Give Thanks: Day 26 - Deciding Together

It's official!!  :)

Today we completed our Deciding Together classes. We are thankful to have one phase of the journey behind us because we know that it means that we are just that much closer to welcoming a child into our home. We are thankful for all those who have been a part of this journey, from our supportive family and friends to our oh so patient social worker. We still have a long road ahead filled with paperwork, fingerprinting, background checks, the actual home study and so much more. But we'll take it one day at a time and with God's guidance we will get there.

Give Thanks: Day 25 - Stability and Peace of Mind

We are thankful for stability and peace of mind. We have a house to come home to. It is structurally sound and efficiently heated and cooled. It is located in a safe neighborhood. We can sleep peacefully at night in our comfy beds. We have a dependable steady income. We have food, lots of it. Our fridge, freezer and cabinets are full of food... not just what we need, but things we want also. We know that we won't miss a meal. Many cannot say the same. All of this is a blessing. Thank you, God, for taking care of our family and blessing us with soooo much.

Give Thanks: Day 24 - The Bible

We are thankful for the Bible. It is a history book, a record of the life and teachings of Jesus, and a guidebook for our lives today. It is not fiction. It is very much real, and it is just as relevant today as it was the day it was written. We are thankful that God provided it for us, and that we live in a country where it is still legal to own a Bible. We are thankful that copies of the Bible are so easily obtainable. You can buy a traditional printed book version of the Bible. You can also view the Bible online in any number of translations. You can even get a Bible app on your phone. Many of these are free. It is a blessing to live in a country where the Bible is so accessible, and we pray that everyone takes advantage of the beautiful opportunity they have to read God's word and to share it with everyone they know.

Give Thanks: Day 23 - Adoption

Today is National Adoption Day!! We are thankful for adoption and what it means to us. We are thankful to be hopeful adoptive parents. It's exciting to say the least. We are thankful for all of the wonderful people we have met. We are thankful for all the adoptive parents and adoptees that have shared their stories with us. There is no greater support than that which comes from people who have been there. Thank you all. Each of you are a blessing.
Being that today is National Adoption Day, we want to encourage each of you to explore the link below. Whether you are considering adopting or not, knowing the facts is good for everyone.

Click the link above.
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Give Thanks: Day 22 - Brotherly Love / First Friends

Matthew and Gabe

We are thankful for our two sweet boys and the love that they share for each other. They are just so sweet together. Matthew is such an amazing big brother. It is a great blessing to watch Gabe light up to see Matthew and to see Matthew reciprocate. Matthew loves to take care of Gabe. He doesn't like hearing Gabe cry. At the ripe age of 4, he will drop anything he is doing to take care of his baby brother. Gabe watches Matthew's every move. Matthew knows this and takes every opportunity to make Gabe laugh, even if he has to resort to just tickling him, and Gabe knows exactly how to make Matthew laugh too. All he has to do is look at him. Matthew thinks everything about Gabe is funny. Watching them interact together just blesses our hearts, because they are more than brothers; they are friends. It is our prayer that they will always be like this. We know that time will bring them tests and curve balls, but we pray that they will appreciate and always be there for each other, that they will understand how irreplaceable they are in each others lives and that they will always remember the first friend that they have had in each other.

Give Thanks: Day 21 - Home Cooked Meals

Today we are thankful for home cooked meals... especially the pizzas we had for supper. Eating out is quick and easy, and that's great! But there are so many wonderful memories to be made by cooking at home and getting the whole family involved. You just can't say the same about waiting at a restaurant for your order to be ready. We are thankful for the fun we had tonight making our pizzas. They were so good! But more than our bodies were nourished tonight. We're thankful for the memories that blessed our hearts.

Give Thanks: Day 20 - Good Neighbors

Good neighbors can be hard to come by. We are thankful to have such wonderful neighbors and near neighbors. It is a blessing to have such good and kind people living so close. We are thankful to God for bringing us to Enterprise and for leading us to the house we live in. We moved here from "the country" and didn't expect to like "neighborhood life" near as much as we have actually come to enjoy it. We look back on all the stress of trying to get moved and settled in and realize how perfectly God timed everything. We think about other houses we looked at renting and loved but that didn't work out for one reason or another and realize that they just weren't meant to be. We couldn't ask for a better neighborhood or better neighbors. Our "new" home has been everything we have needed it to be. We know that this home is temporary, be we also know that we are right where God intends us to be for this time in our life. With that reassurance we trust Him to guide us to the rest of our way home.