Two weeks

Isn't it funny when you have so much to say but you're not really sure where to start?  I have a million things in my head to share but at the same time, I get so overwhelmed by all of it that I'm not sure a blog post or even a novel would help me begin to process it.  I will say before I begin, God is so much bigger than we are and He knows the whys and the hows and it's just up to us to live it and praise Him. 

Three weeks ago, I was up early with "M" and we were playing in the living room, careful not to wake Mike or Henry.  My phone rang and instantly panic shot through my veins, even more when I realized it was a previous caseworker. 

She literally started the conversation with "Hi Lacey, it's "N". Are you at home and are you sitting down?" I stuttered and told her "N, just tell me what happened."  I never in a million years would have guessed what she was about to say.  All of this before 6:45am.  Here we go.

The short story, safe for social media, is that Big Sister and Baby Sister were back in care after a terrible situation over night.  "N" never even asked me if we could take the girls, but let's be honest, she wasn't calling me before sunrise to just catch me up on a case. She called with a mission.  After she told me all the details, I responded hastily with "Well, when are you bringing them to us?"  I didn't even think twice about it and I could hear the relief in her voice. They knew us. They would be safe and well loved here.  Bring them here. 

After we hung up, I walked into the bedroom to give Mike a wake-up call I'm sure he will never forget.  (And I'll probably never hear the end of.)  He listened to all the words that came stumbling out of my mouth and then quietly replied "What the hell were you thinking?" I'm not sure what I thought he would say, but I wasn't prepared for that.  I nervously laughed and said "What else was I supposed to do? Names concealed need us."  He shook his head and replied "Oh I know that you did what you had to do, but what the hell were you thinking? We are going to have FOUR kids."  Yeah.  That's ridiculous, huh?

He got up, kept laughing but shaking his head.  I knew he was going to be fine once those precious ladies arrived.  He kept asking me questions about what happened with them, are they ok? How are we going to split 3 girls between 2 girl rooms? Will your car fit all the little people?  Where is my drill; I have to build another crib?!  Do you realize we have 4 kids? He never said it, but he was probably wondering if this was the "in good time and in bad" that he vowed to. 

We didn't tell Henry because we didn't want to disturb his school day and I knew we couldn't get everything done if he had skipped and stayed home.  At this point, we had zero clue as to when they would arrive so it was a normal day as far as he knew.

I called our agency because we needed to get our license updated before the State would approve the girls to move here.  When we received our license in May 2015, it said: 1 bio, 2 foster/adopt placements.  Mike always threatened to bury me in the backyard if I pushed the 2 placement limit again.  The funny/scary thing (depending on what mood Mike is in) is that now it says: 1 bio, 4 foster/adopt placements.  Yeah, 5 kids isn't ever happening and if it were to (foster care is messy and completely unpredictable), I would probably end up like the Little Old Lady who lives in a shoe because Mike would leave me for sure.

It was a long day, exactly 9 hours from when N called to when they arrived.  I hadn't seen them in 5 months and while that had previously felt like an eternity, every bit of it felt like they had never left.  Big Sister got out of the car and once our eyes met, she said "Mama Lacey" and ran up the driveway to hug me. I scooped her up and praised God as I was holding her.  She was safe and I didn't have to worry about her anymore.  She whispered "Daddy Mike" when she saw him come outside and I had all the tears.  It was such a precious moment, one I will cherish always.

After I handed Big Sister to Daddy Mike, I walked around to the backseat to find Baby Sister giving me her same stoic stare.  After I tickled her, she grinned real big.  I couldn't get over how much she had grown since I saw her last.  The first time she came to our home, she was a teeny, tiny 4 week old baby but this time she was a stumbling toddler with all the teeth and the silliest grin.  Gah.

Henry couldn't believe the surprise.  He was so excited to his sisters again.  He and Big Sister went back to playing just like old times, like no time had ever passed.  There was chaos and squeals. Laughter.  All the tears. 

As we filled out paperwork, I sat in awe of God's work.  I didn't know what was ahead and frankly, I was terrified, but I knew that once again, He was doing big things in front of our very eyes.

The next two weeks that followed was filled with every emotion from panic to calm. From rest to weary. From laughter to tears.  From organized and under control to where is that pair of shoes and why does it take 45 minutes to get SIX people out the door?  And did we seriously go through another gallon of milk in less than 12 hours?

It was a ride that I cannot believe we rode.  It was wild and it was fun.  It was exhausting but so worth it.  Even though we had to say goodbye after two weeks, it was worth every second of uncertainty, exhaustion, love and enjoying these two precious gifts that God put back into our lives.

**Note to add, for 5 months I wasn't 100% sure that the girls were safe and happy but I prayed, along with countless others, begging God to protect them.  He answered that prayer and after their short stay with us, the girls are now living with relatives that have so desperately wanted to love and nurture them. We praise God for His mighty provision in their lives and we are so thankful to have been a part of it.  We were blessed to be their soft place to land.  I am also incredibly thankful that this relative doesn't mind me texting and checking in on them and has already given the go-ahead for us to visit soon.  God is so good!