Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year with Vern and Karen. Yes, they braved the winter roads, and we are truly thankful!! They were able to enjoy negative temperatures, watch their grandchildren participate in our Christmas program, attend our Christmas Eve service followed by carolling at the Nursing Home, and of course paint with the boys!! Painting is a must when Grandma comes to visit. What a joy to celebrate our Savior's birth with family of our own. Thanks for coming, Grandma and Grandpa!!

We have enjoyed the Christmas break just relaxing and sleeping in, not having to keep much of a routine! But, alas, tomorrow school starts again and we are back to the daily routine. Basketball is now in full force with Austin's first game on Saturday. We will then begin traveling all over Eastern Montana for games a couple times a week. It keeps us very busy, but we enjoy watching our children play.

Christian actually got to play in a 3 on 3 tournament on the 20th, and his team took 3rd place. Good job, Christian!

We were also blessed to be able to email our daughter Daina in Haiti several times over the Christmas break, as she was also on break and had more computer time. I am also relieved to finally have all of our paperwork in Haiti! It took several months to get it all completed, but it is done and now we wait for the Haitian government to move our paperwork through the system. We are praying that Daina will be home within a year from now. We would appreciate your prayers as well as we wait on the Lord for His perfect timing!!

May the Lord richly bless each of you in the New Year! May He fill your lives with His perfect peace and love as you seek His will for your lives! We serve an awesome God!!!

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving Day was very special this year. We went to Bozeman to spend the day with my Grandma Dykema and aunts, uncles and cousins. The trip itself was busy as usual with a visit with the social worker for a post placement visit for Hope and Grace, and a trip to Helena for fingerprinting for the adoption of Daina. But Thanksgiving Day we rested and enjoyed a wonderful meal with Grandma, Uncle Rob and Aunt Karla, Troy and Hilary, Maddy and Silas. Tuesday evening and Wednesday evening were also spent with other family members who we don't see very often. (We love you all!!) It was so nice to spend a few days in Bozeman reflecting on the many things we have to be thankful for. God is so good to us, and sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life we forget to stop and truly thank Him for the many promises and blessings He so lavishly bestows upon us. Thank you Lord for the gift of life, salvation, family and friends. You give us hope for life eternal with you, and for that we are truly thankful and blessed.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Gracie!!!

So sorry little Gracie! It has taken me way too long to post your birthday picture! Happy 3rd Birthday, sweetheart! Yes, her birthday was on the 5th and I just have not gotten around to posting about it until now. Gracie is our little typical toddler in the home right now. She is active, busy, naughty, cute, sweet, affectionate, naughty, potty training, full of energy, clumsy . . . and did I say naughty? HeeHeeHee!!! We love our little Gracie so much, but she certainly can be a challenge as all toddlers are. She is still learning to obey mom and go potty on the toilet. Sometimes I think I might pull my hair out, but we take one moment at a time and take a deep breath and continue with a lot of prayer. She is so cute and silly though! What a blessing we have. I think back to a year ago when she was still in Haiti and we did not know when she'd be home with us. It's hard to believe that that was just a year ago. It feels as though Hope and Grace have been with us forever now. I can hardly remember life without them--I couldn't imagine life without them. They have added so much joy to our home. And I just love what the Lord has done in the boys through them. The boys are so loving and affectionate with them, it just melts my heart. Even through life's daily challenges, I am continually thankful for taking us down the path of adoption. What a tremendous privilege it is to be their mom!

Happy Birthday, Austin!!

Yes, Austin is 12 years old today. He is such a handsome young man whom we adore. Our firstborn . . .I can remember it like it was yesterday. Where has the time gone. . . Austin is our quiet, but strong-willed, very smart and athletic, kind and helpful, respectful child. At parent-teacher conferences last night, his teacher just raved about his huge and kind heart. He is an excellent student, and he definitely does excell at everything he does. Most importantly, we are beginning to see him become more Christ-like in the decisions he makes. Yes, we still have a long way to go, especially when it comes to sibling rivalry, but as a whole Austin is keenly aware of who he is representing in life, and desires to please the Lord in all he does. We are so very proud of you, Austin, and we love you so very much!!

Now, to explain the picture you see!! (Disregard the date on the photo, I just changed batteries and didn't fix the date) Austin took Hunter's Ed. this summer, and Jeremy took him out today on his birthday for his very first hunting trip. And as you can see, it was a very fun and successful day. He took his very first white-tail buck with just one shot!! Good job, Austin!! It was a proud moment for his papa!!

Halloween at the Stradley's

Okay, so it's been a couple weeks, but I'm back and I have some of the cutest kids, and they all look great in their costumes this year. Since we live in a small rural community, we do the traditional trick or treating all over town. The kids love it, but I actually think Jeremy has more fun than the kids. Every year he comes up with a costume that is sure to get a laugh out of everyone that comes to the door. This year, he was dressed right out of the 80's. Do you all remember the 80's??!! He looks fantastic, don't you think? Then we have Austin who was Major Payne, Christian who was Derek Jeter from the Yankees, Kaden who was Terry Fator (He was the winner of America's Got Talent last year and is now becoming very famous. He is a singer/ventrilaquist/voice impersonator. He is very entertaining and very talented, and we had the privilege of having him come to Wibaux because he was scheduled to come last year for our fair, but couldn't fulfill his contract because he was in the middle of winning America's Got Talent, so he came this year instead.) . . .Okay, back to costumes . . .Hope was a ladybug in the morning and a fairy in the evening, and Grace was a pumpkin in the morning and a fairy in the evening. Don't they all look adorable!! It was a fun evening for all--we had over 125 kids come to the door. And, of course, the kids all came home loaded with candy.

Daina, our newest blessing!!

I wanted to share and update everyone on our most recent adoption. Daina is 14 years old. I met her while I was in Haiti picking up Hope and Grace. She very sweetly came up to me as I was taking pictures of other young children in the orphanage. I turned around and was greeted with the biggest hug from Daina. My heart just melted, and it was then that the Lord began to speak to me about the possibility of another adoption. I could not stop thinking about her and praying for her. Even before I got home from Haiti, I mentioned her to my family at home. And when I got home, I shared more of what I believed that the Lord was telling me. I just loved this young lady so much and could not explain the bond I felt with her. To my surprise, all of the boys and Jeremy were immediately positive about the possibility of another child. Although it took several months to make a decision to adopt, the Lord did eventually make it so very clear to us that we called Dr. Bernard in Haiti and committed ourselves to our sweet Daina. We are still at the beginning of the process, and have many months to wait, but we trust that the Lord will bring her home to us in His perfect timing. In the meantime, we can email her through the help of an American missionary who is staying at the orphanage (thanks Bryn). We are so very thankful for this blessing to have contact with our daughter. We would appreciate your continued prayers as we once again go through a very long, and sometimes emotional journey of adoption. God is good, and He is faithful to provide His lovingkindness and mercies and grace each step of the way. Daina, we love you and praise the Lord for bringing you into our lives! You are a blessing!!

Happy Birthday Hope!!!

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Hope, Happy Birthday to you!! Hope is 5 today and we were so happy to celebrate her first birthday with our family. What a blessing she has been. We can hardly remember our home without her or her sister. God has been so good to us, and we thank Him for His love for us that He would bestow on us such wonderful blessings in our children.

Hope had a birthday party with a few friends. The boys all got involved in the activity planning. Christian made up his own egg hunt with his very own toys and candy for the kids to hunt for. Austin and Kaden took part in making a "pin the bee on the flower" game. And Kaden dressed up as a clown for the party. It was very sweet. It is very evident how much the boys love their sisters!

Praise the Lord for the gift of children!!