Thankful List for January

Thankful List for January
*Valentine’s Shirts ordered, made, and delivered-our very last fundraiser (for post placement adoption costs)...we are done!!!
*Aida turned one… next year she will be home on her birthday!
*Kids picked out gifts for Aida (if you know Libby well then you won’t have a hard time guessing which one she picked)

* A court date was set for Aida’s biological family
* we are one step closer to bringing her home
*Kelli, Meegan, and Krista’s help with cutting out appliques… it made these Valentines shirts the easiest group of shirts yet!
*Donations
*Getting some of our adoption education done
*Long conversation with Leah (from our agency) about getting ready to travel
*Kind offers of help from friends
*The Kinsley's will be going to get Haven next week and bring him HOME!!!
*My brother who always edits my blogs (okay not the thankful ones… you just get stuck with my typos in these)… and this month he did it without complaint 3 times
*Looking to find the positive in bad news about the wait (there is some positive stuff if I am intentional to look for it)
*Kelli calling me at 11:30 last night because she knew I was having a rough day… she was exactly the friend I needed- acknowledged my hurt and simply hurt with me, let me cry, and then made me laugh.
*The Bible verses recorded in the back of my Bible throughout the last year…  a one page synopsis of the promises He has whispered to me during the last 12 months and continues to remind me of when I need it most

And a few random things that have nothing to do with adoption:
*Libby likes to announce when she enters a house or building “I’m here!!”
*Melty beads and making things with the kids
"Do not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered.  Time is a trainer, teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark" -Jesus Calling
*Thankful for grace and forgiveness… especially on my not so good parenting days    
*A stack of books to read by my bed (thanks mainly to families generosity at Christmas)
*Tucker loved his first soccer practice (and yes, Libby went dressed in a ruffly dress and cowboy boots and tried to join the team)

*Ben hung up shelves for me in the kitchen!!!
*Chick Fil A is really and truly coming to Wichita Falls… there is actually dirt being moved around and everything
*Taking Tuck with Kelli and Noah to meet some of the Rangers (two excited boys)
*Real mail from Dianna that always seems to come at just the right time
*Tuck lost his first tooth (and I have to admit-I don't like wiggly teeth so I was kind of thankful he lost it at school too)

*Libby always asks “where’s my Tucker” when picked up from preschool or church
*Choose your own clothes Thursdays
*Libby: “can you put the hats on them?” Translation: “can you put the tops on my markers?”
*Food… I take it and all of the endless amounts of choices we have for granted.  Grateful that we have always been able to feed our children and never worried about where our next meal would come from
*"The more you trust Me, the more I empower you to do so." -Jesus Calling
*Dates with Ben (thanks Krista for babysitting so we could have a date out!)
*Superhero Dad night with Tuck’s preschool class
*Libby's love for dress up
*"My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness." 
2 Cor. 12:9
*The little bit of time I got to be around Reese Blackburn