Well hello there! A lot has happened since my last update. We survived the end of school rush. We took a Caribbean cruise. My mom moved to Tulsa. We started a new summer routine. Remember when summer was all about sleeping in and working on your tan? Yeah. With two-a-day swim practices, tutoring sessions, trips to the gym, renovating a house for Mom, and endless grocery store runs, it's hard to know which end is up sometimes. Things invariably fall through the cracks. But we are surviving. Maybe even thriving; it depends on the day.
Isaac has moved up to the elite swim team. Starting July 1, he'll be swimming with his brother Clay, who has been swimming since age 4. What a huge accomplishment! Isaac is also studying hard with Grandma so he can be prepared for fourth grade come fall.
Eli is working diligently with a tutor. He is such a hard worker. He is also working hard to be cool like his big brother Alex.
Alex is in a good place. The roller coaster was pretty dramatic for awhile, but things seem to have leveled off, at least for now. We are working together to build trust, communicate effectively, and figure out his future. I knew that this transition would be difficult for Alex--much more so that Eli or Isaac--but I wasn't fully aware of all the issues he would have to deal with. Just imagine, taking on a completely new identity! A new language, new family, new lifestyle, new rules, new expectations, new culture, new food. New everything. The younger kids can adapt more easily, but an almost-adult is more aware. Sometimes the stress is just too much to take.
The family dynamic is complicated, no doubt. It would be with five biological children. When you mix wildly different previous experiences, languages, and viewpoints, it can get really muddy.
Sometimes, when I'm exhausted and at the end of my rope, I wonder, would I do it again, knowing what I know now? The answer is always Yes. Sure, my life would be way easier had we not chosen to answer God's call to adopt. Cassie and Clay would be sailing along in their privileged lives. But look at what we'd be missing! These wondrous opportunities to love and be loved. To teach and be taught. To be challenged and pray like we've never prayed before. To feel closer to God and more dependent on Him as we take on this seemingly impossible task. All of the stress, all of the worry, all of the heartache. Is it worth it? Yes.
