Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Fall highlights - so far!

It seems like we cram so many things into each day that I forget how many good (and great) things keep happening around here.

Although this is not going to be listed in order of importance, I wanted to log all the stuff that has been making our days so full.

Our adoption dossier is in Lansing right now, and we expect it to be returned any day. The significance of this is HUGE! It is the final authentication step, so as soon as it hits our mailbox, it will be sent to our agency in Oregon to prepare the paperwork to send to Ethiopia!! It has been a long two years to get to this step, and we are excited as a family to be marking the official "wait" time for our children to come home. Stay tuned for updates!

My dad suffered another stroke last week. Although that was NOT one of the good things in life, it has been a blessing to see little damage from this stroke, and his at-home therapy is progressing well. He and mom need minimal assistance right now, and a friend of ours has been great to do some of their running so I have been free to spend time with my grandsons.

That brings me to the BEST part of this month, so far!! We were able to have a family birthday party with all three of the boys, celebrating Kaid's 5th, Keegy's third birthday and Keano's first! For a gramma with out-of-town grandsons, nothing could be better than seeing them open presents, eat cake and blow out candles!! We asked cousins to join us for a hayride at the pumpkin patch, picked out the perfect pumpkin for everyone, then came home and painted them. We ended the day with chili and got great pictures of the boys full of smiles. Nothing is better in my life (or PaPa's!) than spending time with our grandsons.

We will be heading to Chicago this weekend to celebrate and support our daughter-in-love, Britt, as she runs the marathon on behalf of the children in Africa who need clean water. She has worked hard to train and raise support through World Vision, and we are thrilled to be able to be in the sidelines cheering her on. She has a heart for orphans like we do, and we are proud of her. Go Britt!!

I have been able to spend time with my oldest daughter,Ash, as she works on things around here to help me out. We have recovered (reclaimed!) some old chairs and made them functional again - which I would never have tackled without her help. They turned out great - but the laughs while we did it are worth more than any finished project. She has painted my diningroom a stunning red that makes me happy everytime I walk in there!! She also is working hard to complete her teaching degree, and it's been really fun to watch her world open up even more. She is kind and fun and I am so glad she is making time to be a part of our daily lives. She will make a wonderful teacher, and it's getting closer every day! Way to go, Ash~!

Another great part of our fall was seeing Jenni and Jeremy for a 10 day visit. I miss them so much, and hate having them live so far away, but it sure is nice to have time with them when they can swing it! They love their life in Oregon, so I am happy for them. Jenni is still pursuing her nursing career, while working full time, so who knows where the future will lead them? I am just thankful we were able to spend a bit of their fall with them, and look forward to the next time they can get back to town. I love you, Jenni.

Mike has been able to have a little time to play guitars with Scott and even get in a round of golf. (Is that what it's called??) Last night he brought all the winter clothes bins (massive job) and I spent hours going through clothes to keep, clothes to donate to our thrift shop, and clothes for a young family who needed them. It felt good to clear out the old, and to find clothing for a little girl just under Bella's size who can get some use out of the hand me downs! We have been blessed by donations from others so it feels good to return the favor. Mike has also constructed a new laundry room closet that will help me keep organized better and make less work in the laundry department!

Our camper will be used one more time this weekend, then we'll close it up for the winter. It's been a busy, fun summer of camping nearly every other weekend. We've spent time with family, traveled near and far, while maintaining our "home-away-from-home" security for the little ones. We spent 7 weeks with 3 of our great nieces/nephew, and have the upcoming holidays the focus on (yes, already!).

Life has been good for us...growing and learning through the pain of loss, as well as beautiful memories for the winter months when the sun doesn't shine as often. I think I am happier when I can count my blessings. These were a few.

No comments: