I’ve been considering for a while what exactly I want to do with this blog.  When I first began writing here, it was mostly a way for me share what was happening with me personally and my thoughts on different areas of interest.  I enjoyed it for awhile, met some great bloggers and was even able to meet some of those people in real life.  I have been out of touch lately, not because I don’t want to be here, but just because life has gotten very busy for us and I just haven’t made the time to write.  I am really feeling the need to write again and I believe I know exactly what my inspiration will be.

After spending the last 4 years helping Dylan finish his high school requirements, he has graduated!  He is still completing his driver’s ed course but plans to have his license by September.  He is pursuing an interest in web design and continuing to master his skills as a guitarist.  I love to hear him play.  I catch myself just basking in his incredible talent…he is such a natural!

With Dylan graduated and Hannah officially beginning her school requirements, I feel a need to use this blog to document our days together.  Partly as somewhat of a journal, so I can recall what we do each day, but also to really highlight the joy of just being with my kids. There is so much negativity out there regarding children in our society…I guess I want to be able to counter that a bit.  Not be adversarial, actually quite the opposite…. Children have the amazing ability to teach us so much about ourselves.  I hope that I can articulate even a small piece of what my children teach me.

So, I have spent the last couple of days taking pictures of the things that we do together and I would like to share them with you.  It is quite amazing what we do in a day, when I take the time to write it out and I feel SO blessed to be able to spend my days with my children. Are there moments of insanity? Absolutely! But we are living it out together and connecting more and more each day.  For that reason alone, I am grateful.

I am going to share some pictures with you of our past two days together.  The slide show is of Hannah and me baking and of Hannah and Dylan playing in the snow.

Also, you will see Hannah in her therapy session.  Thanks to Dylan for helping me with the photography!

Today, we had a great visit from some friends. Although I didn’t take any pictures, I want to say how grateful I am for this family.  To connect with family is wonderful! To be able to connect with others outside our family and bring them into ours to create a sense of community is something special indeed. Thank you, friends, for renewing a sense of hope for close, accepting friendships. When children are adopted, it is assumed that they are going to be with their “forever family”.  There are certain relationships, I believe, that create “forever friends”. You are those friends.

Peace,