Happy Birthday Madi!

 

Madi is 8! It is so hard to believe that the little munchkin of a 4 year old that came to us is now 8 years old. Madi, you have grown so much. You are the smartest in your class. You are one of the strongest people I have ever met. You are brave and creative and you love Jesus. 

Over the last year, you have really taken to wrestling. When you first started, we put you in a speed tournament and you got beat 13-2 by a Russian boy. It was one of your only losses all year. Then, 2 weeks later, you came back and pinned a strong African American boy and then came over to me and said, "I think I can beat the Russian." You THEN went out and beat him in overtime! I was losing my mind. 

Another time this year we went to a tournament in Greensboro. I thought it would be a good idea then tried to talk you out of going once I realised we would have to wake up very early and be there all day. You weren't having it. You wanted to go! You wanted to see if you could win! You beat the first boy and then came over to me and said, "if I beat the next guy, do I get the medal?" I knew at that point the kid didn't stand a chance. You pinned him and won first place. The shirt in this picture was what you picked out after you won. The guy selling them tried to get you to pick a shirt that said, "don't let the ponytail fool you." Instead, you wanted the giant men wrestling on the multicolour shirt. 

Don't be fooled. You still give me a run for my money. I love you so much though, and sometimes I don't show it as well as I want to. You are special. God's hand is on you in a powerful way. I can't wait to see what God does with you. You are seriously such a special girl. I can't believe God chose me to be your mom. 

Happy 8th Birthday Madi. You are loved beyond belief. 

Sincerely, Mom.

Happy Birthday Sam! (14)

 Sam,

You wouldn't believe how much you have grown this year. You are so tall and handsome. This year you have enjoyed another great year at WCA. You made straight A's and are so well loved there. You have grown a lot in swimming this year too. You still have coach Rob and he has continued to be an amazing mentor for you. At school, I think your class was pretty immature because the teachers came to me and told me they thought you fit in better with the 8th graders. So, next year, you are skipping 8th grade. I hope it is the right decision, but I pretty much let you decide if that was what you wanted. You seem very academically motivated. 

You are well liked everywhere you go. You still keep in touch with Alec from elementary school and you seem to have some good swim friends, although you never have them over to the house. You and Mattox still seem to be best friends and while it's great you love each other, sometimes I wonder if you both are content just being home, hanging out with the other. 

You are a funny teenager. You walk around with your phone giggling at memes and oblivious to stuff going on around you. You give intense hugs at all the wrong times. You are slow moving and sometimes that drives me crazy. But you are sooooo lovely. You are capable of deep conversation. You are mature and understand things at a high level. You are able to navigate social situations well. You communicate so much without saying a word. I have really learned a lot from you in this area. You are sarcastic and you like to make fun of all my sayings. Deep down, I think you love them. 

You are so hard on Eli but nicer to Madi. You are my go to person if I need dinner made. You are an anchor in our family, Sam and one of the best humans I know. I am so proud of you and I love you so much. I hope we were able to make your birthday as special as you are. Here's to many more! 

Mom

So Behind.

We just celebrated Sam's 14th Birthday and I am now seeing how far behind I am in my birthday posts. Over the last 2 years, everyone has grown so much. Eli is no longer 8..he is 9 and has switched schools. He finished the years with his brothers in private school because he wasn't thriving in his current Spanish school. That was a hard decision, but it was the right one. Once he switched schools, I saw him confidence grow and he became very engaged in learning. He walked into that school and immediately showed off his leadership skills, earning the leadership award for his class. Over the last year, Eli has also found a huge group of friends in the neighborhood he plays with. Dylan, Cole, Lucas, Collin and Jersey (Dylan's sister). There have been 2 recent additions as well...Brooks and Emery. When Eli isn't on the ball field, playing tons of baseball, he is outside playing with his friends. The last 2 years have been difficult on Eli because of our adoption of Madi. I am proud of the growth I have seen in him and look forward to seeing him grow into a man of good character.

Madi is now 7. She is rocking it out in school. She is a leader in her class and everyone loves her. This year, she played basketball and gymnastics. She quit gymnastics in time to start wrestling season, and really enjoyed wrestling. Now, she goes to a club practice 2xs a week and is doing great and improving so much. This winter we found out that Madi had sleep apnea, so she got her tonsils and adenoids out. That surgery was tough but now, she sleeps well with the help of some sleep meds. At school,  her best friends are Laney and Ella but she really gets along well with her classmates. The neighborhood hasn't been as nice to Madi as it has Eli. The girls next door and across the street have turned out to be mean girls and luckily, God has protected Madi from them. She has some other neighbours she plays with often. Jonah, Micah, and Andrew are her daily playmates and we have her many friends from school over often. 

As a family, we went to Florida this past Thanksgiving and that was fun. We didn't go skiing and we aren't going to the beach because we purchased Mattox a car. Things are changing quickly in this house as everyone grows up. It's not shocking that I haven't found time to get on here and write....

Happy 8th Birthday Eli!

 

Eli, 

It's the end of January and I am just now posting your birthday letter. I literally can't believe you are 8. You are the youngest of my biological babies and it's hard for me to watch you grow, knowing your won't stay little forever. For now, you still have the softest skin. You are so sweet. You love to snuggle me and you give me little machine gun kisses on my face. You still always prefer your dad. You and him have always had a great connection. You share common interest when it comes to the Braves, UNC basketball, and collecting baseball cards. I hope y'all continue to be close the rest of your life. It is a very sweet thing y'all have.

This year, you officially became a big brother. The adjustment wasn't easy for you. Madi is a big personality and is insecure. She always tries to push your buttons and tries to make herself feel better than you at things. You struggled at first, but you have absolutely become a loving and amazing big brother. You have exceeded my expectations. I am proud that you have handled this with such love and grace. So proud!

This year you started 2nd grade. Your best friend is Brody. You have also had a friend move into the neighborhood. His name is Dylan. You go to his house almost every day. 

Your brothers think you are spoiled and get away with too much. They are right! You are spoiled rotten, but you are seriously so cute and sweet, AND funny. Ugh, what will we do with you. You are such a little man. You are still emotional and sensitive but you walk around like you are so cool and with such a huge ego. That will be something you probably have to keep in check.

Eli, I love you so much. You are my last little boy. I wish I could keep you little, but I also can't wait to see what journey you go on. This year, you have given me many challenges, but also much joy. I love you and would do anything for you. Oh yeah...did I mention you are becoming a pretty good little ball player. Dad and I coach your team and that has been so fun for us to do together. I hope this year is a great one! Love you lots,

Mom

Our New Addition

 Chris and I have felt the call to adopt for years. We started the process several times and God continually shut the door. That's when we started coming alongside families who did adopt. It was bizarre how family after family entered our lives with an adoption story of their own and a need our family could help fulfil. Shortly after getting our feet wet with trauma care, we decided to get our license to foster. We really didn't know what God had planned but we were putting our "yes" on the table. Since we had 3 biological kids, however, we did have preferences and thought we had an idea of what would work best for our family. Respectfully, we were told by the agency that they NEVER get one child in our age range. We were at peace with the fact that we may never be called upon to help in a fostering capacity since the agency seemingly only needed homes for large sibling groups. 

However, one summer, we got a call from our placement specialist who told us about a respite opportunity for a local couple who was fostering a girl in our age range. We said we would love to provide respite for them and soon realised she would be a good fit for our family. Shortly after, we provided a shorter respite, and then a 3rd, as she went with us on a beach vacation. Meanwhile, her plan had recently moved from reunification to adoption and the couple that had her were interested in fostering only. That summer, she became our full time foster placement. We enrolled her in preschool, celebrated her 5th birthday, and had our first Christmas as a family of 6. As predicted, shortly after the new year, parental rights were terminated by the courts. 4 months later all contact was ordered to cease and unfortunately, her mom passed away shortly thereafter. It was one difficult tragedy after the next for her little mind and heart to process. 

In October of 2023, Madi became an official member of our family. 

Madi is an outstanding kid. She has a positive energy about her. She is smart beyond her years and has a kind heart. She is funny and her voice is absolutely adorable. She has so many gifts and unique qualities. I pray she uses them to bless those around her and channel all that she is to bring others to know Jesus. I pray as we navigate all the complexities of adoption, that we do right by her always. Above all, I pray she knows she is deeply loved and cherished forever and ever amen. 

Mattox is 14

 Oh Mattox, you turned 14! I'm not sure why this birthday seemed different, but it did. You look older, you act older (most of the time), and I just couldn't handle it. I cried. You are such a light. This year I have seen you grow and blossom so much. You are just finished 7th grade at Weddington Christian Academy, a little private school close to where we live. Your best friend is Gavin and you had a great year. You made outstanding grades, played basketball, and made friends. Out of all of Madi's brothers, you are her favorite. You are kind and fair. You have so much patience. Sometimes, more than I do. You see the world in such a unique way and really have one of the biggest hearts I have ever come across. I just love you so much. You also look out for me, which is really sweet. I'm not ready for you to grow up...but you are, right in front of me. 

For your birthday, we gave you a phone. I held out for 14 years. Can you believe that? You still love Pokemon and know everything there is to know about it. You are going to do big things in this world if you decide to. Sometimes you struggle to find the motivation to do stuff well if you aren't that interested in it. We are working on life skills and social skills and you are getting better at both. Now, you even have a little group of friends you hang out with. 

Your best friend is Sam. You two are thick as thieves as they say. You room together and are always hanging out with each other. I pray that your friendship with continue thought your lives, long after I am gone. You both are a gift to each other. You are a good big brother to all 3 of your siblings. You are just a good and responsible kid. I love you so much and I am so proud of you. This year, you decided to get baptized. I love that. You made a public declaration of an inner transformation. You go! I pray that you continue to seek God in all that you do. He has big plans for you I think. Please always know that you are loved and valued for who you are. You are my son and I think the world of you now, and always. Here's to many more.

Happy 12th Birthday Sam

 

Happy Birthday Sam. You are 12 now and this year has been a good one. Shortly after your last birthday, we got another foster placement. A little girl. Her name is Madi. She was 4 when she moved in with us. You have been very mature in understanding what we are doing and why. You haven't been overly nice to her, mainly tolerating her, but occasionally thinking she is funny. You are a good big brother. You have had a GREAT year swimming. You continue to grow and get faster a little bit at a time. You seem to enjoy practice and still have Coach Rob as your coach. He is a great role model and your best friend on the team is Parker. Each meet, you show improvement in almost every event. It's pretty impressive.

This year, you started the 5th grade. Alec is still your best friend. There has been more drama than ever this year and you do very well to stay out of it. You are very solid, avoiding highs and lows. You are wise. Very observant and have very high expectations of others. You always do the right thing and make good grades. You make me very proud. At the end of the school year, you scored the highest score on a Spanish fluency test. There were 4 high scores. 2 of them were 8th graders and the other 5th grader has parents from Puerto Rico. That is a very big accomplishment.

This year, we lost Summer Girl. She was old and was not doing well. You grieved more than I have ever seen you in my life. She was such a good dog and we still miss her a lot.

Sam, you are such a valuable member of our family. I have loved to see you grow and mature over the last year. You are really a very neat person. You have taught me how to love better, be more intentional, and that I don't always have to respond to anyone I don't want to. LOL You are going to do big things. I love you so much. Happy Birthday buddy.