Thankful for Transitions….

It is so hard for me to believe that we are in the holiday season!! Time seems to fly!!! We had such a great first Thanksgiving in our new home!! My brother got to come and spend the day with us and it was so fun! We went to the movies with some dear friends and I quickly realized that Mayah is not quite ready for the big screen. We spent a lot of time in the lobby!! A great time was had by all of us though! Kelcie and I did a little bit of shopping Thursday night and Friday has been spent lounging around the house!

I eluded in my last post about some big changes with our adoption. As most of you know, London and Sam have been "stuck" for about a year. This means there has been no movement whatsoever in our adoption process. We love these children so much and being apart from them is hard. When Carrson prays he says "let London and Sam come home today". They don't understand why it is taking so long and frankly neither do I. We are ready for our family to be complete. After lots of prayer we have made the decision to change agencies. This was not an easy task but tonight I can rest easy knowing that my children are going to sleep in a warm bed and full tummies. I cannot go into great detail of why and how we came to this place but please know that we have acted in the best interest of our kids.  With all of this comes expenses. We will be paying $600 a month for their exceptional care. We also will need to raise about $8500. With the season of giving upon us we are praying for a Christmas miracle. We are asking you to prayerfully consider sponsoring our family in this endeavor. We know many of you already have and I cannot tell you how grateful we are in the part that you are playing in bringing our children home. All money donated through village to village is tax deductible and they will put it in our family's fund. When we need to make a payment we will let them know and they will disperse the money. 100% of the money donated to our family is given to us. They do not keep any out for fees. Its like an adoption savings account! If you could make a donation (any amount is amazing and appreciated) and then share the link on social media, blogs, emails etc with your contacts it can start a chain reaction when they donate and share! Many people look for ways to bless others during the Christmas season and we would be forever grateful if you would help our two precious kids make it home to their forever family.  Please take a few moments to read our story, donate and share.
http://www.villagetovillageintl.com/the-ward-family-family-79.php
 Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We couldn't do this without your prayers and help!
We love you all!!

We are alive.... I promise...

How in the world have I not updated this blog since May???? Holy Moly!! SO much has happened in the past few months that I feel like we are just now catching our breath! Two weeks ago we arrived in our new home all the way across the country to South Carolina!! We made it 1100  miles with 5 kids and a dog and no one lost any body parts or flung themselves out of the car window... (I'm not going to lie, I thought about it a couple times) We are pretty much settled in to our new home and the kids are adjusting very well. We have already been to the beach and plan on doing that a LOT!!! Kelly took a position as the Family Life Pastor at a pretty amazing church out here. It was so difficult to leave Oklahoma behind. We have treasured friends there and it has been our home for the last 6 years. I worried a lot about the kids but they are doing great. We are excited about the adventure ahead!!
So an update on the kiddos!!! Kelcie is amazingly beautiful and funny and has her sweet moments! She is almost 14 and has really found her niche in video production. She was sad to leave her Soccer team and FFA but we are hoping and praying for God to bless her back for her sacrifice. Greyson is growing up and changing so much. He is 11 now. Amazingly handsome and has the most tender heart I have ever seen. I am convinced that when he prays, that it moves Heaven and Earth. God has quite the plan for that boy. Conner is quite the clown. It has been a year of transition as his brother is getting older. This is the first time they have not shared a room and nothing warms my heart more to wake up in the morning and seeing one of them sleeping in the others floor or in the bed with them. They have their moments but really do have a special bond. Carrson... Oh my goodness... for those that know him I can just mention his name and people laugh. He is a big 4 year old now. He sleeps in his own bed and started going to "school" at the church this week. He loved it and can't wait to go back. He is a mess and his big sister tells us quite often that we need to "discipline" him more. Its quite hilarious!!! Miss Mayah Grace is a whopping 2 years old now and she is 2 in every aspect of the word. She is our girly girl, diva, princess etc etc etc. She loves her bubbies and sissy so much abut Carrson Has a special place in her heart! We are so amazingly blessed with these kids. I am so thankful to God for entrusting them to us.

We are still trudging through this adoption from Haiti. Haiti is a very complex place and has a lot of corruption that unfortunately affects people trying to adopt. Some people see the children as a way to make money off of "Rich Americans" We are having to deal with our own situations in Haiti regarding London and Samuel but we are fighting for them. We are doing whatever it takes. We would love your prayers for God to continue to keep His hand on them and that His Will be done.

We love you all and are so thankful for you. I promise now that I'm a "stay at home mom" that I will do a better job of updating you on this crazy circus we call life!!!

xoxo
Tracie