CHRISTMAS LETTER 2009

Happy December everyone!!!!
Hard to believe another year has passed. Time truly does seem to go by much quicker with each passing year. We are going to give you a quick run down of this years happenings in hopes to tell you about our lives. Enjoy!!

JANUARY: This month started out ringing in the New Year in Indiana with Rebecca's family. After the new year was properly rung in we drove back to Texas (where it was warm). After being home a short while we received word that Neal's grandmother has passed away. So we flew back to Indiana for a short trip to be with family as we gave Gramma Fox her final goodbye.

FEBRUARY: The second month of the year also brought us the second death in our family for the year. Rebecca's grandmother passed away. So once again we headed to Indiana to be with the other side of the family as we said goodbye. The year started off with a lot of sadness but it gets better.... keep reading.

MARCH: We continued to watch Camden and Owen play soccer. Neal helped to coach Camden's team. Both boys seemed to enjoy it as well as their best cheerleader Emma. In March we took a trip to Alabama to have the kids tested to see if they would be accepted into the school we wanted them to go to. They all got in and we are so thankful for that!! It is very nice to have all the kids at the same school.

APRIL: This month was filled with Jesus and Easter eggs.

MAY: Rebecca's sister came for a long weekend to go on a scrap booking retreat. We stayed up all night and got a lot of our pages done! I am blessed to have such a great sister. This month also ended another school year. Camden was happy to be a third grader. (once he finishes a grade he automatically starts telling everyone he is in the next grade). This month also started the goodbyes for us. We had to say goodbye to some great friends that we had met through both schools and Neal began slowing down at work, saying see ya to some fellow pilots.

JUNE: The craziness of moving was this month. We were able to rent out our house to a nice couple so we did not have to go through selling the house which is a bonus ( I think ). But we still had to get organized for our move. On June 28th we arrived to ALABAMA!!! June 29th our household goods arrived and we were unpacking. Neal's mom came to watch the kids while we unpacked. It was the fastest we have ever been able to unpack and I recommend to everyone moving with kids..... have someone there to play with the kids during unpacking. It is a treat for everyone involved!!!

JULY: We headed down to Florida for our first beach trip. Neal's mom went with us and we met Neal's brother Dan and his family there. It was such a fun trip, but it was over way too quick. Camden and Owen learned to boogie board and Emma learned to build big sandcastles with her daddy. July was also the month that we decided God was leading us to embryo adoption so we sent in our initial application and got our home study going.

AUGUST: We started off the month by driving to Indiana to pick up our niece and nephew and brought them back to Alabama with us. The kids has a great time swimming and playing with their cousins for a week. The kids also started at their new school. Owen and Emma missed the cut off so they are in K-4 and Camden is in 3rd grade. Camden had a rough start with handwriting. They do not teach in Wichita Falls public schools until 3rd grade and here they expected him to know it already and to be writing everything in cursive. Neal also started his classes for his Air Force masters degree. He will be completing a masters in one year while in Alabama and he will be finishing his other masters degree that he had already started in March. GO NEAL!!!

SEPTEMBER: This month Owen and Emma turned 5!!! Makes us sad to see them grow up. Rebecca also started taking some on line classes (since everyone else was in school, she felt left out). Not sure what she is going to do with those classes yet, but we will see. This month also brought t-ball into our lives as well as horse back riding and a new gymnastics gym. Owen started playing t-ball, Camden began horse back riding lessons and Emma is continuing her gymnastics. September also started bingo with the elderly. Our church needed someone to take over the nursing home ministry. So we volunteered. As a family, we go once a month to a nursing home, give out hugs, hold a hand and play some serious bingo!!! We love it!

OCTOBER: We started out the month by taking a trip to Atlanta. It was a present for Owen and Emma's fifth birthday as well as Camden's 9th!! We toured the coca cola museum and went to Medieval Times dinner show and the Atlanta aquarium as well!! The next weekend we took our first family camping trip. Tent and all!!!!!! We had so much fun, we will be doing again it the spring. We ended the month with trick or treating. Camden was Harry Potter, Owen was a night and Emma was Snow White.

NOVEMBER: Rebecca's dad came for a visit at the beginning of the month. Her mom had to work. We love having visitors, anyone else want to come? We also drove to Indiana for Thanksgiving. It was the first Indiana Thanksgiving since Camden was 1 month old!!!! I guess we were due there......

DECEMBER: We anxiously await word on our future embryos. We have been blessed with adopting one already. We plan to attempt to transfer him or her to Rebecca in January or February. Meanwhile we wait for God's timing. We will be heading to Indiana for Christmas the week before hand. We will be back in Alabama for Santa's gifts and the New Year.

Remember we will be moving next summer. Date and Place to be determined!!! We will be updating with adoption news and family news and hopefully pictures.

We love you all dearly!!!
~Rebecca and Neal (Camden, Owen and Emma too)

BEACH TRIP

I am finally posting our pictures of our beach trip that we took in July. Since Neal's mom was helping with the kids while we unpacked she drove on down to Florida with us. Neal's brother Dan and his family went to Florida from Indiana too. It was a fun time for all of us!!!

Here is our family on the beach!

Emma in the sand.

Owen, Camden and Emma

These boogie boards are sooooo worth the money. The kids loved them. We figure if we ever live really close to the beach Camden and Owen will be surfers.

Neal always makes a sand castle when we go to the beach. He has done it everytime since our honeymoon.

Owen is helping with the moat.

Camden wishing he could transform his boogie board into a surf board.

Sweet faces!!!

HERE IT IS...

Well here it is.... our big announcement!

Nope, we are not pregnant.... at least not yet. As many of you know Camden was conceived with no medical intervention other than me having a surgery to clear some endometriosis. But we had all sorts of medical tests done and nothing was found wrong with either Neal or I. We tried for three + years for him.

Then when we decided to have another child, we were not able to get pregnant. We tried for three years. During those three years we tried all sorts of medical procedures to help us get pregnant. Our infertility doctor said our best option was to try InVitro. So with many prayers, we tried it. God created three little babies. He may not have created them by sexual intercourse, but HE created them. God does not have to create unless He wants to.

We had all three embryos put back into my uterus. All three attached and were growing. When I was nine weeks along, I had some severe bleeding. After an ultrasound was completed, we found out we had miscarried one of the babies. The doctors actually told me it would only be a matter of time until I miscarried the other two. Well you all know how that turned out.... OWEN AND EMMA are alive and well.

Neal and I have tried InVitro two more times since Owen and Emma's birth. God has chosen to not create a child for us this way again. We are understanding of His plan. We do know that God has placed a desire in our hearts for more children.

SOOOOOOO..... we are here to let you know that we are adopting. We are going to be a adopting embryos. We do not know how many yet. The adoption of embryos is much like that of a domestic or international adoption. We have completed our home study and have just completed the matching phase. This phase consists of our agency prayerfully considering a genetic family for us. They match us with a family that is of the same ethnic background.

We have been matched. Well, they have chosen the first family for us and they have sent them our profile. This happened on Monday. Now the genetic family is going to be making the decision whether or not they want us to adopt their embryos.

Please pray and ask God to keep us patient as we wait. I know He will provide the perfect match. We will keep you posted!!!!

MOVING IN DAY

On June 30th, we moved into our Alabama home. It was a great move with nothing damaged. The kids were really into helping the movers. So they would give the kids little things to carry from the truck to the house.

Here come my little movers!

Maybe we should just do this ourselves since the kids like helping so much..... (no way)

Emma would direct the movers where to take things, most of the time she was correct.

We were singing..... "hi ho, hi ho, its off to work we go."

VICKSBURG

On the drive to our new home in Alabama, we drove through Vicksburg. We decided to tour the grounds and show the kids some history. The kids thought it was really neat to see. It actually surprised me how interested they were. Mostly about where the fights took place, how many people died etc.....

The kids liked the big cannons.

Camden holding his pretend gun in the trench.

Neal explaining to the kids where everything was.

Owen took this of Camden and Emma.

SIX FLAGS

Camden and I had a mommy and me day at Six Flags in Dallas back in June. It was so much fun to hang out with only him for a whole day. The day starting off like any other day (he did not know). We got dressed and I told all the kids to get into the car. They naturally asked where we were going and I said, "you will see". First stop was the Gordon's house.... I surprised Emma with a day playing with Myah. Second stop was the Egleheart house..... Owen was surprised with a fun day with his buddy Dylan.

Then it was just Camden and I in the car. He thought sure I was dropping him off at his friend Anthony's house, after all, Emma and Owen had been dropped off at friends' houses. So we played a game. He could ask me any question about where we were going, but I could only answer yes or no. After about 30 miles, he guessed it. SIX FLAGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

We arrived to six flags and rode the first ride we came to. So after ride one, I realized my body does not like rides as much as it used to. We had been there 10 minutes and I thought I was going to throw up already!

We had TONS of fun. There were no lines and it was a beautiful day!!!

Camden on the Batman ride.

He wanted to hop the chain to get a better look.

My roller coaster boy, we rode every roller coaster, including the ones with loops.

Camden and Wylie

FINI CROSS COUNTRY

Neal and Kevin took one last cross country in May to Colorado Springs. The day they came back, Jenn and I decided to go meet them at the base with all the kids in tow. I apologize that the pictures are out of order, but you get the idea......

This is the guys in the jet as they were taxiing in.

With all the kids, minus baby Ethan.

Walking to meet us....

HUGE hugs for daddy.

The boys waiting in the grass for Neal to arrive.

LAST TEXAS OUTING

We decided to take one last trip before we moved from Texas to Alabama. There are a few "mountains" in North Texas and we decided to go hiking with The Gordon Family. Plus there is a YUMMY restaurant that serves outstanding burgers. It is called Meer's burgers. It has been featured on Food Network. We had to wait 2 hours in line but it was worth the wait!!!!!!!

Camden, Owen, Myah and Emma


Neal with Eli, Owen, Camden and Emma

Camden and his warrior pose.

Emma, the hiking princess .

Owen found this special place to rest in the shade.... it was a hot day.

FINALLY

Yep, here I am. Finally blogging some pictures. I have decided to start where I left off, so the following pictures are from May. Be sure to check the web site each day for the next week or so. I will be adding a new post each day for a while until I get caught up.

These pictures were taken at Owen and Emma's "end of the year program". At the school they went to, they always had a Thanksgiving day program and an end of the year program. At the Thanksgiving program, Emma pretty much stole the show by singing really LOUD!! Well she did it again. She was the only child that did every hand movement and sang every note so that EVERYONE could hear her. I am not sure that I liked to sing when I was little, but she seems to love it. Owen sang more this time than at Thanksgiving. He gets pretty shy, but once he sees Neal and I, he likes to show us what he can do. He would prefer to show us how he can play a sport or something like that.

Owen and Emma singing (good thing Owen was not on Emma's left)

In the picture you can maybe see how Emma is singing REALLY loud and how Owen needs to go to the bathroom.

EMMA IS FUNNY

So I am way behind..... I know. Summer moving is great for kids and school, but wow..... summer goes by quicker and then before you know it, the running to and from school, after school sports for each child etc... I am feeling settled now. I hope to get some pictures up this week of the kids! So be on the lookout for those. For now, I leave you with a funny story.

So we went to Bass Pro Shop to look around. We happened to be in the hunting area and there was a tv advertising a bow and arrow dealio. Emma stood there and watched it. After watching a man shot a deer in the behind with an arrow this is what she said, "mommy, that guy should not have shot that deer in the bottom, if he wanted ham, he should have gone to the store and bought some."

YUM, STRAWBERRIES

My friend Jenn and one of her friends and I decided to take the kids (Camden was at school) to a strawberry patch and pick our own berries. It was very hot and the mosquitos were already out! Keep in mind, these are Texas sized bugs... so big that when you squash one, you have to have three paper towels to clean up afterward. (okay, so not quite that big, but they really are HUGE). Anyway.... the kids had an awesome time. I must say, I did too!!!! We picked ALOT of berries. 11 pounds worth to be exact. So I made some jam with most of them and the kids ate all the rest.

Walking out to the patch!

This is small for some reason! When I scan in pics or use pics sent to me from friends, they turn out small on the blog.

All the kids..... (minus the two babies)

Youngs's Orchard

Owen, with the perfect berry!

Taking time for this pic.... Myah and Emma.

So many berries, so little time.

Owen, in between eating, I mean picking berries!

Emma and Owen a competition over who can find the biggest one!

Jenn and baby Ethan!

Owen, after some tough berry pickin!

CAMDEN"S SOCCER

So Camden and Owen had their last soccer games last weekend. They both had great games and the weather was nice with no wind! I do not have any pics right now of Owen's team, but below are some of Camden's. Owen played for a team called the Lasers. Camden played for a team called the Gladiators.

Emma and her friend Isabella being silly at Camden's game.

Camden playing defense, waiting for the ball to come to his end of the field.

Camden's team..... (Neal helped coach)


Camden, taking a break at half time.

RINGLING BROTHERS

We went to the circus a few weeks ago...... HUGE thanks for the Gordon family for taking us!!!! We had so much fun. It was a very funny show..... great entertainment for children of all ages. The best part for me, was watching Jenn and Kevin's kids and our own three, get excited about each new act.

The elephants were Emma's favorite part!

(The Ham) Mr. Eli Gordon

Owen showing off his souvenir popcorn.


Our family at the circus!

The Gordon family at the circus. Can you tell Myah likes to have her picture taken?

Best friends!

Best buds!