What makes my husband an awesome daddy…

My husband helping one of our sons learn to fly a kite at the beach

My husband, Dave, is a great daddy. I knew when I married him he was a pretty terrific guy. But there are a few traits of my husband I wanted to highlight on this Father’s Day, 2012.

My husband loves God. He seeks wisdom and direction from God in leading our family, and prays regularly for us. He strives to love God will all his heart, mind, strength and soul. Just as the David of the Bible was a man after God’s own heart, so is my husband. We are blessed to have a Godly man leading our family and seeking to do God’s will.

He works hard for our family, allowing me to stay home with our children. I knew when we started a family, I wanted to be able to stay home to raise our children. We took steps early on in our marriage that enabled us to be a one-income family. I am so grateful to be able to spend my days with our children and watch them grow.

He is patient, much more so than me. When I was at my wit’s end in potty training one of our children, my husband came up with a game plan of incentives that motivated our child to succeed. He takes the time to teach our children. When my daughter struggled in learning a new math concept last year, my husband sat down with her in the evening and helped her understand the concept a different way than I had been trying to teach her. As a homeschool mom, I cannot begin to tell you what a blessing it is to have a supportive husband who takes an active role in helping teach our children. He researches curricula and homeschool resources, and encourages our children as they learn.

He goes along with some of my crazy ideas…like going on vacation with four young kiddos (actually going anywhere with four very energetic kids). I often underestimate the effort involved in taking our family places. But Dave knows I like to get out and do things as a family, and he sacrifices Saturdays and other times so we can spend time together.

He supports my interests and encourages me to try new things. My first priority is being a mama…and it is hard to get time to myself at this stage of our family life. But Dave encourages me to get together with friends and other homeschool mamas, and to take care of myself.

I know I don’t tell him often enough how much I appreciate all his hard work. Happy Father’s Day to my husband, and to all daddies (and daddies-to-be)!

Memories from a year ago

It is hard to believe one year ago this week we were in Taiwan meeting our youngest son. Where does the time go? The last year has been full of a sweet memories, new challenges and adventures as a family of six. I have to say our littlest guy is the most active of our four children. When we met him at the orphanage, at 9 1/2 months of age, he could not sit up for more than a few seconds before toppling over. It was not long before he tackled the sitting “milestone”. Then he was crawling and climbing…yikes! He was climbing everything a few months before he started walking, including the kitchen table and stairs. Obstacles are no trouble; baby gates a necessity but not always effective. He is always watching and learning. He can open some baby gates and is strong enough to push doors open (even doors you would think are too heavy for a guy his size). It is amazing to think how far he has come in the last year. He makes friends wherever we go. He recently learned to blow kisses and by doing so, charms everyone around him. His “dimply” smile and toothy grin can brighten anyone’s day. We are just beginning to see his personality emerge. I look forward to seeing all that God is going to do in his life. Our youngest son has a unique determination I know is a gift from God.

Here are a few photos from our day in Taiwan a year ago….clockwise from top left: feeding him his first bottle; our boy asleep in the hotel crib the first night; our first moments with him at St. Lucy’s Center (orphanage) in Tainan; proud daddy holding his son; happy boy playing in hotel room; as we left the orphanage in a cab, our little guy fell fast asleep in my arms; and sitting on the plaza in front of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei.

Wordless Wednesday: At the beach

Wordless Wednesday: Playtime!

Lessons learned since becoming a mama

A real family photo, with one child not interested in looking at the camera

With Mother’s Day approaching in a few days, I thought I would share a few lessons I have learned (and am still learning) since becoming a mother. Each day seems to offer a new challenge. Being a mama is the most demanding, yet also the most rewarding job I have ever had.

Saying sorry is okay. I make mistakes (often). I have learned to say sorry and ask our kids’ forgiveness. I require them to apologize to one another, and I’ve learned it is just as important for me to be willing to say I’m sorry, too.

Figure out your top priorities and make sure your schedule reflects those priorities. As a mom, my first priority is my family. I am pulled in many different directions, though. There are so many great activities, programs and ministries – I would love to do it all. But I am the one left feeling rundown and tired and defeated because I cannot get everything done. I started saying “no” more frequently during the last year and it’s been good for my husband, my children and for me.

What worked with one child may not work with your next child. All of my kids are different. Just when I think I figured out this motherhood thing, another challenge presents itself and I realize I have much more to learn. Before I had children, I said I would do things a certain way. Guess what? That changed as soon as our first child was born. And it keeps changing as we get to know our children, and as they grow.

Love is an amazing thing. I never could have imagined how much adoption would change my life. I read this adoption creed recently and it is a reflection of how I feel about my sons from Taiwan. The moment I saw them at the orphanage, I knew God had chosen them for our family. I feel so blessed to be their mama.

“Not flesh of my flesh nor bone of my bone
but still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute,
you didn’t grow under my heart but in it.”

My children are truly a blessing from God. I love each one of them and I am so grateful God has entrusted my husband and me to raise them.

Motherhood is quite a journey. I am trying to give myself grace when I make mistakes and extend grace to my children as they learn and grow. I still have much to learn as a mama…not least of which is how to keep a clean house and stay on top of the laundry.