After being home since early March, they headed back to in-person classes at school! I can’t believe we have two high schoolers now!!!
All three older kids are going to the private Christian school that Kathrynne went to the last few years. We always re-evaluate what school choice is best for each child each year and this school year and switching them all to the same school was a decision that was especially prayed over and talked through for a few months.
Back at the beginning of the year, we made the final decision to move Kaitlynn and Silas and began the process of applying in hopes they would be accepted. Little did we dream what 2020 was going to hold! God has certainly confirmed that He was leading and directing us over and over again as the months unfolded!
Their small school has come up with a really creative plan to exercise careful precaution but to also allow kids to still meet in-person and have the community and camaraderie that comes with that.
They usually kick off school with a 4-day overnight camp, but since that wasn’t an option for safety reasons, they went back to the drawing board and came up with two-day Day Camps — one for the middle schoolers and one for the high schoolers. They had a blast at these camps and it was such a great way to kick off the year!
Kierstyn is 4 months old now and has become even happier and more talkative the past few weeks! She just wants to sit and talk to us much of the time when she’s awake. It’s the sweetest. She’s also started rolling over and is getting a lot stronger with pushing up during tummy time.
My mom and brother came for a quick visit on their way to drop my brother off at Bob Jones University. We loved getting to have them here!
Champ has been getting so strong and mobile! Not only is he rolling over to get places, he also has started scooting a little, too!
He got his helmet to help fix his misshapen skull and has adjusted well to it. He’s supposed to have it for 3 months, but we’ll see.
He also is supposed to be getting hearing aids soon — which we are excited about since he has pretty significant hearing loss and this should make a big difference for him. He also passed his swallow study and is slowly starting solid foods to help him continue to gain weight.
As of last week, he has been with us for 5 months. He’s the sweetest boy and it has been one of the greatest honors to love him as our own on behalf of his mama.
“How will you ever be able to deal with the emotions of giving him back to his mama?”
This question comes a lot — and I get it. One of the most brutal parts of fostering is knowing that our job is to attach hard and love them as our own — only to eventually (very likely) let them go.
When we first brought Champ home from the NICU, I cried a lot of tears over this. I dreaded the day we’d have to say goodbye. And I let worrying about the future steal the joy of here and now.
One of the greatest lessons I’m learning as a foster mom is to let go — of my need to micromanage, my desire to have a plan, and of my feelings of control. And I’m realizing how I’ve lived with a false sense of control in so many areas of my life.
I don’t know what tomorrow or next week or next month or next year will bring. Not just when it comes to fostering, but in every area of my life, actually.
But I have today. So I want to live today to its fullest. Savoring, loving, living, giving. Taking pictures. Making memories. Speaking words of life. Noticing the beauty. Soaking in the gifts around me. Cherishing the moments.
I don’t want to miss the wonder and goodness because I’m living in fear of the future. I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but that doesn’t have to keep me from soaking up and savoring today.
I shared this on Instagram this week:
During the first five years of our marriage, there were many months when we didn’t know how we were going to pay our rent. The income we had coming in from our multiple part-time jobs was never really enough on paper to cover all of our basic expenses.
We had committed not to tell anyone about our needs, but to trust God to provide. But there were many times when it felt scary and overwhelming.
During that time, I decided instead of giving into fear, I would choose to lean into faith. I would take God at His word, and claim His promises that He would be faithful to provide.
I wrote out Scripture and posted it at the kitchen sink so while I was doing dishes, I could mediate on the promises of God instead of feeling swallowed up by worry about how we were going to pay our bills. And I spent a lot of time on my knees, praying back the promises of God to Him. (“Lord, You have said You would be faithful to provide. We don’t know how we are going to pay our rent next week, but I trust You that You will provide.”)
I’m here to tell you that God is faithful! I can recount story after story of God’s goodness during that time — an anonymous check that came in the mail, side jobs we were offered, amazing deals at the grocery store, learning how to play the “Drugstore Game” at CVS… again and again, we saw God provide and answer prayer, often in the most unexpected ways.
To this day, whenever I feel overwhelmed by a situation in life, I usually go back to those lean years and remember God’s faithfulness. I can say wholeheartedly, my God has been, is, and always will be faithful. And I rest in His goodness, His provision, and His timing — even on the dark and difficult days.
