Thankful List for March 2014

Thankful List for March:
-The Golden's have their darling Miles home!
-The Riddle's have been home for one year with Joshua and Jenny writes about it so honestly and beautifully here.
-Yesterday was one year from the day we were suppose to stand in court and call Aida ours.  I can't say I'm glad that we didn't get to.  I can say I'm thankful for the God who has brought us through one of the hardest years and even though we limped and crawled our way through many parts of the past 12 months, He never left us to journey it alone.
-People still sending us cards
-our thoughtful, compassionate boy
-Wrestling through hard adoption decisions that we know will eventually lead us to bringing our child home.
-"Faith is trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse" -Phillip Yancey

And a few random things that have nothing to do with adoption:
-Facetime and how it allowed me to be a small part of Katie's wedding dress shopping from far away!
-celebrating what would have been Uncle Jacob's 26th birthday with Mickey Mouse hats.  And the beautiful post my father-in-law wrote about his birth and following weeks (here)
-Lowe's free kids workshop on Saturdays
-Ben learning to use the Rainbow Loom at midnight before he left for his spring break mission trip because he knew it would mean so much to Tucker to have a bracelet made by his Daddy.
-our students who gave up their spring breaks to go and do BeachReach.
-4 years with our spunky, independent, creative Libby
-Facetime and how it allowed Libby to see her Daddy on her birthday and have a whole room of college students sing to her.
-a "Frozen" birthday celebration with just the four of us after Ben got home...and even though most of it involved Libby opening presents on our bed (because of a sick Daddy) she loved her special celebration anyway.
-playdate with the Sharps and Hydes
-Krista bringing me groceries
-Tucker doing the Olympic Biathalon in the backyard (with two sticks for poles and a nerf gun)
-Our tulips are blooming for the second time!  I'm so grateful for the gift my father-in-law gave us when he planted them.  Libby asks everyday to go outside to check on "her flowers".

-a spring break which included: a Chick- fil-a birthday lunch, a picnic at the park (with friends), a free movie at the library (with friends), Mommy and Me painting class with both kids, Shasta taking Tucker bowling, Tucker cooking with me, and two boys playing "football player and coach" in the backyard.
-And because it has come up so many conversations with others this past month... I am thankful for this blog post (here) on the homeschool/ private school/ public school debate that so closely echoes how I feel about it.
-homework is more fun with friends
-a thoughtful boy
-a new faith for Jalee!!!
-Sharon Ellis' life and the legacy of thoughtful giving and joy-filled living that she left behind. And the wedding present she gave us- I was thankful for them at the time but now the hand written album of recipes that she gave to us mean more than ever to me.  

"We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet not really small) gifts."- Dietrich Bonheoffer