Being a Mom

  M came to us a few days ago. It's been wonderful. Everything we heard about him is true. He's the sweetest, most handsome little boy we have ever met. The way everything has worked out is so God! And we are so very thankful He chose us to be M's parents!! Just in time for Thanksgiving too!

   The last few days have been busy, mainly Monday. We all got up and he ate cereal and watched some tv while we got ready. Then it was DHR>Kyle's work>New School>New After School Care> Dr. office>Kyle's work>McDonald's>Baby Sitter. All by 10 o'clock! 

   We are still busy but we have a routine so it's easy now. It's easy to love a child who needs you and expresses it. It's easy to be a parent. I couldn't possibly imagine him not in our lives now. 

    In the past few days I have learned a lot about being a parent. Many of the things I've heard parents say are now the things I think. Some funny, some serious. 

• It's cheaper to go in a store without a child. 

• I've learned the awful pain of school enrollment papers. 

• I could look at the drawings M has given us all day. 

• I've learned that by having to say no more than once doesn't mean your a bad parent. 

• It's hard to say no to a smiling kid.

• It's hard to leave your child. (Monday I broke down and called the day care he was at to see how he was doing.) I have no idea how I'm gonna take him to school. 

• Sweetly waking up your kid with kisses and tickles is the best way. 

• Sometimes 15 extra mins with them is worth leaving the house with wet hair and no makeup.

• I've learned how to answer the "Why?" question to not so typical questions. 

• I've learned is how fun it is to be a parent. 

• How awesome it is to watch your husband love them. 

  Another thing I've learned is how it feels to be called mom. M has started openly calling us mom and dad. It saddens my heart some to know I'm his 8th mom. It makes me sad he had to call so many women mom. I know some people may think its crazy he is calling us mom and dad after such a short time but he wants a mom and dad so bad. Each time he has called someone mom, it was a false hope for a real mom. I pray I'm his last. 

I really love this quote our cousin sent me. It pretty much sums it up for me. 

   I want to say thank you all for the support you have shown! So many people have done so much for M and us. Prayers, gifts, texts checking on him, keeping up with us on Facebook and by reading my blog...you've been amazing. 

Thank you!!

-Makayla

Surprise! Today's the day!!

   We're getting a child! Wow, we are flooded with emotions of excitement and nervousness.
   Thursday at our home inspection we sat down and were asked about taking a boy who was 7 years old. I don't want to give anymore details about him so I'm just gonna refer to him as "M." Of course we said yes. We were leaving to go out of town to a concert and see family so we told them we would take him when we got back.
   So Thursday we left home as a couple and we are coming home today as a family. One hour after getting back home we are gonna meet our little boy! I say "our" little boy because for as long as God wants, M will be ours.
   To be honest, we are going into this knowing he could be ours forever. He has been through a lot and doesn't have a family because he's been in the system so long. He's available for adoption and has had false hope for a forever family many times and we don't want to be that.
   I can't give all the details about him but I will say we have no reason to think it shouldn't work out. He's needing love and we have love to give. We know there will be trials but we also have faith the God who brought us to this will bring us through this.
-Makayla

P.S. M is a cutie pie and sounds like a great child and we are so ready to meet him!

Saying Yes

   These last few weeks have been very busy. We have finished our GPS meetings, finished our CPR class, and now awaiting our last home inspection, which is Wednesday. Although our home inspection is Wednesday we could get a call any minute to take a child. (They will just do the last home inspection then.)
   Last Tuesday we had a scare. I say scare, because it took me by surprise and I was scared. We were asked to take two kids, boy and girl. We said no because we only have room for one sex because they can't share a room, but thank God they were able to go with a family member.
   I read a text message that asked if we were prepared and willing to take two kids and I panicked. It ended up not working out but nothing can prepare you for the actual moment where you say yes to taking a child. With such a small word, your life changes. By saying yes, we aren't saying "Sure, they can come stay a couple nights."
   Saying "yes" means you are committing to a child (or more) for a MINIMUM of nine months to a year. We are saying "yes" to giving up lots of things. No more alone time, going to Walmart at 3am, and walking around our house with no clothes on. We are saying yes to more laundry, more chores, and waking up earlier. By saying "yes" our life will change in an instant.
   Many people don't understand why a 20 and 21 year old newlywed couple would say yes to something like this. And I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I still wanna run, but there is one reason why we will say yes. The one thing that makes the yes worth all of it is to see God move. By saying yes to taking a child, we are saying yes to caring for orphans, yes to the Word of Christ, and yes to allowing God to move in our lives. By saying yes, we are showing the love of Christ in hopes that a child will find His love.
  When it comes down to every decision a Christian makes, we should ask one question before saying yes or no. We should ask ourselves "Is this going to bring God glory?" If the answer is "Yes," how can we say no. Bringing Him glory is the reason we are here. So if me saying "yes" does just that, then it will be my joy to say "YES!!"
-Makayla

It's gettig real

 

  For the last couple months, every Saturday except for three, we have gone to DHR for our foster parent classes. They are "GPS" classes, meaning Group Preparation Selection. These classes last about 10 weeks and cover everything from how to license your home to the behaviors you may encounter with the foster child.
   I wrote in my last post it could be about 5 weeks before we were licensed. I was wrong. This past Saturday, the 2nd, I went to meeting six. (Kyle had to work.) I was hoping our class would be able to shorten the four weeks left by meeting a couple times a week so we could be finished by Thanksgiving. Well when I mentioned this we are all a tad surprised because we found out we had two left. 

   At the meeting I was at we were doing lesson 6 and 7. Next Saturday we will complete 8 and 10. Meeting 9 will be on a week night and will be a "live panel." It will have a judge, a foster child's attorney, a foster parent, and a couple more people. Then, probably that same week, we will have our last home inspection and will be licensed for children. Not only will we be licensed, we will probably also take a child in our home because the desperate need.

   Oh my gosh. 10 weeks ago I thought it was so far away and now we are just 2-3 weeks away from becoming foster parents. I'm sure this isn't the same feeling a mom has days before she births her own child but there are two feelings we have in common.  Excitement and a tad bit of fear.
One major difference is this child isn't mine. Another difference is I haven't spent 9 months getting to know this child and preparing for them. I've spent a few weeks and I won't know anything about the child until they call and pretty much tell me they are on their way. It's a tad frightening.
We had been praying about this journey for almost a year before we surrendered and now it's so close. 

    There have been many tears thorough this process but there has also been a peace that passes all understanding. I'm really thankful for God being so patient with us as we pleaded for direction for what He wanted us to do. I'm also thankful God showed us His plan in His time. I'm also excited about His plan. I know there will be ups and downs but I'm excited to see how God will use this in our lives and maybe show the child His love through us.    

   Please pray for us as we cross your mind but most importantly pray for the child we are about to receive. Pray with us that the adjustment will be easy and he will be accepting of us.

-Makayla

The basics

Everyone we talk to seem to have the same questions for Kyle and I, so for my first post I decided I would answer a few of the questions people tend to ask us and also tell you some more about the need in our area.

When do you get a child?
    We started our classes to be foster parents about six weeks ago. Because of having to move or cancel some classes we have five lessons left, which should be five meetings but hopefully we can combine some and get finished sooner. When the classes are finished, we will have our second home inspection and then we will be able to foster.

Do you know what child you are getting?
   No. We won't know anything about the child until they call and ask us to take them.

Do you know the age or anything about the child?
   Not exactly. We were able to say what age and sex we will take. We decided that at first we want school age about six to twelve. We will eventually lower our age and also take females but at this point we fill we would be better suitable for older children and males. I think having another male in the house would be a more easier adjustment for Kyle and I at first. Also, infants, toddlers, and females tend to be who most people want to foster.

How many children CAN you have?
    We could be licensed to have up to six, but the better question is "How many will you take?" Right now, Kyle and I would really like to only have one. But, if we get a call about two siblings in our age range, we would take them. Not more than two, especially at first. We may decide to take more but we want to make this adjustment as easy as possible for us and the child. And taking on several kids wouldn't be an easy adjustment for us or the children.
_________________________________________

When we first started our classes there were 90 kids in Colbert County who were in the system and only 22 foster homes. When we get finished there will be us and three more families who can take children making 25 homes. Since we've been in the class we know of at least 7 new children and we still have a month left. As you can see the need is growing and the homes really aren't. If you are interested in being a foster home, PLEASE pray about it. YOU ARE NEEDED.