2011 has by far been our craziest / hardest / best / most blessed / most challenging / most exhausting / most most most year of my life!
We gained so much in 2011!!!
We gained 3 kids...one by birth...one by adoption...and one by marriage.
One blondie / one auburn head (he claims to NOT be a red-head) / one with very black very kinky hair.
I gained weight...some I carry on the outside and call Maezie...some I am hanging on to and call it fat...ugh.
We gained some understanding.
We gained a few more patience.
We gained friends (even across the world) :)
We gained GOOD things...every gain included some loss...but the gain was worth every single thing we lost...the thing we lost the most was a piece of ourselves OUR dreams...we gained different BETTER dreams......we have gained knowledge and lost the idea that we know anything or can do anything on our own. We have lost a lot of OUR strength, and gained God's strength, and His strength is so much better and stronger and ETERNAL.
January - I turned 40....on the last day of January I found out I was pregnant. YIKES
February 1 -I told Charlie I was pregnant, a few hours later I learned we needed to be in Africa in less than a week.
February 2- Left for Africa to go meet our Esther.
February 6 - Went to court for our Esther.
March 28 - Charlie, Lashae, Kole, Rocky, Dani, and Mark brought Esther home to be our daughter FOREVER!
April - Went to my sister's house in Washington to celebrate Easter and to take ENGAGEMENT pictures of Lashae and Chaney.
July - Lashae and Chaney got married!!! We gained a son-in-law.
August - We went to Montana to be with Lashae and Chaney and check out where they are living. :)
September - I had Maezie!!!!! Most amazing gift EVER!!!
November - We took a VERY last minute trip to Montana for Thanksgiving! My sister and her hubby and 4 kids met us there and we had one of my most favorite Thanksgivings EVER!!!
December - 1st Christmas as a family of 10!!! We had a bountiful year.
We have gained!!!
We have prospered BIG TIME!!!
Not as the world sees prosperity, but as the Lord sees it and as we are seeing it!
WE ARE RICH!
And this has been our best most prosperous year yet!!!
God is Good and has been very generous with us in EVERY WAY and I love every addition...minus the ones on the scale!!
6 comments:
mom! you are simply incredible. I loved every word of this and it is all so true (other than the fat thing....PLEASE! You are BEAUTIFUL!) It has been a crazy awesome year. I love you! :)
I love the top pic! Will you email it to me so I can update my 5X7 of you all? - it is 4 (!) kids behind!
You are rich indeed! What a year has been! Looking forward to 2012. Here's to 2012!
LOVE the new family pic at the top.
:) :) :)
great post, love it! Yes, you are rich in the things of the Lord because of your faithfulness to Him. Always an example, and can't wait to see what the Lord has for you in the year 2012!
You are the "richest" people I know! And all that wealth spills over onto the people around you, who are very blessed indeed!
Thanks for your sweet comment on our blog! I agree... I also have a super clear memory of Africa and of meeting you. I NEVER would have guessed that your skinny self was pregnant right then! I love it! You've had a huge year! I hope your family has a great 2012.
(& isn't it funny that I met your sister separately later during our time in Uganda!?)
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