They Wanted Us Back!

We just got back home from a wonderful time together celebrating our anniversary hiking and biking in the mountains. We even got to see a real live BEAR on today's morning hike - perhaps God's stand-in for Little Bear and Big Bear. And guess what else?! The girls remembered us when we got home! They knew I was their mom and wanted me back! They ran to the door screaming when they heard us knocking and did not stop talking until we put them to bed about an hour later. They wanted to tell us everything about their their adventures at our friends' house eating ice cream, jumping on the trampoline and playing dress up. It appears they survived just fine. The only thing I did find out as I looked at a few snapshots from the weekend was that our dear friend who asked to take them to the county fair today to watch her daughter's dance performance dressed Junia in a nightgown (no doubt thinking it was a play dress) and some horribly mismatched stretchpants for the outing. So my sweet Big Bear, who is already a bit of a celebrity in town, went parading about for the entire county to see - in her nightgown. Oh well....Could've been worse, right? (Mental note: Leave out clothing selections next time. Don't trust the fashion sense of others as it applies to those that bear your last name - no pun intended.)

We really did miss the girls while we were away (I had to resist the temptation to call and check on them too often) but came back refreshed after having had even just 48 hours to have adult conversation and activities that didn't involve kid gear, nap time, potty training and the like. I now understand why a friend of mine with 3 very young children makes a point to try and do short getaways (even for just one night) a couple of times of year with her husband. You appreciate your kids even more when you can step away, even briefly, just to breathe and reset. You also find that the couple you were before you had kids still does exist. Those people are just really tired most of the time so it's easy to forget them in Toddlerland and think they have resigned or died. But fear not - they are still in there. If you just give them some rest, they will come out of hiding.

So I was reminded as I entered my front door how much I love those girls. I was so happy to see them and can't wait to see them again tomorrow. This week promises to be a big week of transitions for our family. Mama Bear goes back to work onsite two mornings a week (in addition to the work I have been doing offsite this entire time) and Big Bear starts preschool shortly thereafter. We are asking God to bless this transition and make it as smooth as possible for all of us. Junia is very excited about going to school and often talks about how she will go potty at school, wear her new pink and brown polka dot sweatshirt to school, take her giraffe backpack to school...It's pretty cute.

We are still in process on bigger life decisions relevant to our continuing desire to be used by God in the cause of ministering to orphans. We haven't made any big decisions yet but had some great conversations that have given both of us much to think and pray about. We are praying specifically about how God might be able to use the telling of our story - ordinary as it may seem to us - to move others to consider adoption. We are excited to see what God has in store for our family.