Tag: faith

2025 A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

2025 has been officially the hardest year of our lives, of our marriage, of our parenting journey. Having a 2 year in your mid forties ain’t for the weak!!! Having a severely medical complex kid in a nursing shortage, is exhausting. Living with four children born in and from trauma is hard. Parenting adult children while doing all of the above…let’s just say the mom/dad guilt is real.

None of our reality has been easy in this season.This season has brought us to our knees. The weight and depth of our calling is heavy, and the “I can’t do this on my own” is so real. But this has also been the sweet spot. This is where we have been able to see God work. He’s worked through words of encouragement from our friends. Meals brought to our house. Tears in our nightly prayer times. And in the vulnerability we have shared with our people lately, that we aren’t it, we can’t do it all, and praise God we have a savior that carries us in these times! 2025 has brought so many highs and lows.

Kinnley and Parker celebrated Eben’s first birthday in 2025 AND brought him home TWIN brothers!!! Watching our girl be an amazing wife and mommy is the biggest blessing. She is such a good mom. And still manages to be the BEST big sister to all her siblings. She and Parker help Matthew and I constantly and consistently, and we are so thankful for them. Eben, Cannan and Abram are the presents we get for parenting. I love each one of them so much. Eben is old enough to want to hang tight with his Nan and Pop and it is unexplainable the gift he is!

Our Tatiebug married the love of her life in 2025. And this mama WRESTLED with that! If you know us, you know Tate was attached at my hip. She left, moved to another town, another church, and started her very own life. BUT GOD. I have watched her in 2025 grow into the most amazing woman. She serves her church, her community, her husband, exactly how she was meant to do. She loves so big, and as selfishly as I wanted to keep that all to myself for all our days, He knew exactly what she was meant for, and He is walking her though that. I could not be more proud of her, or her husband Jace. He is the most amazing provider, and he is her rock. She doesn’t want for a thing and he loves her so big. She too is the most amazing big sister to her siblings. Her and Jace have shown up at school, at the house, and even a couple ER/hospital visits to make sure her siblings were okay!

Parker graduated a year early and started cosmetology school in 2025. She stepped ALL the way out of her comfort zone and has made friends and learned SO much. She is the baby and the last one standing so to speak of the first batch. She struggled finding her place without Tate home. But she too has eased right on in to that best big sister role, much to her little sisters distaste LOL. She is still our bold, outspoken, spoiled baby of the first batch, but also the jump in and help when mom and dad are drowning. She keeps Bryson around, and if you have seen us with him, or with her, you know she scored one a lot like her daddy. He jumps in and helps too. His mama raised him to be a wonderful big brother, and we get to share some of that at our house as well!

Dillon, who was supposed to be the baby has followed in her big sisters’ footsteps and stepped up. She has learned to help with the littles, she packs lunches, helps clean up, and in 2025 has learned ALL of Ky’s care needs. She literally has more experience with his care than any of the other kids, big girls included. She can hang with the best nurses and respiratory therapists and probably even give them a run for their money in the peds department! Ky ADORES her. He grins every time he hears her footsteps, and he melts when she climbs up in his bed. She is amazing.

It has taken Sophia three solid years to get 100% comfortable here, but 2025 was her year. She is hands down the funniest, and sassiest of the sister crew. She knows the world, loss and trauma in more ways than any of the others, and watching her comfortable in her own skin, home and community brings a pride I cannot explain. She is the best with Yana, and that’s a whole post in and of itself. She is our little popular one, she has more friends than I can count and she LOVES school. She does fine in class, but socializing is her way of life. I love watching her grow up!

Yana. 2025 brought us the terrible twos and whewwwww did she bring them. Yana is the most bull headed, assertive, independent, repetitive, and cute human I have ever known. She has more personality in her pinky than our whole family has put together. She may be the littlest and youngest of the bunch, but best believe she gets the attention. Her vocabulary is hilarious, and it’s obvious she has big age gaps in her siblings. She has more energy than anyone I have ever known. She LOVES being an auntie. Eben is her best friend, and she thinks Canaan and Abram are the best things on earth. She drives us NUTS, but she is so fun!!

2025 has been the year for King Ky as we lovingly call him. Matthew and I knew from the day we met Ky that his brain and body were not meant for a long life. We knew when we brought him home, that one day we would not have him anymore. We even prayed over and discussed at length how that would affect the girls. We still knew God wanted us to bring him home. Ky has changed the last two months. He has fought sickness after sickness and his body is weary. We can see the effects of his previous traumas and the exhaustion his brain is experiencing from sustaining itself. Right now, his future looks more uncertain that it has before. Winter is not a friend to medically fragile children. December has never been a friend to Ky. We know all of those things, yet watching them play out brings a fear and uncertainty that we aren’t sure what to do with. When there are other little hearts that love him with ALL they have, it makes it all even more complicated. In November while we played with Eben and rocked NICU babies, we spent days back and forth with our UNC team on Ky’s changes. We decided together that it was time to let Hospice come alongside and walk us through this next season. We have been blessed with a pediatric hospice that works with our local providers as well as our UNC team. Despite the decline, Ky has thrived at home. He loves having a house full of sisters. He has gained two nurses that are like a mama and grandma to him. He is SO spoiled. He is King Ky and our home is his castle. We are all so grateful to get to be that for him. He brings everyone such joy. I wish you could see us all when he gives us a smile. He melts you!

In all of this, we have seen our village step up and step in like never before. For the first time, well the first time we would admit it anyway, we have taken on more than we can do without help. Our church family, our family, and our friends have surrounded us. We have added in village members with Ky’s nursing staff, Parker’s family, Jace’s family, Bryson’s family, Karen and Quint’s village, our UNC and Sandhills teams and now hospice. We are SO well supported!!

We know that God called us to all of the above. And where He leads us, He will sustain us. We have to continue to lean on Him. To dig into His word. And to trust Him even when we cannot see what’s in front of us. As we end 2025 and look forward to 2026, we REST and REMAIN in Him. Thank you to those that love us so well, that pray for us on a regular, and that cheer us on. We are so blessed. When I look at the pictures and see what all God has brought to our lives, I can’t help but be filled with gratitude and joy, that we get the privilege to work for Him, and for His glory. Merry CHRISTmas 

Seven

We have a new Pastor. Well, kind of new, he has been here almost a year. His greatest gift (in my opinion) is his zeal for the Word. He gets you so exicted to read your bible. And he is SO passionate about you not only reading it, but understanding what you are reading. I have gone from reading my bible in a year every year, to spending weeks on a passage or verse, months on one book or a few chapters. He has taught us to notice numbers, certain words, phrases, that key in on something deeper, or that accent a passage to help you understand more. It’s amazing how on fire our members have been, from young kids to 80+ year old members, so excited to dig in and learn.

Seven is the number of completion in the Bible. I’ve always known that. Never thought it would be a theme in my life. But here we are.

If you have met the last baby of our brood, you would describe her as JOY. I don’t know of any other human that meets the standard of that word more than her. She is full of joy. She has joy pouring out of her little body any time you are around her. Every one, and I do mean every one, wants to take her home with them. She is stubborn, WIDE open, busy, oh so hyper, silly, sweet, sassy, all of the things, but in and above it all, she is joy.

I didn’t have much joy when I realized that she was going to be mine forever. I love her, don’t get me wrong, I am crazy about her. But she wasn’t in my plan. It’s taken me a long time to find that joy, I think even as I type, that this may be the reason for this blog post, because I just finally have not only accepted, but embraced that she is mine. Without spilling too much of her story (it’s not mine to share), she came here because we parented her parent for a very long season. We took her under the impression that she was kinda our “grandbaby” and we would step in while said parent stepped up. But then that didn’t happen. And this mama who was SO OVER parenting, at FORTY FOUR years of age, had a baby again. To say I have struggled with that is an understatement.

It’s funny how God reveals stuff slowly to you. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like He knows I can only handle so much info at one time, so He leads me slowly, and gives me bits very slowly. I need time to mull over things. To pout, to fuss, and then to give up and accept. This weekend I RELUCTANTLY decided to potty train her. Not because she wasn’t ready, or because I wasn’t capable. Because I didn’t wanna do it. I have parented so much more than I ever planned. There are days I don’t wanna be touched, talked to, even days I feel that I don’t wanna hear the word “mama” ever again. I am tired. But, we did it. We stuck some panties on her and we did it. God knew how tired I was, because she acts like she has been potty trained all her life. She had a few accidents, but about thirty successes. Woke up the next morning like it was nothing, straight to the potty, no accidents. She also moved into a toddler bed. Laid down in that thing like she had slept in it every day of her life. And you know what? I watched her on that monitor SO SAD!!!!!! She is my baby. M very last baby. And you know what God whispered to my heart while I was watching that monitor wondering what this sadness was? SEVEN. She is number seven. She is the completion of the Rhyne crew.

What a gift He gave us. Pure joy. To end our foster care journey. To step into our forever family. He gave us joy. I never had that sadness when any of the others moved to toddler beds, got potty trained, went to preschool, none of it. I was an emotional disaster Kinnley’s first day of school. Pretty sure other than that I have handled most things pretty nonchalantly(other than Kinn going to college and Tate getting married- those are for another day HAHA). I finally get what everyone says about “the baby”. I thought I had “the baby” when Parker was born. Then again when we got Dillon, then again with Fia. LOL, God has a sense of humor. So here we are. With seven children. She is THE baby.

I don’t find my identity in being a mom. I never have. I am not a great mom. I think I do okay, LOL, but I am breaking some generational curses over here too, and that gets messy some days. I am however, so grateful that God has allowed me to parent such incredible humans. Every time I look at Kinnley, Tatum and Parker I am amazed that we made it. That they are adults. My tiny little girl tribe is all grown up. And they are wonderful people. I would like them even if they weren’t mine. How gracious is God to give me another batch. To give me another chance to clean it up, to show Him a little more, to have different intentions. I hope my words never come across as having it all together, or all figured out. I don’t. If you are attracted to anything in our lives, I promise it’s not us, it’s God within us. He guides our steps, our days, our ins and outs. He gives me grace when I get it wrong, to start again the next day. And He gives my precious kiddos that grace too, they love me new each morning and I am so thankful for that.

Google says “the number seven is often associated with completeness, perfection, and fulfillment”. I can confidently say that God is done growing our family (through parenting), and it’s perfect for us, we feel that fulfillment. I have been done many times over the years, but He wasn’t. I know in the depths of my soul that I am now, and I know that knowledge is from Him. I am nervous about closing our home. We aren’t perfect, but we were a good foster home. Not many people foster, and even less adopt. The thoughts of their being one less of us in our area makes me nervous. But I know God is greater and He has a plan for that as well. For now, we are going to embrace the joy of Yana that He blessed us with. We also will embrace the peace of Ky, the patience of Sophia, and the gentlessness of Dillon. We see glimpses of Him in each of them and know as we all grow in this forever season we will see more and more.