My First Mother's Day

Wow.  I am sure I will have great future Mother's Days in the future, but I am confident none will surpass this, my very FIRST Mother's Day!

Praising God for His precious gift of our two amazing sons!

Jeff let me sleep in, and when I opened my eyes at 8am, I saw my sweet Sami and precious husband climbing into bed with me!!!  They were bringing me my FAVORITE coffee (skinny milky way) and Mother's Day cards!  It was so dreamy to wake up to them crawling into bed with me!  Kaleab was still asleep, catching up on lost sleep from the travels, and getting himself back onto his American time clock.

We then got up and I was treated to my all-time FAVORITE donut, a maple bar (maple long john if you are from the midwest!).  I haven't had one of those in YEARS!  And it tasted just as good as I remembered!  BETTER, as I was having it with my son and hubby, as they ate their chocolate bismarks!

Kaleab slept in until 9:30am!  Boy, was he a happy boy when he awoke!  I think the zombie jet-lag feeling escaped him during his long hours of sleep!  Ha!

It was such a special treat to have our FIRST time of going to church as a family of FOUR on my first Mother's Day!  It was so FUN to introduce Sami to our friends.  He got a bit overwhelmed with so many people wanting to meet and greet him, but he angled it like a champ!  What a dream-come-true to stand their worshipping our Lord with my husband and TWO boys!!!!  A moment I will never forget!

AMAZING to think that we were paper pregnant for the last TWO Mother's Days.  The first one was exciting because we had started the adoption process.  Last years wasn't quite so exciting, in that we were still waiting to lay our eyes on our son or children!  THIS YEAR was INCREDIBLE, pondering how this time last year we had not even seen the faces of our precious boys, and this year, they are BOTH HOME!  Just days before Mother's Day!  Not a coincidence!  Not a coincidence at all!  {big smile inserted here}

Following church, we then went as a family for lunch.  Even the simple "Happy Mother's Day" from the waitstaff tickled me and made my heart leap for joy.  We then came home for a bit of family time before meeting our friends, The Pappanis' at the park.  Sami got to meet Jason, Karie and their kiddos Felix and Isabella!  It was a good time of playing tag, soccer, throwing the football (Sami has quite an arm and quite accurate aim!), and Kaleab's highlight was the baby swing.  He thought he could climb up the slide and was quite dissatisfied with my decision that he could not!  {smile}

All in all, a very sweet day!

My heart is filled to overflowing!  Still pinching myself because I have yet to grasp that THIS is MY LIFE!!!  That God chose ME to mother these sweet boys!  Their hearts are so pure and filled with such joy, and I get the privilege of raising them!  

THANK YOU, LORD!  You knew all along of this, Your most wonderful plan.  I still feel bad for kicking and screaming when things in our journey to parenthood did not go my way (fertility issues, timing of things in the adoption).  I will never forget your faithfulness!  Your desire to bless me beyond my wildest imagination!  Our sons will forever remind me that Your plan is GOOD!  Even when I cannot see you at work on my behalf!

I pray daily that God will equip me (and Jeff) to love, nurture, protect and provide for these two amazing souls, in a way that is second only to our Heavenly Father.  He brought us to the boys, and He brought the boys to us.  I know with confidence that He will guide us in how to raise Sami and Kaleab to know Christ, love Him and love others as Christ first loved us!  

Still basking in God's glory today.........