Off to Vermont

Our little man is growing up.

So when Joni (his birth grandmother) mentioned that her father-in-law,/ Bri's grandfather / her husband Roy's father, "Pa" who just turned 93 years old, really wanted to meet Isaac, we took it to heart.

Pa lives in Vermont. So does all of Roy's family. While Isaac has met a lot of Joni's family, he has not yet met any of Roy's family.

We could wait until we are able to go with him. One year. Maybe two.

Or we could let him go.

We prayed about it. We thought about it. We talked about. We asked Isaac about it.

Joni offered to take both boys. But we immediately nixed that idea. Sidge is not emotionally ready to travel without Dad and Mom. He still gets overly emotional and has meltdowns. And, well, two boys is, two boys. Two boys fight. Two boys need to go to the bathroom at different times. One boy is obviously easier.

Isaac, on the other hand, is a seasoned traveler. Other than a little spooky feelings about dark rooms when he sleeps, he is easy-going and chill about most everything.

And he loves his Joni. We know he'll do great travelling with Roy and Joni.

So we said yes. It was like, we wanted a reason to say no. I wanted to say he had to stay with me. But I knew he didn't. I knew it was okay. And I knew I would be sad if, for some reason, he never got to meet Pa. JB is still in the Azores. I have three kids here. It would be a week that I only had two. A week that all three kids could get a little more one-on-one. It was good timing.

So this week, he'll take a trip to Vermont. Six nights away from me. But nearly a week getting to meet people that are a part of his heart -- even if he doesn't know them yet.

We looked back. Thought back. We can only come up with one day in their entire lives that Sidge and Isaac have not slept in the same room together. And that one night was when we moved to the Azores. When the military made JB fly all the way back to the USA with Scrubby. He took Isaac with him. I took Sidge and Abigail and flew commercially with them. The only night they haven't been together.

It's going to be weird. JB said he wanted to make sure Isaac went and came back before baby got here. So he's going next week -- two weeks before baby's intended arrival. He'll be back one week later -- a few days before JB flies in from the Azores.

I know this is part of Isaac's story. I know that allowing him to go is part of him knowing who he is and loving the story that the Lord has written for him. I know he will have an awesome time. I know that he will be as safe as safe can be. I know that he is old enough to lock these things in his memory and carry them with him.

But I'll miss him. It won't be the same without him sharing a bed with his brother. It won't be the same making only two plates for lunch. Putting two kids into the car. Instead of three.

But I know we made the right decision.

Vermont, here he comes!

 

To read this article as it originally appeared on my Daily Blog, click here.

Isaac and "Pa"

Isaac and "Pa"

Today he comes home.

But yesterday he got to meet "Pa."

I think it is interesting that little brother Sidge saw this picture and said, "That wooks wike Woy." (i.e. That looks like Roy.)

Yep. Pa is Roy's Dad. You won't see any family resemblance to Isaac since Isaac's birth mother, Bri, was also adopted. But this is still his birth great grandfather! And he got to meet him! Way cool.

It may be difficult for people who are not adoptive parents to understand that this excites me. When Isaac gets to spend time with his birth mother Bri's family, I am blessed by this. My heart is happy that he will always know the truth of his birth. He will feel included. He will feel loved by extra people.

"Perhaps an adoptive parent faces sooner what every parent must face eventually: Our children are not ours; they belong to themselves. What will keep them visiting us joyfully when they are grown is the quality of our relationship, not biology." -- Judy Rader

But now, I am just anxiously awaiting his return to my arms! We have really missed Isaac around here. Time to come home big brudder!

Officially Forever; BOI Update

On Friday, August 9, 2013, our very first Because of Isaac family: Grant and Elizabeth, had the adoptions of their twins: Ethan and Eli finalized. This means that Ethan and Eli are now, forever their little boys! We are celebrating with a huge overhaul of our website. Please take the time to visit: www.becauseofisaac.org to see for yourself all the changes that have taken place.

We currently have only one sponsored couple on the page. If you have not given a donation to Ryan & Briana, would you consider doing so? A gift in ANY amount if incredibly appreciated. They have passed the halfway point for their fundraising but still need to raise about $12,000 before their forever family dreams come true!