The old is gone...

I am not who I used to be.
My whole entire world has been flipped upside down by one phone call and 7 teenage girls.
The phone call said we got the job as House Parents at Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children.
The seven teenage girls are the girls that I take care of morning and night for 3 weeks a month.
I love them all.
Got trusted me with 3 beautiful children, and 7 amazing house daughters.
I am not who I used to be.
5 months in and I am tired, busy and overworked.
I am also happier than I have ever been in my 28 years on this planet.
They change my world, every day. They make me stronger, better, more compassionate, more aware.
They make me angry, they make me cry, they make me feel like an idiot.
They make me smile, they make me laugh so hard I can't breath, they make me proud.
When they hug me, I am changed, encouraged, filled up.
They take my breath away.
I am not who I used to be, God has made me so much more.
I am tired, I am ecstatic, I am a mother of 10.

Comments

  1. Briana April 19, 2013 at 7:43 AM

    I cant get from where you are coming from because I was there with you for 3 weeks. I love you.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Let me know what you think!

Popular posts from this blog

What Fun!

Image
Life has been busy, crazy but oh, so FUN! In the past week, I've gotten to go to the Bahamas with my friend and I got to spend 24 hours with my dad who was in town for a 50th anniversary celebration. Both adventures were so incredible and made me remember that even though I'm hot, pregnant and cranky, at times, I am so amazingly blessed. I met my best friend, Sarah, in 1991. I was in 1st grade and she was in 2nd. We met at church and have been buds ever since. We got to celebrate our 20th anniversary with a 5 day trip to the Bahamas where we were on a resort and got to relax. We left our husbands and kids behind for a few days resting and enjoying each others company. It was so incredible! This is the view we saw for 4 days, lying on the beach, reading and relaxing. It was so incredible and such a blessing that we were able to go. We got to go sailing, snorkeling and relax by the beach. Sarah even got to do the trapeze. I didn't, due to the baby in my womb (and because I...
Read more

My Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Image
So, as many of you know, we bought a house in May of 2008 that was quite a fixer-upper. It was a foreclosure that had been empty for 2 years! We have spent the last 8 months scrubbing, painting and getting the inside just the way we want it. We have bold colors on the walls, family pictures everywhere, new wood floors down and pretty lighting fixtures that really lighten up the place. But, the thorn in my side has been the outside. Due to the fact that it was empty for so long, the trim went from hunter green, to hideous turquoise. The main color used to be a yellowish cream and now looks more like a very light pink. (yick!) Well, all that changed this weekend when my wonderful in-laws came over and helped us paint. The BEFORE: (boo!) The AFTER: (hooray!) Thank you so, so much to the Clarks and to Jason for working so hard to make our house look so wonderful. It truly feels like our home now.
Read more

Sushi Night 2012

Image
 This Christmas we made sushi with my family in Montana. I made one semi-successful roll and really loved it! I thought that sushi was exclusively in the seafood category, so I never really tried it, but I learned that you can put chicken and beef in sushi, so we have started trying new things and decided to have a sushi party. We bought a sushi rolling kit at Target and bought out the Asian food aisle at Reasor's. Then it was time to clean. As most of you know, my children are incredible. They are well behaved, they are brilliant and lately, they've become extremely helpful! I gave them each jobs and they did great! Caden helped load the dishwasher, vacuum the living room carpet and wipe down the tables. Bailey cleaned the front bathroom and swept the floors. While they didn't do a perfect job, they were so cute and both just wanted to help. It was awesome.   Finally it was time for the party. We had 2 couples over from church with their kids and then a couple fro...
Read more