Back in Fits and Starts

I have been feeling a gigantic pull to come back here- to tell you all about my August, to show garden pictures, share my thoughts, and just...well...be back here.  Because August has been filled to overflowing.

But at the same time I'm being pulled in other directions. We started school the other day (Lord, have mercy). While the kids were mostly excited, there were some bumps.  School is getting more demanding for the 6th grader and the 4-year-old has completely forgotten that I'm not accessible all the-live-long-day as she's become accustomed to over the summer.  My second grader (the least excited about starting school) breezed through the day, astonishing me at how much she retained over the summer.  Despite the bumps, it's where we belong.

Every time I slip on my outside shoes I think of Mr. Rogers.

Another reason I'm hesitant to dive back in here is because in the past I've done a lot of my blogging on the weekends (publishing the drafts throughout the week) and my weekends are no longer as much mine (as they can be with three kids).  You see, there is a little something I haven't told you.  Last fall, Jamey and I became certified foster parents.  We were approved but haven't had a placement yet because we are only open to fostering infants at this time.  It's not that infants don't come into care, it's just that there are couples who want to foster-to-adopt and those infants get placed with those couples just in case the infant comes up for adoption.  It makes complete sense and should be just so.

canned fish

Once we learned that this was the case we made ourselves available to a different local organization (unaffiliated with social services) that works with families, offering to provide respite care for young children.  Well, last week we were contacted about keeping a one-year-old boy every weekend, all weekend.  And, we accepted. God works in amazing ways.  Not only can we share our home with this little boy but it's only on weekends which means 1) Jamey is (mostly) around and 2) our homeschool week is protected.  For such a time as this indeed!  I will be sharing more about how we started down this path in the future.

So I long to come back and I will.  But it might be in fits and starts.  Please be patient with me.  There is honestly not a day that goes by that I do not think about you all and the beautiful online community we're a part of here.  I love it how some of our most meaningful relationships develop from the most unlikely of places.

I hope your last few days of August are lovely and pray that your fall will be more than you can ask for or imagine (both in opportunities and blessings).

Love,
Jane Pin It