Christmas Card Carousel

Merry Christmas everyone, hope you enjoy our card!

It's hard to see the writing so I'm adding it here so you can read what we've done this year.

We have experienced a very challenging year that has allowed our faith and trust to be tested and affirmed. Rex was one of the many who were laid off from Bank of America in February and after numerous interviews is still looking for his next position. We are confident that he will not have to wait much longer. In the meantime, we are being provided for day by day and were able to spend the entire summer together visiting family and going to the pool.
Madeline, our 8 year old third grader, debuted her singing talent with a solo in our children’s choir Christmas musical. She is doing well in school and is looking forward to softball season in the spring.
Kenan, our adorable and active 2 year old, celebrated his first Forever Family anniversary with us and has finally started talking. He continues to bring so much joy to our lives and to all he meets.
Traci remains active as a room mom and volunteer at church. She had many singing engagements with her women’s ensemble, One Voice, and already has the calendar filling up for next year.
Please keep us in your prayers as we enter a new year and
visit our family blog for all the latest updates:
www.thepresent-backesfamily.blogspot.com

Love – Rex, Traci, Madeline and Kenan

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Christmas Card Carousel

I know some of you have been busy taking photos of your families and putting together your Christmas cards for this year. Won't you join me and my friend Faith for her Christmas Card Carousel. Come on , it'll be fun! Visit her blog on December 16th and share those cards.

The Shoe Is On The Other Foot

This is how I went to church Sunday. Oh, yes I did! Made me laugh so hard I cried! One is brown and one is black. I had absolutely no clue until I had been there over an hour. Who knew I'd be a trendsetter?!

I'm Thankful For... Pilgrims, Church, Bible, Prayer, Trials, Friends, Adoption, Christmas

Weellll... I started out strong, posting every day, but we all know what happened. Since I made the commitment I plan to finish so here's the rest of the 30 things I'm Thankful For...

PILGRIMS

We all know that story, right? What better time to mention them than Thanksgiving. But if it weren't for them, our country would not have been founded upon religious freedom. It's hard to imagine life without freedom of religion; to live in a place where it's illegal to gather together for worship. Which brings me to my next thankful thing...

CHURCH

I love my church! I love my pastor, the ministers, the programs. We have something for everyone, literally. No, it's not perfect, but neither is any church.

BIBLE

It is the Living, Breathing, Word of God. I didn't understand this as a child. How could a Bible be alive? Well, when I read a scripture and then reread it at another time it is applicable in different ways depending on my situation at that time. Love that! We're fortunate to have several copies, some homes in this world don't have any.

PRAYER

Direct access to the most High God. We don't realize the untapped power that's right there waiting for us. It has proven to be a most amazing thing in our lives. We would not have our daughter or son if it weren't for prayer. There's not enough room to list all the things that prayer has done for us but we would not be who we are without it.

TRIALS

Strange thing to be thankful for, right? The Bible tells us to consider it joy when we're faced with trials. Again, not something I've always understood. When I think back at all the stuff we've had to go through, and it seems like nothing ever came easy, it's then that I've grown the most in my walk. When you're forced to rely on the Almighty instead of yourself, giving up that control, you can more easily see His hand move and it changes you.

FRIENDS

I am blessed to have a handful of close friends who support and encourage me. The things they have done to help while we were waiting for Kenan made it more bearable. We can laugh at just about anything, cry with and pray for one another, and grow together as sisters in Christ.

ADOPTION

Can't say enough about this topic! It's a miracle. It's also very addictive. I get overwhelmed at times thinking about how much I can love someone who didn't physically come from me. It's one of the best things I've ever done!

CHRISTMAS

My favorite holiday. I enjoy the sights, sounds, smells. No other time of year can bring about certain feelings like Christmas does. If it weren't for Christmas there would be no Easter, no salvation. It all starts with Christmas, with a baby who was born to die so that you and I might live.

What are you thankful for today?

Once again I have not kept track of my giving like I was supposed to. I can list a couple things that I remember though. I've done some extra volunteering in helping to get ready for the upcoming Christmas programs. We gave our tithe to the Lord. (I say we because it's not myself who actually gets the check in the mail but we as a couple who are being obedient by giving a portion back.) What have you done to give today?

Thanks for sticking with me during this month long experiment of Thanks and Giving. I hope it reminded you of some things we may take for granted. Every good and perfect gift comes from above, for which I truely am thankful.

I'm Thankful For... Computers, Cameras, Modern Medicine, Food, Clothes, Consignment Sales, Pets, and Peace-n-Quiet

Days 15 through 22... Got lots to catch up on so this is gonna be short and sweet. I'm thankful for...

Computers

Almost a must have these days for communication and information and to help with...

Cameras

Don't know where I'd be without mine. I love documenting our family's life story. Some day they'll thank me although right now all I hear are groans when I whip it out.

Modern Medicine

This one's pretty self explanatory.

Food

I love food. These extra 30 pounds are testament to that. Wasn't sure what we were going to do about Thanksgiving dinner this year-perhaps peanut butter and jelly sandwiches-until we received gift cards in the mail that allowed us to purchase a turkey.

Clothes

They may not be the style or size I want, but at least I'm covered and warm. Some people aren't even that lucky.

Consignment Sales

You can find some of the cutest kids stuff there and at great prices.

Pets

You might call me crazy cat lady. I've had 15 cats in my life but they're my favorite. I did have a totally cute dog once. Her name was Taffy and she was the dumbest cocker spaniel you'll every meet. I like having an unconditional friend around.

Peace and Quiet

After a day of living out loud I'm glad to give my ears and mind a break and enjoy the silence.

What are you thankful for today?

To be completely honest, I can't remember everything I've done over the last week to give. I have spent a lot of time volunteering, singing, cleaning, baking, hosting, entertaining, etc. I've been giving my time and talent. What have you done to give today?

I'm Thankful For... Home

It's day fourteen and I'm thankful for...

Home

In our current financial situation it's truly a miracle we've been able to make our house payments and remain in our home. I don't think I've shared this before so now is as good a time as any. You may remember that I've talked about the fact that our wait for Kenan kept getting pushed back for months. We were originally told that we would be traveling to get him in Aug./Sept. 2007. Then it was Nov./Dec. 2007. We were praying for no later than December so that we could claim him on that year's taxes. Next came Jan./Feb. 2008. We did end up going late February which meant having to wait another year for the tax benefit. Our return wouldn't get to us until this year, 2009. What we didn't know at the time was that a year after getting our precious Guatemalan boy, Rex would be laid off from his job. The refund we had wanted a year ago came at just the right time and it's what has kept us in our home these last ten months.

We don't always get to see reasons why things happen the way they do. We still don't know why God chose to wait three years to give us our first pregnancy, or why He chose to take that baby away. We trust that His ways are higher than our ways and that His timing is perfect. But sometimes He lets us know exactly why He does what He does and the timing in which it happens. So, today I'm thankful for the tornado aftermath environment I live in most of the time, my home. It's a four walls and a roof miracle. What are you thankful for today?

While the boys were away at a football game today, Madeline and I spent the day doing what she wanted to do. We went to the bassproshop's santa wonderland were she played the free games, we went to chucke.cheese for lunch and tonight we went to toysRus to make a wish list. She loves going to these places and today was all about her. So, today I gave my day to my daughter to do the things that make her happy. What have you done to give today?