LOOK WHAT GOD HAS DONE

There are a million things I want to blog about right now, but I'm just gonna hit on the most recent highlight.  Never ever ever ever could I have written out what our family has become.  It is beautiful, multi-cultural and God-fearing.  It is forged through tragedy and hope.  Laughter and tears both have welcome seats at our tables.

Saturday night, the Hutchins had a little dessert party to celebrate Lizzie's life and the way it has made us all family.  We got our first picture of the five biological siblings.  As Stacey put it, "Siblings by birth.  Family by choice."  Got me all teary just typing it.



Lots of family came, because the fact of the matter is, there are a lot of people all connected here.  We enjoyed cake, ice cream and fruit. (little tip: the cake is actually from Sam's, and I just added the rosettes - it was a great little short cut!)  Christy made sure there were dairy free/egg free cupcakes for the twins, which was super appreciated.



Our kids loved running wild with friends/siblings all evening, and we all enjoyed cuddling on Lizzie.

Grandpa James and the dads.



Gran Gran and the mommas.

May I never tire of seeing God's faithfulness to our family and proclaiming it to others.  Adoption is H.A.R.D.  It brings up trauma and feelings and anxieties that didn't exist before we went on this journey.  That said - look at the support system that God has provided for us!  We are not alone, and even when I am tempted to feel lonely or isolated, I can lift my head (with God's help and grace) to see the many people he has placed around me to walk with.  That is a gift far beyond any that I deserve.

I'm thankful for this reminder when the days feel long and my heart feels heavy.  And, I continue to rejoice in all that God has done and for all that I know he is going to do.

(To read more of this story - click the adoption tab on the side of the blog - it has every post I've made about this starting with the most recent and beyond!)

WALK FOR THE WAITING: SPONSOR US!

Dear Friends and Family,

Look - I get it.  You, like me, are asked for money all the time for a million different things.  And this time of the year, the requests are coming hard and heavy.  There are field trips and teacher appreciation and summer sign-ups and end of year everything.  April and May are packed with craziness and requests, and I know this could be just one more on the list.

Hear me out, because I do not make financial appeals lightly.  I know the competition for your time, attention and resources is fierce.  I meant to get all preachy in this blog post, but I decided to back off.  I'll keep it to this - there is a massive need in our state.  There are children and teens in crisis every day, and every day that they lack permanence, we all lose as a society.  This video shows some of the current stats and also features some adorable Spensts that you might recognize!



So- if you don't feel like you are called to foster and adopt - I totally get it, not all of us are.  But - I bet you can give $10, $20, $100 or maybe more!  If so, would you consider sponsoring my little family in this year's Walk for the Waiting?  We will gladly take your pocket change + anything else you feel led to give.  This issue matters deeply to our family.

The last thing that I will say is that if you are wanting to get a front row seat to see God at work, I would encourage you to get involved in orphan care in some way.  God shows up.  He is near to the broken-hearted, and he wants to place the lonely in families.  Just in the past month, I've gotten to see miracles up close, and I am forever grateful to God for his faithfulness and goodness.  I am praying that he continues to move in Central Arkansas, and I look forward to seeing more and more people compelled to action.  It is the hardest work I've ever done, but also the very best.

If you want to come walk with us - the Walk for the Waiting is May 6th at War Memorial Stadium.  We would love to see you there!  And, if you are able to sponsor us - we would be ever so grateful - click here!⬅️  (it's so easy! you should do it! 😜)

XOXO - Carol

TWINS' FIESTA FOURTH

You know we love a good party here at the Spenst casa.  When it came time to plan for this party, I thought a Fiesta would be fun and easily able to serve both a boy and a girl.  Boy/girl parties can be tricky, but this one turned out so very fun!



My sis, Ellen, designed the invites with some cacti which served as an inspirational jumping off point.

Mom and Wes came to town for the shindig and were the most awesome helpers.

Once we got to the Wonder Place, John's parents and Gran Gran were also there to help execute my vision, and I almost started crying when I saw them all happily working together.  We are so very blessed with supportive parents who love all of our children so well, and I do not take this for granted.  And the never complained about my party mania, which is its own blessing.



Everything did come together for a festive feel.

I did try to keep the food "simple."  Everyone in my family gives me a hard time about my use of this word, because my version of "simple" is usually far more complex than anyone else's. 🤣  We had chips, two kinds of salsa, guacamole, fruit, cake and the stand-out hit - churro donuts.  Everything was egg and milk free, because I wanted William and Violet to be able to eat everything at their own party.

This letter board sign could be the twins' life anthem.



The cakes had a hard life and fell far more than I wish they had.  Baking without milk or eggs is a constant experiment, and the flavor was spot on, but cake construction left some to be desired.  Still - the buttercream flowers and succulents were a lot of fun to try!

I used super bright flowers in copper mugs and succulents on the tables.



I paired Mexican drinks with water to keep us all hydrated.




The Wonder Place is such a great place for parties.  (So much so that I've done it two years in a row for the twins!)  Everyone loved playing - even the older kids!

After about an hour of playtime, we made our way to the party room to enjoy food and sing Happy Birthday to the twinsies who were SO HAPPY that it was their birthday.  Their birthday joy was seriously contagious!



(Everyone loved getting to love on baby Lizzy!)

We sent everyone out the door with a cookie - because of course we did.




All in all, I'm so thankful for our family and friends who so lovingly came to celebrate Violet and William with us - those are the true gifts.  Happy Birthday, William and Violet - we love you so much!

Twins' Past Parties
{Hungry Caterpillar Party}
{Berenstain Bear Party}
{VW Party}

VIOLET & WILLIAM ARE FOUR

We have four year old twins as of yesterday!  It never gets old celebrating the miracle that God did to put them in our family.  Besides being super cute, William and Violet are so loved and cherished by our entire family.  Happy Birthday to you both!

Violet is one of the most active children ever and is in constant motion.  She is usually trying to help you with whatever you are doing and has a reputation of getting things done.  Love pours out of Violet, and she is always saying, "I love you, Mommy" or "I love you, Daddy."  I am always amazed to watch my children grow and develop into who God is making them to be.  Violet is winning and charms people everywhere we go.  She also loves dancing, riding the Strider and playing with our cat as she says, "kitty so cute.  kitty my friend."

William is full of energy and opinions.  He is generally happy and wants you to be happy too.  He loves his puppy who goes generally everywhere with us.  He likes to play with cars, trucks and is developing a love for Legos.  Riding his hot wheels super fast while grinning wildly makes a great afternoon for him.  We do sometimes call him our contrarian, because he often will ask for the opposite of what you are giving him.  But - he will often come around quickly and usually with a sly grin on his face.

Both William and Violet have graduated out of different therapies so that each of them only has one that they are still attending.  It's been amazing to see their progress firsthand!  We can talk with them, and they have SO MUCH to say and SO MANY questions.  Violet still has more medical issues than I wish that she did, and we have gotten to visit lots of doctors and try lots of different things.  But, we are making progress there too, and I'm thankful and have a little bit of hope, which is worth a lot.

They truly are best friends and love one another wholeheartedly.  They never want to see the other get in trouble (until they do😜), and they play so well together.  It should also be noted that these pictures are a birthday gift to me.  I had no reason to expect such wonderful smiling and cooperation, but I am so glad I got it!



We had a super fun Fiesta yesterday which they were so excited about - I'll post about it separately.  I cannot believe we've had four years together, and I look forward to the next four years and beyond!
Happy Birthday, William and Violet - we love you so much!

Past Birthday Posts
{VIOLET & WILLIAM TURN THREE}
{TWINS TURN TWO}
{HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, WILLIAM & VIOLET}