Summer has quickly begun in our household. As we finished the school year Elayna said, "I'm happy that school is done, but I'm sad too." That comment is a true blessing. One of our major concerns when we moved here mid school year was that Elayna would adjust well to school. She loved her teacher and the school was very welcoming of us.
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| Miss Long and Elayna |
These past months have been very busy. For those of you who know our family you know that all of our birthdays...except Kyle's, are in Spring and early Summer. My birthday started off the birthday run 2 days after mothers day. Kyle and the girls did a great job of making me feel special:) Aubrey was next and we decided that she was not going to do a friend birthday this year (she said that she doesn't have any friends:(). Her day was filled with lots of things that Aubs loves. We went strawberry picking, out for pizza, to the dog shelter, Chuck-E-Cheese, and finished up with presents and cupcakes at home. Elayna was celebrated with a Pajama and Pancake party with 11 little girls from her class. They all ate crazy toppings on their pancakes and decorated pillow cases. Fathers Day started with breakfast in bed for Kyle. We did a treasure hunt for him to find his presents...the girls had a blast. Mari's birthday is not till July 1st...so I will update once that happens:)
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| Big 5 year old! |
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| My attempts at making a cake look like a stack of pancakes:) |
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| Big 7 year old! |
When we were not busy celebrating we made the 13+ hour trek back to Wisconsin. Our girls were asked to be flower girls in Audrey and Ian's wedding (friends that were in Kyle's youth group back in WI). Before the wedding we went up to Green Bay for a week. It was great to see family and friends who had sent us off 5 months earlier. Our time in Green Bay was very relaxed...which was needed.
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| The annual Ferguson girls birthday party at the Froelich's |
We went to Waukesha on Saturday for the dress rehearsal. Stayed with wonderful friends who were very hospitable:) Kyle was able to preach at Cornerstone on Sunday...almost brought me to tears (not sure why). It makes me proud seeing him in that role. The wedding was Sunday afternoon. The girls were super cute and did a great job. By the time we got to the reception Amaria was sleeping. Elayna, who was the least excited to dance, rocked the dance floor. It took her a while to get going but once she started she couldn't stop. She was fist pumping and everything...very happy girl:) Monday morning we slowly woke up and were dreading the ride back to Virginia. We did come back with one extra person. Ella, best friend of Elayna and Aubrey, came back with us and stayed for 10 days. Before I go on, we were nervous about the ride. Amaria can be a real treat in the car but all of them were AMAZING. They were great on the way to WI and on the way back to VA. I don't want to do the trip every weekend, but it was very doable.
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Ella is an amazing little girl. I know when I was 6 there was NO WAY that I would go across country from my family for 10 days. She fit in great with our girls and they had a very special time together. Her mom flew in late on a Friday night and they had to fly out again Saturday evening. We had a short visit but packed it with lots of activities. We hiked Mill Mountain, ate downtown, went to the zoo, and toured our church. It was great to have Ella here and see Lisa for a short time. There were some tears when we dropped them at the airport.
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| Love these smiles:) |
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| Fun at Mill Mountain |
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| Best Buddies |
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Too Cute
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After hiking up Mill Mountain with the 4 girls!
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We have also been very busy taking PRIDE classes. These are classes required to be come Foster Parents in Roanoke. We are half way done and should be certified by July. We had a full day class on a Saturday in the beginning of June and repeating Monday and Thursday evening classes since. Kyle and I were both kind of dreading what these classes would be like but now we are even more excited to begin this journey. Our heart breaks for the stories of broken families that we hear about and we hope to make a difference. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue on this process. We are very aware that it will be difficult but know that with
prayers and support it will be very worth it.
Today in the car two of my favorite songs played back to back. Meredith Andrews song, "Not For a Moment" and Tenth Avenue Norths song, "Worn." Here is a little bit of both songs.
Not For A Moment
You were reaching through the storm
Walking on the water
Even when I could not see
In the middle of it all
When I thought You were a thousand miles away
Not for a moment did You forsake me
Not for a moment did You forsake me
After all You are constant
After all You are only good
After all You are sovereign
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Worn
I'm tired
I'm worn
My heart is heavy
From the work it takes to keep on breathing
I've made mistakes
I've let my hope fail
My soul feels crushed
By the weight of this world
And I know that you can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left
Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart that's frail and torn
I want to know a song can rise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that's dead inside can be reborn
Cause I'm worn
I've been thinking about these songs all day. I love that they were played back to back. Not For A Moment talking about how we know that God is constant and that He will not forsake us and then Worn being completely honest and saying that life is hard and pleading for God to let redemption win. We have an overwhelming number of things around us right now that make me cry out to God and say, "when will this stop?" Cancer, addiction, death, broken families, lives changed by illness...the list could go on and on. It is easy too get stuck in the "Worn" side and not remember that God is constant and that even in these very hard times, He will not forsake us. So after a few months of happy with celebrations and family visits we seem to be overwhelmed with the
opposite. My prayer is that in the good and the bad that my reliance will be on Christ.
