Ice Cream Party

We recently received some “fun” money to do something special for the kids at COTP. Because we have so many kids with such a wide variety of ages and abilities, we decided that the easiest way to include everybody was to have an ice cream party. For many of the kids, this was their first experience with ice cream. 

Some of them weren’t sure what they thought of this odd new food.

Some of them ate the whole bowl, but kept their serious faces on as they experienced the weird cold stuff.

Some showed us their smiles right away as they ate the delicious pink treat.

Some even followed us around after they were finished, searching for a second bowl full of goodness. 

But the nannies impressed us the most with their ice cream enthusiasm, posing for “action shots” and getting very excited about the cool treat. They even assured me I had their vote for the “President of Ice Cream.” :)

Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site.  Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.

To A's Future Mama

To A’s Future Mama,

I don’t know who you are yet. You probably don’t even know who you are. But I want you to know that you are prayed for every day...

A is beyond gorgeous. Her beauty shines from inside. Her smile lights up the room and her spontaneous laughter is guaranteed to brighten your day. Her eyes will watch you wherever you are in the room and she is sure to let you know when she wants to be held. She is created in the image of her God and she is reflecting his love.

Life hasn’t been easy for A. She is two years old and has cerebral palsy. Her birth mama abandoned her, severely malnourished, outside of a hospital. She can’t yet sit up on her own or verbally express herself. She still has trouble gaining weight. She gets sick often and her beautiful smile is sometimes absent for days. 

But this little girl is absolutely worth it. I love her more than should be humanly possible. I love to find her in the morning and give her some quick cuddles. I love to hold her when she’s sick. I love to watch her face light up when she sees me from far away. I love to watch her in therapy as she works hard to control her muscles and learn new skills. I love to watch her grow, however slowly. I love to give her nicknames. I love to sing to her, to tickle her, to kiss her cheeks, to pray over her.

I am praying that God would use her life for his glory. I am praying that she learns to love him more and more. I am praying that you, her mommy, will find her soon. I am praying that she stays healthy while she waits for you. I am praying that your paperwork goes quickly. I am praying that God is preparing your heart and her’s for each other. I am praying for the moment that you meet each other for the first time, and the moment you take her in your arms and leave this place to live your lives together.

That is the moment I’m waiting for, the moment I’m nervous for and the moment I’m believing only God will bring about. I am trusting him for his plan for A. I am trusting him to speak to your heart. I am trusting him to give you the courage you need, the strength you need and the resources you need to step out in faith and adopt A into your family. I am trusting him to equip you to raise A and teach her his love. 

And I am promising you that she is worth it.

Thank you for loving A, even if you don’t know her yet. Thank you for allowing God to speak into and change your life. Thank you for being the mama that A needs. 

I am praying that one day very soon, we will meet and I can tell you thank you in person. It will be incredibly hard to watch A leave with you, but it is right and it is good. She needs you, her forever mama, and you need her, your forever daughter. 

God Bless,

Carla 

Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site.  Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.

Christmas 2014

As one side of my family gathers together today to celebrate Christmas, I am spending some time remembering the events of my Christmas week. The kind of Christmas I never pictured when I was younger, away from my family, but still so thankful for everyone and everything that surrounds me. 

For several weeks now, we have been receiving Christmas gifts for our kiddos and staff. We are beyond blessed by how many people care about our babies and decided to send these toys, clothes and books - it was a fun several days of wrapping and sorting and labeling as we prepared gifts for each child! 

By Christmas Eve, all of the mail was received and we had every present wrapped and ready to go. We attended the Christmas Eve service with the other staff here at COTP and went to bed ready for a full day in the morning. 

On Christmas morning, we got everything ready for the party and the kids quickly noticed something was up; they couldn’t wait for their turn to come in and experience Christmas. We spent the next several hours celebrating in small groups with our kids, reading the Christmas story, decorating cookies, unwrapping presents and exploring new toys. Even when the kiddos were napping, we were still busy handing out the nanny Christmas presents. :)

It was a fun day that ended with happy kids and a roommate Christmas dinner, complete of course with fudge and a Christmas movie!

Our Christmas Whiteboard.

The stocking (ornaments) were hung by the (whiteboard) with care.

Gifts ready to be unwrapped.

The Nativity Scene we used to tell the Christmas Story.

Trying to sit still long enough for Tori to read to us.

Ready to open presents.

Professional cookie decorator... she took the task very seriously.

Excited to open presents... and possibly toss the paper everywhere in a minute.

Waiting very seriously to find out what's inside.

Unwrapping his new books was a tough job.

Everyone had to check out the fancy new car.

She loved the new trampoline that everyone gets to share.

He was excited for musical mats and bows this Christmas.

She loves her new stuffed kitty.

And she's pretty sure her very first Christmas was a success!

Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site.  Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.