Numbering our days oh Lord...

Struggles abound for sure. Life is crazy...not at all like we planned. Frustrations creep in...fear starts to take over parts of rooms. I wonder what is coming next...for us...for all of us. I pray..."Come quickly Lord Jesus" ...part of me wants him to come right now...a small part, not so much.

I look at my husband and my beautiful girls. I am so thankful that God gave all three of them to me. I look back at where we have been and what we have come through together as a family...to BE a family. God was in it all. God was right in the middle of it all. He still is...all of it!

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom...Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." PS 90:12,14

Oh my beautiful children! I still get comments occasionally from people telling me how their lives have been blessed by our adoptions. My girls know that they were chosen...that they are special...that God did a mighty thing in their lives. They know that miracles happened for us to be together. They are as grateful as David and I are. I know that their understanding of it all will change as they grow, but my girls have an amazing ability to understand big concepts long before they understand the details of those concepts. I believe that God gave them that ability and that he has mighty things planned for both of them

Recently Lili was putting her change into their "gratitude jar" It is an old butter tub that they decorated and put any change they get into. The plan is to fill it and then send the money to Show Hope to help other families bring their children home through the miracle of adoption. The girls are very faithful in saying what they are thankful for before they drop any coin in the tub. Lili started putting money in and said her usual stuff...I'm thankful for my toys, my Mom, my Dad, my sister, etc...then she stopped and I heard her say, "Im thankful that I'm not an orphan anymore because You gave me my Mommy and a Daddy" Whoa!!! Talk about a flood of tears...and a level of understanding far beyond her 3 years!!

I pray that they both always know how amazing the miracles were that brought us together. I don't know the circumstances that caused them to be abandoned, but I know that before the foundation of the earth, these little girls were planned to be my daughters.

Abba...teach us to number our days...to make each one count ! Show us the joy in all the little miracles you work. Show us YOU in all we do. Show us YOU in all YOU do!! Give us wisdom as parents, as spouses, and as friends. And give wisdom to our children that they may highly regard and recognize your love for them each and every day that we have left on this earth!!!!

Lili came in and got up on the water bottle and said, "Ride'em waterbottle!!!" Um...okay

Then she reached down, patted the waterbottle and said, "Good water bottle...good boy!" um...okay.

Okay...if I had a Mac truck I could drive it in between those precious little toes!!! I just love her little feet...

Yep...those were Lili's toesies!!

Then we have Monkey foot...our 5 year old!! I swear she could write, and wash the dishes with those toesies if she had to!! What a crazy little monkey~

Yep...that would be the owner of Monkey feet...Miss Alyson!

Playing at the park with Daddy Man~

Geeeeeze...you would never know it was Autum around here...look at the sweat that child is pouring out. The humidity has been unbearable this year!!

Aly plotting their trip through the trails at Vaill Point Park

Come on Dad...it's this way!!!!

What is that hiding in yonder tree?

Yep...you guessed it...a CRAB??????

A lovely view of the intracoastal waterway from the dock. What an amazingly beautiful day it was!

What is that hanging over David's head in that tree? Look...

There it is again..what is it???

Yep...that would be a Banana Spider that was about 3-4 inches long !!!! AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH Okay...I never said I was a nature girl...NEVER!!

Okay...I LOVE this picture of the girls...so peaceful and serene

Chinese Moon Festival time...here we are putting the "mooncakes" into the oven. I don't have a mooncake mold, so I opted for the easier version of shortbread cookies with Strawberry jam in the middle. The girls helped me make them and they were SOOOOOO YUMMY!!!!

A beautiful Moon...what a shame it was so unbelievably hot outside and the bugs were celebrating too...I think they were celebrating the fact that WE were outside and were providing them with FRESH MEAT for their dinner!!!!

I made the girls put on leggings and long sleeved shirts to keep the bites to a minimum. They still had fun!!

What a cool picture...

Hot apple cider and moon cakes...Yum Yum!!

"Aly...I love you!"

Lili practicing her back walkovers. She would do this for hours if we let her!!

Aly was trying to figure out what to do with her toes while she was reading. A common problem I hear! She thought and thought and finally decided that they would make GREAT book holders!!

Yep...works great!!!

"...Surely the Lord is in this place..." Gen 28:16

Good night all!!!

In HIS Mighty Grip~