Thanksgiving reflections

Hello all -
I only have about five minutes before a certain baby realizes that she's not being held!! There is video of Finn eating pie in the scrapbook below in case I forgot to tell anyone. Since we were in the hospital for a week before the holiday, it gave me a lot of time to think back on this past year. I am so thankful for everything that has happened. Both the good things and the bad. I happened to catch a bit of Dr. Laura's show yesterday and she was talking about a new book on Motherhood. The point of her discussion was to cherish every bit of the journey. I think I may have finally figured that out.

Even though Paul still has been unable to find work, the Lord has provided. More importantly, he has provided the sense of peace to my heart that everything is ok. Life is on His time scale, not mine. I heard a Seventh Day Adventist preacher this past week say that "the Lord is in charge of my life, so I don't worry about a thing. He always takes care of me and I never worry." I am almost to that point and it really brings a feeling of love and relief.

I am looking forward to the Christmas season with a new found hope and anticipation. We started doing the advent calender with Angie yesterday. Each day she will find a story or scriptural account of the meaning of Christmas. It's a great time to teach charity and love to our children. On day 12 we will start a 12 Days of Service and hopefully be able to give back to others as they have done to us this past year. (To make it a bit more challenging and fun, I have printed everything out with a size 2 font and she has to use a magnifying glass to read everything)

Finn is doing GREAT on her injections. She smiles and laughs like never before. She is even interacting with her surroundings. Her head strength has increased and her balance is improving. I hope that the effects last, she seems so much more relaxed. She got rid of her cold and then got thrush so we are treating that now. It's been a bit lonely for us in the house all the time but it keeps the germ exposure down! Thank you for always thinking of us and keeping us in your prayers. It truly means a lot. Well - my time is up. I can feel the screams coming... I will get the 10 month pictures added as soon as I have a chance... ENJOY and SAVOR your holidays!!!!