A Time for Thanks

Thanksgiving to many is really just a holiday reserved to eat a lot of food, watch football and spend some time with family. Well to the Ayers household it holds a different meaning. Several years ago Greg and Pam, Jason's parents, decided that this holiday should be a day meant to tell those you love how thankful you are for them and what better way to say it than giving a gift? So instead of giving gifts on Christmas they chose to give each other gifts on Thanksgiving and reserve Christmas as a time to remember Christ's birth and giving to others the way God gave his son to us. 

Being a part of this tradition for the last several years has been very special to me as I watched Jason's parents and siblings go person by person telling them why they are thankful for them and declaring the things of God over their life. It's funny to think that we "know" that our family loves us and that it doesn't really have to be said but when someone does, or several people do, it touches your heart in a way you can't imagine.

This tradition is something that Jason and I have decided we would like for our family. I struggled in the beginning thinking about all of my Christmas morning memories and knowing that my children wouldn't have those, so as a slight compromise Jason gave way and came up with a plan to spend the day before Thanksgiving as a family decorating the Christmas tree so that Thanksgiving morning our children would be able to wake up and open presents under the tree. A silly concept but one of the things I remember most about my childhood. 

This year was particularly special because it was the very first Thanksgiving with a child of our own. It was so exciting to be able to share this time with our little girl and although I'm sure the only part she understood was that she was opening gifts we took the time to tell her how thankful we are that God gave her to us and declare the plans that God has for her future. It was so special and fun to watch her tear into her gifts and to see her literally jump for joy when she saw her new playground outside. 

A Gabba Gabba shirt!

We had to hang a sheet to cover the surprise!

Playing with the dress ups G'ma and G'pa gave her

It's a day I won't forget and it's a tradition I'm glad to carry for many years to come. 

Halloween

Here's a few pics from Halloween:) Gia was a little unsure at first because our first stop was Grandma and Grandpa's house where she was allowed to pick her candy from the same bowl we had been telling her not to get into just the week before. We went to a trunk or treat at the church down the street and she quickly learned that she was receiving candy and because she was so darn cute she could take just about as much as she wanted. She was only traumatized once by a scary mask and it of course was her uncle "guycle" who was the culprit. She's still talking about it!

San Diego

SO it's been awhile {again} but that's the life of a first time mom right? It feels like it's only been a few weeks since our precious girl came home to us but in reality it's been almost two months! Two wonderfully amazing months!! Life around here has been rather hectic and well, a little different to say the least. But we got to take a much needed vacation to beautiful San Diego and I thought I should share...
This was our very first vacation with miss Gia{and we're pretty sure her first vacation ever} and we were a little unsure of how she would do on the 6 hour drive, so we tried to strategically plan to leave right at nap time. Well, this worked pretty well for about an hour and then she woke up and we resorted to things like Yo Gabba Gabba to keep her occupied:)

Gia and Daddy touched the starfish!

 The whole week was so much fun and it was exciting to experience so many new things with her! We went to Sea World, she loved watching the fish and seeing the penguins but could care less about the shows unless something was jumping in the air.

Gia watching Daddy instead of Shamu

We fed the Sea Lions

We went to the San Diego Zoo, where she had a melt down the whole time we were on the bus tour and fell asleep just as we got to the Pandas.

She's a sunglasses girl just like her mommy!

And we went to the beach! I think this was her favorite part of our entire vacation! She loved playing in the water and especially loved playing in the sand! She even allowed us to bury her, she actually helped:)

It was a wonderful week and I can't wait to go again! She did such a great job with everything we threw at her! We are so blessed to be starting our new family with this precious girl!

2 1/2 Months...

It's been 2 1/2 months... 2 1/2 months! I can't believe what a roller coaster the last weeks have been. I feel like i've gone through about as many emotions as humanly possibly in this short amount of time, everything from excitement and joy to disappointment and fear.
Needless to say Gia is still not in her permanent home where she belongs but we are gradually getting closer. I think we've run into every obstacle we could have in this process. Our home study that was ordered by the judge couldn't be completed because we live in a different county than Gia's case, and by the time they got everything worked out it was determined that we were too far along in our licensing process for a home study to be done. We tried to see if our foster classes could be accelerated, we got phone numbers of anyone we could think of that might be able to help the process and when we finally decided to give up and just wait for our license their was another court date which resulted in more waiting and still not getting the answer we wanted; that our little girl was moving in. Despite not being able to take her home permanently yet we have been allowed to start overnight visits, adding an extra night each week. And to top it all off we are done with all of our classes and are only waiting for our paperwork to be submitted to the state. Which means that it's only a few short weeks away and our daughter will be home with us!
Having her for extended visits has been more wonderful than I could have possibly imagined! You wonder when you decide to adopt a child whether or not you will connect with them or them with you or how your love will grow. It's an amazing thing to sit back and realize the love that you have for a child that you met only so long ago. She is definitely our daughter and I thank God every day for the plans that he's set in place for us and for this beautiful gift.

Let me tell you a little bit about miss Gia....

She laughs, dances, and sings. She's so clever and comes up with her own little tunes to hum. 

She knows the "clean up" song and insists on humming it every time she cleans up her toys. 

She's a neat freak:) Any time she drops food onto her tray she has to pick it up. Give her a rag and she's great at wiping the table or her face. 

She's right in the middle of size 12 months and 18 months and nothing we own seems to fit her right. 

She loves to play in the dirt. 

She has absolutely no fear! We went to an indoor swimming center that had a kiddie slide and she went down all by her self over and over and over again. 

She loves to swim and jump into the pool.

Her favorite food is mac 'n cheese, it feels like that's all we ever feed her.

We're pretty sure she speaks a little spanish and calls her water agua and says si for yes.

She's obsessed with her foster parent's dog named Molly and insists that Romeo's name is Molly as well.

We're convinced that she's a genius baby:) 

She thinks more and please are the same word.

She loves to cuddle when she's tired. 

She has absolutely no interest in tv and goes 100mph all the time until she crashes.

She calls her blanky mimis.

She has crazy girl hair that doesn't naturally part and magnetizes to her face if you don't pull it up.

Surprisingly she looks kind of like Jason and I {funny how God planned that}.

She blows kisses by sucking on the back of her hand and letting go with a loud "mush" sound.

She doesn't cry or yell when she wakes up from a nap... she is perfectly content to hang out in her crib.

She's shy when she first meets people and covers her face, but it only takes a few minutes for her to warm up to everyone.

She refuses to keep her shoes on and would much rather chew on them than wear them.

She has an amazing giggle and laugh that's full of energy.

She is a beautiful little girl that I can't thank God enough for and 

couldn't possibly imagine our lives without. 

She is our {daughter}.

Hurry Up & Wait

We had court this last Tuesday to find out if Giavanna will be placed with us. The night before I tossed and turned restless and the whole day I felt like I was going to explode. Nervous energy ran through my chest and arms all day long and I'm sure my blood pressure was through the roof! Needless to say I was a little anxious to hear what the judge would rule and what the next few weeks would hold.
Court was... interesting. There was a lot of conversation that I didn't understand, something resembling english but sounding more like french. Gia's mom's trial for severance was set and her father's rights were removed as he has not been to any court dates. The judge ordered that we have a home study done and that was that.
A home study can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months to complete. So from here it's waiting game. We do get to start visiting Gia next week and will gradually visit with her for longer and longer amounts of time so that she has a chance to get used to us and get to know us.
I feel like the weeks to come seem so surreal. I know that God is placing His plan for us at our feet and we need only to obey and follow. It's funny to think about how for the last two years all I've asked for was to become a mother. Funny how God's plans include exactly what we ask for but in His own way. I never imagined that our first child would come to us in this way but I am so grateful and excited to start our family.

A Whirlwind

Some crazy things have been happening in our world lately. I am honestly stunned at the possibilities that are ahead and all the doors that God seems to be opening. I don't even know where to start.... shortly after Jason and I decided that we would like to become foster parents we were approached by someone we know, and who has known Jason's family for a long time, with the possibility to become foster/adoptive parents for their niece's daughter. She is in foster care right now and will soon be up for adoption but the foster mom she is with is not interested in adoption so she needs a new placement. Her name is Giavanna and she is 16 months old.
At first we were very hesitant to enter into something like this. We had so many questions. What if we fall in love with her and want to adopt? What would that look like since we know her family members? Are we ready to be parents so soon? And to a 1 year old? So many questions with only one staring us in the face... {if we say no, are we closing the door on God? So we have to say yes and see what He says right?}
Well that's exactly what we did. We said yes to a God possibility and decided to see what He said about the situation. Our friend talked to the case worker the next day and to our surprise her response was a huge yes, let's see what a judge will say! So now we are waiting. Waiting to see what God says. We see a judge on the 26th and they will determine if Gia will be able to be placed with us.
In a few short weeks the possibility of us becoming parents to a beautiful 1 year old girl is very real! We are excited, scared, overwhelmed, trying not to get ahead of ourselves, yet planning so many things for the future. Please keep us in your prayers in the coming week. That God will give us the answers that fit His plans and not our own. That if Gia is meant to be our daughter He will prepare us for the crazy adventure ahead!

So it's been awhile.....

Ok, ok, I know... it's been like six months since I last posted. So either my life is incredibly busy and I just don't have the time or it's incredibly boring and I just don't have anything to write about. Hmm.. I'll let you figure out which excuse it is.
Let's see where do I start? The first half of this year has been... comfortable. Not much has changed really, we're settling in to our new home wonderfully and have even started on landscaping the backyard. The first thing to go in: an extended patio and fire pit! It has been so nice to sit by the fire at night with Jason and gaze up at the stars. It's become a comfort spot, we even fell asleep out there the other night.
{Comfortable}
It's nice to be comfortable. To not have a whole lot of worries. To enjoy life at work, at church, and at home. To learn to have an up side in life. To achieve goals. {Comfort}
In the midst of all this comfort I can't help but feel that something is missing... Something that I have a longing for in my heart...Something God has destined and ordained for us.... Something that He's promised to us...{A Child}
Many of you know that I have a condition called PCOS. This makes it very difficult to get pregnant, Jason and I have been trying for almost two years. It's been a rough journey, I've been heart broken and hopeful, desperate and afraid. We've come to the point in our journey where no matter the longing for a child we have made the decision that becoming pregnant and receiving the gift of a child is up to God. So medicines have been put aside. I'm working on becoming healthier physically and spiritually, and we are waiting patiently on our Father. I've come to be okay with this, comfortable even. {Comfortable in waiting.}
But this comfort in waiting still does not satisfy the longing I have for a child. So we are praying. We are seeking God's guidance and wisdom. We are considering foster care. It's something we always knew we would do... someday, after we had our own children. We always think God's plans for us are off in the distance, after our own. Well, I think God's re-arranging our plans. It's scary and exciting but ultimately I know God has a child (or children) picked out for us to care for. Updates are soon to come. We meet with an agency this week to start the first steps!!