Stinky week

This hasn't been the best week.  I'm glad it is Friday.  Dillon has had some poor behavior and had a note from school.  This is troubling because he is usually so sweet.  My mom reminded me that in 3 months, he's had a lot of life changes:  new baby brother and changes to his IEP at school that really threw him for a loop.  Wednesday I got pulled over and received a ticket for wearing my shoulder strap under my arm, not over my arm!!  I found out today it will cost me 142.00!  UNBELIEVABLE.  The comic relief in that traffic stop was that little to my knowledge, Dillon was sitting in the back of the minivan holding Carter's black paintball gun that was headed to the repair shop!  Whew, thank God the trooper didn't see it ;)
Carter is,well, a 13 yr old boy.  He's a good, kind, sensitive boy--but, there's just nothing like a 13yr old boy to make momma nuts, enough said!
Then, this morning I was canceled again at work.  That is 48hours lost since November 2.  Of course, it is Christmas time when you have to buy all kinds of crap, because that is what Americans do at Christmas--hooray, Jesus was born, now let's go spend money on junk our kids don't  need or even really want! We are trying to use this lean time to learn to live on less.  If we do move overseas someday to work with orphans, we will certainly need to live on a lot less.
I usually start every morning off in my closet with my daily Bible reading passage and my prayer notebook to write down my thoughts to my Lord.  Today I didn't get to it until just now.  Cool cause my passage for the day was John 16.  Awesome gift my Heavenly Father gave me:  John 16:33 tells us that in this world we will have trouble, but He has overcome the world!  So, thank you Jesus that we are victorious with you.  The troubles of this world are fleeting. 

I'm also sooooooo thankful that we did the diaper give away yesterday.  When I am tempted to feel sorry for myself, I think about that precious teen mom who grinned when I gave her the pack of free diapers and she said "We no have pamper!"  See, reaching out keeps our focus off ourselves, and, the diaper give away idea is multiplying.  A dear woman in the little town my in-laws are from is heading up one there.
Heck, I can't complain about anything!  My kids are healthy, I have a sweet godly husband, a warm home with blankets and food, clean water, health insurance, fun and kind friends, and too much to even list!

Great Diaper Giveaway Part 1

So, in 27 degree weather, Susie, Hudson, Melody, and baby J, and I  all showed up to the WIC office in a minority locale.  It was in a strip shopping center next to a Hispanic grocery store.  We sat there for a few minutes trying to figure out exaclty what to do.  Total diaper packs between the 3 of us was 21(25ish in each pack). From 9:40 to 11am we gave them all out. It wasn't as busy as I was thinking. We parked in the parking lot and stayed in the car(it was COLD) and watched for people coming out of the office with babies. I also gave away a small sack of brand new 2t boys clothes that we didn't need to a lady with a toddler boy. We felt odd, like stalkers, sitting in the car watching people coming and going. When we'd see a lady with a baby, one of us would grab a pack and walk up to her asking if she could use some free diapers. It was kind of like "lady with baby at 2 o'clock!!" Most everyone was geniunely surprised and happy. One precious young lady told me about her friend who just found out she is pregnant and due next month. She was saving her baby items to send to Mexico but decided her friend needs them more. I gave her 2 packs and she was so happy. If I'd had a complete nursery in my car, I'd have loved to give it to her.   Many had a look on their face like "So, what's the catch?"  We had a fun time and Hudson and my soon to be little neice had a blast playing in the car pushing buttons.
I don't know that we did anything heavenly, but it was a fun act of random niceness!
 
Next week we have more people, TONS of diapers thanks to Gateway Church, and we are moving to a new location.  FUN.  So, here is your challenge:  dream up a simple, inexpensive way to bless people who aren't expecting it.  Talk about Christmas! :)

Battles not worth fighting

This is how Dillon prepared for the first heavy frost of the season:  t-shirt, tighty whiteys, flip-flops!  I told him get clothes and shoes on so he could see the "snow"(hey, it's Texas, give us a break!) and this is how he appeared.  Hmm, worth arguing over--NAH!  Life with a kid who gives no thought to social norms is very interesting.  I think God gave us Dillon because I'm a know-it-all.  Yep, I admit it, I struggle with that, and pride!  So, now I parent a child who doesn't really fit any of the parenting type books, not even the special needs ones.  We learn as we go.  It is sure fun though.  Last night was another post placement visit with our social worker to check on how Hudson is doing.  Good thing we've known her for 7 years.  Dillon was wearing a Mr. Incredibles halloween costume, Carter had Christian rock music thumping so loud the house was shaking and was shirtless, and Abby had 3 neighborhood friends over.  She showed up to our mad-house ;) 

Mom and Dad came to pick up Dillon to treat him to pizza for his birthday.  Yes he did, he wore the Mr. Incredibles costume to the restaurant!  Fortunately, my 5yr old neice came with them and she'd "dressed up" for the occasion.  She was wearing black tights, denim skirt, pink cowgirl boots, red velvet shirt, orange sweater and a black and white fleece scarf--the little diva!!

Bottles and Bonding, Serving and a Challenge from my heart...

The best advice we ever got regarding adopting a toddler:  bottle feed at bedtime.  Do not let the child hold the bottle, do not listen to the dentist about stopping the bottle, do not feel stupid about this ritual.  I really think this one simple act has fostered more attachment than anything else.  He looks at me with black almond shaped eyes and I say his Korean name over and over.  Sweet!!!

Here is Abby putting together packs of diapers for the Great Diaper Giveaway on Thursday!  I'm so pumped.  My friend, Susie, my sister Melody and my Mother, and I are meeting in front of the WIC office in a dowtown, lower socioeconomic neighborhood to hand out free diaper packs.  I'm practicing my spanish, since that is mainly the ethnic group this place represents:  Panales Gratis, Jesu Cristo te ama! (Free diapers, Jesus loves you).  I'll let you know how it goes.

And, a word on a different subject.  I seem to offend fairly easily when it comes to my passion:  orphans and adoption.  No, everyone isn't called to adopt or be a foster parent.  BUT, I stand adamant that the Bible commands Christians to care for these children.  Yes, every single stinkin Christian is commanded to CARE(once again, I didn't say adopt)  for the fatherless.  If you don't believe me, do a Bible study on caring for fatherless, and orphans.  If we all went without fast food, sodas, and treats for a year, how much money could we give to orphaned children in Uganda dying of AIDS?  I follow a blog of a young American woman in Uganda who cares for these children.  One of the boys is 7yrs old, dying of AIDS and weighs 15 pounds.  Yep, 15 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Write me to tell me if you find otherwise.  Need direction in knowing how to help? 

Check out Love Without Boundaries, your local Dept. of Human Services foster program, orphanCare International, Amazima Ministries, Shaohannah's Hope, Food for the Poor, that should give you a good start.

Why it really does matter

Bruce Wilkinson, author of The Prayer of Jabez has a lesser known book called The Dream Giver.  In that book he talks about moving his family to South Africa.  They witness a homeless, orphaned boy dead on a street corner.  Nobody knew who the boy was, nobody claimed him.  In light of that profound experience, he writes..
"Yet it certainly cannot be God's will that any child die alone and abandoned.  Surely God placed a particular set of interests and abilities in one person, somewhere in this world, and put that person in a time and place where Great Things could happen-should have happened- for that boy.  Will you take up the challenge that so many have avoided?"

Photo taken from a waiting child photolisting-this child waits for a family of his own.

It isn't always hearts and flowers

Being a parent is tough!  Really tough.  My neighbor said something today that made me want to post about this.  Mike and I don't have it all figured out.  We struggle.  We get irritable.  I was super impatient with Hudson yesterday.  He is cycling through some attachment stuff this week and it gets really really old.  He cries constantly and follows me around saying "Up."  When he awoke from his nap yesterday, he had a panic attack and hyperventilated.  I was right there!  It isn't like the child sits in daycare 12 hours a day, he goes to a sitter once or twice a week.  The rest of the time, I'm constantly with him.  He has vomited in at least 5 public places because he gets very easily overstimulated and upset.  I don't talk about these kinds of things because most people have the attitude of "Well, you asked to adopt an almost 2 yr old!"  Being an adoptive parent is like being on display all the time.  I feel like I'm continually proving to people that I'm an okay parent.  Then, when things aren't going well, the feelings of inadequacy instensify.  Our nearly 14yr old son is struggling with some stuff.  He isn't perfect! GASP!  We fail as parents sometime.  Anybody watch that new TV show "The Middle"??  It is hilarious!  I swear, we relate so well to them.  Dillon turns 7 the 14th.  Do you understand how incredibly frustrating, heart-breaking, disappointing it is to have prayed for 5 years that God would heal him of his speech/language disorder?  He tried to tell a story about something at school the other day and we had no idea what he was saying.  How terrifying is it that we don't understand what he tells us?  What if something awful happens to him and he can't explain it?  Then, there is the momma guilt of our quite, low-maintenance daughter getting overlooked.  She rarely needs help with homework, she isn't needy and lets face it, the squeeky wheel gets the grease!  Does she feel unloved?  She mentioned the other day that she is tired of kids in her class asking her if she can see when she smiles because her eyes disappear into little crescent moon slits.  Is she struggling with some adoption/racial angst?  AHHH, it all makes me want to run away for a day and sit on the beach in Mexico with a cool pink drink!  So there, you can see that we have struggles like everyone else.  God keep me humble!  This is one reason living outward focused and serving others is sooooooo important--it gets your mind off yourself!!  And, there is ALWAYS someone struggling more.

A Surprise Treat

We woke up this morning to a surprise treat--SNOW!  It is the soft flaky kind that wont stick(a big woe for the school kids--especially since daddy is the principal and makes the call about canceling for weather!!).  We ran around the house waking up the children to come see.  I don't think Hudson was too impressed ;)