Anna's Prayer

"Thank you, Lord, for saving us.  Thank you for dying on the cross for us so we can live with you in heaven.  Thank you for making our sins go away."

Anna prayed.
I cried.


How very thankful I am that she already has a heart that is softened to the gospel message.  When I think of all that God did to put her in our family, I am humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude.

Anna Grace is 5

 When you haven't blogged in over a year, how do you get started again?  I'm just picking a recent event and going with it!  : )  Anna Grace turned 5 on September 29.  How did that happen?  It seems like yesterday I was given a little, bitty 16 month old...and now she is celebrating her 5th birthday and 4th with us!  How thankful I am for this little spitfire that God is letting me parent.  Even on her most challenging days I look at her with such thankfulness that I get to be her mama. 

 Anna Grace is into everything RAINBOW!  So of course we had a rainbow party...complete with rainbow cake and rainbow jello.  The cake turned out beautiful and for me, was quite an undertaking.  Aside from a rubber lid melting in my oven as it pre-heated, everything went smoothly!  (Now you know why it was quite an undertaking!) The truth is, I rarely do extensive baking because Lauren--you know, my little girl with diminished hand use (HA!) well, her fine motor abilities increase dramatically when mama is cooking something yummy in the kitchen.  Anna's birthday goodies were no exception! Lauren thoroughly enjoyed being the taste tester for everything.  And despite the difficulties I sometimes face while cooking with my little Rett helper,  I am so very, very thankful God has given her the ability to walk into my kitchen, to pick up food and put it in her mouth, and even to swallow and digest food...these are not things to be taken for granted in Rett syndrome!

Anna Grace has been blessed with two cousins close to her age and one was here for the party! She and Mallory had so much fun playing together.  One day we hope we are closer so they can play together on a daily basis!
Hopefully I will be back soon with more birthday updates! We have 3 fall birthdays so I need to cover Sarah and Emily too!!  Babysteps people, babysteps!  I'm trying to get back into this blog thing!

I'm Back!

Shout out to my friend, Tami, who told me about the Blogger app---who knew you could do this from your phone?? I think this is something I can do! We'll see....
These are pictures from the last month, including a trip to Tennessee with dear friends and Anna Grace's 5th birthday.

The girls are all doing well. Avery is 16 and is living in NC with a friend this school year. The school there is better for her and she seems to be happier when we talk to her. We are thankful! Emily is almost 15 and is definitely a teenager! We are excited to see what God is going to do as he shapes her into a young adult. Sarah is 12, started middle school this year and is excelling at it. Lauren is 8 and is still a bundle of energy. We continue to thank God for His protective hand on her life. Anna Grace is 5. Today is 4 years since we first saw her sweet face. We are so thankful for her.

We bought a house in the DC area----you know what that means----we are here for a while, well, unless God has other plans. We have more room and are closer to just about everything. So far it has been great!
Hope to be back soon with more pictures!