While we don't make a huge deal about Down Syndrome in this house, it is talked about. The kids are aware that Micah and Abby both have it. They recognize the features and understand that it takes Micah and Abby a little longer to learn things, talk, walk, potty train, etc than kids who don't have DS. (Though in some cases, not any longer at all!)
For a while Emily associated Down Syndrome and Ukraine. Emily was barely 4 when Micah came home so her understanding of DS and adoption coincided. Sometimes she would see a child with DS in public and say, "Look mom, that little girl is from Ukraine!" And I would do my best to re-explain the uniqueness and beauty individual to Micah-- and to Abby.
The other day, Ashley, Emily and Micah were eating breakfast at the counter before school as I packed up lunches. Our usual morning routine. Out of no where, Emily puts her spoon down and says, "Mom, Micah's birth mom didn't want him because he had Down Syndrome, right?" Surprised by such a weighty subject from a 6 1/2 year old at 7am, (and admittedly a little proud my daughter just used the term "birth mom") I said, "You're right. Because she didn't understand."
After thinking for a minute she said, "Do all kids in Ukraine have Down Syndrome?"
*sigh* Slightly irritated because we've been over this several times in the last 3 years, I tried to explain it again. "No, Emily. There are kids all over the world who are born with Down Syndrome. Ukraine has just as many kids with and without Down Syndrome as we do here, or anywhere else in the world. But Micah's birth mom didn't know he had Down Syndrome until after he was born, just like I didn't know Abby had Down Syndrome until after she was born-"
But before I could go on, she interrupted, "Abby has Down Syndrome?!?!"
"For pete's sake, Emily. You already knew that. Just go get ready for school."
Oh Emily. OH Emily. I love you so much, you dingy girl, you. <3
New Emily Version
Emily was sitting at the table last night reciting her memory verse. She's working on Psalm 23. And I heard, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of mayonnaise."
"Uuuuuhhh, Emily. You might wanna check that verse again."
Sort of surprised, she said, "Why, that's not right?"
I love that kid.
"Uuuuuhhh, Emily. You might wanna check that verse again."
Sort of surprised, she said, "Why, that's not right?"
I love that kid.
Things I should never have to say (Part 2)
To see the original "Things I should never have to say", click here. Looking back over it, I still have to say several of those. Some I still say to the same children, some I now say to their younger siblings.
And now this is another little round of comments I have caught myself saying to my children. Words I never thought would come out of my mouth...
"Go make sure your sister isn't sitting on the baby"
"Hurry up before she gets in the refrigerator"
(To my crying and bruised son) "Buddy if it hurts, stop running with the blanket over your face"
"No driving in the kitchen"
"Don't spray that in her eyes"
"Now go get all your toys out of the bushes"
"Pick her up, don't move her with your feet"
"Leave it in the toilet"
"Are you burping on purpose?"
"She doesn't want you to push her face under water"
"It kind of smells like a dead animal"
"That's not food"
"Well it might be true but, it doesn't mean you need to say it out loud"
and of course the ever dreaded....
"Where's Micah?"
And now this is another little round of comments I have caught myself saying to my children. Words I never thought would come out of my mouth...
"Go make sure your sister isn't sitting on the baby"
"Hurry up before she gets in the refrigerator"
(To my crying and bruised son) "Buddy if it hurts, stop running with the blanket over your face"
"No driving in the kitchen"
"Don't spray that in her eyes"
"Now go get all your toys out of the bushes"
"Pick her up, don't move her with your feet"
"Leave it in the toilet"
"Are you burping on purpose?"
"She doesn't want you to push her face under water"
"It kind of smells like a dead animal"
"That's not food"
"Well it might be true but, it doesn't mean you need to say it out loud"
and of course the ever dreaded....
"Where's Micah?"
To the teachers
Its Teacher Appreciation week. And I cannot express in words how grateful I am for the teachers who pour into my four oldest children on a daily basis. Seriously... I thank God for each of them daily.
But this is what Teacher Appreciation week looks like at the Spencer house: a different gift, flower, monetary pitch-in, activity, or card every day (as prompted by 4 different room moms, who are also fabulous by the way). For five days. For 4 different homeroom teachers, a special ed teacher, an aide, several "specials" teachers, and countless therapists. All strewn across 3 different schools.
There are times when people look at me and say, "I don't know how you do it. I can barely keep up with my two kids," or "Its all I can do to keep up with my school aged child and a baby at home," and I have to laugh and think of times like right now and thinking about all of my friends who have 7, 8, 9, or 10+ kids and wonder how. on. earth. they do it!!!
So.
If you teach one of my children in any capacity and I accidentally give you a flower on card day... or my child's page in the class thankful book didn't match the others.... please forgive me and just know that you are LOVED and appreciated and that my inability to pull it all together this week does not reflect on my level of gratitude!!! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all you do for my child!!!
But this is what Teacher Appreciation week looks like at the Spencer house: a different gift, flower, monetary pitch-in, activity, or card every day (as prompted by 4 different room moms, who are also fabulous by the way). For five days. For 4 different homeroom teachers, a special ed teacher, an aide, several "specials" teachers, and countless therapists. All strewn across 3 different schools.
There are times when people look at me and say, "I don't know how you do it. I can barely keep up with my two kids," or "Its all I can do to keep up with my school aged child and a baby at home," and I have to laugh and think of times like right now and thinking about all of my friends who have 7, 8, 9, or 10+ kids and wonder how. on. earth. they do it!!!
So.
If you teach one of my children in any capacity and I accidentally give you a flower on card day... or my child's page in the class thankful book didn't match the others.... please forgive me and just know that you are LOVED and appreciated and that my inability to pull it all together this week does not reflect on my level of gratitude!!! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all you do for my child!!!
Anniversary Get Away
Jake and I just got away to celebrate our 10 years of marriage, for 24 wonderful hours. With no children. Let me repeat that. 24 hours child-free. To remember that we are not only Daddy and Mommy but Jake and Amy. Husband and Wife. It was wonderful.
We called a babysitter... a brave one. (Thanks again Drea. You so totally rock.) Booked a hotel on Expedia. Bought movie tickets on Fandango. Called ahead for dinner. And off we went.
When we got to the hotel (the Cool Springs Marriott) we found out that they were actually hosting the "Weekend to Remember" marriage conference by Family Life. And so all of the King and Queen bed rooms were booked. Ugh. So Jake explained that it was our 10th anniversary and they said they'd see what they could do. We left for dinner and not 20 minutes later, they called back and had a bigger room for us. :) Awesome.
So not only did they move us to a beautiful King room on the very top floor with a view of the Cool Springs city lights, but sent up Champagne and Chocolate covered strawberries as well! What a sweet blessing. It was absolutely perfect.
The next morning we slept in... together! Which never happens!! We usually take turns sleeping in on Saturday. How did two night owls have six children who are early birds? Maybe when they're teenagers... Anyway we hadn't been able to both sleep in, in a long time. And it was wonderful.
Then we had a nice brunch and today was beautiful so we did some furniture shopping. It was so relaxed and nice to just hang out with my best friend.
Once we got home it was back to making dinner, wiping noses, changing diapers, doing dishes, doing laundry.... Jake had to turn right around and leave for a youth group event and won't be home until tomorrow. And I think I'm getting a stomach bug the kids had last week. Yep, back to real life.
But it was an amazing 24 hours. Next year we might do the big return trip to Maui that we'd hoped to do for our 10th anniversary. But this was wonderful and it was just what the doctor ordered. A much needed refresher and perspective shift. A time to remember that I am not just a mommy of six. I'm a wife. And a very, very blessed one.
We called a babysitter... a brave one. (Thanks again Drea. You so totally rock.) Booked a hotel on Expedia. Bought movie tickets on Fandango. Called ahead for dinner. And off we went.
When we got to the hotel (the Cool Springs Marriott) we found out that they were actually hosting the "Weekend to Remember" marriage conference by Family Life. And so all of the King and Queen bed rooms were booked. Ugh. So Jake explained that it was our 10th anniversary and they said they'd see what they could do. We left for dinner and not 20 minutes later, they called back and had a bigger room for us. :) Awesome.
So not only did they move us to a beautiful King room on the very top floor with a view of the Cool Springs city lights, but sent up Champagne and Chocolate covered strawberries as well! What a sweet blessing. It was absolutely perfect.
The next morning we slept in... together! Which never happens!! We usually take turns sleeping in on Saturday. How did two night owls have six children who are early birds? Maybe when they're teenagers... Anyway we hadn't been able to both sleep in, in a long time. And it was wonderful.
Then we had a nice brunch and today was beautiful so we did some furniture shopping. It was so relaxed and nice to just hang out with my best friend.
Once we got home it was back to making dinner, wiping noses, changing diapers, doing dishes, doing laundry.... Jake had to turn right around and leave for a youth group event and won't be home until tomorrow. And I think I'm getting a stomach bug the kids had last week. Yep, back to real life.
But it was an amazing 24 hours. Next year we might do the big return trip to Maui that we'd hoped to do for our 10th anniversary. But this was wonderful and it was just what the doctor ordered. A much needed refresher and perspective shift. A time to remember that I am not just a mommy of six. I'm a wife. And a very, very blessed one.
My love story
"God bless my future husband. Keep him for me. Protect him. And may he always love You first and foremost."
I started praying that prayer when I was 12. I also prayed that when I found him, I would know it.
And I did.
I was 16. A quirky, Jesus loving homeschooler from Maryland; I was finally moving past my new-girl phase and settling into youth group at Thompson Station Baptist Church when I met Hannah Spencer. We were the same age, the same grade, both homeschoolers, both new in town. We were both born in Texas, though she was raised there as well. We hit it off and we were inseparable.
She would tell me all the time about stories from her hometown, Houston. And she'd tell me how I would just love her older brother who was in college there. She wanted to fix us up. But I wasn't super interested. For one thing, the whole "still lived in Houston" thing. For another, I was waiting. Waiting for my future husband. I'd had a couple of boyfriends and that didn't really go over well. So I had my tight-knit youth group friends, guys and girls, and I was happy with that.
But he was coming for a visit and she told me she was bringing him to our weekly Bible study. I'll never forget that night. Hannah came in the door and following her was a tall, thin, 18 year old guy wearing a worn baseball hat. He had dark hair, very tan, a defined jawline and when he lifted his head I caught a peek of amazing green eyes. Then... I was interested.
We had a few interactions before he headed back home, but nothing major. I tried to dismiss it in my head simply because... well because he lived in Houston.
Then a few months later he moved here. Hm. ;)
We hung out a lot at first because he and Hannah were close. The three of us would do almost everything together.
But being the 90's and that we were church kids-- everything changed for us-- at a Newsboys concert. :) We had so much fun together. We danced and sang our hearts out... everything seemed to just click. I think that was the turning point where we both looked at one another and realized..... this is a lot more than interest.
Something bigger was going on. Something bigger than me. I was pretty sure I could see myself with him for the rest of my life. God could it be? We're so young? But neither of us dared say anything. We just enjoyed the concert, hanging out with our friends, and had so much fun together.
About a month later, a bunch of our friends were going over to our usual hangout: our friend Jen's basement. Hannah was already there so Jake picked me up alone. When I got in the car, he seemed nervous. Not his usual self. It was usually the 3 of us, never me and Jake alone, so I figured that must be it. He looked over at me several times as we drove the short drive there but didn't say much. I was my usual chatterbox self and he listened to every word. As we turned the corner before the driveway, he asked me something to the effect of, "I think I'd rather hang out, just the two of us, would you?" I told him that sounded good, so he just kept driving pass the driveway and we drove over to the Spring Hill "hill", an old battlefield site.
We parked and walked up the hill to a bench where we ended up talking for hours. It felt like talking to someone I'd known all my life. And in that conversation, we finally shared those thoughts and feelings we'd had at the concert, everything leading up to that, and where we saw ourselves in the future. So he grabbed my hands into his for the first time, and bowed his head to pray over our relationship. We both knew that there was a huge possibility that we were looking at our future spouse and it felt like Holy ground. Even at our ages we knew: when you're dealing with sacred, you stop everything and commit it in prayer.
It wasn't until several months later that we actually started "dating". I was only 16 and God was still working some things out in each of our hearts and lives. So we took our relationship slow. But from that night on the hill, we both new where we stood. God had brought us together.
When I was with him, everything seemed right. There's no other way to put it. I felt safe and loved. It felt like home.
On my 18th birthday he gave me an engagement ring. But we still knew the wait wasn't over. We were still very young and we still needed to save money.
A year and a half later, May 4th, as a nineteen year old bride, I walked down the aisle and married the man who'd stolen my heart 3 years before.
We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. One beautiful week at a bed and breakfast in Lahaina, Maui. We came home to a tiny one bedroom apartment and no money. But those were some of the richest days of my life.
Today we celebrate 10 years. And I can honestly say I'm just as in love now as I was then. If not more. Its just a deeper love now. A deeper knowing. When I fold his shirts, the smell still gives me butterflies. At least once a day I find myself missing my husband. As the sound of toys crashing around, giggles and squeals echo down the hall, and the washing machine hums... my mind trails to my husband, wondering how his day is going. "My beloved is mine, and I am his."
My goals for the next 10 years are to slow down and be intentional. Speak the love language of my husband and not just my own. Make my home a place of comfort and refuge for Jake. That the heart of my husband would trust me completely, with no lack of gain. That I would do him good and not evil all the days of my life. (Proverbs 31:11-12)
I've been praying for Jake for over half of my life. I'm so thankful that the Lord answered those first prayers and kept him for me. I'm so thankful for the last 10 years and filled with anticipation over spending the rest of our lives together. Happy Anniversary my beloved.
I started praying that prayer when I was 12. I also prayed that when I found him, I would know it.
And I did.
I was 16. A quirky, Jesus loving homeschooler from Maryland; I was finally moving past my new-girl phase and settling into youth group at Thompson Station Baptist Church when I met Hannah Spencer. We were the same age, the same grade, both homeschoolers, both new in town. We were both born in Texas, though she was raised there as well. We hit it off and we were inseparable.
She would tell me all the time about stories from her hometown, Houston. And she'd tell me how I would just love her older brother who was in college there. She wanted to fix us up. But I wasn't super interested. For one thing, the whole "still lived in Houston" thing. For another, I was waiting. Waiting for my future husband. I'd had a couple of boyfriends and that didn't really go over well. So I had my tight-knit youth group friends, guys and girls, and I was happy with that.
But he was coming for a visit and she told me she was bringing him to our weekly Bible study. I'll never forget that night. Hannah came in the door and following her was a tall, thin, 18 year old guy wearing a worn baseball hat. He had dark hair, very tan, a defined jawline and when he lifted his head I caught a peek of amazing green eyes. Then... I was interested.
We had a few interactions before he headed back home, but nothing major. I tried to dismiss it in my head simply because... well because he lived in Houston.
Then a few months later he moved here. Hm. ;)
We hung out a lot at first because he and Hannah were close. The three of us would do almost everything together.
But being the 90's and that we were church kids-- everything changed for us-- at a Newsboys concert. :) We had so much fun together. We danced and sang our hearts out... everything seemed to just click. I think that was the turning point where we both looked at one another and realized..... this is a lot more than interest.
Something bigger was going on. Something bigger than me. I was pretty sure I could see myself with him for the rest of my life. God could it be? We're so young? But neither of us dared say anything. We just enjoyed the concert, hanging out with our friends, and had so much fun together.
About a month later, a bunch of our friends were going over to our usual hangout: our friend Jen's basement. Hannah was already there so Jake picked me up alone. When I got in the car, he seemed nervous. Not his usual self. It was usually the 3 of us, never me and Jake alone, so I figured that must be it. He looked over at me several times as we drove the short drive there but didn't say much. I was my usual chatterbox self and he listened to every word. As we turned the corner before the driveway, he asked me something to the effect of, "I think I'd rather hang out, just the two of us, would you?" I told him that sounded good, so he just kept driving pass the driveway and we drove over to the Spring Hill "hill", an old battlefield site.
We parked and walked up the hill to a bench where we ended up talking for hours. It felt like talking to someone I'd known all my life. And in that conversation, we finally shared those thoughts and feelings we'd had at the concert, everything leading up to that, and where we saw ourselves in the future. So he grabbed my hands into his for the first time, and bowed his head to pray over our relationship. We both knew that there was a huge possibility that we were looking at our future spouse and it felt like Holy ground. Even at our ages we knew: when you're dealing with sacred, you stop everything and commit it in prayer.
It wasn't until several months later that we actually started "dating". I was only 16 and God was still working some things out in each of our hearts and lives. So we took our relationship slow. But from that night on the hill, we both new where we stood. God had brought us together.
When I was with him, everything seemed right. There's no other way to put it. I felt safe and loved. It felt like home.
On my 18th birthday he gave me an engagement ring. But we still knew the wait wasn't over. We were still very young and we still needed to save money.
A year and a half later, May 4th, as a nineteen year old bride, I walked down the aisle and married the man who'd stolen my heart 3 years before.
We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. One beautiful week at a bed and breakfast in Lahaina, Maui. We came home to a tiny one bedroom apartment and no money. But those were some of the richest days of my life.
Today we celebrate 10 years. And I can honestly say I'm just as in love now as I was then. If not more. Its just a deeper love now. A deeper knowing. When I fold his shirts, the smell still gives me butterflies. At least once a day I find myself missing my husband. As the sound of toys crashing around, giggles and squeals echo down the hall, and the washing machine hums... my mind trails to my husband, wondering how his day is going. "My beloved is mine, and I am his."
My goals for the next 10 years are to slow down and be intentional. Speak the love language of my husband and not just my own. Make my home a place of comfort and refuge for Jake. That the heart of my husband would trust me completely, with no lack of gain. That I would do him good and not evil all the days of my life. (Proverbs 31:11-12)
I've been praying for Jake for over half of my life. I'm so thankful that the Lord answered those first prayers and kept him for me. I'm so thankful for the last 10 years and filled with anticipation over spending the rest of our lives together. Happy Anniversary my beloved.
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