Safe Families, 6 weeks in

Photo taken by Miss A during a play date last week.

This is the last night the little ones will be here.

My emotions are all over the place.

I will miss them.

I got an email from Walgreens with a coupon for a free 8x10" picture collage, so I made one with Sassy Girl, Mr Jingle Pants, Sparkle & Fluffy, and these 3 guys.  

We'll likely be taking a break from hosting for a bit until after Katie and Luke are well settled in, so I wanted something tangible I could see as a reminder of our Safe Families extended family.

I know there are seasons of life, and I'll likely be able to get back to it eventually, but I've really really enjoyed being able to be a host family.  It's something I can point to that feels like it's making a difference.  

What will I miss about these guys?

I'll miss the girls' wispy, out-of-control hair.

I'll miss the suck-suck-swallow pattern I hear when Gogo has his bottle.  The first time I sat in the rocking chair giving it to him, the sound transported me back to my breastfeeding days.  It sounded just like nursing.  

I'll miss feeling Miss No's breath on my neck as she snuggles up to me during worship at church, and waking up to her blonde mop of curls peering over the crib rail at me, talking gibberish in her cute little voice.

I'll miss celebrating the little victories as we see Big Sis achieve new things.  She's saying BEAR now, thanks to Teddy Grahams.  She's sitting on the potty every time we do group diaper changes.  While her pull-up is always wet, she does "produce" about half the time.  This is huge for her, and all thanks to Miss S, as I wouldn't have messed with it, had she not tried it with some success when Big Sis was at her house.  

I feel like we've made so much progress (mostly with the girls) since they've been here.  Routine and consistency have helped them know what to expect, and they've settled in nicely.  I hope that their next transitions go smoothly, and that they can continue to gain new skills and experiences.  

As Paul read the Easter story from the Bible at dinner last night, something jumped out at me.  Jesus said, "The poor you will have with you always."  I had a squirmy Gogo on my lap as he was reading, and my first thought was that we certainly did have.  But then His meaning hit me.  He was saying, "You'll always have the poor, but you have to make a special point to put Me first."  Convicting.  God, don't let me get so busy doing good things that I forget to spend time with You.  

I think the chance to reset our version of normal will be a good thing for our family.

But I'm still gonna miss the little buggers.

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