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quick q&a growing up, i knew i wanted to? have a big
family
. in my fridge, you will always find? sweet vanilla coffee creamer favorite movie growing up? twister and pollyanna . my guilty pleasure is? hallmark movies. i can?t stop listening to? praise and worship, newsboys. how did you react when you found out you were going to be a mom? a: i was going through fertility treatments when
god
changed my heart. whenever we got asa and he was placed in my arms, it was like i
birth
ed that baby. i don?t want to take anything away from his
birth
mother delivering him. it was such a beautiful thing his
birth
mother did, but when i was handed the child we adopted, i knew i was totally fulfilled as a mother, and i told
god
i didn?t need to get pregnant. because i was infertile for so long, that desire was stretched so much. being a mom is the greatest gift i could ever get on this side of heaven. how has parenthood changed you? a: i used to be very self-focused, and now i am living out my calling. parenting has connected me to my calling in life, which leads specifically to louisiana heart gallery, an organization that targets the faith community to raise awareness for foster care and adoption and to find forever families for children waiting to be adopted in louisiana. it has catapulted me into my purpose. what?s your favorite time of day? a: i?m a morning person. i love waking up when nobody is up, when it?s just me and
god
. if you had 24 hours all to yourself, what would you do? a: i want my kids with me. we would jump in the camper, drive to disney world and camp out and spend as much time at disney. what advice would you give to other parents? a: we have a limited amount of time to pour into our children. don?t take the time you have for granted. whenever they were little, time would fly by, so i committed to enjoy every day. it has to be each 24-hour period, not the year. every day, i?m very much aware of the time i have with each of them. so, sit down with them, talk to them, and jump into their world. how do you manage a blended adoptive and
birth
family
? a: we are a
family
with adoption and
birth
. adoption and
birth
are both miracles from
god
. we don?t title our kids. they?re just our children. we?re very intentional in the words we say. what do you want people to know about foster/ adoptive families? a: that you do not have to be a perfect
family
to foster and adopt. it?s mainly about opening up your heart and home. it is a calling. i do think more people are called to foster and adopt, but fear of the unknown stops them. one of my roles is talking with them and answering questions to let them know what that life is like. what do you want your legacy to be? a: that i expanded the kingdom and helped multiply families for
god
. that i did what i was called to do as a mom and a wife. ? photo credit: cindy abney photography n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 7 | b r p a r e n t s . c o m 4 3
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