A Flower Blooms

One of my big fears when we adopted was that our four biological children would resent the added workload in the house and therefore resent their new siblings. My husband and I discussed this topic at length with the children. It seemed that every time we mentioned a negative, the children would respond with something like, "But isn't this what God would want us to do." We could not persuade them that perhaps more siblings was not a good idea. The Word of God that we had planted in their lives had taken root and they were ready to grow.

I really had no concept of how much life would change when our family grew by three children all at once. It felt like double cooking, double laundry, double cleaning and picking up. In just a few short weeks I was exhausted. It was Kaytlin, our second child, who stepped up and helped me get through. Sometimes I'd be working in the kitchen, and she would come and offer to help me. Other times she would gather up the kids and entertain them all with stories or engage them in acting out plays. Amber being three still needed lots of love and attention, and yet I had so little time to give it to her. It was Kayt who often held her, loved her, bathed her, dressed her, and even took her to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Many times I would tell Kayt, "You don't have to do this. This is my job." She would tell me, "But I want to, Mom." And she really did want to.

Our daughter, Kaytlin, had up to this point been more self-focused and involved in her own little pretend world. It never quite felt like I satisfied her with what I could give her. However, the one thing she had always wanted was a sister. She faithfully prayed for one each evening. God had finally answered her prayers, but I wondered how soon she would tire of a sister. She was ten, and there was quite an age difference between her and Amber who was three. But Kayt has never grown tired of having a sister. She often tells me that she wants to always cherish their relationship, but that she realizes that means she must work on it. And work on it she does. She still carves out special time each week to play with Amber, draw with her, teach her how to make things, and read stories with her. This has touched my heart so much. I cherish the times I walk into the girl's room and find them snuggled up together on the bed reading books.

I saw Kaytlin bloom into a beautiful flower during that first year with Troy, Mikey, and Amber. I did not know what a precious blossom had been hidden away just waiting for the right time to open up and bless the world around with her beauty.