Cole, Alex, & Anna Grace

Sunday, November 28, 2010

A TON of Thanksgiving and Tree Farm Pictures

We are so thankful to have our first Thanksgiving with Anna Grace. She loved eating "turk" on Sunday with Mike's family and then on Thursday with my family.






Yesterday we made our annual trip to cut our tree from a tree farm. We had debated not going this year because Anna Grace is not very easy to ride in a car with. She says "Mama, Mama, Mama" at least 20 times a minute and then babbles her little stories continuously unless she is "torturing" everyone with her Chinese children's songs that she likes to listen to in the car. It is not that bad for a short trip to the store, but 2 1/2 hours to get to a tree farm is not easy for any of us! We survived by giving her a DVD player and movies and her pacifier (that is usually reserved for naptime). The weather was cold and windy, but we had a great day spending time as a family.





Friday, November 12, 2010

So Thankful for Six Months with Anna Grace

Six Reasons to be Thankful:
1. I am so thankful that God spoke and told us that we had a daughter in China. I am so thankful that He made it so clear to us that our little girl had a heart defect and would come to us through the Special Needs Program. It was His Word that gave us the strength and the determination to persevere the long wait for our daughter. It was not until we received the referral for our sweet girl that we learned that Anna Grace was born at the same time that God was speaking. At the time I did not understand why I felt such a sudden, nagging urgency to complete all of the adoption paperwork, but God's plan is larger than I could ever imagine.
2. I am so thankful to Anna Grace's biological parents for the sacrifice that they made to allow Anna Grace the chance for a healthy life. My heart breaks for the pain that they must still feel for the loss of their daughter. But, they gave her the chance to have a life saving heart surgery. I pray that they might find peace in somehow knowing that their little girl is growing and thriving in her new life.
3. I am so thankful for all of the people who cared for Anna Grace while she was in the orphanage, hospital, and foster home. I know that they cared for her to the best of their abilities.
4. I am thankful for all of the friends and family who have been so supportive to our family and for the way that they have welcomed Anna Grace and made her feel special.
5. I am thankful for the way that Cole and Alex have adjusted to life with a little sister. Even when they groan when Anna Grace insists on listening to her Chinese music in the car, I know that they love her. They love to cuddle with her and watch cartoons in my bed on Saturday mornings and read her bedtime stories at night. Their eyes light up when they walk into a room and she shouts her "hello." Their sacrifice in sharing the time and resources of our family has been large, but Cole and Alex have a love for their sister that grows more and more each day.
6. I am thankful for each day that we have our sweet little girl. I love watching her grow and learn and explore the world. I love watching her sing and dance and cheer when it is time to go to "tada" (gymnastics). I love how excited she gets when it is time to go to church and how she adjusts to new experiences with such courage. I thank God for every day of the last 6 months and for the life that we now have as a Family of Five.