There are hundreds of small things to celebrate under the umbrella of official adoption and in this moment it’s that I no longer have to refer to our youngest as “Little Girly” publicly but can use her full new name, Haley Kate Taylor.
Archive for the ‘ Foster & adoption ’ Category
Haley Kate Taylor
Author: Shilo TaylorOct 26
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Filed under: Foster & adoption, God's faithfulness
Yay!
Author: Shilo TaylorApr 11
Yesterday morning as S. and I drove in with Little Girly to a court date, I reminded him that it would probably be uneventful. We knew things were heading in the right direction but it could be months before her parents’ rights are terminated and we knew we could be heading home with no new information. I was reassuring and maybe too optimistic, S. was nervous, which is usually how conversations go when we’re looking into the unknown. Read the rest of this entry
Filed under: Foster & adoption, kids
Plan B
Author: Shilo TaylorFeb 19
I was incredibly blessed within the last couple weeks to be in touch with Little Girly’s birth mom. I had much anticipation and many questions about potential things that could go wrong. All the “what-ifs” competed for attention in my head but instantly disappeared in the moment. What can only be described as the peace of God wrapped around me and around her birth mom. Instead of feeling on guard or nervous, I had complete confidence in the words God gave me and then… tears.
Filed under: Foster & adoption, God's faithfulness
Our whirlwind. Is it really already February?
Author: Shilo TaylorFeb 12
Clearly I’ve been MIA. You can blame it on horizons, jetted tubs, and hydrangeas. I’d also like to cast a little blame on youth retreats, kicking off a youth ministry, moving forward with some foster/adoption things, a couple sick kids and being flat on my back after playing too hard. But really? Bottom line is my brain hasn’t had any space for coherent thoughts, let alone thoughts cognitive enough to make public.
Yet, this morning even as I’m lacking any ability to be articulate, I’m compelled to share because God has been blessing me far, far beyond what is deserved and in my pre-occupation I don’t want to neglect acknowledging and praising Him for it.
S. started his job as Associate Pastor (in addition to continuing BIG OAK) last month and it is exceeding our hopes. The youth ministry has grown dramatically in size and we are humbled by the leaders and students we get to work with. The depth, the heart of the worship teams, and the fun is coming naturally. All we’ve done is taken a step into what God was already stirring.
Two weeks ago we moved into a house and by the second day it already felt like home. I was nervous about how the move would go with a husband gone at a retreat the weekend before and four kids attempting to ‘help’. Amazingly, we had a huge crew show up on moving day. We had muscle, organizers, cleaners, and sisters to unpack my entire kitchen, closet and bathroom while I directed traffic. By day 2 we were hanging pictures and hosting dinner. ”Thank you” doesn’t suffice for all the work of friends and family.
Big ONE
Author: Shilo TaylorDec 11
This week was a beautiful celebration of our Little Girly. It has been a little over nine months since she was brought to our house in the middle of the night, wrapped in pink and sound asleep.
On Friday we had an encouraging meeting with some people from the Children’s Administration. There have been some advances in Little Girly becoming legally free to be adopted and they also ruled out another family member who would not be a good permanent placement for her. Read the rest of this entry
Filed under: Foster & adoption, kids
Cheeks
Author: Shilo TaylorNov 19
In a few short weeks our Little Girly will have her first birthday. She’s proving to be one tough cookie. Not only has she overcome a rough couple first months of life by bonding with our family, smiles, and cuddling, but in the past two weeks she’s cut 4 teeth. Now sporting 6 teeth, she is eager to try new foods. She’s pulling herself up and scooting around faster than we can keep up. Thankfully we have three other helpers watching out for small legos and other hazards.
Daily she is adding words to her vocabulary. Her absolute favorite word is “Uh-oh” and her favorite game is waiting until Darla is cozy in bed to throw her pacifier out of her crib, grin at her big sister and say, “Uh-Oh!”
Filed under: Foster & adoption, kids
“Availability is rarer than ability” Part 2
Author: Shilo TaylorSep 7
Filed under: Foster & adoption
“Availability is rarer than ability.”
Author: Shilo TaylorSep 1
On our first date 13 yrs. ago in September, S. and I talked about most everything under the sun (I was baffled- a man that can out-talk me?!). One of the many subjects we talked about was being available to God. We had many dreams and found that many of our dreams were remarkably similar. Yet the bottom line in everything we discussed was that each of us desired to be moved by God and willing to do what He set in front of us. Read the rest of this entry
Passing the baton
Author: Shilo TaylorJul 9
The adoption addiction started with my grandparents. Through much prayer, financial assistance, and a series of miracles, they adopted two little boys from Korea in a time when not many were adopting- particularly internationally. But, they never cared much about what others were or weren’t doing. My Beppe knew what God had put on her heart (and later my Pake heard it, too).
Filed under: Foster & adoption, God's faithfulness
Percentage Chance
Author: Shilo TaylorMar 22
My dad is a visionary. He likes to dream big and his favorite conversations are about what could be. Growing up it was sometimes hard to gauge if the things we discussed around the dinner table were probable, likely, or just fun to dream about.
I discovered a way to determine what type of intentions were behind our dreaming by asking, “What’s the percentage chance, Dad?”
He would laugh and then throw out a percentage that would give me a slight indication. When I asked the percentage chance we’d move into the house that looked like a castle in Redding, CA and he said, “25%” I knew I should get comfortable where I was. When we first toured Lynden, WA in 1997 I asked, “What’s the percentage chance we’ll move there?” he replied, “87%”. I knew it was safe to start imagining. Then in following weeks when it changed to “93%” I knew it was time to break out the moving boxes.
My need to know the percentage chance has become a family joke. My dad thinks he’s quite clever to turn the tables…when I was choosing colleges, when we were debating about moving to Mount Vernon, whenever a big decision is on the horizon he gets a gleam in his eye and has to ask.
Last month when we were praying for Little Girly, working on some potential projects for BIG OAK, weighing options for our house…I got antsy. S. was cleaning breakfast dishes and I was hovering- asking every question as though he held the answers.
“What do you think about how this is playing out with Little Girly? Do you have a feeling either way about it? Do you think it’s going to happen? I mean…when you pray…do you feel like you know anything?” On and on I processed.
Teasingly, S. said, “Are you looking for a percentage chance here?”
“I guess. Yes! A percentage chance of SOMETHING!”
Then quite seriously he said, “Every time I pray about any of our current circumstances I feel like the Lord points me to Moses wandering the desert with the Israelites. He’s shown me that in that season, all they were required to do was to be obedient daily.” It wasn’t for them to set goals as to when they would enter the Promised Land. It wasn’t for them to store up manna or anything else that the Lord provided. Each day with the dawn came provision, a call to obedience, and God building a relationship with His people. S. pointed out to me that “every time the Israelites got caught up in their percentage chances, or lost the focus of being obedient and present in that day alone- they were swept up into idolatry, immorality, and self indulgence.”
I frowned and cringed. It didn’t solve that antsy feeling but I knew by the level at which his words resonated that it is true. I would love to store up manna, would love to set goals and move in a direction that I confidently feel God’s blessing over. Ah, but it doesn’t seem to be an option for us right now.
Perhaps a day will come where foresight is more than by the hour, but what a reminder right now is to the way the Lord calls me to live. Perhaps not as contentedly as my husband, but I am fully present in what today is.
I don’t know if Little Girly will be ours forever. I don’t know how many days I have with any of my kids, for that matter. Two of my dear friends lost babies this week- one in the first trimester and one at 23 weeks. I was reminded that no matter what we think we know, what we try to control, these things are not really in our hands even to begin with.
We are moving forward with selling our house…percentage chance that it will sell before foreclosure? Percentage chance that our income will meet our monthly “goals” for ourselves on a regular basis? Percentage that Little Girly will become a Taylor?
No idea.
Percentage chance I will rest in the Lord tonight? Getting close to 100%.
Percentage chance that all four children will be tucked in and quiet by 9pm tonight? Significantly less than 100%.
Filed under: Foster & adoption, God's faithfulness