November News!

Well, I did it...you are getting Halloween pictures before Christmas! ;) Can you believe we are already midway through November!? Mason is now 16 months old and has been home for 8 months. It doesn't seem possible...it's gone by so fast, yet at the same time it's hard to remember life without Mason.

I am in the process of reading a great book, that I would highly recommend. Note, I am NOT a reader...never really have been...rarely finish books. However, this is one I will certainly be able to finish. It's called "Fields of the Fatherless". Ever since we started our adoption process, I have felt that I wanted to do MORE. I completed an Adoption Bible Study at our church earlier this fall and I still feel that need to do MORE...I am hoping, along with some others at our church, to start an Adoption/Orphan Ministry. So, a few of us have been reading this book.

If there are any viewers out there that have experience with starting such a Ministry, I would love to hear from you! Also, if any of you are familiar with any domestic adoption programs that specialize in or have a high percentage of Latino/Hispanic adoptions, please let me know!

I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!

A Glimpse of October!

Tomorrow is Halloween and we are super excited about getting Mason dressed up. His costume is actually Daddy's idea, that he came up with last year while we were waiting to bring Mason home. I will take plenty of pictures tomorrow and will try to get the Halloween pictures posted before Christmas! :)

We completed our "Re-Adoption" earlier in this month. The court hearing itself was quick and painless....just more paperwork and $$ to get us there. I believe we are down to one last step...hopefully. At some point we will need to apply for a COC (Certificate of Citizenship) through the USCIS office. What does this involve? You guessed it....more paperwork and $$! Once the application has been received and reviewed we will be issued one last appointment at our local USCIS office.

Going back to September for a quick moment....
Mason had an out-patient surgical procedure, which we are glad is behind us ( I am sure he is too)! Everything went fine and we were home later that same morning. Prior to this hospitalization, Mason made his first trip to the ER! Mason and Gracie (one of our cats) had a disagreement. Let's just say, Gracie may have won the battle but she lost the war! Gracie now has a new home. She is staying with some friends of ours until Mason is a little older. This time Gracie got Mason right between the eyes! An ER trip, steri-strips, second skin and round of Augmentin later...Mason has healed just fine. (*Note: the OP surgery had nothing to do with the cat incident).

Mason is a happy, busy and entertaining little boy. He has most recently learned to spin in circles, shake his head "no" and stand on top of the coffee table! There isn't a day that goes by that we don't give thanks to God for the gift we have received in knowing this child as our son. At his 15 month checkup he weighed 22#.

Now what you really came for...PICTURES!!

Gracie's Aftermath: Round 2

Reading a story before surgery...

Mason post anesthesia...
Eat your heart out Tom Cruise!

Just another day in the life of Mason...

Daddy, Mason and Cousin Brileigh...

Mason and Brileigh

Mason's first pumpkin...

This was all Daddy's idea...

First Family Vacation!

Well, it appears I have officially gone from weekly updates to monthly ones! We had our first family vacation this past week. Mason was a little trooper as we drove nearly 1400 miles round trip starting in our home state through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and our destination...Kentucky. Daddy played in the Men's Class C Softball World Series Tournament. We won't talk about how his team placed! It was nice to get away, my parents traveled with us, so they got some extra time with Mason and their favorite daughter (me)! :)

Things are moving along with Mason's readoption. We met w/ an attorney to sign papers to file a petition and our final hearing date as been set for October. We also FINALLY have a SSN for this child! Which means Mason is officially a member of the "Shiny Apple Club" with his very own savings account!

Family news! The Wilkens family has welcomed 2 new members of the family....McKinley Jane and Grant Alan made their way into the world about two months early on Sept 5th. Mom and babies are doing well. The babies will be in the NICU for a while yet. Check out their pics @ http://www.mckinleygrant.blogspot.com/ . This 2 little ones make the grandkid count for Papa and Granny Wilkens 10!! 4 of these joined the family just this year....in fact, about 6 months from each other. Christmas will be WILD this year, I am certain.

My "new" pictures are becoming hard to come by! Mason is ON THE MOVE, CONSTANTLY! I bet I take and delete at least 25 pictures just to get 1 so-so picture of him! :)

How you see Mason these days...with a bat in one hand!

Mason over Labor Day weekend

Mason throwing a fit

Mason throwing another fit (same day...different outfit)

Papa Jim asleep on the road (he will flip when he sees this)!!

Mason & Mommy at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY

Family Photo

Just this morning...we never used this swing once Mason got home, but Daddy decided to put him in it this morning just for fun. He loved it!

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." 1 John 5:14

August Update...

Well, it has certainly been a few weeks! The summer is just flying by and Mason is growing and changing every day. It is literally everyday that he learns something new. As soon as Mason arrived home, I started trying to teach him some basic signs. Fortunately our daycare provider is on the same page. They aren't perfect signs, but Mason can now sign "Please" (which occasionally looks like he is rocking out on air guitar), "More" (not to be confused with clapping), "Eat" (which he actually looks like he is biting his hand or forearm), "Thank You" (which I have yet to see, but daycare has witnessed it) and he is beginning to get down "All Done" (which looks alot like waving bye-bye at this point).

He is obsessed with climbing stairs...and is super fast too! He loves being read to, he will dig out the same 2 books and bring them to you, all the while signing "please". The 2 books are "Baby Jesus, Baby Me" and "Where's Baby's Belly Button". So far this month Mason has gone to World's Of Fun, got his 1st pair of Nike's, is working on 2 more teeth and he is now legally "MASON"! We met with a local judge this past Monday to make his name change complete. What's next you ask? Well, here goes....

*Get an amended State BC with legal name...CHECK
*File a petition for Readoption w/in our STATE...Attorney has been contacted and has our paperwork.
*Apply for a Social Security number and card...
*Apply for and eventually receive his COC (Certificate of Citizenship)
*At some point get a US passport

My best guess it will be at least another 6-8wks before the State readoption is complete, I can work on his SSN anytime and we will apply for the COC after the readoption. I have been told it can take up to 6 months to get an appt at the USCIS Office after you have applied for the COC. Guess we will wait and see!

At W-O-F...see Uncle Lee and Cousin Brileigh in the background!?
On Saturday Mason kept putting this hat on...backwards!

Catch me if you can!
It started out just helping Daddy water....

Batter Up!!

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes"

Ephesians 6:11

A Busy Little Boy...

So, it's been a while since the last post! I bet you're wondering what Mason has been up to these past few weeks. Well, his 2 front teeth have been making their way in. Tonight it looks like he is working on a 5th tooth as well (the tooth next to his Rt. front tooth). His biggest accomplishment since last post is WALKING! Yes, we have a WALKER now! He is so flippin' cute while walking...so proud of himself.

Mason had his 1 year Dr's visit on July 15th. He weighed in at 21# 15oz. He received his 4 shots (ouch! but, nothing a little ice cream afterwards didn't fix!) and the Dr. gave us the green light on switching from formula to whole milk. Since that appt. we have been back to see the Dr. twice (yes, that is 3 times this month). We had to go see the Dr. because of Cat Scratch Disease (yes, Cat Scratch Fever is real, not just a Ted Nuggent song) and then the following week he developed a fever and unrelated virus. He is due to finish up his round of Augmentin for the Cat Scratch Disease this week.

The week following his 1st birthday we decided we would start weaning a bottle at a time. Not that we are in a hurry for him to grow up, we just don't want to be sending him off to school with a bottle someday! Since then we have successfully weaned him from his 3 day bottles, so now his is just down to his 1 evening bottle.

Other than that, we have just been enjoying the summer...ballgames, swimming pools, etc. Mason continues to go to daycare 2-3 times a week and does wonderful there. Our daycare provider is nothing short of a "God-Thing". She is a stay at home mother of 4, good Christian woman and simply fabulous. She and her family love Mason, and we love them!

Please keep up the prayers for the waiting EN children and families. A few more kiddos have made their way home, but many are still waiting. I would also like to take this time to mention another prayer request. My sis-in-law (my hubby's youngest sister) is expecting twins...a girl (McKinley) and a boy (Grant)! Today marks her 26 week mark and she has been on bed rest the past few weeks due to complications. We are praying for the health and safety of mother and babies. She has started a blog, if you would like to follow along in their story. http://www.mckinleygrant.blogspot.com/ .

To my blogger pals...I still check your blogs every few weeks, but rarely take the time to comment anymore. Please keep bloggin'...I look forward to your updates and pictures. And, for those that still comment on our blog....THANKS! We love reading your comments.

Father and Son
Taking a break during a softball tourney.
In Mason's world, all things are a source of joy.

Humm...Notice any encouragement from Daddy?

Me and My Dad...

Silly boy with a bowl on his head.

Playing.

Daddy clipping nails while Mason is sleeping.

Handsome Boy.

Mommy's attempt to get a "walking" picture.

Mason loves to be read to.

Mason, blame the mismatched PJ's on your father.

Isn't he just precious?!

The realm of God has no limits or bounds whatsoever.

More Firsts....

Since our last post, Mason has celebrated his 1st 4th of July, 1st Birthday and 1st hair cut! We hope you have a little time, because there are lots of pictures to see!

Mason celebrated his 1st birthday on July 5th, we held his birthday celebration on July 6th. As his 1st birthday was approaching, I found myself filled with many thoughts and emotions. I even took the time to write them down, thinking I would share my thoughts at his birthday party. I didn't end up sharing that day because I am not much for public speaking, I didn't want to cry and things were just super crazy! Crazy...but fun! On Sunday our family ate lunch together at a local Mexican/Guatemalan restaurant, then gathered at our house for presents, cake and ice cream.

However, since this blog is for scrapbooking purposes (as well as keeping family and friends updated) I will share the "speech" I was going to deliver. (So, for those of you that were there...this is what I spared you from hearing!)

I don't think it's the "norm" for a 1st birthday party to involve a "speech". However, I have had so many thoughts in the last few days that I felt it best just to get them out and share them with close friends and family. Also, if I pull a stunt like this in 10 years, Mason will be absolutely horrified! While I am emotional about our baby boy turning 1, I am even more emotional about the fact that he is HOME with his FAMILY to celebrate this day.

A year ago on July 5th Cristian Alexander, now known as Mason, was born in Mazatenango, Guatemala. A year ago on July 7th we received the call that would forever change our family. A call asking us to share our lives with this tiny little 5# baby boy. A baby we knew so little about, but knew in a big way that God had brought into our lives with purpose. We hoped and prayed that Mason would be home in time to celebrate his 1st birthday at home with us. We don't feel this is just another ordinary 1st birthday party...it's truly an answered prayer.

Mason is still on the move...Daddy often refers to him as "Captain Active"! He is still walking around furniture or pushing toys to walk around the house. His front, right tooth is making its way in...slowly but surely. Not much in the way of any new words...at least not English...lots of jibber jabber though! Oh, and his latest stunt...STAIRS! He can be up 3 or 4 stairs in no time at all...it's getting back down them that is the problem. :)

Happy 1st birthday...a trike!

Mason's own lil' bday cake
Diggin' In

The end result...

First Hair Cut on 07/10/2008

1 Year Portraits

Ready for 4th of July fireworks!

Papa helping Mommy with bday cupcakes

Daddy, Mason and Mommy

Yummy!

I think he found his sweet tooth!

Checkin' out this summer's hottest swimwear!

Peek-A-Boo!

Fireworks celebration on July 3rd