Happy Thanksgiving!

You might be asking, Kim, what are you thankful for this year? And if you do, you obviously don't read my blog!!! We have so much to be thankful for this year. I wish we celebrated Thanksgiving more because seriously, we should be always showing this much gratitude. God is so good and I am so thankful to be His child. Today I have much to be thankful for....

A great God who loves me no matter what. He has adopted me, a ridiculous sinner, and loves me as His own. He has led me through my life on paths which I never wanted to be on but now look back on with joy. He brought people into my life who would minister to my soul and has shown me what true, unconditional love looks like. I don't deserve to call him Father but He allows me to, and even longs to hear me call out for Him.

My husband. Sometimes I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for Mike. After 8 years together we still really like to be with each other and have fun. We have had a rough few years but have been blessed to have a marriage strengthened through it all. He is so hard working and provides for our family in ways I don't even understand (and that totally stress me out!) Watching him lead our family is a joy and privilege that I am glad no one else gets to see! I'm so blessed to be his wife and friend. God is so good to us!

Our daughter Emsley is the richest most beautiful blessing we have had this year (or in many years). She came to us when we thought we might not be parents after all. But not she is here and has made our lives complete. I am so thankful for all her laughs, smiles, messy diapers, but especially the joy she brings to our home. She is so amazing.

Family is always something we are thankful for. Our parents raised us, loved us, and then allowed us to grow into the adults we are. Our siblings challenged us, played with us, and became then became our friends. I'm so thankful for family's who love us and now love Emsley so much.

We probably have the most amazing small group and church ever. We have grown in our faith so much that it is amazing to think back just a few years ago. They have all walked though some tough times with us and been there to have the faith and hope we were lacking. They too love Emsley and have embraced her and her adoption story as a part of their lives.

Lastly, we are thankful for Miss Amy and for adoption. I know that Emsley is ours and I don't see her as anything but that, but I know that she has a greater story than just being our child. She was loved so much by Miss Amy that she made an adoption plan for her so she could come home to us. Her birthmom is so loving and selfless and has become someone so dear to our hearts and we love knowing she will be in our lives for a very long time. We are so thankful for her and what she did for us.

So yes, I have SOOOO much to be thankful for. This year has been so much fun looking back on everything God has given us. But now we look forward to see how this next year will look and how He will continue to grow, bless, and challenge us.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Thankful Tree

Some good friends of ours posted pictures on their family blog about a Thankful Tree. Their kids are a 5 and 6 so the idea is received to their girls WAY more than Emsley but we wanted to start the tradition sooner rather than later. We want Emsley to know that Thanksgiving isn't just about going to someone's house and eating turkey and pumpkin pie, or about pilgrims and indians but that it is really about remembering the blessings God has given us in the last year. Although we should be thankful everyday, this is a special time of year to do that. This year...we have so much to be thankful for. So here is a couple of pictures of our very own thankful tree.

It has been such a fun and special reminder of all God has given and blessed us with. This year, being parents pretty much tops our hearts but God has given us great family and friends, an amazing church, a loving marriage, and even rainy days like today. I'm so glad for our friends who, without even realizing it, helped us start a wonderful tradition for our family. One where it's about being thankful...not just full! =)

7 months old

Today our little Emsley is 7 months old. Every month just gets better and better. We fall more in love with her, with each other, and more in love with God who has blessed us with Emsley as our daughter. This month her personality is blossoming. She is babbling like crazy and just loves to stand, not sit or crawl. I think she is just gonna decide to stand up one day and walk around the house. And all I know is she will be the cutest little walker ever. Many say that life will get crazy once she walks and give me a "just wait" but honestly, we can't wait. We love this little girl and each step she takes is amazing and we sometimes we can't believe we finally have a daughter!

Here are some stats as she turns 7 months:

-Weighs approximately 23 lbs (no Dr's appt for a couple more months)
-Is approximately 28 inches now
-Is in size 3 diapers still but we will be moving to size 4 next time we buy diapers
-Wears 9 month clothes but we are going to buy her 12 month very, very soon (this girl is tall!)
-Eats 3 meals a day of baby food and loves everything!
-Still has 5 small bottles a day of formula
-Sleeping is the same, through the night!
-Bathtime just keeps getting better. She now LOVES to splash and it is a joy to watch
-Like I said, she loves to stand but is good just sitting and playing with toys, for a bit!
-Isn't a fan of tummy time, she will crawl when she is ready
-Loves to drink juice and water from her sippy cup (her favorite is white grape juice)
-Is the friendliest (& cutest) baby ever
-We are pretty sure she is gonna cut a tooth in the next couple weeks (we see white on her gums)
***Update: Emsley cut her first tooth on Saturday, November 19th
-Just this last weekend she learned to wave and it is the cutest thing ever
-Said mama and now says it constantly...we are pretty sure she knows its me when she says it!

All in all, we are loving being parents and have no complaints...then again, it's hard to complain when God has blessed us so much that joy is constantly flowing in our hearts!