Enter His gates with Thanksgiving in your heart.
Lately my prayer list seems to be getting shorter while my abundance of Thanks are getting longer. Sometimes when I am praying, I feel like I have won an Oscar... "I would like to thank God, my dad, my family, my friends, etc..." I guess that is not really much of a problem :)
I have to believe that life is truly a balance. We have to go through some bad things to receive the good - otherwise, it wouldn't be fair if everything was always good - or for that matter - always bad.
For those who have followed this blog from the beginning, you are quite familiar with our story of how we came to have sweet B. This time last year, Christian and I were driving to North Carolina with heavy hearts from a fallen through adoption only to be given the hope for another. It is hard to believe that almost a year has gone by since Bailey was born - on Christmas morning. But that is a whole other post...
For that, all I can say is that I am Thankful that I serve a God that is sovereign and follows through on His promises. I am also thankful for His inter workings in getting Bailey to us and the promise that he will continue to work on those who are still healing.
This Thanksgiving, Christian and I tried to really focus on Thanks. We are so thankful to both have come from huge families. As crazy as they both are, we love them still the more. This year I also had to face a giant in my life - that giant being the missing person in my family - and her things.
My mom has been gone for a little over two and a half years and there is still unfinished business. One being all her things. This holiday, my sister and I finally bit the bullet and got in that closet. We cleared everything out - giving most of it away and haven't quite decided what to do with the dozens of St. John knits that my mom has... she had quite a habit... but Hillary nor I are sophisticated enough to wear them yet. Ha!
Then came my dad and the jewelry box. My mom had some nice heirlooms and original pieces that Hillary and I finally got to take responsibility of and for that we are Thankful :)
I still miss my mom - but am finding that it gets easier everyday - but holidays get hard.
I guess I am just thankful for the time that we did get to spend together.
Back to Bailey though. Bailey has the BEST time going home with me. I have 13 cousins that were all obsessed with her - and then there were the 14 plus adults who were ALSO obsessed! Let's just say that I was a little thrown off Monday at her behavior... I think she got a little* spoiled ;)
Christian and I are both looking so forward to Christmas and starting some new traditions in our family with her. On being Thankful, well, there is so much. We really have been on the receiving end of some great blessings this year and we hope to continue our streak into 2012!
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| Bailey found some new toys |
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| Aunt Hillary giving B a bath |
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| Bailey played while Hillary and I went through mom's things |
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| Hillary introduced Bailey to her first french fry |
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Bailey's first time at a Harris Teeter -
a bigger deal for me than her ;) |
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| I found this picture of my mom and dad from when they were 17 |
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| Bailey's Thanksgiving attire |
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| at Hillary's house |
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| sitting at the piano that I played on for 10 years |
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| a natural |
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| I see potential! |
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| Making her debut to the fam |
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| Bailey and Sadie |
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| Edie and Bailey |
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| Turkey! |
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| Bailey in my old highchair |
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| finding lots of cool stuff at papa's |
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| Aunt Kelin getting me dressed |
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| clapping her hands - that is our new trick :) |
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Sweetness
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The video below is Bailey on the porch swing at my mom and dad's house. Those are my mom's wind chimes in the background... I think she was ringing them just for B :)
This is Bailey's new game. Doing stuff even when we say no - well, really we didn't care, but it was still fun to pretend that we did!
