THANKS-Giving

As I reflect upon the twins' first Thanksgiving I don't remember anyone asking us what we are thankful for. It goes without saying, that we are thankful for God's love. Without God's love we are nothing and we would have nothing. The year 2010 will always be very special and memorable but God has great things in store for our family in the years to come.

For Sale

Two and a half years ago, Daryl and I had this house built. We were able to make several memories in this house; the most significant being the adoption and arrival of Gabriel and Eden. It was not as hard of a decision to sell the house as it was to leave it. I constantly had to remind myself that this is how we get to the mission field. I did a lot of praying and God gave me peace. He helped me understand that it's not the four walls around you that make a home but the love you carry in your heart.

We are very blessed to have wonderful family to live with while preparing for the mission field. It may not always be the most comfortable or convenient but this house is our home and it is filled with love.

Abram - the newest addition to the family

Abram Panya Spangler arrived in the US on November 4th, 2010.

My brother, Jonathan, and his wife, Kori, have been long anticipating the adoption of their son, Abram. Both Jonathan and Kori were able to share the experience of traveling to Africa to pick up their son and bring him home. He is a joyful little boy with the sweetest personality. We are so blessed to have Abram in our family.

A Very Happy Fall

This Halloween, we took Tigger and Pooh to a Trunk or Treat at New Friendship Baptist. We also visited family and friends at their homes.

I'm not usually one for coordinating the twins but these characters hit their personalities on the nose. Gabe is so laid back and our big snuggle bear. Eden is a ball of energy that can't slow down. We had a great first Halloween!






We visited a local pumpkin patch for our first Fall pumpkins. Eden didn't like sitting in the grass because is was prickly. Gabriel discovered that he can get a handful of grass and eat it.

God's Calling

Our family is happy to announce that we feel God's calling to full time missions. Daryl and I have been praying about how we can be used even more by God and this is how He answered. We feel very strongly called to work with orphans and street children. We are currently researching mission boards and field opportunities. Please pray for us as we proceed.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Where are we going?
A: Wherever God opens a door.


Q: When are we going?
A: We have no idea. We need to know our ministry field, find a mission board to help us through this process, and raise support.


Q: How long will we be gone?
A: Again, we aren't sure. It all depends on the ministry.


Q: What can you do to help?
A: Pray! We are both working full time so finding time to research mission boards and mission fields can be very difficult. Pray that God will grant us patience because this isn't a decision to take lightly.

Adoption Decree

The day after returning from our beach trip I, along with Eden, head to the mailbox. Inside I find an envelope from the Clerk of Courts and immediately my heart rate increases. Inside this is what I find:

Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, adjudged, and decreed by the Court:

That from the date of the entry of this Decree herein, the said minor is declared adopted for life by the petitioner(s) and that said child shall henceforth be known by the name of Gabriel Hunter Burnette and Eden Michelle Burnette.

Our hearts are overjoyed by this news. We've always known in our hearts that Gabe and Eden are ours but it feels good to know that the State recognizes it too.

Again, we are blessed!

Beach Trip

This summer we (along with Daryl's family) hit the road to Nags Head, NC for the twins first beach trip. Here are some of the highlights.

Gabe and Eden love playing in the water but it was hard for them to play in the ocean so we turned the temperature down in the hot tub . . . they had a blast!

It took us awhile to get this shot but it was well worth it.

Gabe is so happy playing in the sand. The twins tried to eat the sand and weren't happy with the taste.

6 months old

Where has the time gone?? I can't believe Gabe and Eden are already 6 months old. We took them to Portrait Innovations to have their pictures made and they turned out great. It's hard to imagine that in only 6 more months they will be 1 year old.

Our Many Mini Milestones

This summer is full of firsts.

The one that took us by surprise was Eden cutting teeth at 5 months old. We discovered these pearly whites on Father's Day and it seems as though she has made some enormous changes since they came in. We have always had problems with getting Eden to eat. She's either never hungry, too distracted, or doesn't care but since these teeth have entered her mouth we haven't been able to feed her fast enough! Also, she has had problems with reflux so much that she was on medicine 3 times a day. . . well not anymore! These teeth seem to have fixed that problem too!

Eden's pearly whites. It's funny how Gabe has yet to cut teeth and he actually likes to eat!

Eden found her toes!

Gabe learned how to hold his bottle! This is one of our favorite milestones!


Gabe's first haircut. Daryl and I have disagreed over having Gabe's haircut but with 6 month pictures just around the corner I finally gave in and took him to Stacy Lewis at Untangled for his first haircut. He was such a good boy during the whole process
Before

After
He's such a little man!

Road to Africa 5K

On June 12th, we set out to conquer the Road to Africa 5K. This 5K was a fundraiser for my brother and his family who are waiting to adopt from Africa. It sounded like an easy task; just put the babies in their strollers, stroll them through the 5K, and we will be done in no time. Oh boy was I wrong!

The "race" started out well. I had one goal, not to be last. The goal was accomplished but with a lot of prayer and sweat! The first part was easier since it was on a paved road but the next part took us through the woods and a field. Here's what I've learned, umbrella strollers aren't meant to go off road. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be and the 90 degree heat didn't help.

Crossing the finish line was amazing. Gabe and Eden did well through the race and slept through most of it. The woods and field were bumpy which irritated Eden but they were great through the whole process. They both received medals for their participation as they were after all, the youngest to compete.

God has already blessed our family with Gabe and Eden. We are continuing to pray for our niece and nephew in Africa.

We officially registered Gabe and Eden in the 5K. Here are their racing bibs to prove it. Gabe and Eden both worn shirts that said, "My little cousin is in Africa."

Our First Pool Attempt

On Memorial Day we decided to take the babies to the pool for the first time. Little did we know there is so much prep work required for such an event.

Our morning started out well with happy babies and it continued through getting them in their bathing suits and sunscreen. Once they were in their bathing suits, time started getting away from us. I don't know how many pictures I took, but I guess we were just taking on the role of new parents. Once we finally got into the car, we had to stop at my in laws to blow up floats which Gabe interpreted as nap time. After the floats were inflated, we finally got up to the pool on the farm.

We were greeted with plenty of people wanting to hold and see the babies in their new bathing suits. Twenty minutes later, we were in the water with two expressionless babies. Gabe cried at first because the water was cold and he wanted to sleep. Eden kept a stern look on her face as if to say, "who's idea was this?" Literally 5 minutes into pool time it began to rain. We headed for the house until it eased up then tried again with little success.

Although the day was a wash out, we still had a good time. I feel much more prepared to try the pool again. Below are the best pictures we could get of the twins in their swim gear. Eden loves her sunglasses because it changes everything to blue.

My First Mother's Day

My First Mother's Day

Of course your first Mother's Day is going to be special but this has been a long time coming.


Every year my church recognizes mothers on Mother's Day by having all moms stand up and a child brings them a flower. Last Mother's Day, Daryl and I were at the point of transitioning from trying to get pregnant to the adoption process. I told Daryl that if we didn't have a child by the next Mother's Day then I would want to go away for the weekend because I just didn't think I would be able to watch the other mothers at our church stand in recognition. Little did I know that God was going to bless me two fold with Gabe and Eden.


My first Mother's Day started with a wonderful breakfast by my husband. Afterwards he gave me a beautiful bracelet with Gabe and Eden's names on it. We went to church, where I proudly stood with other mothers in recognition of our special day. We had a nice lunch after church with family then went home to relax for the afternoon.

Later that evening Rachel, the birth mother, called to wish me a happy first Mother's Day. I'm sure that was tough for her to do but it meant so much to me. Without her (and God's divine intervention) I would not have had this day to celebrate.

Our First Family Trip

This past weekend, we loaded up the minivan and headed to Tennessee on our first family trip to see Jake (Daryl's brother) graduate from Tennessee Temple University. The trip up went really well, we only had to stop once to feed Gabe and Eden, and they slept the whole way. Saturday afternoon we checked into the hotel and were surprisingly found 2 cribs in our room (we thought they only had one). We relaxed that afternoon then went to Jake's graduation party that evening. The babies were amazing!

Sunday morning we went to church at The Rock (which was amazing) then headed to Golden Corral for lunch. Afterwards, Jake and Lauren (his wonderful girlfriend) got us turned around in Fort Oglethorpe, GA. Once we found our way back to the main road we went back to the hotel for naps then later to Highland Park Baptist Church, on the campus of TTU for the Baccalaureate service.

Monday we packed up our bags and went back to Highland Park Baptist for the graduation ceremony; afterwards going to Crust Pizza before getting on the road.

A proud Uncle Jake with his hands full!

As hard as it was to pack up everything needed and everything you might need for a trip with infant twins, we had a great time! We got to meet Lauren's parents and family which are just as sweet as I imagined them to be. Our babies continued to sleep through the night in the hotel!!!!!

We were able to put a hair bow in Eden's hair for the first time!

And Gabe grew a mustache!

God continues to show us His mercy and love each day; I can't tell you enough how blessed we are!

Sickness

As I come to the end of my maternity leave both children come down with their first sickness. Eden started a week ago, this past Monday, with the runs. She doesn't act or look sick and she's not had a fever. A week into the "bug" I called the doctor and they saw her to only tell me what I already knew. They said to check back in a week. So Eden keeps going with this nasty little bug. The good news, it's not all the time, it fluctuates in its' severity, and she's not received a diaper rash in the process. I guess we will wait it out until Monday to see if it really lasts 2 weeks.

Then today, what I thought was a cold or allergies for Gabe turned into a fever of 101+ and a rush to the doctor. They immediately became concerned at his pulse oxygen levels of 93/100 (they like it to be 100) and started talking about the hospital. But they instead decided to do a nebulizer treatment and run some tests since he was comfortably resting. After the treatment his levels bumped up to 95/100 and he seemed to be doing even better. Test results came back for normal white cells (no bacterial infection) and negative for RSV (praise God). So we leave with a brand new nebulizer, an Rx for an ear infection, and a much happier baby.

Tonight, Eden is happily snoozing away in a quiet nursery and Gabe is sleeping in a swing in our bedroom. He has to sleep upright (he's always slept on his belly) and he gets a nebulizer treatment at 1am.

In retrospect it hasn't been that bad. God continues to amaze me with His blessings. Just when I begin to get bummed out about returning to work and my kids get sick, He shows me His mercy and blesses our family.

The twins are almost 14 weeks old; Eden weighs 10.5lbs and Gabe weighs 16.3lbs!!! God is good!

Sleeping Through the Night

At the beginning of the month we decided that we had t0 do something different because neither one of us were getting much sleep and we were both getting more and more grouchy! So with the guidance of my wonderful Sis-in-law, Kori, (I have to give credit where it's due) we started Gabe and Eden on a strict eating routine.

A normal day is the following:
Feedings are at 5:00am, 9:ooam, 1:00pm, 5:00pm, and 9:00pm
Gabe eats at the above times and Eden eats 30 minutes later because Gabe is much more demanding.
Starting with Gabe at 8:30 is bath time followed by rocking and singing until their last feeding then straight to bed.

I won't lie, it got worse before it got better. Gabriel didn't like the new schedule because it meant he couldn't eat in the middle of the night. After a couple nights he got used to not eating but he still wanted to make up at 2:30am and be held or rocked back to sleep. It wasn't until Monday night that Gabe stayed in his bed all night even though we still got up when he did but we didn't rock him back to sleep.
Eden doesn't have much of an interest in eating anyways so this was a lot easier for her. Her only problem is that she likes to be wide awake at 3:00am and when she's wide awake she doesn't want to be in the dark.

Last night, Eden woke up at 3:15, I changed her diaper and she went right back to bed. I couldn't sleep from then until 5:00am because I was listening for Gabe and in my mind encouraging him to keep sleeping. I had to help him find his passy at 4:00am then he slept soundly until 5:00!!

I'm sure there will be nights where they relapse and don't sleep so well but my #1 goal before returning back to work was that they are sleeping through the night. Since I still have 3 weeks left at home with them I'd say we're on our way! Praise God!

Our First Easter

Wow! This was a busy holiday! We had a lot of fun with friends and family. This Easter is really the first family functions we have been to since the twins were born and Daryl and I are exhausted! I can't believe how much stuff is needed to visit family for the day.

The funniest Easter story takes place Easter morning while trying to get out the door for church. Me being paranoid that they would get something on their clothes, wanted to wait until the last minute to dress the babies before leaving. We are already 5 minutes behind when we realize that Gabe has exploded in his diaper. Daryl goes in for the challenge to find halfway through that Gabe isn't quite finished. We will just say that there was a big mess EVERYWHERE except for the white pants Gabe is supposed to wear to church! Praise God the pants were spared! We were super late to church but we made it none the less!

Busy Day!

I kind of feel like today was a trial run of returning back to work. I got up, got the babies ready and dropped them off at their Nana's house. I stopped by IESS (a local teacher store) to spend the rest of my yearly stipend then ended up at PGE to do report cards. I worked and socialized until 3, head to Walmart for grocery shopping, picked up the babies, cooked dinner, and put the groceries away.

It sounds like I did a lot but I guess I failed to mention that all of this was done with 6 hours of sleep, 3 hours of house work this morning before dropping them off at their Nana's, no students at school, and a visit from my mom this evening which allowed me to cook dinner.

I'm glad I still have 4 more weeks before going back to work full time. It's going to be hard but it's got to be done. My only hope is that it all seems this easy when I do go back!

Smiling Faces

Eden and Gabriel are almost 10 weeks old and they are taking off! It seems like everyday they are getting stronger and their personalities show more and more. Here are a couple pictures of them smiling and lifting their heads! They are growing too fast!

How our family was formed

My husband and I met in the summer of 2003, he proposed in December of 2005, and we were married in October of 2006. We moved into a new house in May of 2008 and tried to start our family. After trying for a year and no success we decided to seriously look into adoption. Daryl and I both felt called to adoption before we even met each other but we didn't think it would be something we would do right away. We prayed and researched adoption agencies and when we found Bethany Christian Services we knew this is God's plan for our lives.

We put in our first application with BCS in July of 2009 already feeling God's plan beginning to unfold. The next few months were full of paperwork, meetings, and prayers as we pressed through the process. In December of 2009 we began our home study and in January of 2010 we eagerly awaited the finalized home study so we could apply for loans and grants.
Before going any further, I must take a moment to tell you that the swiftness with which our placement occurred is unusual but definitely directed by God. Daryl and I felt God's calling to have an open heart and mind in our adoption process in regards to the birth family. The rest of our story is nothing short of a miracle but it may be difficult to hear for those that are currently waiting to adopt. Our social worker had this to say about the waiting process . . . if it's God's will, it will happen. It doesn't matter how long you wait God has the perfect child and situation planned for your life, you just have to wait for His plan to unfold.

Back to the story. . . On January 20th, 2010 Daryl called BCS to ask them a finance question (keep in mind our home study paperwork isn't finalized yet) and while on the phone our social worker told him that they are on their way to the hospital to talk to a perspective birth mother who gave birth to twins on Monday the 18th. She wanted to know if we were interested so she could show our profile and of course we said YES! Our social worker (from here on refered to as Angela) called us back that evening with no new information and promised to call tomorrow. Thursday, Angela calls us to tell us that the birth mother chose us to adopt her twins! We were on cloud nine! But there's a catch . . .

The catch: The birth father is African American and the birth mother is Native American registered with a tribe in South Dakota. Because Native Americans are a protected people federal laws states that in addition to obtaining permission from the birth family, we must also obtain permission from the tribe. Angela assures us that contact has already been made with the tribe and we should have an answer before the weekend.

I have never hit my knees so hard! I prayed like I have never prayed before. What we thought would be a quick decision turned into a 10 day prayer fest on an emotional roller coaster. All during this time, we didn't know anything about the babies other than they are 8 weeks premature, in the NICU, and doing well. Angela and Cindy (another social worker) were doing everything possible to close this case. Their fear is that the babies would need to be discharged from the hospital before the case was finalized. If that happened the babies would more than likely go to the state or this could drag on and on for months (keep in mind I've not even seen a picture of the babies).

Monday February 1st, I am snowed in. I'm a 5th grade teacher about to go stir crazy if I have to spend another moment in my house, alone, trying to get my mind off of these babies! So I decide to go to the chiropractor. I've got a lot of tension and neck pains so I decide it's best to get out of the house. While in the doctor's office I look down at my phone (that's on silent because I'm in a doctor's office) and see that I've missed several calls from Daryl. I call him back and he says PRAY!! So I pray the best I can while getting my neck cracked and while waiting to check out I notice he has called several more times. I return his call to hear the sweetest words possible "The tribe said Yes!" Through the tears I turn to those in the office and gladly exclaim that I am the mother of twins! A boy and a girl!

Wednesday February 3rd, we head to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte to meet our social workers, to meet the birth mother, and to meet our babies! The birth mother, Rachel, is so sweet and we agree to an open adoption. She goes to spend more time with the babies while we talk to Angela and Cindy. Now it's our time, we head back into the restricted area to see the babies. We immediately go to their beds and I pick up the boy (now named Gabriel Hunter) and Daryl stares at the girl (now named Eden Michelle) a little afraid to pick her up. Rachel comes over to Daryl and Eden, picks her up, and hands Eden to her forever daddy. At that moment we knew that our lives have changed forever. Our family of two quickly became a family of four!