bowling event and fundraiser...

i'm straying from the true purpose of this blog (which, fyi, is to post letters to my children), but it's for a great cause!  if you want to learn more about the bowling event and how you can participate, click here:

Strikes to Save the Orphan - 2012

we are hoping to raise money to contribute to the care of over 100 more children that The Raining Season will be taking in at the new center.  that means TRS will be providing care for over 200 orphaned children, and you can help feed them, clothe them, and love them by forming a team or becoming a sponsor.

we are so thankful for your consideration!

meanwhile, back at the ranch...

dear munchkins,

your dad called you that today and i liked it.  my dad used to call us that, too!

we've been busy preparing our minds, hearts, and home for you guys.  we have no idea when we'll get to use all these new skills and knowledge, but hopefully some time the first half of next year!  we're nearing completion of our homestudy, so that's wonderful.  we've decided to stay in our current house and live on top of each other in the name of love and transitioning.  dad and i thought it might actually be a good thing to squeeze all six of us into our house so there's nowhere to escape!

speaking of houses, we understand you are at the new compound and in your new apartment units!  so exciting!  kadey, uncle andrew says you are doing so well.  he has so kindly been asking about you each week and inquiring about your health and behavior, and he has nothing but good things to say!  even mollynette says your hair is growing and you're being a kind girl.  makes me so proud!

we've also been busy organizing some events to raise money for The Covering.  we are so incredibly blessed to have friends and family who are dedicated to bringing awareness to kids in Sierra Leone and The Raining Season's work there.  in October we are having a songwriter event to benefit TRS, and in November we're having a bowling tournament!  it makes me so happy to think that you all may be here in time to participate next year!

i am just constantly overwhelmed with the amount of love and support we get from people when they find out about you guys.  it's a really odd feeling because dad and i know we had very little to do with this.  we feel we are simply God's hands and feet, and we are answering the call!  you and your friends have inspired a lot of people to contribute in so many ways - sponsorships, forever families, donations, fundraising, and so many others.

this whole journey just continues to prove to me that there is good and beauty in this world.  you four are a HUGE part of that beauty!  i love you.  i miss you.  we won't be able to Skype this week because we're going to go talk to a counselor about adoption.  we are doing everything we can to prepare for the easy and the hard when you guys get here.

love you like crazy and miss you bad.

mom

it's a brand new day (part two)...

Click here to see the start of our journey...

it's a brand new day...

dear kadey and boys,

i've been listening to a song over and over again lately.  the words say, "come rise up, come give love, what are you waiting for, it's a brand new day."  it's about dusting off the old and making it new.  seizing the day and forgetting the past.  give love today.  what are you waiting for?

i think the day i found out about you was my brand new day.  the old me is gone, and the new me sees this world with completely new eyes and feels things with a completely new heart.  i see things relative to you.  when something disappointing happens to me, i think about the disappointment you've dealt with.  when i'm envious of something someone else has, i think of the few things you have.  when i get angry at someone's actions, i think of the awful things that have been done to you.  when i don't like the meal i'm eating, i think of how many meals you've missed.  when i'm uncomfortable and tired, i think of the bed you sleep in now and the bed you didn't have for the first several years of your lives.  when i'm running for exercise and complaining about my hurting muscles, i think of how many times you had to run from danger to find safety...and how many times you might not have found that safety.

when i'm frustrated with my family, i think about how you lost your families - to death, to poverty, to hard life.

i am always reminded of all the life you've lived in such a short amount of time, and what a blessed life i've lived.  i can't wait for the day dad and i can make it up to you.  i can't wait for the day that you live in our house, you eat at our table, you sit in our laps and lay in our arms.  i can't wait for the day you feel our love for you and you know you are safe and cared for the rest of your lives.

today i miss you so much.  i know you are happy, healthy, safe, and loved by God and your caregivers, but i wish you were here so i could give you those things.

love,
mom