Stability & 4 year olds

Me: "Little A (Anthony's younger brother) lives with Ms. __ now. I talked with her last night."

Anthony: "Why does he live in so many places? I think it would make him feel sad." 

Me: "Yeah, I would think he'd like to stay in one place too, but guess what? Little A knows about Jesus now because Ms. __ takes him to church."

Anthony: "Does he love Jesus?"

Me: "Yes, he does."

Anthony (with a huge smile): "Yeah!!!" 

--------------

I long for his little brother to have stability. He has lived with so many different people in so many different places. He is only four years old. He seems to be in a good place now, though. We are excited to spend time with him this summer. 

Speaking of four year olds, Lee got a call today about welcoming a four year old little boy into our foster family. They only called because he has very little or no language at all and I am a speech pathologist. I suppose it is a good thing Lee gets the calls because I would have said 'yes' without hesitation. We are praying that this little guy is placed with a family who can be strong advocates for him. 

LOVE

Remembering

I remember a few years ago when I was at my wits end about Anthony constantly breaking toys that were special to others and to him.

I remember God revealing to me the importance of teaching him how to FIX what he had broken.

Our sweet boy still has times when he is more likely to break special items, but this picture is proof that our God has created a young man who is a BUILDER.

Anthony loves to build and create. You should see some of the things he comes up with. Construction paper, balloons, tape, glue....these are all staples in his creations! Anyway, they typically don't last long because he doesn't handle them with care.

This project however...wood glue, hammer and nails...you should have seen how proud he was with how sturdy the end product was!

Praising God for Anthony's creativity and determination.

Grandma & Grandpa

Thankful for such dedicated grandparents who have travelled down from NY for Grandparents' Day at school three years in a row! 

Mother's Day - The First Time

This year on Mother's Day, for the first time ever, we were all together: Mommy N, Mommy A, Lee, me, and the boys.

There were a few unexpected changes, but it was still incredibly special for all of us.

God is so good:).

The Little Things

Yesterday afternoon I took my boys to the shoe store. I needed to find black shoes for David's part in the spring play at school.

We ended up finding some black sandals that would work for the play and could be worn all summer:).   I asked Anthony if he wanted to pick out a pair of sandals as well and oh boy was he excited!

Both boys carried their shoes to the register and the woman in front of us was giggling because of how enthusiastic they were about their new shoes. I let them change into their sandals after we purchased them and Anthony almost stopped a stranger to show him his new shoes.

We then ventured into the grocery store to pick up a few things and I told the boys that they could each pick out their very own apple. They could hardly contain their excitement! They were literally skipping to the cash register and then rushed to the drinking fountain to wash them off.

As we headed out, both boys devouring their healthy treat, Anthony beamed as he announced:

"This is the best end of the day ever!"

I smiled....so thankful that my boys find such joy in the little things!

I Know You

"I have a hard time remembering people, but I know you."

Says our mail carrier to me this morning as she hands me a package.

"Wow, that's impressive." I respond.

"Yeah, you are the one with the handsome husband and good looking boys."

HAHAHAHA!

Hoping

I am hoping beyond hope that our Mother's Day will be spent with all THREE of us moms. I'm not sure my youngest can handle a big disappointment right now.

A Glimpse

The other night I heard some music coming from our bedroom and caught this cute video of my boys. 

Just thought you'd like a little glimpse of their guitar lesson with Lee! 

Who Wants to Pray?

Their framed pictures were carefully placed on a table outside of the worship center at church. 

Their prayer cards were set in front. The sweet women in the church office had kindly printed and cut them out. 

Flyers were placed on either side and sign up sheets waited to be filled. 

The responses of others always intrigue me. 

I found myself repeating that this event is not intended just for people who want to adopt or become foster parents. It is meant for anyone who has a heart to PRAY. These children need our prayers. 

Then, there was this little boy....

Everyone was in service and I had decided to stay by the table and attend during the second service. This little boy came up near the table, but his dad caught him and was talking with him. 

The little boy wasn't really paying attention to his dad, though, he was staring at the pictures on the table. Staring intently. 

So I quietly approached, knelt down, and asked, "Would you like to pick one of these children to pray for?"

"Yes!" He jumped out of his dad's lap and went straight to five year old Majayden's picture. He wanted to pray for this boy. I handed him a prayer card and explained that Majayden needed a mommy and a daddy. They walked away, holding the prayer card. 

I couldn't stop smiling. What a sweet heart this little boy has! 

Later on, when I was away from the table, I observed this same little boy trying to hand a prayer card to another older child. Ah hah! That is how we need to do it! So when my outgoing six year old with a similar gentle and passionate heart came to me after Sunday School, I asked him..."Anthony, would you like to pass out some of these prayer cards to the people coming out of church?"

Anthony picked up the prayer cards for the boy he has been praying for - Jason. I watched as he bravely entered the crowd of people and approached some adults. He handed them a card and explained why Jason needed prayers. I can't tell you how proud I was to see God use Anthony and his outgoing personality to advocate for other children. 

Would you like to join us in praying for these children? We covet your prayers because we know that we have a God who answers. It is incredible to see how many already have potential forever families! 

Here are the prayer cards for Majayden and Jason: