Hi! We're Cathy and Dave. Thanks for stopping by and getting to know us better and following our never-ending adoption journey. We are Justin and Ethan's mom and dad. We are also planning to be Masha's mom and dad, too. We're not sure how soon that's going to be, but we hope that she will be able to celebrate her next birthday, in April, here at home with all the rest of us!
Tomorrow is Justin's 12th birthday. It is our third birthday together, with him, as a family. We were first connected with Justin in January of 2011. We only had a week together, but we bonded instantly. We were blessed with an opportunity to have him visit again in August of 2011. We were able to pick him up from the airport on his birthday. His golden birthday. He turned ten on August 10th, 2011. We spent a lot of time getting ready for his visit. We asked him his favorite color. He told us yellow. We painted the walls of his room yellow. And, when I say "we" I mean Cathy. I'm not very handy or mechanical, so I left painting the carpet yellow to her. We bought him a bike to surprise him when he came home with us.
The one thing that we were nervous about, was, would he be as excited to see us as we were to see him. Did he miss us? Were the phone calls enough to keep his spirits up and let him know that we loved him and that this visit was just a little slice of what the rest of our lives would be like. I know I was nervous, but Cathy was incredibly anxious and nervous. This was a big, BIG, B-I-G day!
And we all know how that turned out. He ran right to his Mama.
As much as I try to be equal with my boys, and love them just the same, I love Ethan and Justin differently.
I went to camp with the boys a few weeks back. I wanted to spend time with the two of them. It was First Summer Camp, and I wanted to be part of that. if any thing came up, I wanted to be there for that. It was a faith camp.That was important for Cathy and I - every thing that both Justin and Ethan have been through, that they come to understand that no matter where they are, no matter what they do, no matter happens, they are never alone. That can make all the difference.
Toward the end of camp, the Youth Pastor asked all the kids to line up. He had a number of questions to ask the kids. "Yes" was a step forward. "No" was a step backward. One question caught my attention. "Has anyone ever told you that you helped them see God." Ethan didn't really understand the question. Not only is he working to understand English, but he's trying to grasp concepts as well. He wasn't sure what to do. Step forward or back. Justin took a step backward.
Afterward, I pulled him aside. That wasn't easy, with Ethan, their cousin Matthew, and their friends all around. But I wanted to catch him right while it was still fresh and he still remembered. I told him that he wasn't just my New Year's resolution, but he was the answer to Cathy's and my prayers. Justin helped me see that God loves me and hears me.
Justin introduced Cathy and me to Ethan; and Ethan introduced us to Masha.
I wonder how much Masha misses us. If she misses Cathy and me as much as we miss her. Justin said that he missed us every day until he came home. He told us that hearing our voices on the phone cheered him up and reminded him that we hadn't forgotten about him. I hope Masha doesn't think that. Cathy has pictures of her every where. I have her picture on my desk and a picture in my wallet.
Still, as much as a phone call is going to cheer us all up, I can't wait to bring Masha home.
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