Come on, Mr. Google

With less than 100 hours remaining with our Little Lady, I feel like there are so many things I'm forgetting. I keep thinking of little things we should make for her, or do for her, but I just don't have enough time to make it happen. What can we give her that will make her transition easier? I wish Mr. Google had more answers to, "What should I give my foster daughter before she moves away that will help her bond with her new family, but not forget us?" How do you word that on Pinterest?? 

As my sis-in-law put it this morning, they don't make greeting cards for things like this. She thought about getting her an I'll miss you card, but she didn't want to make her sad. (Note - please don't freak out if you bought LL an I'll miss you card! It's ok. :))

There isn't a Google search, a greeting card, or a cute little Pinterest craft devoted to times like this. This isn't natural. Things like this aren't supposed to happen. Kids should just be with their parents. I wish that were the case, but unfortunately, it can't always be that way. 

Thank you to everyone who has sent cards, texts, emails, smiles in the hall, tight hugs, and prayers. I've accepted the fact that I'm a terrible friend, daughter, manager, and sister right now. I've only been able to respond to about 20% of the messages that are coming in. In a few days/weeks, I'll be more available. Thanks for giving us our space and allowing us to soak up every last minute with our girl. 

LL's quotes:

- Bry: "Why do you keep saying 'totes?'" LL: "It makes me feel girly and that's just who I am."

- "I don't think y'all are gonna live mich longer. You're already 30, and he's 32, so you don't have much time left." (New favorite quote of all time!!!!)

- "This is a feisty lamb."

- "I wish regurgitated food tasted good. If it did, I'd be eating that candy you just swallowed."

- "My friends and I had a Sad Contest at recess. We shared our saddest stories. I won. Mine was the saddest. I told them my parents couldn't take care of me right now because they're sick." :(

And the packing begins...

I wish we could make time stand still. When I got home tonight, I sat in my car in the garage for about 5 minutes and tried to work up the courage to go inside. I knew that the time would fly by as soon as I entered the house. The first sound I heard was the packing tape gun, followed by Lucy and our Little Lady playing hide and seek in the boxes. 

As always, my mother-in-law is amazing!!!! She snuck in our house and left a brand new suitcase for LL with TONS of books, crafts, and stationary. She wrote little notes to her on all of the gifts and self-addressed and stamped some of the envelopes so LL can write to her. How sweet is that??? Such a thoughtful gift. I love how she loves our girl. 

Even while we pack up her things, we are learning to trust the Lord and His will for her life, and for ours. 

This is gonna take a while. 

Trying to capture everything about these last few days together. 

Peek-a-boo. 

If you can't see, she put on Bry's name badge, one of his old shirts, and came downstairs to make us salute "Mr. Hills." I'm going to miss little moments like this. 

Only three stories left to read and four more nights together. The timing is perfect, even when it isn't. This will be the third time we've read through her Bible since she came to us. I hope this nightly routine is engraved in her brain and that she continues to read these stories with her grandparents. 

One of the most beautiful pictures I have of this girl. While she won't say I love you out loud, she has been showing us the sign for the last few weeks. It takes my breath away every time. 

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About Us: 

We began our foster journey in mid-August 2013. We finished our classes in October, had our home study in early January, and we were licensed on February 7, 2014. After seven calls from CPS, we received our first placement, a 7-year-old girl (our Little Lady, or LL for short) on April 3, 2014. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our journey through the craziness that is foster care. Most importantly, thanks for your prayers, love, and support. We hope to encourage fellow foster/adoptive parents as we document our ups and downs each day. 

Key Posts:

We are Facebook-Official!

Saying goodbye to someone I've never met

Will you get a white one?

Yup, it's gonna hurt.

Day 1 with our Little Lady

Oasis (post from Brian)

What we tried to build

Why I don't usually write (post from Brian)

Another night in the closet

LL...if you just stumbled upon this blog and you're freaking out because you see pictures of yourself, please START HERE.