Adoption: Update as of 8/13/2012

It has been awhile since I have posted.  I thought I might bring everyone up to speed on what is happening in the Bowers home. I am not sure where to start.

Clay just left yesterday to spend another week in Mexico at the mission.  This place has captured his heart many years ago.  He is 18 years old and has actively been involved with it since he was 15.  Miss J told me tonight that she would love to go to the mission.  I told her that all the orphans there are disabled and she might be required to change diapers of a much older person.  She didn't care.  She said that she thinks that she would really enjoy it and wants to help others.  I am excited to see where the Lord will lead her. I believe that the beginning of September Clay will be headed down to California.  He got a job at a church in Modesto California as a youth pastor.  He is really excited.  The thing is, if you know Clay those plans change at any moment.  That what I know at this moment.

This will be the first year in many years that my children will be attending a public school.  This is very scary for me however, I know the Lord will cover my sweet children as they continue on their journey.  Alicia and Miss J will be attending South Medford High School.  They have been having volleyball camp all week and tomorrow they start a conditioning camp.  The week of the 20th they will have tryouts.  I hope they both make it but there is a very good chance that one will make it and the other won't.  But we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Nemo and Joshua will be doing Connections Academy.  We are setting up our work stations and getting everything ready to start.  They are both really excited.  I wonder how long that excitement will really last.  I will post pictures as we get closer to starting.

I am still wondering about Little K (5 1/2 yrs old) where she will go.  She is not potty trained and I feel there is a big problem there.  She either needs to go to kindergarten or she needs to go to Head Start (says DHS).  We have an appointment on Wednesday to have her evaluated.  I have a feeling there is psychological damage is the reason for her potty training issues.  She has been in foster care her whole life and removed from a bad foster home before coming to our home.  I am praying my way through as to what direction we need to go.  

Little M (4 yrs old) will go to Head Start.  There are not the issues with her that we have with Little K.  I believe she will be okay but I am still so nervous putting my precious babies on the bus.  Thankfully she will only be gone for 1/2 day.

I decided to have family movie night on Friday or Saturday night.  Not sure which one but one of these days will be our day depending on our schedule. We are going to watch the whole series of Little House On The Prairie.  Two shows at a time with pop corn and all the fixings! Miss J has never heard of it but she has put up a struggle on not wanting to watch it.  All other kids really want to watch it but not her.  I think I am going to insist on her watching it with the family.  We watched the Pilot Little House last night.  It was funny because all the way through it she kept saying -- Oh my gosh -- Ma and Pa are just like you and dad!"  I about choked on my tongue.  No pressure I thought!  I would like to be like Ma and would love my hubby to be like Pa but we live real life!  

Her idea of marriage is her husband serving her hand and foot.  She wants to find someone who loves to cook because she does not know how so he needs to cook for her.  I told her that one day she is going to find that man she wants to spend the rest of her life with and she is going to want to take care of him.  She is going to want to fix those meals he loves, she is going to want to treat him like a treasure and love him completely.  She looks at me like I am some foreign thing.........it is a concept that she has never heard before.  She is use to the fighting, arguing, drinking, drug environment.  My role as a mom and wife has never been so important or impacting right now.  Lord please help me teach her at her young age what being a wife means and what being a mom means.

Alicia is doing well.  I was wondering how all this was going to work.  She is 14 years old and I was wondering about the relationship of Miss J and her.  I was wondering if Alicia would not stand for her beliefs when we got a new child in the home.  Alicia has surprised me.  Alicia has stood her ground and has been a good influence on Miss J.  She is always quoting scripture and reading her bible.  She still has her faults but she is not caving into other behaviors of what I thought we were going to have to deal with.  She has started counseling and is doing so good.

Nemo .........oh Nemo--- He is one of the hardest kids we have.  He is equivalent to 5 kids on his own.  Good thing I love this boy!  He is a boundary hugger and very determined to do his own thing regardless of what the rules are.  He is aggressive when he is out of our sight and he is a manipulator.  He also cannot tell the truth to save his life.  I told him to think of a role model that he looks up to that he wants to be like one day.  He looked right at Joshua and pointed at him.  Joshua's jaw dropped to the floor.  Joshua being 10 and Nemo being 13 -- Josh did not expect this.  He said because Joshua never lies and he is sweet and kind.  We have only 5 short years to break him of his ways that could get him in real trouble when he is old enough to move out.  Lord help me lead this boy!!!

Joshua -- He is doing great!! By adopting these kids he has found his voice inside to state what he likes and his dislikes.  He always has a buddy to play with.  Even though Nemo has trouble being kind to him on most days -- the problems are dealt with and they walk away friends and best buddies.  Some days Joshua is glad we adopted but there are the other days when he thinks otherwise.  He does remember when he was the only kid in the house and he remembers those days as very lonely.  He has grown up quit a bit.

Another celebration for me is that I have been invited join a group of ladies in a adoption support group.  It is a group of Christian ladies where we can actually pray for our kids!!! Imagine that.  I attend a support group that is through the state of Oregon but do you think prayer or God for that matter is apart of the group?  Far from it!! I do attend it and glean a lot from it but I cannot express to you how excited I am for this new group! We get together at 7pm and visit till midnight!! I feel like a giddy little school girl! I get to visit with adults!

To think not even a year ago I was working full time.  I am so happy the Lord knows what he is doing.  There is no way I could work out of the home and do this.  I so cherish where I am at these days!!

Well I think that is all folks! I am sure there is more but at the time -- I can't think of anything else.  I am keeping on loving my kids, loving our Lord and knowing that no matter what is happening in my day the Lord is so much bigger!  

Pressing On,

Sheri