Curt's Dedication

"first Christmas"

Wow - it is amazing we have been dreaming and wondering what today would be like officially for 2 years and it finally arrived. In reality I've been dreaming and wondering about today for probably 5 or 6 years! The first Christmas as a family of 4! Well today FINALLY arrived and I have to say - it was perfect. Yeah - we missed our angels in heaven - life will never be the same without our grandparents, however my dad, step mom and step sister were here. And it has been 2 years since I saw my sister Nisha! I was so happy to finally have her back and to also for her to meet and hold Curt. So having Curt FINALLY here - at last was wonderful! Last year we had just gotten back a few weeks before from holding Curt - so this year he was HOME! Wow that boy is full of energy - he's amazing And Sunday we were also blessed to have him dedicated in our church - it was a great weekend. So last night was Christmas eve - and we had a jam packed day - to get home with lots of snow. The first REAL snow fall Curt's seen. wow that little spit fire got out of the van and ran around the whole front yard (it isn't big) but touching and kicking and running through the snow! It was wonderful to watch. Then this morning after Santa arrived - and with Nate! I am truly blessed with these two boys! Nate got his Skylander's Giants (not working as we'd hoped) and a Red Rider BB Gun! Yikes - hope he doesn't shoot his eye out - and Curt well - bath time toys and anything Thomas the train! And other cars! All perfect for him. It was just a perfect day. I'm hoping we can post the video of the dedication here as well. Our day was fun. II hope everyone was able to spend time thinking about the miracle of today's main Birthday - the birth of Jesus! I feel like he's been doing a LOT through our lives. Thanks for following. Merry Christmas, Love Gail

Nate's Dedication Letter

We read the following letter to Nate at Christmas Dinner in 2012.  Nate was dedicated when he was an infant, at the First Baptist Church in Howell, Michigan.  They used a more scripted approach to the dedication, and we thought it would be great to capture our thoughts for Nate when we were writing the letter for Curtis:

December 23, 2012

Dear Nate,

Son, you may not understand this now, but someday you’ll realize how much love and prayer came before your birth.  Your dad and I wanted you so badly and went to the ends of the world to make that happen.  As I say, you are my fertility miracle and we love you just so very much.

You are such an amazing boy and we know you are so smart, loving and kind.  Being so creative with such a warm and loving personality you can go so far in this world.    Be it designing video games or writing comics, we will be proud of you for all you do. 

Just as we committed to teach Curtis about Jesus today, we made that same commitment to you when you were a baby.  We did this at the church that Mommy grew up in, and we’re so happy that you’ve already learned so much about Jesus and how his love for us will allow us to be with Him forever.  We’re really excited for the day that you choose to be baptized in His name making that visible act to confirm what you already believe in your heart that Jesus died for our sins. 

Remember these few things and you will have the life we dreamed for you before we held you in our arms.

1 - No matter what you will always be loved and honored by us and the rest of your family.  You will always have your special angels in heaven guiding you and watching out for you when you are in need.  Never forget the love they have for you, before you were even born, they adored you so much!  All you have to do is look at the sky and find a star shining bright!  They are up there guiding your way.

2 – You should pursue  whatever you want in life.  As long as you follow your heart and being a Christian you can’t go wrong.  Be the BACKUS man we know you already are.  Live your life with integrity and in Christ and you will go far! 

3 – Love like you won’t see tomorrow.  Fall for the person of your dreams.  Love them like they are only here for a day.  Your heart is so big and will only grow bigger allowing more dreams and people to be touched. 

4 – be faithful in your heart.  God will always get you through even the toughest of times.  He will be the ever constant in your life above all.  Become a strong Christian man and maintain this in your life. 

No matter what – remember how much you have been loved and longed for many years before you were born.  As your name says, you ARE a Gift from God!  We love you so much.

Mom and Dad!

Curt's Dedication Letter

We read the following letter to Curt when he was dedicated at Genesis: The Church on December 23, 2013.  It is our hope that he chooses to follow Christ one day, and he will be baptized in His savings waters:

Dearest Curt,

You were born into a life and family that loved you half way across the world.  Your birth family made the greatest sacrifice in May of 2011 by their actions and love just for you.  Not knowing then, we dreamed of you for many months and finally saw your beautiful little face in August 2011.  Soon after, we learned of your smile and personality even as a small baby.  You were a bright spot in many lives in Addis at the Engida Orphanage, loving so many and being loved till we could become a forever family earlier this year.

You have already survived many things in your little life that many of us will never understand.  Yet you are still smiling, laughing, singing and dancing all around.  You have brought such joy to our lives and home.  You have completed us and we are truly a family of 4 at last.  Many say you are lucky for everything that’s happened, but dear son, YOU ARE the blessing to our family.  Thank you for your carefree and happy personality.

It is our hope that you come to follow Christ just as our family does.  We will help to teach you about His love and the sacrifice He made for us.  Ethiopia has had a strong commitment to Jesus Christ from the early days of the Church, and has always remained an independent spirit in Africa. Our dream for you is that you will become the man you want to be and be filled by the Holy Spirit  to show others that they too can overcome anything in life.  And we dream that you will continue to know Christ and always remember your roots as an Ethiopian in this crazy world.  Remember the strong Christian history that you come from and show the world that a smile goes a long way.

Find love and peace in our family and know the joy that you have brought to so many.  Trust in God that you can do anything you want and go where you need.  And no matter what, know how much you are truly loved by so many all over the world.  Many people prayed for you to join our family and we truly are blessed to have you as our son!  You also have so many angels all around you from your beloved grandparents in heaven and your birth parents where ever they may be.  Everyone wants to ensure you have a chance to grow and learn and love as any little boy should.

We love you and your brother more than words can ever express.

Love,

Mommy and daddy.

crazy happy life

Wow - life is just crazy - busy and wonderful at the same time. Not really sure what all has been posted in the last few weeks - but over the last few years we have had 3 prayers - and never really voiced one - well it finally has occurred And it is a blessing. We have decided after many discussions the last few years to close our business and have Craig be a stay at home dad for a while. This allows him to bond with Curt and spend some time with Nate. And honestly the timing couldn't have been more perfect with my crazy work schedule. It's a good crazy, I'm putting a management system in place for Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) - and it just takes a lot of time. So Craig is now cooking dinner, cleaning and spending good quality time with Curt and Nate. The boys are really doing good. And watching Curt flourish the last few weeks is amazing. I swear he's learned more words in the last few weeks and understanding more AS I type this I'm just watching him play with his toys and he's very intent. He is SUCH a boy! He LOVES his cars, trucks and anything that moves. And now he's growling as he sees a Dinosaur on TV. Just so sweet. Nate - well just loving life - he's the best. He's ready for the holidays- sadly we don't have our decorations or anything up. WE're getting there though. Anyhow -just really thinking of how wonderful our life is - ok Curt is dancing up a storm at the moment - we need to take video of him. Anyhow - I'm finding that I"m thinking of his birth family - do they think of him? where are they? Are they alive? Did they have this much energy and wonder? Did they love so much? I just wonder. Ok - this post is ALL over the place - clearly life is busy and I'm just feeling and thinking all over the place. But just know that God takes care of us all! He does answer prayers and things happen in HIS time and the PERFECT time. Happy holidays all