I'm back!

No, I'm not in a food induced coma. Just switching gears from a big Thanksgiving to Christmas.
I'll post photos when I get a chance to go through them. We had a great time with Scott's 2 brothers, their oh so precious children, Scott's mom and step dad, Roman. The only one we were missing was Paul's wife, Kristine. We really missed her, but enjoyed her beautifully behaved kids, Ryleigh and Sydney immensely. Roman and Linda will head out tomorrow to go home to Wisconsin and I have a feeling I'll walk around the house for a day or so in a quiet induced trance. Oh yeah, they're not taking our children with them, maybe not.

Here is one thing I am just giddy about. Tuesday when I woke up, we had a very barren patio that faced the West. Tuesday when I went to bed, we had a gorgeous pergola that completely rocks! Roman is a builder extraordinaire who can do just about anything. Paul is an engineer, and Scott, well, he has two hands and tools. Between the 3 of them, a miraculous thing happened.

The one part of the week that was not so miraculous started at about 4 am on Thursday morning. My husband, who enjoys food like no one I know, woke up with an icky stomach thing, and spent the next day and a half in bed. He somehow crawled from the bed to the family picture, but other than a brief apperance at the Thanksgiving table, he was completely out of commission. So yesterday (Saturday) I go into the kitchen to find his mom cooking stuffing, again, so that Scott could have his Thanksgiving dinner that night. Now that's some mama love right there.

Piper met this side of her family for the first time, and after an hour or so of checking them out, decided they were pretty cool. She seems to be having a lot of fun having a full house, and especially loves Roman and Linda's black lab, Mandy. Piper gets way down on the floor right in front of her, with her lips all puckered waiting for a big kiss. Mandy has got to be the best dog ever created and puts up with anything from the kids.

When I consider what I am thankful for this year, wow, some big things come to mind. Somehow, according to God's plan, Scott and I made it half way around the world to find our daughter, in what would prove to be one of the defining moments of our lives. Since that time, we've shared more love than a person should be allowed. The sweetest of moments, and many tears of joy. When I hear the term, "the miracle of adoption", it resonates with me in a very strong way. It feels like a miracle that through all of these series of choices and decisions of the heart, and twists and turns, and a journey around the world, our daughter made it home and is asleep in the room she shares with her big sister right now. I don't think I've ever quite experienced this kind of gratefulness before.

I am also grateful for more time with my dad. Somehow, through all of the difficult times since he was diagnosed with cancer in April, the blessing of time with him seems especially sweet. I've gotten to know him in a new way, and am thankful for each day that I got to hug him or talk with him, or just be with him.

Today, we will dress our house for Christmas, probably rearrange some furniture, and figure out how to eat turkey for the 4th day in a row. Pictures coming soon....