What have we been up to??

Life has been more than wild for the seven of us.  Things have been busy, wild, crazy, fun, terrifying, worrysome, hilarious, but most of all unpredictable!  I will go back and do a recap of the holidays and then I will share what is ahead in the future for our clan. 

November:

The kids told us they had never had a Christmas tree all decorated and pretty before.  Of course I LOVE Christmas, and this absolutely broke my heart.  So we put up our decorations way before Thanksgiving.  We decorated every room in the house.  The kids all had trees in their rooms.  We even have a Santa toilet seat cover (thanks, MOM!).  The kids loved every minute of it.  We wrapped a few presents right away and put them under the tree.  To my surprise, the kids never messed with the gifts.  They loved having more presents added.  They made sure to show everyone who came over that we had to remove the back half of the tree so all the gifts would fit! 

We had a great Thanksgiving.  The kids didn't really care for the food that much.  My mom's oven broke while she was cooking.  That's a shame too, because I look forward to my mom's dressing ALL YEAR LONG!  Then the kids wore my dad out on the Wii.  They loved playing the race car games with him.  Jackie and I were able to sneak off and do some black Friday Christmas shopping.  We started at 9:00 on Thursday night and shopped all night.  We finished about noon on Friday.  Then we went home and wrapped and hid presents so the snoopy kids wouldn't find them!  It was so much fun!  I love Black Friday and the excitement of finding that perfect gift.  I don't like waiting to do all the shopping then.  I always start in the summer time buying a few things here and there. 

I also got to the point during my student teaching where I wasn't quite sure if I would finish.  We have great friends and neighbors who helped us in so many ways.  We have so many wonderful friends who kept praying us through this super stressful time.  In these moments, God spoke so clearly that Jackie and I are a great team.  It was so hard on our family, but it made us realize how important it was for me to stay at home for now. 

Chick-fil-a is the most awesome place in the whole world.  They had a Daddy/Daughter date night in November.  The girls went with Jackie.  It was so cute.  Jackie told them they had a surprise.  They came home and all got dressed up.  He rang the doorbell and brought them both flowers.  He helped them with their coats and opened all the doors for them.  They went to Chick-Fil-A where they had decorated the place with name cards and tablecloths.  They had a great time.  After the meal, they got to ride in a LIMO.  Now, I have only been in one limo, the Big Texan free limo, so I don't even think that counts.  They were so excited when they got home!  Jackie was just beaming too.  It was so sweet to see them enjoy each other so much.  They are so blessed to have a Daddy that shows them how ladies are supposed to be treated.  The boys and I went for pizza and played cards, so we had fun too that night!

December:

We drove around and looked at lights so many different nights. The kids loved it and we came up with a great plan for how to decorate outside the house next year. We even got the kids their very own "grown-up" hot cocoa mugs. Each one in a different color! They had so much fun wrapping up in blankets with the hot cocoa, singing Christmas songs, and ohh-ing and ahh-ing over the light displays.

In December, I actually gradutated from College!  It feels so good to have that degree.  I actually finished something!  My ex was so unsupportive and told me so many times that I couldn't do it.  It was so refreshing to actually do it, and with honors!  It was amazing to celebrate this time with Jackie.  He did so much to help me finish.  He stayed up late helping me study, let me read speeches and papers to him, he babysat before we were married so I could go to class, he provided for our family when I could no longer work and do school, he was amazing.  When I told him I wanted to go back to school, he looked me straight in the eye and said "do it!"  He promised to be here with me every step and he did.  He never questioned me and when I was up late and crying and stressed, he sat with me and helped me push through.  He really had unwavering support and I am so thankful to him for that.  It was hard for me to take those steps of faith to trust in someone again after being burned so badly in the past.  However, Jackie proved himself trustworth and faithful and loyal.  God absolutely brought the perfect man to me at the perfect time! 

I love you honey!



We also had family pictures made.  We had a great time and for the most part the kids did great and really cooperated.  Miss T got worn out at the end, so we didn't get an individual picture of her, but we got awesome ones of the others.  They turned out so good.  I had a hard time narrowing them down. 

The girls act more and more like sisters everyday.  They laugh together and play together very well.  They also fight and argue.  They are amazing to have around.  I can't believe how much Taylor has adapted to these kids becoming a part of our family.  She is the most amazing girl in the whole world.  Miss T has learned a lot from her.  They both have funny personalities and lots of expressions!  It's HILARIOUS to listen to them play together.  They love their Barbies and to play dress up.  They are both very girly.  I'm really not that girly, so it's been a lot of fun playing tea parties and going to royal balls with these two. 

 The funnest part of the last year has been getting used to boys in our house.  I had lots of friends that were boys, but never lived with one unless I was married to him.  These boys are so funny.  They are also messy and stinky!  However, they are the sweetest most loving and thoughtful kids I know.  They are rowdy and loud and I LOVE IT!  It's so nice to see them relax, let their guards down, and just be kids.  It has been amazing to see the large amounts of healing God has provided for these boys, Miss T too, but it's so apparent in the boys. 

 Here is hopefully our last family picutre with just three faces in it. 

Which brings me to where we are now.  Tomorrow is a huge day in court for our family.  One of our kids has a regular review hearing tomorrow.  We are praying that parental visits can stop or at least reduced.  Then we are praying that their final termination hearing can be set.  CPS is looking at that hearing being in March or late February.  Three of our kids are having a final termination of parental rights hearing tomorrow.  That means CPS has enough evidence and the birth parents are not doing what is required of them to have the kids be reunited with them. The birth mother has signed relinquishment papers.  However, these kids have been to a final hearing and the mother has signed relinquishment papers before and it did not go well.  The judge actually allowed the mother to take back the relinqushment papers she signed and then he sent them home.  We got to talk to their previous case worker and she was just floored when it happened.  Because of that decision, our kids went through so many awful things that I can not fully understand or grasp.  But, because of the chain of events after that decision they are ours.  We have a different judge this time around.  The last time we were in front of him, he showed a great deal of frustration towards the birth parents, which was deserved.  As a mother I can't imagine making the decisions these parents have made.  Twice they have said, I don't want my kids.  Then they hurt them in the most horrible and disgusting ways.  I know I would do anything for my babies and to protect them.  I am prepared for a fight.  However, as I'm ready to jump out and shout and bang on that judges's door and call the case workers daily, I hear God telling me, "Heather, be patient, I've got this."  God has moved mountains and worked miracles on behalf of our kids and us.  He has been faithful and never fading.  I know He is working and is well-aware of what's going on with our family.  I can't stop crying out to Him to continue to move in this situation.  No matter what happens tomorrow in court, I know we serve a powerful, compassionate God.  He is perfect where I am not at all.  We have been studying the book of Mark.  We just this week studied the passage where Jesus fed the 4000 in the dessert.  These people had been following Jesus for three days.  He was well aware of their needs, both physical and spiritual.  No one was complaining and begging, He was so focused on the people that He knew just what they needed.  I can only imagine how crazy people thought He was when he told the disciples He was going to feed the people with 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish.  The situation looked hopeless.  People today think we are crazy.  Taking in 4 kids with such a brutal abusive background, severe behavior issues, with nothing but the clothes on their backs into a very small (less that 1000 square feet) 3 bedroom one bath house with one income at a moment's notice.  Our situation looks hopeless to those look from the outside in.  However, we are not hopeless but hopeful.  We are praising and rejoicing at every momentous occasion our kids celebrate.  Some are small things like using a napkin instead of a shirt, saying please instead of gimme.  Other are large things, like being able to use words to talk about their abusive backgrounds and do self-checks to keep themselves calm.  Every need we have had the Lord has abundantly provided for.   I am confident He will do so in the future.  Our battle is long from over.  We get worn out and exhausted, but I am so THANKFUL that God doesn't grow weak or weary.  We are still believing Him for HUGE things.  We are waiting for miracles and for deep healing.  It will come, in the mean time, we wait.  We enjoy each hug, kiss, laughter, and the sweet sound of five precious angels saying, "Mommy, I love You.  Daddy, you are the best Daddy in the whole world."  We are praying and hoping that the rest of our family pictures will have at least these special faces in them and that soon I will be able to share their beautiful smiles with you!!



Pray for tomorrow and that God's will for these babies will be done!

Lately-chaos, but lots of fun too!!

 Time for the quarterly post!  Seriously, the past few months have been so incredibly busy I can't even begin to describe it.  Only 21 more days of student teaching!!  CAN'T WAIT!!  It's been a great experience, but it's had a lot of sacrifices along with it. 
   Lots of fun things have happened too!  My Granddad and Aunt Allene came down this past weekend.  I always LOVE to see them.  This was the first time for them to meet all the kids.  It was so much fun, but it made me miss my Grandmother so much.  It was the first real visit without her.  It was so sweet to remember all the amazing memories and get to share them with my kids.  She would have LOVED to see them all laughing and playing and acting crazy.  She loved kids.  I know I am so blessed to have known her, but I do miss her a lot!
   Taylor was the most excited to see "Other Granddad" and "Aunt Al."  The whole drive over to my parents she kept telling the other kids how cool they were and how funny they were. 

 I love this picture because we actually have some kind of a smile on all our faces! 

You can definately tell that I look a lot like my dad here!  Actually not a bad picture of me! :)

The kids had to get in on the pictures.  We always have to have a silly face picture.  They have the funniest faces.  The best part was Mr O was CRACKING up!  The picture was hilarious!

The picture shows just how much Taylor LOVES her "Other Granddad!"

I love this picture of all them.  They had a great time meeting him.  Mr C really liked "Other Granddad." 

At the beginning of October, we went to Lubbock for a birthday party.  Of course we had to stop at Texas Tech and take some pictures.  It was a beautiful day.  The pictures turned out pretty good.  Especially since I'm a complete amature. 

The kids are not mooning you, I promise!  They were all looking into the water and it was the perfect chance to snap a picture that I didn't have to block out! 

I so wish Taylor was looking at the camera because everyone else has great smiles here!

Mr M and Mr O are both in Cub Scouts this year.  Jackie has been in charge of helping them.  Mr M earned his Bobcat badge!  He was so proud of himself!  It's so neat to see them so happy and proud of themselves.  We are praying it really helps build some self-confidence in our boys.  On Saturday, they were in a Veteran's Day parade.  They did so good and looked so sharp in their uniforms.  It was their first time to really wear the uniform.  They were freezing, but looked so handsome!

We are exhausted, but we are doing good.  We had a really rough patch for a few weeks.  However, I really feel like we are headed for happier days.  Jackie and I have been working so hard and have been staying swamped.  However, once school is over we will be so happy.  I can not believe that I'm actually 4 weeks away from having a college degree!  I never thought it would happen.  My husband has been so amazing through this whole process.  He has went to bed alone while I worked, changed dirty diapers while I was right in the middle of a paper, folded the laundry so I could go to the library, cleaned the house so I could spend time observing in a classroom, and believed in me when I was so discouraged I didn't think I would ever finish.  Without him and his amazing support, there is NO way I could have done this.  Thank you, Jackie!  You are amazing and I can't wait to celebrate this accomplishment with you and hang that silly piece of paper on our wall!  :)

Summer Fun!

So, we have not fallen off the face of the Earth.  However, if you might think that do to the complete lack of blog posts.  We all know that I am not the best at posting frequently on here.  Now that I have to block out the kids' faces, well, it makes it even harder!  I hate that I can't show you their smiling faces or share their names.  I know it's for their protection, but I really want to show them off!! :)

How are we doing?  Well, it's constant going and going at our house.  It's constant noise.  It's constant . . .We have case worker visits, and therapist visits, and CASA visits, and counselor visits, and phone calls, and constant interruptions.  It gets overwhelming.  I have felt at my wit's end more in the last 4 months than ever in my entire life.  I have questioned God over and over as to why He brought us here.  The hardest part is in dealing with our 5 year old boy.  He has suffered the most abuse.  He has such fits of anger, they are scary sometimes.  I get so angry at his birth family for all the things they did to him.  I don't even pretend to understand why this happened.  It's so hard when he asks me why they hurt him.  I just tell him I don't know, but we are going to protect you and keep you as long as possible.  There are so many what-ifs.  They are overwhelming.  I can't even think about them.  The other Mom's in our "family" are such an amazing support system.  We have all had panic days, but it's so helpful that we have each other to talk to.  There is no possible way we could do this without their support.  We never seem to have panic days at the same time.  I know that's God's helping hand! 

The kids have made amazing progress in the last 4 months.  They are getting along better and not physically fighting all the time.  They make their beds, pick up their toys, take showers, clean their plates, and use their manners (most of the time).  This is a HUGE deal!!  We have got to do some awesome things this summer, had to miss out on a few things because of behavior problems, but overall we had an awesome summer of adventure and laughter!

 June was spent just getting used to being at home all together.  We spent a lot of time at church delivering lunches.  The kids worked so hard and had a blast helping Jackie.  The loved getting to know the groups and spending time with the youth.  I spent most of June trying to come up with a system for keeping our house somewhat organized and clean.  I actually have very few pictures from June.  The kids got to go to two summer camps.  The first one was Angel Tree.  They loved it.  Then we took 60 kids for a week long camp in Oklahoma.  It was crazy because we had to drive back in the middle of it for a very important doctor visit and for two CPS classes.  It was a very fun camp.  The very best part was the Friday night baptism service.  Taylor and Mr. M both were baptized.  Taylor has been talking with us about getting baptized for quite some time now.  She has been asking and asking questions and wanting to be baptized.  At camp, she said, "Mommy I'm ready.  I know what I'm doing."  So, Jackie and I talked with her some more.  Honestly, I know she was ready.  She was so brave and excited.  She still talks about it and remembers it.  It was the best moment of my life!  I am so proud of her and the example she is already, even at such a young age. 

July was AWESOME!!  We started off the month with a great vacation to Oklahoma.  We went camping for 5 days.  We took our 5 kids, plus one other.  It was crazy, but so much fun!  We would get up, make breakfast and then go swimming.  Then we would eat lunch, drive around to cool off, then get back into the water.  We found the perfect swimming hole that was shaded and also had lots of places for the kids to jump into the water.  It was a perfect getaway.  I did not take pictures because we were too busy enjoying the kids!  The weather was HOT, but the water was so nice. 

When we got home, Jackie and the kids finally finished the porch!  It's amazing!  Jackie hung a swing and got a big table.  It's perfect for enjoying outside.  He also built me a pergola!  It's in the back corner of the fence and we have some plants, a firepit, and a swing out there.  It's so nice when we actually have a free moment to have a place to relax.

After the kids worked so hard roofing, we set up the water slide and they had a blast!

I know it doesn't do justice to the great time we had with the blocked out faces.  Hopefully someday we will be able to share their smiles with you!  Jackie and I went to a wedding for my long-time friend Tobi.  It was a quick trip.  We were so tired when we got home.  I had a great birthday!  Jackie arranged for some friends to come spend the night with our kids so we could have an all-night date!  We ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse (where we had our first date).  And then we went out for dessert late at Applebee's.  It was so much fun.  Too bad birthdays are only once a year! 

Then I took off to Colorado with the youth group for youth camp.  It was amazing.  I'm so impressed with our youth and I LOVE getting to spend time talking and hanging out with them.  Our camp was in Pagosa Springs and it was beautiful.  I have decided this is our next vacation spot for sure!

This week is the last week of summer.  We have decided to make the most of it!  Saturday we went to Wonderland.  It was crazy expensive, but it was so worth it!  The kids had so much fun! 

We closed the place down.  We rode so many rides it was crazy.  The kids were great sports and waited patiently in line.  There were only two times we had to get on to them.  It was an amazingly fun time and the weather was perfect!

Sunday night we went to the drive-in and watched Smurfs and Cars 2.  We went with another family and we had a great time.  The weather was awesome and the movies were both good.  We got home about 1:15 and every single one of our kids were still awake.  So much for getting used to going to bed early to get ready for school. :)

Today we went to the zoo.  The kids had a good time.  It was so hot that the animals weren't really doing anything but laying around trying to stay cool.  The tigers were really moving around so that was the best part.  Then we went and played at the playground for a little while. 

Who know what the rest of the week hold for us, but we are going to soak up every last minute of summer for sure!!

A Very Special Time

On Easter Sunday our oldest, "Mr. O" made the decision to be baptized.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that he loves the Lord.  I know that Jesus is living in his little heart and that he is looking to the Lord for guidance.  It was the most amazing thing I have witnessed.  It was amazing to see him stepping up and making a profession of his faith.  It was also so sweet to see my husband be able to tell the church about him and to baptize him.  I don't know if there is a sweeter moment in the life of a parent!

Yesterday was almost as sweet.  I still remember the first time I was able to take communion.  I had grown up in church my whole life.  All my grandparents went to church.  I had seen it hundreds of times and passed the plate right by.  I remember feeling so nervous.  At that time, our youth group sat at the very front of the church (like the VERY front three rows).  I was sitting on the very edge of the aisle.  When the plate came, I reached in and broke off a piece of a cracker.  I remember thinking I have something special now.  I also remember thinking ok, now what do I do?  I was scared and excited all at the same time.  It felt like every eye in the church was on me looking to see if I made a mistake.  The first time for me was more about "doing" it right, than focusing on the Lord and what He did for me.  I wanted to be with someone who would guide me and show me what to do, even though I had seen it hundreds of times.

Yesterday was "Mr.O"'s first time to take communion.  When Donnie got up to talk about what communion is, Mr O was sitting with some friends.  As Donnie started talking, Mr. O rushed across the auditorium to sit with us.  He wanted to be near us.  (I remember feeling the same way, but you didn't dare get up during communion at our church!)  He stood right by me as we listened and prayed together.  Then we walked up to the front and got our juice and crackers and sat back down. 

***Yesterday was another day that I was so thankful that we are a part of Citychurch.  Instead of just passing the trays around like traditional churches, we take communion by families.  Each family gets their juice and crackers and then can go to whatever part of the room they want.  We all get a chance to talk to our kids about what communion is and what it really means.  This gives parents a chance to be the spiritual heroes of their kids.*** 

Jackie and I got to talk to Mr O and the rest of our kids about what the significance of each part of the Lord's Supper is.  It was such a sweet time.  At that moment I really felt God's presence.  I hope Mr O will always remember that time.  I hope he will remember the sweetness of the moment and not a sense of fear.

Easter 2011

Oh how I wish I could share the beautiful faces of my kids with you!  They are so wonderful and we are so blessed by them!  Everyday they say things that suprise me and make me smile!  This Easter was the best one ever!  It was so much fun to get dressed up and share the special day with my family!  We sang so many of my favorite songs!  The lyrics, "He has brought me out of the pit" and "He has heard my cry" have a whole new meaning while my arms were wrapped around two of my precious boys. :)

Painting Time

One of the first activites we did as a group was paint.  The kids LOVED it!  They were so creative and funny.  We mixed colors and made our own.  Each table had their own plate of paint . . .

Taylor was experienced at painting, so she dove right in.  The others took a while to get started. 

They painted all sorts of things.  Then they changed them into other things.

It was so much fun!  They did get a little messy, but they loved it!  I remember sitting at the table when I was a little girl painting with my mom.  It was great to create fun memories with my new family!

Changes and sweet memories!

 Wow, life is so different than it was 5 days ago.  Our house is full!  Wednesday night our family went from three to seven!  We have Taylor and now 4 other kids that we love dearly. 
     Wednesday morning I rushed around getting ready for a presentation at school.  When I got out of class, I called Jackie to tell him I was on my way to pick up Taylor.  He told me that CPS was taking custody of 7 precious babies from our chuch and school.  These kids are amazing!  They have spent quite a bit of time with us.  As we were beginning to get to know them, we had them come stay for the weekends to get them out of their environment.  The more time together, the more we realized things were wrong at their home.  We didn't know what, we just had a bad feeling and knew we needed to pray.  Jackie and I had been praying for these sweet kids for many months.  Asking God to protect them and to help the parents.  Wednesday when he told me they were being taken into custody, I felt relief.  That relief was followed by panic, "where will they go?  Will I get to see them again?"  Then Jackie told me he talked with the case worker and told her we would be willing to take them.  I started to cry.  Tears of hope, was the Lord answering my prayers?  (See Jackie and I have been praying for more kids for about 2 and a half years.  We keep an extra room with a bed ready in case it's needed.  We stand at the door and ask God to please fill it with another child.  When someone new comes to visit, we always show them around and tell them about our prayer for that room.)  I drove to church praying the whole way.  Asking God to please be with the case workers and guide them as they make such important decisions for these kids.  I got to hug the kids and tell them I loved them as they left with the case workers.  Then in Diana's office, Jackie and I hugged and I just started crying.  I was so glad they weren't going home, yet I didn't want this to be the end of their story with us, we were invested. 
   Jackie and Dawnette were so calm.  At least, they were on the outside.  I asked everyone I passed to please pray for these sweet kids and that they would come live with us.  I went home and put Taylor down for a nap, and told her to pray too.  Then I sat on the couch and told God, "I'm gonna sit here and pray about these kids until I really feel like you have heard me."  That was about 12:15 or so, at 3 I got up, confident God had heard me.  We picked up kids and had a great kids night.  About 7 or so, the case worker called us and asked what time we could come and get the 4 older kids  The baby was going with Wes and Tiffany and the middle kids with Greg and Dawnette.  Jackie and I hugged right there in the middle of the street! 
   We all drove kids home and scurried around town getting cars and car seats together.  About 8:30 we all met outside the CPS office.  Before we went in we all stopped and prayed.  See, that's the kind of people we have for friends.  Not only are they willing to open their homes, but they took time to ask God's favor on our decisions.
   The case workers divided us up to get paperwork together.  Then we all 6 crowded in one tiny office to hear the most horrible things I have ever heard.  There was not a dry eye in the room.  None of us could imagine what had been happening to these sweet kids.  Normally CPS's first goal is reunification with the parents.  The case worker told us they were pushing for terminitaion of rights.  We all took a deep breath and composed ourselves because we were going to get the kids. 
   Now, about 1 minute after the most horrible thing I had ever heard was said, the best thing I have ever heard was said!  The kids ran down the hallway jumping for joy!  They tackled Jackie with hugs and we were all smothered with love!  See in the midst of the terrible stuff, God was raising up joy.  They said, "we've been waiting all day for you!"  Little did they know how long we have been waiting for them! 
   That night as Jackie and I got everyone ready for bed I told him, "The God of the whole universe, just heard and answered my prayer!"  That is the most amazing feeling ever!  I will never forget that feeling when I wrapped up these kids and put them in the van and took them home. 
   See, that's what God does for us.  He picks us up out of the horrible stuff in our lives, wraps us up and carries us home.  The whole time we think we've been waiting for Him, but He's been waiting for us!  That night I couldn't sleep, everytime I closed my eyes those horrible images flashed in my mind.  I got up everytime and went to the living room were they were all camped out on pallets and started praying over them.  I refuse to let Satan have a strong hold in our family.  Yes, the beginning of their stories are horrible, but they are not finished!  God is not finished!  We are not finished!  Our God is a God who saves and restores!!

Here are a few things I have learned over the past 4 days.
1.  Always wear shoes into the bathroom whenever you have 3 little boys.
2.  Laundry multiplies.
3.  Storage totes are a gift from the Lord!
4.  Girls are SO different than boys.  With girls lipstick fixes everything, that doesn't work for boys!
5.  Ice packs and kisses cure most of the hurts.
6.  The toy aisles are to avoided at all costs!
7.  Every boy needs a belt, and every girl needs dress up shoes.
8.  There is ALWAYS a line at the bathroom. 
9.  We have amazing friends who are supporting us in ways we will never be able to fully realize.  Every time we have needed something, it has walked right through the door.  There are people all over the country praying for us and our kids.
10.  Walk into a restaurant with 5 kids all around the same age and people look at you like, "don't you know where babies come from woman!"
11.  Even the rowdiest boys and the screaming-est girls still love to crawl up into your lap.  Sometimes we all need a hug.

Today we had a wonderful Easter.  We got to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus and the new chapter of these kids lives!  The oldest one made the decision to be baptized.  It was an amazing moment.  I know that boy loves the Lord.  He is brave and strong.  He stepped out and told the truth and he saved his brothers and sisters.  He is my hero.

Everyone always asks how's Taylor taking all of this.  She has been a part of our praying for more kids since the very beginning.  She prays for brothers or sisters all the time.  The first night when I was tucking her in she said, "Mommy God answered our prayer!"  Then we had some people bring some stuff to the house and they asked her what she thought about all these new kids sharing her stuff and she said, "but they are our kids!"  She has such a loving heart and it's been amazing to see how she is willing to share, that's not easy for a 4 year old.

There have been too many sweet moments to count.  My heart is overflowing with love and joy!  I know hard times will come, but I know the Lord will provide the patience, wisdom and love to get through them.  Yesterday one of the boys and I were having a talk after he had to have a time-out for hitting.  We started talking about making choices and about how things are different at our house than his old house.  I told him, I know it's gonna be hard.  But God gives us strength whenever we ask for it.  I'm right here beside you and I'll go through this with you.  He looked up at me and said "I know you will.  I'm so glad you love me and are here to keep me safe!"  We had a huge bear hug and then he put a smile on his face, got up and apologized to who he hit.  He knew he was loved, mission accomplished!