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.

Eli is 7!

 Happy Birthday Eli. I am a little late on this post...as usual. You turned 7 this year and you are seriously one cool kid. This past year you finished kindergarten and started 1st grade. Your best friends at school are Brody, Harry, and Korinn. However, more than anything, you just want to hang out with Nolan and Graham. You had a great baseball season. You were one of the better kids out there. You did summer swim team and played basketball. You love sports and especially love baseball. You and dad love the Braves and this year you went to a game. You are so loved by your teachers. You have everyone at school in love with you. This summer, we got a new foster placement. It was hard for you at first, but now, you are such an amazing big brother. It is cool to see you rise to the occasion like this. We put you in a tough spot and you have rocked it. Your personality is super awesome. You have a great combination of being a tough guy but you are super sweet and sensitive. You have the most amazing smile and you are a little bit of a flirt. Oh yeah, and over Christmas break I pulled your first tooth out with pliars. It was so gross but you were PUMPED! You are really easy to love. I am so thankful God gave you to us. Our family would not the be the same without you in it. You had your birthday party this year at a rock climbing place. It was a Lego party. I made your cake and you thought it was amazing. It gave me a lot of joy. I hope year 7 is a good one. Keep your eyes on the Lord and your heart ready to say "yes" to Him. I love you with all that I have within me...forever and always.

Mom

Mattox is a Teen

 Mattox,

Buddy, you are now 13. I am about a month late writing this, and you have just started 7th grade. The past year has been a good one for you. Last fall, at the start of 6th grade, you committed to getting better at soccer. You have worked all year and have found yourself working mainly as a goal keeper. You started middle school at Parkwood Middle School, but after Christmas break, you transferred to a small Christian school. Academically, you had an amazing year. You made straight A's all year long. You made new friends and recently expressed an interest in getting baptized. 

Last fall you also became a foster brother to a little guy named Jermaine. You were great with him. We recently got a new placement. A little girl. She adores you. You are one of the kindest brothers anyone could ever have. I admire your patience, kindness, and fairness. 

Your favorite thing in the world is screen time. You and Sam are best friends. You are very intelligent and always want everything to be equal. You aren't a huge extrovert, but you don't love being bored either. You don't love being outside in extreme weather and you absolutely hate mosquitoes and other bugs. You are seriously handsome. 

I am feeling optimistic that the teenage years aren't going to be as bad as everyone says they will be when it comes to you. You are logical, kind, fair, and smart. You are a bit sneaky but you are a terrible liar and you don't get away with much. I love you so much. You own my heart and always will. I will always be here for you if you ever need anything. I hope you can always come talk to me. Here's to many more birthdays! I am very proud of you.

Love,

Mom

Sam turns 11

 Sam,

The past year has been a year of major growth for you. We gained a foster placement at the beginning of the summer. A little guy with a lot of medical problems. At first, you were unsure. You weren't the first to hug him or touch him or help with him. Soon after he came though, you started to really be his champion. You were so sweet and kind to him. You grew to love him. He went back in October. This year you started and completed the 4th grade. Your best friend (other than Mattox) is Alec, a buddy from school. The two of you are pretty funny and yall talk like a bunch of old men.

This year you also started your first year of club swim. You swam for a team called, Team Charlotte Swim. You are a decent swimmer. You never complain about going and you are continually getting better, stronger, and more confident. It has been very fun to watch you swim this year. You really like your coach, Rob, and he is the perfect role model for you at this point in your life. You met another good friend through swim. His name is Parker. The two of you swim almost every event together and are super cute to watch.

This year, you also did awesome when we went skiing. You are slow, but getting faster and better each time you ski. You are such an easy and likable kid. You still LOVE Pokemon and now you have an obsession with video games. 

This year was the first time you made straight As. You are a smart kid. You are also very wise. You don't run your mouth or react to anything drastically. You are pretty steady but I think you have a lot going on inside your head. You are a good friend and brother and I think you are a mentally strong 11 year old. You have grit and I don't really worry about you. Everyone loves you. 

I love you the most because I am your mom. I pray that you continue to seek the Lord's will for your life. I love you and I am very very proud of you. I hope year 11 is filled with health, fun, friendship, and success. 

Thanks for making me a proud mom.

Love you always

-MOM

Eli Turns Six

 Eli,

Happy 6th Birthday! This has been a big year for you. Shortly after you turned 5, PawPaw passed away. That is the first relative you know that passed away. He was your great grandfather, but loved you so much. This year you learned how to ride a bike. You haven't practiced much, so you are still kind of wobbly. You did your first year of summer swim team this past summer. You were the youngest there so we kept telling you that you got 1st place for being a 5 year old. The truth is, you were the only 5 year old, but it was so fun to watch you get pumped about getting first place. This year, we also had our first foster care placement. A little guy name Jermaine. At first, you were unsure. Then, you fell in love with him. It was fun to see you grow to love him and you were such an amazing big brother. You loved to be helpful with him and were very proud that you learned how to cut off his g-tube feed. This past fall, you started Kindergarten. You started in the dual language program and you already know a lot of Spanish. You love your teachers, Mrs Diaz and Ms Sierra. I am pretty sure you are a very well liked kid. Your best friends are Harry and Korinn. This year you played machine pitch baseball. You were one of the best on the team. You look SO cute in a little baseball uniform. You are also playing basketball. You don't love it as much as baseball, but you practice it a lot at home. I hope you had an awesome birthday and I want you to know how loved you are. You are funny and so very smart. You are so capable, people hardly believe you are so young. You are so expressive and you love Dad the most. You are so much like him. You laugh a lot, smile a lot, and buy into all the funny stuff he does. We love you so much. Happy Birthday big guy!

Love,

Mom

Jermaine Gernard

 I have been waiting a long time to get our first foster placement. We started our adoption journey a long time ago and every time we got close, God shut the door. 14 years into our marriage, Chris and I got licensed for foster care and adoption. We are open to foster or adoption and think we want to adopt a girl or a sibling set with a girl. However, over the past 5 months, we have been taking care of the most amazing foster son ever. 

Jermaine was only supposed to be a respite placement. We were to have him for 7 days. I knew he had a feeding tube and a cranial helmet, but later found out he had terrible eczema and is an amputee. He is missing his right arm due to a blood clot at birth. 

When he first arrived, the family that had him kept a sock on his hand so he wouldn't scratch his skin. His skin was in terrible shape and I knew shortly after meeting him that he was allergic to his formula. I had him about 12 hours before I was supposed to drop him off at DSS for a visit with his mom. When I got there, I met her and Jermaine's nurse. The nurse was very kind, Jermaine's mom, not so much. She was very hard and gave me a lot of attitude. She didn't say a word to me. I remember getting in the car and hearing the Lord say, "she wasn't born that hard." I was immediately overcome with compassion for her. On the ride home, I was feeling very good about myself when I got a call from the nurse. Apparently, I forgot a piece of Jermaine's feeding tube that he needed in order to be fed. I had to turn around and drive another 45 minutes back to DSS to drop it off. It ended up being a divine mistake. After dropping it off, I found myself in the parking lot with his social worker, and after a little bit of time, with Jermanine's nurse. I was able to ask a lot of questions about his skin and development and they agreed that he needed to be seen by a doctor. They had an appointment for us after the weekend. 

At the pediatrician's office, I remember feeling very awkward. What was my role? Jermaine's mom and his nurse were there, but when they were done talking, she was going to send us home with cortisone cream. I wasn't comfortable with that plan. I asked if she could get her attending, and when she did, I begged for an appointment for him to go to the allergist. She got us the appointment after I asked her to make a call on our behalf. 

A few days later we went to the allergist for testing. I was right. He was allergic to his formula and had other major food allergies. After the appointment, I agreed to take his mom to the bus stop. She actually apologized for giving me so much attitude the fist time she met me. I got her Taco Bell and we ate together in my car. I couldn't believe the relationship that had started between us and I was able to affirm her and encourage her.

At the end of the week, I took Jermaine to his visit at DSS and drove away, thinking I would never see him again. About 2 weeks later, I got a text from his social worker telling me that the family that had him couldn't take care of him anymore. She wondered if we would take him until he could go home. Of course we said yes!

Jermaine has been such a light in our home. My boys have been great with him and have enjoyed having him around. He is such a good baby and doesn't fuss much. That has been nice for all of us. While he has been with us, we have gone to the beach for 2 weeks. He learned how to sit up, sit and spin around, use his hand, and wave hi and goodbye. In 5 weeks, about 6 of his teeth have come in and his skin has cleared up. We also have gotten his reflux under control. When we first got him, he never laughed. Now, he laughs all the time. It took 3 weeks for me to have him before I heard him laugh out loud. He recently got his helmet off, and now he is much more fun to snuggle because his fuzzy hair is so soft and sweet. 

We will miss him so much. Our family couldn't have asked for a better placement. I hope I can keep in touch with Michele, his mom, and we will continue to have the privilege to come along side of his mom over the years. He is my perfect little tea pot and our song is, "To make you feel my love." I love you Jermaine and you will always have a piece of my heart. 

Eli Turns 5!

 Happy 5th Birthday Eli!

Eli, last week we drove to Sugar Mtn and stayed in a house for a few days and skied. It was our first ski trip as a family. The Dore family went with us and we got an amazing snow the night before we hit the slopes. It was so much fun. You had an 'among us' birthday cookie cake and got Pokemon cards and plushy as a gift.

I can't believe you are 5. This year has been unlike any other because we have been at home a lot because of Covid-19. That hasn't stopped you from doing your thing. You started TK this year and are loving it. You love school and are super smart for your age. You make friends easily and like to follow the rules. You played your first year of tball this fall and did awesome. You were definitely the best one out there. You got many outs and hit the ball well. It was fun to watch. 

You want so badly to be older like your brothers and constantly complain that you are so little. You don't seem like you are 5. You seem like you are way older than that. You know about everything your brothers do, and you don't miss anything. You are not going to be excluded for being little...not one bit. I have to admit, your brothers are very nice to you. You are lucky to have them. They include you in most things and tolerate you very well.

You are so cute. You have little dimples when you smile and your personality lights up the room. I love to snuggle with you and kiss your soft skin. You love your daddy the most. You get all upset with Dad leaves for work and you always want to hang with him. He tucks you in at night and puts you to bed every night, because you prefer him. It doesn't hurt my feelings. I think it is sweet. 

You and PawPaw have a love/hate thing going on. He tries to be super nice to you, but you don't want too much to do with him. He thinks you are "the man," but you just want to be around him because he takes you to McDonalds and out to eat pizza a lot. 

Eli, thanks for all the fun and laughter you bring to our family. We are blessed to have you as our baby boy...not so much a baby anymore. I can't believe you start Kindergarten this year. I hope your birthday was awesome.

Love always,

Mom