This is the 1st picture we received in our referral package - July 2011
A quick snap at dinner eating Pho daddy made - September 2014
Changes in our physical location, attitudes of the heart, heights & weights, emotions, daily routine, church body and spiritual maturity to name a few. In this year, the Hires family has become stronger, sillier, sadder, happier, more joyful, more optimistic, more effected by ignorant words of those who don't understand, richer, more resolved, closer, more dependent on a Savior who is our Redeemer. He has given us more love than we've asked for and more grace than we deserve.
When asked what are some "highlights" and "lowlights" in her life for a class assignment, Kasia included her brother coming home as a high. I love that it comes naturally for my girls to think of our expanding family as a highlight. It hasn't been all roses. The first few months were wearing on us all as we adjusted to being a family of 6. There was uncontrollable rage that we managed only by the fact that our tornado weighed only 30lbs. at the time. There was such sadness that turned into anger we sought counseling to help understand how to heal his heart on a daily basis.
I sat across the table from our social worker this past weekend marveling at the words she wrote about where we were even 6 months ago. If ever someone would say, "This isn't the same little boy." I would reply, "Chris continues to discover the boy God has always wanted him to be."
In this last year Chris has learned how to sleep alone in his own big boy bed in his own room (even though he still gets scared some nights). He's learned to come get us when his dark room is scary or if he falls and gets hurt. He learned how to ride a 2 wheel bike within a day like he'd always known how to ride. He's shown us how has can jump higher, tumble further and run faster than most 5 & 6 year olds I know. He's learned how to cry when someone hurts his feelings or knocks him down instead of coming at them with a fist. He starts conversations with strangers, always asking me, "Are they my friend?" He loves his mom & dad, his teachers, his friends, his sisters (both here and his baby sister in Haiti that he tells everyone about). He loves Super Why and Disney movies. He can't wait to ride a plane again and constantly talks about wanting to be a bird so he can fly. He loved Disneyland and any hotel room we visited this summer. He learned how to swim and chose the pool over a movie most days this summer. His favorite foods are hamburgers (or hotdogs depending on the day) and broccoli with vanilla ice cream for dessert, of course.
We have learned to roll with the punches, both literally and figuratively, and have learned that no matter how long it takes we will always show our son we are stronger and are willing to take it all, demonstrating to him that God can handle anything he ever throws His way.
As we celebrate having Chris in our home for a year, I am convinced that God did an amazing job of picking my kids! They're all pretty great. I have never been less confident of my parenting skills and never more confident that I cannot be the best mom on my own. So on this day I pray:
God, grant me forgiveness when I sin and fall away from a right and true relationship with you, because without You I am not who you want me to be as a wife and mother. Show me where I can grow and mature, and I pray for the humility and discernment to change directions when I am making wrong choices. Provide grace upon grace, peace upon peace and wisdom that surpasses all understanding so that I may pour it out onto my family, teaching them to walk in your ways. Help me always hold highly to Your truths and loosely to my children's hands so that when it their time to move forward in life they will have the confidence and stability of the Holy Spirit in their hearts to do so. Thank you for giving me the privilege of being their mom! Amen
