Love them, Love Him

Enock's Birthday

2012-02-08T05:15:00.000-08:00

First of all...
It feels so good to be writing once again!
Life in the Box house has been slightly out of control.
Good things, hard things and just those things that never go as planned.
I am sure I will write about some of these things soon, but not today.

Today... I get to tell you about one of the most memorable times in my life.

Enock's 3rd Birthday

Every mom gets sentimental around their children's birthdays.
It's one day a year that everything slows down and you get a chance to reflect on this little person that is growing up way too fast right before your eyes.
I love that we get one day a year to celebrate the people who mean the most to us.

This birthday was different though.
It had a whole new meaning to us.

This was the day that Enock turned 3 and had his very first birthday.

Words can not describe just how excited he was.
He ate up the fact that the day was about him.
Since his birthday was on a Thursday, we spent the day celebrating as a family.
We had family breakfast at Chick Fil A.
(Seriously, the boy loves chicken. If this was all we did he would have been thrilled.)
Once Jake went to work I took the boys to pick out a birthday balloon for E and a "good brother" balloon for Camp.
That day we played hard, sang Happy Birthday more times than I can count and ended the day giving him his very own Buzz Lightyear and eating birthday cake.

I know it doesn't sound like much. But it was priceless.

Birthday party details became a bit disastrous.
The one thing he really wanted to do was ride the train at our local park.
His party was rained out on Saturday so we moved it to Monday.
Monday when we got there the train was not running.
As soon as we sat down to eat and open presents about 10,000 school kids came running off their buses and filled the area we were sitting in.
This caused us to pack up and walk about .5 a mile to another picnic table.

Let's just say it wasn't how this mamma had pictured his perfect birthday party.

BUT... he enjoyed every minute of it.
The party was for him.
His friends were there for him.
The presents were picked out just for him.
And we sang Happy Birthday, which at this point he had declared his favorite song. ; )

As I reflected on the past year
I didn't get to reminisce a years worth of memories with E.
Or think about how much he has grown up since his last birthday.
But I did get to think about this adoption process.
About all of the waiting.
All of the paperwork.
All of the longing for days like today.
I thought about when we first got to see his face.
That precious little face in the picture sent to us from his orphanage.
I thought about when we finally got to hold him in our arms.
All of the times we told him that we were his family and that we would love him forever.
The hard transition times, language barrier, first I love yous and hugs.
Even though I do not have 3 years worth of memories with E
I can still say he has grown up so much, and we have come so far.
I LOVE that these days are ours now.
We get to be the ones to celebrate him for the rest of his life.

This was a special birthday.
And I look forward to all of the ones ahead.

Enock,

I love you sweet boy. I am so thankful that God gave us you. You are a precious blessing to us. You are a Box. I am so proud of you. You have been so brave with the many changes God has brought you through. You have been so open to let us love you and teach you what family means. You have been a good friend to your brother. I love your sensitive heart, your infectious laugh, and your big bright eyes. You give the best hugs and you give them often. We love you E and we will love you forever.

Love,
Mommy

much to catch up on

2012-01-31T05:14:00.000-08:00

This past week has left me in a whirlwind.
I feel as if my to-do list is growing faster than I can check things off.
Does that ever happen to you?
I think it hates me.

Anyway- there is much to catch up on, so here we go....

Have I told you about Enock's good friend Suma?
While E lived in Uganda, he had two best friends... Suma and Job.
It was so entertaining to watch them "rule" the baby home.
One of the hard things about adopting internationally, is taking your child away from his/her close friends when you bring them home.
I think of friends that I have.... friends that are more like family.
I can't imagine.
Even though E gained a mom, dad and brother... he still had to move away from close friends.

Well, God in is graciousness decided to place Suma in a loving family..... in Katy, Tx!
How fun is that?
Suma not only lives only 3 hours away, but we will get to see her anytime we go visit family in Houston.

We took our first trip last Thursday and met up at Chick-fil-a.
E was SO excited to see his sweet friend.

Ahhh.... I just love it.
I keep thinking about how they will get to grow up knowing each other.
We love this sweet girl and her amazing family.
I'm sure there will be many more posts about them in the future.

On Friday, I woke up at a very ugly hour to catch a plane to Atlanta, GA to attend the Created for Care Retreat!
I told Jake that if all I did was fly to Atlanta, drive my rental car to the resort, turn around and fly back, it would feel like a vacation. (And all the mom's take a deep sigh of agreement.)
But lucky me, I got to stay.
Created for Care is a retreat designed for adoptive mom's.
It is a time for rest,
A time to connect with other mom's of adopted children,
A time to be equipped,
And a time to be encouraged.

I can not tell you enough how amazing it was to be there.
I will blog more about that later, but here are the highlights....

This was my view every morning when I woke up.

These are two other Uganda mamma's that blessed my heart!

Our kids actually come from the same orphanage! Be praying for them...
they are both still waiting to bring their little ones home.

And this is Jessica, Wynne and I having way too much fun at our Noonday table!

I love all of these girls!

Ok, a quick note on Wynne (on the right).
She worked at a summer camp growing up.
Has two golden retrievers.
Is adopting a little boy.
And naming him CAMP!

Crazy right?!

They are the featured family over at Give1 Save1 this week.
Make sure and take a second to watch their video and donate $1 towards their adoption. Literally, every dollar counts.
Please take time to show them some love!

I drove back to Austin Monday night and that is when my to do list began to hate me.
Although I feel weeks behind right now, I know that time will stand still tomorrow.
You see, tomorrow is a day I have been looking forward to and dreaming about for a long time now.

Tomorrow Enock turns 3 and we get to spend his very first birthday with him.

I am tearing up just writing that.
I can. not. wait.

date nights

2012-01-24T04:44:00.001-08:00

Marriage has been a big topic of conversation around me lately. I think a lot of it has to do with the life stage we are in. When you are a family with young kids, life is much crazier than those newly married years when it's just you and your husband. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the kids and lose sight of each other. I get that. I am crazy about my kids. I love them dearly and would do anything for them. It would be easy to want to spend all of my time doing things with them and for them. If you haven't seen a picture, they are pretty sinkin' cute. : )

But...

I love Jake more.

Jake and I had a date last night. It was SO great to be out with him. We love each other and our time together. He is my best friend and my teammate. We started to babysit swap with our sweet friends Andrew and Michelle and it was our turn. They came over to our house, played with our kids, cooked dinner for them, bathed them and put them to bed. What a huge blessing! I on the other hand put on my skinny jeans and heels (later to be replaced by TOMS... seriously... how to people walk in heels all day every day) and enjoyed every second of our date night out.

We believe so much in marriage. We also believe that a mom and dad who love and prioritize each other brings true security to kids... not child centered parenting. Because of this we make a big deal about date nights in the Box house! We budget for them, and not just that, we make sacrifices/cut back in other areas to make sure we have enough money for 2 fun date nights a month. The other two weeks in the month we do a low key "date night" at home. This mostly looks like renting a movie, sitting by the fire pit with hot chocolate... you get the idea. Date nights are a BIG deal to us.

I know that seems impossible for many people. Maybe it's a tight budget, or hard situation with kids. I just want to say that's not lost on me. It may be that after looking at your budget, making cuts and sacrificing, all you have enough money for is ice cream. That's ok. Still, get out and have the best ice cream date any couple has ever had!

While we were in Uganda, we obviously couldn't hire a babysitter and go on dates. But it was still so important to us. We ended up having a date night every night when the boys would go to bed. We would go on the back porch while we lived at the orphanage, or cozy up on the couch at our Bridge Africa house and talk, laugh, dream and blog. : ) Half of the time it was by candle light because of rolling blackouts! We made a habit of walking down to this little market during the day and buying 2 cokes and 2 candy bars for that night. I would usually make a cup of Via coffee with caramel creamer and we were set!

I kind of miss those little dates. They were warm, simple and every night. They hold so many memories for me and our time in Uganda.

So, if you are on a tight budget, or if it seems impossible to leave your kids right now, pretend you're in Uganda. Set aside nights to be together and make a point to grab a candy bar, coke or cup of coffee to go with it.

You won't regret it.

{Date night last night at Contigo Austin}

{I love him.}

instafriday

2012-01-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

It's instafriday again...
Here are some pictures from our week!

Over MLK weekend Jake spoke at a youth retreat and we tagged along.
The retreat was at Frontier Camp which happens to be one of my favorite places on earth.
I spent many, many summers there as a Camp Counselor and it was so much fun to take my boys there for the first time.

Although MY Camp was really confused about the whole thing. He kept thinking that "Frontier Camp" was the name of a new friend he was going to meet. : ) It was pretty funny.

(Side note: this picture was not taken at FC. The only pictures we have from the retreat are on Jake's phone.)

On Monday, we left the retreat and drove through College Station (another favorite place) to eat at Layne's and walk around campus. Camp and E loved climbing the Century Tree.

Me and my Love under the Century Tree. {sigh} He's the best.

On Wednesday, my amazing friend Hayley watched my boys for a few hours so I could get some planning done. It was much needed. I still feel so disorganized and out of rhythm since we've been back.

I was able to go spend 3 beautiful hours at Dolce Vita drinking an iced coffee and eating these delicous Nutella & Strawberry Mini Waffles. Yum. As you can see I couldn't resist taking a bite before I took this picture.

The weather has been great here in Austin! High 60's-low 70's. The boys have been playing in the backyard a ton and getting them to pick up before we go inside has been a challenge. I stole this nifty idea off of Pinterest and it worked like a charm! They were literally running to pick up all of their cars and trains from the yard.

I have been working hard to get up at 6am every morning. Why??? Because I've been so convicted about how I greet my boys in the morning. Getting up at 6am allows me to have much needed time with Jesus first thing, get ready for the day (even if that is just work out clothes) and think through my day all before my boys get out of bed. To say this has been hard would be an understatement. BUT this morning I was surprised with a Grande Starbucks Zebra Mocha from my incredible husband. It. was. amazing.

Sweet E. This poor boy had a full day of doctors today. Lot's of blood work, x-rays and such. We were there from 10:30 to 2:30. He was such a trooper. As long as there wasn't a needle involved he was about this happy. He was really excited about the "big camera" that was going to take pictures of him. : )

So that's our week! I hope each of you has a great weekend making fun memories with your family! If you get a chance, write me a comment and tell me one highlight from your week!

worry

2012-01-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

I've found myself dealing with worry this week.
Not the kind of worry that is overwhelming.
The kind that is subtle.
The kind that sneaks up in your thoughts about many different topics...
change, money, parenting, work...

I wouldn't describe myself as someone who is a "worrier".
I think many things in my past have taught me that it is fruitless.
But still... it sneaks up from time to time.

I've been worrying about how to mother two boys... one of those being adopted.
Even though we have only added one child to our family I feel as though I am having to rethink so much of how I parent.
Maybe it's the added child or maybe it's just the age my boys are at.

I want to help them grow, thrive, learn and be who God has created them to be.
It's been harder finding the balance lately of
... not stifling how God created them uniquely boy, but keeping them under control
... quality time with me, brother time (time for them to learn to play together and by themselves) and time out with friends or running errands
... being silly with them and speaking words of character to them

I feel as though I am having to learn all over again how to balance the many jobs of a mom.

And then God spoke to me....

"Krista, don't worry about anything; instead, pray to me about everything. Tell me what you need and thank me for all I have done. Then, you will experience my peace, which I promise will exceed anything you can understand. My peace will guard your heart and mind as you live in me." Philipians 4:6-7 (KBV Krista Box Version)

Isn't it sweet when God does that?
It helps me understand in Zephaniah 3:17 when he says he will "quiet you with his love".

So, I have been working on capturing my thoughts this week.
Instead of worrying about if I'm parenting my boys well I am praying.
A lot.
And thanking God for all he has done.

What has God been saying to you lately?

instafriday

2012-01-13T06:55:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time again!
Here are some highlights from our week!

Enock and Camp were WAY overdue a haircut.
We go to a place here called Pigtails and Crewcuts.
They are amazing.
I had one kid sitting in an airplane getting a haircut,
while the other kid played at the train table.
Pure bliss.

It has been much colder in Austin this week.
So we busted out the finger paint!
This was the first time that E didn't try to eat it. : )
In his defense, we are sitting at the table and the paint is on a plate.

On Wednesday their friend Noah came over to play.
Both of my boys LOVE their good friend Noah.
This picture cracks me up.
They really were having fun, but Camp looks a little scared at the moment.

Ok, so I know this picture isn't great,
but I was running low on instagram pics from the week.
You can't really tell, but this is a "tour bus".
You know... one of those rides you put a quarter in.
They have them at the mall and we had gone there to play at the indoor (free) playground
and to eat Chick Fil A.
It was a sweet morning with the boys.

The boys received new coats from their Mimi and have hardly taken them off.
I realized this is probably E's first coat and he adores it!
He wants to put it on as soon as he wakes up and wear it all. day. long.
He was mad at me in the picture because I wouldn't let him fall asleep in the car. : )
Can't say I blame him much.
He looks pretty cozy!

And today my friends has been a terrible day.
One of those days that starts off on a bad foot and by the end of the day, you are laughing at just how bad your day has been.
Well, this is a picture of the things helping this day seem a bit sweeter.
(These things and my friend Erin who dropped by and is not in the picture.)

1.Starbucks coffee (free with a giftcard... even better)
2. My I Heart Uganda cup warmer given to me by my sweet friend Lindsey and made by my precious friend Renee.
3. Warm chocolate chip cookes.
4. And my Star Arm Warmers. Seriously... everyone needs a pair. I take them everywhere and even sport them around the house when it's cold. Love. them.

As for my day?
Let's just say that it started when my boys Bunny Clock woke up over an hour early, and somewhere in the middle there was my first jury duty summons, spilled drinks and food and a ticket for an inspection sticker that is 2 weeks expired.
Those are the highlights.

I hope you guys have some fun memories from your week!
I am looking forward to my next few post.
Expect Monday's post to go live later that evening.
We will be out of town and most likely without internet this weekend.
Jake is teaching at a high school retreat and the boys and I are tagging along!

Have a great weekend!

Enock

2012-01-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that I have only truly known this little boy for about 3 months now.
Even though I so vividly remember the phone call where I learned his name, and the first time I held him and told him I was his mommy, so much of that seems so long ago.

Enock is such a different kid than he was 3 months ago.
When we first met him he was unsure of us, seemed distant and then overly clingy and would melt down over seemingly nothing.
All of that I expected, but what I didn't expect was to see so much change in such little time.

I just spoke with our adoption agency today and they were asking questions about how Enock is adjusting and bonding.
It caused me to look back and remember what it was like with him in Uganda, and what it was like those first few weeks home.
There was distance,
there were temperaments,
he was unsure of his role in our family,
he was frustrated with the language barrier,
and he saw every adult we came in contact with, as a caretaker.

I remember my heart dropping each time he would run over to a random mom at the playground and want to sit in her lap.
I knew to expect that.
It made sense to me.
But it hurt.
I wondered when the day would come that he would look for me....
see me as his safe place....
a day that he would always choose me out of a crowd of moms.

That was then...

Now, Enock seems so happy.
Not the kind of happy that kids are when they are temporarily entertained,
but the kind of happy that runs deeper.
The kind that speaks to security and belonging.

He speaks English all of the time now.
I rarely hear him speaking Lugandan anymore.
It is very broken and sometimes his accent makes him difficult to fully understand,
but he is soaking up everything he hears.

He LOVES his brother and copies everything that he does.
I really believe that his relationship with Camp has made every other transition more smooth.

He is SO busy.
He talks all day long and hardly stands still.
He loves to dance and listen to music.
His favorite song right now is Bob Schneider Honeypot.
He goes around the house singing " la la la la, la la la la la, everybody sing!" (That's how the end of the song goes.)

He loves hugs, gives the sweetest kisses and wants to be funny like his brother. : )

As a family we do some things differently now...
- we refer to cars as motorcars
- we pray with our hands in the air (like they do in Uganda)
- and we sing "Baby Jesus" every night (a song they sang at the orphanage)
(I guess I could also add to that list that we are busier than ever with 2 toddlers and sleep better than we have in years as a result!)

Enock has the best giggle, the brightest smile and the sweetest voice.
He has a very sweet nature about him but quite the independent streak.
He loves babies. He was always good with them in the orphanage so it doesn't surprise me, but he is so sweet and gentle around them.
He is so proud of himself when he obeys or learns something new and constantly wants to know that he has been heard.

His favorite food is chicken by far.
Seriously, I think he would choose it over icecream.

He is super sharp.
He picks up on things so quickly and seems to have the mind of an engineer.
But he tends to lack common sense. : )
He has been known to throw sand in his face, try to eat paint and just today he fell off the swing because he let go with one hand to put the hood from his jacket on.
Jake and I have decided that he will be one of those geniuses who are a little flaky.

He ADORES his dad and would spend every last second of the day with him if he could.
(I can't say that I blame him... I would too!)

We are so in love with this kid.
I am so thankful that God in His graciousness has allowed E's transition to be so smooth.
We are working through discipline issues, bonding, attachment and social situations still, but he is adapting so quickly.

I love that he walks past all of the random mom's at the park now to come show me the new rock he found.
I love that when he is hurt he looks for me and has a sense of security once he finds me.
I love that I can kiss his boo boo and it makes it all better.
I love that he spontaneously tells me he loves me or wants to hold my hand.

Enock is doing so great.
I can't wait to see how much he grows in the next few months.
His birthday is coming up in a few weeks and he will turn 3!
He keeps telling me he wants a "big Buzz like brother".
I can't wait to celebrate him on that day.

E, you are my precious, precious son. I am so thankful that I get to be your mom. I may not know when you took your first step or how you got that small scar on your leg, but I know the ways that your heart is like mine and your personality is like your dads. I look forward to making fun family memories together in the coming years. I love you sweet boy.