Thankful Thursday

- Today, I am thankful for the sun that shines behind the clouds in life.
- I am thankful for blue tongues!
- Thankful for apples to come, looking forward to enjoying them this fall.
- I am thankful for friends and family.
- Amazed by the beauty of our yard and in awe of God's creation!

One year ago

One year ago today, we brought our sweet girl home after six weeks in the hospital. She couldn't sit unassisted, vomited regularly, and we weren't sure that she even remembered our house when we arrived home. I recall how overwhelmed I felt, scared that she would never progress from that point, and asking God to give me peace as we dealt with so much uncertainty.
So here we are, one year later. Miss Maia has come so far. Physically, she has regained her strength and probably about 75% of her function. Cognitively, Maia has made progress as well. She definitely knows home, family, and friends who adore her. She's finishing up her first session of summer school and will have another session in July. We can tell that Maia comprehends much of what we tell her. And her stubborn and mischievous streaks often shine! :-) She is beginning to participate in very simple tasks, like carrying dirty clothes to the laundry or putting silverware in the sink. It brings joy to our hearts to see these small steps forward!
Our ongoing prayer is for Miss Maia's speech to return. She is babbling and beginning to make some sounds that we (and her teachers) think are words. We hope that these are the first steps in finding her voice again, we can tell Maia has a lot to say - lol!
And we praise God for his faithfulness over the past year as he has slowly healed (and continues to heal) our sweet girl!

Thankful Thursday

I know... I keep saying that I will be better about posting and yet, I've been a slacker lately. There are a couple of things that are big on my praise list for today, though.
- Maia is beginning to make an effort to get food on her spoon and fork! We still have to do hand over hand and guide her, but this is huge! Maia, you GO girl!
- Two years ago today, we arrived in Kyiv, eager to get to our son! Thankful for answered prayers and God's wisdom in creating families. Matthew, we love you!
- So thankful for the opportunities the kids have this summer. Maia is finishing up her first week of summer school and doing awesome. Matthew has had 4 days of day camp and loves it!
- I am immensely thankful for our beautiful home. I will be honest, I wasn't very excited about it because there were so many things I had on my list for our next home. This house only had one, a formal dining room. Now a few weeks after living here, I think I love it more than anyone else! Just looking out the window every morning during my devotion time reminds me of God's presence and the beauty of His creation!

First Friday Pizza Night

We had our first pizza/movie night in our new house. The Rescu*rs Down Under was the feature film. :-) Here's a picture to capture the evening and also a pic of the view from our front step. Finally, some sun! I will share more soon.

Thankful Thursday

The blog has been severely neglected lately and I really hope to get back to regular posts again soon. It's way past my bedtime, but just want to mention a couple reasons for gratitude before the day ends.
We got the big stuff moved to our new house last weekend and have been officially inhabiting the house since Saturday. This would not have been possible without the help of wonderful friends! So thankful for Guy, Jo and Tony, Tim and Jon, and Kari. Thanks also to Brad!
Monday was Matthew's birthday and I am thankful for this firecracker who keeps me on my toes! He celebratEd with many of his favorite people and had a great time. I love you kiddo!