Life, Love & Joy...Trusting the plan!

Even though my last post was in June, so much has changed in the Rikard household. I have to say, I thought Gary was playing when he came in the house that hot July day to sit me down and tell me something big may be happening in his career very soon. He said it was just a possibility and honestly I didn't think much of it. The reason I didn't is because we were so settled in our dream home, dream church and yes, even our dream school. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else because it was the only true home Laura ever had. Her brothers were close by and we were all sitting pretty. Her teacher in the Reach program had become my hero and I couldn't wrap my head around her being at any other school. Northpoint Christian did so much for my child and I loved EVERY bit of their program.  I prayed for God's will, but secretly hoped it was just an honor for his name to be mentioned. Then, wham...the interview, then wham the job offer. I couldn't breathe...I couldn't even imagine how drastic our lives were going to change because I had never been so comfortable in my life or had so many friends. I was the happiest I think I have ever been. I knew it was meant to be when we sold the house on Facebook within days. I knew it was meant to be when God placed a house in our laps very quickly in Madison and we closed with a difference of $50.54. We downsized a pretty good bit, so it was a lot of work selling and getting rid of stuff we didn't need. So are you ready for this? Honestly, I love our new house better. Can you believe that? I love how much smaller it is and it is less for me to take care of. Also, after the doors were closed on the private school in our area, we decided to try public school which is literally 5 mins down the road. This allowed me to stay at home for awhile and be able to concentrate on our little family. I didn't realize how run down I had gotten. I didn't realize I needed a break from working in the church because my relationship with God was suffering. When you work in a church, you see SO much you don't want to sometimes. Although it was a lot of fun, lots of joy and I made incredible friends, I didn't concentrate on my family or bible studies as much as needed. So now, I am. You see, this is ALL better in the end. What I thought was going to be a huge disaster has turned into the biggest blessing. The biggest shock to me has been school...I wasn't sure Laura was going to survive in a larger classroom setting. Northpoint brought her SO far....she didn't even hardly know her ABC's 3 years ago...she couldn't read, write her name or let alone add numbers. So far at the new school, she has gotten all A's & B's, has made new friends and comes home every day with the biggest smile. Most days I get, "today was the best momma". I wanted to cry at the parent teacher conference because they said she was holding her on and they didn't see any major signs of struggling. I got in my car and just gave the biggest shout out to God and said, THANK YOU...you knew exactly where we needed to be". Thank you for not letting that private schol work out, so we can afford for me to stay at home. Thank you for letting me be so close to home so I could rush to the hospital and be with my family last week when we lost our dear Aunt Pug. Laura was recently able to have some one on one time with Aunt Pug before her passing and I am so grateful. She is now getting to spend a lot of time with aunts and cousins she hasn't been around much. She loves letting her Aunt Nette pick her up from school for ice cream! They are pouring into her and I love watching her laugh with them.  I love being close to my parents and enjoy letting them have time with her so I can travel with Gary some. We are taking some much needed time off from competitive cheer as well and just focusing on tumbling. We thought it would be a good idea to keep things simple for awhile. We have been visiting Broadmoor Baptist and feel right at home. Moral of the story is, sometimes our plan is not God's plan. TRUST and he will lead you. Believe he knows what is best. If you ever doubt his plan, just read back to my very first post from 3 years ago. Jerm 29:11..."For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord". I miss DeSoto County so much, but we are so happy here too. Gary is doing well in his new job and is having fun. He says its very interesting and not the same ole boring law stuff day in and day out ha! Here are a few pics...we got to get Laura's brothers last weekend and they are doing so good. I keep praying for God's blessing in their lives...he knows where they are headed and I trust that plan. Thank GOD for The Palmer Home.

We are so proud of you daddy! 

First day of school-Madison Ave Upper Elementary!
Mrs. James & Mrs. Long

Visit with brothers!

New house :-)

Fun day at school! 

Pumpkins with Aunt Darlene!

Getting to see dad's new office. 

Year 3-Our Adoption Story Continues...

This month, we celebrate year 3 with Laura. I can't believe how much time flies. What an incredible year it has been. Once again, she never ceases to amaze us. She made straight A's for the entire year! Wooohooooo! Her confidence in herself has skyrocketed and she continues to surprise us every day. She had a great 2nd grade year and loves to see her friends every day at school. Laura loves competitive cheer and really excelled in her flying skills this past year. She now has her backhand spring. She is currently at Camp Lake Stephens for a week and will attend Farm Camp, two VBS's and Cheer Camp this summer. We also have a family vacation planned at the beach. She LOVES the sand. We are able to see her brothers a lot more and she loves having them over on the weekends. I look back on this month 3 years ago and I remember being SO scared, nervous and excited. I had NO clue what we were in for, but GOD blessed us beyond measure. Through all the fertility treatments and disappointments I KNOW without a shadow of doubt, she was always meant to be ours. Our family and friends have been so wonderful and there are way too many people to thank, so just know we love you all and appreciate all the support you have given us. We love our little girl...now, if I could just stop time....

 

 

Two Years...

Its been TWO years...can't even begin to describe how fast the time really goes by. Laura has come so far and oh how proud we are of her. She is a sweet, funny and laid back child. All of my friends are in disbelief that she has not once come downstairs in the middle of the night to get us for nightmares, sickness, ect. She never argues about going to bed and likes to sleep in. She has been so easy going and just goes with the flow. We were very excited to share our Honduras experience with her over Spring Break this year. It was her first flight and she loved every minute of it. It felt so good showing her where our adoption journey began. She will be in 2nd grade at SBEC and made STRAIGHT A's all year. What a blessing and a testament to the school of how far she has come. She is reading like a pro and tested well on her standardized test. We will keep her in the Reach program at school one more year so she can continue getting the foundation she needs. It has been the best decision!!! We recently signed up to sponsor her brothers at the Palmer Home, so they are able to come visit and stay over-night. Our prayers are that we can continue being apart of their lives even though we haven't been allowed to adopt them. I realize now that its all in God's timing and I have fully given it to him. One thing I have learned this year as a mom is how hard it is to WAIT on her...by that statement, I mean wait on her to get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, ect....I will say this, she is as slow as a turtle, but if that's the worst of it, I am good. Gary and I keep saying that we just want a respectful, well mannered child and I think we have done well on that so far. I love her to pieces and can't imagine life before her. I always tell her "I just want you to stay little forever" she usually just laughs and tells me it will be ok. She has picked out her dream house just down the road from us and says we can live there once we are old, haha. She cracks us up all the time because she just says the funniest things out of the blue. Right now, she is stuck on maybe she needs to get her tonsils out because Gary told her kids get to eat ice cream for a week. Camps this summer include: Camp Lake Stephens, Farm Camp, Drama Camp, VBS, Gymnastics Camp and last but not least, Cheer Camp. She is one busy active little girl!!! I have LOVED watching Gary be a dad, she DEFINELTY has him wrapped. He gives in pretty easily and I am usually the "mean" one. If he even raises is voice just a little, she tears up. She does NOT like to disappoint either one of us though. He taught her how to ride her bike, reads with her, plays games and of course, lots of swimming. Overall, these two years have changed our lives completely for the better. There is one thing for sure, she was always meant to be ours!!! This picture is from the VERY first day with us...and a few from this year.

 

What a YEAR!!!

I can't believe its been a year...I am overwhelmed with joy and excitement at how far we have all come. Laura started First Grade today and we celebrate as she has been with us right at a year now. Unbelievable how time flies!!! I feel such joy when I see how much she has changed. She is more friendly, outgoing, willing to try new things, more confident, and all around a happy 7 yr old. I will never be able to explain to her the circumstances of her young childhood, but we just keep reminding her that God brought her to us a gift. I hope one day she will feel the same way. I am so thankful for all our friends and family that have invested in her. I am thankful for ConXion Cheer and the hard work they continue to do by building her trust levels. I am so grateful for our church and the children’s ministry. So many people have contributed their time and efforts in reassuring Laura and building her character. She has seen her brothers several times at the Palmer Home and they have come to our house for a visit. I have to continue to remind myself that God has a plan for them as well. We are praying for that plan and trust Jerm 29:11. We took her to St Louis this summer and had just about the best family trip you can have...City Museum and Six Flags were so much fun. She LOVED the rides and is a good little traveler...thanks to my niece Holly who traveled with us.  We are excited to see what this school year brings...I am hoping this Reach program will be exactly what she needs to continue getting caught up. Gary and I tell her all the time, "just do your best". That is all we want for her...just to keep trying and never give up even when things get hard.

School Year

I can't believe its almost the end of the school year...Laura has come SO far since Christmas. She is reading up a storm and even "shushes” us when we try to help her with words. She will move on to first grade, but will be in a program called Reach next year to continue extra one on one help. We couldn't be happier with this choice and feel like she will exceed well in this environment. She is getting ready for a cheerleading competition in Destin and seems to love every bit of it. They have been practicing up to three times a week and between that, church and school, we are all exhausted!!! Again, I don't know how my friends with more than one handles all the coming/going. Gary took her fishing the other day and she enjoyed holding the rod and watching Elliot run around. Also, with Easter just around the corner, we have had lots of fun shopping for dresses. She will have the opportunity to visit with her birth mom and brothers. She is SO excited to see her brothers and can't wait to hide eggs with them. We are getting ready for the summer which is full of various camps, swimming and lots of family time. Words cannot express how blessed we are!!!

Christmas

I can't believe its been two months since my last post...time is flying by!!! We had an incredible Christmas with Laura. She was completely overwhelmed by all her gifts!!! It was so much fun to watch her open and express such joy. I think her favorite toys were her DS Game and her numerous barbies with accessories!!! She has gone from a size 4-5 to a 6-7 very quickly. She LOVES to snack and eat sweets. Her favorites are string cheese, frozen yogurt and fruit. Also, every time we go out to eat, she ask for Mexican and can finish a bowl of cheese dip by herself. Gary always picks her up after cheernastics practice and has started a routine of taking her to Tropical Smoothie. She reminds me every Tuesday that HE is to pick her up. Another funny story is that I was in comfy clothes the other day to drop her off at practice and she said, "Mom, you can just drop me off at the door, you don't have to walk me in", ha. I just laughed and agreed. She is a very funny child, but is extremely sensitive if she thinks you are laughing at her. Elliot our dog has replaced his comfy dog pillow by our bed for a piece of carpet in her room...he follows her everywhere!!! I look back and can't believe how far she has come. All is well in the Rikard household and we are ready for spring-summer to hurry for some outside play and swim time :-)

Fall Update

What a crazy couple of months it has been!!! I am slowly but surely trying to figure out this parenting thing....all I can say is its a lot different than babysitting!!! Laura seems to be really adjusting well to life with us and LOVES school. She has exceeded our expectations with reading and absolutely loves her teacher. We couldn't be more pleased with this school!!! She had the opportunity to see her birth mom and brothers this past weekend and it all went smoothly. She came home with a big smile on her face-no tears!!! A friend suggested praying with her on the way to school every morning, so we pick a place and say a quick hello to God and ask him to please let her be nice to her friends and get a sticker....its really cute!!! The fun part is that she picks the place as we are driving....I forgot the other morning and she quickly yelled out, "WAIT, you forgot to pray with me".....I teared up!!! She is such a blessing and I am learning that NO matter what, even if I mess up, she is way better off with us than where she was. She told us a story last night that she once had to ride in a police car because her mom's boyfriend was driving bad and got pulled over....she said he didn't have his license and had to go to jail-she said the policeman was nice to her and her brothers and took them home. It really made me realize how much she has seen and been through-I already knew it, but its different when you hear it from a child. I know in my heart, she was meant to be with us!!!