Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Happy birthday, Cate!

May 6, 2011 by Kristin Leave a Comment

The first words out of Cate’s mouth this morning were, “Did I turn 4?”

“Yes, sweet girl, you’re 4.”

It’s like it really happened overnight. She’s talked for a long time, but now she sounds older. She tells long stories that are full of details. She remembers moments from years ago, like she’s stored them in her little heart.

She loves the people around her with a compassion that makes my heart melt. She loves having people over for dinner and assigns their seats at the kitchen before they arrive. She was quick to make friends at preschool, and, really, wherever we go.

My first Mother’s Day came when Cate was a week old and we were still staying in a hotel waiting for adoption paperwork to be passed between Indiana and Kentucky state governments. When I held Cate in those early days of her little life, I knew God’s faithfulness like ever before. And I haven’t been the same since. When I hold her now, with her long legs dangling, I still know that faithfulness. God embodied the desires of my heart in Cate.

And that’s why I love telling her story — which I’ve embraced as our family’s story.

That first Mother’s Day four years ago, she filled my heart by laying her sweet head on my shoulder. This year, she made me a present at preschool. It reminds me how so many things change in what seems like no time at all, but, really, much stays the same too.

This same girl still makes my heart melt. With her professions of “I love you so, so, much.” With her smile and laughter. With her innocent wisdom. With the love she has for her brother. With all the ways she’s stubborn and into plans just like her momma. With her desire to work at her desk and make things.

This is something she made at school a couple weeks ago, when she was still 3. I was a little surprised to learn she considers corn her favorite food, but I love how it documents what was on her mind that day.

On today is her day. We’ll celebrate who she is and the way God brought her into our family. But I have to say, I’ll also celebrate this journey through motherhood that has been challenging and fulfilling in ways I could even begin to anticipate. And it all started with one baby girl.

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Filed Under: adoption, Cate, motherhood

Comments

  1. Life as I know it says

    May 6, 2011 at 2:15 pm

    beautiful

    Reply
  2. Courtney says

    May 6, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    In case you didn't know, you are a great writer. 🙂 That was beautiful!

    Reply
  3. Peggy says

    May 6, 2011 at 10:10 pm

    She does have a great story and I love to tell it too. So glad she is ours to love for many more years.

    Reply

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness 🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness has walked beside me / The winter storms made way for spring / In every season, from where I'm standing / I see the evidence of Your goodness / All over my life … 🎶 @joshbaldwin in “Evidence”

I love summer. But my summer has started off busy: appointments, book edits deadline, establish new habits with the kids at home. All that’s necessary and good, it just cuts into my down time beside the pool. 

Today we have two open gyms for our basketball players, my book study with a few friends, a new weekly high school girls’ book study at our house, and a monthly dad-son character study. 

I long for a little more white space on the calendar, but I also wouldn’t change a thing because the kids are only 16, 13, and 7 once. This summer will only be this summer once. And I’ve already learned time flies with big kids. 

So here we are finding out footing, singing praises with church friends on our porch, grilling delicious chicken, and squeezing in the wide-open spaces when we can. This is evidence of the good stuff. 

#84daysofsummer #poolpeople #momlife #momconfessions #faithlife #livingfaithfully #favoritethings #choosingJOY #countryliving #reallife #PorchStories
The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat ha The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat has become a favorite tradition to kick off summer! The weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed one another. 

#familyreunion #lakelife #kentuckylake #kylake #getoutside #familytime #memorialday #memorialdayweekend #favoritethings #84daysofsummer #summerisbest #choosingJOY
Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ #TeamTaylor #girl Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ 

#TeamTaylor #girlmom #boymom #momlife #reallife #summerisbest #siblinglove #countryliving #poolpeople #getoutside
First of all, who else has read this book? The plo First of all, who else has read this book? The plot was promising as a thriller and the setting really worked. There were some good twists, and then there were ridiculous twists. I skimmed the end only because I wanted it to make sense. And it didn’t. It was too weird for me. 

But this made me wonder: how do we know if a book is going to be weird, contain elements we don’t like, or go places that don’t make sense? I don’t like to read much about a book before I read the book. Usually, I do a better job of picking books for myself. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #donotrecommend #bookofthemonth @bookofthemonth
I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant we I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant weather, a mixture of productivity and rest, and had plenty of wide-open space to enjoy our property and each other. 

#weekending #TeamTaylor #poolpeople #countryliving #favoritethings #choosingJOY #maydays
And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watch And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watching them both play. 

#soccermom #weekending #springtime #momlife #girlmom #boymom
On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a book, but I didn’t know what I wanted to read. Whenever I have indecision about books, picking up a thriller usually helps because of the story’s pace. 

“The Only Survivors” worked well because there was a lot happening! Lots of creepy, mysterious moments. Only so many people could be guilty of infiltrating a small group who had lots of secrets! 

I loved the timeline of this one. The back story about an accident was told in seven one-hour segments. The present mystery was told in seven days. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #latergram #bookofthemonth @bookofthemonth #poolpeople #mothersday
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And when I say summer, I mean we are ready to shake up the routine, mentally regroup, turn off the alarms, establish some new habits, soak in the sun, and catch up with friends we’ve been crossing paths with too quickly. 

I want to savor the #84daysofsummer and I want to embrace this new season. And it’s almost time. Three more days of school. (Deep breaths.) 

Meanwhile, I’m going to keep collecting the moments — the hard, hurried, happy, and heartfelt. The seasons do change, but this is the life we are living. 

“The moments you collect may not be loud or flashy. They might be quiet or covered or a far-off view you were lucky to catch. But this I know to be true: A moment savored says to your soul, ‘You have lived something beautiful.’ And it keeps you buoyed. It sustains you when you’re running empty. It lifts you up and carries you forward.” — Joanna Gaines in @magnolia summer 2023 journal issue no. 27 

#momlife #reallife #momconfessions #livingfaithfully #summerisbest #teenagedriver #choosingJOY
I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but t I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but this one by Soraya M. Lane focused on three nurses, their friendships, and how the war changed their lives. It’s a hard story, but it’s full of love and hope despite the destruction around them. 

And it’s the second historical fiction audiobook I’ve listened to in a row! #KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #audiobooks #Audible #KindleUnlimited #historicalfiction
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