Superhero Is On The Move!

Jett's bedhead hair and the many faces of this little man in the morning!
Snuggling with big sister in the morning.
He loves to run around in his superhero costumes!
Right now, he's a big Spiderman fan (though he has never seen a movie or show with Spidey in it) and he is convinced that he can capture people with his webs.
Kinda hard to pretend you have muscles when you are that skinny. Seriously, this boy eats but has only gained 1-2 pounds since we've been home. If he'd stop all that running and jumping, he might could gain weight!

Today is the day that we all will go to Memaw's house. We've been home for over 9 months now, but this will be our first family visit to JT's mom's house. She's been here several times but we will travel this time. What a blessing this has been to not have to travel for a while. Since we travel as part of our occupations, we love to be home! Jett has some issues with traveling and being away from home, so this will be a challenge. Most people don't get to see the ugly, painful and hurtful side of the adoption issues, but just know, that we, like most adoptive parents, have serious issues to deal with that are often intensive and long-lasting.

Jett is doing well - he has started preschool with the family. He usually last about 1 1/2 hours each day. We've spent time learning our letters especially the vowels (or owls as he likes to call them), learning to articulate the ending sounds of words, counting to 20, etc. He can write his name, all of his vowels and even sound out a few words. He'll be reading in no time.

New York, New York

When our children turn 9 years old, we take them on a special trip. It's a celebration of their last year in single digits. Kaitlyn was surprised with a trip to the American Girl place in Chicago....her bags were packed and ready to go when we told her.....Madison, of course, had a 2 1/2 year wait for her surprise.

Madison is the most joyous child we know. She is compassionate and full of mercy. She loves life and soaks it up. She never gets in a hurry (even when prompted) and enjoys every moment she's given. She gets so excited about little things.

So, we gave her a trip to New York. (On a side note, we lead mission trips for a living and are not a family with much financial means. However, because we lead trips, we have an abundance of Skymiles that we can use for flights, hotels and even meals. This is where those frequent flyer miles come in mighty handy!). A week before her birthday (we would be in Africa on her birthday), we surprised her with a scavenger hunt. She found clues all around the house and then discovered that she would be going to New York. No one could wipe the smile off her face and the excitement in her heart. It was contagious.

After a month of waiting, you'd think the anticipation would have waned slightly. Not so much. She loved EVERY minute of the trip. We had the best time together...it was something neither one of us will ever forget. Here are some highlights:

-Staying at the Fitzpatrick hotel just one block from Grand Central.

-Madison's first subway ride!

-Seeing the Statue of Liberty and hearing the stories of how it came to be....

-Getting in to a great Italian restaurant with no reservations although everyone else had to wait an hour!

-Seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway!

-Visiting the AG place, eating at the cafe and watching the play.

-Holding hands and walking through Times Square.

It was a truly amazing trip and we enjoyed our time together immensely. I loved being able to spend time with a remarkable young girl who just happens to be my daughter!

The Beach Trip!

We have just returned from a week at the beach in Destin, FL, and wow, we needed it! We have spent time with the Lord just enjoying His creation, relaxing from the tiring summer and being rejuvenated. We are so thankful for the blessing of being able to spend time together as a family in such a beautiful place.

There have been many struggles this summer that we did not anticipate and more on that will follow in time. For now, we are jumping back into homeschooling and will post more as we can.

What a Summer!!!

Our oldest daughter on the safari in Swaziland.
Jett and Nondu enjoying a special moment together!
Madison and her friend Caroline at the safari park.
They enjoyed seeing all the animals immensely!
All of the kids making funny faces wtih my friend Alice!

God has blessed us with a great summer...albeit jet-setting! We just returned from a two week trip to Swaziland where God showed Himself in mighty ways. All of the children did so well on the 22 hour flight....thanks Delta!

I've posted some pictures to hold you guys over until we can fully journal about our time there. Ministry is exploding and we are working hard just to keep up with emails, phone calls, etc. We will try to post as often as possible but none of you will be shocked when we don't.

Summer at a glance....

Jett Turner loves fruit.....eating grapes in Arizona!
Madison Grace in Covered Wells during a community block party!
Jett loves Mrs. Sandra and her cooking.....she spoils him and he loves it!
Autumn (Ottaman) and Jett pretend to be monkies in Arizona.
JT, Kaitlyn, Jett and Madison pose in Indiana...what a great trip!

Our summer has been filled with mission trips to Arizona and Indiana. Tomorrow we are leaving for South Africa/Zambia/Swaziland for 2 weeks. Here are a few photos to tie us over until we return.

We celebrated 6 months with Jett while in Arizona and are so amazed by his progress. Here's an update on our little man:

1. He uses big words like suggestion, actually (that's his favorite word) and inquisitive.

2. He just lost his front two bottom teeth (and explained that the fairy teeth came and got them).

3. He has eaten watermelon for the first time this summer and loved it!

4. He loves to tell pilots that his name is Jett and watch their reaction.....

5. He now tells people that his mommy and daddy came to Guatemala to get him from an orphanage and he now lives in Alabaster, Alabama. He's very proud to tell his story to anyone who shows the slightest bit of interest (and to those who don't as well).

We'll catch up more details when we return. Thank you all for your prayers!

Mission Trips Galore!

As I write this entry, I am sitting in the offices of Bible Baptist Church in North Vernon, Indiana. I have Madison and Jett with me here taking morning showers. JT and Kaitlyn are in Arizona taking teams to the airport so that they can depart this morning. We have spent the past 3 1/2 weeks in the soaring heat of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. What a blessed time we have had. We have seen God show up and show off in numerous ways!

Now, we will spend the next week here in Indiana leading VBS in the morning and afternoons in eight different communities. What a joy to be able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in conjunction with a local body of believers.

We will finally be home on July 12th and look forward to a week at home before traveling to South Africa! The kids have done so well during the past month. They have adjusted well and have been so flexible....we are so proud of them. We will post pictures after we return from Indiana....still praying for all of you stuck in the system. We feel your pain and we are eager for your babies to come home!

Prayer for Chapman Family

We were all blown away by the news of the death of Maria Chapman yesterday. As many of you know, she was the youngest daughter (5 years old) of Steven Curtis Chapman. The Chapman's adoption organization, Shaohannah's Hope, provided us a grant that helped our adoption journey tremendously. Our hearts ache with them during this great time of loss. Please join us in praying for them.

http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/