One year with Rebecca

      As I sit here preparing to write this entry, I can not help but think back to last year at this time.  We were both so nervous and excited about the adventure that lay ahead of us.  What an adventure it has been. On August 13 we will celebrate our Family Day.  That is the day that we held a crying, hot, angry-at-the-world little girl.  How far we have come.  She still cries, mostly at night time, and when she is told she can't do something that she really wants to do.  She likes the hot weather:-)  And she is rarely angry (unless she is told she can't do something!)  It would be an understatement to say how much we have grown to love that little girl that was placed in our arms.

     In the category of deep thoughts:  This past year with Rebecca has taught us an incredible amount about our relationship with God.  We have been adopted into His family, and just like Rebecca, we fight against our heavenly father.  He wants us to climb into his arms and we struggle to get away.  He wants us to call him ABBA, Father, and we don't know Him as that.  We run away, often screaming and crying, not understanding that He wants to protect us and care for us and give us what we need.  Eventually we learn these things, but there are times that we forget....May we never forget that He loves us and has adopted us to be fellow heirs with his son Jesus Christ!

Ephesians 1:3-10
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us^[b] for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known^[c] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

We made two Videos of our first year as a family.  The first is 22 minutes long.  But, I can't figure out how to post it.
 (when I do, I will:-)

 

 

The second is a shorter version (with many of the same picture from the longer version!)

 

 The best part of watching this video is listening to Rebecca's commentary about it.  She remembers many of the things we have done throughout the year, and her comments are always the same.  She is growing up so fast.  We are amazed at what she can do and are working on other things with her (she skips the number 7 when she counts:-)  She loves being outside, although the mosquitos also love it when she is outside.....She loves to swim, dance, run, play with a ball, and is learning how to get dirty in the Sandbox!  She loves the park because she gets to swing and slide.  She loves going to the Children's Museum...and we have invited friends to meet us there...

 

We love parenting Rebecca.  She is a joy and blesses us every day (sometimes she blesses us for hours at a time in the middle of the night, too)

 

We are now getting ready for my big transition back to teaching at WCS.  We are so thankful that my mom is coming to stay with Rebecca. We have already left her with Grandma, and it has gone very well.   It will be a huge transition for both of us.  I am also thankful that I was able to take a year off of school to spend time with Rebecca.  It has been an amazing year.