Merry Christmas and may Christ Bless you and your Family this Season!!!

As usual we have had a very busy December. Preparations for Little David's Birthday, Christmas and then Big David's Birthday have kept us all busy. We had a 4th Birthday party for Little David at a local park. We made the party a pirate theme party and did a treasure hunt and played pin the flag on the pirate ship. The local Bible bookstore had plastic gold coins with verses or Christian logos. We hid several around the park and had the treasure hunt. Each child that returned with a gold coin could trade it in for a visit to the treasure chest. We had a lot of fun and several of the adults dressed up as pirates too including Big David and myself.

During the preparations for the party, Little David was helping me wrap up the treasure box gifts and had his safety scissors. Well as you can imagine I was not too happy when he came around the corner with a new hair cut. My very next statement was...I hope you did not touch your sister's hair....too late, she has a new hair cut too. I remember having my bangs cut very high on my forehead because I tried to cut them myself, I think I was in second grade, my school picture had the really short bangs. Oh well, hair grows.

We had Danielle's baby dedication on the 21st. We went to Shekinah Christian Assembly where we were married, which was my home church when we met. We continue to visit several times a year, they are up in West Palm Beach, it is about an hour north of us, it makes for a lot of sit time for the kids, for that reason it is not where we attend every Sunday, but it is where we feel at home. We shared the ceremony with another family. Their son was born two months early and we waited two years for Danielle, so one baby was really early and one felt very late, but we know God's timing is always perfect. Several friends, all of our local family and one niece visiting from college were present. We went to a local restaurant after the Dedication and had a wonderful time. It was such a good day. It ranks right up there with Salvation day, Baptisim day, Engagement day, Wedding day, Birth of our son and his Dedication day, and Gotcha day for Danielle. After the dedication, David and I were sharing about the day and we came to the realization that Danielle has completely become our daughter and we are fully her parents and our family is her family. It takes some time after the legalities for this to occur, some call it the attachement/bonding period. We are pleased to announce that Danielle has become our daughter.

When we returned from Russia, we had both kids in the same bedroom. David wanted his sister to be in his room and Danielle had never slept alone in a room. This week, we moved Danielle into her own room, they will each need the extra room for the new Christmas toys and David is now at the age where some of his toys could become choke hazzards, so it was time to separate them. Danielle loves her new room and this is the third night she is sleeping in there.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say Merry Christmas. I know there are many facing long waits for their referrals and for return trips to receive their children. I know there are also many families facing financial and health trials, as well as spiritual battles and loneliness. Some of us have loved ones in the Military doing dangerous work for our nation. Please allow me to encourage you. Jesus, who came to Earth and put on flesh, the Son of the Living God who lived a perfect life as a man, became the sacrificial lamb, paid for the wages of our sin, rose from the grave to conquer death, then ascended to be reunited with God the Father and sits at His right hand making intercession for us is able and willing to help each of us through our fiery trials. This is the true meaning of Have a Mighty Christmas!!!