Go Big or Go Home
Go Big or Go Home
I was made for this.
By nature, I am an organizer...a planner...a drill sergeant. Jared was made for this too only with a completely opposite skill set. He is exciting, spontaneous, and silly.Things are going well with Troop B. The kids love their new school and church. The honeymoon is over and the boundary testing is in full mode.
Bring it on.
We've had to get a bigger table (handcrafted by Jared), several beds and lots of extra bedding, and a larger vehicle who the kids have named "Mario". We're potty training, working on bed wetting, and doing our best to survive the terrible 2s and 3s. In so many ways it is exactly as hard as we thought it would be and yet, there have been many surprises.
Here is what I've learned:
Caffeine is not a luxury, it's a necessity and not something to be limited
Quiet time in the morning to pray for wisdom and read the Bible is also a necessity. I'm not a very nice mom if I miss that!
Focus on the good behavior.
Sometimes, Mom needs to go on strike. That's okay.
Discipline is more effective when it is logical and consistent.
Two words: Google Photos. Unlimited storage people!
Sometimes too many good things is still too much. Each kid has a different way of telling us that it's too much and we've learned how important that lesson is.
Pick your battles. Learn to identify the power struggles and let some of them go (admittedly an especially hard lesson for Jared).
I have so much to learn and even in the short time we've had the kids I have had many epic fails. I let my voice get too loud sometimes and I lose my temper with Jared when I think he's not falling in line like the other soldiers. We've had one black eye, a couple of sunburns, and chigger bites so bad the school thought it was impetigo.
In my heart, my biggest epic fail is that we have yet to make a Wednesday night church service. I love and miss working in the youth department desperately.
We are learning more about the kids' life before they were "brought into care". Thankfully, they have been well taken care of for the past year and a half. #1 and #2 have lots of memories. #1 keeps his memories close but #2 and I have had some really good conversations about her biological mom and her memories with her.
These kids need Jesus, plain and simple.
Please pray for salvation for them!
The adoption process is moving along at warped speed...well, warped speed for the Children's Division. We are so lucky to have a team working so hard to make these kids Blacks as soon as possible.
I am so anxious to share pictures! When that day comes, I promise you will be inundated!
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.” Psalms 115:1 NLT
Much love,
The Blacks
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