Our Foster Care/Adoption Journey Part 1

It’s hard to decide where to begin. We are just your basic, average, all American family. Mark and I got married 16 years ago, with big dreams of having a life and a family together. We were both raised in Christian homes, with loving parents who raised us well. 

 In 2002, we welcomed our first son, Riley. Oh, what a blessing he was! Being his parents gave us purpose and a new perspective. It was also during that time that we got plugged into a local church and our faith started maturing.

In 2005, we had Tyler, our second son. It was during my pregnancy with him that I sensed God calling me to quit my teaching career and stay home to raise my boys. Even though it was clear God wanted this for me, I resisted. It was an extremely difficult transition. We struggled financially during this time, but God always provided. We learned to trust Him, even in the challenges. I also began growing spiritually during this time through Bible studies and MOPS.

In 2008, life was better. We celebrated our 10 year anniversary that summer, Riley was in school, Tyler was potty trained, and we were doing ok financially. We thought our life was good and sensed God telling us that our perfect little family of 4 wasn’t complete. We discussed having another child and decided to try.

That fall, Mariah Wilde from Family Link Foster Care and Adoption Agency, came to talk to our church about the need for Christian families to foster and adopt children in state care. It got my attention, and Mark and I talked about that as an option for growing our family. We decided to think and pray about it.

God gave us our answer in 2009, when we found out we were expecting Kendall, who was born in January 2010. She was another joy and blessing! She is our one and only baby girl. Fostering and adopting was still on our hearts, but we focused on raising our children. Somewhere in that time, Mariah came back to our church. What I remember about that was that there was a slideshow of children waiting to be adopted and one of the pictures was a baby girl named Kendall. I knew it wasn’t a random thing.

Finally, in 2011, we decided to go for it. We started our training with Family Link in the fall of 2011 and were licensed as a foster/adopt home in December 2011. We really always wanted to adopt but decided to be willing to give fostering and emergency placements a chance.

Our very first placement came on December 27, 2011: an 8 year old boy and a 3 year old girl. We had them only 3 weeks before the court ordered them to be placed with their grandma. We learned a lot from that short placement. It was challenging, it was stressful and emotional, but it was good. Loving them for 3 weeks was the right thing to do. It was worth it, and we were affirmed in continuing this path.

But it also gave us clarity. We were living in a 1600 square foot house with only 3 bedrooms and a tiny backyard. It was very cramped for 5 kids. We have learned a lot about being wise with our finances and trusting God to provide for our needs, so we began to pray about a larger home in a wise way. We made a wish list for an ideal house for us and gave parameters of what we could afford. It was a tall order; seemingly impossible to find.

But God provided! And it was even better than we hoped and imagined. I’ll tell that story another time.

After we moved we reactivated to foster, and in September 2012, we accepted a placement of 2 little girls, ages 2 and 1 (our Kendall was 2 ½). They had been in another foster home, so when we got them, their reunification date was already set. We had them for 3 months, when they were successfully reunited with their parents. This placement was extremely difficult for our family. The little girls required a lot of attention (to put it mildly), and it left us feeling like failures. After they went home, we questioned the call to foster. We considered checking it off the “to-do” list and moving on. We went inactive to reconsider, regroup and pray.

But God didn’t let us quit…

(Part 2 coming soon)

Our Year In Pictures (See the post below for the letter also!)

Our family fall 2012

They were headed home.

Kendall's 3rd Birthday in January 2013.

We laid down 9 pallets of sod in our backyard in March.

Riley and Tyler ran in the Chosen Kids 5K in April.

Finally seeing a Rangers game! Too bad it was so cold that day.

The weather was much better the following day when we went on our tour.

15 years of marriage! Wow!

NASCAR was so fun! Both of our drivers' pit stalls were right in front of our seats.

One of my favorite summer memories! This was on my birthday. We ate at Hey Cupcake, then went to the splash pad that is lit up at night. (see Kendall crying?)

I got to take the boys to Fiesta Texas. This was our one and only roller coaster ride. Weenies!

Super Del. What a special boy this is. We are so thankful he was a part of our family.

Riley

Tyler

Princess Kendall

September 2013

The McDaid Family 2013

The McDaid Family 2013

We come to the end of 2013 with full and thankful hearts. We are so grateful for our family, friends and community. But we are most thankful for God our Father and Jesus our Savior and for the testimony that is being written for our family.

I am going to back up a little, because I did not do a family update last year, and a lot has changed in our lives since December of 2011.

We completed our training and licensing for foster care in December 2011 and got our first placement, an 8 year old boy and his 3 year old sister on December 27, 2011. They were with us for only 3 short weeks; after which they were placed with their grandma. It was a whirlwind experience, which overall was good, and we felt affirmed to continue. But those 3 weeks made it clear to us that the house we were living in, while adequate, would not house 5 growing children long term. So we began to look at other options. We determined to be wise; we made a list of really high expectations for this forever home and put a really strict number on it. We prayed about it, asking God to make this direction clear for us. On the first day of house hunting, we found it. We found the house that fit all the parameters that really seemed impossible to find. Long story short, we moved in June 2012 and love our home, our neighbors and our community.

During that time, we went inactive for foster care, since our lives were so fluid with selling, buying and moving. In September 2012, we went active again and took our second placement: sisters, ages 2 and 1. We got them from another foster home, and their parents were already well on track to getting them back. We had them 3 months, and they were reunited with their parents on November 30. We again went inactive (3 toddlers took its toll!) for awhile, but still felt pulled to foster. On March 12, 2013, we took in our 3^rd placement: a 7 year old boy named Del. (I tear up just typing this! He is such a special boy.) We got him also from another foster home that he had been in for 7 months, and he was with us for 7 months until October 15, 2013, when he was reunited with his father. On November 14^th, we took our 4^th placement: a 6 year old boy named Mark.

I won’t go into great detail about foster care here, but I will at another time. It’s been an amazing journey, and we’ve learned a lot. I believe God is asking me to blog about our experiences, so I will be working on that in the new year.

Here are the current family stats:

Dad, Mark

Mark is still working at Austin Regional Clinic, doing computer programming. He’s been very busy this year being on call every other week and helping roll out their new electronic medical records system in the clinics. He is the leader of the boys group, Royal Ambassadors at church and is a handbook leader for our AWANA club. He is also a great handyman at home, dutifully completing all the projects I find on Pinterest to make the house more organized.

His NASCAR driver, Jimmie Johnson, won the championship this year, and we got to see them race at Texas Motor Speedway in April. He is also a loyal Texas Rangers fan, and he enjoyed getting to see them play also in April.

Mom, Shelley

I am still a stay at home mom, but I am definitely busy. I still get to be a part of MOPS, since Kendall is still a preschooler. MOPS has blessed me in so many ways over the years. The last 2 years I’ve directed our church’s Heroes Camp, which is quite a task, but I love it so much. It is what our church does for VBS; it is a full day, camp type experience, with field trips and swimming and Bible lessons, oh my! I also am the one that keeps up with all the foster kids’ appointments, paperwork and training. In my free time, I love to craft, read and sew. I cherish the time with my girlfriends and am so thankful for them.

I too, enjoyed watching the Rangers this season, especially to watch my childhood friend play for the team last season. I even got to see him hit a home run while he was rehabbing in Round Rock this summer (on a rare date with my youngest brother, Brian).

Riley

Riley is 11 and in the 6^th grade this year. It is hard to believe that he is in middle school! But he is doing well. The structure of middle school seems to suit him. He is following in Mark’s footsteps and playing the trombone in band. He is in the Rite of Passage class at church, which all 6^th graders go through to transition from childhood to the teenage years.

Riley still enjoys LEGOs and building things. He also has discovered technology and creates his own stop motion videos. He is a great big brother. We can count on him to help and be a good role model to the younger kids.

Tyler

Tyler is 8 and in the 3^rd grade. He is always either starving or eating, which is quite a change from the super picky eater he used to be! He is also growing like crazy. He likes to read and has really enjoyed reading chapter books like Magic Tree House and Flat Stanley.

He also likes building LEGOs. He really enjoys Hero Factory right now. He also loves playing Angry Birds and enjoys acting the game out with the action figures. Tyler is always funny and playful. He is a good friend and a good leader in class.

Kendall

Kendall is 3 (almost 4) and is in preschool 2 days a week this year. She is a girly girl, always worrying about how she looks or what she’s wearing. She is the only extrovert in our family and has friends everywhere she goes. She loves princesses, ponies, Ariel and playing pretend. She comes home and plays school on preschool days. It is so funny to listen to! She is a joy to have in our family, and we are so thankful for her. She really bonded with her brother Del and misses him very much. She draws pictures of him and prays for him regularly.

We are looking forward to seeing how God will add to our story in 2014! Stay tuned!

My Annual Post-Our Family Recap for 2011

I am sad that I do not post more often, but I am happy that I can post our family update here every year. 2011 has been a great year for us! Hope you enjoy the highlights!

Mark

Mark is still with ARC, working hard. He stays busy keeping all of their systems running smoothly so the doctors can work productively. He also serves faithfully at church with the RAs boys’ group and helped me with teaching the 4^th graders. He ran the Chosen half marathon for the second year in a row and works out regularly. He had fun decorating our house for Christmas this year with all new lights.

Shelley

I finished my role leading MOPS in May. I also got to do a new big job this year—I coordinated the summer Bible camp at our church, which is VBS on steroids. It was hard work but so rewarding to work with amazing adults and minister to awesome children. I am planning to coordinate it again in 2012 with the help of our church’s new children’s minister. I am also teaching the 4^th grade Sunday School class, which includes my Riley. But, amazingly, I haven’t felt as busy this fall and have enjoyed the time with Kendall and developing more friendships.

Riley

Riley continues to grow into an impressive young man. He is in 4^th grade this year and doing well in school. He is a great brother and helper; he even received a special award at family camp this summer for being the “Ultimate Brother”. He still loves his Legos and stormchasing. Riley, Mark and Tyler even got to see an actual stormchasing vehicle, the TIV, at the Texas State History Museum in September. His current obsession is anything about the Titanic. He can tell you anything you want to know about it.

Tyler

Oh Tyler! He’s such a fun boy! He’s in first grade, reading, spelling and doing math. He loves school and works hard. He is becoming so mature and insightful. He got a Bible recently and enjoys reading it and taking it with him to church every Sunday. His prayers are also so compassionate and insightful. He loves Legos and is becoming more proficient and creative with his building. We were really proud of him on Thanksgiving Day, when he ran about 3K of a 5K race without complaining. Tyler will be a ringbearer at my cousin’s wedding in a couple of weeks.

Kendall JOY

What a fun year it has been with sweet miss Kendall! She’s so happy, talkative and fun. This year, she turned 1, started to walk, started to play and talk. She loves music, playing with her babies and being outside. She still loves to swing and has a passion for airplanes and helicopters (she gets it from daddy). She has begun to repeat everything we say; sometimes it’s not something good, but it just melts my heart when she’ll say, “Yes, Jesus loves me…” and “Mom, I love you.”

Family

It’s been a fun year as a family. Some of our biggest highlights were:

Snow in February! We had so much fun in this rare snow day.

Having fun playing in the afternoons outside with the neighbors.

Our family vacation to Rockport/Port Aransas in June. Going to the beach was great fun. We also visited the Texas State Aquarium and the USS Lexington.

We went to Lake City, Colorado to family camp at Camp Redcloud in August. What a memory! We got to go with my mom and dad and my brother Greg and his family. It was a great experience and we want to go back again. It’s like heaven on earth, plus we learned a lot from Creation Camp.

We’ve done lots of other fun stuff around town like playing at GattiTown, going to Austin Park, shopping at IKEA. We really enjoy our time together.

We are also looking forward to a mini holiday vacation just before Christmas at the Great Wolf Lodge and the Lego Discovery Center.

One major change our family is making this fall is that we are working on getting our foster home licensing. We’ve really felt a call to do this for the last 2 years and now is finally the time. We should be licensed just before Christmas and look forward to the possibility of getting a placement right away. We’ve prepared our house for 2 children and cannot wait to see what God has in store for our family. What an exciting Christmas gift!

We pray that you have a blessed holiday season this year! May God richly bless you in 2012 as you seek Him first.

With much love,

Mark, Shelley, Riley, Tyler and Kendall McDaid

(Juno and Milo cats too)

McDaid Family Update 2010

D Day, January 21st

Riley in his 2nd grade Patriotic Performance.

Great Grandma meets Kendall.

Spring bluebonnets and Tyler's 5th birthday!

The St. Louis Arch and Fourth of July!

Daddy with his girl!

Tyler starts Kinder, our new kitten Milo and our pink Halloween kitty, Kendall! Merry Christmas! Love Tyler, Riley, Kendall, Mark and Shelley

Kendall

Well, our year started off with a bang, and now we’re swimming in pink! Kendall Joy McDaid was born January 21, 2010 at 4:16pm, weighing 7 pounds 13 ounces. All went smoothly, and she has grown like a weed over the last 10 months. At 10 months old, she is scooting, playing and happy. Her favorite things are “reading” and being outside, especially in the swing. She’s very talkative; she is starting to use some real words like uh-oh and cat.

Mark

Mark is still with ARC, working hard. He stays busy keeping all of their systems running smoothly so the doctors can work productively. He got to be home for 3 weeks when Kendall was born, which was such a blessing! At church, he works with the boys’ group, RAs. They just completed their annual Pinewood Derby car build and race. He also works out avidly, and he and I completed our first half marathon in October. I was really proud of his dedication to the training and the race. He did a great job!

Shelley

I continue to help lead the MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) group at Hays Hills Baptist Church. We had a great year last year and have started another great year this fall. Currently, we have 62 moms in our group with more inquiring daily. We will be launching a 2^nd group in January to have more room for more moms. I love the ministry of MOPS; it reaches stay at home moms in the community so they do not feel like they are mothering alone. I also have enjoyed being more active at the boys’ school. And, amazingly, I trained and completed my first half marathon in October! It was really challenging; I am so thankful to have done it, but I don’t know that I’ll be doing another one anytime soon. I think 5Ks and 10Ks will be fine from here on.

Riley

Riley has really grown and matured over the last year. I have really come to rely on his help, and he has risen to the occasion. He is an awesome big brother; Kendall adores him. He is in third grade this year and thriving in school. He loves to build with Legos and has built many creative designs. He also is loving reading chapter books and is an excellent speller. Riley is passionate about storms and tornadoes. We are curious to see if it will develop into a career in meteorology.

Tyler

Tyler has had a big year! Not only did he lose his position as the baby of the family, he also started Kindergarten this fall. I am so thankful that I got to spend so much time with him at home because I feel like I hardly see him anymore. He is loving school, learning and making new friends. We found out his peanut allergy is not severe, but he still enjoys eating at the “peanut free” table in the school cafeteria. He also is a Lego fanatic, and really enjoys minifigures (the people) and accessories.

Family

I am so thankful for our family time. We’ve really made some memories this year that I will always treasure. We went to Sea World in December, one last hurrah before Kendall arrived. We enjoyed a rare snow in February. In June, we took our first big road trip to Saint Louis, Missouri. It was the boys’ first trip outside of Texas. We visited family, went to my cousin’s wedding, saw the Arch, rode on a riverboat and went to the zoo. But the highlight had to be stopping in Dallas on the way home to go to the Lego store! While we were there, we found out that Austin was getting a Lego store. (It opened in August, and we have been there many times already.) We also did fun things around town, like going to Gattitown, Austin Park, swimming at pools and seeing movies. This fall, we got to spend time with the Beamans for the first time in a long time, which was also really fun.

We still have our sweet Siamese cat Juno, and added another kitten, Milo, last month. Teddy went out a week ago and hasn’t returned. We are still searching for him, hoping he’ll come home and be okay. We’ve had him for 9 years and really love him. But Milo is a silly boy, and he fascinates Kendall.

This year, God has really blessed us. It is so fun to see the world through a new baby’s eyes. Thinking about how much she’s grown in such a short time is amazing. And now, we get to enjoy this holiday season with her. It will be a special time.

We wish you many blessings this holiday, and may you remember the true joy of Christ’s birth! Love, the McDaids

2009 Family Recap

We went to Kiddie Acres over Spring Break.

Mark's baby sister, Liz, got married March 1st.

Easter 2009 (notice Tyler's band-aid to hide his stitches)

Tyler's 4th birthday and our new kitten, Juno (with old cat, Teddy).

Riley and Mark finished a family Triathlon! The boys played dress up this summer.

Our family at the pumpkin patch and the boys dressed for Halloween.

My big old belly at 29 weeks. Tyler loves his baby sister! :)

Mark
Mark is still working hard as a Programmer in the IT Department at Austin Regional Clinic. With 2 years under his belt, he feels pretty comfortable at his job. He has really enjoyed working out and running this year. This summer, he completed his first Triathlon, then did a family Triathlon with Riley. He’s also run a 5K and a 10K this year, as well as going on regular runs in the neighborhood with the boys to help Riley complete his marathon. I always keep him busy around the house, too! He has built many a furniture piece from IKEA this year!

Shelley
As soon as I finished teaching Pre-K at Mother’s Day Out this spring, I found out I was pregnant! It did come as a surprise, but in September we found out we are having a baby girl, which is so exciting! She will be at the top of our 2010 highlights, since she is due January 21st. Just before I found out that I was pregnant, I agreed to take on the role of MOPS Coordinator at my church. This is our third year, and we are still growing and going smoothly. God has really blessed this group! We even started a sister group in Kyle this fall, which 2 dear friends of mine are coordinating. This summer was tough for me, with the first trimester pregnancy yuckiness and the scorching heat. We spent a lot of time indoors at home this summer.

Riley
It’s amazing that Riley is a 7 year old second grader! He is such a big boy and so helpful to me. He’s a great big brother to Tyler, and I know he will be great with his baby sister (he loves babies!). He loves school and was so excited to get the teacher he wanted for second grade. They have lots of animals in their classroom, including leopard geckos and snakes. He really enjoys running and completed a Kids’ Triathlon in July and ran a 5K in October. He did his first sleepover camp last summer and had a great time.

Tyler
Tyler is 4 and is such a big boy. He and I are doing “home school preschool” and he is learning his letters, numbers and other fun stuff. He loves to “read” and has many of his favorite books memorized. He had to give up his room for the baby, but is excited to share a bunk bed with Riley. Their room is full of Legos, which both boys are very passionate about. I am always amazed at the original creations they come up with! Tyler is running with Mark and Riley—his goal is to do the 5K on his own next fall. Tyler has also had his fair share of boo-boos this year, including stitches on his forehead in March from falling at the park.

Family
It’s been another fun year for our family. We’ve gotten to do some fun things, like going to Round Rock Express baseball games and stock car races at the local track. Mark and Riley got to go camping this spring with a group of men and boys from our church. This summer, we tried some new things, like seeing “Up” at an outdoor theater, learning to play laser tag and race go-karts at Austin Park and Pizza, and going to the Children’s Museum in New Braunfels.
We got to go to Sea World in San Antonio and stay at the Hyatt Wild Oaks Ranch for our summer vacation. It was really fun, especially spending 4+ hours a day in the pool. We also took the boys to the Riverwalk and Rainforest Café.
Oh, and another highlight of our summer was the addition of another cat, Juno. He is an adorable Siamese cat who is so funny and friendly. We originally thought he was a girl until I took him to the vet about a month after we got him. He keeps us laughing and on our toes.

It has been another wild year, with lots of ups and downs. It is so rewarding to see the boys growing up and seeing their character develop. They have really bonded with each other. They both are thriving at church and love Jesus and His word, which is truly exciting. We are looking forward to 2010 with our newest addition. We can’t wait to meet little Kendall Joy in person. She has already captured our hearts! I am so thankful that I can look back and see God’s love and faithfulness in our lives. He has truly blessed us beyond what we deserve.

Love, the McDaids

Just Released! Stampin' Up's New Catalog!

The 2009-2010 catalog is officially live! It is beautiful and full of great new products and project ideas. You can view the catalog online or contact me to purchase one. They are $5. If you purchase a catalog, you will receive swatches of the 6 new In Colors for free.

I will be having a new catalog preview and a watercoloring class Friday and Saturday, July 24 and 25th from 10:00-12:00. The class is $15 and you must RSVP by July 13th. You will make 6 3"x3" cards using 6 different watercoloring techniques. Plus, I will have a BONUS card for you to make using a brand new hostess set!

Also, Brenna and I will be continuing to do the monthly stamp club. If you are interested in being a part of it, let me know. Stamp club is a great way to gradually build your product stash and have some fun girl time!