Thursday, July 10, 2008

Saying goodbye




Today we say goodbye to Olivia. She has been a joy to have in our home. We have truly loved this little girl and hate to see her go. We have had some tears, but her adoptive family has assured us that we can continue to see her, and that helps with the goodbyes. The last few weeks she has been visiting her new family, increasing the visits over time. This is designed to help her start to get to know and bond with her family before she moves, but it has also been a great help for us as we get use to her not being around.
The pictures above were taken Sunday at my in-laws house and the pictures below were taken this week. It is hard to get a picture of her smiling, so I was happy to get these when she was in a silly mood.


LOVE this one!


This smile can melt your heart.
These next ones were taken Sunday




We have made a tradition of doing something special with our family on the day that a foster child leaves. This helps us have something to look forward to and gives us something to do instead of setting around the house missing them. This year we are going camping~~IN A TENT!! (Pause as my family catches their breathe and picks their mouth off the floor.)
The kids have been begging to sleep in a tent all summer, so we decided instead of spending money on a hotel, we would buy a tent and go camping. I have always been the hotel kind of girl, but kids tend to change you:-} I am actually excited about camping! And the kids are beside themselves with excitement. It has really helped to keep their minds off of Olivia leaving at 6:00 tonight.
If you think of it say a prayer for us today!!



4 comments:

Florida Bozone Bunch said...

Our prayers are with you as you adjust to life without Olivia. I am sure you know that you have given her so much in her short life. She has been truly blessed to have been with your family.

I hope you guys have a great time camping. We will be eagerly awaiting for all of the details.

Beth Stetler said...

We are praying for you. Olivia is a special girl!

Anonymous said...

I miss her too! She is a cute little girl who seemed to be a lot of fun!
Carol Gardner

Anonymous said...

I'm enjoying the pictures of the kids and all the updates from my KY friends.

Had breakfast with Brother Thomas and Debbie yesterday. We enjoyed being with them. They mentioned you all and about Olivia leaving your little 'flock.'