Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Red Letters Campaign: Anticipation

September 29, 2008 by Kristin Leave a Comment


To commit your heart or not? There is much debate in the adoption world about when you throw your heart into the mix … upon first sight of that referral picture? Or not until the court date? Homecoming Date? Share your thoughts and experience!

Interesting prompt.

For me, I was fully committed from the day in mid-January 2007 that we saw our baby girl on the ultrasound screen when we were at the birth mother’s 25-week appointment. It was the first day we met the birth mother and the day we all agreed to proceed after some previous initial phone conversations.

A couple people continually cautioned me that she may change her mind or something else could happen. Of course, that was reality. But my heart was trusting the birth mother and process so much that I proceeded with everything I had.

That’s how it had to be for me. Like in all of life’s moments, we couldn’t control the details, but we trusted God to continue taking us through the process to which he had obviously led us. There were many reassurances along the way that probably only spoke to my heart. I couldn’t really explain them to the people who were being cautious.

I knew Cate was supposed to be our baby. We named her on the way home from that first appointment/meeting with the birth mother. The birth mother referred to her as our baby.

I know international adoptions, and some domestic ones, have a whole host of uncertainty because there are so many more variables. But speaking from my experience, I had to commit to this baby girl (and the birth mother), and that meant throwing my heart in the mix early.

Cate was born 15 weeks after I threw my heart into the mix, and she’s been with us every since.

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Red Letters Campaign: Attachment

July 24, 2008 by Kristin Leave a Comment


How did attachment go during your first year? Describe what you did to prepare for attachment as well as the joys and challenges of attachment during your first year home.

A friend of mine who has adopted her two children domestically warned me that bonding with our baby might be a challenge. She encouraged me to let Cate sleep close to us, like in a bassinet beside our bed. Until that conversation with her a few weeks before Cate was born, I hadn’t even considered not bonding with my baby.

Sure, I wasn’t physically birthing this baby, but I had all the peace that the birth mother was carrying a baby for us. That’s even how she talked. It’s what I knew in my hard, even though a couple people tried to instill fear in me.

After Cate was born and the nurses took care of her immediate needs in the nursery, a sweet nurse brought her to me at 4 a.m. I fed her and held her for three straight hours. Greg was trying to sleep. But I was falling in love with the little person who was going to change our family in more good ways than I can ever begin to count.

I guess I should say: We bonded.

And we haven’t stopped bonding since.

We spent the first week of her life in a hotel in southern Indiana waiting for the green light for state governments to go home. That was a bonding experience in itself. Cate slept in a travel bassinet near our hotel bed. Then when we got home, she spent a night, maybe two, in the bassinet in our room. We decided we’d all probably sleep better if we had our own space. So she went to her crib, and that’s where she’s slept since. We’re just down the hall so we can hear her, but my baby likes her sleep as much as we do.

Cate is almost 15 months old, and bonding hasn’t been a challenge. Of course, she hasn’t known any other caregivers. We were there when she’s born and she’s been with us since.

How’s that for not really having an answer to the Blog Buzz question?!

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Red Letters Campaign: Money

July 13, 2008 by Kristin Leave a Comment


“How do I do this, moneywise? I want to adopt, but it seems so overwhelming. We don’t really have $20,000 in the bank, ya know!” Please blog about your experience, ideas, insight, fundraisers and other ideas that worked for you while raising your adoption money.

Um, we didn’t have $20,000 in the bank when we decided to adopt. In fact, we still don’t have $20,000 in the bank! 🙂 Seriously, though, I definitely understand concerns about money, but when God leads you somewhere, he doesn’t desert you. Even financially.

We decided to adopt after a couple years of trying to get pregnant and eventually getting answers about our infertility. For us, having a baby was about having a family. Not being pregnant. So, honestly, turning our attention to adoption was a relief for me, emotionally. I felt like God was showing us another way, and that was exciting to me. I just assumed pregnancy was the way to a family, but I learned otherwise. I learned God has more than one way to create families.

OK, so, back to money. You hear about adoptions being so costly, and while that’s true, it’s not like we wrote a $12,400 check and that was it. There were lots of smaller checks throughout the process. During the process both Greg and I worked, so we earned money as we needed it and, thankfully, we had some money saved.

Adopting domestically can definitely be cheaper than adopting internationally because there’s less paperwork and more minimal travel expenses. But we still had to pay two agencies (one in Kentucky and one in Indiana, where Cate was born), two attorneys (although our Kentucky attorney is a friend so that knocked down what would normally be a greater expense), travel expenses to go to doctor’s appointments with the birth mother (who was 4 1/2 hours away), smaller costs of getting background checks and copies of important documents, and medical bills (again, thankfully, she was still on her parents’ health insurance).

Finding a birth mother through family also helped make our process less costly. We didn’t have to pay an agency or attorney to find us a birth mother. My sister put us in touch with someone she already knew who was looking for adoptive parents for the baby she was carrying.

I don’t know that I have any wise financial advice. But you can’t think about it as one huge check. It’s smaller investments along the way. And if it’s what you’re supposed to be doing, God will provide you the resources because he certainly has a heart for children.

Oh, and it’s also helpful to remember that once you can come up with the money along the way, you get it back, penny for penny, up to a certain amount, on your taxes, thanks to federal tax credits. Be sure to talk to your accountant about that.

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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 ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten 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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Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have picked up thi Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book had a dear friend who always comes in clutch with book recommendations let me borrow it. My mind has been swirling this week. Just lots of life happening all around me. 

I picked up this book while Ben was at his counseling appointment and read most of that hour, then again that evening, and then again the next day. This book could be read slowly because the words are lyrical and lovely, but I couldn’t put it down. The scripture, stories, and songs were balm for my soul right when I needed it. 

“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!” — Psalm 43:3

This book is about that invitation from God. Songwriter @sandramccracken  tells us how she’s accepted the invitation, lived in the light, and brought others with her. 

I started taking notes on the very first page, but I will leave you with this, for now:

“There will be a full telling of our stories, a reckoning of every injustice, and a mending of every broken system. This is the good news, the promise of peace, working backward from that future reality, bringing that healing light-filled promise to bear on our lives, to shine on our present sorrow and on our yet-unanswered questions. He is with us. It will be all right in the end. If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.”

#KHTreads #bookstagram #recommendedreads #livingfaithfully #reallife #choosingJOY #storiesmatter
“Darkness does not define us. It attends to us, “Darkness does not define us. It attends to us, surrounds us in regular intervals, but it does not have the last word. God limits the darkness. He has authority over it and is not bound by it.” 

— @sandramccracken in “Send Out Your Light”

#KHTreads #countryliving #livingfaithfully
What is saving my life … My home is a refuge an What is saving my life …

My home is a refuge and shelter from the loud, crazy world. I love being here. I’m thankful for a break from the routine and busyness. I like a chance to have slow mornings and not much of a plan for the day. I’m also grateful for the chance to host others in our home. 

And, of course, books. I love reading and seeing those around me reading too. Stories are also such a refuge for me. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #reallife #88daysofsummer #choosingJOY #KHTreads #momlife
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” - @brenebrown attributes this quote to Viktor Frankl

Months ago, I made a counseling appointment for today. And it certainly came at the exact right now. 

Honestly, the transition into my favorite season has been rocky — and I’m not totally sure why. I know some circumstances that are contributing to that, and I also know my responses haven’t been what I want them to be. But I’m not entirely sure what to do about it. 

Slowing down, listening to my body and mind, setting boundaries, being honest, and counting the wins and gifts should help. At least those are the things my counselor and I discussed when I talked for every minute of our session. Sometimes I go not knowing what we will dive into. Today I knew. She said these were good conversations. She reminded me of what I know to be true, that what I’m doing matters. Intentional parenting matters every single day even though there are no results to quantify. 

Many things are stimuli in my life. Yours too, I’m sure. I don’t leave even space between the chatter, lies, responsibilities, burdens, gifts, and routines to respond kindly and gracefully. I’m quick to be angry and anxious. I want to slow down my brain and give myself more space to truly live. I’m pretty sure that’s the space where God grows pretty things. 

📷: Cate Taylor, 15

#OneDayMay #maydays #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #reallife #momlife #flowerphotography #summerisbest #88daysofsummer
@emilyhenrywrites is really good at writing romanc @emilyhenrywrites is really good at writing romance novels that go deeper than a cheesy love story. Her characters navigate grief and disappointment that comes with real life. In the cleverly titled “Book Lovers,” Nora and Charlie work through a lot as people and a couple to discover what they’re happy ending looks like. Plus it’s set in a Hallmark-movie-like town that works well for this story for people who love books and lovers. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #recommendedreads #favoritethings #amreading #Kindlebooks #kindlepaperwhite
Oh, Monday. It’s the first actual week of #88day Oh, Monday. It’s the first actual week of #88daysofsummer and it feels like fall out. That would be lovely, except my people and I were ready for pool time. 

One kid got up way too early and was having all the feels. I subsequently got up way too early and came out of my bedroom ready to implement morning habits and conquer boredom. Nobody else was very excited about my strategy. 

By 10 o’clock this morning, I suggested one kid take a nap and retreated to my own room with my phone, my Kindle, and lots of thoughts. I had a small revelation that helped me better see my kids as the individuals they are. 

I made plans to walk with a friend and later dragged all my kids along. Yep, even the one in a boot and on crutches for at least a few more days. You see, that injured kid also started Summer Break with his third strep diagnosis since February. He certainly needed fresh air after a couple of days stuck inside the house. 

We all needed fresh air, fresh perspectives, and a fresh start to the day. Today the walk outside is what helped. Another day there may be a different strategy, but I’m thankful I found way through all the feelings and disappointments this morning and can feel a little sunshine in my day, even if it’s only the figurative kind of sunshine. 

#momlife #maydays #reallife #kentuckyweather #kyweather #confusedweather #summerisbest #poolpeople #choosingJOY #thirdchild #monday #mondaymood #momconfessions #PorchStories
I miss … … a few particular friends from whom I miss …

… a few particular friends from whom I’m separated by circumstances, logistics, and distances. 

When I make a friend, I intend to stay friends forever. Of course, life doesn’t always work out that way. 

I don’t miss my kids being young, but I miss the ease of socializing with my friends during that season. It was easy then to meet at the park or go somewhere for lunch. Now there are so many schedules to work around. 

Scheduling time to lunch or get together is still my love language, it just takes a little more work, patience, and persistence now. And sometimes that’s exhausting. But it’s always worth it. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #bettertogether #livingfaithfully #reallife
School’s out FOR THE SUMMER! #88daysofsummer #mo School’s out FOR THE SUMMER! #88daysofsummer #momlife #siblinglove #summerisbest #maydays
I’m proud of myself for … … surviving and t I’m proud of myself for …

… surviving and thriving this school year. I resist change almost all of the time, and the past nine months have been full of so many transitions for our whole family. I know, that’s life, but these changes seem like the kind that will mark us forever. 

My kids navigated new beginnings in kindergarten, middle school, and high school. As a mom, sometimes I’m too close to see the growth, but this year it happened in each of them right before my eyes. They navigated friendship hurdles, embraced new friends, and settled a little more into who God created them to be. Middle school isn’t for the faint of heart, but I feel like I’ve come out of this year closer to my son, so I will take it. 

I’m proud of myself for leaning into where God has me. I’ve grown deeper friendships, invested in my kids’ school as a board member and business manager, and seen God work in our ordinary days. 

Y’all know I’m a summer girl, so I’m proud of myself through getting through the winter and coming into summer stronger and braver. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #momlife #summerisbest #bettertogether
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