ADORABLE

 After ten months in our family, this little girl is deeply rooted in our hearts.

Her personality, her giggle, her smile are all absolutely delightful!

 Many, many times throughout the day, Daddy and I just stop to say how adorable she is and how much we love her!

She is a very special little lady who fills our lives with such joy.  We can't wait to celebrate her third birthday in just a bit more than a month.  Time has flown since we brought her home, and we feel so blessed that she is our baby!

Painting Pottery

There was a great coupon online for a local pottery painting place.  It was a super fun spring break outing.

 This little girl actually LOVED painting.  Daddy is always more nervous than I am to give new things a try where this sweet thing is concerned.  He adores her and wants her to always feel as safe and secure as possible.  I tend to want to push her as far as I can, and this time I was glad I did because she painted for ninety minutes and asked for more paint multiple times.

Our big girl went along with her friend.  I always love having our big girl along.

We even had a few special friends meet us there.  The coupon was such a great deal that all six of the girls could paint for only a few dollars a piece.  It was a huge blessing!

Jilly enjoyed using black on her frog the most.  It was the strongest, darkest color she chose.  It was a lovely shade of gray when she was done with it, but it was all her work.

Anna's little dog turned out pink mostly.  It was fun to watch the girls so focused.

This little peanut painted a turtle.  It was mostly orange.

The sunlight shining through the studio windows was beautiful, and I love these angles of their faces.

My babes are growing up so fast.  I can't imagine being without them.

Return to Life AS Usual

 This last month has been crazy to say the least.  God has been so very good, and He has met our needs abundantly, but on Thursday afternoon in my kitchen when Daddy was making mac and cheese for lunch while the girls were busy with various projects around the table waiting..I looked around, sighed, and thanked God for this back to normal moment.
Molly sorted water beads in Easter eggs by color though I didn't prompted her at all about how to play with them that way.  This girls loves her some order.  She's got a killer pincer type grasp too even without a thumb.  She continues to blossom, and develop beyond our wildest dreams.

 Anna Mei was busy with a tape resist sidewalk chalk painting of a cross.  It was super easy and turned out great!  She even used the tape to make her A  on another project.

 Jilly was involved with flinging the water beads all over creation while laughing and smiling.

Then Molly, aka Cinderella in her dress up garb, moved on to painting too.  All the while through the noise and business, Emily refused to be photographed and Daddy accomplished making lunch.  Good.  So good.  So typical.  Happy, happy days are being had here as we give thanks to God for seeing us through this last month.  We continue to face challenges, but I am so thankful for these ordinary moments of good!  I love this little family God has allowed me to care for in this life.  What a tremendous blessing to be able to walk with them through this.

Jillian Is Seven

This week we celebrated our Jilly's seventh birthday.  I remember receiving the pictures of her celebrating her second birthday in China without us.  She was crying and crying.  Imagining her home celebrating these days with us kept me going through that wait.

She brings us such joy, and we were thrilled to be able to celebrate her miraculous life!

 I threw her a bug theme party.  This girl loves her some bugs, and dirt!

 Her cake was a dirt cake with bugs on top.

 She stuck her hands in which thrilled this momma!  I may never get her to actually eat her cake, but touching it is progress.

Aren't they just beautiful?

 She opened her gifts.  She is getting more and more tolerant of all these birthday expectations like opening gifts.  She really doesn't care for stuff at all.  This is such a beautiful part of her.  She does not value material things at all.

 I always create a sensory bin for her to match her party theme.  This is by far her favorite part of any party.  I mean favorite!  Look at that smile. It is as big as her entire face.

This year, I made a crushed oreo and green dyed coconut sensory bin.  It looked like dirt and grass.  Then, I put a few bugs in.  She spent about an hour inside this bin digging and flinging.  She kept clapping me over and signing "happy" as she is still mostly nonverbal.  It isn't at all clean when this baby girl gets a sensory bin, but I would do almost anything to make her happy.  That smile is absolutely worth the twenty minutes of clean up.  

How we love you our big girl!  You have absolutely brought more joy and happiness to our lives than we ever imagined possible.  I often say that you wrecked me, and I mean it in the most beautiful sense of the word because loving you baby girl has changed every inch of my heart!  I couldn't think of being without you!

My Man

My man is strong and courageous.  He is taking on life with his one good eye, and getting back to the business of serving the Lord as he is with his youth at a conference for the weekend this very minute.  He will not be thwarted, and it just makes me so proud to see him determined to conquer this trial.  The Lord is mighty is in his life!  I am so excited to see what God has in store for us in the coming months because of this blip in the road.  We are so much better for it already, but I know our good, miracle working God is up to something bigger than we could ever imagine.  Much of my life, and deepening walk with God, is based on trials that I have experienced.  I wish I didn't have to be in need to lean so much on the Lord, and to grow in my relationship with him, but it is definitely the way the Lord continues to use to show His love, mercy, and grace to me the most clearly. 

My Jilly just loves her Daddy.  Jilly is seven, but is really much younger because of her special needs.  His being out of it, not being able to carry her, feed her, and play with her has been hardest on her.  She is nonverbal, but she continues to process the events of the last month using sign, and her Nova chat to communicate what is on her heart.  She continues to ask if Daddy will have surgery..will Daddy take her to the park again..Daddy carry me.. At times, this has been heartbreaking for my man, who loves my very special Jilly more than most could ever imagine, as he has recovered.  He was back up and at it as soon as he could be for her, and, while he still can't lift her (she is 42 pounds at seven years old) because of his doctors limitations as he heals, she is so happy to have her Daddy back!  We all are..

I have set the Lord always before me.  Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Psalm 16:8