November has been an emotionally exhausting month for us. We have had to make some pretty tough decisions about Ethan's schooling. He has been going to the school I work in, but we decided it would be better for all of us to move him to our neighborhood school. I did not want to move him mid-year, but he is really excited about going and riding the bus so everything is set now and he will start next Monday. Both Ethan and Charlotte have been sick this month, and I have battled with a pinched nerve in my shoulder. We are still adjusting to getting 2 kids ready and out of the house on MWF by 7:00am. And Jay and I have not had much alone time as of late. We had our 12 month post-placement visit and found out that our Social Worker will be out of the country Jan-March. This meant I needed to start jamming on all of our home study docs so that we could have the rest of our visits in Dec. Which in a way is great, it will all be done before the beginning of the year, but added a little stress to the paperwork-Queen-ME!! All of these things have made November hard and I am ready to move on to December. BUT..........
I have so very much to be grateful for!!! Last night I met my good friend Chelsea for coffee and had some much needed girl time. We had an awesome time talking about life, and reflecting on how God is working on both of us. She shared with me a scripture: which is one of my favs but she has been reading a book which caused her to look at this scripture differently.
"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:28-31
Chelsea was sharing that the author of the book mentioned that in the Hebrew translation of the verse the end is meant to build on itself. That soaring on wings like eagles is really only the first step. What? That seems like the best part of the scripture right. How awesome it would be to soar like an eagle but no, the best part of the verse is to "walk" and not be faint. And isn't that so true. Our mountain top experiences are special and important, but it is the daily walking with the Lord where we really see Him at work. That is where we see all He is doing in our lives and the lives of those around us. It is in that daily walking, that I look at my sweet Sha Sha's face and am so thankful for her. So thankful for the ways she has changed my heart forever. I am not the same person I was a year ago. I have come face to face with my savior, through the life of a small, spitfire named Charlotte. And I am so grateful for that.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Catching Up!
I have been meaning to blog about these pics but life has been a little busy around here. Ethan had his very first TKD Sparring Tournament a couple of weekends ago. He is only a purple belt but had to go up against a junior blackbelt and a blackbelt. He won his first match but lost the 2nd 12-9. He finished in 2nd place in his group. We were so proud of him. He did an awesome job, especially considering he had not been at TKD the entire week before because he had strep, again! I also wanted to share a couple of cute pics from our Gotcha Day celebration. It was a really fun night, celebrating Sha Sha and our trip to China!!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
GOTCHA!!....One year ago today!
This is so surreal to even think about, but one year ago today Charlotte was placed in our arms for the very first time.
Wow-she is so different now, yet still the same in many ways. Her strong will was definitely there from the moment we met her, she did not eat for the first 36 hours with us. Her sweet little smile, and lively eyes.
Her nannies told us when we got her that she was very smart, and believe me she is. Sometimes it is hard for me to look back at pictures of her from that day, I did not realize it at the time, but now can see just how terrified she was.
She was stripped away from everything, and I can only imagine what she was thinking those first couple of days. But now, we see so much love in her eyes. She freely gives hugs and kisses and loves to torment her brother, just like a little sister should. And definitely keeps us on our toes. When we got her she could not walk, made very few noises, only took a bottle and refused all solid food. Now she can do all of those things: now she runs, talks and babbles all the time, can say mommy, daddy, Ethan, bye-bye, more, milk, and tries to repeat everything we say to her, she also has about 30 signs that she uses frequently, drinks from a sippie cup, can suck through the straw on a juice box, is eating lots, even had pizza and grilled cheese this week! God is so good!! It is just amazing to see how far she has come, and how much joy she brings us everyday. We are truly grateful that we were chosen to be the parents of such an amazing girl, thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. She is a gift from God.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
I've Been Tagged-Twice!!
Okay, since I have been tagged twice for this I have to play along. I was tagged by Carla and Jenn for this meme.
So seven random/weird facts about me?!?!
1. I love watching football, and I have since I was a young girl. My favorite team, as you can see from the pic below, is the Redskins. My husband loves this about me:)
2. I HATE seafood, don't even like the smell of it. No lobster, shrimp, fish nothing. I can't get past the fishy taste.
3. When I was in high school I was a dance instructor. I took dance from the time I was about 5 all the way through school. I even taught a couple of my own classes, small kids. My favorite style: tap! (I hope Sha Sha likes dance, but I have a suspicion she will be a soccer girl.)
4. I used to sell Longaberger Baskets and I probably have 100 of them all around my house and in the attic.
5. I graduated 5th in my high school class of over 400 students, unfortunately it did not help me get a single scholarship.
6. I love Broadway musicals!!! (all-time favs: Wicked, Les Miserables, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)
7. I always have my nails painted.
Okay so there you go! I finally did it. It was kind of fun actually. And now to tag my 7 friends, at least I hope they will still be my friend.
Tagging:
I think everyone else has already been tagged so I will stop there.
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