Author: Andrea Esh

I'm a mom of four. I am a farmer's wife, and after ten years I am still adjusting to that. I like writing, acting silly with my kids, and having long conversations with my husband. I'm on a quest for a peaceful, simple life. I follow Jesus.

One Month Ago

.Reading time 4 minutes.

Exactly one month ago, I was having a busy day.  I was leaving for a trip to Florida with my
friends, the next day.  My mom had come
swooping to the rescue, and was staying a few days with the kids and Gene while
I went gallivanting away from the stove, preschoolers, and husband.

So of course, with the Florida trip on my mind, I went to get highlights put in
my hair. If you know your hair isn’t going to get bleachy streaks naturally
from the sun, you want streaks to be put in with chemicals right?

It took way long, I rushed home, it was bedtime, and I had yet to pack one item
for the trip ahead.

I ran into our house, and bounced into the kitchen where my mom and family all
stood with really goofy- looking, smiley expressions on their faces.

My first thought was “My hair doesn’t look as good as I thought it did. Drat.”
My second thought was ”WHAT in the world did they do while I was gone?”

I demanded, “What is going on here?!”

Gene said “Elena do you want to tell her?”
Elena shook her head.

Then Gene told me, that our agency called, and we had been matched.  And my heart leaped into my throat, and I
started crying.

So there were hugs and tears and smiles in our kitchen that night.

What does matched mean? It means that we had submitted our profile to a certain
mom, and she chose us.

There are so many mixed emotions that go with this adoption.  While we are thrilled, it is so hard to think
that one special mommy is going to have to go through so much pain, both
physical and mental in order that we parent this baby.   When I know that on the other end of the
spectrum somebody is going through a really hard time, it is hard to get
excited.  I wish I could wave a wand and
make everything all better.  (Will we parent the way you want us to? Of
course! Will we make mistakes? Never! No void in our child’s life, of course
not!)  But it’s not that simple, and I feel huge honor to be able to
raise a child in our home, doing our best, and trusting God for the rest.

The baby is due on September 8, and I love that the due date is still off in
the distance as it gives me time to can gallons of applesauce, deep clean, and
purge my house of unwanted junk.

And now, our bedtime prayers have grown to include the baby and birth mom, who
we have already met, and fell in love with.
We pray for safety and health for the baby, and we pray a blessing for
her mommy.  We are over-whelmed and
excited about the privilege to care, protect, and raise this baby.

Pray for us!

Stuff I learned from my Mom

.Reading time 4 minutes.
  1. Entertain guests often
  2. Care for your elderly parents
  3. Buy gifts for people
  4. Have your cuboards stocked with beverages
  5. Dry your wrinkly clothes in the dryer for a
    couple a minutes than hang them up, still damp
  6. Visit the sick and the widows
  7. Make your mashed potatoes a day ahead
  8. Read to your children
  9. Volunteer
  10. Dance in the kitchen


circa 2009 when Madi was born

My mom is the “giving-est” person I
know.  I grew up hearing from my friends “Your
mom is so cool.”  I didn’t really
appreciate her “coolness” at the time,(and I never told her my friends said
that) but the older I grow, the more I aspire to be like her.

She is a server who jumps up and gives food and drink to people in her
home.  Often her spare bedroom is full
with this out-of-town guest, or that missionary family.  She is the one who whips together a meal, and
I wonder how she does it all.  When we
visit her home in Ohio, early Sunday morning I can hear her footsteps pounding
upstairs in the kitchen while I lazily stay in bed.  (I’m sure her heart is brimming with pride as
her grown-up daughter reverts to a spoiled teenager whenever we visit)

When my sister brought a family home from Wal Mart (true story: She met
strangers at Wal Mart and brought them home with her) Mom opened up her home
for a week.

I don’t remember her being sick.  I don’t
remember her being down or depressed.  She
has a penchant for volunteering.  When I
was young I used to go with her as she drove people to doctors appointments,
grocery stores, and whatnot.

I remember last Mother’s Day something happened that stuck in my mind.  The family was together, but something happened (don’t remember what) that mom had to pack up in middle of our “celebration of her” (which was Sunday Dinner, and at most, a hanging plant or filled cake from Litty’s) and go take
care of her own mother or Mom-in-law.  
And I thought: the cycle never
ends does it.  This motherhood thing, you
give to your own kids, and when they are grown you give to your parents.

That’s what I’m learning from my mom, to keep going. And to keep giving.

So now I’m trying to wrap this up and realizing, how impossible it is to nail a
person down in a post.  I know her well
enough to know that she doesn’t take herself so seriously to get her panties
all in a twist about how she is portrayed. 
I know she is now blushing and clucking her tongue over my language
choice. (Don’t worry Mom, I didn’t learn that
from you)

Love You!
Your Daughter
Andrea
(the one who always painted her toenails)