A Beautiful Family

Because Tuesday is kids-get-in-free day, I decided to suck it up and take the girls to the California State Fair.  The littlest two have never been, the oldest doesn't remember the time that she went...because it has been years.  So, with kids all greased up with sunscreen, a 40 lb. sack on my back, and hats all around...we were off.

It was quite warm, which should come as no surprise...it is the State Fair, after all. 

We looked at some of the farm animals, saw newborn piggies and a calf that were born that day, and walked through one of the exhibition halls just so the girls could experience the craziness of it.  The girls each got to make their own Slush Puppies, I feasted on a chocolate and peanut dipped Twinkie, and we bought chocolate covered bacon to bring home for Daddy.  The "fair food" smells were everything I remembered them being - delicious, the people watching opportunities presented themselves frequently, and the girls LOVED the rides.

All that being said, my favorite and most memorable part of the State Fair this year was a lady that I met while we waited in line for our kids to get off the jet ski ride.  She was your average looking, white, soccer mom and she was accompanied by three young boys, all white, and a beautiful, dark skinned little girl.  My adoption radar, being finely tuned these days, told me that it was quite possible that that little girl was most likely adopted.  So, after mulling over in my mind the appropriate and unoffensive and tactful way to approach, I marched right up to her and asked about the little girl. 

Me: I don't mean to offend, but I was wondering if the little girl is your daughter?

Her: Yes!  She is! 

Me: Adopted?

Her: Yes!

Me: Do you mind if I ask where she's from?

Her: We're from Iowa.  I actually have six kids adopted through the foster care system.  The boys are adopted too.

Holy smokes!  This lady just went from "average soccer mom" to an INCREDIBLE soccer mom.  The four kids who were with her ranged in age from 5-3 years (my guesstimate).  She looked to be in her early 30s and had already adopted SIX kids from foster care. 

She asked me a few questions about where we are in the process and concluded our meeting with: "By the way, the way you approached me was very much not offensive.  You did it perfectly."

Whew!  What a relief.

I spent the rest of the day thinking about this INCREDIBLE soccer mom and what an absolute angel she is, how pleased God must be with her, and trying to figure out how I can catch up...