Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

Ben is 13!

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We are now a house with two teenagers — and in many ways, I couldn’t love it more. Ben is the boy sandwiched between two girls, many days wishing he had a brother. In the past year, I’ve seen the lives of Cate and Ben overlap more with friends and basketball. Overlapping friends can be hard between siblings, but it can also be a sweet spot. 

Ben loves playing soccer and basketball and talking about those things with his friends. He prefers school assignments with concrete answers. He likes to doodle and read non-fiction books. He has had to work hard to quiet some anxieties, expectations, and realities — especially at school. But I can look at his life and see emotional and spiritual growth, and I’m so thankful to get a glimpse at what God is doing in him and through him. He’s braver than he realizes and funnier than I probably admit to him!

With a Thanksgiving week birthday, he’s adamant about waiting until after that holiday to move on to anything about Christmas. Playing Christmas music on the way home from our Thanksgiving trip was pushing it for him.

We celebrated Ben’s birthday with a trip to Memphis for a Grizzlies game, a hotel stay, and a Bass Pro Shop outing. (And with lunch and brownies at Gran-Gran’s house the weekend before, Texas Roadhouse on our way to Indiana for Thanksgiving, and more brownies with our Thanksgiving meal at my sister’s house!) We brought three of his friends along. I’m thankful for the friends God has given him, even when finding his place is sometimes a challenge. He’s quick to friend people and sees the needs around him. 

We also got in some good cousin time with a couple of fun days at my sister’s house. Ben loves being around her two boys. They got him an Indiana sweatshirt, which was a well-timed gift because we went to an IU basketball game on Friday. We were glad we got to experience a game at Assembly Hall!

*****

Ben,

This definitely seemed like the right year to do something different for your birthday. I’m thankful I came up with an idea you were excited about! What fun memories we made! You’ve often challenged me as a mom and person, but I’m thankful for all we’ve walked through together. The longer we’re at this mom-son thing, the more I see our similarities as people. I see you and love you and am blessed to be your mom. 

Here’s to the teenage years, bedtime conversations, and lots of Haribo Peach Gummies and Sour Patch Kids. 

Love, Mom

*****

I share more of Ben’s story in my book “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family,” which is on sale (!!!) right now on Amazon. Look back on my boy’s life:  1 year old. 2 years old. 3 years old. 4 years old. 5 years old. 6 years old. 7 years old. 8 years old. 9 years old. 10 years old. 11 years old. 12 years old.

How to enjoy cooking

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Everybody’s got to eat, right? I used to think of cooking as a means to an end, but now I enjoy it more. Last week we unexpectedly had two evenings at home in a row. That’s unheard of during soccer season with three kids playing and practicing. I told my oldest one of the reasons I was excited to be home was to cook an actual meal. 

Our family prioritizes dinner together, even if that means eating Zaxby’s after soccer practice. But it’s even better when we gather around our own table with a homecooked meal. The truth is, I run out of inspiration, though. 

So let’s talk about where to go when we need more ideas for cooking.

Screens

I know, I know. Screens get a bad wrap, but let’s be honest, sometimes when we aren’t even trying we might be inspired. TV shows sometimes prompt ideas and scrolling on Facebook sometimes leads to an irresistible recipe. I’ve been known to email myself some links! Plus there are plenty of food documentaries out there available on TV channels and online. 

After a documentary episode or an Instagram story, you may be ready to try cooking a new and exciting dish. Perhaps a creamy and delicious chicken florentine? 

You can find a lot of food ideas on the Internet. This is how I learned to cook salmon, steak in the oven, and French Toast Bake. There are so many recipes online! I save them on my phone in a bookmark folder so I can find them again. 

Vacations

We love traveling to South Carolina so we can eat low-country seafood. And yes, we’re attempted to replicate that at home. My husband and son like to go trout fishing, and I sure do love it when they bring fish home. Lots of locations offer food different from what’s right here in our hometown Kentucky, so leaving home helps me bring new recipe ideas home. 

Restaurants 

When we were social distancing in 2020 and cooking multiple meals a day at home, I would think about restaurants we loved and what food they served. In some instances, I improved upon the food we love. Cooking was so fun then, when we had a ton of time to experiment in the kitchen and put more time into each meal. 

It’s hard to recreate restaurant dishes, but it’s definitely a great source of inspiration. You probably won’t be able to make the dish exactly the same at home, but even if it helps you improve your cooking by 30%, you’ll notice the difference.

Do you love to cook? What are your favorite dishes to make? I’m always accepting new recipes, so send me your favorites and share any good stories that led to good recipes. Speaking of which, I’m going to stir the taco soup I have simmering. 

*****

Most of y’all know my love for gathering together & nourishing souls, like I talk about in my book, “Bringing Home More than Groceries.” Food often is a way to invite others in and build community. If that’s your perspective, that definitely gives cooking a broader purpose. You can download a free printable with ideas on how to be hospitable in every season.

Seven!

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Earlier this year, Rachel described numbers as even and awkward. My mom and I laughed and laughed about this — and were impressed with her vocabulary as a kindergartner to know “awkward” and “odd” are synonyms. 

Well, now, here we are at 7 years old! I’d say it’s awkward, but it’s not really. Yes, 7 sounds older because, well, I suppose it is. But I love where my girl is. She is doing well in first grade, enjoys playing soccer, plays with Gabby’s Dollhouse toys and her cousin’s hand-me-town Barbie dollhouse, swims, swings, and makes everyone around her smile. She loves big and loud. 

We – especially Cate and I – get frustrated with how long it takes Rachel to finish a chore, eat breakfast, or brush her hair. But this girl loves every moment of life. When she doesn’t get sad, it’s short-lived. I’ve said this her whole life, but it remains true:

Rachel radiates joy. 

As a mom, she’s taught me to appreciate all the little moments and slow down with my responsibilities so I can snuggle her or listen to her long, detailed stories. Greg and I waited and doubted and waited some more that God would grow our family with a third child, but when the time came to adopt Rachel Elizabeth, I was changed in all the best ways. My older kids probably think I’m easier on her, but the truth is I’m a better version of myself now. 

We thought we wanted a third child sooner, but the age gap ended up being perfect. Cate is eight years older and Ben is almost six years older. Their relationships with Rachel have changed throughout the years, depending on how much she’s into their stuff and space, but I love seeing them all shift with each season. 

(I tell lots more of this story of God growing our family through adoption in my book, “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family.” Shameless plug, I know. But when I reflect on what God has done, his faithfulness continues to amaze me.)

We celebrated this birthday girl with a surprise family party earlier this month. Schedules prompted it, but it ended up being just right for her. Then we had her first-grade girl classmates over for what turned into a swim party. We had a string of cool nights just as we replaced our pool liner and refilled the water, so it was quite cold the night of her party. Some girls brought swimsuits and others borrowed from Rachel’s collection. They had a great time swimming, playing, eating burgers and hot dogs and cake. Her actual birthday was two days later and I took cookies and Capri Suns to her class at school and then we made pancake art for dinner. 

I love the way birthdays give me a chance to reflect on life and celebrate those I love most. Rachel’s life is well documented, but here I am with a late birthday post. I’ve been writing this post in my head for days, but I finally got a chance this morning to sit down and type it out. 

Nonetheless, happy birthday, Rachel girl! You bring so much joy to so many people! I’m excited to see your story continue to unfold. 

*****

Look back on Rachel’s past birthdays:  One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.