COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS

What a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! Celebrating the home-coming of our precious girl and holding the hands of our children while we bowed to say grace and thank our Heavenly Father for the wonderful gifts He has showered on our family this year!

What a joy it is to count our blessings!

BLESSING #1: My Wonderful Husband and an Amazing Daddy who teaches me each day what it means to love others by loving God first, who works so hard as a teacher investing in the lives of his students, who is a dear friend, and patient listener, who adores his children and loves me immensely!

Thank you God for the love of a Christian husband who pours attention and love into our children daily, who does dishes and laundry, who plays baby dolls & baseball, reads baby board books & historical editorials, who coaches soccer & gives zerberts...

He makes my coffee perfectly, whose pancakes are THE BEST!, who cheers on his beloved Cubbies every year with the loyalty of a true fan, and who is the soul-mate I dreamt of who only You could have matched for me!

Thank you God for David!

BLESSING #2: Our adoring son Andrew and his loving embraces! He is the biggest helper, funniest big brother, and a brilliant little boy who loves learning about Jesus!

Thank you God for Andrew's joyful smile for the way You created him to embrace life with a great sense of adventure. Thank you for his curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Thank you for his giving spirit toward others. Thank you for the love he gives so wholeheartedly to each one of us! Thank you for his deep desire to know You more and to strive to follow your ways.

Thank you God for the treasure AJ is in our lives!

BLESSING #3: Our loving & sweet Hollyn Faith who graces our home with lots of giggles! She is like the sunshine radiating it's warmth just totally sparkling with joy! We thank you for the way she dances and sings and brings music to life!

Dear God we thank you for the gift of faith and the way you have showed us that if we only believe in the power of miracles that nothing will be impossible! We praise you Father for the healing you have completed in her body and the fantastic progress she has made! We know that your plans for her future are great!

Thank you for the joyful miracle of Hollyn Faith!

BLESSING #4: Our precious & adoring Jessa Li Hope whose kisses are sweet and hugs are so gentle! Thank you Father for the wonderful way you have orchestrated every detail of our journey to Jessa and for the tapestry of love you have woven over time and distance into her little life.

We thank you for the gift of time and pray that you would continue to heal the brokenness she feels and begin to create lasting bonds with our family that will last a lifetime! Thank you for continuing to give us wisdom and strength to parent all of our children with love and much grace.

Her first bite of Thanksgiving Turkey!

We thank you God for all the wonderful opportunities we have to make amazing memories with her! Today we are thankful for her birth-mother who chose to give her life and for her loving foster grandmother who nurtured her and cared for her so devotedly and each day as we look into her beautiful brown eyes remind us to be ever grateful for the amazing privilege we have as her parents to complete her life with the love of our family!

What a priceless pearl Jessa is in our lives!

BLESSING #5: Thank you God for the gift of my life and motherhood. Thank you for allowing me to be in this present moment. For the celebration of today and the wonderful way you provide for our family food to eat, a home to live in, and the warmth of friends and family!

For every blessing, friends & family, and turkey dressing!

Oh how You have lovingly restored our joy and made us to be glad again! We sing praises of worship to You because we know first-hand that Your faithfulness has the power to change the tears of mourning into tears of happiness!

As my eyes survey our home and see the remnants of my children everywhere, my heart wells up with thanksgiving to you and I am blessed!

Before clean-up time LOL! :)

How happy I am to walk over toys, to pick up coats, to fill sippy cups with milk again, to practice homework, to laugh at silly jokes, and to sit and watch Elmo with my girls, and football with my son, to know the joy in mothering and nurturing my children. Thank you for allowing me to be their mommy.

To teach my children to share and love You, to sing songs to them and hold them close, to tuck each of them into their beds at night and sweetly pray over them for your protection until they wake again - thank you for these blessings!

Thank you for all the little things that make my life so full! Like the beautiful Thanksgiving sunset you gave to us tonight. Please help me to celebrate them every day so that someday when these days are but memories...I can smile knowing I lived them well!

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15