We love having him around. Really, he's great. He's making friends at church and school already, and he shares his favorite funny(?) YouTube videos with us (we have yet to really connect to his sense of YouTube humor...). He's a great dancer, and he always takes my side when I'm trying to convince Sam of something (yessss).
I'm not saying it's been easy. Because honestly, it's not. It's very stressful. It's a lot more work and responsibility and a lot less time for myself or time as a couple than we're used to. We couldn't anticipate what it would really be like, and it's kind of been a wake-up call for us.
That being said, we couldn't do it without so many generous people helping us. Money is tight, but somehow we keep getting blessed. Remember Jason's adolescent shower and clothing drive? Yeah, people are still giving us things for that. Just this week another anonymous friend wrote a kind letter. Here is part of it (anonymous friend, I hope it's okay to share this):
"I went from a rough situation into a very wonderful couple's care when I was 16. They have made all the difference in my life. I truly hope the best for you and your family. Love, a friend who understands." Enclosed was a WalMart gift card.
It's hard, but when I think of that boy who walked into our house a month ago with one pair of jeans, no winter coat, a comforter soaked with dog urine and hair, and not even a toothbrush - I don't regret a single hour of tears, stresses, budgeting and rebudgeting, or late-night talks and prayers that we spent on that kid. He now has multiple pair of jeans and a nice winter coat that people donated to him. He has a toothbrush and a brand new comforter (we couldn't salvage the old one). He doesn't have much, and we're on a steep learning curve for this new thing we call parenthood, but one word keeps coming to mind, and that is growth. We're so proud of our ward of the state, and we love having him around.
