Hello friends & family! 
Merry Christmas!

 
If you are not able to read my entire post today, make sure you view the video at the end, you will be blessed! Also, If this is your first time to visit our blog, please read our adoption story here: http://byfaithhebrews11.blogspot.com/2011/07/dear-friends-family-july-2011-in-early.html

I apologize so much time has passed since my last post. One of the things I wanted to share on our blog was what we did to celebrate Caden living with us for ONE YEAR on October 24th! We will still have an upcoming Adoption Day to celebrate, but for now we wanted to do something very unique to rejoice in this special ONE YEAR anniversary! Of course I researched all of this (because I research everything, ha!). Well, in the adoption world, most call it “Gotcha Day”, but I wanted to make it more our own! So with the day falling on October 24th, the fall weather called for a “S’more Day”! So on October 24, 2011 we celebrated adding “Some More” (S’more) love, fun & happiness to our family! 

Here are some pictures from 
The Greene’s First Annual S’more Day 
with a family picnic, S’mores, and pumpkin carving!

And now for some frequently asked questions:

Q: Is the Adoption complete? 

A: No, not yet, but we’ve had several more court dates recently and are now closer than we were last month. A lot of hurdles have recently been crossed & we are just enjoying life, but we do LONG for the adoption to become official!

Q: Is the Canvas of Faith complete and how much more money do you need for the adoption?  

A: No, the Canvas of Faith is not full, but it is only about 350 squares shy of being completely full! It has been exactly what we have needed at every stage! Isn't that just how God is; He is always enough, whatever need you have! Thank you for being willing vessels as you have supported us! Because of the complexity of this (birth family case- us not in foster care, nor a relative) we have had many court dates attached to this case, but that is coming to a close as we draw nearer to the adoption. Just recently, more hurdles have been crossed & we are getting closer! I could never EVER thank you enough for all of the love you have given us. The names written on the back of that beautiful blue canvas mean SO much to us! You have been OUR SUPPORT financially and prayerfully as we have simply said "Yes" and been obedient to God's call... and so have YOU also, by being obedient in your "Yes"! Thank you for being our support in so many different areas! Not everyone is able to adopt, but everyone can be a support for the adoptive family…from a listening ear, to babysitting, to prayer...We are thankful for you, our support team! As far as money needed to complete the canvas, we will offer some upcoming raffles and of course donations are still welcome! Once the canvas is complete, I have an amazing idea in my mind to paint on top of the squares; I can’t wait to see how it turns out! Once our adoption is final, we will invite you, our support, to an adoption party with the completed Canvas of Faith.

Q: What is your relationship with Caden’s birth family? 
A: As most of you know, we first met Caden’s birth family through church in early 2010 and tried to help them with some basic needs (see our first blog post for the full story). However, when Caden was about to be placed in foster care, his birth mother asked us to take him for an undetermined amount of time. After many court dates and hurdles we were told in May of 2011 that we could adopt, but it would take some time. We have never fought against his birth family, only doing as we were asked (by birth family, as well as God) and walked obediently in the next step. However, that doesn't mean I haven't had deep emotional struggles with their place in his future life as we have moved forward with adoption simply because I didn't want to "share" him with anyone. (Did you catch that...it was about "me"!) I have often said this is not about us, and that is truly my heart, even though my flesh has moments of selfishness before I allow the spirit to step in. 

Recently I saw an adoption t-shirt that said: 

"This is not about me!" 

On the back of the shirt it said, 

"It's not about you either!" 

AMEN & AMEN! 

What a great reminder as it has always been & should always be about 2 things that work together: 1) Walking in obedience to what God called us to do 2) A little boy named Caden. 

"God never promises to remove us from our struggles. 

He does promise to change the way we look at them." -Max Lucado

He certainly did just that at our Christmas Party with Caden’s birth family. His birth mother and grandmother gave us a very special & selfless gift....they gave us all of Caden’s Christmas ornaments from birth! I was so touched, I couldn't stop crying! It was such a symbolic gift to me, as if they were giving me Caden’s future along with his past. It was a heart changing day for me, as two worlds and families came together for one special little boy. Again I was reminded, "This is not about me!" and "It's not about you either" as both of our families have made different types of emotional scarifies to do what is best for Caden and his future. His birth family is very thankful, supportive, and respectful to us and we are working together to come up with appropriate boundaries and contact in the best interest of Caden and his emotional well being. I realize this is not for everyone in adoption, but we believe this is best for Caden and our unique situation.

One of Caden's ornaments that his birth family gave to us.

In closing, I want to encourage you to “Let Your Light Shine” just as performed here by one amazing little boy named Caden, who now calls me “Mom”. 

Please view & be blessed: 

I realize this is our adoption blog, but I feel negligent not to mention Kelsey & Colton here as well, since this is our Christmas post. At present, Kelsey is serving at Mission Arlington's Christmas Store, with her college BSM group. She is doing well in college, and pursuing a degree in Dental Hygiene. Colton is a sophomore in high school and is active in his youth group and band. He has such a gentle and serving heart like his father.

 

 

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!