Just from reading the title, which girl do you think I am talking about? Yes.......it is about A, sweet, question-asking, tender-hearted A. Yesterday morning for church, the youth group had their share time from Falls Creek youth camp. It was a great service. God did great things in these kids lives and it was fun to hear about it all. So I am sitting by A, and during one of the songs all of the kids who got saved at camp lined up and one by one went to the microphone and quickly said, "My name is _________ and I got saved at camp" or "I am ___________ and I gave my life to Christ and got saved" or something to that sort. Well, about 7 or so had gone (there were a lot saved!) and A leans over to me and in her "whisper" that is really more like talking, but kind of a little louder than talking because it is whispering and talking, so it magnifies her already raspy voice.....she said, "well, what are they all getting saved from?" It was pretty funny because the question didn't sound like it was out of curiosity as much as out of irritation! I think she was a little irritated that they were all saved but didn't even say what they were saved from! I love to see things from her perspective! It is so different than mine!
After our VBS kickoff, which was so much fun, we were picking things up and getting things ready for VBS to start. The girls just find something to do while we are there. The little girls found our friend Emily, who is teaching S's class this week. So they were "helping" Emily do all sorts of things.........thanks Emily for letting them bug, I mean help you! So anyway, while they were in there decorating, A was asking a ton of questions........this surprises you right? She asked what everything was, and whatever else she asks about things. Emily was putting up some bull horns for decoration because we have a ranch theme. So this is the conversation (as I remember Emily telling me it went):
A: Did those come from an animal?
Em: yep.
A: Oh, was it a cow?
Em: No, it was a dog.
A: Noooooo..........dogs don't have horns........unless it is a bulldog!
Oh, I laugh every time I hear that! Oh, that girl.........I love her!
I do promise that I will get up pictures soon.....well, I will get them up sometime, hopefully soon!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
This week
Well, it has been a crazy but fun week. I don't have one particular story, so I will give you some highlights from the past week as well as point out (to myself cause I often overlook things) some things that I am thankful for.
Next week is Vacation Bible School. Actually, the festivities start tomorrow, Sunday, so we have been super busy getting things ready for our big week. Next week will be busy, but the preparation week usually holds longer days at the church for our whole family. Autumn is in charge of all of the crafts, so on top of decorating, we have all of the crafts to prep too, so we pretty much lived at the church. It might sound like I am complaining, but it is quite the opposite....it has been a ton of fun to decorate and get ready this year. And I have awesome teachers and leaders, so it has made my job so much easier. Here is a rough schedule of what our week has been like (and again, I am so not complaining...I love VBS and the week before and I don't want to forget the details of it, so I am writing them all down):
Monday--10 hours at the church...we brought our lunch so we didn't have to leave. Oh, and this was the day that our youth left for Falls Creek, so they had leftover pb&j sandwiches. We ate their sandwiches and saved our stuff for later. Thankful for that. When we went to leave after our long day without leaving the church, I said, "Let's go girls.....finally time." They really did look at me and say, "But I thought you said we got to stay for a long time today." Well, I am thankful that they enjoy hanging out at the church ALL day!
Tuesday--We got a late start out of the house. Our friend lets us keep her one year old daughter while she goes on business trips, so we had her Tuesday and Wed. So off we went, first to the church to pick up the things the youth group needed at camp, then to the store to get more things they needed (remember we have 6 girls in tow) then off to camp. I am thankful that our sweet little one year old friend is the sweetest baby and didn't cry ONE time the whole day! I am thankful our four little darlings didn't really cry either! Good day! We got to visit with the youth group, visit my aunt and cousin who were at camp with their church, and go to some special places (I will have pictures later and explain why the places were special.) We got home after 11 or so. The girls had so much fun and I am so thankful that the youth girls are so sweet and love to dote on my girls. One girl curled S's pigtails, and she thought that was the coolest thing EVER!
Wednesday--more time at the church in preparation.....had a fun wacky Wednesday fun night with our church kids. We played pie-in-the-face musical chairs, so we had TONS of fun! Oh, and all of that time at the church that day, we still had the baby plus another friend's daughter who is A's age. I am thankful she is the best baby ever and likes to be rolled around in the stroller and entertained by the girls. I am also thankful that the girls were happy to entertain.....ok, they actually kind of sort of fought over who got to entertain her, but the fights were small and easily resolved. I am also thankful that our other little friend is such a sweet girl and good helper.
Thursday--I took the day off. We went to lunch at one of our favorite places and then went to the splash park. I am thankful that the splash park was free and that we had fresh blueberries to eat there. We went to the church that evening just for a minute to do a few things.......or actually for 5 hours........I am thankful that the girls were not real happy to leave the church! They really are good help and low maintenance when we are working on projects.
Friday--I spent the morning at the church and the girls got to be lazy at home.......fun. Then we got all dressed up, did fingernails, and went to a DEAR friend's wedding. I am so thankful we got to see so many friends that we love so much. I am thankful that H got to dance at the wedding. They all got to dance, but that was the highlight of the month for H. She LOVES weddings and parties in general. Her eyes are bright as she scans the room and takes in all of the details! It would not surprise me if we had a little wedding planner in the future!
Saturday--called the sheriff (I will tell that story later), lazy morning, worked at the church in the afternoon a little while, then we went to our friend Becky's to swim and catch up.
Aren't you glad I didn't give you the long version?! (that's a joke.........get it? cause this post IS really long!)
I can't wait for VBS........God did a great work in the lives of our youth and adults at camp, which will mean a great service tomorrow and awesome VBS. Can't wait!
Next week is Vacation Bible School. Actually, the festivities start tomorrow, Sunday, so we have been super busy getting things ready for our big week. Next week will be busy, but the preparation week usually holds longer days at the church for our whole family. Autumn is in charge of all of the crafts, so on top of decorating, we have all of the crafts to prep too, so we pretty much lived at the church. It might sound like I am complaining, but it is quite the opposite....it has been a ton of fun to decorate and get ready this year. And I have awesome teachers and leaders, so it has made my job so much easier. Here is a rough schedule of what our week has been like (and again, I am so not complaining...I love VBS and the week before and I don't want to forget the details of it, so I am writing them all down):
Monday--10 hours at the church...we brought our lunch so we didn't have to leave. Oh, and this was the day that our youth left for Falls Creek, so they had leftover pb&j sandwiches. We ate their sandwiches and saved our stuff for later. Thankful for that. When we went to leave after our long day without leaving the church, I said, "Let's go girls.....finally time." They really did look at me and say, "But I thought you said we got to stay for a long time today." Well, I am thankful that they enjoy hanging out at the church ALL day!
Tuesday--We got a late start out of the house. Our friend lets us keep her one year old daughter while she goes on business trips, so we had her Tuesday and Wed. So off we went, first to the church to pick up the things the youth group needed at camp, then to the store to get more things they needed (remember we have 6 girls in tow) then off to camp. I am thankful that our sweet little one year old friend is the sweetest baby and didn't cry ONE time the whole day! I am thankful our four little darlings didn't really cry either! Good day! We got to visit with the youth group, visit my aunt and cousin who were at camp with their church, and go to some special places (I will have pictures later and explain why the places were special.) We got home after 11 or so. The girls had so much fun and I am so thankful that the youth girls are so sweet and love to dote on my girls. One girl curled S's pigtails, and she thought that was the coolest thing EVER!
Wednesday--more time at the church in preparation.....had a fun wacky Wednesday fun night with our church kids. We played pie-in-the-face musical chairs, so we had TONS of fun! Oh, and all of that time at the church that day, we still had the baby plus another friend's daughter who is A's age. I am thankful she is the best baby ever and likes to be rolled around in the stroller and entertained by the girls. I am also thankful that the girls were happy to entertain.....ok, they actually kind of sort of fought over who got to entertain her, but the fights were small and easily resolved. I am also thankful that our other little friend is such a sweet girl and good helper.
Thursday--I took the day off. We went to lunch at one of our favorite places and then went to the splash park. I am thankful that the splash park was free and that we had fresh blueberries to eat there. We went to the church that evening just for a minute to do a few things.......or actually for 5 hours........I am thankful that the girls were not real happy to leave the church! They really are good help and low maintenance when we are working on projects.
Friday--I spent the morning at the church and the girls got to be lazy at home.......fun. Then we got all dressed up, did fingernails, and went to a DEAR friend's wedding. I am so thankful we got to see so many friends that we love so much. I am thankful that H got to dance at the wedding. They all got to dance, but that was the highlight of the month for H. She LOVES weddings and parties in general. Her eyes are bright as she scans the room and takes in all of the details! It would not surprise me if we had a little wedding planner in the future!
Saturday--called the sheriff (I will tell that story later), lazy morning, worked at the church in the afternoon a little while, then we went to our friend Becky's to swim and catch up.
Aren't you glad I didn't give you the long version?! (that's a joke.........get it? cause this post IS really long!)
I can't wait for VBS........God did a great work in the lives of our youth and adults at camp, which will mean a great service tomorrow and awesome VBS. Can't wait!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
My name is not Monica!
This is a funny story. It might get long, but it is funny and sadly, it is very true. Last year, we had H in tumbling and dance class in a town about 25 minutes from us. H enjoyed going, and we all enjoyed the evening in the "big town", but as you can probably imagine, life just gets hectic with four girls during school. We have homework, other activities, stories from the day, fits from being so tired from school, and well, you can just probably imagine. So keep all of that in mind as you read this.
It was one of those days, and I had all 4 girls with me, and at that time (remember, they were 3, 5, 7, and 9), it was a chore just to get everyone from the car to wherever we were going without fits and such. So we were going into the dance studio and there were lots of moms and kids sitting outside because it was such a nice day. There was an article in a local magazine about our family and the adoption and such, and the article had our picture, so as we walked into the studio, a lot of the moms said how nice the article was and so on. We talked a little with them, but tried not to get too distracted on our journey into the studio. Once in the studio, another mom met me with warm eyes, a big smile, and a welcoming "hi!" So, figuring that she was being friendly because she saw the article, I said, "Hi! How are you?" She was pleased to speak to me and obviously wanted to keep the conversation going. She asked about my kids, to which I replied something like, "We are all doing great and having fun!" She was so glad to see me, and I was on a mission to see exactly where the girls ran off to, so I didn't think any more about meeting that woman.
Well, the next week came.....same routine....coming in with the kids....long day, tired, you know how it goes. I walk into the studio and that friendly woman spoke to me again. Man, that woman sure is friendly. I guess she really felt like she got to know us through that article! How nice! We make small talk.......how are the kids...talk about how busy we both are and so on. I passed by her, walking out of the room when she hollers, "We'll see you later Monica!"
What? Was my new friend calling ME Monica? Oh no, I didn't tell her my name was Monica did I? Of course I didn't, what are you thinking Trinity? I should probably tell her I'm not Monica.........but the moment passed. She was off being friendly to someone else, and I was in a totally different room, and how terribly awkward would that be if I walked BACK in the room and said......um, my name is not Monica. Well, maybe she just got mixed up. Oh well. Then the thought left my head, I was busy keeping up with the kids while we waited for H to get out of class. I didn't think about that woman again........until the next week.
Yep, you guessed it. Same routine. I brought the girls in and she was there to greet me with a smile and small talk. Same as last week........I go to leave and she says, "Bye Monica!"
This time......I just say, "Bye!"
How awful for that poor woman to be so embarrassed to find out I wasn't Monica! So I became Monica to her! And it wasn't as if she just thought my name was Monica and I was myself just named Monica. She thought I WAS Monica!
I would see her almost every week. Sometimes she would just say hi, and sometimes she would say hi Monica or Bye Monica, to which I simply responded appropriately! I would try and rush past her so she wouldn't ask too much and figure out I wasn't Monica, because THAT would be awful! (Oh my, what was I thinking, really!)
The year was coming to an end, and it was dance recital time. There were several little girls from our church, so Autumn and I went to Walmart and got flowers, tissue paper and ribbon to wrap up the flowers ourselves for the girls from church. We got to the recital WAY early on accident, but we thought we would take advantage of the time and space and spread our stuff out to wrap all of those flowers. We were busy with our task when I hear, "Hi Monica!"
Oh boy, my friend. "Hi!"
She was very nervous I could tell. I guess maybe this was her first recital.....I don't know cause I try not to ask questions, or she would ask me, I mean Monica questions and I don't know the answers for Monica.
She saw all of the flowers spread out on the table, which covered most of the table. I guess it looked like enough flowers to sell because Monica's friend said something about wanting some of those flowers. I guess she was wanting to buy them and thought we were selling them?? I don't really know, and I just smiled and kind of chuckled at her and kept on doing what I was doing. What is it with this woman? First I become Monica and now she is going to take my flowers! I kept a hand on those flowers and she didn't ask again. BUT, she DID ask another question......."So Monica, Sherry told me to save her seats. How many do you think she will need?"
I know, really, this should be the moment when I say, "Hey woman, you are real nice, but I'm not Monica." But would I do that? NOOOOOOOOOO of course not! I don't know why I just couldn't tell her. So I turned to her and said, "I have NO idea!"
I felt like just saying, "um.....I think she'll need 12 seats" but I didn't. She figured 6 was enough seats for Sherry and I agreed. So she went to save seats withOUT my flowers.
You would think that would be all...........WRONG!!!!!!!!
During the recital, A had to go to the bathroom. No problem......that is until we go into the bathroom and Monica's friend is in there helping her girl get changed. "Hey Monica!"
"Hey!"
A's eyes bugged out of her head and she slowly turned her head to me. You could just see the wheels in her head turning and I could see the words coming out of her mouth. Oh great.....I made it all year being Monica and A is going to ruin it on the day of the recital.
I couldn't let that happen, so I quickly covered her mouth and shoved her into the stall so she could go to the bathroom. Poor girl. The only thing I told her was, "Please don't ask questions right now."
Well, the recital went great, and while we were in the parking lot talking to some friends, guess how came out the door.......yep, Monica's friend. I wasn't sticking around for this one, so I DOVE into the back of the van, just laying there hoping she didn't see me. Whew!!!! It worked!
So ladies and gentlemen, the moral of the story.....please just tell someone when they have your name wrong. Endure the awkward moment and go for it! Believe me, it is exhausting being someone else!
It was one of those days, and I had all 4 girls with me, and at that time (remember, they were 3, 5, 7, and 9), it was a chore just to get everyone from the car to wherever we were going without fits and such. So we were going into the dance studio and there were lots of moms and kids sitting outside because it was such a nice day. There was an article in a local magazine about our family and the adoption and such, and the article had our picture, so as we walked into the studio, a lot of the moms said how nice the article was and so on. We talked a little with them, but tried not to get too distracted on our journey into the studio. Once in the studio, another mom met me with warm eyes, a big smile, and a welcoming "hi!" So, figuring that she was being friendly because she saw the article, I said, "Hi! How are you?" She was pleased to speak to me and obviously wanted to keep the conversation going. She asked about my kids, to which I replied something like, "We are all doing great and having fun!" She was so glad to see me, and I was on a mission to see exactly where the girls ran off to, so I didn't think any more about meeting that woman.
Well, the next week came.....same routine....coming in with the kids....long day, tired, you know how it goes. I walk into the studio and that friendly woman spoke to me again. Man, that woman sure is friendly. I guess she really felt like she got to know us through that article! How nice! We make small talk.......how are the kids...talk about how busy we both are and so on. I passed by her, walking out of the room when she hollers, "We'll see you later Monica!"
What? Was my new friend calling ME Monica? Oh no, I didn't tell her my name was Monica did I? Of course I didn't, what are you thinking Trinity? I should probably tell her I'm not Monica.........but the moment passed. She was off being friendly to someone else, and I was in a totally different room, and how terribly awkward would that be if I walked BACK in the room and said......um, my name is not Monica. Well, maybe she just got mixed up. Oh well. Then the thought left my head, I was busy keeping up with the kids while we waited for H to get out of class. I didn't think about that woman again........until the next week.
Yep, you guessed it. Same routine. I brought the girls in and she was there to greet me with a smile and small talk. Same as last week........I go to leave and she says, "Bye Monica!"
This time......I just say, "Bye!"
How awful for that poor woman to be so embarrassed to find out I wasn't Monica! So I became Monica to her! And it wasn't as if she just thought my name was Monica and I was myself just named Monica. She thought I WAS Monica!
I would see her almost every week. Sometimes she would just say hi, and sometimes she would say hi Monica or Bye Monica, to which I simply responded appropriately! I would try and rush past her so she wouldn't ask too much and figure out I wasn't Monica, because THAT would be awful! (Oh my, what was I thinking, really!)
The year was coming to an end, and it was dance recital time. There were several little girls from our church, so Autumn and I went to Walmart and got flowers, tissue paper and ribbon to wrap up the flowers ourselves for the girls from church. We got to the recital WAY early on accident, but we thought we would take advantage of the time and space and spread our stuff out to wrap all of those flowers. We were busy with our task when I hear, "Hi Monica!"
Oh boy, my friend. "Hi!"
She was very nervous I could tell. I guess maybe this was her first recital.....I don't know cause I try not to ask questions, or she would ask me, I mean Monica questions and I don't know the answers for Monica.
She saw all of the flowers spread out on the table, which covered most of the table. I guess it looked like enough flowers to sell because Monica's friend said something about wanting some of those flowers. I guess she was wanting to buy them and thought we were selling them?? I don't really know, and I just smiled and kind of chuckled at her and kept on doing what I was doing. What is it with this woman? First I become Monica and now she is going to take my flowers! I kept a hand on those flowers and she didn't ask again. BUT, she DID ask another question......."So Monica, Sherry told me to save her seats. How many do you think she will need?"
I know, really, this should be the moment when I say, "Hey woman, you are real nice, but I'm not Monica." But would I do that? NOOOOOOOOOO of course not! I don't know why I just couldn't tell her. So I turned to her and said, "I have NO idea!"
I felt like just saying, "um.....I think she'll need 12 seats" but I didn't. She figured 6 was enough seats for Sherry and I agreed. So she went to save seats withOUT my flowers.
You would think that would be all...........WRONG!!!!!!!!
During the recital, A had to go to the bathroom. No problem......that is until we go into the bathroom and Monica's friend is in there helping her girl get changed. "Hey Monica!"
"Hey!"
A's eyes bugged out of her head and she slowly turned her head to me. You could just see the wheels in her head turning and I could see the words coming out of her mouth. Oh great.....I made it all year being Monica and A is going to ruin it on the day of the recital.
I couldn't let that happen, so I quickly covered her mouth and shoved her into the stall so she could go to the bathroom. Poor girl. The only thing I told her was, "Please don't ask questions right now."
Well, the recital went great, and while we were in the parking lot talking to some friends, guess how came out the door.......yep, Monica's friend. I wasn't sticking around for this one, so I DOVE into the back of the van, just laying there hoping she didn't see me. Whew!!!! It worked!
So ladies and gentlemen, the moral of the story.....please just tell someone when they have your name wrong. Endure the awkward moment and go for it! Believe me, it is exhausting being someone else!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
A sweet prayer
I love to hear the girls pray. I just love it. Every child that has come into our home as a foster child has left our home knowing to pray. I think it is fun to hear them talk to the Lord. S's prayer is very predictable......she prays every day for our friends....Skip, Becky, Casey and Carter. She prays most of the time for Bethany, Jarrod, and cousin B, and she prays most of the time for each person in our family. She might name a few more people that she is thankful for, and says amen.
H talks to the Lord and tells him about her day. She tells him what she liked most about it, and if anyone had mentioned to pray for something, H remembers to pray for it. She is diligent and will remember to pray.
A.......well, you just never know what is going to come out of her mouth to the Lord or to anyone else! You NEVER know! Thank you Lord that you know her heart!
M prays for people and situations that either bother her or that she is encouraged by. She will pray for her own attitude or for the Lord to help her in her weaknesses.
I love to see how each of them are different. I love to see their personalities come out in all areas. I love to see them coming closer to the Lord and learning to go to him in everything......big things, small things, good things and bad things. I love that!
Several months ago, M prayed one of the sweetest prayers I had ever heard.
"God, thank you for this day. Thank you so much for my family. Thank you God that I don't have to wait anymore for a family like those kids in those pictures we saw. (There were pictures in the mall of kids waiting for an adoptive home and it broke her heart.) Thank you that you gave me my family. Please let people who know you choose to do foster care so that those other kids don't have to wait anymore. I love you. Amen"
I love it that their hearts are sensitive to other people's hurts and situations. I love it that they want to do something about it. (M was begging for us to bring home a brother when we passed by those pictures in the mall. I had to remind her that you can't just pick out a new kid like you pick out a new barbie.) I love it that they choose to make a difference in the world! I really do love that!
H talks to the Lord and tells him about her day. She tells him what she liked most about it, and if anyone had mentioned to pray for something, H remembers to pray for it. She is diligent and will remember to pray.
A.......well, you just never know what is going to come out of her mouth to the Lord or to anyone else! You NEVER know! Thank you Lord that you know her heart!
M prays for people and situations that either bother her or that she is encouraged by. She will pray for her own attitude or for the Lord to help her in her weaknesses.
I love to see how each of them are different. I love to see their personalities come out in all areas. I love to see them coming closer to the Lord and learning to go to him in everything......big things, small things, good things and bad things. I love that!
Several months ago, M prayed one of the sweetest prayers I had ever heard.
"God, thank you for this day. Thank you so much for my family. Thank you God that I don't have to wait anymore for a family like those kids in those pictures we saw. (There were pictures in the mall of kids waiting for an adoptive home and it broke her heart.) Thank you that you gave me my family. Please let people who know you choose to do foster care so that those other kids don't have to wait anymore. I love you. Amen"
I love it that their hearts are sensitive to other people's hurts and situations. I love it that they want to do something about it. (M was begging for us to bring home a brother when we passed by those pictures in the mall. I had to remind her that you can't just pick out a new kid like you pick out a new barbie.) I love it that they choose to make a difference in the world! I really do love that!
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Journey: part 1
I have said that I would tell our journey of starting foster care and getting into this crazy adoption thing with my sister! So here it goes. I really don't know how far I will get, or when I will get to the other parts, but here is the start. That is why I titled it the journey part 1...I'm not sure how many parts it will have.
My friend Angie and her husband decided to do foster care and I was so excited for her. I was telling my friend Charlotte about it, and how neat it was, and I guess I was talking about it so much that Charlotte said, "Well Miss Trinity, it sounds like YOU need to do foster care!"
Yeah. Right Miss Charlotte, single people can't do that...........can they?
So I asked Autumn about it, and sure enough they can do that. So later, Autumn and I decided that we would buy a house, Bethany was going to get married and we would do foster care together. Yep, that's how it would be. Autumn and I didn't let Bethany in on this plan...no need for her to worry! Now, we all three lived in a rent house together, and Bethany wasn't dating anyone, not even interested in anyone, but that's what would happen.
Well, we bought a house, and not even a month after we bought that house, we got a new youth minister at our church. And right away we (Autumn and I) knew that Jarrod was right for Bethany, and just under a year after they met, they were married. So while they were engaged, it was a no-brainer to start the process to foster.
We enjoyed our classes and couldn't wait to start the process of actually getting kids! Our mindset in the whole thing was to do foster care.....only foster care. We felt that we were equipped to take in kids in trauma and be a safe and secure place for them for as long as they were with us, whether that was for a day or a year. We thought that we could help them and teach them get them ready to move to their next place, home or an adoptive home. That was just how it was going to be. The man came to do our home study, which went just fine. At the end of our visit he asked, "So what happens if a child comes into your home and you decide you want to adopt them?" I didn't even let him really finish the question when I answered, "Oh..no, we WON'T adopt....we just won't. We are in it just for foster care........." and I went on and on about how we won't adopt.
"But what will happen IF you decide that you just can't live without this kid and you decide to adopt?"
"Um....no, that won't happen, we decided that we just aren't going to adopt, this isn't even a question."
Ok, apparently this nice man just doesn't understand this situation....
He says, "I understand that you don't have any intentions of adopting, but I have to ask this question and have an answer for it, because I just know that the people looking at this application are going to look at your situation and want an answer. I have to tell them what you would do if adoption came up.....who would adopt the child?"
Oh my goodness....whatever......I guess I better just give an answer, but that won't happen. So as I rolled my eyes in my head (at least I hope I really didn't roll my eyes at the nice man) I gave the answer (and Autumn said things too, but I will sum it up here), "Well IF that came up, we don't know exactly what will happen, but we trust the Lord that he will lead our steps. So IF he can change our minds on this, then we KNOW he WILL have an answer and we WILL just know what to do."
That answer worked, because we got approved. Then we waited. I got SO impatient! I would call Autumn and say......."I just want a kid!" Oh, and by the way, we only wanted kids that were kindergarten through 5th grade, and only one, MAYBE two kids at a time.......MAYBE two!
Autumn worked at a shelter at the time, so she would come home and tell me about different girls and their stories. We looked into getting a couple of them in our homes, but for various reasons, that never worked out.
Then Autumn calls and she had heard from our worker that we could have an 8 year old come to our home for two weeks. She was in a foster home at the time, but that mother needed a break. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's get her.......and I can go shopping, and pick out clothes.......um.....Autumn stopped that......she has things and we don't need to get her anything. Ok, I can deal with that.
So we got her. She was very sweet and really enjoyed our home. There were some issues to work through and we talked with her a lot. She was making a lot of progress in different areas and she held her head with more confidence. A week passed, and we knew we had one more week with these girl. We decided that it would be best for this little girl if we slowly helped her back into reality by having another little girl come into the home. That way she would get used to sharing attention and we could better prepare her to go back. We gave her a Bible when she left and she told us that she felt good about going back because she had learned lessons about life.
BUT, about a week into it, Autumn came home and told me about a little girl at the shelter. She said she thought we might should get her in our home. Autumn kept talking about this little girl and how whiny she is, but everyone only talks about how sweet she is. Autumn kept saying how weird it was that every time she saw this little girl in the shelter, she was complaining or crying, but nobody, even the workers that usually got frustrated with whiny kids, would say that she was whiny, they just said she was sweet. Autumn said how much work she would be, but that she thought we should get her and that this little girl in the shelter would be great for helping the little girl we had in our home adjust. So, we decided to get the little girl from the shelter, and so began our journey we didn't know would last forever...........our journey with Sister #1......the beautiful and feisty miss M!
My friend Angie and her husband decided to do foster care and I was so excited for her. I was telling my friend Charlotte about it, and how neat it was, and I guess I was talking about it so much that Charlotte said, "Well Miss Trinity, it sounds like YOU need to do foster care!"
Yeah. Right Miss Charlotte, single people can't do that...........can they?
So I asked Autumn about it, and sure enough they can do that. So later, Autumn and I decided that we would buy a house, Bethany was going to get married and we would do foster care together. Yep, that's how it would be. Autumn and I didn't let Bethany in on this plan...no need for her to worry! Now, we all three lived in a rent house together, and Bethany wasn't dating anyone, not even interested in anyone, but that's what would happen.
Well, we bought a house, and not even a month after we bought that house, we got a new youth minister at our church. And right away we (Autumn and I) knew that Jarrod was right for Bethany, and just under a year after they met, they were married. So while they were engaged, it was a no-brainer to start the process to foster.
We enjoyed our classes and couldn't wait to start the process of actually getting kids! Our mindset in the whole thing was to do foster care.....only foster care. We felt that we were equipped to take in kids in trauma and be a safe and secure place for them for as long as they were with us, whether that was for a day or a year. We thought that we could help them and teach them get them ready to move to their next place, home or an adoptive home. That was just how it was going to be. The man came to do our home study, which went just fine. At the end of our visit he asked, "So what happens if a child comes into your home and you decide you want to adopt them?" I didn't even let him really finish the question when I answered, "Oh..no, we WON'T adopt....we just won't. We are in it just for foster care........." and I went on and on about how we won't adopt.
"But what will happen IF you decide that you just can't live without this kid and you decide to adopt?"
"Um....no, that won't happen, we decided that we just aren't going to adopt, this isn't even a question."
Ok, apparently this nice man just doesn't understand this situation....
He says, "I understand that you don't have any intentions of adopting, but I have to ask this question and have an answer for it, because I just know that the people looking at this application are going to look at your situation and want an answer. I have to tell them what you would do if adoption came up.....who would adopt the child?"
Oh my goodness....whatever......I guess I better just give an answer, but that won't happen. So as I rolled my eyes in my head (at least I hope I really didn't roll my eyes at the nice man) I gave the answer (and Autumn said things too, but I will sum it up here), "Well IF that came up, we don't know exactly what will happen, but we trust the Lord that he will lead our steps. So IF he can change our minds on this, then we KNOW he WILL have an answer and we WILL just know what to do."
That answer worked, because we got approved. Then we waited. I got SO impatient! I would call Autumn and say......."I just want a kid!" Oh, and by the way, we only wanted kids that were kindergarten through 5th grade, and only one, MAYBE two kids at a time.......MAYBE two!
Autumn worked at a shelter at the time, so she would come home and tell me about different girls and their stories. We looked into getting a couple of them in our homes, but for various reasons, that never worked out.
Then Autumn calls and she had heard from our worker that we could have an 8 year old come to our home for two weeks. She was in a foster home at the time, but that mother needed a break. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's get her.......and I can go shopping, and pick out clothes.......um.....Autumn stopped that......she has things and we don't need to get her anything. Ok, I can deal with that.
So we got her. She was very sweet and really enjoyed our home. There were some issues to work through and we talked with her a lot. She was making a lot of progress in different areas and she held her head with more confidence. A week passed, and we knew we had one more week with these girl. We decided that it would be best for this little girl if we slowly helped her back into reality by having another little girl come into the home. That way she would get used to sharing attention and we could better prepare her to go back. We gave her a Bible when she left and she told us that she felt good about going back because she had learned lessons about life.
BUT, about a week into it, Autumn came home and told me about a little girl at the shelter. She said she thought we might should get her in our home. Autumn kept talking about this little girl and how whiny she is, but everyone only talks about how sweet she is. Autumn kept saying how weird it was that every time she saw this little girl in the shelter, she was complaining or crying, but nobody, even the workers that usually got frustrated with whiny kids, would say that she was whiny, they just said she was sweet. Autumn said how much work she would be, but that she thought we should get her and that this little girl in the shelter would be great for helping the little girl we had in our home adjust. So, we decided to get the little girl from the shelter, and so began our journey we didn't know would last forever...........our journey with Sister #1......the beautiful and feisty miss M!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
hide-and-seek
Have you seen those Red Robin commercials? There are different ones. Well, one of them the little girl counts to 10 or whatever and says: Ready or not here I come! Then she sings "red robin" and all the kids come out of their hiding places singing, "yum....." Then the little boy says, "Hey, that's not fair!"
Well, the other morning the girls were playing. I didn't even pay attention to what they were playing. I knew they were giggling and playing well, so I didn't pay a lot of attention. I was getting ready......all was peaceful and happy. I see S walking down the hall and she sings, "Red robin........red robin..............red robin..........." I CRACKED UP!!!!!!! I laughed so hard. Here came 3 little girls........."What are you laughing at?"
New lesson learned: if the red robin song doesn't get them out of their hiding places, just laugh hysterical and they will get nosey enough to come and check it out!
Well, the other morning the girls were playing. I didn't even pay attention to what they were playing. I knew they were giggling and playing well, so I didn't pay a lot of attention. I was getting ready......all was peaceful and happy. I see S walking down the hall and she sings, "Red robin........red robin..............red robin..........." I CRACKED UP!!!!!!! I laughed so hard. Here came 3 little girls........."What are you laughing at?"
New lesson learned: if the red robin song doesn't get them out of their hiding places, just laugh hysterical and they will get nosey enough to come and check it out!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
G-ma
First, let me say that when I uploaded these pictures, it puts them in reverse order, so you will see our day from end to beginning. Oh well......that's how it goes sometimes!
Here is our day. We started out at the parade, which those pictures are on a different camera, so I will not show them on this post. Then we went to my aunt's house for my grandma's 80th birthday celebration and my nephew B's birthday celebration. We always have SUCH a GREAT time with family.....food, fun, chaos, laughter, and lots of love! It was fast and furious but so much fun.
I went to find A at one point, but she went and found a bed to lay on......um....wait a minute, yep, she had a fever. If a kid misses out on the fun, they MUST be sick. We made a pallet and let her lay in the middle of the fun anyway.
Uncle Scott and S. The girls always have a great time with him.
My cousin Sarah is so creative. She had her kids make this garden stone for g-ma. She mentioned it to us so we could maybe make one too.....great idea! Well, we tried it, but we obviously aren't as crafty as Sarah, so ours didn't make it to the party. I don't know what went wrong!
I like this one....it is Macy capturing the present chaos on her camera. Fun memory
This is one of my FAVORITE pictures of the day. It is SO my family.....sitting around talking. I like the expressions on each of their faces and I like imagining just what they might be discussing!
Yes, this is blurry of Scott and Connie, but that wasn't who I was trying to capture. Look a little further back. In the midst of all of the fun, Trapper fell asleep.
Sweet dreams I hope!
Cheese!
It's fun that G-ma and B share a birthday. They are both very special people! G-ma is an amazing woman of God. She's not a gossip, she serves the Lord with her talents, she is faithful, even-tempered, a great cook, and so much fun. We love her so much! My girls cry about every two weeks because they want to go see G-ma.
Cousin T enjoying the cupcakes.
Yummy!
These girls do everything together when they are around each other.
He is just too cute!
My uncle Scott always used to get us the CRAZIEST gifts for Christmas and such, that is before he married Connie....thanks Connie, yall give great gifts now! Really, you just never knew what he would show up with. One Christmas he showed up with t-shirts that had a picture of himself. He had one shirt for all of us cousins. We loved the wacky gift! Well, my parents found one of our shirts and wrapped it up for B for his birthday. We all laughed and he just didn't know what to think of it all!
Cousin A has the best facial expressions. He helped G-ma and B blow out the candles.
Blowing out the candles.
Singing happy birthday.
They were playing their instruments for their "band".
Best Cousins!
Cousin Macy taking pictures.
Cousin H is so sweet!
A loves to color!
B loves to sing.
Looking at pictures
Cousin A and the girls loved playing with the dolls and little kitchen.
This is so cute, all of the boys drinking their drinks.
M looks thrilled I know.
Macy made the yummy cupcakes.
B and aunt Deborah getting ready to eat.
Here is our day. We started out at the parade, which those pictures are on a different camera, so I will not show them on this post. Then we went to my aunt's house for my grandma's 80th birthday celebration and my nephew B's birthday celebration. We always have SUCH a GREAT time with family.....food, fun, chaos, laughter, and lots of love! It was fast and furious but so much fun.
I went to find A at one point, but she went and found a bed to lay on......um....wait a minute, yep, she had a fever. If a kid misses out on the fun, they MUST be sick. We made a pallet and let her lay in the middle of the fun anyway.
Uncle Scott and S. The girls always have a great time with him.
My cousin Sarah is so creative. She had her kids make this garden stone for g-ma. She mentioned it to us so we could maybe make one too.....great idea! Well, we tried it, but we obviously aren't as crafty as Sarah, so ours didn't make it to the party. I don't know what went wrong!
I like this one....it is Macy capturing the present chaos on her camera. Fun memory
This is one of my FAVORITE pictures of the day. It is SO my family.....sitting around talking. I like the expressions on each of their faces and I like imagining just what they might be discussing!
Yes, this is blurry of Scott and Connie, but that wasn't who I was trying to capture. Look a little further back. In the midst of all of the fun, Trapper fell asleep.
Sweet dreams I hope!
Cheese!
It's fun that G-ma and B share a birthday. They are both very special people! G-ma is an amazing woman of God. She's not a gossip, she serves the Lord with her talents, she is faithful, even-tempered, a great cook, and so much fun. We love her so much! My girls cry about every two weeks because they want to go see G-ma.
Cousin T enjoying the cupcakes.
Yummy!
These girls do everything together when they are around each other.
He is just too cute!
My uncle Scott always used to get us the CRAZIEST gifts for Christmas and such, that is before he married Connie....thanks Connie, yall give great gifts now! Really, you just never knew what he would show up with. One Christmas he showed up with t-shirts that had a picture of himself. He had one shirt for all of us cousins. We loved the wacky gift! Well, my parents found one of our shirts and wrapped it up for B for his birthday. We all laughed and he just didn't know what to think of it all!
Cousin A has the best facial expressions. He helped G-ma and B blow out the candles.
Blowing out the candles.
Singing happy birthday.
They were playing their instruments for their "band".
Best Cousins!
Cousin Macy taking pictures.
Cousin H is so sweet!
A loves to color!
B loves to sing.
Looking at pictures
Cousin A and the girls loved playing with the dolls and little kitchen.
This is so cute, all of the boys drinking their drinks.
M looks thrilled I know.
Macy made the yummy cupcakes.
B and aunt Deborah getting ready to eat.
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