Quirky title...I know, but if you had just totally repainted, moved
furniture, hung new wall décor, cleaned out dressers, closets and old toys, and
moved 5 children into 4 new bedrooms for the arrival of our 6th child...you
might think too that it was an impossible task (especially considering it was
done in a short time span of merely 4 days). We are overjoyed to announce that
it is a mission complete! This is what we accomplished over the past 4 days
that Shon was off from work. Oh my poor honey...how he loathes the next
honey-do project, but he works with me so patiently to make sure everything is
just right and I love him so much for that! Amazing how we have learned to work
together over the past 20 years of marriage! Early on in our marriage even just
the thought of hanging border in a bedroom could have been circumstances enough
for a separation--just kidding really, well not really for way back then, but
we have come a long way in our relational skills during house projects!
With
the anticipation of our 6th and final child coming home from China in hopefully
the next 6 weeks or so, our 5 other children have been happily transplanted (or
begrudgingly dragged) to their new bedroom. It was easier for some than
others--understandably so!
Jaida will be sharing the large upstairs bedroom with her new big
sister Jemma and can’t wait for her to come home so she can talk her ear off…even
though initially, Jemma won’t understand a word she is saying! Their room is a
combination of pink, peace, and zebra…very girly and cute!
Josh was happy to move back upstairs into his old bedroom before
Jaida came to our family 4 years ago. He is overjoyed to have Ty’s barely used
new furniture and a queen sized bed that he can spread out in. His room is
decked out in Texas Longhorn style!
Mikayla moved to the “much smaller” bedroom downstairs that was
next to her current “largest” bedroom. She didn’t have to give up a whole lot or
share with anyone, so she wasn’t really affected by the move. Mik is just happy
wherever she is!
Jax moved, without much reservation, to the downstairs “largest”
bedroom and is sporting an “Oklahoma City Thunder” theme with a very bold blue
hue on the walls. Jax is our “sports kids” so as you can imagine, it was very
difficult for him to nail it down to one team. The Thunder won out in the end,
which is “cool” now that two of his favorite players from this team are on the
2012 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team!
Last, but not least, Ty…yep you guessed it…begrudgingly moved to
share the Thunder bedroom in the basement with Jax. I surely can understand
this was difficult for him…change isn’t easy for any of us. I think the
realization that college is quickly approaching, basic training for the
military is on the horizon, and the idea of being an “adult” with “adult”
responsibilities isn’t as much fun as he once thought, had a lot to do with him
dragging his feet. After being the “big dog” of the house in the biggest
upstairs bedroom for the past 7 years with a queen bed and new furniture…and
now sharing a room with a “little” brother nonetheless, in a Blue Thunder room,
with an XL Twin Bed…one might think they were being dethroned as the King. I
believe Ty now has peace about it and realizes this is just a necessary
transition in life and he hasn’t been “dethroned…” he simply drew the shortest
straw! All joking aside, this was a logistical nightmare and this arrangement
will work the best for everyone, with Mik and Ty headed off to college/dorm
life in the next 6 weeks.
Shon and I feel a little lighter with this burden lifted from our
list of “to-do’s” before Jemma arrives! Now we just need to…learn Mandarin
Chinese in 6 weeks; get our passport visas; wait for Travel Approval and Travel
Dates; Trish starts back to work, go shopping for college dorm stuff; move Mik
and Ty to Ark City for college on Aug 14th; enroll Jax, Jaida and
Josh in their schools; buy school supplies for Triple J’s; Jax’s 2nd
ear tube surgery; VBS at our church; celebrate our 20th Wedding
Anniversary; pack for China; speaker at church Ladies Event on our adoption
testimony…
Hmmm…maybe “lighter” wasn’t quite the right word to choose based
on the list above. I could definitely choose to see this list above as a “burden,”
but with grateful eyes, I will see it as “blessing!” Thank you Heavenly Father
for the joy I can find in my “to-do” list of life!
