Life after one month home...

August 30 made one month that we have been a family of 6. In some ways life is so different. Joey and I will celebrate 13 years of marriage this October and I am confident that I have cooked more in the last month that I have in any other month of our marriage. This has been a great thing for our family. It has been good for Molly and Lincoln, who are accustomed to eating way too much fast food and it gives us a chance to "check in" with each other at the end of the day.  I'm still figuring out the task of laundry for 6 and managing 3 sets of homework, but we have made progress. We have had so many people offer support during our first month. Several friends brought dinner and my mom and dad have been very helpful in making this transition as smooth as possible.

Overall, everyone is:
-sleeping well
-eating well
-doing GREAT at school
-adjusting well to the after-school schedule
-getting along
-laughing a lot! (crying less)
-giving and getting lots of LOVE!

Molly (8)
Molly is doing well in 3rd grade. She has taken the task of adding 2 new brothers in stride. Sometimes she forgets that she's not in charge, but the boys definitely remind her. Agendo likes to say, "Molly...you NOT Mama!" She is still on the swim team at the Y and she starts soccer soon. We are proud of the leader and example she is to all of the boys. Recently, in her prayers she has focused on personal qualities that she would like to improve on and is seeking God's direction. We are so thankful she is trusting in Him for her future.

Agendo (7)
Agendo is thriving in 1st grade. He is constantly presented with material that is new and difficult for him, but he is not backing down. It is his goal in life to be the "champion" at everything he does and he works for it. We are so proud of his effort! He has joined the Gators in Training swim team (along with Linc) and is working so hard to swim independently. He has a great servant's heart and is the first to volunteer (and sometimes take over) if someone needs help. He has been known to stop playing kickball to help me unload the groceries without being asked to help. We are praying that he keeps his heart of service (such an example to the other 3 kids) and that his work ethic never wanes.

Lincoln (6)
In the last month, Lincoln has done a great job of completely sharing his space. He and Agendo are together 100% of their day. They share a room (all four of them share a room by choice), they are in the same class at school, they ride the bus together everyday, 2 days a week they swim together and three days a week they sit in my office together waiting on me to get out of school. At this moment I can't think of a time that he has complained about any of this. He is also doing well in 1st grade. He and Agendo have been blessed with a wonderful teacher who seems to completely understand their needs (definitely an answer to prayer!).

Chancely (4)
Chancely started pre-k a couple of weeks after we arrived home and seems to be doing very well in that setting. I was a little afraid because he had not been exposed to a formal school environment. So far the greatest challenge we are facing at school is not having an accident during nap time. His language acquisition has not been at fast as Agendo, at least not in what he is willing to say independently. Both of them have gained a lot of receptive vocabulary, but Chancely is less verbally expressive. He is very expressive with his gestures and face and he is willing to repeat anything you say. He is actually a little mocking bird, which sometimes drives his older siblings a little crazy! He is very interested in adult attention and would rather stand with me in the kitchen while I'm cooking than play with the others.


I have recently told several people that we have always known that God's grace is sufficient for all things, but in the last month it feels like we are in a bubble of His grace. Things that could have spiraled out of control instead have turned out well. Situations in which the children could have completely fallen apart have led to growth and greater bonding opportunities. That does not mean that everything has been easy, by any means! But HE has been so faithful and we are more thankful than we could ever say. He has provided for us in ways that we could have never anticipated. We have received support from close friends and family and from people that we don't even know personally. It is impossible to give an update without accounting for God's grace. When I am exhausted I remember that the challenges we face are so minimal relative to the challenges of so many in this world. When I am frustrated I remember that all 4 of them are just children. When I struggle to offer grace I remember the grace that has been extended to me.

It's hard to be anything but thankful.