The Last Bite

The Humiston family is not good at everything.

We are not good at being quiet or sitting still.

We are not particularly fashionable.

We are horrible at yard work most of the time.

And have mercy, we can barely take a decent family photo to save our lives. (Right Aunt Jo Jo?)

But, there are few things we are pretty good at. One of them is being helpers. If I said "Humiston's are..." My kids would all jump in and say, "Helpers!" Unless that is I did it in front of you hoping to impress you, then they would look at me with blank stares like we don't repeat this phrase every other day in our home. Both Jeremy and I come from families that value hard work and loyal service and so its become one of our family mottos if you will.

Another value we are trying to impress upon our kids' hearts is being good stewards of the blessings the Lord give us. When you rub shoulders with people in your city and across the world who know hunger it changes your perspective on throwing away food. So we are trying not to waste things. One way this shows up is in a phrase we stole from Jeremy's childhood "Take all you want, but eat all you take." (I know some of you are quietly thinking we are sending them straight to a future weight loss support group. Don't worry our big kids are catching on quick to portion size and our littles don't get to choose how much they take anyway.)

I am all about letting my kids feed themselves. So Titus has been spooning his own nourishment into his little (okay maybe not so little ) mouth since before his first birthday. Out of this came something unexpected. When he would finish yogurt or applesauce I would then scrape up the last bit and say, "last bite." So we didn't waste the last bite or two he didn't have the fine motor skills yet to get. And somehow it just caught on. He is now 4 1/2 years old and he still says, "Mama, last bite!" He hands me his spoon and I scrape out hopefully a bite. I hadn't really caught on to how special this little ritual was until along came our 4th child.

When David came home and got a yogurt we didn't have to teach him to eat it all. His little survival skills told him that you eat yummy food to the last drop. When he handed the container back to me it literally looked like he had taken it to the sink...and washed it with soap and water. However, he caught on to the "last bite." And before long (and when he had a little English under his belt) he would smile and hand me his yogurt cup and say, "Last Bite!" In the beginning, I would pretend to scrape the sides and feed him a "bite." Because lets be honest there wan't anything there to make up a bite.

But, then something happened.

Watching a brother whole loved the mama giving the last bite over and over.

Time home.

A mama who always shared the last bite instead of eating it herself.

One day it turned into him intentionally leaving yogurt in his cup. He trusted me to share. He trusted that if he didn't lick the cup clean there would be more. And he knew what he needed wasn't just a last bite it was for it to come through the hands of his loving mama.

And at some point when I could string two thoughts together I realized God has been teaching me the same. As I mentioned last week I am generally a go getter. So if we need something my general approach is to take action. I prioritize city wide garage sales. I pursue the good will. I watch for bargains online. I post needed items on Facebook to see if someone had something to share. And there is nothing wrong with any of those things. However, God has shown me what I really need isn't a pair of boots for my daughter's horse back riding lessons or a microwave.

What I REALLY need is for them to come through the hands of my loving Father, because I trust him to always share.

And oh, the stories I can tell of his abundance to share. Another day.

A Year of Blogging

"I just can't get in front of it." -Mom's Night Out

Can I get an amen from the other mamas out there?

Over the last few months I've felt rusty. So many of the things I used to be good at I feel like I've lost.

I used to be organized. Now I live in chaos.

I used to be energetic and ready to take on the world. Now I'm tired. (Although I'm still willing to take on the world most days- I'm determined like that.)

I used to be fun. Now I'm just trying to make sure my kids are fed and bathed. And alive.

I used to blog. Now you are thinking...she blogged? I didn't know that!

I used to desire to be intentional. Now I put out fires.

In the weeks leading up to my birthday I was reflecting on the crazy mess that is my thought life and I  decided I needed a challenge. A goal. And I decided I wanted to blog. Not as a scrapbook. But as an intentional outlet for the things that God is working out in me daily.

So for this 32nd year of my living and breathing I am going to attempt to write weekly on this little forgotten blog.

There it is. Typed out and official.

So far I'm off to a great start. My birthday was a week ago and yesterday I finally shared this made up goal with J. I'd already almost forgotten about it in the "fires" of the week. A broken stove. A stolen credit card. A new homework routine to learn.  However today is one week from my birthday and so he suggested I get up and get going.  So here I am.

Every Sunday morning I'm hoping to wake early and attempt to say something. I'm very certain I won't have something worth hearing on a weekly basis. But that is part of the challenge. Because the truth is that every week God is at work in my life challenging me. Sandpapering away at my rough edges. I'm hoping this "holy habit" will also fuel an awesome year of worship as I reflect each Sunday morning.

Now I'm going to hit publish before I chicken out. Let this year of blogging journey begin.

Almost Home

 “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:16

How do we say thank you? We know it may seem like a simple thing...just say it.  However, the words don’t convey our sincere gratitude to so many people.  People that have walked with us every step.  People that stayed up late working on the crazy fundraisers we planned.  Friends who bought 1,000’s of cupcakes.  Brothers and sisters listening to our struggles throughout this process.  A body of believers that has prayed for us.  When we arrive home with our son it will complete a long struggle that we hope glorifies God. We are blessed to see our needs and concerns disappear not because of our capabilities or resources but because of His.  Our son has, like all of our children, an amazing story.  We are blessed to say thank you for being a part of his story.

On Thursday, January 9th after 2 weeks in West Africa (and 2 years of waiting before that!) we will finally be ready to come home to Hannibal with our newest addition.  We are so, so excited to be coming home and to finally be together as a family of 6!

We wanted to take a moment and write a bit about David's transition when we get home. As we mentioned earlier we are very blessed by our friends, family, & church family. And while we are so thankful to have such a large support network, it may be very confusing for David at first.

For this reason, when we first get home David will be staying at home. The fancy adoption term is “cocooning” and everybody does it differently. We are hoping to cocoon for about 4-6 weeks but we are being flexible. David is used to  being in one place (his orphanage) and having rotating caregivers (nannies). We are hoping this time at home will be a great chance to show him what being a family is all about and for him to figure out exactly who his mom, dad, & siblings are.

Since we know you can’t wait to meet David we are having a homecoming party the first Saturday we are home at the church. We hope it will be a wonderful celebration of ALL God has done. You can meet David then before we “hide out” for awhile. Here are some tips for interacting with him.

~Instead of focusing on the don’ts lets start with a DO. Feel free to say, “Bonjour or Hello.” He loves to wave and greet people. He is also pretty good at handshakes and high fives. Please don’t hug, kiss, or attempt to hold him in your arms or on your lap. If he requests to be picked up just send him our way! This helps him understand that his mom & dad are special.

~David loves to play and giggle once he warms up. When playing with David, please redirect requests for nurturing back to Jeremy or Jennifer.  So if he is hungry, thirsty, gets hurt, needs a cuddle, etc., please direct him back to us, with a friendly, "Let's see your mom for a [kiss, drink, etc]"  When we meet his needs that helps him figure out what it means to have a mom or dad to take care of you.

We need you to extend grace to us as we figure this adoptive parenting thing out! In turn, we plan to extend grace if you happen to forget and break one of the “rules.” Parenting an older adopted child is tricky business and we know we have a lot to learn! We love you all and can't wait to see you!