Success!

In parenting there are successes and failures. I count it a good day when I have more successes than failures because every day has its share of both.

Right now I'm having a successful day. I managed to get the kids to have applesauce with fresh fruit mixed in for snack and steered them away from anything chocolate or with a lot of sugar.

Success!

Easy Targets

Christians are easy targets.

http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/warriorshtm/target.htm

Actually they're easy targets for just about anybody these days, but I'm specifically talking about the devil.

We are such easy targets for satan and his legions. I wish I knew why. I wish I had a magical answer to combat the sin that lives in us.

My only comfort at times is knowing that everyone else is a sinner as well. Not a single person who walks this earth is perfect and without sin. The only man who could ever claim that was Christ and he paid my penalty!

If you're not a Bible reader, though I hope you are, take comfort in the words of Paul (one of the "founding fathers" of the faith). He too struggled with sin in his life. If the chief apostle, Paul, struggled himself, what makes us think we are immune to having satan's target drawn on our backs? We're not.

Romans 7:14-25 NIV

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Even Paul saw sin - he saw it a mile away, he saw as he approached it and he saw as he went right along with it even though he knew in his heart it was the wrong thing to be doing.

My pastor talked about this verse yesterday and I remember thinking how appropriate it was...but then again, I think this particular passage would be appropriate for any person at any time of life. We all struggle to get the devil's mark off our backs.

Pastor Greg gave us two simple points to remember:

1. By Grace our sins are forgiven and forgotten. Paul asks who will save him from his wretchedness...Jesus Christ. He knew the answer already and we do too! 
2. It's not about trying harder to stop our cycle of sin, it's about trusting more. Trust God more with your life and He will see you through.

No, being a Christian is not easy. It's no cake walk. And the closer you draw the God the more the enemy will attack you and try to pull you away.

Take the target off your back. Or, if you can't reach it, ask for help.

You may ask if this post is aimed at anyone in particular - no. It's not. But we all fall short and only have Grace through Christ's blood shed for us. This is aimed at myself as much as anyone else. Striving to be a Christian living in God's will every day is hard. I need help with it and blogging about it helps me to strive for what God wants in my life. I hope it will help you too. God bless!

Heros: Take Five

Today's hero has just finished her own race. Much like I talk about finishing a race, this friend of mine has just finished her own race and come out victorious!

Kim has been a dear friend of mine for many years. This winter she told me she was going to the doctor's because of a lump on her collarbone. Turns out that lump was Lymphoma. Lymphoma, if you don't know, if a form of cancer.

Kim finished up her chemo treatments this month and is now considered in remission! I'm so proud of her!

In addition to battling cancer, Kim is an amazing mother to three beautiful children. Her oldest is 7, middle is 6 and her youngest is about to turn 4.

How she found the strength to parent her children and go through the treatments is beyond me. I know she had help, but still. She is such a strong, beautiful woman!

Love you, Kim! You are my hero today for being such a good friend and for beating the cancer!

How to Stay Positive

We should all take a lesson from this little girl. She was, as I learned, 4 years old when this was recorded.
Everyone needs to give themselves a pep talk like this in the morning - myself included!

The Difference Between Being Religious and Being a Christian

Sparked by a conversation I had the other day, I wanted to give you my most humble take on the difference between being Religious and being a Christian.

I am a Christ-follower. I try to live a life that is pleasing to God. I know I fail miserably at times because I'm a huge sinner just like the rest of us (don't let my seemingly perfect life fool you! LOL!).

Sometimes people call me religious, which I'm not. Religious people seem to be all caught up in the politics of "The Church" and the rules everyone has to follow (rules they are all to happy to point out to those who fall short).

I am just a Christ-follower. I try to live my life the way God wants me to and not by the rules other people have. People rules are often not God rules. I'm happy to live by God's rules for my life. Things go so much smoother that way!

The church we attend is not like most churches - but I know a lot of people are turning to non-denominational churches because they don't put restrictions on WHO comes in, WHAT they wear or HOW they look - as long as they're on fire for Christ. 

Religious people would probably call my church hell-raisers because our band plays Lynard Skynard mixed in with the worship songs. We rock out, I'm telling you.

Now, I know not all Christians want the rock experience at church. That's fine. There are thousands of different types of churches. The goal is to find one that teaches Biblical truths in a setting that will allow you to grow spiritually in an environment you can feel comfortable in.

It's all personal preference. I wish different Christian denominations stopped focusing on their differences and just centered on Christ and the truths of the Bible. It's like the Pharisees in Jesus' day. So many church people are so caught up in religion that they stop looking at the prize - life in Christ. Why can't we just do that and let people worship in the style we chose? Why do we have to put a label on it and make different denominations essentially war over some things that aren't even in the Bible to begin with? 

And if you're not a Christ follower who happens to be reading this... let me share this little tidbit with you.

I am a control freak... the hardest thing I will EVER do in life is giving control to God. But you know what? When I let Him be in charge things turn out so much better than when I try to control things. I try every day to give control over my life to Him. Both in the things that I can control and the things I can not. Especially the things I can not! 

Let me tell you - there are so many things in this world I can not control. But letting God take the reins has been so much more fruitful than me attempting to recklessly control them myself. He has my best interest at heart. He has yours at heart, too. Let Him lead the way - He will never lead you wrong. Just look at my life. I would be such a train wreck if God wasn't leading me down the track.

Living for Christ is not an easy decision, but it's the best one anyone can ever make. I'm not religious, but I am a Christian. Thank God!

First Day of School Pictures

I just had to share pictures from the kids' first day of school. Both walked right in without a second glance at me. Made me feel really loved. But you know what? The best thing I can do is raise my children to be happy, functional, independent people (aside from raising them to be lovers of Christ). So I must be doing a good job somewhere in there! Enjoy the pictures!

Yeah, bye Momma, later...

Just go already!

First Day of School

Today is the kid's first day of school.

Sarah Bradley went last year and I loved it. She got to socialize and I got to spend one-on-one time with Mac. It was a great plan.

This year both kids are going to school. I'm just not ready! I'll be losing both my babies three hours a day, three days a week. (I know, it's 9 whole hours out of 168 hours in a week - not that bad.) But I'll be alone.

Okay, if you know me, you know I can't wait for some alone time. I can grocery shop ALONE! I can spend time with my mom ALONE! I can sleep in ALONE! The possibilities are endless.

But this milestone is just another in the long line of milestones telling me how fast Sarah Bradley and Mac are growing. First steps to first day school, albeit preschool, but still.

Tomorrow I'll post their going to school pictures. I just can't believe my children are growing so fast. They are such a blessing and I am so thankful for them!

Heros, Take Four

I've been such a bad blogger. I'm so sorry. After court last week, my best friend had a baby then I was having terrible back pain (stress induced - go figure, huh?).

But it's time for a hero again and I actually already mentioned her! My hero this week is my good friend Michelle (she has a blog but is a terrible blogger and hasn't updated in eons, so I won't link to her).

Michelle is my hero this week because she's my best friend - she has put up with all my junk for years now. And because in the last 6 weeks her entire life has been uprooted by the loss of career, moving in with her in-laws and giving birth to her second daughter.

We met a lifetime ago (before we were married). We got married in the same summer and started trying to have a family around the same time. We also experienced difficulties in getting pregnant. We were, seemingly, the only married without children women at our church, so we began to spend time together.

Lo and behold, I popped up pregnant. Five months later, Michelle did too! Sarah Bradley and Carly are absolute best of friends. When we found out about Mac coming home to us, I called her first. When she got pregnant again, she called me to discuss how to tell her husband. I cried with her when she lost that precious baby and cried more when she came up pregnant again soon after.

When Sarah Bradley was born, Michelle was waiting with her ear to the room door the entire time. When Carly was born, I did the same.
And this past Monday as Alyssa was born (on my wedding anniversary), I was coloring with Carly in the waiting room when I heard the traditional lullaby play over the PA system signifying that a baby had been born. I wept when Carly sang "Jesus Loves Me" to her new baby sister just an hour after she was born (and I wept loudly - it wrapped up a very emotional week for me).

So Michelle is my hero this week for no reason other than I love her dearly and I can't imagine my life without her.

Carly, SB & Mac...best of friends

Michelle and I outside Paula Deen's in Savannah this April

Pure Glee

I love Glee. It's one of my guilty pleasures. It's so unrealistic, but I love it anyway.

When Queen of the Celibacy Club Quinn gets pregnant, her bump changes size from scene to scene, she found out she was having a girl at only 12 weeks gestation and she was doing the splits just days before giving birth. I don't think so.

I also don't see how Lea Michelle's character Rachel Berry is so unpopular. She's gorgeous, charismatic and can sing better than anyone I know. If she had been in my high school she would have been the most popular girl around (then again, at my school the smartest kids were the most popular).

But I do love me some Glee. I mean Matthew Morrison, anyone? Mark Salling? Yeah, they're both very good looking. Almost as good looking as Marshall.

The new season starts next month and I'm sitting by the remote, TiVo set to record, ready to break out into song at any moment.

Technology

If you know me, you know I am not exactly technologically advanced. Thankfully my husband is. I have a cool touch screen phone and I can do everything from tracking Christmas gifts to tracking myself with the built-in GPS. I can not, however, properly make a phone call. It takes a while. But that's okay because who needs to talk on a phone when all we do is text anyway? Right?

 I was thinking of the things that my kids see on a daily basis that they have no idea we ever did without. Here's a few of the things I came up with:

1. Cell phones. When I was 3 phones weren't even cordless. In the 26 years since I was SB's age phones went from corded (and half were rotary) to cordless (remember the giant phone with antenna Zach used on Saved by the Bell?). Then they invented cell phones that were positively gigantic. When I went to college, cell phones were still pretty new. Now my children wonder why some phones are tethered to the wall.
2. Touch Screens. Okay, so the cell phone is one thing...but Mac doesn not understand why he can't play fingerpaints or tic-tac-toe on everyone's phone. They only know touch screen phones!
3. Tivo. We love our tivo. I think our house would cease to function without the ability to pause The Fresh Beat Band while we eat dinner. During TV time the kids announce, "I want to watch Wubbzy/Dora/Olivia," and expect it to come on immediately. SB knows how to pause the TV and get it to play again all by herself.
4. Car DVD players. When I was a kid cars didn't come with air conditioning, let alone personal video players mounted to the ceiling of the car. Now, our car doesn't have a built in player, but we have a portable DVD player and the kids love to watch movies when we go to their grandparent's house.
5. WiFi. The kids don't understand when my phone or computer take a while to load the page they want to see. I'm a little spoiled because I don't understand it either these days. They also have never known life without internet at the tip of their fingers, not that they really know what it is at this point, but they do watch videos on the laptop or my phone. Remember the familiar sounds the computer made when you dialed into AOL? My kids will never know that!

So that's just a few things that my children have never known life without. And when I tell them about life before WiFi and touch screens they'll wonder how we ever got on without them. And they're think I'm positively archaic. Nice.

What are some things your children have never known life without?

What Happened

So, I realize it's been a while and I haven't updated the blog world as to exactly what happened last week. I'm sorry. Forgive me?

We got up at the crack of dawn Wednesday and took off for the nearly 2-hour trip to the court house. Marshall and I were accompanied by my mother and aunt and Marshall's dad. The same crew we had last time and I was very thankful. Marshall's mother graciously offered to stay with the children.

We got to the court house and the minute we saw our attorney, he walked up to us and said, "They want to settle."
We were all a little baffled. I had been asking for this for the last 16 months. Marshall wasn't too keen on the idea, but I thought it was the best for everyone involved.

We sat down with our attorney and laid out the only conditions we were willing to accept. They could see him four times a year, only while we were present. Everyone is under a mutual restraining order so that we can't bad mouth each other (if there's suspicion of it, we can go back to court). There are a few more details, but that's the jist of it.

Our attorney presented the details to their attorney and he told his clients... they agreed without any adjustments. I was shocked. Apparently their attorney is a better man than I thought (goes to show: don't judge others!) and told the bio-relatives that they really had no chance and if they wanted to see Mac again they should try to settle out of court. They agreed.

We all went before the judge and our attorney presented the plans for the settlement. They drop their custody suit in exchange for the 4x a year visitation.
The judge had all four of us stand and he asked us a series of questions. "Were you promised anything in the way of money or a gift in exchange for this settlement?" We all answer: No, Sir. "Are you under the influence of drugs of alcohol either prescription or otherwise?" Answer: No, Sir. "Do you think this is in the best interest of the child in question?" Answer: Yes, Sir.
Very simple. The settlement goes into court record.

We walked into the court house at 9am and walked back out about 10:45am. Not bad for a 2 day trial, huh?

We should have a date to finalize the adoption hopefully by the end of the week. We're praying that we can get in to see the judge and finalize everything before Marshall's birthday at the end of September.

I have been asked if I really do think this is the best thing for Mac. Yes, I do. I understand that having a connection to his past is important. I want him to know that we recognize that he had a life (albeit brief) before us and we want to be somewhat open with that family as long as it doesn't become toxic (which is why we insisted on being at all visits). I also hope that we can get to know the couple who adopted his full sister at some point as well.

After that we had lunch (we had been up since 5am) and headed home! I couldn't wait to hold my baby boy and celebrate. Of course - the second I picked him up he said, "No, I get down. Down, Momma!" So much for celebrating!

Hopefully we'll have a date to share with you soon for court time. We expect you ALL to come celebrate with us! We'll be having a big party!

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." ~2 Tim 4:7 

The Best Decision I Ever Made

I just want to preface this by saying that I'm writing this on July 26th, way before our anniversary. But in light of the events that are coming up with Mac's case, I wanted to write this now when I'm thinking about my loving husband and not "now-when-you-read-this" when I may be thinking of other things (hopefully happy family things).

Marshall and I have been married seven years today. Is that it? Only seven? It sure feels longer. It's felt "longer" then entire marriage. And I don't mean that in a "Oh, God, it's been excruciatingly long and forever" kind of way.

We may have only been married 7 years, but next month we'll celebrate 12 years together. 12 years and we're not even 30 yet. How is that possible? 12 years together and we've known each other... (wait, I need to count) 16 years. That's a heckuva long time.

So we got married 7 years ago today. And I can tell you, 7 years later, that it was the best decision I ever made in my entire life. Best. Decision. Ever. Well, maybe agreeing to date him was the best decision ever, because I wouldn't have married him if he hadn't asked me out 5 years prior. But whatever. He is the best decision ever.

What's that? You want to hear our story? Oh, no, I couldn't. Well, okay, but only the abridged version, I have things to do!

Marshall and I met when we were 13 as freshmen in high school. We both played trombone in the band. His best friend Gary had a mad stalkish crush on me so we all hung out a lot. Marshall was geeky in my world and I, of course, was the best thing since sliced bread so I didn't pay the quiet kid too much attention.
Somehow in the 10th grade Marshall asked me out and I accepted. I liked his band jacket (even though I had a matching one) and stole it often so it was a smooth move as a 14 year old. Then I found out I was his first girlfriend ever and freaked out. That was the end of that and I admit that I was terrible to him (hence why my mother-in-law distrusted me for a long time).
But Marshall and I still hung out and I liked him a lot "as a friend." By the time we graduated, Marshall, Gary and I (along with a few other friends) were all slated to go to Clemson in the fall. Life was good.
Once at Clemson, Marshall showed up at band practice with a goatee, a mustache and about six extra inches and my eyes got all starry and I wondered how I never noticed how cute he was (it was all the facial hair, I swear). About a month after school started our freshmen year of college, Marshall shyly asked me to be his girlfriend, which was all too sweet, and I agreed. I became fast friends with a 'super senior' named Josh who promptly asked me, "Why are you dating him? You already know him. Why don't you date people you don't know?" (He wasn't asking this selfishly, he had a girlfriend whom he married.)
But two weeks after we started dating I knew we would get married.
He said he knew back in the 9th grade.
So we dated through college and got engaged in January 1, 2002 where I laughed at him for 10 minutes before finally saying, "Yes!" (I was excited, I wasn't actually laughing *at* him.)
We (I) planned a wedding, moved the date and scrapped it to start over, and finally got married on August 16, 2003 in Clemson, SC. We each had 6 attendants - all of whom I'm still on talking terms with - and started life together. Because as any sane person knows - The wedding is merely a day, it's the marriage that lasts a lifetime.

So that's the very, very short version of our story.

And to Marshall I say this:
I'm not the perfect wife or mom, and hopefully I don't pretend to be (though you should tell me I am anyway). I make mistakes, but hopefully in our lives together I also make rights. Or is that non-mistakes? Good decisions? Yes...hopefully I make some good decisions. And I promise I'll try harder at not trying to be funny all the time. Try is the key word.
And I know I stress out way too much, but you know how I used to be - you've mellowed me out so much! But Allison is synonymous with stressed out, so please bear with me. Maybe when I turn 50 I will have learned how to handle stress. Maybe not. I'll try not to stress about it too much.
But I love you. I, Stressarella, love you, Laid Back Boy. With all my heart. I am so thankful God brought us together when I least expected it. I do think He sent you to save me and save me you did.
You put up with all my quirky ideas and plans. You have accepted my strange eating habits (see? there was a reason I don't eat cheese!), you have encouraged my lofty career plans (remember you were going to be the stay at home parent while I was Career Girl?), you have allowed me to be me even when I'm challenging you to change who you are and conform to my structured ways. And I'm so glad you resist, because two of me is one too many...plus Sarah Bradley is on that road already.
And speaking of the kids...I am amazed by your ability to love them and discipline them in love daily. You handle the Princess and her OCD ways better than you handle mine. And the fact that you were willing 10 years ago to open your heart to adoption means more to me than anything else you could have ever done. And look and the blessing we received from that. Having Mac and Sarah Bradley as a part of our family only makes me love and appreciate you more, even if I don't show it.
I am in awe daily that you love me as you do. I don't know what else to say but, "Thank you."

I'm going to stop there because I'm crying now and you're going to come out of the kitchen from doing dishes (thank you!) any second and wonder what on earth I'm doing that's making me cry.

Happy Anniversary, Marshall. I look forward to 77 more. XOXO

It's official!

The wedding party...

Still one of my favorite wedding pictures...

Scriptures 1

I wanted to share a few scriptures that I have been clinging to though our ordeal. Our faith has been so important to us especially though all this.

As I've mentioned about a dozen times now, when all this started last year I went looking for a verse on faith. I thought I was going to one scripture, but wound up at another and it was so profound to me that I've kept it tucked away and brought it out when I needed it:

Hebrews 12:1 NLT
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

In fact, this is what I wrote about this scripture when I found it almost 17 months ago. (you can read the entire entry here)

I won’t lose faith. Why? Because with everyone watching me and my reactions, I want them to see Christ in me. Yes, my heart would break if Mac left, but my faith would grow ever stronger in the promise that God will take care of me and my family as we lean on Him. If Mac stays, I want everyone to see me rejoice and praise God in a way I’m sure I will have never experienced myself.Someone shared a verse with me not long ago that has also helped immensely.

Another verse that has been helpful is this one:

Joshua 1:9

This is my command--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

It amazes me that God is always with me, but thank goodness He is! I am a sinner, just as we all are. Yet God chooses to love us and protect us. I can only pray that God will protect my son. And knowing that God is with him at all times gives me courage that I would never be able to muster on my own.

One last one for today:

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

God bless you in all you do. I am running my race, I am keeping the faith. I am trusting that God will keep my family intact and keep my son safe. 

Have you considered adopting?

These are the children in South Carolina who are legally free for adoption. There are many more as well.
If nothing else, please look at their pictures, pray for these children... and maybe see if one might hold a special place in your heart. Or maybe the heart of someone you know.

God bless you today!

http://www.scheartgallery.org/

Sorting Through

I'm sorting through a lot of emotions this week, so forgive me if I'm absent from filling you all in on the goings on around here.

Today is Monday. On Wednesday and Thursday, we will be in court as we fight for permanent custody and adoption of our son, Mac.

The short story, if you don't know, is that we brought Mac home in Dec 2008 as an adoptive placement through foster care. He was 10 months old. He had been in care for 3 months at that point after the DSS powers that be determined that nobody in his biological family was capable of caring for him.

Three months later in March 2009 I got the most devastating call of my life. Elderly relatives were suing the state for custody. We were advised to get an attorney. We, in turn, counter sued.

That's the very, very short story. Marshall doesn't like me putting everything out there for the world to see, so I'll leave it at that. If you know us, you know more.

For sixteen months we've waited for our day in court for a judge to determine where Mac should be. We have several things going for us - time, age, bonding, completing the process, a large network of loved ones, etc. The only thing they have going for them is blood, and while blood may be thicker than water - love is so much thicker than blood.

So if you read this, please pray for our family this week. Two days of court will certainly take its toll on everyone. Pray for traveling mercies, pray for Marshall & me to have the right words. Pray for our witnesses to also have the right words. Pray for the judge to do what is best for Mac. And pray that the best thing for him is granting his adoption into our family.

It's an emotional week. I will attempt to update, but if I don't - forgive me. Thank you!

Heros, Take Three

This week's heroine is someone who has done so much for a member of my family it's not even funny. She's a very smart, very compassionate twenty-something whom one could argue cared too much if there is such a thing.

Her name is Amanda. As far as I know she doesn't blog. But she calls, texts and emails! She looks out for the little person and for us that little person is Mac. She is one of his social workers.

Never in my life will I forget hearing her voice on the phone telling me that we had been chosen to parent a 10-month-old baby boy and asking when we could come get him. I hastily took a picture of Mac and her the day we brought him home because I foolishly had no idea how often we would see her.
Now Amanda and I aren't just on a first name basis on the phone, we're on an "It's me" basis. The other day she called me and just say "Hey." Not even an "it's me." We talk that much.

I would like to say that Amanda has been a hard worker for my family, but she hasn't. She doesn't work for my family. She works for the state and because of that she's worked the last two years on my son's case. In a round about way it's for my family, of course, but she works for Mac. She's like his bodyguard. All 98 pounds of her.

For two years she has watched this little boy grow and change. For the last almost 20 months she's watched him become a member of our family and she has fought tirelessly to do what's best for him, not just in the eyes of the law, but in her own eyes as well. She has come to numerous doctors appointments with me, asked questions like a concerned auntie, she comes to the house and the kids get excited to see Miss Amanda.

For a year now, she has taken Mac for visits with the biological family members fighting to get custody of him. She has wrestled with his fighting, crying body to take him to these visits where Mac would rather play with her (he loves to talk about Miss Amanda...he has never mentioned the bio-relatives). Amanda looks out for his best interest and laments with me when my son is crying to stay with me.

And this coming week, Amanda will be barraged with questions from a half-dozen attorneys asking what is best for this little boy. She will be honest. I expect nothing less from her. And hopefully the judge will agree with her (and many others) that Mac is already home. She's not my hero because she's on "our side." She is my hero because she fights tirelessly for the sides of all of children in her care, especially Mac.

Thank you, Amanda, from the bottom of my heart for being my son's champion and for being more than just a social worker...you've been a friend. I don't know what I'll do without you when all this is over. I'll invite you to the gastroenterologist's office just for kicks. And maybe after all this we can be friends who have fond (or not-so-fond) memories of the battle to keep one little boy safe. Thank you for all you do for Mac and all the other children you have helped over the years. We love you.

Lawyers

Heard any good lawyer jokes lately?

Jokes, sure. Good ones? No, not really.

I'm actually quite fond of our attorney. He's very straightforward and gives it to us straight, which I appreciate gratefully. He doesn't side track or tell us what we want to hear. In fact, he at times tells us what we don't want to hear, but I'm glad he does.

But it does seem odd to think I'm like a soap opera character who keeps an attorney on retainer at all times. Which we don't...unless you count an adoption attorney. I'm hoping we will be using Mr. Godwin several times in the future - hopefully without as much uphill battle.

I love that our attorney is a practicing Christian and he tells us to pray about things before making decisions. He tries to save us money (tries... we need to come up with about $2k by next week and our outstanding balance will be about $8-10k still). He appreciates my OCD, Type A tendencies.

The trial for custody of our son is next week. I'm scared and thoughts are sporadic. But I'm thankful we have an attorney who is on his toes and who will explain things to me and who is praying for the outcome just as we are.

If you are in need of an adoption attorney, please look at his website: www.scadopt.net

Interview about DSS Adoptions

My good friend Christina was interviewed (by another friend - go figure) about adopting through foster care... Read the article here:

Bound4Life Interview with Christina

Heros, Take Two

Last week I brought you the first of my Sunday Heros portion of A Few Sprinkles Short. Today is Take Two.

My Heroine today is another California girl, and someone else I would love to follow around with a little notepad taking notes on. But, as a trained psychotherapist, she would probably think I was loony and turn me in to the authorities.

Her name is Kristen and she's an amazing mother of four and an awesome blogger. She was even nominated for several blog awards, which is pretty darn cool. She also participates in flash mobs, which makes me jealous! Like last week's Hero, I know Kristen from the Hannah's Prayer forums and now keep up with her on facebook and her blog.

Kristen and Family... visit her blog here

One of the main reasons Kristen is my heroine this week is because of her tireless efforts to bring education about adoption, and especially trans-racial adoption, to the masses. She has appeared on both The View and Diane Sawyer to talk about adopting.

Kristen and her husband Mark adopted their oldest son via foster care and it took them nearly 3 years to complete his adoption. Their story resonates so much with me and our ongoing battle to keep our son home with us. They then had a biological daughter who is the same age as Sarah Bradley. After she was born, they felt the need to add another "brown face" to their family (as she said on The View), and they began the process to adopt from Haiti. While waiting to bring their son home, they had another biological daughter. It took 3 years and an earthquake for them to bring their second adoptive son home from Haiti.

Kristen amasses such media attention because she was actually in Haiti along with her infant daughter visiting her son when the earthquake there hit. Traumatically, she had to leave little Kembe behind and return to California. Thankfully, a few excruciating weeks later and seeing Diane Sawyer holding her son on national television, Kembe came home to California and they finalized his adoption just a few weeks ago!

Kristen candidly blogs about her life as a mom to 4 children 5 and under. I love her humor and her honesty. I constantly comment on her blog that she says exactly what I'm feeling inside and I appreciate her openness.

So, Kristen, you are today's hero. I hope my little corner of web space can bring more attention to your efforts to raise money for Haiti and raise awareness of adoption and trans-racial families. Thank you for being such a blessing to me!