I just had to include this photo of me and my two sisters...
She's a mama now!!!
Happy Father’s Day to the very best Dads in the whole world!
At the end of January we had a long weekend with my parents, Baba and Jiji. They were invited to speak at a missions conference in Naples. With 7 grandkids in Florida, they said they couldn’t turn it down!
We ended up traveling with them to Naples to be a part of the missions conference, and had a truly blessed weekend, sneaking in family time when we could. Sometimes it’s hard having my parents live across the world, but times like these are such sweet gifts!
Surprise! Celebrating Baba's birthday a few days late.
Thank you for such a special visit, Baba and Jiji! We love you!
My littlest sister, Hannah, spent her college winter break with us this year. We had her for almost a month and it was wonderful.
Aunt Hannah is the perfect combination of capable/responsible beyond her 20 years and crazy fun.
She does special things like tie the girls hair in rags after baths before bedtime…
…so they can look like “annie” the next day.
And she runs her own “bibity, bobity, bo0-tique” for all the little girls, turning them into the most beautiful of princesses:
We made some special memories at the zoo:
I sure hope my girls will be just like her when they grow up…
(oh look! Martha is already trying!)
She tirelessly entertained not just our three, but Danny and Kimberly’s four many times during her visit. She loves these kiddos so well!
She blessed Eric and I immeasurably by keeping the girls for 6 days while we attended MTW’s readiness evaluation at the beginning of January. She was both full-time mom and full-time play mate to the girls. They loved it and she did it all so graciously. We’re praying that our travel to ET will correspond with a school break for her so that she can come and stay again. My girls are crossing their fingers that it will work out.
I’m amazed that my baby sister is so not a baby anymore, but such a lovely young lady, dedicated and sweet Auntie, and precious friend.
I love you, Hannah!
Last week we got to hang out with this boy:
We LOVED having time with Joel, MS, and precious Oliver. Even though it was a crazy busy week, we treasured the moments we could steal with them. Oliver is at such a fun age and watching him smile and watch people and play was such a joy.
After watching the girls with Oliver for about two minutes, Joel remarked, “These poor boys in Ethiopia… they don’t know what they’re getting into and what it will be like to have 4 mamas!”
Thank you so much, Iverson family, for your sweet hospitality and such a great time together. We love y’all and can’t wait til next time. Also, can’t wait to bring your new buddies, Mr. Oliver. You guys are gonna have a blast in the years to come!
