"What we've been up to lately...."

We've been up to plenty the past few weeks...., besides watching our "baby" grow up before our very eyes. I am feeling 100% again which is a huge blessing. Not being able to pick up my boy was very difficult for me. We are in the thick of our foster parenting training! We have completed 6 of the 10 required classes and have had our 1st home study. I finished my CPR course and Jay will attend his this upcoming week. We have answered 1,000 questions, gone through many "role playing" exercises, and cried plenty of tears as we listen to the stories of kids we will be loving. We have our fingerprinting still to go and a few more home study's. It really feels somewhat surreal that we are going through this. The process is so much faster than I thought it would be. The reality is beginning to sink in that we could realistically get a call from DHR in 4 weeks and have a child in our home. We talked alittle bit tonight with Elijah Brooks about it, in ways we thought he could understand. His first question was, "what their name is"? We got a small glimpse into how he might handle this whole transition just a few nights ago - as a sweet little 2 year old girl came to play with him for an hour or so. She was alittle bit different from him, but still the same in so many ways. He seemed to just "know" intuitively that she needed to be loved on. Jay and I were humbled as we watched our son love her in the unique way that a 2 year old can - free from labels or judgements. We are praying now for the child who will be placed in our home, under our care. If you read this, please say a prayer for the child who is waiting for us. This child most likely doesn't even know that DHR could come knocking on his/her door, and take him/her to a new home in just a matter of weeks. Pray too for my heart, as I am still trying to grasp all of this. God is truly calling us to follow him with reckless abandonment.

In addition to all of our training and preparation, we have just been enjoying life together. I had a birthday last week and had a wonderful day - Jay painted our bedroom for my birthday and I was able to find a new comforter for 50% off. I was able to have some special alone time with EB, lunch alone with Jay, the afternoon completely alone to shop, and then dinner with my parents. I felt like I had the best of so many things - having some "me time" and then time with the people whom I love most. Every day, EB and I take slow walks around the neighborhood while he rides his John Deere tractor, stopping to play in the mud and throw rocks into the ditch. Now that the weather has turned alittle warmer, we are outside most of the day, except to come in for a nap. EB is happiest of all when he is outside - it doesn't take much to entertain him outside. He is all boy and absolutely thrives when he is outside. We have enjoyed many trips to the parks and the zoo, have played with lots of friends and cousins, have had picnics outside every day (and sometimes with Daddy too), have been to the farm many times to visit my grandparents and let EB ride the mower and power wagon with his great-grandfather, have laid in the grass watching the clouds move, have learned letters and numbers while playing outside - rather than sitting down and doing something "formal", crossed many more milestones like learning how to ride a big boy bike, taken LOTS of baths washing off mud and dirt, and have laughed more than should be allowed!

For all of the craziness of life, LIFE IS GOOD.




Is my 2 year old really doing this by himself - and riding uphill? When did he get so big?







Digging in the dirt


He mastered the big slide!


"Have a little help from a friend"- or Daddy in this case


Driving a golf cart through the church parking lot - alittle strange, but he LOVES it.




"Riding" a motorcycle with Mommy






"Cheese"! (with Sesame Street undies on his head)!