Samuel Jerome and Richnightder

Samuel Jerome and Richnightder
Our boys in Haiti

Friday, July 30, 2010

Orlando, March 4-7th, 2011

I already have some plans solidified for 2011. Our first plan is for the Haiti in our Hearts camp in Alexandria, Minnesota for the weekend of July 15th, 2011. Right about that time, we also have Madison's youth group trip with church to Seattle for a week of community service. We'll travel there by Amtrak (blech) and then stay in something less than a 5 star hotel. I'd rather fly, but the other kids from church can't swing that finacially, so it's the train. I just hope they have a booze car so I can R.E.L.A.X away from teenagers.

But the biggest and most exciting news for next year is my trip to Orlando.....completely without kids or husband. Now I have never gone on a vacation without Marc before, but I am really excited about this trip. Corey, over at www.watchingthewaters.blogspot.com is planning this second annual mom's only trip to sunny Florida. It's a total CHICK weekend and I am more than a little excited. Could you tell?

I trust that Marc will be able to feed the kids and animals on a somewhat regular schedule and that the house will be standing upon my return. Actually, I don't give a damn.....I'm going to Orlando with a group of fun chicks. Tifanni....You Gotta come too!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah girl! We're gonna party like it's 1999!!

Or, you know, 2011. Whatever. ;-)

Massages and margaritas.

Tifanni said...

Sounds like fun-I gotta check the status of my money tree :)

E-S said...

Hello you told me to comment here in response to your post. Here it is:
and please don't be too upset with me. I have hated myself plenty after I realized the many truths you shared with me on my blog and YES they are truths. I am guilty I confess. I'm not trying to make a provision for me or my husband's poor decision. God has made beauty from ashes and has worked out everything for His good. I feel eternally grateful for HIS MERCY that is for sure! I am sharing my story in hopes that others will not make the same mistake and adopt for the wrong reasons, bc here I thought mine were the right reasons. I thought since I wasn't adopting to fulfill something in our home I had a better chance at adoption success, being measured through God's love of course.
Oh I understand completely and once again you are right. I can't argue with you there. Actually through some great spiritual counseling I found out that I adopted because of my lack of trust in God to protect the children of Haiti or any child for that matter so I felt like I had two save two that He wouldn't. Talk about a recipe for disaster. You are right there is more than the therapeutic parenting issues. I have safety concerns for my children. I can't trust my adopted kids with my baby and my daughter has been abused many many times and has inappropriate behavior towards my 7 year old son and even towards me and has done things to me I'd rather not write about. I can't look to just their needs without seeing the needs of my other children. I however, didn't "complicate" their life more by taking them out of the country. I'm sure you have noticed the government is doing their best to ship kids out on humanitarian visas and getting the kids to host families. So we acted as a host family and that is ok. My son was happy to go and didn't look sad at all. Remember they have attachment issues. He is more than thriving he is in a home that was meant for him and God used us a vehicle to get him to his momma who does have other RAD kids who was praying for another child from Haiti. He is the baby of the family and he desperately needed to be the baby.
My daughter knows the family she is going to and is VERY excited about it. So don't be to upset with me. I made some huge mistakes in my reasoning for adopting I will admit to that, but my heart was always to protect. Anyone who knows me will testify that I am one the MOST protective momma's most people have EVER met, really. TO have two individuals in my home sleeping in my kids bedrooms that could possibly hurt them is impossible for me to live with. Is that the J and L's issue, no it's mine. I am the adult. I am the responsible one for choosing to bring them into my family. I say I but it was a joint decision the whole way. In the end we had to choose to protect our children and our household. My husband does not feel comfortable with my daughters issues and her manifestations and the fact that she acts out on even me disturbs him deeply. Those are things we can not deal with. Some people can judge us based upon those comments so let them. A 9 year old girl tried to molest me on 3 different occasions and only managed to violate my mind and on the surface my body. But that was damaging enough. I can't risk the same happening to my children. My daughter also can be dangerous with the baby and I can't live with that either. So yes, it's true I can't be a therapeutic parent to them because to be honest many days I see them as individuals who might hurt my children and that draws a division in my heart. I'm just being honest. Thank you for answering your call for these children Geralyn. I do have a new heart and respect for adoptive parents and foster parents. I have a ministry in praying for them and supporting them any way I can.

E-S said...

something I will right here and not on my blog but my daughter and son were being molested DAILY by women, men and boys! So I don't feel like I complicated their lives by bringing them here into our home bc my daughter was not at the village had I not said yes to her she would have been turned away. Bc I said yes they brought her and now she is in a safe home that loves her and yes that is us. :) Just thought you should know that. please don't post about that on my blog.

E-S said...

ps Here is an analogy I used on another site to describe our situation: Seldom does a man see a drowning child and stop to count the cost they could drown with the child if they get swept away with the current too. Instead they see someone who is going to die if they do not intervene and so they risk their life. They make a sacrifice hoping to save a life. That is what we did. We honestly did NOT take the time we should have to count the cost. To obey is better than sacrifice 1 Samuel 15:22. If we had only obeyed instead of sacrificing our life for 2.5 years we would have not got swept away with the current, BUT thankfully God was there to pluck us ALL out of the water and rescue us ALL the kids and us and put us on dry ground.... Isn't He so good? Oh and we did not use an agency. We just adopted straight from the village. The Director after knowing us now for 2.5 years and our visits through this time told us she didn't think our kids would ever really adapt to our family bc we are so structured. She said it just wasn't a good match. Whatever, the reasons. It is what it is and the kids are going on to wonderful families who ARE prepared for them by experience :)

Thomas said...

SQ, thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving your thoughts. Please continue to do so.

It is truly my hearts desire that people understand the emotional and life-long challenges that any adoptions adds to a family. I wish you had had some guidance as to bringing in your two from Haiti. Rarely is it wise to add 'older' kids to a family that has young, vunerable kids already in the home.

Our kids were 9 and 11 when our little boys came home from haiti. We were fortunate in that the creche our boys were in was very well run and supervised. Nonetheless, stuff happens that we would find shocking.

Adoption is the path we openly chose for our life instead of making babies the old fashioned way. Some find that odd, yet we felt committed to building our family thru adoption. I am thrilled with our family and while we have challenges that average families do not, I cannot imagine my life any other way.

I do hope you find solace in hearing and reading about others' adoption stories. Some are good, some are bad, but a lot are really good like ours.

Keep in touch and follow our daily homeschool chaos and adoption stories.

Thanks for stopping by!