Tag your it!

We had so much fun last night playing Nerf Tag. Jachin was given a gift card to Walmart from his Mimi and Pa. We left yesterday to go pick out the perfect toy. Well, after looking over the entire toy and electronic sections, the final decision was for Nerf Tag. Jachin was so excited to play this with his Daddy. So the evening consisted of Jachin and Andy running around the house like mad men. I think Andy had as much fun as Jachin. Kimberlyn took a turn, but she didn’t want to be shot. She liked wearing the gear though. Bo also loved the activity in the house. He ran around laughing and picking up all the stray bullets. He was Andy’s little helper. He would retrieve the bullets and run them to his hideout. The guns only hold 6 bullets at a time, so you can imagine how quickly they need to reload. Thank you Mimi and Pa!

Sickness and Scooters

So the norm around here lately has been one sickness after another. We have had parasites, ear infections, never ending runny noses, coughs, colds, fevers, immunizations, and now the stomach virus! I am tired of doing laundry, remembering to give antibiotics twice a day, and staying in the house. The weather has been too cold to even allow the well child to go outside and play. This cold weather is probably the reason for all the sicknesses anyway. We were able to go outside yesterday for a little while and play on the new scooters and tricycle. Bo doesn’t know what to think of the tricycle and would rather push it around. He also didn’t like walking on the grass at first. He can’t figure out why we yell every time he goes into the street. I am sure it is very confusing. But the time outside playing with Daddy was something everyone needed!

Our Children's Personalities

It is always so fun to see how your children, although raised in the same home, have completely different outlooks on life. Here are a few examples:

Story #1

Jachin and Kimberlyn were with my parents while we were in Haiti picking up Bo. Kimberlyn was in a bad mood and Papa was trying to handle the situation. So he said the infamous words, Happiness is a choice. Well, Jachin responded that Jesus wants us to be happy. Then Papa said, “I choose to be happy.” Jachin said, “I choose to be happy.” Kimberlyn said, “I choose to be sad.” My dad was baffled. Then Jachin responded, “Well, then your going to Hell.”

Conclusion: Jachin is black and white. Kimberlyn is not affected by guilt.

Story #2

Bo is 2 years old. He has proved that many times the last 3 weeks. He has also become more comfortable with us. Well the typical situation has happened many times where we say No, Bo smiles, and he does it again. But the interesting thing is that you can change his mood with a simple tool.....a ball! If he is crying and in a bad mood, you can simply bring out a ball and he suddenly cheers up. I hope this continues his whole life!

Conclusion: Boys are easily distracted.

More stories to come I am sure!

Our adoption journey is complete!

I am so thankful that Bo is finally home! We have kept a detailed account of our adoption process on our adoption journal www.youbelong.net/mcdonald. Now I will have only one website to keep up with, which means I may start blogging more on here. I have enjoyed keeping a record of our lives and it has allowed me to express many feelings this past year. I just wanted to thank everyone of our friends and family for praying for us throughout this whole ordeal. We have a video for our friends that still have children waiting for them at GLA that is very touching. We also have a photo album of our trip. Enjoy!

The Party was a Success!

Jachin and Kimberlyn had a joint birthday party this past weekend. We did a cowboy theme, which they both were excited about. We rented two ponies which the kids could ride and brush. They had so much fun! We were a little worried that the party might be rained out, but the weather cooperated at the last minute. I don’t know what we would have done if there were no horses. They were the main attraction. We had hot chocolate and cupcakes. Yes, I made 40 cupcakes! But the main success of the party was the gift. It sounds strange, but we chose to have everyone bring donations for a pig instead of presents. World Vision is an amazing Christian humanitarian organization that fights poverty all over the world. You can get a Christmas catalog from them that lists things like a goat, a cow, a pig, or a fishing kit. They basically provide a needy family with this gift, that keeps on giving. With a simple barnyard animal, a family will have a way to feed and provide for themselves year round. We were hoping for around $50 to pay for a share of a pig. However, we received $173 from around 20 children. We were able to buy an entire pig from the party donations. So not only did we have a great time, but we were able to give to someone who is in need. And Jachin and Kimberlyn were great about the whole thing. It is truly amazing to see a 4 yr old and a almost 6 yr old say it is ok to not get presents. They had to work through the initial idea, but by the time the party came around, they were excited to be giving to someone that had nothing. I am so proud of them!

Bo's November Update

Our boy is so handsome! We are still waiting for his passport to be printed. If you would like to catch up on all the details, check out our adoption blog. We cannot wait until our family is complete....and together!

Keenon and Jesse

Keenon and Jesse have been home now for almost one week. Mom, Dad, and I drove down to see them in the NICU on their birthday. They are running the house already, Jenny tells me. We are so excited to spend time with them over Christmas. Hopefully Bo will be here, so that we can get all the cousins together.