Cute Picture Day

These 2 precious sisters are as different as night and day but they love each other so very much and I love watching them together (when they are not fighting anyway).

The cool part about going to Michigan every other week for the last 2 months is the kids have gotten a lot of pool time and they are loving it! I just signed 5 kids up for swim lessons so next week they are really going to have fun.

Last but not least is a picture of our bundle of 5 right now. I can't show faces of the boys so I thought I would show this picture to give you an idea. It really is fun having 5 kids ages 5-8!

I wish I could share a picture of little Torry man but not yet :(  I promise that when the adoption is final (hopefully around Christmas) that I will drive you crazy with pictures of our precious angel!!!

5+4-2+1-1+1= ?

How often is it that you have to count your hand how many kids you have? I went to sign us up at the YMCA the other day and they asked how many kids I had and I honestly had to think about it for a minute.

Our 2 smallest foster children left so we were down to 5 kids. Torry came for a visit so then we were at 6 kids. I had to take Torry back yesterday so then we were back to 5 and tonight I have my niece so we are at 6 again.

I am so used to having a big family now that I can't handle the silence. I had a chance to spend the night all by myself in a hotel room last night and I just couldn't do it because I wanted my noisy family back.

I found out that our little Torry will be coming home forever next week and we are sooooo excited! I know people don't understand and I am so trying to understand them not understanding but I just don't. If we would say no to him we would be missing out on one of the most precious treasures that God has ever offered us. If you had someone offer you the most incredible gift you could ever imagine but it came with a little extra work would you turn it away? We understand that our life will change. We understand that Torry could live with us forever and he will require a lot of extra care. We also understand though that God put Torry on this earth for a very special purpose and for some reason God has given us the opportunity to parent this incredible child and we wouldn't turn him away for the world. If you don't understand that's fine but just rejoice with us that our baby is coming home!

Entertaining Angels

Having Torry around makes me think of Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 

Five months ago all Torry was is a cute picture on our computer, a complete stranger. Many people think we are crazy, many people have tried to stop us or discourage us from bringing him home but everytime I look in his eyes, this is the verse I think of.

For years I talked to Chris about the time I worked at a home for kiddos like Torry and he could never really understand how much kiddos like Torry could affect your heart until he met Torry. My amazing husband would have never dreamed in a million years of bringing home a child as special as Torry but now he couldn't imagine life without Torry.

There is something about Torry that makes the whole house just glow, love more and bring so many smiles. Torry has taught this house true team work, thinking of others before yourself, he has taught us how to be cheerleaders because you should see how we all cheer if he gives a us a "five" or he giggles (these things don't come easy for him).

I watch Torry at church and it's like he just knows he is there to worship God. Whenever christian music plays Torry immediately starts smiling, lifting his arms, and he tries to sing. This is not something learned.

I think if I ever get stopped and someone asks me what is "wrong" with him I may just have to say "nothing! He is made perfect what is wrong with you to not be able to see that."

This little man has blessed this house more than anyone could ever imagine. I hate the thought of taking him back tomorrow but very, very soon he will be here forever and we can't wait until that moment.