The Call

This past week we had our Orientation Interview over the phone with our agency. This is basically a short interview of Evan and I and an introduction to the process for an Ethiopian adoption. I had scheduled it via e-mail with our Ethiopian adoption assistant the week before making sure to plan it during our kid's nap time because it was an hour long interview and talking on the phone with 3 littles in the background is almost impossible. I am the kind of person who LIVES by my planner. However somehow I forgot to write this down, I guess thinking that it being in my inbox of my e-mail with the other 50 e-mails was good enough. After all, I wouldn't forget something so important.

Over the weekend, I had the privilege to head to Baton Rouge for an AMAZING women's conference with a sweet group of ladies from my church. It was a wonderful weekend that I really needed. It was refreshing for my body and my spirit. I got to relax, enjoy time with my friends, get poured into spiritually, get challenged, have some fun down time and really just breathe! I came back home feeling so refreshed!

Well, I guess I got a little too refreshed. Mondays are our family day, as Evan takes off, since he works on Saturdays. We were out and about doing our typical Monday routine, grocery shopping and running errands. We decided to stop at Cafe Du Monde for a little treat of beignets. This put us behind nap schedule which I usually NEVER am ok with, but it was family day, the kids were behaving and I was ok with that.

On our way home Evan's phone rings with an area code that we do not recognize. I look at it and say "I think that is the same area code as our agency.....weird." Nothing sparked a memory. Then Evan says "Isn't that interview thing coming up soon." Huge gasp, eyes wide open and pit in my stomach feeling enter. "Um yea...like NOW" I belt out. I felt HORRIBLE! We had to call our sweet lady up and I admitted that it slipped my mind and we would be home in 15 min with kids in bed for nap. She was very understanding and we were able to get back on the phone with her, pen and paper in hands, kids down within 20 minutes.

Let's hear it for the "Adoptive Parents of the Year!" I felt like such a failure. How could I forget that? The truth is, my life is a whirlwind most days. People always ask me, "How was your week?" Honestly, most days I can't remember what my week was like so I respond "I think it was good. I don't have anything to complain about." I am convinced that with every child you lose more and more brain cells. All of my days blur together in a mixture of play dates, diapers, housework, story time, playing dolls, laundry, homeschool, church, small group etc. This is my season of life. While it may be chaotic and most days I look like I have just rolled out of bed because I rarely wear makeup, get out of comfy clothes or take my hair out of ponytail (please pray for my husband), it is right where I want to be. I used to dream of being a stay at home mom and owning a mini van folks...I know, I'm that "weird" girl. I am ok with that.

I love that I get to spend all day with my kids, playing with them and pouring into them. Oh trust me, sometimes I am scratching at the walls to get out, but I know this is my ministry right now..my kids, my family, my home. Are we adding another child into chaos? Honestly, yea some days it is pure chaos. But I can guarantee you this, despite the craziness that comes with so many littles, there is one thing I have no doubt over. That this child will be sooooo LOVED! Even though this momma may FORGET stuff or not be at her best some days, I love loving on my babies. Having one more baby in the house is going to be crazy, but that is one more baby that we get to love, and in this house, there is lots of love to go around.

I am not perfect and any of you who know me can certainly say "Amen" to that (just don't say it too loud ok). While I was in horror that I forgot such an important phone call, I realized that I am only human. I make mistakes. I forget things sometimes. Will I be more on my A-game after that little incident? Uh yea..you bet! I am visualizing them writing on our adoption chart "Forgot about orientation interview...STRIKE 1." I doubt that is the case...I hope!

I love blogging and I decided from the get go that I was going to be real on this blog. So, I thought I would share my failure with all of you guys. Some days, I feel like I am losing my mind, I am not on top of this as much as I want to be and the McGinty house is CRAZY (sometimes in a good way sometimes in just a crazy way). Here is where you are probably asking yourself once again "Why are you guys doing this? Why are you adopting now? Why not wait till life calms down a little?" To that I say this:

God has called us to this and we are stepping out in faith to answer that calling, knowing it will not be easy. Life will never calm down. Despite how old my kids get, we tend to fill our calendars to the brim. There will always be an easy excuse. When I think about those babies who I fed on the side of that mountain in Haiti or the ones who I held at a feeding, I can't imagine looking into their helpless little eyes and saying "Let me just wait till I have my act together a little more. Let's just wait till life calms down a bit, till my biological kids are a little older."

While some days I fail on my own, I know that God is good and HE has this thing in his hands. He will fully equip us to answer the calling (even if sometimes we forget to answer the literal call from our agency..oopps!)