This video was created to celebrate the time Dylan has spent here in our home. We have developed a strong bond with him and with his mother. They both have become part of our family FOREVER!!!

When some people look at Dylan they see a "Down Syndrome Boy". But what I see when I look at Dylan is a Masterpiece, a beautiful work of art, created by God and perfect in his sight. Dylan is covered with God's fingerprints and God is just getting started with this young man. He has so much potential and so much to offer those in his life.

During the past months that Dylan has lived here, we all have seen the physical changes with him. He has gotten taller and lots thinner. No more chubby cheeks that squeeze his eyes closed when he smiles. Dylan has grown in other ways as well. His speech has improved significantly, he is working on appropriate boundaries between himself and other people, (although there is still work to do since several weeks ago he put his Sunday School teacher in a head lock and yelled "WWE" as he tried to wrestle her to the ground), but the thing I am most excited about is that Dylan is learning to love Jesus. He is excited about going to church and Sunday school and thrilled on Wednesday nights when it is time for Cadets. There he gets to spend time with men and boys from our church family doing "guy" stuff as Neesha puts it. Dylan even has a speaking part in the Christmas program put on at our church.

Dylan's enthusiasm for life in his simple way is a strong reminder to me that I too need to get back to the basics and stop focusing on things that in the end really don't matter.

Starting this coming Friday, Dylan will begin spending overnights with his mom. These next weeks and months will be a huge transition time for Dylan and his mom. Please pray for them both. The love that they have for one another is amazing. We want them to be reunited when the time is right and they both are ready. Please pray for Taneesha, Lena Stacy and myself as we begin to prepare Dylan to return home to his mom.

Here are the kids ready to go trick-or-treating. Dylan, our fire-fighter, Paige, our Bumble Bee, Lena, our Snow White Princess, Peyton, our fierce Tiger, and Rebekah, our Tinker Bell. Neesha is missing in action because she went with a friend from school. I also included one of Neesha as she might look in the future. With Neesha is her "witch" friend, Kayla

The Girls!

Here are the girls after church on Sunday. Taneesha is 11, Rebekah is 7 and Lena is 3 years old. If you look closely you can see that Neesha now has braces on her teeth since the last picture of her.

Life has been busy over the past month. We have done some respite foster care for 2 sweet little boys. And my niece, Rebekah, has been here for 2 weekends because my sister has been in the hospital suffering with a stomach ulcer. She had surgery about 2 weeks ago but that was not the answer and is back in the hospital (been there for 9 days now) with no hope of release in the next few days. Rebekah was here to carve pumpkins and went trick-or-treating with my kids which was fun for her. Not so fun for me since I have been sick with a terrible cough and flu-like symptoms. With the weather being so nice the kids have been able to get outside to play in the leaves and on the tramp.Lena's athletic ability continues to amaze us. Here she is doing flips on the tramp at 3 years old.