Kelly Archives - Page 4 of 12

Day 2: Need coffee

5.19.12

Who’s crazy idea was it to take 4 kids to the Dogwood Festival without their father?

Oh, wait, that was me.

They went hog wild.

And, I was starting to go a wee bit crazy with a 3 year old running (no walking, only running) from ride to ride and three older kids each with their own plan of attack to get on those rides–different rides.

But, oh, the night looked different when reinforcements showed up and saved me from having to ride the dragon mini roller coaster again and having to force the children to actually stay together. Abbey and Ben are saints to me for sitting on a burlap sack and heading down the fun slide too many times to keep track of as well as going on a ton of dizzying deathtraps and walking Lydia through the Monkey Maze, the funhouse maze of mirrors, that has been my nemesis for years.

Clearly, I’m not the only one thinking the reinforcements are saints. As we parted ways at 9:45pm (whose crazy idea was this again?), Lydia yelled out the door, “Ben, I LOVE YOU!”

All fun and games until this morning when the choice to stay out that late was not looking as good.

I lived life on the edge and actually drank my cup of coffee 2/3 decaf and 1/3 regular. Don’t judge me. I needed it after all that stress the night before.

Once the older kids were off to school with dark circles under their eyes, Lydia and I got a dose of social caffeine via a little play date with some other adoptive moms and their kids.

And, social caffeine is way better than the liquid kind.

Right now, as I type, Mark is going on an official tour of the university where he’s teaching. At least, that’s what the itinerary says. With no wireless where he is and a very busy schedule, I’m not expecting to hear much if at all from him.

Praying his tour and his first experience on campus is caffeine enough for him.

Day 1: Game on

5.17.12

6 hours ago, Mark walked out the door with his backpack and his 49 1/2 lb. suitcase and set out for China.

And, I didn’t cry.

That’s a good thing.

I’m actually feeling quite confident right now, I must say, since I managed to go back to sleep for a bit then get up at 6:15 and get everybody ready for school and there on time.

But, it’s Day 1. And, I’ve got 12.

So, there could be some crying yet and some I-can’t-do-this-anymore talk comin’.

Gotta remember that I’m on the missions field here too–doesn’t always feel like that, but I am. And, I’m a part of what’s going on across the world too (and not just because of the fundraising and supply shopping and making gifts to take and all that). I’m sending him. With my blessing. And with a whole lot of excitement because I know great things are going to be happening over the next couple weeks. And, I’m so glad he gets to be a part of that.

And, at least we have this in our front yard for a few more days to take our minds off of missing him.

This might help me take my mind off things after the kids are in bed tonight.

If you want to be a part of lifting this team up, contact me and I’ll gladly send you a calendar to help you do that.

20 Defining Moments in My Motherhood

5.14.12

1. My reaction when a doctor told me on the phone it would be “nearly impossible” for us to conceive.

2. Each of the 4 times we heard for the first time that our babies were no longer growing and we were going to miscarry.

3. Driving to the hospital in labor with our first.

4. When my mom left our house the week after we had Evan and left me on my own to be a mommy.

5. Taking a pregnancy test and laughing aloud as I held 1-year-old Evan on my hip and learned we were having another.

6. Strategizing with Mark in the hospital after delivering Ashlyn about how we were going to manage 2 little children—that ended with me in tears.

7. Hearing Evan say his name for the first time after months of therapy and wondering if he’d ever speak.

8. A conversation with Mark during lunch out about me wanting another child (as the two we had were squirming and crying and Mark looked at me wide-eyed as if I had lost my mind).

9. Our first conversation about adoption and the dream I had that night about a little Asian girl calling me Mama at my bedside.

10. When the doctor who had just told us we were miscarrying again called us later that day to tell us he might be wrong = Drew, 7 months later.

11. Drew’s tumultuous delivery, seeing his limp body, hearing my husband crying, not knowing if our son was alive or dead and then hearing his cry.

12. Crying with Evan’s kindergarten teacher as we read his evaluation report together when she told me, “There is nothing wrong with him. He doesn’t need to be fixed.”

13. Dancing around the dining room with joy when we knew that Lydia was going to be ours and saying her full name for the first time.

14. My first glimpse of Lydia in real life as she came into that sterile office in the arms of an orphanage nanny and lit up the room.

15. Overhearing Ashlyn speak softly and lovingly to Lydia in the middle of the night to calm her and help her fall back to sleep.

16. Watching Drew day in and day out pursue his little sister and dote on her even when faced with rejection.

17. Shopping alone with Lydia when I realized I was attached.

18. Ashlyn praying at night, thanking God that she could learn more about Him.

19. Peeking in Evan’s room to find him devouring Harry Potter books, one at a time, the boy who said he never wanted to learn to read and yelled, “I hate learning!” a few years earlier.

20. Celebrating Mother’s Day with an uneventful breakfast out as a family followed by pictures with all 4 children smiling at the same time.

Happy Mother’s Day to me.

Created for Care: What it was and what it wasn’t

3.27.12

I hauled myself and no less than 100 lbs. of loot down to Atlanta this weekend (the bags, board, and myself did arrive in tact). I was all energized to be with friends–some I’ve never even met before (I’m a blogger and I still recognize how odd that sounds)–and share about The Sparrow Fund. I confess I expected a girly fest with good food and a pep rally of sorts for orphan care and adoption.

With about 440 women there and about 1,110 children who are no longer orphans represented (amen and amen), that was just sorta what I imagined. I guess I sort of expected adoption to be glorified a bit.

I was wrong.

Someone else was glorified.

The sound of over 400 mother’s voices joining together in praise is some serious worship and perhaps a small glimpse of heaven.

And, we got schooled in responding to the call and then following the One who calls not the call itself.

Hmm…not exactly the adoption pep rally message I was expecting.

And, I realized the weekend wasn’t as much about adoption as it was about the One who adopted us and who called these 440 families represented to adopt to begin with.

I’m still processing a lot of things discussed this weekend–what it means to dwell in His love for me, how I represent Him in my home, how to parent children from hard places, the joys and challenges of parenting a child of a different race, parenting in grace and by grace, and what adoption is and is not and how to walk my children–adopted and biological–through that.

I admit that my throat is still a bit sore today from talking and late nights. But, it’s worth it.

Fine, cat’s out of the blog bag. I’m short even on tip toes.

Either that or Stefanie and Colleen are giants. It’s the latter, really. Such likable women (off their blogs as well as on) even if they are hugely tall.

With dear friends Ashley and Nicole (master photographer who I appointed official photographer since my very nice camera didn’t make the packing cut to make more room for beads and other goodies)