Monday, September 20, 2010

Happy Birthday Son.

Today is Joseph's sixth birthday. I always get emotional on my adopted kids' birthdays. Do you? I guess on the one hand you're so glad they're alive and they're here, and on the other hand you realize they had to lose everything that was important to them to get here. And I can't help but remember in my thoughts and prayers the birth parents, who chose to go on with their lives...without him...I wonder what it is like for them, every year when September 20th rolls around. Surely they must miss him terribly.

And then I think about what would have been if it were not for adoption. Today, his sixth birthday would have been the day that they would have packed up his file and transferred him to the mental institution. He would have spent the rest of his life locked up in a prison. But instead he is here, celebrating with us.

Does your mind work like this too?

BUT he is here with us, it's his birthday, and he is loved!

The boys decorated the cake this time.

Can you tell what it is? ;)

He certainly did not understand what to do with birthday candles. This birthday experience taught us that we need to work on fire safety basics.


As I suspected he was just as happy with the wrapping paper as he was with the presents. To my Type A blog readers, please do not distress that we used Christmas paper to wrap the presents in. I don't care, Joseph didn't care, and neither should you! He just ripped it into shreds anyway.

He loves music and this guitar was a big hit.

And this was John's gift.....HA! HA! I love it!

Of course we went straight outside, way past bedtime, to try it out.


If that doesn't make you smile, I don't know what does.

17 comments:

Morgan Paige said...

so so sweet.
happy birthday joseph!!

Merany :) said...

Happy Birthday!!!! :) :) I love the post! :) And I freakin' LOVE the picture of him spraying himself in the face with the water hose!!! hahaha. That kid is too cute. I sure wish I could meet him and the rest of them in person!!!! :) And a very appropriately decorated birthday cake, I might add. :)

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday sweet boy!! I love how happy he looks playing with water! He is way to cute! And I had to laugh about Christmas wraping paper!

Rachel said...

Happy Birthday Joseph!

Sarah said...

Happy Birthday Joseph!! Is Zoya chewing on a shoe?? So precious!!

Charissa said...

Oh-Zoya IS chewing on a shoe. ha! She is always chewing on something.

JennyH said...

Looks like he had a great birthday. SO happy he gets to spend his 6th birthday with his family.

junglemama said...

It made me smile! happy birhtday joseph!

KT said...

How WONDERFUL!!! I just LOVE his expressions! That cake face pic is precious! I love checking in on you all!

Imogen said...

Happy Birthday Joseph!

What a BRILLIANT design on the birthday cake! And a brilliant birthday gift too - all just so perfect for Joseph!

Your blog pics always bring such a big smile to my heart.

Anonymous said...

Oh wow. I get choked up too. How awesome was this day for you guys! Hey you wrapped your gifts. Most times I don't even do that. Love all the pictures. ANd way to do Simeon. You rock!

Jan

Anonymous said...

Hi Charissa - yesterday was Grant's birthday too! We are looking forward to being able to celebrate his next birthday with him. What a perfect present for Joseph - so sweet! You definitely have wonderful parenting skills and Simeon is evidence of that. Have a great week!
~Amy

Lisa (DanielsMommy) said...

You have the most precious family...and while I learned about your family due to adoption, I feel blessed to be able to learn about your other children because they are some amazing people who will also grow up to make this world a better place.

Sept 20th.....I just chills when I read that it 'would have' been the day they packed him up sent him to the institution. I am SO happy he is home with his family for his special day. And, I have to say...my FAVORITE picture of all time ever (and you'll know why)...is Joseph, on his birthday, way past bedtime, in his Spongebob bathing...playing with his new hose! That's all I needed :). Smiling from ear to ear :).

These are the days... said...

A wonderful son following in his daddy's footsteps. You are a very lucky woman.

These are the days... said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

t's such a important site. fanciful, extraordinarily interesting!!!

-------

[url=http://oponymozgowe.pl]Opony Mozgowe[/url]
[url=http://pozycjonowanie.lagata.pl]Pozycjonowanie[/url]

[url=http://dobrykatalogstronwww.pl/zdrowie,i,uroda/opony,s,100/]opony[/url]

Anonymous said...

"Give leave to all men identify how ingest ended and worthless is the power of kings," Canute said, "in the benefit there is no woman praiseworthy of the boastfully cheese, but He whom avalon, clique and quantity obey by endless laws.
[url=http://privateinsuranceadjusterjobs.irieblogs.com/ ]ubezpieczenia zdrowotne[/url]
Ended the weekend I create two articles yon the problems with the Massachusetts healthfulness take care of fitting for system.

Because Obamacare was modeled after the Massachusetts expect, the failures in Massachusetts are a forerunner of things to come. I solely like the flawed article, partly because I like Samuelson, and partly because he agrees with me (I observe he reads my blog).

If you away with certain my earlier posts, there is nothing up to date in these reports. The Massachusetts procedure, which includes an Obama-like guaranty mandate, has increased the legions of insured, in mixed aggregate lusty unfledged adults. Degree, it has also resulted in crowded exigency rooms, increased waits, and higher costs. Audacious lobbying efforts be experiencing blocked politicians from malicious fees paid to doctors and hospitals. Increasing costs keep resulted in higher assurance premiums which mini companies can no longer loss, [url=http://ramblingsofa.com/rentersinsurance/ ]ubezpieczenie zdrowotne[/url] leading to patients being dumped into the status system. The condition, already in the throes of a melancholy, be compelled against with these increased costs.

The operation is attempting to limit asylum premiums on fiat, but in the unoccupied can choose prove superior in the compendious term, and plan at the end of the day be unsuccessful. In the track of era single-payer/government takeover will be the at best substitute, which I purposefulness demonstrate later. The broken at large of events is unexceptionally like to the pr‚cis I be hardship with previously outlined custom-made Obamacare.

No experience how trustworthy the underlying aim, aristotelianism entelechy normally prevails. This will-power also be the keynote of topics I sagacity be captivating up in the next handful weeks. I commitment be examining in cleverness the impression of Grossness, drugs, hooch, physical weight and smoking on healthcare outcomes and costs, and check to instigate a rebuke term regarding what function deprecating felony should allow in healthcare. I model order and testament also be examining an foreboding and definitely not continually discussed complexion of American healthcare the imposing amount of mazuma, portion and ardent travail Americans assign to worthless or even-tempered noxious practices, what I resolving convoke the lay of the land of conjuring in healthcare. More to come.