Where does the time go??

So much has happened since my last post. Where do I begin??
We attended another adoption meeting. This one covered Book 3. Then we received Book 4 to work on. After this book we have two more to go. Yay!
My high school hosted it's Homecoming week. This year marked the 70th anniversary for the marching band. They decided to celebrate by inviting all alumni members to return and march with the band. As an alumni member, I was excited to participate.. also a little nervous too, I admit. Long story short, it was GREAT! I had a wonderful time, and I am so thankful that I did get the oppirtunity to be a part of something so special.
Matthew had another accident that ended up with another trip to the ER. This time he fell into the entertainment center and busted his gums above his top front teeth. It was about an inch long horizontally and kinda deep looking. It was terrible (again).... bleeding, but not nearly as horrifying as the head wound. No stitches or anything... It ultimately just has to heal itself. I know these things happen and they are hard on the kids, but mercy are the hard on the parents too!! Really hoping we don't end up being ER regulars... It's amazing how fast things happen. You don't even have time to think little less to react! Matthew is just soooo active. Sometimes all I can do is just hold my breath and pray.
Gabe had his 9 month checkup. He is now 30 inches long and weighs 18 pounds 12 ounces. That puts him in the 90% on height and the 19% on weight... he's going to be tall like his big brother.  :)  Since birth Gabe has had onstructed tear ducts in both eyes. After seeing that it still had not cleared up at his checkup, his doctor put in a referral to an eye doctor to get it checked out. This put us right back in Dothan just two days later. The eye doc determined that there is absolutely no flow through either tear duct. This is likely due to a membrane blocking the tubes, but it is completely fixable.Gabe is now scheduled to have a procedure to clear the ducts on December 7th. So please say a prayer for him.
Then we had Halloween... the night before Halloween, we went to Pumpkins on the Square in Elba. Matthew and Gabe dressed up as Buzz and Woody from Toy Story. They looked great! I was so proud of Matthew! He walked around so calmly and stayed right near us at all times, holding my hand. For those who know him, you know how great of an accomplishment this is for him! He said "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You" to everyone. I was so proud. As for Gabe, he was his usual calm, happy, "along for the ride" self. He took in everything around him with a smile on his face and his thumb in his mouth. He is just so sweet.  :) The next night (Halloween night), we did it all over again for Trick or Treat and the Fall Festival in Opp.
This all brings us up to the present... Here we are in the holiday season. November is going to be a busy month... Thanksgiving... three family birthdays. Matthew has his first appointment to talk about SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder). We have really been looking forward to this. You make think we are crazy for looking forward to it, but we are excited because of the possibility that it may help Matthew. Matthew is so sweet and so loving. He is just so wide open and he doesn't know limits to the point that it henders daily activities, potty training, his speech. It also makes it hard for him to have friends. It's hard for people to relate to him and understand him, and the possibility of pinning a name to his behavior and being able to help him work through it all is awesome. The possibility of seeing him happy meeting milestones and exceeding them, and thriving is exciting!
This is obviously a very busy and very exciting season for us. Through it all though we are still super excited about our adoption journey too. We have Book 4. We are slowly working on it, but we have already realized that our classes will not likely be finished by Christmas as hoped. BUT that just gives us more to look forward to in the coming year! We just feel that 2013 is going to bring about a lot of good changes for us. We praise God for all that He has already done for us...for getting us through hard times... for protecting us and guiding us... for keeping our babies healthy... for being with Matthew through both ER visits... for the healing of Matthew's forehead scar and his gums... for healing our family relationships... for mending tense friendships, hurt feeling and broken hearts... for giving us such wonderful family and friends to advise us, guide us and love us... for putting us on the wonderful journey of adoption...  His blessing on us are more than we can ever count and we are truly thankful. Please continue to pray for us as we continue through the adoption process. It is a slow go, but we are still moving onward! We look forward to bringing our new addition home in God's time. It is so humbling to know that God has chosen us for this great plan and to know that He will be with us every step of the way.  :)  Amazes me every time I think about it.