Averie and Thanksgiving

We have been a very busy family lately. My baby girl turned 8 on November 20! Where do the years go? We had 2 parties this year, a friend party and a family party! I am thankful for this little girl. She has always been amazing and I could not be more proud of her. Bryan and I are so very lucky to have her and Cole has definately won the big sister lottery. We can't wait to watch her with our baby from Ethiopia. Her heart is growing more each and every day for that baby and just orphans in general. God has big plans for Averie Grace!! She really is the heartbeat of our family.

We had a great Thanksgiving. Different than any other Thanksgiving but better. Different is hard to explain. Between Thanksgiving with my family and Bryan's - we ate well. As I was so full my stomach hurt, the children that haven't ever been full in their lives were on my heart. Our stomachs protruded from turkey, dressing, macaroni and cheese, broccoli and rice, sweet potatoe casserole, and all kinds of desserts - there are children in Afica with protruding stomachs because they are starving to death. As I got to enjoy ALL of our family and spend lots of time with my kids, I was acutely aware that there are children who don't know the love of a mother and father much less can fathom who their aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents even are because they have all died from a preventable disease very young.

As I sit and pondered on all of my blessings this year it was different as well. I never even considered the new home we have built, or the vacation we took a month ago. I was so very thankful for this change. The change in my heart that causes me to be thankful and prayerful so much that I want to make a difference. A difference to people like me who just didn't know. So thankful that God layed a sweet innocent and helpless child on the heart of my family to adopt but MORE THANKFUL than anything that we were and are obediant. We ALL have so much to be thankful for.