Tuesday, January 24, 2017

2017: Resolutions and My Word for the Year





So clearly I'm a little late to the game, 
but seeing as how it's still technically January and still early in the year, 
I've spent some time thinking about what I want from this year. 

The past three years of my life can be summed up in one little word: 
adoption. 

If I wasn't crying or praying or filling out paperwork then I was fundraising or planning or traveling to Africa. 

The aftermath of that? 
Well, who am I now?
What do I want to do next? 
How can I work towards something that will be as meaningful as that was? 

We don't feel called to adopt again, at least not any time soon. 
And while I would love to buy a one way ticket to the land I love, 
we aren't there yet either. 
And while there is a little something on the horizon (more details to come soon), 
WHAT'S NEXT is still a work in progress. 

Here's what I do know: 

I want this year to matter. 

Adoption (while totally worth it because EVIE) was hard and consuming. 
There are things I pushed aside while spending all that time filling out forms, 
and this year I am playing catch up, which leads me to my word for the year: 

INVEST. 

I want to invest more in my family. 

I want to invest more in my body.
(You try being paper pregnant for three years and let me now how well your jeans fit.)

I want to invest more in my friends. 

I want to invest more in my marriage. 

Here are some others things I'm dreaming about for 2017: 

-More reading time and less TV time. 
-More recognizing birthdays and important events in the lives of people I love. 
-More date nights. (Can  I get an AMEN?)
-More time in the Word. 
-More prayer time spent listening and less time spent talking. 
-More intentional memory making for our family. 

What are YOU resolving to do in 2017? 
Do tell. 



Monday, January 23, 2017

Eight months home.

Eight months. 

I can't believe she's been home that long. 
It seems like yesterday when I first saw her face.

To say she's amazing would be such an understatement. 
This little girl is so smart, so funny, and so perfectly made for our family. 

She is our little balancer. 
She brings out the best in Libby and plays for hours on end with Hollyn, 
and I just couldn't be more in love with her. 

I know this sounds so rosey, but she fits to seamlessly into our family. 

Her English is amazing. 
She said MIXING last week. 
Such a big word for such a little girl. 
She also asked me why the snowman was wearing a hat, but that's neither here nor there. 


Sharing Christmas with her has been one of my favorite things we've done so far.
Although I must say, have you ever tried explaining all of the Christmas traditions to someone who's completely unfamiliar with our Christmas traditions?
It's actually harder than you may think.

I'd be lying if I said it hasn't be an adjustment;
adding a person of any age to your family requires making some changes.

But at the end of the day, she is one of my best YES's.