Respite Care Update!

Hello, friends! 

Well, we did it! We had our first respite care assignment. Honestly, I'd say that it went pretty well. I say that knowing that Megan did most of the heavy lifting but she and I agree that it was a worthwhile experience and we're happy we did it. We're also open to doing it again (more on that later). 

I'm still not sure what I can or can't reveal about the assignment but I can say that it was multiple children around Jonah's age. These were some high energy kids, that's for sure. Let's break down the weekend. 

The kids showed up around 8 on Friday night, which worked out well because it was already bedtime. We gave them a tour of the upstairs and introduced them to Phoebe and Gus before getting ready for bed. They came in super polite and immediately felt at home. We had them in Thaliea's room (Thaliea moved in with the boys) and they pretty much went right to bed. Honestly, they went to bed better than our kids did, which was a blessing. 

Saturday was a fun one. Megan got up early with the kids and got them ready for the day, as well as getting our kids ready for the day. It was absolutely jam packed:

- Megan left for an appointment at 8:30
- I took all the kids to Ezra's basketball game @ 10
- Megan met us at the game
- After the game, I took the respite care kids home while Megan took our kids to a birthday party
- As soon as they got back from the party, we switched and I took our kids to a Bellevue Basketball game while Megan stayed home with the kids. 
- We got home and had dinner, then played, took baths, and got ready for bed

The kids left around 8:30am on Sunday, which then gave us enough time to get ready for church. At the end of the time, one of the kids asked about when they could visit next. I guess they had a good enough time that they wanted to come back. =0). 

All in all, it was a really positive experience. Megan and I have already talked about wanting to do it again and seeing if there may be some regular respite assignments we can take (like, the same kid once a month or something like that). 

Thanks to everyone for your prayers! It really means a lot to us that so many people were invested in the process. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Respite Care!

Hello, friends! 

Prior to Megan and me getting married, we had a conversation about how we were going to grow our family. We both wanted kids and we both wanted to do foster parenting at some point. We weren't sure of the details but we both knew that foster parenting was something that was in line with our values and something that we wanted to do. 

Fast forward a few years ago and we decided that the time was right for us to get certified as foster parents. The training was really good and actually helped me in my current parenting. At least I think it did. You'll have to ask the kiddos... =0). 

One of the decisions we made through that process is that we wanted to start with respite care. Respite care is when foster parents can't care for their foster kids for a short period of time and need someone to cover the care. There are a lot of benefits to respite care for long-term foster parents, and we felt like this was a great way for us to dip our toes into the foster care process. 

After a few different false starts (i.e., we were going to be out of town the dates that respite care was necessary) we finally got our first placement for this weekend! 

I'm not sure what I'm allowed or not allowed to say about who we will be fostering this weekend, so I'll be sparce on the details. I just know that there was a need over the weekend and we're happy to help! 

Dear friends, please be praying for us this weekend. Right now everyone is excited, including the kids, which is great. We just have no idea how this will go. We also have a pretty packed Saturday, so coordinating that has been a bit of a situation. Here are a few prayer requests: 

- Health: There's a cold that's been traveling through our family. Pretty much everyone is out of the woods but we want to be totally healed and make sure that the kiddos don't catch anything.

- Comfort: We can only imagine how difficult it is for a foster child to be moved to a new location, even for the short term. Pray that we'll be able to provide a safe and loving environment. 

- Phoebe: Phoebe loves new people. She may love new people a little bit too much. She doesn't like it when we have guests over and she can't get to know them (read: lick them a bunch). We've been working on her training but there's still work to do. Please pray that she'll handle the situation well. 

We'll give an update next week on how things went. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Proof of 40...

Hello, friends! 

On Wednesday, I took Jonah to the trampoline park after school for some one-on-one time. It's something that I've done tons of times before so it wasn't that big of a deal. The one difference was that since this was our "special time" he wanted me to jump with him. Because of our membership, it was only an extra $2 so I said, "why not?" and went for it. 

Friends, since taking this photo of us after our time jumping, I haven't been able to lift my arms above my head without soreness... The Oldening has happened... 

I remember when my dad has his 40th birthday party all those years ago. The house was decorated in an "over the hill" theme. I'd been told stories about how once you hit 40, your body breaks down. I remember reading once that studies have shown that 29 is when one hits their physical peak. I said to myself, "I stay in relatively good shape. I work out 5-6 times a week. I generally keep my eating within an acceptable range. Sure, I could always do better but I think I'm doing OK. 40 shouldn't be too bad." 

Y'all, I was VERY wrong. 

Look, I'm not saying that my body started breaking down as soon as I turned 40. I'm just saying that I've noticed it more. The trampoline park incident goes on top of my Achilles tendon still hurting from my run on Monday (NOTE: it was an 8 mile run, so that seems reasonable). That sort of thing would usually only take a day to heal. I had a week of fasting a few weeks ago (for spiritual, not physical reasons). In previous years, during a fast, I would drop 2-3 pounds a day then keep it off for at least a few months. This time, I dropped 3 pounds and immediately put it back on within the week. The fact that my body needs more recovery also means I need more sleep, which is new too. I used to be able to function on 6 hours of sleep a night. The past month has proven otherwise. Y'all, I think I'm breaking down here! 

The original plan for my 40's was to defy age. This was the decade I was going to complete an Olympic length triathlon. If I was EVER going to dunk, it was going to be in my 40's. Anything and everything was possible! 

And now, I have trouble getting out of the foam pit at the trampoline park... this does not bode well for the next decade... =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam