Thankful List for February 2015

Thankful list for February:
-February 13 was one year to the day the door closed on Aida.   He led us gently through the last year and gave us the grace and strength we needed for each moment and a prayer of hope for her future.
-"The strength of patience hangs on our capacity to believe God is up to something good for us in all our delays and detours."  -John Piper

And a few random things that have nothing to do with adoption:
-Superbowl party at the BSM- banana pudding dip, bacon wrapped everything, and a little boy who was happy with the outcome (even if very few other people were)
-Getting to serve with Tucker at the Ben Milam family fun night

-Libby's tonsillectomy is over and behind us and hopefully she is now on the road to better health.
-All the friends, family, neighbors, and students who brought dinner/ popsicles/milk shakes/ pudding/ jello/ slushes, lent us movies, sent packages, flowers, balloons, delivered gifts, stopped by for a visit and just generally spoiled our girl.  We were seriously overwhelmed by it all.
-how creative the kids got with Libby not needing to be very active for two weeks

-Carly watching the kids so we could celebrate Valentine's Day a day late.
-celebrating Eli and Hollis' birthdays
-successful surgery for Ben's Dad (Pops).  Thankful that he continues to improve. Thankful Ben was able to be there with his family in the days that followed.
-Tucker's first grade program and his solo "rap" (and Kasi came!)
-an interim job at our church for me that has allowed us some extra income for a few months and came at just the right time
-Tuck saving up all his money and gift cards for a Kindle Fire.

-my parent's visit:  getting to see Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella with Mom and Libby, all the games my Dad played with Tucker, so many projects around the house that my parents worked on, and snow (while it changed plans and affected us greatly during their stay it also allowed us to spend extra time with them).
-friends and neighbors who helped rescue our kids and our dog when the snow delayed our return home from the airport and watched them over night... so very grateful

-“It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
"So it is."
"And freezing."
"Is it?"
"Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately.”  -A.A. Milne

-continuing our tradition of Lenten Lights
-"All we have we hold for God as His stewards.  We are responsible to Him for what we do with it.  Recognize He gave it [time resources, talents, education, health...] to advance the gospel of His grace in Jesus Christ and to help others."   -BSF (Moses, lesson 17)