Speaking of,
Seth is great. On April 29th, he was ordained at FBC Bicknell, surrounded by our family, friends, and church family. It was a really anointed service and the kind words that Seth's pastor friends used in describing him were beautiful and true. He is taking two weeks off from FBC for a little R&R, which is the most he has taken off since we got married. Other than nursing me back to health, he has been spotted at Holiday World with a lovely lady pre-tonsil wars (grin), Outback, and Biaggi's. He bought the aforementioned lady a lovely new dress at Target and then took her to a movie while the kiddos were at a foster friend's house for two days. I think he had fun!! Hopefully the rest of his vacation involves a lot of Star Trek (did I even just write that? Shudder. Only for him!) and a lot of rest and spending time with the Lord.
Tabbitha turned 5 on April 22 and had what felt like 12 parties. Really, it was only like three but it felt closer to a dozen! One of note was her choosing to go to the Int'l House of Pancakes with her Papaw Keevy, another was the party at the Pizza Shack in northern Indiana on the day her grandparents renewed their vows (I wrote about that on the blog) she got her treasured DS. She had been requesting one for approximately 17 years in preschooler time, so the sheer joy on her face is not something I will quickly forget. Also, I am grateful to the DS for the joy that comes from not hearing a peep from the backseat of the van on the round trip to Vincennes.
She is starting Kindergarten in the fall and we have seen great strides in behavior, writing her name and letters, and helping around the house. She loves to hoard money for Sunday School and he drives a hard bargain, but she's just thinking of their sponsored child, I'm sure of it. We have come a long way with this little beauty.
Heather turned 4 in February and she is loving summer along with her fancy bathing hat. She loves to swim and doggy-paddles quite well for a girl with her coordination: she has been in the ER three times for different accidents and maladies, once for shoving a popcorn kernel up her nose so far that Quick Care couldn't dig it out (PAPOOSED-what a thrill), once for hitting her head on the gravel at preschool while simply exiting the carpool van, and the pediatrician inquired about this so just in case you need to know like he did, let me assure you that it was NOT moving, for the love. She needed some stitches and a bag of gummi bears attached to a balloon to flaunt at her sister and brother and she was healed!
She is in love with her Betta fish she won on the last day of FBC's kids' ministry before summer let out. She wanted to name him Heather but we vetoed because of the high level of narcissism, so his name is Leonard. Heather frequently misses him when we go out of town to eat and needs to "hug the bowl, mommy." We are rejoicing that Leonard has lived this long. H is our snuggliest baby and loves to give hugs and kisses. She truly has a beautiful heart and her prayers touch heaven deeply. She is also planning on changing her name to "Hello Kitty Alexander" when the adoption is finally complete. She is no bandwagon Hello Kitty fan, that much is clear.
Guess who has been using the big-guy potty? Ty, our charming two-year-old and resident kamikaze, has been in Pull-Ups for a few days and may I just say it is looking mighty PROMISING, people.
That is, until we see the water bill.
He always did flush a mean toilet, even as a one-year-old. Several times, to be exact. But he's asking to use the potty and we are taking it as a sign that it's time to drop those Cheerios in the bowl and live the Potty Chair Dream. In other breaking Ty-Ty news, he is loving Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam. Both of them make me feel as though I may need a nerve pill, but at least the poor boy is taking some ownership over the Wii since for as long as he has been living here, he has been forced to watch the likes of Little Ponies and Barbies and GiGi, God's Little Princess. Right now his frustrating fascination with biting has reached a high point, for which I blame myself. The "I'm gonna bite your toesies" game came back to bite me. Pun intended. So now we are finding ways to curb the biting (his most-beloved victim is poor H, who already doesn't need any help staying out of the Doctor's office. Figures.)
Anyway, he is talking up a storm and is frequently misunderstood by his mother when he declares he needs to see Leonard the Betta Fish. Fools me every time. He is so cute and his little dimples melt me every time. The other day while I was in my room resting from the Great Strep Throat Incident of 2012, he was overheard saying, "I love Mommy!" Everyone who meets him is smitten, especially his grandfolks. The kid delights the masses.
As for me, I stay busy making sure no one has put a quarter in someone else's mouth, bucking the system by giving kids Ice Cream and Popsicles in the car, finding used used Pull-Ups in all manner of places, and trying to keep from making the same thing for dinner every night. It's a glamorous life, but somebody has to do it. In January I closed the family business and went home full-time. It is simultaneously more challenging and rewarding than my simple words will explain. It's the hardest job I've had, yet the benefits are far more incredible...like seeing my children blossom and bond and play together, enjoying games of Pretty Pretty Princess, and reading 10 books a day! What a job! What a life! The hard days, the ones where I feel like pulling my hair out because the most serious conversation I have involves what is on a Care Bear's belly, they require me to rest in God's plan and His grace. This will be a short season of my life, a brief moment with these three babies to enjoy them and get dirty and blow bubbles and watch The Backyardigans and make memories I will remember when they grow up and move away.
Many of you have also wondered about our family's adoption process. We are considered a pre-adoptive family. Right now we are in a holding pattern because there is an appeal pending with the Indiana Court of Appeals. This has put our adoption at a standstill. We are praying for the appellate court to make the best decision quickly for the interest of the three most beautiful, smart, and sweet children we know. Once a ruling is made, we will either go back to square one or have one more hurdle cleared for The A*Team's Gotcha Day!
Our family covets your prayers for a speedy resolution to our case, grace to prepare the kids for what comes next, favor with the appellate court, and no further appeals. Your faithful intercession to God has already led to a speedy process so far and we know that God is going to continue to keep his wings over His little ones! Thanks for reading, praying, and caring about our family.
Thanks for reading and sharing our family's story. If this journey can give even one foster child a beautiful family, it's worth documenting every joy and struggle...He always wins the victory for those who cannot fight themselves!
How can we pray for you?
Grateful,
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