Pumpkin Patch Pictures 2013

Billy's Favorite Picture

Greetings All, this is Billy, Laurie's hilarious husband (some of you might remember me as Goggy Coffee). I don't have the time or energy to blog like I used to, so instead of posting on my Goggy Coffee Blog, I'm hijacking her blog for a quick post on Isaac's birthday:

This is my absolute favorite picture. This was October 2006, Isaac’s 2^nd birthday, and our first to celebrate with him since he came home. What makes this picture special to me is that it was taken during one of the darkest periods of Laurie’s and my life.

Three weeks prior, CPS had removed a baby from us. She was an adoptive placement (we'd named her and had a homecoming party), and her removal was devastating. Not only did we lose her forever, but we spent nearly a month in constant panic that Isaac would be removed as well. 

This was a month spent waiting for CPS to determine that our house was safe and that we were fit to remain an open foster care family. There are still quite a few vivid memories I have of that month. 

I remember dreading the sound of the phone ringing. Every time someone called our house or cell phone, I got a small but piercing wave of anxiety – especially if the call came from our caseworker or attorney. I was waiting for someone to tell me they were coming for Isaac. They'd ask how Laurie and I were doing and I'd pray they hurry up and get the point of the call. Every day at 5pm, I breathed a sigh of relief because I figured they would come for him during business hours. And I got some small peace on the weekends for the same reason. But everyday weekday morning, I awoke with a new feeling of fear.

Shortly after the baby was removed, CPS conducted an inspection of our house. The results would determine if we could proceed with finalizing Isaac’s adoption, and in the weeks waiting for the results his birthday arrived.

I don’t remember details on the party, but I’m sure I put up a fight not to have it. I probably worried what the point was of celebrating a birthday for a child I desperately wanted to be mine, and wanting to cancel was a defense. In some ways I’m sure I was trying to separate from him in case he left.

Nevertheless, we held the party. And at some point, me or someone took this picture. I can’t get over how genuinely happy Laurie looks. I can’t see any fear or sadness in Laurie’s eyes. Somehow she enjoyed her first birthday as a mom.

About a week after the party, CPS cleared our house as safe and gave us the green light to proceed with Isaac's adoption. They even told us removing the baby had been harsh and impulsive, which I suppose gave us some small satisfaction. 

Now, I just remember we went through absolute hell, and the result was a family. I can't believe what was once this...

has become...

Happy Birthday, Isaac, Forever Our First Child!!!

My Birthday Boy

 Today is my son's birthday. We have celebrated 7 of his special days with him and the years have really started to pick up speed. He was the child who made me a mother. He was the boy we prayed for when we began our foster to adopt journey. He came home and lit up our world with laughter and joy. He was a handful from the age of 2-6. Rough years with our impulsive child who bounced off the walls and ran his mouth a mile a minute.

 

Loudly.

 Where ever we went.

 

He would say things without thinking them through that would make us cringe and send the blood boiling to our faces.

 

 

 But this past year, Isaac William has hit a stride. It has been our best year yet with him. 8 years old looked real good on this child, and I have high hopes his 9th year on this earth will be even better. He has become easier to parent as his character develops. He is polite and kind. He thinks of others.

 

He has a deep sense of morality with the remorse and regret that I prayed the Lord would give him to ward of the natural trouble boys can find themselves in.

 

This year he has played baseball, been in a summer musical, joined student council and was selected as a member of Circle of Friends to shadow a classmate with special learning needs.

 

He is known well amongst his classmates and church families.

He is trusted and respected and loved.

 

He said to me the other day on the way home from school, "Mom...when you told me that my behavior reflects the whole family and represents you...it really made me think and change my ways. So thank you, Mom."

 

I smiled and laughed at his mature statement. I told him I was happy that I have had an impact on his choices and that I love him very much. 

 

He has made my mama heart beat fast with pride welling up for the boy that I have always believed would make a mark in this world. 

 

I can hardly believe the time that has passed.

 

So a very Happy Birthday to my first son.

 

And thank you to the woman who made a choice to give him life, despite the odds against her and a society that scoffs at one more baby born on welfare.

 

Mostly....Thank you, God for choosing and entrusting us to raise this boy into adulthood and for bringing him safely home where he belongs.

Happy Fall Y'all

 

The exhaustion from the dog days of summer that seem to never end, has finally lifted here in Texas. The weather is cooler, (thank you jesus!) We are enjoying football season, pumpkin spice everything is starting to show up,  and we got our fall décor bins down from the attic last weekend. Keishun said "I thought you would have waited for October, Mom." Ha, I said.
It is only a week away, my son.

 

Ain't nobody got time to wait around for that.

 

And here it us, upon us. The décor is up. I am ready. There are pumpkins and fall leaves, and candles galore. But I also have "Boo" written on my wreaths and jack o' lanterns adorning my shelves. There are black and orange candy corn dishes and a little black metal haunted house lantern on the piano.

 

And this brings me to an interesting post. For the past several years, I have been faced with a battle of the evangelicals, if we want to call it that. It is kind of like this line in the sand where the "Oh, we don't DO Halloween. Don't you know the origin?" people stand on one side and the "Oh we do it ALL because it is harmless fun, fun, fun" people stand on the other. Then you have the ones straddling the line who say... "we dress up and go trick or treating, but we don't decorate for Halloween. Because we are Christians, and all. Or "We trunk and treat, fall festivals only....lock our doors and shut off the lights"...and so on. I get it all. I really do. I understand there is a dark side in this world. And we are not in it.

 

Look...I'm not here to judge one way or the other what anyone's personal convictions on the subject happen to be. I just thought my blog readers might be interested as to where we stand.

 

We decorate. We party it up. We buy candy and receive candy. We dress up. We drink cider. We have even been known to hang a cobweb or two.  We walk the neighborhood on the 31st. We are okay with it. And we go to bed that night dreaming of next Halloween. We don't do witches. We don't do vampires. We don't do devils.

But we DO love princesses, pirates, super heroes, and Disney characters.

We know very strong Christians who use all Hallows Eve to be a source of light to their neighborhoods...hosting traditions like serving up burgers and hotdogs on their front lawn while projecting The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on their garage doors. This is done with this logic: if all of your neighbors come knocking on your door one night out of the year...then as an ambassador of Christ's message of love and forgiveness, why wouldn't you use that time to honor him by loving your neighbors and finding common ground to connect on?

Great thing to ponder.

Can it be that we use something that man has made into his own to be a thing that we take back to glorify God? I believe so. Even if glorifying God is simply loving our husbands and children well through traditions and events.

 Some of my very best childhood memories involve Halloween. I always knew I wanted my children to have that too. 

Making the most of our family moments has been a big deal for me as a mom. I want my children to feel my love wrap around them as I dress them up and shoot dozens of photos. "When are we going to the pumpkin patch, Mom?" they start asking right around this date every year. They know that pumpkin patches are my favorite.

And for one of my kids who didn't grow up in a place where anyone much cared whether he was coming or going on the 31st of October, the fuss I make about holidays and birthdays and vacations...brings a sense of peace, love, and excitement.

A sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself.

 

So yes...I will continue to love Fall and all that this fresh, cool season brings with it.

To be in the world, but not of it.

Knowing that God is glorified in the small things of life, like  roasting pumpkin seeds with your children. Or making pumpkin bread and filling their tummies and love banks.

Yes, friends...God is honored and glorified even in an orange pumpkin in October.