2103 Review

2013 was definitely one for the record books for our family! We hit major milestones, added new members and celebrated Gotcha Days, weddings, births, and moves this year. Here it is in pictures... I kinda can't believe we all made it!

I turned the big 3-0 in January. We celebrated with a fun family dinner.

February 4th we added our third little boy to the family. We happily welcomed Casen Cole to our crazy bunch!

Holy cow! We have three boys under three! Bennett's face is how we felt... Not positive this was a good idea for any of the five of us!

Aunt Sass gave Bennett his first hair cut.

In April I joined Thirty-One and it has been a huge blessing to me and a gift to my sanity!

Happy Easter!

Tucker turned 3 in April! I'm not sure how that's possible.

On Mother's Day we got to dedicated Bennett and Casen at FBC Sayre and their Daddy got to do the honors. One of the benefits of being a PK I guess.

Our sweet Emrie girl gave her heart to Jesus and was baptized in May at FBC Purcell. We're so proud of her and thankful for her decision to follow Christ.

 In June we married this one off! I still can't really wrap my mind around that. She was a stunning bride and the wedding turned out beautifully, despite that the rehearsal dinner was spent trying to out run tornados. The new brother in law is ok too! Although he moved her to Denver so that's a pretty big strike for the big sisters to get over.  

We loaded up for one last summer at Falls Creek. Bennett, Tucker and I stayed for all but one and half days of camp, but we went early so we really made it a week. They did great and were spoiled as usually by our great Sayre church family. I don't know that Tucker ate anything but dessert all week, but we all had a great time.

We spent lots of time in the water and outside. The sprinkler, pool and lake were all big hits for Tucker this summer! Bennett also loved the water. 

We took our first trip to the ER for stitches. Bennett knocked a mirror over and cute Casen's head open pretty good. Little brother was a trooper and didn't really complain much at all. First of many trips like this I'm afraid with our brood.

Tucker played wee ball this summer. It was something else. Pretty cute even if he never really did what he was supposed. I don't know that Tuck is our baseball player but he loved it anyway!

Aunt Sass also got a hold of Casen's curls for the first time this year.

 I got to cross a HUGE item off my bucket list. Garth Brooks came to Norman in July for a tornado relief concert and our good friend got us tickets! It was blazing hot, but TOTALLY worth it! I might of cried a little, but we sang along with every word of his hits and loved getting to see Garth live. I was also astounded at how much he looks like my dad. Weird.

On August 15th we officially added Bennett as a Gordon. His Gotcha Day was so special because we got to do it in Sayre surrounded by lots of people who love us. 

 Bennett's first plane ride. We went for a visit to North Carolina for Chris to check out Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ben enjoyed being an only child for a few days and he was a trooper on our trip. Fun memories!

At the end of September we packed up one house and moved to another. We left our church family in Sayre to move to FBC Greenfield where Chris is now a pastor. It's been a wonderful experience so far, however I remembered how much I hate packing and moving. It was even worse with three tinys to help.

 October 1st was Casen Cole's Gotcha Day. We stood before the same judge that added Tucker to our family. We were so excited to finalize all our adoption stuff for a while at least.

On October 13th our sweet Bennett Harris turned one year old. I really can't believe we all made it to this landmark. There were/are many days that I don't know that we will. 

Later that week our BH got really sick and had to spend a night in the hospital with striker. No fun, but made me really appreciate my healthy children. I can't imagine having a baby that was really sick and had to spend lots of days in that baby cage. 

 Chelsie came home from Denver so we could make our annual sister trip to the Affair of the Heart. I'm so thankful for my sisters and couldn't have picked better best friends. I can't imagine life without them!

 For Halloween we had a Very Hungry Caterpillar and two pears that he ate right through. I've had this caterpillar costume for two years and it finally fit! I just can't get over how cute they are. I do love a good theme as well. We spent Halloween at the church carnival and went to several of our new church members houses to trick or treat. 

The weekend of Thanksgiving we married of Delton to sweet Sarah. They got married in Stillwater and our favorite Poke showed up to the reception. Tucker was a super cute ring bearer but when Pete shot his guns he hit the deck and refused to get close to him. We're so happy to have Sarah in our family now!

 The littles loved the Christmas tree and helped decorate it a little everyday. I found cars, tractors, balls and various other toys in it nearly every day. 

 

Tucker and I took a special trip to Denver to visit Aunt Chelsie and Tuck got to take his first flight. He loved it! It was so fun to just have Tuck time. He's getting so big these days.

 We've made lots of new friends at our new church. The nursery is full for SEVEN boys all born between October and March. Here's some of our boys before they made their Christmas play debut as sweet sheep. 

 Right before Christmas Bennett had surgery to remove a cyst that was above his left eye. He did great!

 Looking spiffy for church the week before Christmas. Pictures are always a crap shoot with these boys. Oh well. I better get used to it I guess. This was also on our Nana and Papa's 60th wedding anniversary. We joined their party that afternoon. What a legacy! 

I got to finish out the year with a fun college roommate reunion. These girls met me in Purcell for dinner and a slumber party. It was wonderful to see them!

We've been busy this year! Add in Thanksgiving, Christmas and Chris had neck surgery the day before Christmas Eve and I'm not sure what else can happen next. 2014 will have to have a lot to offer to our do 2013. I pray it's more peaceful and we all fall more in love with each other and Jesus. I'm way ok with less exciting! I'm not sure I can take much more. ha. 

Well there ya have it. 

2013 Christmas Letter

To our wonderful Friends & Family,

  We have had a crazy year! 2013 has definitely been one for the record books in our family! This year has been tough, but so worth it to have three healthy, smart, beautiful boys! From births to birthdays to finalizing adoptions to moving churches and changing positions this year has held a whole lot of crazy, a ton of fun and firsts and some struggle just thrown in there for balance I guess! Here’s a little update on each of the Gordon 5... starting with our newest member.

   Casen Cole Gordon arrived on Monday, February 4th at 3:50 pm. He weighed 6 lbs. and 14 ounces and was 20 inches long. He came out fussy and remained so for the first six months of his life. He struggled with colic and reflux for months while we all struggled to adjust to having two babies three months and three weeks apart. (It’s as hard/crazy as you’d imagine.) But thankfully somewhere around the six month mark his whole personality changed and he is the sweetest little booger now a days. He is ten months old (gulp!) and he now weighs 20.4 pounds and is 26.5 inches tall. His favorite things are pulling up, cruising around the furniture and chasing his big brothers. He refuses to be left out of any of the action! He smiles easily and is very friendly. He has handled being the littlest Gordon very well and adjusted to the move with ease. Casen is also starting to talk up a storm. I think his oldest brother may have some competition! Casen can say “Momma, Daddy, Nana/Granna, and Bubba.” He loves to jabber and is rarely quiet. He is such a perfect blessing and addition to our brood of boys. We can’t imagine life without his little three toothed smile and curly black hair. We are looking forward to celebrating his one year birthday in just a couple of months. 

   Bennett Harris turned one in October and is into everything! He loves to run, wrestle and play with both his brothers. Ben’s favorite toys are balls, hats and anything either of his brothers are playing with. He also has a lovie blanket that we do not leave home without! He carries it around and sleeps with it - our little Linus! He weighs 23.13 pounds and is 30 inches tall. Bennett is for sure our most stand-off-ish child. He hasn’t shown much interest in talking although he says “Momma, Daddy, Bubba and Bite.” He is very particular about who he likes/wants and doesn’t like new situations much. He is also our least picky eater. All three boys love to eat, but Bennett will eat just about anything. His favorites are strawberries, turkey and cheese. We are so thankful for Bennett and his quiet spirit. We can’t wait to see all he will learn next year and how he grows. What a blessing this boy has been in our life!

   Tucker William turned three in April and he is ALL that is boy! He is smart as a whip and has taken quite well to being a big brother. He is very tender hearted and doesn’t like it when anyone gets in trouble. He is still a big car guy and also likes books and movies and going to the park. Tuck weighs 48 pounds and is 39 inches tall. One of the things we’ve been working on since this summer is memorizing Scriptures. He knows 10-12 memory verses by heart and loves to learn more! It’s a precious thing to hear your child learning God’s word or singing His praises. He is going to start going to Mother’s Day out in the spring and will probably start school in the fall. He is a social butterfly and loves our new church! He is ALWAYS singing or talking. He loves Veggie Tales, Turbo, the color green and making his baby brothers laugh. He’s so sweet with them! Our oldest is still so precious and amazes us with all he retains, how he loves and his never ending energy! Three has been a trying year, but also rewarding to see how much his little brain is absorbing.

   As I mentioned before, Chris is now a pastor. He’s doing a great job and is feeling very fulfilled in his newest calling. It’s been so fun to watch him step into this new role with passion and grace. I think Greenfield is lucky to have found him! He is great from the pulpit and as always he loves people so well! With three boys under three he doesn’t get much time for hobbies but he still loves to golf, OSU sports and spending time with family.

   This year held some changes for me as well. In April I was drowning in diapers and feeding schedules and needed something that was just for me so I started selling Thirty-One and it has been a fun little extra for me! Sometimes its nice to get dressed in real clothes and go out among other grown-ups. I also became a “Pastor’s wife” and while I will confess I wasn’t exactly looking forward to this role change I am loving Greenfield! We have been so loved and taken care of in our short time here and we are looking forward to developing deep friendships here. Although leaving Sayre after five years was REALLY hard, we couldn’t have asked for a better place to move to. 

   I think we have squeezed just about all we could’ve into one short year and while there have been times I wondered if we’d survive - we’ve made it! I know that is nothing short of a miracle and it wouldn’t have happened without the love and support of our friends and family. God has been so faithful to us! He not only provided the finances for one adoption, but two! He allowed both placements to go smoothly and we were able to finalize both boys this fall. We have watched all three boys grow, learn and flourish. He has also provided us with exactly the right church for Chris to follow God’s call to the pastorate in. Holy Moly! Much better than we deserve for sure! We can’t wait to see what crazy adventures 2014 will hold. 

   Thank you all for the special role you play in our family! We wish you the Merriest of Christmases and the very best 2014! We are unbelievably thankful for each of you!

We love each of you!

Chris, McKenzie, Tucker, Bennett & Casen Gordon 

Casen's Gotcha Day - October 1st, 2013

After an entire year of adoptions we are finally done with all the red tape, paperwork, follow up visits and court appearances. We have been extremely blessed to not experience any problems with any of our adoptions, but the process is still a little grueling. We were once again surrounded by family as we stood before a judge and officially added the fifth Gordon to our little tribe. Hooray for being done with adoptions... at least for a long while! 

The boys all needed a little snack. Thank goodness there were plenty of Grandma's around to help them out.

Pictures of all five of us are always a crap shoot. You get what ya get these days.

Thankful for how these three love my three. We couldn't do life without their help and we for sure wouldn't have survived the last year without their endless sacrifices and love. SO thankful that I have the family I do.

DiDi and her Gordon boys. We're thankful that Chris's family also loves our fellas so much!

Our last little Gotcha.

Tuck had plenty to tell the Judge. He's a hoot! But here we are. All five Gordon's. What a great place to be!
We are so thankful for the three boys God chose for our family to love. I can't imagine life without any of them. We have been exceedingly, abundantly blessed.  

Moving On

So we made the big move last month. We left the house we became a family in. This was an extremely emotional process for me. I was surprised how often the tears came as I packed away memories of babies and accomplishments and transitions that the walls of our home for the last five years held. I unprepared. Excited for what was coming next, but sad to leave this sweet home where so much life had happened. Here are some things I want to remember. Some of my favorite walls. 

This was Tucker's room. Even though we only had three weeks to get ready for his arrival I painted this wall for his nursery. I loved how fun it turned out and spent time before he was born just looking at, dreaming of the boy who'd live in that room. He has not disappointed. 

When we found out Bennett and Casen would be joining our family we didn't know if Casen would be a boy or a girl so I wanted to go with something neutral just in case a little lady would share this room with her big brother. I also loved all the chevrons that cluttered my Pinterest feed so that's what we ended up with for Ben. 

The youngest couldn't be neglected with a fun wall all his own. These were the hardest to paint, but I loved how they turned out. 

These are my Africa Baskets and they have hung in every house I've lived in since college. I got them the summer I lived in Zambia and I still love them. This is probably my favorite configuration of them. They hung in our living room in Sayre and reminded me daily to pray for those who live on the other side of the world. 

Things started to get real.

It's like the Friends finale all over again!

We left our mark. I wanted to leave a note behind because we will never be the same because of the time that 2 Darla Drive provided shelter and safe harbor for our growing family.

When we arrived in Greenfield we were welcomed immediately by note from our kids at church. Pretty special. 

The boys enjoyed the new "toys" that now littered our new house as I unpacked. 

Here's a picture of a newly painted and decorated wall in our new house.  I  like how things are shaping up. We're excited to see what life has in store for us in our new home.