Happy Birthday

Three years ago today we stared into the face of the most beautiful baby we had ever seen.  We couldn't believe how wonderful and challenging parenting her would be.

 

She is a wonderful blend of her mommy and daddy.  This can be both fun and trying.  But she is also completely her own person.

God has given her deep gifts of compassion, love, and an extra dose of fun.  She has a spunky humor and a vocabulary that blows people away.

Happy Birthday to our Sweetie Pea!  We are honored and humbled that God has chosen us as your parents!

Every Morning

This is what we do every morning.....run out to the porch and give Daddy a BIG send off!  We all love it.

The Body of Christ and Foster Care

When our children arrived in our home they had nothing and by nothing....I mean nothing.  Their former life was completely gone.  It wasn't salvageable.  Often kids come into care and they bring or are quickly given clothes.  Many of these items are not salvageable.  However, we didn't even have the ability to try saving items from their former life....there was nothing!

When they arrived at the DCFS office they were given something called Journey Bags.  Theses bags were begun by The Forgotten Initiative, a ministry to the local foster community.  They are filled with pj's and sometimes and outfit, a stuffed animal, socks, hair care products, underwear, etc.  I emailed the founder of TFI to thank her for what she did and for my kids Journey Bags.  Here was my email:

"Last night at midnight three precious little beauties showed up on my doorstep. They each had with them a blanket, a stuffed animal, and a book bag....their Journey Bags of course. I kept waiting for more, anything more, but nothing came. The investigator told me that yes indeed this was all they had. Our 5 year old had come with shoes which were so bad they had to be thrown away, one of our two year olds had no shoes, the other two year old had two left shoes. When I asked about getting anything out of the home the investigator said it just wasn't going to be possible. The kids had nothing. There worldly possessions consisted of Journey Bags. As I stared at those bags I began to cry. What if no one took the time to fill those bags and deliver them?  What would our children have then. Absolutely nothing. Nothing to claim as their own, nothing to protect or cherish. Thank you for all you do. Thank you for my kiddos' Journey Bags."

Jami put this email on TFI's blog.  At the bottom she posted a video about Journey Bags.  It was a video that I had watched months and months before.....before we got these kids, before we got our license, before we had decided on three kids.  However, I decided to watch it again.  I was brought to tears as I recognized item after item in the video.  This church had packed my kids' Journey Bags.  Even more humbling....they had prayed for my children....specifically for each one of my children.  God had laid these children on peoples hearts months before anybody in the system knew they existed.  How GREAT is our God and how MIGHTY are His plans for these children.

Check out the video here.

Amazed

This little girl blows my mind.  She has given up SO MUCH in order to get the title of sister.  A title which she adores.  We still have our moments with her but I am so proud of her.  I thank God that he allowed me to be Mommy to all of this spunk and fun!  Twirls and Princesses make up our daily lives.  God has given her the ability to be a World Changer and I pray she uses the gifts he has given her to their full potential.

God Made EVERYTHING!

I got to have a fun conversation with Big Brother today....

BB: "Did God REALLY make _______?"
Me: "Yes He did."
BB: "And ______?"
Me: "Yes He did."
BB: "Did He make EVERYTHING?"
Me: Yes He did!!"