Hi Friends~
It's officially 2013! I've missed this little space, and have decided to make it one of my resolutions to get this blog up and running again! I can think of nothing better than a 2012 recap. Almost a year has passed since I last posted and you probably want to get re-acquainted with me. Side note, I'm pretty sure the only people that read this are my parents, sister/sister-in-law, and like 3 of my friends and are already aware of everything about to be posted. But I know my life is just interesting enough that you want to relive it with me :)
January: In the beginning of January last year, Matt and I were approved to become foster/adoptive parents. We started the classes in January and began the process. Matt and I ran the 3M Half and I had a big PR!
February: Training classes ended. We started working on our homestudy and Matt ran the Livestrong half marathon again. I did not. I handed out water cups with CFN (our foster agency) while watching everyone run uphill.
March: Turned 27. That's about all I got.
April: The biggie. We became fully licensed foster parents and took our first placement, an almost 3-year-old little girl. For privacy reasons, we call her "A".
May: Many ups and downs navigating the foster care process and the roller-coaster your life becomes. We had setbacks, we had triumphs, we had it all. I celebrated my first, official mother's day, which I hope I will have many more of. "A" had her 3rd birthday.
June/July/August: These months were kind of a blur. Matt celebrated his first father's day, which was a special occassion. It was also an emotional time as we learned "A" would be moved to a family placement and this process took a couple of months to shake out. Matt and I had to be patient bystanders as we were at the whim and whimsy of CPS, or so we felt. At the end of August "A" went to live with her aunt. (*Not to jump ahead, but we keep in touch with her aunt some and hear she is doing really well and that her mother is also doing very well. Huge answer to prayer.)
September: September was a month of loss, but also a breath of fresh air. We took a trip to Estes Park, CO for a friend's wedding and fell in love with the outdoors. I was able to see a friend from college that I don't get to see often and felt refreshed even though we had just been through so much. We planned to wait before taking another placement, but we couldn't resist the call about a sweet 9-month-old boy who needed a home right way. Enter baby "E" who has been an absolute delight and joy.
November: A crazy month indeed. Full of doctor's appointments, navigating daycare, ear infections, bio family visits, learning about Afro hair care, Thanksgiving, "E's" first birthday. We had so much to be thankful for and the many ways the Lord had blessed us and taken care of us as we stepped out in faith this past year.
December: "E's" now staying at home with me as I work from home. He takes solid naps during the day and is content to entertain himself most of the time with LEGOs and his Mickey airplane while I plug away with work on the couch. He's a fun companion to have around and can make any hard day brighter with his belly laughs and toothy grin. Early in the month, Matt and I both headed to Sacramento to run the CIM Marathon. Boy was that a wet and windy one! It was Matt's first full marathon and my 4th. We each had high hopes for the race that didn't exactly pan out, but we were both proud of our accomplishments nonetheless. We celebrated our first Christmas as parents and together with my family at my parent's house. It was wonderful and full of warmth and love.
That brings us to now. I'm looking forward to this year and sharing life here on this blog. I'll try to have less words and more pictures, but I can't make any promises. Oh, and there's this show called The Bachelor that's premiering next week. You might have heard of it. Stay tuned...
