Yesterday, we had my sister Erin’s baby shower. Erin and Brian tried to get pregnant for a while and were basically told it wasn’t going to happen for them. They fell in love with the idea of foster parenting to adopt as well as to care for children in need. Not long after this decision, they got a placement for Bohdan (their name for him) who was about 6 months old, I guess. His mother had voluntarily placed him with social services. She already had a son who was school aged who was with his grandmother. She was abusing drugs and knew she couldn’t care for Bohdan. Soon after Erin and Brian welcomed him into their home, Boh’s biological mother overdosed on meth and died. She obviously made the right decision to place Boh with another family. On May 7th, Erin and Brian will go to court to legally adopt Boh who just turned 2 years old. While he was in their home, they surprisingly became pregnant! They are having a girl, Audrey Rose, at the end of June. It’s a joy to celebrate this miracle and recognize that as they were trying to become pregnant, the Lord was simply telling them to wait. If they had become pregnant years ago, they may not have started fostering and they definitely would not have been given the gift of Bohdan. God clearly had a plan for them, to bless them with a family, and for Bohdan, to bless him with godly parents. Here are some pictures from the shower–had to include the one of Ashlyn. :)
Archives for April 2008
Mama’s Day Off
I had the pleasure today of a quiet house. Evan went to school until 3:30. Mark took Ashlyn and Drew to the Family Center at his work for the whole day. So, I was alone from 8:10 until 3:30, something I can’t remember ever happening in the last 6 years! I got a good bit of work done and even took a little nap. The weather was beautiful to boot. When Evan got home, I took him to our local ice cream parlor for a treat before everyone else got home. I’m already thinking about scheduling my next Mama’s Day Off. I love my kiddos. But, it was so nice to have quiet for a while. And, Drew and Ash had a ball at the Family Center.
Daddyhood
Yesterday, I happened to schedule a dentist visit for myself at 4 pm as well as a well-check visit for Evan at the same time. So, I told Mark that I could either change one of the appointments, or he could take Evan to the doctor with the other two kids. He said he didn’t mind taking them. So, that’s what we did. So, this is what I don’t get: the dentist went on and on about what a great guy Mark is for taking the kids to the doctor. And, Mark was praised by another mom at the pediatrician’s office as well, “You have all 3 kids at the doctor’s yourself? Wow!” Okay, now, let me start by saying that Mark is a great father. I have no complaints for sure! I recognize that he is terrific. HOWEVER, I think it’s pretty sad that everyone is swooning over a dad who is willing to take his kids to the doctor. I mean, all dads should be able to do that. It shouldn’t be crazy and worthy of all that attention. Mark was being a dad. Are dads today generally so incompetent that Mark is the unusual case? I certainly hope not!
My First Digital Scrapbook Page
I’ve been playing around with FotoFusion the last couple weeks, trying to figure it out and decide if I want to enter the world of digital scrapbooking. I LOVE scrapbooking and really think it’s important to do for the kids’ sakes. But, I have done very little since Drew was born. And, well, he just turned 2. I am ashamed that I haven’t done a baby album for him yet! I finished each child’s baby album before the next child came. And, with Lydia’s arrival being far from now, I have been a slacker with Drew’s album. But, I think I have found a new motivator to get me going with this program. So, hopefully, I will do it! Here is the first page I have created. Not too bad for my first shot.