2012 Highlight Reel

I was feeling overwhelmed...and I said it, "Ugh. 2012. I hope next year is better. This has NOT been a fun year."

My friend agreed. She knew what all I'd been through.

Then a silly thing happened. I clicked on Facebook's "review of 2012" and I laughed as I remembered some great times.

Hmmmm.

So, I went on a hunt. Through my Instagram pics and our regular camera shots and I've put together a little rather lengthy highlight reel of this past year.

I discovered, to my delight, that this was a really good year!

True, a lot of hardship took place.

Like way more than is due in one year. Some things are too personal to share, but some appear below.

But...there were some great things that happened too--and I do NOT want to miss out on rehearsing those, because this year can go down however I want it to.

And since life is 90% attitude and only 10% what happens to you, then I am claiming this as a good year.

Here we go:

We had some AMAZING adoption things happen:

We witnessed the amazing progression of Zeb learning to live in a family.

We went from being Zeb's legal guardians to his full fledged mommy and daddy!

Just a few weeks later, we said YES the God about adopting this special needs baby in China!!!

At 1 year

At 18 months

 Then, we learned that HE COULD WALK!!!!! (We fully expected wheelchair and multiple surgeries and years of therapy before he would walk!)

Just before his 2nd birthday

And we have watched God do the AMAZING thing of bringing in EVERY SINGLE PENNY as we need it to bring him home too! (When we said YES to the Lord we had absolutely no money for another adoption!) We still need to raise $11,000 but this is our Adopt Together account at the present moment!

We all had birthdays too:

In March...

In May...

In July...

In August...

In spite of dear hubby's planning, this is the only shot we have of my 40th birthday cake. Doesn't matter. Nope.
Oh and please ignore that whining child hanging on my arm. ;)

In October...

And we had a wonderful string of "firsts" too...

First trip to the ocean!

Not to be outdone...Zeb followed in his older brother's footsteps:

My girls made front page news with our amazing mailman:

Zeb's first time going to school:

My mom turned 70! (her first time ever!) hee hee:

The girls showed calves at the local county fair for the first time:

Oliver went fishing in Lake Erie for the first time: (but doesn't he look like he's been at it for years?)

I got to attend the Ohio State vs. Michigan game with my dad for the first time! (...and we won! And happily that was NOT the first time!)

And a few other things happened that we wish didn't:

I got sick with a parasite that plagued me for 4 months. Dry cheerios was a staple.

Anneli broke her arm. Again. (3rd time! But at least it was the other arm!)

Zeb had his tonsils and adenoids removed. Happy boy before surgery. Not so happy boy for two weeks after!

Another round of croup for our littlest one: (she looks quite happy, but it wasn't really the case!)

And the coup de gras, Brian's lung spontaneously collapsed putting him out of work for weeks, in two hospitals for 10 days and enduring painful chest tubes and a surgery. It was the first time in 16 years he had ever taken off his wedding ring.

But as I choose to memorialize this year, I want to remember these kind of moments:

They were abundant and so sweet.

Sweet times with precious friends.

Yes, all these kids with just two mothers!

Finding the beauty all around:

Okay, you are right, this isn't around our neck of the woods...but the beauty from that morning on the beach was unparalleled!

 Making memories.

Being a family. Delighting in one another.

And as I look back now, this year was jam packed full of highs as well as lows. I would be remiss to want "rid" of 2012. I choose to remember this as a VERY GOOD YEAR. We are made strong by our adversities and our character grows and deepens. Hallelujah!

Wishing you all the best in the New Year and hoping you see the hand of God move in your lives!

And I leave you with this image to guide your heart into praise for our amazing God:

Raw moment

Yesterday while we were outside playing, I commented to a fellow adoptive father, "I think they're all probably a bit older than we were told..." To which he replied "No, we have his actual birthdate."

Why did I ask??

But I did.

"When is his birthday?"

"December 29th."

I sucked in my breath. That was Oskar's birthday--well, it was the day I discovered he was no longer moving anymore. The day the nightmare began. A day that will forever be frozen in my memory.

And then I realized that his soon-to-be son was actually born on the same day, the very same year.

It was too much. I felt my legs go weak. My heart raced. Tears flooded and I got up to run off...but remembered the trauma of Zareb when I took a phone call away from the crowd so I could hear. (He flipped out thinking I'd abandoned him--his deep seated fear.) So I quickly bundled him up in my arms and ran off to find a quiet place.

I found some stairs that overlooked Lake Victoria. Gorgeous colorful flowers dotted my view. I sobbed. Zareb looked quite alarmed. I snuggled into him. And then I realized it.

We have BOTH had deep pain in our lives to bring us to this point.

Tears are not unfamiliar to my Ugandan son. It's not a happy childhood that avails a child to adoption.

"Please don't cry Mommy," he said lovingly later when we got back to the room. His tender heart had remembered me, so broken, on the stairs and he sought to bring me comfort. I thought it was interesting...one of the books that brought me great comfort during my grief after Oskar died was titled that same thing, Please don't cry, Mommy.

It may seem like adoption is merely paperwork and rejoicing, but there's a layer of pain and harsh reality that underlies it all. I am grateful to God for the pain (and great healing!) He has permitted in my life.

Perhaps I am better able to help my son with his past as well.