We started 2012 with big hopes. In January, we were finally on a waiting list as "expectant parents" with a local adoption agency. After a year of prayer and paperwork, it was so exciting to finally be in a position where we could be selected by a birthmother for a match. We kept our options open, saying "yes" to all preferences for race and sex, and were were encouraged that our wait would probably not be long due to our flexibility. And since there were several birthmothers eager to choose a family with whom to place their babies, we felt optimistic that our family would soon be growing by one. So, we registered at Target and passed the time with the usual family activities that fill our days and weeks.
In January, that meant Upward Basketball, and Sofie thrilled us with her mad skills on the court. One of the things I love most about Upward Basketball is that Sofie grew spiritually as well as athletically with this program. In this picture, the teams are praying before the game. I think that is a perfect picture to illustrate our year. It has been a year of praying and playing.
February brought Valentine's Day and the Glen Oaks Valentine's Dance. The girls were so excited to get all dressed up for a night out with Daddy. We also celebrated Marty's birthday, and Lily turned double digits. In addition, Jack was busy preparing for the UIL performance of the play "Radium Girls" in which he had the male lead. Later in the spring, the production was a big success and Jack won an Outstanding Actor award for his performance as Mr. Roeder. The hard work for that big accomplishment started months earlier. His commitment and determination make us so proud. In the midst of all this, the gray winter skies brought us some unpleasant news. During a routine check-up, doctors discovered an abnormality in my mammogram that caused alot of concern. The doctors began to suspect that I had breast cancer, so I had to have a diagnostic sonogram, as well as a biopsy. It was tough to keep my secret from the kids as I waited to hear the diagnosis. Marty, as usual, was my rock and encourger. At the end of February, heading into March, we were relieved to learn that, though my condition will require frequent monitoring, I do not have cancer. I have never been more thankful for my health, as I was reminded to treasure every day.
In March, we celebrated Jack's 14th birthday and my Mom and my cousin, Minniette, came to visit us for Spring Break. We had so much fun shopping, baking, and hanging out together. They even got to see Sofie play soccer. I think they might have been goodluck charms for Bug on the soccer field. She scored 4 goals in that one game on St. Patrick's Day. Call it the luck of the Irish! Usually, we go on a "camping trip" during Spring Break with our good friends The Recks. This year, we had to forego that tradition, as we needed to be close by just in case we were matched with a potential birthmother. The month left us still waiting and a little sad.
April brought "Hollie Mania" to our home, as Hollie Cavanaugh, a former Glen Oaks Tiger, competed on American Idol. Lily and Sofie became big fans immediately. The entire family followed the show every week and the girls supported her charity by purchasing "Hollie Pops". And of course we attended her Homecoming Parade when she returned back to McKinney after being eliminated as a finalist. Hollie did not win the competition, but she is our favorite American Idol and a true inspiration to my girls. Lily even got to meet her when she visited Glen Oaks right before school was out for the summer!
June started with school ending and Liy performing in her dance recital with McKinney Dance Studio. Jack graduated from Dowell Middle School and was awarded Presidential Gold for Academic Excellence. That following weekend, Lily had her Spring Dance Recital. She had worked so hard for her big moment on the stage, and we loved watching her perform. With school finally out for the summer, and Marty finished with the first of three tax advocacy exams required for opportunities in his career, we decided it was time to relax and do some mountain climbing. So, we packed up and drove to Colorado where we spent five glorious days playing together in the Rockies. We drove to the summit of Pike's Peak, visited the Garden of the Gods, took in the beauty of Seven Falls, breathed in the cool mountain air, and spent a lot of time with friends who have relocated there from Texas. When we returned, Jack participated in a law internship with a juvenile court judge with Collin County. At the month's end, Jack broke his arm, but still managed to help out with Vacation Bible School. All this, and summer was only beginning.
In July, Lily and Sofie went away for camp for the first time. They went to Camp His Way with the other incoming 3-5 graders at FBC McKinney. It was a little strange around our house with them gone, and way too quiet. We really missed our sugar and spice at the Arbuckle house. Later in the month, Lily served with Activ8, a local kids' mission project for older children at our church. It was a great way for her to make a difference and make some memories with friends. Jack spent a lot of time doing his summer reading for his English class at Boyd High School, as he waited for his broken arm to heal. And Sofie enjoyed her time off of sports with no scheduled practices or games. She loved having some down time from her regular busy schedule.
In August, Marty and I celebrated 20 years of marriage! I don't know where the time has gone, but I am sure glad I have spent it with this wonderful man. So much has changed in our lives since we met at Iowa State over two decades ago. It has been such an exciting adventure! Whatever the next 20 years has to bring us, we are blessed to be together. Before the summer was over, we took some time to relax with Marty's family at his parent's lake house in Arkansas. It was a blessing to see everyone, and it was a rare occassion when we could all be together. Not long after our visit to Arkansas, I made another trip to Iowa so that I could attend the funeral of my dear Aunt Berna. While there, we weathered more heartbreaking news in regards to our adoption. At the months end, we welcomed the first day of school. Sofie entered third grade, Lily began fifth grade, and Jack started high school! They are growing up way too fast!
Summer faded into Fall, my favorite time of year in North Texas. In September, Jack attended his first Homecoming dance at Boyd High School. He went with a group of friends and escorted a girl he knows from school. It was hilarious watching him on his "date". He was so nervous and shy, yet he was such a gentleman. As he got in the car and the kids drove away, my heart began to hurt just a little. For I was aware, more than ever, that our time with him is truly fleeting. One day soon, he will be a man, and he will be making a life of his own. What a man he is going to be! My future daughter-in-law is a very lucky gal!
In October, a dream came true! After two years of waiting, my book Morning Glory was finally published. I will never forget the feeling of seeing my name on that cover for the very first time! We celebrated by going out to dinner and giving thanks for the opportunity God has placed before me to point others to His grace. At the end of October, I was given an opportunity to share my story with the women of FBC at the Women's Coffee House event. I never saw myself as a public speaker. In fact, I was terrified to talk to a room full of people who are taller than me. Elementary children are far less intimidating! But, my nervousness quickly turned to exhileration. It was amazing to talk with the ladies after my presentation and hear how God was moving in their lives. It was truly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I hope to do it again one day.
November was quite a month of celebration for our family. First, Sofie's soccer team, The Ladybugs, won 2nd place in the McKinney Fall Classic Soccer Tournament. They came in as the underdog and defeated several teams with superior records from the regular season. It was quite a thrill to watch them tear up the field. That same weekend, Jack performed in his first Boyd Broadway Broncos production, as he was part of the Ensemble for the musical "Legally Blonde". It was such a wonderful show that it was selected to compete in a national theater competion in Lincoln, Nebraska this summer. Finally, Marty took his final tax advocacy exam and passed! After months of studying, his hard work had paid off. We celebrated our big month of successes by spending Thanksgiving with my family in Iowa. It was great to get away and unwind for just a bit with some of the people I love most in this world.
That brings us to December. Both of the girls performed with the FBC Children's Choir for "Deck The Halls". Lily had her winter dance recital and amazed us with her fabulous leaps. Jack performed with the Boyd High School Choir, and kept busy as he prepared, yet again, for Mock Trial. The girls and I attended the Nutcracker and Lily starred in her first musical at church, "Shepards, Sheep, and a Savior". Life had come full circle for us, as Sofie was now involved with practices for Upward Basketball once more. But, in the middle of the ordinary, the extraordinary sometimes happens. We woke to thunderstorms on Christmas morning, and by mid-afternoon, the rain had turned to snow. We were so excited that we dropped everything and went sledding right in the middle of the storm. Of course, it was too cold to stay out for very long, but we shall never forget the white Christmas of 2012. Marty had extra vacation to use before the year's end, so we had a family "staycation" at the end of December. It was great snuggling up, watching movies, playing games, and just being together.
With 2012 now a memory and a new year ahead, it is a great time to reflect on where we have been and where we are going as a family. Some things in this next year will remain the same. Our weekends will still revolve around soccer and basketball games, dance recitals, and choir and theater performances. We will still remain active in our church and look for ways to serve in our community. We will still have a busy calendar of practices and commitments. We will still work and play hard. That is just the season of life we find ourselves in right now. And it's a beautiful season.
Yet, some things, will challenge our family in ways we cannot anticipate. My prayer, in all things, is that we shall be bound together all the more tightly as we grow in our faith and place our trust firmly with God. The past year has changed our perspective in ways we did not expect. We have endured some challenges that have brought us to question whether adoption is truly what God has planned for us after all. A year of waiting and several heartbreaking disappointments have left us with doubts. The busyness of the past twelve months have tested whether we are wise to make that kind of drastic change in our lives. And, as I pray it through, it occurs to me that sometimes the answer to prayer is surprising. For sometimes, the answer is, "No". Regardless, we are a family. A beautiful and busy family who prays and plays together, looking forward to all that lies ahead in the coming year. May we never stop believing that God's plans are good. All the time.
