Support-post 3

In this series on support, I will say it again there is no way in adoption you can do it alone, we know that and have felt it on various levels and degrees.  This post will talk about our family, we are so thankful for our families who have supported us in so many ways.  We do not take this for granted either, as we do know that not all families have this gift.  And in understanding this we realize that for some it is a foreign idea to them, adoption, and then international adoption.  Some just don't know anyone who has done it so its just different for them, its almost like the ignorance of racism the unknown produces fears.  So I will say that while I can say that all our family supports our adoption, I can also say it has been neat to see how some were hesitate or had questions and are now blessed to know Shiloh.  My dear grandma Pinnie when I first told her, asked why we wouldn't adopt here in America, which is a pretty common question when I told her why we chose to adopt internationally she understood.  It does make my heart sad that she never got to meet Shiloh, I know she would have loved her and called her doodlebug just like she did all my other kids.  My parents have been super supportive, my dad has been very generous in giving, and was always attentive and asking questions through the whole process I am thankful for him.  My mom loves Shiloh and too always asked good questions about her, curious about her life.  There is a priceless picture of her, as we arrived home and she saw her for the first time.(previous post)  Travis' parents have been very supportive too, They have been very generous in giving and have fallen in love with Shiloh.  They were able to come visit and Shiloh was smitten with Granna right away!  Our siblings have been super supportive.  My sister and her husband were so gracious, they were gracious with their money and their time, my sister flew to Guangzhou to be there when we met Shiloh for the first time.  She was our resident blogger and photographer for the first couple days we were there.  It was helpful that she lives in China and speaks Mandarin, so she was able to talk to Shiloh's caretakers, help us get around and eat good food, and shop.  It was also just comforting to have her there to help out and talk to.

  My brother Herschel always asked good questions, and came quickly to meet her upon her return, she took to him pretty well, thankful for him and is willingness to drive and see us.  Travis' brother Steve and his wife Lori were very generous in giving toward our adoption, and always asking and being genuinely concerned about our trials in the journey and progress, we were thankful they took an active role in our journey.  His other brother Mark and his wife Jane were also very supportive, genuinely curious and concerned, and generous in giving as well.  Again we are so thankful to have such loving siblings to walk this road with us.  Our extended family was also very supportive, my Aunt Beth is one of those, she was an example as one who adopted her son a little while ago:) and allowed me to have a framework for adoption.  She also was very generous in her giving and super supportive in her words of encouragement to me.  We know that each person has different perspectives on their family experience, which is what makes us so thankful to have family who love and support us in this process.  I know this will help Shiloh down the road as well, knowing she is part of such a loving, welcoming family..

Support 2-Homecoming welcome!

Well I was going to talk about my wonderful family next, but then realized I hadn't posted Shiloh's welcome home pictures, so that is long overdue.  So in including these pics I will talk about church family.  This of course falls under support, those greeting us at the airport, which was an overwhelming feeling, as we walked down the escalator I saw all these people and was just so overcome with thankfulness!!  Our church family is amazing!!

The siblings...waiting anxiously

Grandma Donna and friends waiting...

This is what we saw coming down!!

Shiloh looked a tad overwhelmed, why are all these people cheering?

Love this of grandma!

Meeting her brothers and sister for the first time!

Look how tightly she was grabbing Travis' shirt!

Finally broke a smile for Thomas!

Love this of Anna, and Micah in background.

These were our airport supporters, there are a few different in each pic and we are thankful for all of them!

Our church family did and does so much for us, we truly could not have done this without them.  They of course allowed Travis to take off work to go, they have prayed for us from the very beginning and walked along side us every step, bump, crash along the way.  They have been there to encourage us at the right time, to host a shower at the right time, to host a support dinner/auction at the right time, all the while showing us a greater love of Christ through these acts of which we didn't deserve.  It is super special though bringing Shiloh home and her meeting all of these wonderful people who have been praying for her and now they get to walk along side her as she is part of their family now too!!

Support-Can't live without it!-Post 1

I wanted to share about the support that is and has been a blessing in the journey of our adoption, because without others walking the road with you I don't see how it is possible.  So I will do this in different groupings and thought it fitting to start with the support of Kristin Cook, I will hold her out individually because while we couldn't adopt/go without the support of so many people we truly could not without her.  Kristin has been a dear friend for approximately 10 years.  Our paths crossed when she worked at the Bargain Box with Travis and was in school at SEBTS where we both went to school.  We became fast friends, she actually babysat Isaiah(our 10 yr.old) as an infant while I would go to class.  Fast forward, we started TCC(our church) and she is one of the founding members, so we walked along side her in ministry and life.  Kristin and I have always had a connection, in a lot of ways we had similar childhoods which allows us to relate to each other and understand certain dynamics of life just because we've walked through them in similar ways.  We have been meeting off and on for ten years, we read books together like Future Grace way back in the day, to a lot of the CCEF counseling stuff, always trying to look/share/encourage/fight together this life with Jesus.  We had the privilege of having Kristin live with us for a little while, and she still loves us:) even after that.  Kristin is a servant in the truest sense of the word, one who lays down their life for another.  She has really been a part of our family sense the beginning, our kids LOVE her and were so sad when she moved to Texas.  I mean crying sad.  So anyway, in this adoption journey one of the big questions was will both of us travel to China?  I remember thinking of course we will, not a question, not an option...BUT then?  Who will watch our kids, and can we afford it?  Well who knows and no were the answers:)  Shortly thereafter, I was talking with beloved Kristin and she said, "I will come and stay with your kids, I would love to do that!"  I of course, said please think about it first, but of course we would love for you to!  Now let me tell you why this is the biggest blessing we could have.  Because, its Kristin.  Not many people know our kids like she does(okay we did learn they have grown up a little in the time gone by:( ) but still, they know her well and she knows them.  And more importantly she knows us!  She knows how we parent, she knows how to have fun and she knows how to instruct/train and discipline.  We knew we could completely trust her, and not have to worry one second about our kids back home while we were around the world in China, that is a huge burden to have taken away!!  I knew that Kristin could have fun with my kids, spoil them a little, have fun and do fun things, because yes we were half way around the world and they did miss us, and then she would know how to talk to them and instruct their hearts when they needed it.  Kristin allowed/fostered the time we were away from our kids for them to make memories too, to pray for us while we were away and to go out of her way, in so many ways for them to be in the journey too.  Kristin is gifted in so many ways, service is one of them, while we are all called to serve(not an option) some are more gifted than others and she is....she is also an amazing photographer and has taken photos of our family over the years, of which all of them are amazing, so her eye for love and life is amazing!!  And of course if you can't tell Kristin loves to care for orphans in their distress, she has devoted part of her business KristinShyla Photography to just that!!  Kristin is most amazing because she loves Jesus, and seeks to abide in him, her fight is real, her life is real and we are so thankful for the love and support she has given to us over the years and most recently by caring for our children like they were her own!  I wanted to do this post on her birthday, which was Febuary 3rd, but yeah I have five kids now and time just flies away.  So the reality is that both Travis and I could not have gone to China had it not been for Kristin, now that's support...more to come!!

Isaiah turns 10!

January 20th, marked the day that our first son was born, Gosh we have now been parents for 10 years, that seems like a long time.  The theme seems to be going at our house to keep things simple, so I guess that is our ongoing birthday thing:)  Anyway, Isaiah did get his share of celebration though.  First we were blessed by a dear/generous couple who gave Travis a pair of Duke tickets for the Duke/Clemson game.  So sidenote, Travis has been a huge Duke fan since he was a kid so this was a double blessing because then Isaiah is now a Duke fan, so this was a perfect time for Isaiah to go to his first ACC basketball game and he loved it!  Not to mention Papa was pretty happy at his first venture to Cameron Indoor!

Isaiah James Williams

We did of course the usuals, we had our chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, along with real thick bacon which is a splurge, that all the kids love!  We did this saturday morning, since sunday mornings make it kind of hard to cook a big breakfast that takes any amount of time.  So then on Sunday, after church we just did things Isaiah enjoys, football, play games, watch football, etc., had a yummy dinner and then double layer chocolate chip cookie cake with chocolate icing per his request, can you say rich!

We had a great couple days of honoring the life of our first born son, and prayers for him.  Isaiah is our
oldest, so he does bear a lot of the responsibility around the house in helping and for that I am thankful because he does a good job.  He has a sweet demeanor, and is great with the little ones.  For good reason you hear Shiloh yelling through the house, "Isaiah" she knows if she wants a free ride upstairs or down, she has one in him!  He is tender toward her and other little ones, but also is rough and fun out on the football field.  Isaiah loves to read right now, and is working hard in school(most of the time).  We do pray he will be a man of great faith one day and thankful for his life!

Isaiah holding our friends baby, Derrick.

Christmas Part 2-still late:)

Well Granna and Grandpa made the trek from Tennessee a couple days after Christmas to meet Shiloh and of course see everyone else too!  We had a good visit with them, enjoying all the yummy food Granna brings which usually includes her fudge that the kids love.  Yes Shiloh actually loves it too, I think she could eat her share as much as Sammy could.  We were thankful they made the trip, as it can be hard on Granna having to drive the whole way but she is willing and able so were glad!  Shiloh, loved to go to Granna too, so this was good.  And Sammy loves to play with Grandpa, which made for a fun time.  

Our flower children:) 

Sammy's favorite place!

Christmas Part 1-Late I know:)

Well we arrived home on December 20th, just in time for Christmas which we were really thankful for. My brother Herschel was able to come up on the 23rd and meet Shiloh and of course spend time with us too, this was super special!  He was able to bring my mom over to join in, so they took part in some of our traditions and we really enjoyed them!  Two things we have done for the past 3 or 4 years, we've lost count, is go out to eat at Pizza Hut on Christmas Eve and look at Christmas lights.  We shared with them that this started one year, we figured out it was right after the birth of Sammy(Nov. 14), needless to say I wasn't up for cooking much so we decided to take a drive and see what would be open on Christmas Eve when we stumbled upon Pizza Hut, then of course the next year the kids said well aren't we going to Pizza Hut, top it with stories from Papa and it became a tradition.  Secondly we have been sweetly invited to a dear family in our churches home for Christmas Day dinner, they even keep inviting us as our family has continued to grow so this is extra special.  We always feel truly loved there and our kids absolutely love to play with their children, even though they are now adult children.  So this year my bro and mom came along too and we had a great time.  We had a great Christmas and had so much to be thankful for!!  It's funny, in the manuals on adoption they tell you not to overstimulate your child, give or do too many things all at once, well poor Shiloh coming at Christmas she really had no choice:)  She did learn how to tear wrapping paper.

Uncle Herschel with Shiloh!

Shiloh, learning to open presents, she loved her princess chair.

Micah, giving his your not touching this look:)

Grandma looking through her basket!

Isaiah, as Thor!

Just sweet picture of big brother taking care of Shiloh!

Anna, working on her pottery wheel!

Sammy aka Ironman!

Financial Update

Just wanted to explain briefly why I changed our giving thermometer.  At the end of our adoption process, which is actually still ongoing in some ways with paperwork and fees, but the travel part we had a certain amount left to raise which at the time we thought to be just our travel and we thought our travel would cost roughly 6000.  But what happened is we had the privilege to travel in December which caused this to make our expenses be more than we thought, so it looks better to see how much we have paid and raised so far against the whole total bill rather than just the travel.  Please do join us in praying there is one grant that we applied for that is the last one out there that they may be gracious to grant us something toward our remaining bills, if we are the family God wants to receive some.  And again we are so thankful for all the generosity we have seen, it truly is amazing!!!