Surgery Today

Today was Jett's surgery (a circumcision) at Children's South, and he is handling it just fine. Of course, he was in some pain and said he cried a little with the nurse (while we weren't with him), but he's being such a trooper. No more pokes, shots, etc. for a while!

I know that you come for the pictures so here's a few more of our favorite Jettster in Arizona. He loves our friend Morgan from KY and wanted to constantly play with her. He also enjoyed the inflatable barrel from a past VBS curriculum...he called it John. Poor John had an accident and couldn't be repaired later in the week......

Jett is progressing well and he is learning so much every day. This Thursday will be a family picnic with Lifeline here in Birmingham. We are looking forward to meeting other adoptive parents and seeing Jett interact with new friends!

Slacker!!!

Loving on Daddy in Arizona - April 10th was the final readoption day!

Madison got a hold of the camera while painting at a local house...this is one of her masterpieces!

Poppa and Jett at the rehearsal dinner of our good friends, Jay and Donna Juan!

Jett demonstrating how to use a Hula Hoop at the nursing home in Arizona...do you think he's used to being the center of attention?

Okay, I'm a slacker and I admit it. I have definitely not been blogging lately, and I'm sorry for all of you who are keeping us with us online!!! Please forgive me.



We have all just returned from a mission trip to Arizona. This was Jett's first mission trip, and he did fairly well. We kept saying "stay close to Momma and Poppa because you're not a US citizen yet"...he didn't seem to understand that. We minister in Sells, AZ which is the heart of the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation (and also the heart of the immigration battle in our country). So, Border Patrol is everywhere, and with Jett's Guatemalan heritage, I'd rather him stick close to me and not be confused with an illegal immigrant!!! I think this battle flew right over his head and we were often yelling for him to come closer to us.....Overall, he had a great time and fell in love with Pastor Jay. He can even say "Hi" in O'odham....



Jett's readoption was finalized on Friday here in Alabama. Now, I have several things to do before we get geared up for the summer:

• Receive copies of birth certificates (necessary to begin the following items)


• Change name on the Social Security Card (requires another trip downtown but I can make an appointment so it won't be difficult).


• Change name on insurance plan (piece of cake).


• Complete Citizenship paperwork and mail in (got the paperwork finished now, just waiting to attach the birth certificate).


• Get a US passport (this will be needed for our flight to Africa this summer).

Ah, the joys of more paperwork. At least it will all be handled. I'm so thankful that we had the experience of all the adoption paperwork (did I really just say that?) to help us during this time. And, we are forever grateful to Lauren, our social worker, who has so graciously walked us through this all!

Oh yes, Jett did a photo shoot this week for a brochure for Children's Hospital. He'll be the kid eating his vegetables! There was no food for him to eat so he just had to pretend to eat and look out a window (of course, he didn't understand that he didn't need to "ham" it up for the camera). After a while of doing the same thing, he declared "Jett's full"...he was done! How funny is that!

Jesus Waked Up!

Kelly King enjoying her time in Africa with some new friends!
JT and our great friend, Bo Hardy, in South Africa.
Easter morning with the children...Kaitlyn, Madison and Jett.
The kids counting down the days until Poppa returns home!

When you ask Jett what Easter is about, this is a snippit of what he says....Jesus died on the cross and then He waked up! While it may be in 4 year old terms, he gets the basic idea. He loves to look through His Bible and find the picture of Jesus on the cross. He makes his sad face and then pretends to be asleep. He peeks out of one eye and tries to find the resurrection without looking too much. When he finds it, he miraculously wakes up..makes sense to me!

We had a great Easter celebration this weekend. Yesterday, we celebrated the resurrection at church and then went to the home of John and Mary Crisp. We ate like it was Thanksgiving....what a treat for us when JT was out of town.

Speaking of JT, we can talk to each other while he's in Africa but the rates are still high. So, we have little communication time. I did get some pictures from our friend Bo who just returned yesterday. So, I'm posting a few of Easter and Africa. In one of the photos, the kids are holding a calendar. My friend Angelia gave me a calendar as a visual way of helping Jett understand how long Poppa would be gone. This time will be a total of 19 days...so, as we mark each day off, Jett gets so excited...he counts how many days are left and talks about getting Poppa at the airport. Oh, what a joyous reunion that will be!

Please pray for those mommas still waiting on their babies as well a special unspoken prayer request for someone close to me today.

A Family Apart

JT, Jonathan, Joseph, Rick and Jason in Atteridgeville, South Africa

Many of you know that we lead mission trips around the world. JT goes on every trip and is gone between 17-20 weeks out of the year. This is the beginning of our busy season ..... between now and August, we will lead 13 weeks worth of trips. Whew!

JT left on Monday for South Africa. He and one of his best friends, Jason Waltman, went four days ahead of the first team in order to get all of the logistics/supplies settled. We have amazing new global phones that allow us to talk to him anytime (well, not while he's sleeping...they are 7 hours ahead of us timewise). On the 2nd day he was gone, I simply dialed 7 numbers and was able to talk to my husband in South Africa. How awesome is that! God is so great to have allowed people to develop that process. I am so grateful. We can also text message each other which is cheaper!

I'm a little confused why I have to dial 10 numbers just to get someone in Georgia (2 hours away) but can get my husband in another country with less numbers. I love it!!!!!

Everyone here is missing Poppa but we are managing with lots of school, extracurricular activities (Master's Academy, piano, etc). Jett is definitely longing for Poppa to be home and doesn't understand the concept of 3 weeks. My friend Angelia gave us a calendar that we are using to mark off the days each morning at breakfast. He seems to grasp the visual but it's still difficult seeing him looking for JT when he hears the garage door.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and encouragement. Please pray for those families still waiting to bring their children home!

Growing Up!

Kaitlyn Turner got her braces today! Dr. Stephanie Whitehead is our orthodontist, and we highly recommend her and her staff. They take such great care of our children!

Kaitlyn is now 11 years old, and she looks like a teenager....I don't like that but it's part of growing up I guess. We've been praying for years that Jesus would just come back for the church before our kids turned into teenagers. Lord, it's getting close.......

Our Photographer

Kaitlyn is taking a photography class, and these are two of her pictures of Jett. He's quite the poser (as you can see), and she seems to have a good eye for subjects.

Things have been rather busy around here, and I don't know how long we'll be keeping up this blog. With our "busy" season approaching, the blog seems to get left on the back burner! In about 1 1/2 weeks, JT will leave for Africa for 3 weeks. Then, he's home all of a week before we all leave for Arizona. This will be a special trip for a couple of reasons: 1) Jay and Donna Juan are renewing their wedding vows, and we all get to be a part of it! and (2) Jett will fly again (which will prove to be fun).

Right now, our mission trips for 2008 are mainly full. We have several trips to Arizona - 1 in April, 1 in May, 3 in June and 2 in October. The April and June trips are full. The May trip as well as the Oct. trips are also almost full Then, we're going to Indiana in July, Guatemala in August and November, and South Africa in July (the whole family). Whew....I can't wait!

Lately, we've read several blogs of Guatemalan adoptive families who are still "stuck" in the process.....our hearts break for you. We remember, all too well, the roller coaster ride that you are on. You think your heart can't take anymore, and then another loop. But, God will sustain you. There is a stopping point, and when you get off, it is EXHILERATING!! The ride is preparation for the life to follow!

Know that we are praying for each one of you in the process. From this side of the journey, it is SO worth the wait. Jett had adapted to our family beautifully, and we don't have any trauma/tantrums, etc to report. He did have a couple of parasites, but our pediatrician fixed that!

We officially started the re-adoption, and our SW Lauren said it was a "piece of cake" compared to the adoption. She was so right....3 forms (2 of those are only signatures), 2 copies and a check. Done! In a couple of months, we'll have and Alabama birth certificate and officially a new name!

Catching Up on Life!

It's been so busy around here lately that the blog has not exactly been at the forefront of my mind. But, for those of you who keep up with our lives and those of you who are still in the adoption process, we will keep this journaling going until you see the light at the end of the tunnel. From 2 years of waiting (many tears and frustrations, joys and highlights), we can tell you that EVERY moment was worth it. God was using that time to form us into what He needed us to be for Jett Turner.

Here's what's been happening lately:

• Our friends gave us a shower on Saturday for Jett's homecoming. He loved opening the presents and especially loved his new doctor kit and computer.


• Kaitlyn is doing so well in school. She excels in math and reading and is playing the piano better every week. She is extremely creative (last night, she created her own island on paper with a diagram of her house, a logo for her island, and more) and is so helpful with Jett. He is constantly asking "donde is Kaken?"


• Madison Grace is still our drama queen...we love it! She is a diligent worker always asking how she can help. For some reason, she loves to help in the kitchen especially washing the dishes...Madison is also a great reader and does extremely well in language and spelling. She has already finished all of her poetry for the school year and finished memorizing another poem just yesterday. I'm having to work extra hard to get her more work.


• Jett Turner is officially speaking "Spanglish." He will say "it's mucho cold outside" or "5 minutes and then dormimos" (go to sleep). It's a joy to watch him grow and learn each day. He is learning to write his name (he is so proud to make the "t's" at the end. He can count to 20 in English, say most of his ABC's, and loves to work on the computer (like Poppa). He especially loves to play outside with his sisters and to watch the Diego DVD. He yells at the TV and does everything that Diego ask of him!

On March 10th, JT will be leaving for South Africa. He will be gone until the 28th or 29th. Please pray that Jett will understand and realize that Poppa will return. We covet your prayers and look forward to our continued time together as a family!