By TERRY R. CASSREINO
PEARL RIVER, LA. (Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009) -- No sleeping late for Matthew, Camryn, Pam and I.
Matthew was up bright and early at 6:30 a.m., playing with his train table and eating bowl of oatmeal and bananas. Camryn followed shortly, playing with her toys before joining Matthew for cereal.
Christmas was a long, quick, exhausting day -- one capped by a nice evening at my sister's house for dinner and a last-minute visit by Santa himself. The menu included beef brisket, ham, oyster dressing and sweet potato.
After that, it was back home to put two incredibly tired kids to bed while Pam and I watched the season finale of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" we taped last month but never got around to watch (the verdict -- very funny).
Below is a short slide show of photos from our Christmas. Enjoy. And don't forget: Click the closed-caption box in the bottom of the window to eliminate the captions -- and click the photo itself for a larger version of the picture.
Copyright 2009 Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.
A little about Mississippi, a little about Louisiana, a little about New Orleans and A LOT about our adoption story. This blog and our adoption story is dedicated to Camryn and Matthew Cassreino so that you both will know. Copyright 2021 by Terry R. Cassreino
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Cassreinos celebrate Matthew’s baptism
SLIDELL, La. (Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009) – Just a few days before we celebrate the first anniversary of "Gotcha Day" with our son, we joined with family members at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church to celebrate Matthew's baptism.
The service began at 1:30 p.m. and lasted about 45 minutes. It was incredibly uplifting and moving. And a great way for us as adults to welcome our son into the Catholic Church, share our Catholic faith with our son and remind all of us the meaning and importance of baptism, faith and family.
After the service, we headed to my sister's home to watch the New Orleans Saints continue their amazing season and enjoy an afternoon of fellowship with family.
As I sit and think back over the past year – from our trip to China exactly a year ago to Matthew's baptism – I am reminded how eventful this year has been for me and my family. We added a new member to our family, moved to a new city, took new jobs and faced major upheaval.
As stressed out as we all are and have been, we are still together growing in love and faith. I married late in life in 1999 at age 38; my wife and I started late in our own lives creating a family. But you know what? I wouldn't change any of it.
My wife, Pam; my daughter, Camryn; and my son Matthew mean the world to me. They make me happy. They give me a purpose. They renew my faith in God. And they are the reason I do what I do every day in my life.
Next up: Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009 – the first anniversary of "Gotcha Day," the day we met Matthew in Zhengzhou, China. My wife and I have decided to make this a special day for Matthew, just like we do for Camryn on her "Gotcha Day" in April. We'll probably head out for some great Chinese food.
And, once again, we'll realize how lucky all of us are.
Copyright 2009 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.
Relive our adoption journey to get Matthew by visiting our archives on the left and start with Dec. 2, 2008. Then read forward. You can do the same with our adoption trip to get Camryn. Visit the archives, start with March 27, 2006 and read forward.
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