It’s been three weeks since I’ve posted a news-y household replace. When you don’t observe on Instagram, that’s the place I at all times share every day updates on our life — and I share quite a lot of issues there I don’t have house to share right here!
Right here’s a peek into the final three weeks at our home:
We had been wiping some writing off the partitions and David came to visit and took a tissue and was wiping the wall with us! It was one of many first instances he’s mimicked us like this. We had been so excited!
I’ll by no means take this as a right. The present of with the ability to maintain his hand, watch him play, see his smiles, hear his voice, inform him “I really like you!” and listen to him say, “I really like you increasingly and extra.”
I don’t know what the longer term holds for C* or whether or not or not our lives will proceed to intertwine as he grows older. Some days, that’s actually exhausting and I discover myself wanting to guard my coronary heart.
Opening up my arms and my coronary heart to say, “I’ll love you with my entire coronary heart at all times and ever” is a danger and but it’s precisely what love is.
To like is to danger. To like is to step into another person’s life and say, “even when it’s exhausting and messy, I select love.”
I’m so grateful his mama continues to permit us the privilege of being in his life. I’m so grateful that he’s wholesome and thriving. And I belief maintain reminding myself that I can belief God for his future and never let concern of the unknown steal the enjoyment of right this moment.
And so, I maintain his hand. I look into his eyes. I say “I’ll at all times love you”. And I select to savor this present proper right here and now. ❤️
*When you’re new right here, C was our first foster placement. We introduced him dwelling as a tiny preemie from the NICU 4 weeks earlier than Kierstyn was born in 2020. He reunified along with his mama after 8 1/2 months of being with us. The previous three years, we’ve had the good privilege of attending to proceed to be concerned in his life and assist his mama with childcare whereas she works. Proper now, we’re watching him 2-4 days most weeks. He’s now 3 1/2 and thriving! There have been many ups and downs alongside the best way and this journey has appeared so totally different than I ever envisioned foster care would appear like, and but God has been so trustworthy and good by all of it and I’ve discovered to rely on Him like by no means earlier than.
Center college soccer season is formally right here! Silas is enjoying cornerback and large receiver this 12 months and having a blast doing it!
Jesse and I went on a {couples}’ date night time to play laser tag!
Headed to camp! Kaitlynn and Silas’ college begins with back-to-school in a single day camp for the week.
David LOVES swings!
Senior Dawn… we bought up at 5 am to affix Kaitlynn’s class on the soccer subject to look at the dawn, pray over the seniors, and mark the start of the 12 months.
Dad and mom had been invited and any adults who’re religious mentors within the senior’s lives. Micah additionally determined to affix us… he awoke proper earlier than we headed out the door and made it abundantly clear he didn’t need us leaving with out him.
I’m so excited for you, Kaitlynn, and might’t wait to see what this 12 months holds for you!
There are various new issues and modifications in your life proper now, however two issues will at all times be the identical: we love you greater than you may even think about and God loves you much more than we do!
Go be your hilarious, artistic, compassionate self and have fun all of the particular issues that this subsequent 12 months will maintain! ❤️
We beloved attending to have fun our little good friend’s one-year-old birthday!
Kaitlynn bought a fish on the truthful and Micah is obsessed!
First day of faculty!!
Kaitlynn is enjoying soccer once more this 12 months and is loving it!
Absorbing the previous couple of days of her summer time break earlier than school begins!
I snapped this image yesterday of me and Silas and am sharing it along with his permission: He’s 14. He’s fiercely aggressive, taller than me, passionate, assured, and unbiased… and he’s nonetheless a mama’s boy by and thru and I like it a lot. I hope he at all times needs to return sit proper subsequent to me and lay his head on me.
Mamas: don’t be afraid of your youngsters rising up. There’s a great probability they are going to nonetheless want hugs and TLC and need to hang around with you — they usually’ll additionally have the ability to do issues like clear the kitchen, run the laundry, cook dinner dinner, and make you chuckle till you cry with their hilarious tales and witty come backs.
Just some days in the past, Silas got here dwelling from a celebration and introduced me an ice cream sandwich saying, “They had been handing these out and I knew you’d like one. I bought it proper on the finish so it might nonetheless be frozen once I bought dwelling.”
I actually consider this parenting gig simply retains getting higher and higher.
And identical to that, she’s off to school!
We snapped a fast image in entrance of our storage door earlier than we waved goodbye and he or she drove away to this new season of life — with me sporting 8-day hair and the identical outfit I’d been sporting for a day and a half whereas holding a just-bathed, towel-clad child.
And someway, it form of felt becoming. As a result of that’s actually the message I hope she takes together with her into this new journey: present up as you’re.
You’ll by no means get all of it proper. You’ll by no means be good. You’ll at all times be dropping some balls. However present up anyway and love properly. Your price is just not in your work. Your worth is just not in the way you look. You might be beloved for precisely who you’re. You don’t have to do extra or be somebody totally different to win our love.
There was a lump in my throat but additionally pleasure in my coronary heart. The previous 18 years had been such a present. The subsequent season can also be a present…
To observe her discovering offers to inventory her fridge (She already bought a Kroger card and used digital coupons!)
To listen to about her displaying as much as the campus ministry occasions the place she didn’t actually know anybody and ended up having a good time and connecting with lots of people
To see her enthusiasm as she opened up her pantry and confirmed me her begin of her stockpile (see pics beneath)
To watch her making clever selections, setting targets, planning for the longer term, in search of the Lord…
As dad and mom, we’ve at all times stated our purpose is to lift adults not dependent youngsters. I by no means knew simply how superb it might be to really see your little one now adulting.
Kathrynne: we’re so insanely pleased with you and might’t wait to see what this 12 months at MTSU holds for you! We additionally love that you simply selected a college shut by dwelling since you stated you simply couldn’t think about being distant from us and need to have the ability to come dwelling typically. We love you to the moon and again — make certain to recollect to eat sufficient meals day by day 😆 and go change the world!
P.S. For many who missed my tales on Instagram, she’s dwelling in a rental home Jesse and I purchased and renting from us. We selected this plan collectively as it’ll save her 1000’s of {dollars} in comparison with what it prices to dwell on-campus + it provides her extra alternatives to be taught and apply real-life expertise.