Saturday, January 31, 2009
Bella aka Found-her
Our dog Brindle was a member of our family for 13 years. She left a huge void when she died. Every time Mary Ann imagined a new dog, she thought of a solid color pitbull terrier. (Brindle was half pitbull and the best dog imaginable.) A year and a half later a dog, looking very much like our neighbors, appeared on our doorstep. Thinking it was our neighbors, we took her to their home. We soon learned she was not theirs and in fact a stray that another neighbor had found. Since it was a Sunday, animal control would not come for her. She was so great with the kids that we decided to keep for the night. The next day we started a true effort to find her family. Surely they would be missing her. When no one ever claimed her, we were thrilled to make her a permanent part of our family. Deciding on a name was not as easy as we though it would be. Finally, we settled on Bella Foundher (as in we "found her") Canfield! She has been a great member of the family ever since.
Eli - 2008
Our sweet Eli is a very happy little boy. Despite picking up a few of his sibling's bad habits, Eli is smart, funny, sweet, an awesome scooter rider, adventurous, and a bit of a mama's boy. (Mom doesn't mind). We couldn't be happier with or feel more blessed than we do with our little caboose!
Eli (Elijah) - July 2005
Last but not least! Thinking our family was complete, we were surprised when we felt the prompting to find one more son. Eli arrived just six months after we applied for adoption, but it felt like a lifetime. We applied with at least six adoption agencies in hopes of finding him quickly. We experienced five failed placements before finding Eli. The loss of those five babies was horrible. We started to lose hope that we would truly find our missing son. The day we held our Eli knowing he would be ours forever was sure bliss. A sense of completion filled Mary Ann for the first time in 18 years.
Isaac 2008
Isaac has continued to grow in to a very handsome boy. (Gotta love those eyes and eyebrows!) He loves football, sugar, scooters, sugar, video games, sugar, friends, sugar, working with tools, and sugar. Isaac - January 2003
While searching for Chantelle, we were quietly prompted that a little boy was also meant to join our family. We were so focused on finding Chantelle, that we had not yet begun to search for Isaac. After applying with our agency to adopt a little girl, the Lord sent us Isaac. Not a girl. :) He was such an amazing miracle. He was born in Virginia. This time Dan, Mary Ann, and Natalie all flew to bring home their son/brother. He was truly a beautiful boy. His black spiky hair only added to his charm. It was just three weeks later that we found our Chantelle. Ethan, Chantelle, and Isaac are only a total of 19 months apart in age.
Chantelle 2008
Chantelle is still a very beautiful little girl. She loves jewelry, scented lotions, lip gloss, drawing, beading, reading, and doing extra homework! She would love to play soccer and take karate lessons.
Chantelle - October 31st
Ethan's adoption was so difficult, we didn't think we could ever adopt again. However just three months after Ethan was born, feelings there was another girl meant for our family arose. Those feelings intensified over time and just over a year later we started searching for our daughter. Little did we know that Chantelle had been born just a month after we started feeling the need to find her. We finally found her healthy, happy, and strong when she was 15 months old. Her loving birthmom had taken amazing care of her but knew she was meant to be in our family. We never comprehended such a miracle could take place. Chantelle and Ethan are just four months apart in age.
Ethan - 2008
Ethan is our character! He can make the craziest faces and show the most drama in the family. (He is a very passionate person.) He is built like a rock and literally has six-pack abs! He has a gift for making friends and feels he is bored unless he is playing. Ethan recently tried basketball and liked it.
Ethan - June 2001
We always thought that we would only be able to adopt two children. When the yearning for another came, we were not sure how to proceed. LDS Family Services only allowed for two adoptions per family at the time. We searched long and hard for two years to find Ethan. That two years brought an extreme about of trial and loss. When we finally found him, the joy was great! Mary Ann had to travel alone to New Jersey to pick up our Ethan. That in and of itself was difficult. However, the week they spent alone together waiting for papers to clear was a gift. Ethan was a wonderful baby and full of giggles. Again our home was filled with the joy only a baby can bring.
Joshua - 2008
Josh is the strong quiet type. He quietly moves through life with an easy going personality. He loves sports...especially football. He is game to try new things, including this rafting trip in 2008.Joshua - January 1998
Waiting for Joshua to join our family was very difficult. Through it we learned that even though you have a child, when another is meant to come, you yearn just as deeply as you did the first time. There are four years between Natalie and Josh. Natalie came quickly after we received word of her birth, but we learned about Joshua 9 weeks before he was born. Talk about a LONG nine weeks! He was a beautiful baby boy. Again our home was filled with the gift of a child.
Natalie 2008
Natalie is an avid dancer. This picture was taken as part of her company dance team pictures. She is even more beautiful today than she was as a baby!Friday, January 30, 2009
Natalie - November 1998
We will never forget the night we received the call about Natalie. Overwhelming joy and gratitude is an understatement. The days we had to wait to meet her were excruciating. We were finally able to see her in the PICU of the hospital four days later (she had an infection and would not eat). The moment we were told she was ours, we were in love with her. The moment we saw her, that love deepened 100 fold. She was the most beautiful baby we had ever seen and she looked surprisingly like Dan. Every day of her life has been a blessing!
In the Beginning
The Canfield family was established on June 18, 1987. Since that day, two girls, four boys, and two dogs have joined the family!
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