Home sweet home!

One movie theater size box of Hot Tamales, one king-size package of all red Starbursts, 3...yeah 3 king size Strawberry Tangy Taffys, 2 packages (1,000,000) sunflower seeds, french fries, onion rings, burger, chicken sandwich, 2 Diet Cokes, 4 waters = 21 hours in the car! I love traveling, love driving...I just cannot be a truck driver because I would be humungous! I drive, therefore I eat...and eat...then eat some more. Why does my mouth always have to be moving??? If I'm not talking, I'm eating...one of the breakthroughs I realized on our drive home.

Our vacation was perfect...almost perfect. We did have one pretty serious episode with one of our children in which our loving, embracing God intervened and rescued this child. I want to protect the privacy of my children, especially when one of them mentions, "you aren't putting this on the blog, are you?", but I also want the world to know that God is still performing miracles, He is still healing, He is still rescuing, and He still desires our lives are good and abundant. We had a brush with death this past week--it still leaves me shivering and full of tears as I even think of what I could be doing today...YET GOD RESCUED MY CHILD! I praise Him! I cannot get this picture out of my mind...He has yet left another fingerprint on our family...we have witnessed Him so lovingly and so mightily once again. I have NO DOUBT in my mind...I have evidence that is proclaiming His goodness. How I want to share the details...but cannot.

We celebrated Derek's 17th birthday on the 18th...what a beautiful journey this young man is taking us on. He is a joy!! A complete joy!! I know...we all think our kids are the greatest (but mine really is), we all see their potential, their gifts. Since it's his birthday and all, I feel quite OK bragging on him a bit. He is loving and kind, smart and creative. He has such a gentleness to him, yet a competetive spirit that will ensure success. Mostly, he is following hard after Jesus, which is not always an easy task in this world. We are so proud of the choices he makes and look forward to watching what he is going to do with the rest of his life--we know he can do whatever he desires because the ONE in whom Derek places his trust in is the giver of Derek's desires. Psalm 37:4 I love March 18 because it is the day Curtis and I entered into this life of parenthood!!

Selah is thrilled to be home...completely thrilled. When she first noticed we were pulling into our neighborhood, she howled LOUDLY! When we ask her what her favorite part of Florida was, she replies, "being with my whole family". That's all she has wanted...a family...that's it. Her dream has come true and she cannot understand why we would leave home to go anywhere else--she is living her dream. What fun to be a part of something so incredible. I so wish anyone considering adoption, especially adoption of an older child, to hear this little girl's prayers. It goes like this...
"Dear God, thank you for family. Thank you for my whole family, Mommy, Daddy, Derek, Connor, Breuklyn, Selah, Gracie, Molly, Kota, Red, the barn cats. Thank you, God, for making Gracie's owies better. Thank you for meat, thank you for jumping on the trampoline, thank you for Daddy giving piggy back rides, thank you for Mrs, Boggess and Mrs. Henniger, thank you, God for church, for friends. I no like the wind. It scare me. Gracie really naughty. She scream, she throw things, she messy." It really goes on and on and lists everything we do all day long...then she peeks to see if Curtis and I have our eyes closed and says "Amen.". Tonight, I had to bury my face in the mattress because I was laughing out loud when she started tattling on Gracie to God. I know it must bring Him great joy to hear her sweet prayers. Maybe He'll work on Gracie's behavior???

Gracie is seriously 20 pounds of complete cuteness! We are just eating her up...it could explain the behaviors! She cannot speak, but totally makes up for it in expression. The faces this child makes are so stinkin' cute!!

I don't think any of the kids are quite ready to go back to school. We would've all loved to stay in Florida for a couple more weeks...Curtis said that is not an option...bummer. I am really excited for Derek's first track meet on Tuesday--how fun! Tomorrow Breuklyn and I have a little date with our friends from horseback--we can't wait. Connor has been out golfing twice since we arrived home yesterday--I'm pretty sure that's where we'll find him every day after school. Life is good.

Love,
Gayle