You Were Made For This

 

Somehow there are six of us now. 

And its life unglued.  These littles are crazy people. 

They are wild, needy and fill most of the minutes of our days. 

End of the day exhaustion is a given. 

 

But, they are fun, smart and generous with their grace.

We mess this parenting gig up daily.  They yell at us.  We yell at them. 

Not one us has any perfection to speak of. 

Sometimes I fast forward in my mind to when life might be easier, when it might be less of a four six and under crowd.

But then I know better.  We've lived enough ups and downs to know that parenting them today is a precious thing.   

 

You were made for this, Mark.

You are the dad that is needed for this wild and precious time. 

You are all in.  Silly, responsible, hardworking and selfless.  As much of a dad as I am a mom.

You've sailed us past the safe and comfortable life, and we have four goofballs to prove it. 

 

You multi-task, go to soccer practice, give baths and work two jobs. 

You arrive home from Africa and whip up pancakes. 

You navigate the medical ship and play nurse. 

You color at the kitchen table and put carrots in your ears to make them giggle. 

 

You were made for us, and we are blessed by you. 

 Happy Father's Day. 

Dear Team Leader

Dear Team Leader,

Oh my!  What a ride.  What a year.  What a life.

Thank you for saying yes to this journey back four years ago, in the spring when we said yes to Eli and Evie and yes everyday since then no matter what we faced.  Comfort is not your goal and your life is evidence of that.

 

Thanks for always going before us, leading with a servant's heart. Thank you for often handling so much of our paperwork, for coordinating our trip without a travel agent, for championing all things medical for Evie, for fighting through roadblocks for us, for listening to me cry while you sat at an airport gate in Africa, for changing courses when needed, and for never giving up. 

I am so grateful for you, your fun sense of adventure, your big faith, and your global heart. 

 

You led this team like a master traveler.  Filling bottles in airports when you would rather have,

snoozed it up.  

The most amazing footsteps are being left for your FOUR crazy kids to follow after. Plus, you know how to keep it silly with funny dance moves and faces.  Yes, I sometimes say that you are more responsible than any reasonable person needs to be, but in China, my oh my, you GOT 'ER DONE!  Thanks for being our Sherpa, our paperwork handler, money exchanger, shopper and food delivery service and rock. 

You embraced China and your littles followed after.  You didn't want OUT of China, you wanted IN.  Three little Chinese Americans in our family mean China is part of us.  You embraced it, and I loved it. 

 

It was a messy, beautiful, emotional, incredible trip.  Thanks for taking care of the team on the fun days and the tough ones. 

 

 

Love,

Your Team

Dear Family Rock Star,

Dear Mark,

OK, OK, I'll admit that you're kinda a family rock star. 

Most mornings the first sleepy question from two little daddy's girls is, "Is daddy home?"

Every afternoon they start asking how many more hours until your arrival.  In bed at night, more sleepy questions about your next day at home.  I might just watch the clock myself. 

Today, on your big day, know that you have three girls who love you. There is also a little boy and a little girl in China who're going to love you too.  They have no idea what a daddy they have in their future. 

 

How you do all that do, keeps us in awe of you.  You work hard, take Claire to soccer, deal with a momma with two littles waiting in China, travel the world, lead soldiers, plan Army events, talk to Thailand on the phone on your ride home, serve at church, handle adoption paperwork, do a men's Bible study, sort through a bazillion emails, take perfect care of things in our house/cars, and exercise with a crazy dedication.  Somehow still, you give us your full attention and you make your girls feel loved.  You make us laugh, plan camping trips, and stay engaged in the moment. 

 

We've got some adventure ahead, some rough roads to walk down, some battles to fight, some memories to create, some hard decisions to make, and some sweet moments coming our way.  Let's do it together, OK?  This life is messy, fragile and so far out of our control, let's keep learning to show each other lots of grace and hold on tight.  I stink at communicating and you may or may not get a little intense at times, but we're an awesome, messed up team.  You lead the way, and we'll be right behind you. 

 

Happy Birthday, Rock Star.  Happy Anniversary too. 

How 'bout a celebratory trip to The People's Republic of China?