November Recap

Highlights of the month:
Our Election Party
Thanksgiving at Papa & Nana's
Afternoon's with friends
Issac's (Charlie's friend from Mp3) & Talan's (cousin) Birthday Party
Cambodia 
Perch & Play fun date
Holiday Starbucks Drink menu
Painting Addison's room - little girl to tween
Kids surprisingly getting along really well! Success!


We decided to turn the mayhem of the election into a little family party which led to some history lessons and education on the process. The girls helped make the star cookies as I worked on getting the jello to set. We went for the all American blue and white theme for dinner having little smokies (a step up from hot dogs), potato salad and fruit kabobs along with sweet treats and red vines symbolizing our country needing to stand together no matter what the outcome. The kids really enjoyed watching the news as many questions were asked and the opportunity to explain in a healthy way laid before us. As like many of you, we started to fall asleep and didn't make it all night. The big announcement was a delayed replay with the kids by our sides watching speeches and quite frankly, laughing hysterically at Trump's son who clearly should have gone to bed himself. Poor kid was yawning, shaking himself awake and doing head bobs.

Super Sister Turned Five


It's hard to believe it's only been five years since Myriam was born and yet, the moment we held her for the first time seems just like yesterday. 
The moment we were given opportunity to lay eyes on our daughter and check all ten toes and fingers, pull the cap back to see if she had any hair and to believe that this really was happening after all the paperwork and waiting. Our Thanksgiving five years ago filled our hearts with such delight and gratitude; that Thanksgiving five years ago changed the dynamic of our family forever.
Lately, I have found myself grieving for not being able to control the first nine months of her life. Not being able to hug my swollen belly and to sing lullabies to soothe the restless life inside me. I feel guilty for not being able to protect our daughter from harm and choices. 
Myriam is joy, laughter, she's whimsical and compassionate. Myriam is creative, imaginative, inquisitive, mischievous and sensitive. Myriam is strong-willed, confident, defiant and loyal. As often as she can be the reason for my worry and stress, she can also be the reason I melt and soften to her embrace.

Not An Orphan Anymore

Today we celebrated Orphan Sunday. I almost hate to use the word 'celebrate' as the current crisis of children without homes, parents or people to call family, is staggering. For many, it's easier to not know than to be haunted by the faces of those needing arms to snuggle in after scraping a knee or a place to sit at around the family table. 

{ We came with just these items. }

This past January I received an email with a list of children needing immediate placement. These emails are daily; some with a few kids and others having multiple lists from here to Seattle needing placements. Three hours later after a few phone calls, family prayer and a mad dash to get a few things ready, Addi and I headed into the local DSHS office. We knew very limited information about the child we had said yes to a short term placement; two to three weeks was all that was needed. Thanks to Skookum Kids, Miss Bee came with a few outfits, burp cloths, formula and bottles aside from her own diaper bag and own car seat. Weekly visits began a couple weeks later along with court room appearances and home visits with our social worker. Our family was quickly thrown into a new routine that all 
foster families become familiar with when caring for children. 

{ We left with this precious life. }

Figures from Children's Administration show:
In Washington 1,419 children became part of their forever families between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016.
About the same number 1,556 children are "legally free" and many of these children are waiting for a forever home. 
Nearly 8,800 children were placed in out-of-home care living in foster care, as of mid-August.

Most people are surprised to learn there are 153 million orphans worldwide. 
According to UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund), if orphans were a country of their own, the population would rank 9th in the world - ahead of Russia. 

 { Myriam Judith two weeks old. }

Even though our Myriam was a private adoption, her journey to our home is just as significant as any other child's. Myriam's life is a miracle in and of itself. She was originally going to be terminated, but by the grace of God, that choice to end her life was detoured. When we were chosen to be her parents, there were two other families that were presented to our birth parents. They, for whatever reason, backed out of the situation leaving us as the option. God had perfectly carved the path from our birth parents to our family. It was a month after we met each other that we stood outside of the hospital room listening to Myriam's first cries. 

 
{ Myriam at three months. }

There are many ways a family can expand their dining room table; foster care, domestic or international adoption, biological children. Not everyone has extra chairs; 
not everyone is meant to take a child into their home. 
I often think how the orphan crisis would be changed if every church were to take in more children, locally and globally. How did it get to be so many kids left without parents? Why is there not more attention, more focus and priority in placing these lost children with families?
My heart hurts for the girl whose mother left when she was a baby herself. For the child that questions themselves as to why they don't have their own forever family; who grieves for their biological parents. I struggle knowing that the three year old little boy cries at night because his favorite blanket was left at his home when he was removed or placed with a different foster family. For the little girl who is afraid of the dark and just needs a safe adult to rub her back until she falls into a deep sleep not knowing why she fears the nighttime. For the kids not in stable homes experiencing family traditions, 
movie nights or to have family pictures. 
 How does God feel when He looks down at His children?
Does He want you to do more about this crisis?


In the end, I know this much; our family was blessed by simply saying yes to uncomfortable situations that grew our family to a hefty six pack. Our hearts were stretched; our ideas changed by experiencing life outside of our own. Our arms stronger from holding, bonding, and 
hugging the kids we know to be ours on loan from God. 
And come soon, things will be finalized and our family will be able to call this little one our own. 

"Defend the cause of the fatherless."
Isaiah 1:17

Sixth State Success

{ Sixth State Race. }

My goal is still far from being reached, but that doesn't stop me from continuing on towards my 50 by 50. 
When Tim travels for work I usually check local races for the area to see if any of them could potentially coincide with his schedule. 
The I Am Second Run was an hour away from the job site and the details of finding sitters for the kids worked out perfectly. I quickly registered us both for this race and organized the hand off of the kids in order for the weekend to be pulled off with success. 
Tim has been in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth working on a large project so I knew when I went down with him I would be a bit on my own. This is no problem for me as I like to explore...and with no kids SLEEP IN! Funny thing is when you have the chance it never happens as you wish. My body was awake by six am and ready for coffee once my eyeballs opened. 
As for the race I requested one thing; NO WALKING. My Love is not a runner so asking for him to run with me and then to push himself to run with a smile on his face was not only speaking my language, but a huge ask physically. I was so incredibly proud that he ran the entire race and had gas in the tank to even sprint to the finish line. I'm not expecting a trend to start anytime soon. Happy to have ran this race with him and also to have our own I Am Second in our personal lives as Jesus truly has given us a second start to life. 

Indestructible

There are people who crumble with a paper cut experiencing tears for days and
needing band-aid changes to dress the wound. 
People who collapse with emotional pressure or fearing the worst case scenario, paralyzing them from ever experiencing life.
Then you have those that rise above the bad news and become shining stars. 
That's my sister...
Traci Lynn Van Dyken. 


Traci has experienced far worse then paper cuts under going multiple surgeries to cut the disease out of her body. Scars that show the journey she's been triumphing on over the course of almost ten years. With every blood draw she receives the pressure of results showing success or defeat. Continual chemotherapy treatments to maintain the progress or to treat aggressively what has taken over her body. Recently, giving up three weeks to full brain radiation to treat the progression of the disease in her eye and brain. The unfortunate part of treating this one area is that the other areas were left untouched. Since then, the tumor markers have traveled over a total of five hundred points higher and an obvious shortness of breath slows My Hero's steps. Scans confirm that the cancer has grown in her liver and lungs.

Sugar Bugs and Costumes

{ Harvest Carnival 2016 }

Do we? Don't we? 
The question of whether we allow the kids to get dressed up and beg for sugar bugs and cavities or stay home with the lights off eating carrots and apples is one we ask every year.
It's not something we put much energy into and I hate spending tons of money on something worn for a few hours. This year we scored some deals at the local consignment stores and found some play makeup at the Dollar Tree to add the finishing touches. 
Myriam loved being a cheerleader and Mom became "totally awesome" as I squeezed into my high school uniform for a little play time.