HAPPY FAMILY DAY D1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We can't believe it has been ONE YEAR since we have officially became a family of FIVE. What a year it has been. God has blessed us, stretched us and shown us who we are in ways that at times.. I really didn't want to see! And in the end, so thankful He showed me this little boy across the world and that little boys are NOT scary! Little boys are darling. Little boys are fun, sweet and never ending bundle of energy. D1 has shown me more into my relationship with my husband. God has used D1 to show me more about me - both as a mother and a wife. I am so thankful.
Today we woke up and baked cupcakes.. D1 said it is my birthday!! I love cupcakes and Chinese food! I told him, well you do get both of those but it is not your birthday but it is your special day and our special day today together as a family. It has been a whole year that you have been a Shelton and we are celebrating God bringing us together. He is so happy.
About a month ago, it finally set in that I, as his mother, was not going any where. It finally set in that I, as his mother, was permanent. As a mom, this broke my heart that he didn't understand I was around for the long haul like it or not :O) but b/c we have been foster parents we were familiar with this concept..how heartbreaking.. However, we understood this was not to take it personally it would just take time and lots of love and patince.
So that has been our hurdle over this past year. D1 was in foster care and they moved him quite a bit back and forth to the orphanage to foster care in preparation for us (doesn't make sense to us either). We know God protected him. This child is so sweet and caring. We are so thankful for all the caring females in his little life until God united us. He bonded well and adjusted perfectly. He is a cuddle bug loves to be with me.. he just didn't think I was going to stick around...
Last month, he came up to me in his little 3 1/2 year old voice and said "you are my pretty princess. please don't leave." I said, I am not going anywhere d1 - I am your mommy- i love you. He then said." we are a family you don't leave me" " i said, no buddy, I am not leaving. I sometimes go on dates with daddy, or to the store or to bible study at church but I will come back. I will never leave you (and under my breath begging God to never take me from this child and let me live all my days to be my son's mother!) D1 started to cry and he was so serious he then held me and of course I was crying at this point!
B came home from work that day and D1 walked straight up to him and said, my pretty princess mommy is my family and she is not leaving. I love her. She loves me."
B looked at me and I just wept. B said whoa - looks like we had a major break through today!
And since then... the real bonding between mother and son has begun.. the trust and the love has begun..
I can not wait for what is in store for for the up coming year and the years to follow...
please pray for my family when you think of us. :O)
Tonight, we will be joyful and celebrate our Gotcha Day/Family Day.. and remember our time in China one year ago today...
J-

I can hardly stand it!!!!

My girlfriend is a LID of 12/29/05.. for her first child... and I am just giddy over the fact that just around the corner she will be traveling to China and meeting they will be meeting their daughter! They are so close yet in their hearts it feels like it will never happen.. we can all relate can't we.. whether we have waited for that due date and were dieing to meet the child we carried in our wombs or/and we saw our child's face from a photo and carried them in our heart until the day we finally met them.. we all loved them the same.. in our hearts.. dreaming about the day we FINALLY get to hold them, smell them and kiss them.
I am so overjoyed that I feel my heart bubbling over with excitement for "A" and the adventure that is about to happen... I look at S2 and a flood of memories come crashing back and I weep at what is about to happen in their lives.. the joy and the healing and love. The love that you never knew could exist yet knew was there the moment the photo of your daughter was stretched across the table to you... aaahh ...

Good morning!!

I have spent way too much time on this blog tonight and now morning! I neglected some important jobs around the house so I will be absent from the blog for a couple of days.. no surprise huh! :O)

Have a blessed day!

Adding the music has made me feel better.. praise God while I was searching for songs was relaxing and I was able to pray inbetween songs and during.. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did tonight.

Thanks kathy for your site so I could add the music to mine!

I am sad today.

I am sad today b/c we lost our Compassion International sponsorship child from Columbia. But not in the way that you might think .. it is in a good way.. he has graduated the program. He is about to graduate high school. SO we do rejoice and praise God that our Juan has made it! Over the years we have seen him grow into a Godly young man (from afar). We have read his letters, sent him letters and have love to pray for him. We have, at times had our church pray for him during trials in his life.. so to say that I am sad, is an understatement. I guess I didn't anticipate the call to come... what was I thinking.. we would grow old together? He has a wonderful family, siblings, parents - I know this b/c we pray for them! We (both him and us talk about them!!) so what was I thinking? I have hung his photo on our refrigerator for over 2 years... he has been a part of our lives.. and now? what poof.. nothing... now we will never hear of him or his life again? I am sadden by this fact.. this truth.. this tragedy.. agh.
Juan, as said in our closure letter.. more detailed of course.. we wish you peace, happiness, and God's love - always. We have loved you from afar and you will remain in our thoughts and hearts forever. I will miss you terribly. I will miss our correspondence. Jesus loves you!! We love you.
J. and family.
I look forward to forming a new sponsorship/friendship with our new child from the Philippines.. I lived there for 2 years as a teenager.

Steven Curtis Chapman HERE I COME

I am so HAPPY... B just surprised me with tickets to the SCC concert in Baltimore! WOOHOO AND it is the same time as our 12th wedding anniversary ~ perfect!

www.shaohannahshope.org

see the pretty little girl in the white dress.. under grants and in the main frame that comes and goes... thats my baby girl S2!! isn't she precious...

getting a grant for Sophia three years ago from Shaohannahs hope, changed our lives. What a fantastic organization that gives back!

struggle...

I am struggling with something.. I password protected our adoption journey site to protect the kids.. it has information on their regarding our adoption of D. It was made during our life of going through the process.. so my struggle right now.. I share my password with friends and cyber buddies... and on our yahoo groups .. but am I not fully sharing the Glory of God when I am not shout His goodness in our life? The blessing he has given and how? Should I password protect it.. or let others see that we adopted this precious older "special needs" or "waiting child" - our son.. am I robbing God?
If you are reading this, give me some feed back.. again.. if I do open this up.. you will know who we are, kids names, ages, where we flew out of.. husbands job... and what ever else I have mentioned in prayer and converstation/journal..
hhhhhmmmmmm
j

Philip Hayden Foundation

www.chinaorphans.org

There are some needs.. especially money right now for heat and sponsors... please pray for them and help if you are led this way...

j

you can also help at www.harmonyoutreach.org .