zach n kali

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him" (1 Samuel 1:27). After finally adjusting to the craziness of having three kids (it only took us about a year and a half, haha!) we decided to put our names back on the fostering list in August.  During the months leading up to this, I spent time praying over the precious life that would join our family.  Prayers for his or her safety, prayers for comfort, prayers for health and protection.  As we got our room ready for the little one, I made a sign to go above the crib with 1 Samuel 1:27 written on it.  It only seemed fitting. In my deepest heart I wanted this little one to know that he was already loved. Not surprisingly, the day we went back on the list we got a call.  A newborn baby boy, waiting in the NICU for a family.  We were it.  And oh how we loved him! He hadn't been named, and Samuel felt like the perfect choice.  Our Sammy began to grow and thrive and smile those adorable gassy smil

It's been almost a year since I last wrote.  Funny how words used to just flow out of me, but now much of my day is spent listening instead of writing.  Listening to the kids play, listening to Minecraft plans, listening to squabbles, listening to recaps of soccer games.  It is often said we need to spend more time listening and less time speaking.  This year, I want to add to that. I want to spend more time praying. Prayer is something I didn't struggle with too much until I had kids.  And then it was still easy to pray for the basic things - good attitudes, health, and safety -  but I confess it came at a pretty superficial level.  I was amazed at the people who prayed for their children's spouses when their kids were still newborns.  It wasn't just the dedication that impressed me so much; it was the control they seemed to be giving up.  At the moment I'm a pretty big fan of arranged marriages.  And arranged careers.  And arranged high school classes and extra