Dr Visits and Junior Monopoly

I should be in bed. I should have an ice pack on my neck to relieve the stress. However, this is the best I've felt all day. We left town with littleM and bigM today at 10am. We had 2 appointments in LR and needed to do some essential shopping in Conway on the way. (I cannot send them to school next week in what they brought here)

I had to talk Sheridan into staying at home. She was really upset about not going, but she doesn't understand that she is emotionally exhausted. I can hear it in her voice and see it in her face. She is having the best time with the kids, has the best attitude toward them I could ever ask for, but it is taking it's toll. She's been almost an only child for a few months and she didn't realize she needed some "quiet time." I left her to relax with Ryan and Erin.

Our first appointment was with middleM's therapist. We are so thankful for the great facility he is at, for this seemingly very caring man who talks to him every day, who cares about him, and who encouraged us in preparing for his adjustment to our home. He answered a lot of our questions, took notes on our conversation and was very positive about us bringing him home soon. We set a date in February that we are using as our goal. We then got to visit middleM and discovered that he was confused about when he was coming home, had talked some of the attendants into helping him pack up his bags this morning, and had experienced a big disappointment today. How utterly despondent I would've been, but as a child who experiences disappointments every day, he seemed to have moved through it, wanted to show us some of his new Christmas toys, and was mildly interested in the fact that we were going to make a countdown calendar until he gets to come home. We looked at his toys, saw some of his schoolwork on the wall on the way out of the building, and then left him. Again.

BigM's appointment was at 3pm. We saw a doctor at 5:10. 2 hours and 10 minutes after our appointment time. I cannot write the sad details of our 8 minute visit with this doctor. I was about to lose my cool when I realized it would not help anyone for me to tell this doctor how I felt about the quality of our visit. I left with a headache in the middle of my forehead. The pressure was building.

My superhero was outside, having entertained our tiny spark plug for 2 hours and 15 minutes. We headed home, made an unplanned dinner stop (it was going to be after 7 when we got home), and apologized to everyone at home for basically abandoning them all day by themselves. Quote of the day...BigM says, "I can't wait to get home and see them!"

The worst part of the day wasn't yet upon us: Bedtime with a child who DOES NOT like to go to bed.
Call me spoiled, but I dread bedtime. (even thought it has boosted my prayer life) I haven't ever heard crying like this one does every night.  Tonight, Richard came out of Ms room in record time, and I was amazed...and humbled by our BIG BIG God. Not one tear was shed.

AND THEN, bigM came in and showed me her new hairdo Erin created. (sweet, sweet sister love here)

AND THEN, bigM, Sheridan and I played a game of Junior Monopoly (even though I was sure I was going to take a hot Jacuzzi) and the game was fun! BigM was laughing, Sheridan was laughing, I was the loser, and the winner...all at the same time.

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW. 4 days down, forever to go.

Day 1: six plus three

 

Quote of the Day: While picking up littleM from his daycare on Friday morning, he ran out, gave me a hug, then turned back to hug one of the ladies working there. As he hugged her, his gaze went to a room full of kids, most older than him, and yelled, "I'm not ever coming back!"

This truly choked me up, and even tugged on the adoption specialist who was there to help us get him. As littleM went out the door and ran into Lauren's arms, we loaded his bag of clothes and noticed both the ladies working there were standing at the glass doors looking at us go. There were a room full of children there... watching our happy ending. For the first time ever, the 9 Rogers were together in the parking lot. It was surreal. And we were in 2 cars...because we don't have (and won't ever have) a passenger van!

We went to eat an early lunch at McDonalds..our first gourmet meal together. Then we headed to the River Walk bridge in Little Rock for some exercise and room to play. We had middleM for just a few hours. He wasn't going to get to go home with us, but we're not sure he understood that the other Ms were getting to come to our house.

It's been 2 long days. The newest Rogers slept around 12 hours each last night. I was the only one who didn't get very much sleep. I mean, I was exhausted (mentally) but couldn't believe we had 2 kids sleeping in our home and we don't even know anything about them! Do they sleep walk? Do they eat mac and cheese? Where are the prescriptions for their medicine? Where are all their clothes? Why didn't they come with their toys? ... Right this minute S and bigM are sharing a chair watching a movie, littleM and Richard are snuggled together watching and all is well. Two days down...a lifetime to go. (No faces or names can be posted yet...)

Christmas in MH

 

No matching pjs this year, but they did get in the holiday spirit with reindeer ears and fun smiles for me! I mean, we could hardly go through the season without a pic in front of the tree could we? (bad news, in the snow/ice storm last week, my parents had leaks in several places...one was right by the tree. The presents were displayed all around the dining room table instead. Weird, but true)

 

It was a little low key this Christmas as Mom wasn't feeling good (bronchitis) and it helped remind us all to pitch in to help prepare food, clean up the kitchen and keep calmer than usual. We were also 2 days from picking up our kiddos and I think we were all a little distracted by that thought. The food was FABULOUS and the house was decorated to the HILT.  My kids love being at Grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas morning!

More Cousin Pics

Christmas in Conway

We got 2 days with Richard's side of the family for Christmas. It was fun to spend time in Conway and have plenty of room for the kids to play and for the adults to visit. So thankful for everyone getting to be together to celebrate Jesus' birth and catch up with one another! Games, food, laughter, gifts, more food, and more laughter!

 

 

 

Quote of the Day

ZOO trip

"How great is our God!" How else could our second visit, with kids we don't hardly know, go as well as it did today? How else could the sun have been shining, the zoo have been open, the crowds almost non-existent, and the conversation so good? We are thankful, we are humbled, and we are excited to be bringing at least 2 of these children HOME next week. All days won't be so smooth...we know that. But TODAY was awesome.

 

Noelle, the First

Christmas angels and Christmas songs! So thankful to be involved with the children's choir again this year, preparing for and presenting our Christmas musical. Sheridan had a speaking part, I taught some a couple kids handbells, and they offered a great gift to God with their program.

Madrigal Feast

 

 Another great Madrigal Feast at the High School. We're always impressed by the music, the production and the food. Seriously, the cafeteria transforms into a royal theater! Mimi and Gramps got to come for the and it was fun to see it through their eyes for the first time. We were so thankful for our Ladye Erin on the Royal court. It was a magical evening.

 

WHAT a WEEKEND

 

I am dying to write down my thoughts from this weekend, and yet, want to process them fully, and treasure them. On our drive to LR on Saturday to meet our new children, I was a little nervous, not really sick or anything, but the unknown always makes me a little wary. I had been praying specifically for S. First impressions, both ways, were critically important. I mean...she was seeing her sister and brothers for the FIRST TIME EVER.

When we got there we met their Adoption Specialist in the hall and said, "Are you ready? 'Cause all your kids are here." My breath caught, and we said yes. Not too early either, because they were coming toward us. She introduced us to them as her friends, because she hadn't had the opportunity to meet them in a quiet place and tell them we wanted to be their forever family.

She actually left us with them and said, "I'll see you in a bit." So...we just headed toward the party room,  a wonderful place, decorated for Christmas and fun for kids and just sat down with these kids. We asked them all kinds of questions, and laughed about how much candy little bit was putting down. Richard came up with a game to play, Lauren was laughing with sister, Sheridan was right there in the conversation bringing middle one out. It was surreal.

In the middle of the time, sister looks at me and says, "Are you thinking about adopting us?" I replied, "Yeah, we're thinking about it. How would you feel about that?" She looked at me, smiled and said, "I think that'd be great." And then she went on talking to Lauren. We told her she could ask us questions, and she started out with some hard ones...favorite color, favorite drink, favorite dessert...we laughed. Lauren and I looked over her head in wonder.

At one point the 3 kids went to a staging area for a game, Sheridan started crying and I panicked. When she came to me, she said she was just crying for these kids. "Are these happy tears?" "Yes." PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW.

We're going to go to LR on Wednesday for a "play day." If all goes well, then well, they said we could bring them home on the 27th. HOME. HERE. REALLY.

We have pictures on our phones, but we're not allowed to post or share them. The whole thing is completely a miracle, and we're in the middle of it.

 

Hits Deep Tour

 

Nothing like ear piercing music to bring our family together. We all went to Tulsa Thursday night for an early Christmas present...the Hits Deep Tour with TobyMac, Mandisa, Jamie Grace, Brandon Heath, Colton Dixon, Chris August...oh my! Three hours of SUPER FUN music! Love that we all knew so many of the songs and could laugh and sing and dance together worshipping the Lord. We haven't had as much music around our house as we used to. It's time for that to change. Singing to the Lord is balm.

 

"None of that mumbo jumbo
Give me that hip hop funk soul
Give me that funky Jesus music
Give me that soulful gumbo

Give me that funky
Funky Jesus Music
Give me that hip, that rock, that funky soul
Give me that juicy flow
Give me that funky
Funky Jesus Music
Give me that hip, that rock, that funky soul
And watch this party grow
Let's go"

 

 

"The same Man, the Great I am
The one who overcame death
Is living inside of You
So just hold tight, fix your eyes
On the one who holds your life
There's nothing He can't do
He's telling You"