Happy Birthday, Dylan

Today Dylan turns 9! It's so hard to believe he is already 9 years old. I remember so clearly the day I went to pick him up from the hospital with the social worker. He was less then 24 hours old and so sick! BUT, I knew the moment he was in my arms that God had placed us together for a reason.

Dylan has been such a blessing to our family!!

Happy Birthday, Dyl-pickle, butter bean, D.J., Dylan James Gray!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Isaiah

Today Isaiah turned 1!! What a big boy he is!!

Last night we took him to Red Robin for dinner and he had his first taste of ice cream!! YUM! YUM!

Christmas Traditions

One of the Gray family Christmas Eve traditions has been to open one gift before bed. Every year the kids tear open their packages to discover new (mostly matching) pajama's!! This year was no different.

We also are trying a new tradition this year. Every year it seems like someone's present gets lost or misplaced. Or worse, thrown away with the wrapping paper. So this year we decided to try giving each child just one present. Well... one box of presents is more like it. We wanted every box to be the same so the size of the box was dictated by the largest gift (a doll stroller for Sutton). The boxes are huge. But, they do like cool under the tree!!

I'm not sure how well it will work in the morning, but I'll let you know!

Merry Christmas from the entire Gray Family!

Jody, Gail, Andrew, Jimmy, Carsen, Shane, Dylan, Kynsley, Landon, Sutton and Isaiah

Leap of Faith

How often I struggle to take a "Leap of Faith"! I hear the call... I feel the call... yet I do not listen! I put out excuse after excuse to justify why I am not following Jesus' call on my life. Most of the time those excuses are very valid in a worldly sense. Lack of money, strength, understanding are all valid worldly reasons to not respond, reasons to doubt! To doubt that "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible". To doubt our God.

Jody and I are at a turning point in our lives. We need to take a "Leap of Faith". We know this is what God has been calling us to do for at least a year now. YET, we still have so many doubts. Some very valid. Quite honestly we do not have enough money to move to Haiti. We have not saved the way we should have, some of which was out of our control (needing to stay in Haiti for 3 weeks because of problems with Isaiah's passport) but most totally within our control (like eating out too much, over spending etc.). We need $3000 more to move and we don't have it! We have no idea where it is going to come from. BUT... God does and we need to have Faith! We also have not found a place to live. A very valid reason to doubt. Being homeless in Haiti really is not an option. We do not know where we will live. BUT... God does and we need to have Faith!

It feels like time is running out. Isaiah must be back in Haiti by Feb 13th. We are waiting on final confirmation but have been told that Jody will start training Jan 25 or 27 and be deployed to Haiti Feb. 5 or 6. That is only a few weeks away, yet we do not have any real plans. We do not know what is going to happen. We have so many doubts and those doubts are starting to take control. We know that God is in control. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Knowing that God is in control and everything will work out for the good is a lot easier then living it!! It's time for us to live it, every day, every minute, every second! That is our prayer! Will you join us in praying??

"Heavenly Father,
We have made so many mistakes and are unworthy of your mercies, yet you give them to us everyday. You have provided all that we have yet we do not remember from where it all came. Lord, we need you to open our hearts and minds to your will. Help us to have faith in your ways and to let go of the doubts that come from doing things our way. Give us the patience to wait on your timing and to not worry needlessly about where the money is coming from or where we will live. For our sakes Lord, please reveal to us soon the plans you have for us. Show us Lord what you want us to do in order to move to Haiti. Thank you for this amazing opportunity to serve you and your children. In your precious and loving sons name, Amen!"

She's home!!!!!

Carsen is home and currently sitting in front of the fireplace playing with her siblings. They are thrilled that she is home. It's nice to have someone else be the human jungle gym!!!

Quote of the day:

Mom, "Hey, buddy how did you sleep?" (speaking to Landon after he woke up from his nap.)
Landon, (after some serious thought), "with my eyes shut."

Prayers needed

Please pray for Carsen and Angela. The next 24 hours are going to be very difficult for both of them as they say good-bye to Angel House, the staff and the children. Also, pray for the staff and children as they must say good-bye to Sissy and You-you on the same day!

Please pray for Sutton and Isaiah's birth mother. She gave birth to a pre-mature baby on Friday. Carsen said the mother reported the little girl is doing OK but Carsen did not see her. I do not know the birth mothers intentions for this child, but I do know her situation has not changed since placing Isaiah for adoption. We are praying if she must place the child for adoption that God reveals a Christian family (that would be willing to have contact with us) to be the child's forever family. We are not in a position nor do we feel called to adopt again but do want the children to know each other. Sutton and Isaiah also have 2 older sister's that are still with the birth mother who need prayer as well.

Out of IBESR

We got word on Thursday that we are out of IBESR!! Now it's on to Parquet. For those of you that do not understand "adoption jargon" this is very good news!!

Isaiah's doctors appointment

Isaiah saw the urologist today. It was a great visit. Dr. Stratte believes that both of Zi's testicles have descended. He DOES NOT NEED SURGERY!!! Praise God!!

One of his testicles is considered "abnormal" and will need to be monitored. It is possible that he may need surgery at a later date but there is nothing that needs to be done right now. Dr. Stratte doesn't need to see him for another year! So he is cleared to travel back to Haiti with us.

We haven't bought tickets yet for the move since we were waiting to see when Zi's surgery would be. We will be moving forward with our plans and will keep everyone posted!

Thanks for your prayers. God is good... all the time!

Not feeling the Christmas Spirit

Today I hung our stockings. It is always one of my favorite things to do at Christmas time. BUT, today it was hard. I have been having a difficult time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I'm not sure exactly why, my daughter is coming home, Isaiah is already home, Andrew and Ciji are going to be here, so why am I sad?? I finally realized it is because Jimmy wont be here!! We are spending another holiday without him. Not because he doesn't want to be with us, he truly does!! But, because he CAN NOT be here. He is a Haitian citizen not an American. He is bound to the country he was born in. He does not have the freedom to just come for a visit.

In our hearts and in God's eyes Jimmy is our son yet he has never been in our house. He has never seen where we live. For a very long time neither did Landon, Sutton and Isaiah. But they are now. There are many, many family's waiting on adoptions to be finished in order for their children to come home to them. But, in the end they will be home. Jimmy doesn't have that option. He is too old to be legally adopted by us. He will never be a "Gray" legally in the US. It hurts to know that if something were to happen to one of us, he couldn't come to be with us. He can't just get on a plane and be here in a few hours to visit.

It is possible for Jimmy to get a visitor's visa but it isn't easy!! We really believed that we would be spending this Christmas in Haiti. We truly believed that we would get to spend this Christmas with Jimmy. Andrew wouldn't be with us, since Ciji shouldn't travel to Haiti while she is pregnant but they could come if they choose to. It's a choice not a restriction. We didn't bother working on a visa for Jimmy because we thought we would be there! Now its too late. It takes months to get an appointment at the Embassy and most of the time even with an appointment they ask for something more. And it's very expensive! Between the passport, the US government fee's and the refundable ticket (that costs twice as much as a non-refundable ticket but you have to have a refundable one in case your visa is denied) you must buy before your appointment to prove you have a return flight, it costs a bundle!

So for one more year, Jimmy's stocking will hang on the mantle yet he will never see it. He will not get to experience a Gray family Christmas morning. He will be in Haiti without his mom and dad and siblings. But, he will be in our hearts.

Jimmy, as we celebrate Our Savior's birth, know that you are in our hearts and on our minds. We will continue to pray that we will get to spend next Christmas with you!! We love you and miss you oh so much. Thank you for allowing us to be your family!

Just 12 more sleeps...

And I will get to see my girl!!


Just 12 more sleeps...
And I get to hear "Sissy", "Sissy", "Sissy" from 6 little mouths and she will be here to respond.


Just 12 more sleeps...
And there will be one more person fighting for the shower!


Just 12 more sleeps...
And I get to sit in front of the fireplace with my "skinny-minny" with no body fat, watching a very realistic and very gross medical show, just because she LOVES them.


Just 12 more sleeps...
And I get to wake my sleeping young adult with "the good morning song" (sung by me, slightly off-key and very loud, VERY early in the morning).


Just 12 more sleeps...
And the sibling bickering is increased by one!


Just 12 more sleeps...
And my nest will almost be complete once again! (Too bad, Jimmy isn't coming with her, then it would be complete! But, that's a whole other post).



Carsen, we miss you and are counting down the days until you get home! It has been way too long for your siblings to go without seeing their Sissy. Love ya' Poohbear! Just 12 more sleeps!!!

The Gray family is growing, AGAIN!

That's right... the Gray family is increasing in numbers once again. BUT, we are NOT adopting another child!!!

Over Thanksgiving weekend, Jody and I found out that we are going to be grandparents!! Yes, you read that right, GRANDPARENTS! Andrew and Ciji are expecting a baby in July.

When we committed to adopt Isaiah we said that he would be the last baby until grandchildren... Well we did not think it would happen quite so soon!!

Jimmy and Carsen...

... what's missing from this picture?

YOU ARE!!!!

We miss both of you so much and wish you were here with us.

Kynsley making cookies!!

Zi getting ready for a walk.

Happy Thanksgiving from the entire Gray family,

Jody & Gail,

Andrew, Jimmy, Carsen, Shane, Dylan, Kynsley, Landon, Sutton and Isaiah

Another day...

It started at 4 a.m. but it's OK because we went to bed at 8 p.m. last night. 8 uninterrupted, glorious hours of sleep, what could be better???? I'm not sure if Zi slept that long since my amazing, wonderful son, Shane had the baby monitor in his room and may have got up with him, BUT I DID!!!

AND.... Zi is now playing in the den with his brothers and seems to be somewhat back to normal. He woke up hungry but happy. It is only 6:30 a.m. so I'm not going to say yet that the colicky baby is gone but today certainly has started off better then the last few days.

As far as pictures go... we only have a few. I've been too tired and cross-eyed to even think about taking pictures! I will try to do better now that I've had some sleep.

Isaiah at the Miami airport!!

Getting ready for church, leaving for church, after church

Yes, we actually attempted church, not the smartest thing to do with a sick child!! He slept through Sunday school but then woke up with a fever so we never made it to the service.

Oh, if only he would do this at night!!

lets see if I can finish this before the baby wakes up....

OK, so we are home. Zi and I arrived in Redding at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. Zi did not like the plane or the airport or anything about the trip at all. Probably had a little something to do with the 104 degree fever, the double ear infections and bronchiolitis (one step below pneumonia). Not to mention the giardia and itchy skin that is being irritated by the very cold dry weather here!

Zi has not slept more then 3 hours at a stretch (all during the day of course) since we have arrived home. Needless to say it has not been the easiest transition for any of us. The other kids are being troopers and even Sutton is handling his arrival well. It is like having a 24 lb. colicky newborn with teeth and an excellent set of lungs. I really think when we went through customs they replaced my easy going, fun to be with baby boy with something quite different!

Isaiah is on antibiotics for the ear and lung infection, Flagyl for the giardia and is covered regularly with Burt's Bees body butter for his skin. He is on the BRAT diet and actual seems to be getting better.

We also got news that Jody was chosen for the mission to Haiti beginning Nov. 28th!!!!! Yes, you read that right NOV 28th!! After much prayer, we have decided to turn down this deployment and his name is on the list for the Jan/Feb. deployment. It was not an easy decision to make, since we know God has called us to serve in Haiti but do feel it is in every one's best interest for us to wait. There is so much going on right now that Jody would have to go by himself at this point and the family would have to join him later. Being separated for the holidays and during Zi's surgery is just not something we feel we can handle at this time!

Well it is now 7:15 p.m. and I'm finally finishing this post. It has been another long day and I'm praying for at least a few hours sleep. And hoping tomorrow is better!

Phillipians 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." NIV

This truly is my favorite scripture. God revealed it to me right after my father passed away. It has helped me through some of the toughest times in my life, times when I wasn't even sure if I was going to get through another day. I like the way The Message Bible phrases it:

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

So often I turn to God during the toughest times in my life, yet so often forget to look towards Him to help me get through the everyday struggles, the strife and discontentment I bring on myself. It's easy to turn to God when you have hit rock bottom, where else can you turn? But ,what about those times when things just aren't turning out the way you think they should, or when you have done something so stupid you know you deserve to be right where you are at, times when your problems seem so minor compared to cancer, world peace, malnutrition etc. Is it as easy to turn to God then?? It should be but I know for me it's not. Instead, I worry, I fret, I allow the worry to become the center of my life. If God can handle our biggest problems, can't He also handle the little ones, the ones we have made for ourselves??

So, today instead of worrying where the parts are to the crib, instead of worrying where the money is coming from to go to Haiti to get Isaiah, instead of worrying about the lack of clothes we have for him, instead of worrying about how his presence is going to effect the other kids, instead of worrying about all the little things that have been eating away at me for the past week, I'm going to allow God to shape my worries into prayers, letting Him know my concerns and then take a deep breath and relax.

God is in control, not me. Holding my breath, getting tense, freaking out does not help God be in control, not one little bit. It probably just makes Him shake His head and think, she has so much to learn!!

So, if you see me today or talk to me...can you remind me to do just that, take a deep breath and relax. And I'll try to do the same for you!

Praying for our family and friends in Southern California

The current fires raging in SoCal could threaten many of our family and friends. Here is what we know as of today.

Jody talked to Andrew last night, he is fine and currently is not in the fires path.

My grandfather was in LA yesterday and was on his way home to Escondido. As of yesterday he was not in the mandatory evacuations but the fire was getting closer to his neighborhood. My foster brother Rod and his family live a few miles from grandpa so if he needs assistance getting out Rod is there to help.

We have friends in Ramona (entire city of 30,000 evacuated on Sunday) that we have not been able to contact, Rod and Lisa we are praying for you!

Jody lived in Poway for 30+ years before we moved to Northern California, he has numerous friends still there and we are praying for their safety. He also worked and played alongside most of the fire fighters in that area and again we are praying for their safety!

We also know a few family's affected by the Stevenson's Ranch fire, our prayers are with you as well!

As I get more information I will keep you posted.

Update from my recent trip to Haiti

I've taken a break from introducing all the kids to share with you what is currently happening with Isaiah.

We found out right before I went to Haiti that Isaiah was going to need surgery. He has an un-descended testicle. Normally, the necessary surgery to correct the problem would be put off until he was over 1 year old. Because of our move to Haiti soon after Isaiah turns one the urologist feels it is in his best interest to have the surgery now. I put together the necessary paperwork to obtain a medical visa for him with the hope of bringing him home with me last week. However, because of holiday's in Haiti and a delay getting Isaiah's birth certificate from our file at IBESR we were unable to get the visa.

The staff at Angel House is currently working on getting the birth certificate and his passport so I can fly back to Haiti and apply for a medical visa. We are praying that the Embassy will issue the visa based on the fact that we will be living in Haiti for at least one year and would need to leave Haiti in order for him to have surgery. We also need the visa to be issued as soon as possible because with Jody's current insurance Isaiah will be covered as soon as he arrives in the US. With the insurance that is offered while we are in Haiti, Isaiah must first be legally adopted in the US in order to be covered which would delay his surgery even longer.

Although this condition is not live threatening we know it is for Isaiah's best long term prognosis not to wait for this surgery to happen. Waiting could cause an increase in him developing cancer and an inability to produce sperm.

Please, join us in praying that we can bring our baby boy home as soon as possible. We now believe that God postponed our move to Haiti because of Zi. If we were already living in Haiti it would be nearly impossible for us to afford to get him this surgery until later!

One other thing... because we were not expecting Isaiah to come to the US until after we had lived in Haiti for quite awhile we are not prepared for him here. The weather has changed and we have no cool weather clothes for him. We also do not have a car seat. We have registered at http://www.walmart.com/ and http://www.target.com/ if you would like to help us with our needs. We also LOVE hand-me-downs!! He is a size 12 months ands wears a size 4 shoe!

Thanks everyone!!!!

Carsen

Carsen Michelle Gray was born July 22, 1988. She is my first born, I was only 19 when I gave birth to her. God has blessed us with an amazing, beautiful, talented, messy, loving, stubborn and wonderful child of God.

Carsen has spent most of her life making us laugh. She loves hard, lives hard and laughs hard. Carsen is a very talented writer (see her blog http://www.sissyloveshaiti.blogspot.com/) and a great actress. She can weave a story on paper then bring it to life on the stage. She is as stubborn as her father and mother.

Carsen has dedicated the last 4 months of her life to the children of Haiti. Sissy (as all her brothers and sisters call her as well as the children and staff of Angel House) gives of herself freely and without expectations. The children adore her! It is evident in the smiles on their faces and the joy in the voices as they call out to her.

(Sissy and Annabella)

In December when she returns to the US, she will continue her education to obtain a degree in nursing. I have no doubt that she will return to Haiti to continue to give of herself once school is done.

(Carsen helping Brit drain a wound)

I'm very proud to call her my daughter! She is the daughter I always dreamed of having and more!

Jimmy

Jimmy Louis (Gray) was born on Nov. 16, 1982. I met Jimmy in December of 2004. I knew as soon as I met him, he was meant to be a part of our lives. Jimmy had just moved into Angel House when Father Micheal passed away. Jimmy had been living with Father Micheal since he was a small boy and considered Father Micheal to be is dad.

Over the next few months Jimmy became more and more a part of Jody and I's hearts and lives. I'm not sure exactly when we began to think of him as our son but it didn't take long! God had a plan when He brought Jimmy into our lives that's for sure. Although he is not a "Gray" legally he is as much our son in our hearts, and we believe in God's eyes, as our other children are.

Jimmy graduated from high school this past June and is waiting for his diploma to be issued (it takes 4-6 months in Haiti to get the legal diploma). Once he gets it he will start applying to colleges in the US so he can further his education. He currently works as the accountant for Three Angel's and is a very valued employee there.

We are truly blessed to have Jimmy as a son. He has a loving and caring heart. He looks after his siblings when they are in Haiti. Our life would not be the same if Jimmy was not a part of it.

(Thank you Todd Burnett for the amazing pictures of Jimmy!)

Andrew

I've been spending a lot of time lately explaining our family to people. Because not all of our children live here in Redding with us, most people are confused by us saying we have 9 kids. I thought I'd take the next few posts and introduce you to the whole family. I will start with the oldest and work my way through all 9 of them!!

Andrew Thomas Gray was born Sept. 7, 1982, he is 25 years old. When I married Jody, I knew he was a "package deal". I wasn't just marrying Jody, I was also agreeing to be Andrew's step-mother. Man, I hate that word!! I never wanted to be thought of as the step-mom and I try not to refer to him as my step-son, he is simply my son!

Andrew was 4 when Jody and I got married. It hasn't always been easy but I'm happy to now call him my friend! We don't see him nearly as often as we would like to but when he does visit we always have a great time!

Do-do (as the kids like to call him) lives in San Diego. Andrew can thank Carsen for the nickname, she could not say Andrew when she was little. We would spend hours saying to her "ANDREW" and she would nod her head and say "do-do". After awhile we just gave up!

Andrew is a metal fabricator (I think, that's what it is called!!). He works on high-rise buildings and other metal structures. Although he works long hours, he seems to enjoy his work.

Andrew and his girlfriend Ciji (pronounced see-gee)

Andrew and Carsen (and yes, he really is that tall!!)

One of the things I love the most about Andrew is his love for animals. He is one of those rare people that can make friends with even the most stand-offish cat or meanest dog. Andrew is loving and giving and his siblings adore him!

We love you, Andrew!!!!