Here we are again, at the brink of another new year. How this manages to happen faster and faster each year, I'll never know. It's a good reminder for me to cherish each moment, to hold my people closer and enjoy each age my children are at, no matter how frustrating it may be, because all of sudden it's just a distant memory and I don't want to look back with any regrets.
The majority of 2016 has felt like a giant exhale of relief, mainly due to finally receiving Aviannah's Canadian citizenship and with that, the end of all paperwork relating to adoption. Here's a bit of perspective: this is the first time in 6 years that we are not waiting for and/or filling out some piece of paper for the adoption process. 6 years. It almost felt like an out of body experience to finally be done with it all. I would walk around thinking "Oh no, there's this yet...no wait, that's done too. Is everything really...done??" It's a hard thing to put into words. And honestly, who knows if we are actually done? For all I know we might start the process again tomorrow (um, kidding), but for now it feels AMAZING to be free of paperwork. John and I love our little family and while we are open to adopting again, we feel very content and at peace with the way things are right now. But hey...it's in God's hands like always, and as I've come to learn over and over again, He's always full of surprises!
Here's a look back at some highlights from our 2016:
-In January, John and I went to Edmonton for the Breakforth conference. It was an excellent weekend and we left feeling refreshed, relaxed, and inspired!
-March was a busy month for us. Cassidy turned 5 and Aviannah turned 2. Cassidy had a princess party and we had a total of 8 little princesses in our house for a few hours. It was SO much fun! We also had a joint birthday party with both our families for the girls.
More March highlights: we bought a van!! I am thrilled to finally have access to a vehicle during the day. I still absolutely love our van, it's proven to be a reliable set of wheels! We also had family pictures done during the month.
-In April both girls started swimming lessons. Cassidy did great! She is so much more confident in the water and passed her level. Avi on the other hand did not do great. She hated it and we only ended up taking her maybe 3 times. We are going to try again this spring and I think she will do much better!
Cassidy also started outdoor soccer in April for the first time! She absolutely loved it! She definitely has some natural athletic ability and we are excited to nurture that and see what comes of it! She played on the Falcons and she had as much fun playing as we did watching her. Is their anything cuter then little kids running around in cleats and oversized jerseys?
April 29 was the day we got the news that Avi is now a Canadian!
-May was also an exciting month. Cassidy had her preschool graduation ceremony and looked adorable in her little cap and gown. She still talks about her teachers and friends from pre-school. She had a great year. We also had her kindergarten orientation in May (she attends Valley Christian Academy). She was very excited to see her classroom and meet her new teachers.
I also had my year end piano recital at the end of May and it was a wonderful evening. All my students did a wonderful job!
John also made a garden plot in our yard. We had a very successful first garden, there was enough for me to go out and grab a few things for supper but not anything extra for me to can/freeze, which was exactly what I wanted!
-In June Cassidy's soccer season ended with a big all-day tournament. It was a hot day and she was tired by the end of it but she was very proud of the medal she received! We also went on our first camping trip, just the four of us, for the last weekend in June. We went up to Memorial Lake and had a great weekend, even though the weather wasn't that great. It rained for a bit Saturday afternoon and we barely made it into the tent before the rain came pouring down! We stayed dry though, and the girls still braved the lake even though I thought it was freezing!! They made some friends and we made some great memories!
-July kicked off with myself and some friends doing the Foam Fest 5K. We did it in 2015 and had so much fun we just had to do it again! It was even better this year and we all had a blast!
Mid-July we had a big family reunion (on my mom's side) in Vernon, BC to celebrate my cousin's graduation from high school. We rented a gorgeous house and enjoyed a few days together. It goes down as one of my favorite vacations ever! We spent every day at the beach and many hours playing beach volleyball (even Grandma joined in!) We visited a kangaroo farm and ate lots of good food and of course stayed up late playing games and laughing till we cried (that's a given with my mom's family). This was also Jill's first family vacation with us, and it will be the first of many because...
On July 29 Eric and Jill got engaged!! The wedding is set for July 29,2017 (exactly a year later) and we are all so excited! Jill is perfect for Eric and she fits right in with the rest of us too!
-August was a quieter month, except at the beginning. My birthday is the 4th and John completely blew me away when he planned a surprise birthday party (something I've always wanted!). It was a wonderful evening and he's earned brownie points for life!
We spent August with days at the spray park, visiting Kinsmen park and hiking at Beaver Creek, going school supplies shopping, watching the Olympics (Cassidy is hooked!), reaping the harvest from our little garden,
Also in August, I booked plane tickets for us to fly to Texas to visit my grandparents in December! We made a paper chain countdown and had so much fun counting down the days!
-September brought another big change to our lives- Cassidy started kindergarten! She goes every other day for full days and she absolutely loves it! She gets on the bus at 8:13 and I pick her up at the bus stop at 3:37. She has learned so much in these past 4 months. She went from showing no interest in writing/drawing to wanting to write all the time. She has started levelled reading and is starting to learn how to put words together. I especially love hearing all the songs and poems she learns. She attends a Christian school and especially over the holiday season, we loved that she was coming home singing songs about Jesus instead of Santa. She and I are both looking forward to the rest of the year!
Levi still comes 2-3 days a week and we love having him! Avi especially enjoys when Cassidy is in school and she gets Levi all to herself. They will play downstairs for hours together. They are the best of friends. We've really missed him over the Christmas break!
I also started up piano lessons again in September. I have 12 students and they are all wonderful. I'm having a great year with them so far.
-In October we were hit with an early snow but thankfully it didn't last too long. I hosted my family for Thanksgiving and the next day we said goodbye to my grandparents when they left for Texas. At the end of the month Cassidy's class put on a circus at school. It was so cute! The girls dressed up as a princess and Minnie Mouse for Halloween and had fun trick or treating and going to Fun Night at Cassidy's school.
-November was good to us weather wise! We had very unusually warm weather for a couple weeks. John and I celebrated our 6th anniversary with an evening out. I can't believe it's been 6 years and yet it feels like it's been forever at the same time. Mom, Leesa and I went on a quick day trip to Edmonton to join Jill and her family for wedding dress shopping! We had so much fun! We also decorated our house for Christmas!
-December was a busy month, as per usual. The first half of the month was filled with family gatherings, Christmas baking and trying to squeeze in as many of our favorite Christmas traditions as we could before...
we left on our big holiday! This trip was by far the highlight of 2016, even though we had a few bumps along the way. Avi got sick the day before we left and by the time we landed in San Antonio she was very sick. We immeadiately found a clinic to get her checked out at. The doctor said it was just viral but the next 2 days went by without much improvement. She didn't eat hardly anything and it was a struggle to get her to stay hydrated. She slept for almost 2 days straight. Many people were praying for her, back home and in Texas and she thankfully started to improve our 3rd day there. We were able to enjoy the rest of the holiday with her feeling almost 100%.
It was such a relaxing holiday! Grandma and Grandpa were so good to us and let us nap every afternoon and sleep in in the mornings. We enjoyed meals out and yummy home cooked meals as well. Cassidy loved making friends with the other volunteers on campus and especially enjoyed the sewing room. We had a beach day, visited a flea market, went to a lights display and enjoyed many low key days hanging out on campus and playing at the park. John and I both feel very refreshed and not at all exhausted. Definitely the mark of a successful holiday!
Now that we are home, we are celebrating Christmas with our families. We were at my parents yesterday and this afternoon will head to John's parents. We feel so incredibly blessed to have two wonderful families that we love to be with. And of course, above all, we are so grateful to Jesus for choosing to come as a baby and to live out His mission on earth and ultimately give His life just so we could have life. May we never let the magnitude of that sacrifice be lost on us.
God's richest blessings on you all we enter in to a new year. I can't wait to see what 2017 holds!
Tuesday, 27 December 2016
Sunday, 8 May 2016
Yes
How fitting that Mother's Day falls on May 8th this year. May 8th is one of those life changing dates for us, the day 2 years ago when I found I was going to be a mom for the second time. I've been reading back on old blog posts, including the one from that day where I announced our happy news and I couldn't get through it without crying.
We knew so little on that day. We didn't know her name, we didn't know what she looked like, we didn't know what state her health was in or if she would have severe disabilities. Even before we had answers to all those questions, we chose to say yes. It was a yes for me as soon as I got off the phone. A few people cautioned us to be careful, to make sure we knew what we were getting ourselves into. We didn't have to accept this referral. We could have easily turned it down and waited for another one. One that didn't involve such a fragile, time pressing situation. One that would've been "easier."
I remember talking to John that night, after we read through all the info a few times and saying "I don't care about any of that stuff. This baby needs a family and we have been given the opportunity to be her family. How can we not say yes?" Thankfully he did not need convincing. Our hearts were on the same page from the first moment we heard about her. So we called back and said yes.
2 years later, here we are and I do not go a single day without being in complete awe of what God has done in our lives starting that day 2 years ago. It makes me just as emotional today as it did then, maybe even more so, because we have the most amazing, healthy, vibrant daughter who is the spitting image of her dad because God is that good, and I can't imagine not knowing her. She's taught me so much in her short little life so far and I know that she is exactly where she's supposed to be. She just fits and every day I'm so thankful that we said yes.
We knew so little on that day. We didn't know her name, we didn't know what she looked like, we didn't know what state her health was in or if she would have severe disabilities. Even before we had answers to all those questions, we chose to say yes. It was a yes for me as soon as I got off the phone. A few people cautioned us to be careful, to make sure we knew what we were getting ourselves into. We didn't have to accept this referral. We could have easily turned it down and waited for another one. One that didn't involve such a fragile, time pressing situation. One that would've been "easier."
I remember talking to John that night, after we read through all the info a few times and saying "I don't care about any of that stuff. This baby needs a family and we have been given the opportunity to be her family. How can we not say yes?" Thankfully he did not need convincing. Our hearts were on the same page from the first moment we heard about her. So we called back and said yes.
2 years later, here we are and I do not go a single day without being in complete awe of what God has done in our lives starting that day 2 years ago. It makes me just as emotional today as it did then, maybe even more so, because we have the most amazing, healthy, vibrant daughter who is the spitting image of her dad because God is that good, and I can't imagine not knowing her. She's taught me so much in her short little life so far and I know that she is exactly where she's supposed to be. She just fits and every day I'm so thankful that we said yes.
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Big Updates!
So I figured it's been awhile since I've updated you all on what's been going on with us lately...and I actually have brand new, never been heard information! If that doesn't perk your curiosity, you may as well just quit reading now!
We are STILL waiting on hearing about Aviannah's citizenship. As most of you probably know who follow me on Facebook, we just squeezed under the deadline of getting her birth certificate in to Immigration. That was at the beginning of March. As far as we know, that was the last piece of information they needed to finish processing her application. We have heard nothing since then, but we have learned that they never contact us unless they need something or it's done. We are really hoping to hear something soon! Especially because...
We are planning to take a family trip to Texas over Christmas this year! My grandparents go down south every year from October to March. I've been 3 times to visit them in years past and since we've been married John and I have talked about going down one winter to visit and have decided to do it this year! Of course this can only happen if Avi is a Canadian by then. Until her citizenship is completed, she could technically leave the country but she wouldn't be allowed back into Canada. As fun as it sounds, we don't want to go live in Texas, just visit. So we are praying hard that things will be all finalized by then. It's a good 8 months away so I don't see that being a problem. We are so excited to take the girls on an airplane for their first time and get a break from winter for a week!
Switching gears...a lot of people have been asking if we are planning to expand our family. I do not mind that question at all but I never quite know how to answer. If only it were that easy, to just plan to do it and then make it happen. Unfortunately it is not. I was really feeling the baby fever a few months ago, when my baby was all of a sudden very much not a baby anymore. John was not nearly as enthusiastic about the idea as I was. I told him I was going to start praying about it and he was welcome to join if he wanted. After a few weeks he came home from work one day and said "Today was the first day I didn't have negative thoughts about a 3rd child!" Ha! It was a step in the right direction at least.
I'm about to divulge something that nobody knows about. Not even our families. So sorry if I offend you for having to hear about it on here, but hopefully you'll understand as I explain. Around the end of 2015, a friend of ours mentioned that she knew a baby boy that was potentially going to be put up for adoption. She asked if she could give her our names. I responded with a very emphatic YES. She then texted me pictures of him. I was a mess. I immediately got my hopes up really really high, then gave myself a reality check. It was a long shot that any of this would actually work out and I knew that. I reminded myself that this meant nothing and I shouldn't let myself get excited. So we started to pray for this little boy. We prayed for him every night. We didn't hear anything for about a month, then our friend informed us that he had gone to live with his biological grandparents, and I felt complete peace. I told John later that night that it felt like such a privilege to have had the opportunity to pray for this little boy, and I still pray for him when I remember. We didn't tell anybody anything when this was going on, the reason being that we figured if it did work out and by some miracle we did adopt him it would be an AMAZING surprise! I always have been a fan of really cute pregnancy announcements and I've seen some amazing videos where people adopt a baby and completely surprise their parents. That's what we wanted to do. I was envisioning inviting my family over and bringing out their new grandson! And when it didn't work out that way, we figured there was no point in telling anybody about it because it was a closed chapter.
So why I am telling this story now then? Well, it kind of leads into our other news...so after all that, something changed. I felt complete peace about the size of our family for the first time ever. And I still do. That doesn't mean that I would turn down another opportunity to adopt, because I sure would not if it seemed like it was right. But we both really strongly feel that we are not meant to pursue another adoption right now. We love having two girls and it's nice not to be outnumbered, especially in public, although our girls are both really easy to take places. So we put adoption on the back burner and had another conversation...about fostering. Being a foster parent is something that I have always been very reluctant about, and this is why. I was scared of getting attached. I get attached to things, especially people, very easily and it terrified me to think about having a child in our home, to fall completely in love with this child, and then have to say goodbye, and to do that over and over again. I thought that fostering wasn't for me. Over the past year God has really been working on my heart and through testimonies of other foster parents, and reading articles about fostering, I've realized that the fear that is holding me back is actually the reason that I would be a great foster parent. I realized that that is exactly what those children need. They need love, fierce and without abandon, for as long or short as we can give that to them. I realized that if I can love them like that, even if it's just a week, a month, or a year, that it can have a lasting impact on their life.
John has always been more open to fostering then me. He actually first brought it up shortly after we adopted Cassidy and I shut it down. But I'm ready now. We have decided that we are going to wait until Aviannah's citizenship is completed, because we don't want to overwhelm ourselves, then we are going to start the process to become foster parents. We recently bought a bigger vehicle to accommodate an extra child or two and we are extremely excited and nervous about this new journey! Please pray for us, for Avi to receive her citizenship soon and for us as a family as we start looking into foster parenting, for guidance and wisdom and for us to be willing to do whatever God asks of us. I can't stress enough how your prayers have impacted my life, especially in the past 4 years. We are so thankful for your support and love!
We are STILL waiting on hearing about Aviannah's citizenship. As most of you probably know who follow me on Facebook, we just squeezed under the deadline of getting her birth certificate in to Immigration. That was at the beginning of March. As far as we know, that was the last piece of information they needed to finish processing her application. We have heard nothing since then, but we have learned that they never contact us unless they need something or it's done. We are really hoping to hear something soon! Especially because...
We are planning to take a family trip to Texas over Christmas this year! My grandparents go down south every year from October to March. I've been 3 times to visit them in years past and since we've been married John and I have talked about going down one winter to visit and have decided to do it this year! Of course this can only happen if Avi is a Canadian by then. Until her citizenship is completed, she could technically leave the country but she wouldn't be allowed back into Canada. As fun as it sounds, we don't want to go live in Texas, just visit. So we are praying hard that things will be all finalized by then. It's a good 8 months away so I don't see that being a problem. We are so excited to take the girls on an airplane for their first time and get a break from winter for a week!
Switching gears...a lot of people have been asking if we are planning to expand our family. I do not mind that question at all but I never quite know how to answer. If only it were that easy, to just plan to do it and then make it happen. Unfortunately it is not. I was really feeling the baby fever a few months ago, when my baby was all of a sudden very much not a baby anymore. John was not nearly as enthusiastic about the idea as I was. I told him I was going to start praying about it and he was welcome to join if he wanted. After a few weeks he came home from work one day and said "Today was the first day I didn't have negative thoughts about a 3rd child!" Ha! It was a step in the right direction at least.
I'm about to divulge something that nobody knows about. Not even our families. So sorry if I offend you for having to hear about it on here, but hopefully you'll understand as I explain. Around the end of 2015, a friend of ours mentioned that she knew a baby boy that was potentially going to be put up for adoption. She asked if she could give her our names. I responded with a very emphatic YES. She then texted me pictures of him. I was a mess. I immediately got my hopes up really really high, then gave myself a reality check. It was a long shot that any of this would actually work out and I knew that. I reminded myself that this meant nothing and I shouldn't let myself get excited. So we started to pray for this little boy. We prayed for him every night. We didn't hear anything for about a month, then our friend informed us that he had gone to live with his biological grandparents, and I felt complete peace. I told John later that night that it felt like such a privilege to have had the opportunity to pray for this little boy, and I still pray for him when I remember. We didn't tell anybody anything when this was going on, the reason being that we figured if it did work out and by some miracle we did adopt him it would be an AMAZING surprise! I always have been a fan of really cute pregnancy announcements and I've seen some amazing videos where people adopt a baby and completely surprise their parents. That's what we wanted to do. I was envisioning inviting my family over and bringing out their new grandson! And when it didn't work out that way, we figured there was no point in telling anybody about it because it was a closed chapter.
So why I am telling this story now then? Well, it kind of leads into our other news...so after all that, something changed. I felt complete peace about the size of our family for the first time ever. And I still do. That doesn't mean that I would turn down another opportunity to adopt, because I sure would not if it seemed like it was right. But we both really strongly feel that we are not meant to pursue another adoption right now. We love having two girls and it's nice not to be outnumbered, especially in public, although our girls are both really easy to take places. So we put adoption on the back burner and had another conversation...about fostering. Being a foster parent is something that I have always been very reluctant about, and this is why. I was scared of getting attached. I get attached to things, especially people, very easily and it terrified me to think about having a child in our home, to fall completely in love with this child, and then have to say goodbye, and to do that over and over again. I thought that fostering wasn't for me. Over the past year God has really been working on my heart and through testimonies of other foster parents, and reading articles about fostering, I've realized that the fear that is holding me back is actually the reason that I would be a great foster parent. I realized that that is exactly what those children need. They need love, fierce and without abandon, for as long or short as we can give that to them. I realized that if I can love them like that, even if it's just a week, a month, or a year, that it can have a lasting impact on their life.
John has always been more open to fostering then me. He actually first brought it up shortly after we adopted Cassidy and I shut it down. But I'm ready now. We have decided that we are going to wait until Aviannah's citizenship is completed, because we don't want to overwhelm ourselves, then we are going to start the process to become foster parents. We recently bought a bigger vehicle to accommodate an extra child or two and we are extremely excited and nervous about this new journey! Please pray for us, for Avi to receive her citizenship soon and for us as a family as we start looking into foster parenting, for guidance and wisdom and for us to be willing to do whatever God asks of us. I can't stress enough how your prayers have impacted my life, especially in the past 4 years. We are so thankful for your support and love!
Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Cassidy is 5!
Aviannah just turned 2 a couple of weeks ago and while I found that hard to believe, even harder is the reality that I have a 5 year old now! Cassidy has been wanting to be 5 for a few years now, and it's finally here! So in honor of her birthday, here is a birthday post all about Cassidy!
-Cassidy is approximately 44 inches tall and somewhere between 45-50 pounds. She's a super healthy girl and rarely gets sick and when she does it never lasts long. Even with preschool this past year, she's managed to escape all the sicknesses going around school.
- Speaking of school, she absolutely L.O.V.E.S. preschool. She asks every single day if today is her preschool day. She goes for 2 hours 2 days a week but I know she could handle more. I told her the other day that when she goes to kindergarten she will be there for a whole day and asked if that was ok. Her response was a very enthusiastic yes! I get to be parent helper once a month so I've been able to watch how she does in a school setting and I am just SO proud of her! She is such a good student! She sits quietly and listens well at circle time, she follows commands without complaining and is kind to her friends. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right!
- Her attitude has really improved over this past year. She never really throws huge tantrums anymore and has just generally matured so much. She is very kind (for the most part!) to Avi and Levi, although of course she has her moments! She's still a kid, after all.
- Her love language is definitely quality time. She is always asking me to play with her, and even if I played with her lots during the day, she will still often tell Daddy "Mommy didn't play with me at ALL today!" in a very exasperated tone. She has a great imagination and loves making up games to play.
- She is getting more into drawing and writing. She has almost mastered writing her name (those darn S's are tricky!) and is actually starting to draw real things instead of scribbles. I love the way she draws people, the arms come out of the head, yet there is still a body and legs. She also loves crafts and is always asking me for craft ideas (I am horrible at crafts, so I'm thankful she gets this outlet at school!)
- She is such a perfect mix of girly girl and tomboy. She asks to wear "spinny" dresses every single day and loves to play princesses and tea party, but also loves exploring outside, climbing trees and searching for bugs. At school she'll play dolls with the girls one day and pirates with the boys the next. I love it!
- She has a knack for memorizing things. She gets a new verse to memorize in Sunday School every week and it never takes her long to learn it.
- She also seems to be musically inclined. She likes to play a game with me where I'll sing a note and she'll try to match the pitch. We will go through a whole bunch of different pitches and she usually gets it bang on. She also loves making up songs and surprises me with the things she comes up with. I'm going to start teaching her piano in the fall, I'm hoping she does well with that too!
- She is playing soccer for the first time this spring and is beyond excited! She practices every day and received soccer cleats for her birthday. I can't wait to watch her!
Cassidy's Favorite Things:
Food: same as Avi, candy. But other then that, Kraft Dinner
Toy: her Barbies
Game: Hide and seek (she likes to count and for me to hide. I am all over that! I hide somewhere really hard and get at least a few minutes of peace!)
TV Show: Paw Patrol (I can never get the theme song out of my head)
Color: Pink
Friend: Iyla
Song: Jesus Loves Me
Book: Elephant and Piggie books (they are my favorite too!)
Animal: Giraffe
Movie: Veggie Tales
Things Cassidy Doesn't Like:
-eating foods she doesn't like
-getting her hair washed/brushed/done up (basically anyone touching her hair in any way)
-quiet time (Mommy demands it)
-"the little kids bugging me" (I hear this multiple times a day)
-cleaning up
-time outs
Cassidy's Nicknames:
-Cass
-Cass-a-frass
-Caster
-Cassilee
-Diddy (what Avi calls her, we've gotten into the habit of calling her it too)
-Diddy Kong (what "Diddy" naturally turns into!)
-Diddy (what Avi calls her, we've gotten into the habit of calling her it too)
-Diddy Kong (what "Diddy" naturally turns into!)
-Freak (we call Avi this too. It's said with love)
-we never call her Cassy, which I think is interesting. I often wondered when she was a baby if we would naturally shorten her name. I figured if we did, it would be Cassy. We did naturally segue way into a shortened name, but it's Cass. We call her that 85% of the time.
- there's more, but these are the most common
I keep saying it, but every age just gets better and better! I'm so looking forward to the new adventures a 5 year old will bring! Cassidy is just the best little person ever and I love seeing the person she has become and am looking forward to watching her continue to change and grow. She made us parents and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect little girl to give us that life-changing title. We fall more in love with her every day!
Happy Birthday Cassidy!
Saturday, 12 March 2016
Aviannah is 2!
Miss Aviannah is 2 today! In celebration, here's a post all about Avi!
-Her vocabulary has been slow in coming but has really taken off these past few weeks. She isn't really stringing words together yet but she has quite a list of words she can say. Her pronunciation is excellent and its very easy to understand everything she says (when she's actually speaking English!) Here's some of her words: "Mommy," "Daddy," "Diddy"- means Cassidy, "Avi," "Le,"- which is Levi, "Nana"- which is both my mom and banana, "Papa," "Grandma", "Auntie," "Honey,"- anyone she doesn't know she calls Honey. Freaking adorable! "Maya," "Hi," "Ba-bye", "Uh-oh", "No," "Yeah," "Me," "Up," "Down," "Go," "Book," "Ball," "Baby," "Kitty," "Night night", "Ba ba," -bottle, and more that I can't think of right now. She also knows quite a few animal sounds and has a special sound for when she's "driving" her cars around. She babbles constantly and I don't think it'll be too long before those babbles become real sentences.
-Even though she doesn't speak much, she is very smart. She is really good at following commands like "Go put this in the garbage," or "Go put this toy away"- and she puts it away in the right spot too! I can tell she's always paying close attention to what her sister is doing and tries to follow along with her.
-She loves to give hugs, kisses, high fives and fist bumps. She generally only hugs and kisses people she knows well, but if you're a complete stranger and ask for a high five, you'll get one! She also has the cutest little wave and waves at every single person she sees. Whenever we go somewhere, as soon as I lift her out of the car she starts waving, regardless if anyone is around or not. We have two very social girls!
-She has a fascination with lights. She will always point out lights right away when we walk into a room. Not sure what that's about!
-She is super sensitive. All it takes is a raised, stern voice and she usually bursts into tears. So far we haven't had to do much else for discipline which is nice, but I don't think it'll last. She's also extremely stubborn and determined, and usually doesn't take no for an answer very easily.
-She loves books. She just got her very own bookshelf a couple weeks ago and is obsessed with it! All day she's bringing books out for me to read to her.
-She also loves singing and dancing. She's going through a phase where she sings into anything that remotely resembles a microphone, like her fork at lunch, or the strings on my sweater, or a water bottle. She'll dance around the room singing "La la la la" and have this goofy grin on her face. Both our girls love music, but we always have music going in the house, either from the piano or the iPod so that's not surprising!
-We've been able to spend a lot of time outside this winter (thanks El Nino) and Aviannah LOVES snow. Actually, she loves eating snow. Seriously, as soon as she finds an appropriate spot she throws herself down on her belly and shoves her mouth into the snowbank and eats snow like a dog. It's hilarious. She has acclimated to the Canadian life exceptionally well!
-She is learning very quickly how to stand her ground! If either Cassidy or Levi is doing something to her, or taking something away from her, or just being annoying to her, she will scream at the top of her lungs right in their face. That usually does the trick. I laugh every time at the shocked look on their faces when she does that! She definitely has a little temper on her, and I've witnessed a few tantrums already. Like I said, she doesn't like the word no!
- She is obsessed with stickers. Obsessed. When I teach piano, at the beginning of each lesson I check my student's practice charts and if they have enough checkmarks they get a sticker on their chart. Avi tries her hardest to sneak away from Daddy and into the living room for this part, and then stands there and shrieks until I give in and put a sticker on her face. That's where she likes stickers, on her face. She will literally keep them there all day long.
Avi's Favorite Things!
Food: well, obviously candy. But other then that, mushroom soup.
Toy: she has a stuffed elephant that plays lullabies, she can't sleep without it and often drags it around all day. We change the batteries like every other day. (Ok, not that often but it feels like it sometimes!)
TV Show: Peppa Pig. She snorts along with the theme song. It is as cute as it sounds!
Friend: (other then Cassidy) Levi! Those two are like peas in a pod.
Song: the Charlie Brown theme song that Mommy plays on the piano.
Things Avi Doesn't Like
- the word "no"
-not playing in the cupboards
-not having her bottle
-getting her hair washed
-if Cassidy gets something and she doesn't
-when Cassidy doesn't share
-sharing with Cassidy
Avi's Nicknames: (we I go a little crazy with weird nicknames. Here's just a few of them!)
-Avi (most used)
-Avi Dawn
-Avi Dawner
-Avi Baby
-Avis
-Avis Davis (one time, I shortened Davis to Dave and was calling her that, but John made me stop. Too far I guess!)
-and there is many more, but these are the most common ones. I make sure to actually call her by her full name every now and then so she knows what it is!
**you should hear Cassidy's list of nicknames. I'll do a birthday post for her too, and share them on there.
We are so thankful for another year with our little Aviannah Dawn! She fits in our family just perfectly and we love her so much! Happy Birthday!!
-She weighs approximately 21 and a half pounds and is 33 inches long. She weighs the same as Cassidy did at 1 year. Her height is actually right around the average for a 2 year old girl. I'm thinking she'll be tall!
-Her vocabulary has been slow in coming but has really taken off these past few weeks. She isn't really stringing words together yet but she has quite a list of words she can say. Her pronunciation is excellent and its very easy to understand everything she says (when she's actually speaking English!) Here's some of her words: "Mommy," "Daddy," "Diddy"- means Cassidy, "Avi," "Le,"- which is Levi, "Nana"- which is both my mom and banana, "Papa," "Grandma", "Auntie," "Honey,"- anyone she doesn't know she calls Honey. Freaking adorable! "Maya," "Hi," "Ba-bye", "Uh-oh", "No," "Yeah," "Me," "Up," "Down," "Go," "Book," "Ball," "Baby," "Kitty," "Night night", "Ba ba," -bottle, and more that I can't think of right now. She also knows quite a few animal sounds and has a special sound for when she's "driving" her cars around. She babbles constantly and I don't think it'll be too long before those babbles become real sentences.
-Even though she doesn't speak much, she is very smart. She is really good at following commands like "Go put this in the garbage," or "Go put this toy away"- and she puts it away in the right spot too! I can tell she's always paying close attention to what her sister is doing and tries to follow along with her.
-She loves to give hugs, kisses, high fives and fist bumps. She generally only hugs and kisses people she knows well, but if you're a complete stranger and ask for a high five, you'll get one! She also has the cutest little wave and waves at every single person she sees. Whenever we go somewhere, as soon as I lift her out of the car she starts waving, regardless if anyone is around or not. We have two very social girls!
-She has a fascination with lights. She will always point out lights right away when we walk into a room. Not sure what that's about!
-She is super sensitive. All it takes is a raised, stern voice and she usually bursts into tears. So far we haven't had to do much else for discipline which is nice, but I don't think it'll last. She's also extremely stubborn and determined, and usually doesn't take no for an answer very easily.
-She loves books. She just got her very own bookshelf a couple weeks ago and is obsessed with it! All day she's bringing books out for me to read to her.
-She also loves singing and dancing. She's going through a phase where she sings into anything that remotely resembles a microphone, like her fork at lunch, or the strings on my sweater, or a water bottle. She'll dance around the room singing "La la la la" and have this goofy grin on her face. Both our girls love music, but we always have music going in the house, either from the piano or the iPod so that's not surprising!
-We've been able to spend a lot of time outside this winter (thanks El Nino) and Aviannah LOVES snow. Actually, she loves eating snow. Seriously, as soon as she finds an appropriate spot she throws herself down on her belly and shoves her mouth into the snowbank and eats snow like a dog. It's hilarious. She has acclimated to the Canadian life exceptionally well!
-She is learning very quickly how to stand her ground! If either Cassidy or Levi is doing something to her, or taking something away from her, or just being annoying to her, she will scream at the top of her lungs right in their face. That usually does the trick. I laugh every time at the shocked look on their faces when she does that! She definitely has a little temper on her, and I've witnessed a few tantrums already. Like I said, she doesn't like the word no!
- She is obsessed with stickers. Obsessed. When I teach piano, at the beginning of each lesson I check my student's practice charts and if they have enough checkmarks they get a sticker on their chart. Avi tries her hardest to sneak away from Daddy and into the living room for this part, and then stands there and shrieks until I give in and put a sticker on her face. That's where she likes stickers, on her face. She will literally keep them there all day long.
Avi's Favorite Things!
Food: well, obviously candy. But other then that, mushroom soup.
Toy: she has a stuffed elephant that plays lullabies, she can't sleep without it and often drags it around all day. We change the batteries like every other day. (Ok, not that often but it feels like it sometimes!)
TV Show: Peppa Pig. She snorts along with the theme song. It is as cute as it sounds!
Friend: (other then Cassidy) Levi! Those two are like peas in a pod.
Song: the Charlie Brown theme song that Mommy plays on the piano.
Things Avi Doesn't Like
- the word "no"
-not playing in the cupboards
-not having her bottle
-getting her hair washed
-if Cassidy gets something and she doesn't
-when Cassidy doesn't share
-sharing with Cassidy
Avi's Nicknames: (
-Avi (most used)
-Avi Dawn
-Avi Dawner
-Avi Baby
-Avis
-Avis Davis (one time, I shortened Davis to Dave and was calling her that, but John made me stop. Too far I guess!)
-and there is many more, but these are the most common ones. I make sure to actually call her by her full name every now and then so she knows what it is!
**you should hear Cassidy's list of nicknames. I'll do a birthday post for her too, and share them on there.
We are so thankful for another year with our little Aviannah Dawn! She fits in our family just perfectly and we love her so much! Happy Birthday!!
Friday, 4 December 2015
2015 in Review
Here we are again, coming to the end of another year. We are excitedly counting down to Christmas and looking forward to everything the holidays bring. Here's a quick overview of 2015 in the Letkeman household!
John: This handsome guy rang in the New Year by turning a couple years older then 30...He is one of those weird people that gets excited about getting older and is thrilled to have gained a few grey hairs over the past year (those may or may not be my fault). He is still working at Woodstyles (he makes railings) he's been there for over 10 years and he loves it. He has the best boss EVER and John gets to work all by himself in the shop which couldn't be more perfect for him. Every now and then he gets to go help install on the job site, which he doesn't mind either. He plays bass guitar on both the church worship teams so is away at practice almost every Tuesday evening. He decided to take a break from teaching Sunday School in September of this year. He had been teaching the youth class for many years previous. The church hired a new intern youth pastor who stepped into this role nicely and John has enjoyed the break. He is still the most phenomenal daddy! I often joke that he's a better parent then I am, except I'm not joking. Funny, I dreamed my whole life of being a mom and before the girls, he really couldn't care less if we had kids or not, yet he's definitely got some serious parenting skills that I lack. We balance each other out, it's all good. But if you ever need your baby swaddled, call him. He's the swaddle master and our girls are both too old for that now so I'm sure he'd be happy to lend his talents out! I just fall more and more in love with him all the time, and I know that sounds mushy and cliche but it's so very true. He's always willing to step up and help out with anything I need, or watch the kids so I can have a break. He challenges me in my walk with God and pushes me out of my comfort zone. Love you babe, here's to another great year!
Mandi: (aka me!) January found me still teaching piano and babysitting Levi three days a week. The kids and I pretty much hibernated until winter was over, it was difficult to get out with a baby, a 1 year old and a 3 year old! The girls had their birthdays in March and I planned a joint party with both our families with a PINK theme. I started working out again (I had been on good routine in 2014 until we went to Vegas, then it all came to a stop) and I've been keeping at it since April. I feel so much better when I get 30 minutes of exercise a day in. My sister and I and a group of friends signed up for Foam Fest which we did in July. It's a 5K filled with obstacles involving lots of foam, mud and giant inflatable slides. It was so so so fun and we are already planning to do it this next year. Also in July, my very best friend in the whole wide world got married and I got to be a bridesmaid. The wedding was in Winnipeg and I made two weekend trips out in a row, one for the bachelorette the week before and then for the wedding the next week. My sister came with me for the first weekend, then the whole family traveled out for the wedding. I loved the whole weekend, but my very favorite part was the night before, when just us girls were hanging out at her place after the rehearsal. We live so far apart from each other and we text alot, but hardly ever get to see each other in person for an extended period of time so I so enjoyed spending hours just chatting. Definitely a highlight of my summer. In August I directed VBS at our church for the third year. It was an awesome (and really hot) week with lots of kids out and lots of fun! In September I started the year with 10 piano students and have now worked my way up to 12 (maxed out). I love teaching and love all my students. This has been my best year yet! I went down to watching Levi twice a week, but he still sometimes comes 3 days depending on schedules. We love having him in our home! I play piano on one of the worship teams at church and teach children's church once a month. It's been a fairly low key year, especially after 2014, and I've enjoyed so much getting to spend my days at home with my girls. I can't believe how fast they are growing and soon they'll both be in school so I'm soaking these days up as much as I can!
Cassidy: Cassidy has had an exciting year! She turned 4 in March, which thrilled her to no end! We also registered her for preschool in September. She has been wanting to go to school since she was 2 so needless to say she was very excited! She took swimming lessons in the spring and did so great! She passed and is looking forward to going again next spring. She got to go meet her teacher a week before school started and she goes Monday and Wednesday afternoons for 2 hours. As I figured, she has transitioned beautifully into the school setting. I actually had to force her to hug me goodbye the first day. She knows the routine, she's made some friends and I love all the crafts and stories she brings home! She asks every day if she gets to go to school and is looking forward to her first Christmas concert in 2 weeks, where she will be performing songs they've been working on. We also registered her for Kindergarten at Valley Christian Academy, a private school in the next town over, and found out a few weeks ago that she has a spot there! Her cousins go there and she'll get to ride the bus, both things she is very much looking forward to. Cassidy also goes to Sunday School at church and they are also working on a Christmas program that's coming up soon. She has many good friends and enjoys when they come over to visit or when she goes to their house to play. Cassidy loves playing at the park, her Barbies, making up stories, coloring on walls, tormenting her sister, reading, all her grandparents, and dancing to the Charlie Brown song that she makes her mommy play over and over again. She still talks non-stop and says some of the funniest things I've ever heard. She is seriously strong-willed and some days are a struggle but we are slowly working on how to channel her stubbornness into something good. She makes me want to pull my hair out and smother her in kisses all in the same breath. This has been the best stage so far and I am excited to watch God continue to work in her life!
Aviannah: Our dear tiny little Avi had a rough start to the New Year. She managed to catch RSV (a nasty respiratory virus) which landed her in the hospital for 5 days in isolation. We made it through, she recovered nicely and has gotten a whole lot stronger since! She turned 1 in March and celebrated by learning to crawl. She crawled her way through summer and started walking (finally!) at the end of September. She has a handful of words and is picking up new sounds every day. She is the biggest goofball we know. She has the funniest expressions and uses her cuteness to her full advantage. She is crazy busy, even more so then Cassidy was at that age, which I didn't think was possible! If she's out of sight, she's into trouble. She rewards people she loves with the best hugs and kisses and continues to charm everyone she meets. Aviannah loves books, goldfish crackers, opening cupboards, unrolling the toilet paper roll, emptying Kleenex boxes, snuggles with Mom and Dad, sucking on her two middle fingers, her bottle, tormenting her sister, dancing and shrieking just because. We love everything about her and her determined personality both thrills and terrifies me. She is still tiny for her age, but catching up quicker and quicker all the time. She continues to beat the odds and we are so thankful for her!
Highlights of 2015 (that I didn't mention above):
- we (ok, John) made our half bath into an ensuite and redid the back entrance. Still in love with it.
- we welcomed a new pet to our family, Cinnamon the hamster.
- Maya (the other, jealous pet) ate said hamster a month later. Lesson learned. Dogs and hamsters don't mix.
- celebrated birthdays all March long.
- we enjoyed a very early, hot spring with lots of outside time!
- I enjoyed a girls weekend away in Edmonton in May with my mom and sister (Eric and his girlfriend also joined us for one day).
- we visited Wanuskewin park with my family for Father's Day. I had never been, it was a fun afternoon.
- Kinsmen Park re-opened in August and we checked it out, it's fantastic!
- John and I spent 4 days in Banff at the end of August to celebrate our upcoming anniversary. This was hands down the highlight of the year. We had such a wonderful, relaxing time away getting to re-connect and enjoy things like sleeping in, lingering over a long meal at a restaurant and talking without getting interrupted every 5 seconds. Oh yeah, and exploring a cave, riding up a mountain and hiking- those things were good too!
- enjoyed a visit from my brother and his girlfriend over the Labor day weekend (they both live in Medicine Hat so we don't get to see them that often, but we're going there for Christmas!!)
- celebrated 5 years of marriage in November!
All in all, it's been a great year! As always, we give thanks to God for the many blessings He's given us and we look forward to what 2016 has in store!
Love the Letkemans!
John: This handsome guy rang in the New Year by turning a couple years older then 30...He is one of those weird people that gets excited about getting older and is thrilled to have gained a few grey hairs over the past year (those may or may not be my fault). He is still working at Woodstyles (he makes railings) he's been there for over 10 years and he loves it. He has the best boss EVER and John gets to work all by himself in the shop which couldn't be more perfect for him. Every now and then he gets to go help install on the job site, which he doesn't mind either. He plays bass guitar on both the church worship teams so is away at practice almost every Tuesday evening. He decided to take a break from teaching Sunday School in September of this year. He had been teaching the youth class for many years previous. The church hired a new intern youth pastor who stepped into this role nicely and John has enjoyed the break. He is still the most phenomenal daddy! I often joke that he's a better parent then I am, except I'm not joking. Funny, I dreamed my whole life of being a mom and before the girls, he really couldn't care less if we had kids or not, yet he's definitely got some serious parenting skills that I lack. We balance each other out, it's all good. But if you ever need your baby swaddled, call him. He's the swaddle master and our girls are both too old for that now so I'm sure he'd be happy to lend his talents out! I just fall more and more in love with him all the time, and I know that sounds mushy and cliche but it's so very true. He's always willing to step up and help out with anything I need, or watch the kids so I can have a break. He challenges me in my walk with God and pushes me out of my comfort zone. Love you babe, here's to another great year!
Mandi: (aka me!) January found me still teaching piano and babysitting Levi three days a week. The kids and I pretty much hibernated until winter was over, it was difficult to get out with a baby, a 1 year old and a 3 year old! The girls had their birthdays in March and I planned a joint party with both our families with a PINK theme. I started working out again (I had been on good routine in 2014 until we went to Vegas, then it all came to a stop) and I've been keeping at it since April. I feel so much better when I get 30 minutes of exercise a day in. My sister and I and a group of friends signed up for Foam Fest which we did in July. It's a 5K filled with obstacles involving lots of foam, mud and giant inflatable slides. It was so so so fun and we are already planning to do it this next year. Also in July, my very best friend in the whole wide world got married and I got to be a bridesmaid. The wedding was in Winnipeg and I made two weekend trips out in a row, one for the bachelorette the week before and then for the wedding the next week. My sister came with me for the first weekend, then the whole family traveled out for the wedding. I loved the whole weekend, but my very favorite part was the night before, when just us girls were hanging out at her place after the rehearsal. We live so far apart from each other and we text alot, but hardly ever get to see each other in person for an extended period of time so I so enjoyed spending hours just chatting. Definitely a highlight of my summer. In August I directed VBS at our church for the third year. It was an awesome (and really hot) week with lots of kids out and lots of fun! In September I started the year with 10 piano students and have now worked my way up to 12 (maxed out). I love teaching and love all my students. This has been my best year yet! I went down to watching Levi twice a week, but he still sometimes comes 3 days depending on schedules. We love having him in our home! I play piano on one of the worship teams at church and teach children's church once a month. It's been a fairly low key year, especially after 2014, and I've enjoyed so much getting to spend my days at home with my girls. I can't believe how fast they are growing and soon they'll both be in school so I'm soaking these days up as much as I can!
Cassidy: Cassidy has had an exciting year! She turned 4 in March, which thrilled her to no end! We also registered her for preschool in September. She has been wanting to go to school since she was 2 so needless to say she was very excited! She took swimming lessons in the spring and did so great! She passed and is looking forward to going again next spring. She got to go meet her teacher a week before school started and she goes Monday and Wednesday afternoons for 2 hours. As I figured, she has transitioned beautifully into the school setting. I actually had to force her to hug me goodbye the first day. She knows the routine, she's made some friends and I love all the crafts and stories she brings home! She asks every day if she gets to go to school and is looking forward to her first Christmas concert in 2 weeks, where she will be performing songs they've been working on. We also registered her for Kindergarten at Valley Christian Academy, a private school in the next town over, and found out a few weeks ago that she has a spot there! Her cousins go there and she'll get to ride the bus, both things she is very much looking forward to. Cassidy also goes to Sunday School at church and they are also working on a Christmas program that's coming up soon. She has many good friends and enjoys when they come over to visit or when she goes to their house to play. Cassidy loves playing at the park, her Barbies, making up stories, coloring on walls, tormenting her sister, reading, all her grandparents, and dancing to the Charlie Brown song that she makes her mommy play over and over again. She still talks non-stop and says some of the funniest things I've ever heard. She is seriously strong-willed and some days are a struggle but we are slowly working on how to channel her stubbornness into something good. She makes me want to pull my hair out and smother her in kisses all in the same breath. This has been the best stage so far and I am excited to watch God continue to work in her life!
Aviannah: Our dear tiny little Avi had a rough start to the New Year. She managed to catch RSV (a nasty respiratory virus) which landed her in the hospital for 5 days in isolation. We made it through, she recovered nicely and has gotten a whole lot stronger since! She turned 1 in March and celebrated by learning to crawl. She crawled her way through summer and started walking (finally!) at the end of September. She has a handful of words and is picking up new sounds every day. She is the biggest goofball we know. She has the funniest expressions and uses her cuteness to her full advantage. She is crazy busy, even more so then Cassidy was at that age, which I didn't think was possible! If she's out of sight, she's into trouble. She rewards people she loves with the best hugs and kisses and continues to charm everyone she meets. Aviannah loves books, goldfish crackers, opening cupboards, unrolling the toilet paper roll, emptying Kleenex boxes, snuggles with Mom and Dad, sucking on her two middle fingers, her bottle, tormenting her sister, dancing and shrieking just because. We love everything about her and her determined personality both thrills and terrifies me. She is still tiny for her age, but catching up quicker and quicker all the time. She continues to beat the odds and we are so thankful for her!
Highlights of 2015 (that I didn't mention above):
- we (ok, John) made our half bath into an ensuite and redid the back entrance. Still in love with it.
- we welcomed a new pet to our family, Cinnamon the hamster.
- Maya (the other, jealous pet) ate said hamster a month later. Lesson learned. Dogs and hamsters don't mix.
- celebrated birthdays all March long.
- we enjoyed a very early, hot spring with lots of outside time!
- I enjoyed a girls weekend away in Edmonton in May with my mom and sister (Eric and his girlfriend also joined us for one day).
- we visited Wanuskewin park with my family for Father's Day. I had never been, it was a fun afternoon.
- Kinsmen Park re-opened in August and we checked it out, it's fantastic!
- John and I spent 4 days in Banff at the end of August to celebrate our upcoming anniversary. This was hands down the highlight of the year. We had such a wonderful, relaxing time away getting to re-connect and enjoy things like sleeping in, lingering over a long meal at a restaurant and talking without getting interrupted every 5 seconds. Oh yeah, and exploring a cave, riding up a mountain and hiking- those things were good too!
- enjoyed a visit from my brother and his girlfriend over the Labor day weekend (they both live in Medicine Hat so we don't get to see them that often, but we're going there for Christmas!!)
- celebrated 5 years of marriage in November!
All in all, it's been a great year! As always, we give thanks to God for the many blessings He's given us and we look forward to what 2016 has in store!
Love the Letkemans!
Monday, 30 November 2015
Our Journey to Cassidy (Part 3)
December 26 arrived! We had finished out Christmas Day with John's family and woke up excited and ready to go get our girl! We had invited his family over again that evening so Cassidy could meet her other aunt and uncle and her cousins! My dad was planning to meet us over at David and Judy's to help take apart the crib. They were letting us take all the big furniture they had (crib, playpen, exersaucer) plus all her clothes and toys which was a big help! Here's another memory that is burned into my brain- as we drove up to their apartment we saw birth mom holding Cassidy at the door waiting for us. Cassidy was still in her pj's and they both waved at us. The look on birth mom's face got my tears started. She looked like she was in absolute agony. We helped her get Cassidy dressed while Dad helped David take the crib gone. Judy was out, she didn't think she could handle being there during that time. Everything was finally ready to go and it was time to say goodbye. I remember feeling so awkward and not sure how to properly handle the situation. How do you even begin to express your gratitude when someone is handing over their baby to you, no longer theirs but yours? I was at a loss. We hugged, cried and left. I remember John saying to me on the ride home that the best way we can show our thanks is by taking good care of Cassidy for her. I do that to the best of my ability every day. It's the very least I can do.
The drive home was amazing! I kept looking back and seeing a little brown head poking over the carseat. It didn't feel real that she was coming home for good! It was naptime when we got home and we all had a nice long nap. The rest of the day went great, we went for a walk and finished setting up her nursery. Family came over in the evening and all had a great time meeting Cassidy! The weeks to follow were full of introducing her to more family, our church family and friends! Her adoption didn't get completed until March 2013, a few weeks before she turned 2 due to some bumps in the road, but by God's grace she became legally ours forever! She just got home from preschool as I was in the middle of writing this and she gave me a hug and said "You're the best Mommy in the whole world!" I still feel like I don't deserve her. Every day with her is a gift and they are definitely not all easy, but I wouldn't trade any of them!
Apart from the obvious blessing- her!- Cassidy's adoption has brought about some other wonderful blessings. We have built a wonderful relationship with both sets of her birth grandparents. We love them like family, and they've both willingly and joyfully adopted Avi as their granddaughter alongside Cassidy. They have become so very dear to me and I can't imagine our lives without them in it. Sometimes I go through times where I struggle to trust in God's perfect plan, but I don't have to look any further then Cassidy and Avi's stories to remind myself how incredibly faithful and good He is! I have every reason to trust He knows what He is doing.
The drive home was amazing! I kept looking back and seeing a little brown head poking over the carseat. It didn't feel real that she was coming home for good! It was naptime when we got home and we all had a nice long nap. The rest of the day went great, we went for a walk and finished setting up her nursery. Family came over in the evening and all had a great time meeting Cassidy! The weeks to follow were full of introducing her to more family, our church family and friends! Her adoption didn't get completed until March 2013, a few weeks before she turned 2 due to some bumps in the road, but by God's grace she became legally ours forever! She just got home from preschool as I was in the middle of writing this and she gave me a hug and said "You're the best Mommy in the whole world!" I still feel like I don't deserve her. Every day with her is a gift and they are definitely not all easy, but I wouldn't trade any of them!
Apart from the obvious blessing- her!- Cassidy's adoption has brought about some other wonderful blessings. We have built a wonderful relationship with both sets of her birth grandparents. We love them like family, and they've both willingly and joyfully adopted Avi as their granddaughter alongside Cassidy. They have become so very dear to me and I can't imagine our lives without them in it. Sometimes I go through times where I struggle to trust in God's perfect plan, but I don't have to look any further then Cassidy and Avi's stories to remind myself how incredibly faithful and good He is! I have every reason to trust He knows what He is doing.
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