Milestones...

Every day I see progress in our girls and I'm constantly thanking God for the blessings He has so richly bestowed upon us. As much as we want to think that we picked these girls, I am fully confident that we really had very little to do with it. Our journey to get to them was nothing short of miraculous. The 2 years that we waited for Ashlyn was long and at times, really hard. But the wait was so worth it. And I know that each and every day we waited, God was at work... Working in all of our hearts to bring us to this point. As I look back over the pictures of our first days together, just 3 short months ago, I am AMAZED at how far we've come. Some days have been really hard while others have been down right glorious. Right now I am just ready for the middle-of-the-road kind of days. I crave consistency right now. My kids are all changing...

I have a teenage son in full-on puberty mode who swings from blissfully happy to completely miserable on a moment by moment basis, a new, and somewhat moody teenage daughter who's life has just been COMPLETELY turned upside down, a tween-aged daughter who's heading straight for puberty herself and having many hormonal mood swings, a wild-n-crazy 7-year-old son who needs lots of love and activity, and 2 preschoolers who I hardly get enough one-on-one time with and I fear are growing up way too fast. I LONG for those baby days, almost to the point of tears. How did the time get away from me so quickly? And the reality that those days are most likely over actually does get me choked up. The thought of never having another little baby to love on is heartbreaking... But really, how in the world could we EVER do it and not go totally insane?

Our lives are like a pendulum swing right now... really big highs and really big lows. Everyone's emotions are heightened and this momma has got some major anxiety over it all. I'm a pleaser, so naturally I can not stand tension. I look for ways to avoid it at all costs. Some days it seems like no matter how hard I try to keep the peace, the enemy knows exactly which buttons to push in every one of us and at times, he succeeds in pushing them all at the same time. You can imagine... Yeah, not so peaceful. Ashlyn is alot like me. As long as everyone is happy and getting along, she's on cloud 9, but as soon as tensions rise, she's down for the count. It's really hard sometimes...

But today? Well, today was CLEANING LADY DAY!!! And you all know how in love I am with Carmen and Yvonne and their magical touch & amazing smells they leave behind:)
The kids had a really great morning of chores, then we got Chik-Fil-A and went to the park, came home for naps (little girls) and schoolwork (big kids)... It was by far one of our most successful days yet. THANK YOU JESUS!!!

Ashlyn and Ansley have been inseperable today. I LOVE it. They are so much alike. Ansley bought Ashlyn a pack of gum at Publix tonight (even though Ashlyn has her own money) and you'd have thought she gave her a diamond ring or something. She thanked her over and over... These days you'll find Ashlyn dancing around and singing almost to the point of annoyance:) The girl is happy as a lark most days. Especially on days that she and Peyton, her BFF, get together. I honestly never in a million years thought she'd be so happy here. She is a little ray of sunshine and incredibly grateful for her new life. I am so in love with this child. She melts my heart and she's just such a treasure. I am so unworthy... I can not believe God gave her to me.

 And Abby?  Well, miss Abby is just a sweetheart. She and miss Av sure do love each other. They are in many ways like a set of twins. They get along really well and truly do care for each other. Abby is a bit more complex than Ashlyn, only because we really have no idea what is happening inside that little head of hers. She's non-verbal, so we don't hear a whole lot out of her. She's starting to push my buttons in small ways, but only because she is bored here at home all day. She will start a full-time VPK program in June. It's free and they will provide her with all of her speech therapy... AND IT'S RIGHT DOWN THE STREET!!!

These are the moments that I love about homeschooling. Ansley is a natural little teacher. This particular day, while I was cleaning the kitchen, she decided to give them some tumbling lessons:)

Stretching is very important;)

I love how Abby imitates everything we do... She is such alittle sponge right now.

Working on a somersault:)

Look at Abby go!!!

So anyhoo, here's the deal-e-o...

I have LOVED blogging... SO VERY MUCH. I LOVE to write. It's a passion of mine. And maybe one day, if the Lord so leads, I'd love to write a book. It's been a life-long desire of mine. Not sure what I'd have to contribute to the world yet, so I'll just put that on the back burner for a while and see what happens. But I have felt so overwhelmed these past few weeks with my work load. I feel like there are some idols in my life that I need to set aside. And blogging is sadly one of them. As well as Facebook. I only joined FB for China, but I have continued to pour over it daily since then and it truly is a time stealer. I will only be checking FB once in a while and blogging once a week... maybe even less. I will continue to check on my bloggy friends once a week because goodbye is just too hard and I need you guys.

Please continue to leave comments. I love reading them. It makes me feel like I'm not just writing and sending out my thoughts to the cosmos when you reply:) I like 2-way conversations:)

Please also continue praying for us. Matt's business is in a funky place right now. Appraisals make for a very stressful time in real estate these days. They all come in so low and then deals fall apart... It's just really hard for him right now. He works his tail off and he needs a break. He needs a reboost. He needs a time of reflection and motivation to keep going. I pray this will come soon...



Me and my sweet girls... They insisted that I wear pig-tails too!

Blessings,
Rebecca