Boy

We don't have a clever Internet name for him yet, so I'm just calling him "boy" - #lifewithboy. I promise it's not a sign that we don't love or adore him - we tossed around "little man", "little dude", etc but they all seemed too young. So "Boy" it is.

Boy is 7 1/2 and came to live with us a week ago, on 12/21. The week prior, we accepted the placement, planning to transition him from his previous foster family to our home after an overnight stay proved that we were a good match for each other.

It seems to me that God preserved this child for us because he has no evident challenges and yet he wasn't being snatched up by other families. A few days before we accepted placement, the story of Jericho was brought to mind in several different ways at different times. I felt God encouraging me to pray around my own Jericho, the DSHS building, and so I did. On day 4, we learned about Boy. On day 6, we accepted the placement. On day 7, we met him for the first time - the walls came tumbling down.

Boy is clever, silly, enjoyable, outgoing and very funny. He can socialize with anybody and was excited to be with us the moment we met him. He loved our car, our house, our dog, his room, and he told us so.

So 4 days before Christmas, Boy came to live with us. And he proved that I am a girl raised by a single mom. I have always enjoyed the boys at church, but I get to send those ones home. This one stays. And I like him - love him even - but he's a boy. He wants hot wheels, video games, cartoons, and to write in ballpoint pen on my furniture. I'm a girl. I want to sew, cook, shop, make and preferably keep my furniture graffiti-free.

He and Matt get along smashingly. He definitely craved a dad figure, having lived with a single mom in his last foster home, and he's responding well to Matt. Matt is in father-son heaven - cars, trucks, tools, sports, trains, etc. And he's not just another kid in the house - he's really an excellent dad. Case in point, today he coached me through a sticky parenting situation when I was home with Boy and at a loss with a choice he made. I was so grateful for his insight.

And Boy and I are bonding. He likes hugs, cooking, books (as long as I'm the one reading), and just being together, so we're finding ways to connect.

Boy's case is considered a long-term placement, and while none of us really can be sure what that means, we're happy to have him for however long.

Memphis is especially happy to have a boy of his own.