Update on the girls

Hi everyone! In the midst of me doing my own 40 day challenge to journal God's love going deep in my heart, it occurred to me that it's been a while since I've updated on the girls. Both girls are doing really well. Lily completed the "Eel" swimming class at the rec center and will be ready for the next level in swimming. She's really come a long way in getting more comfortable in the water. She's still using a swim belt but has been holding her breath under water and jumping into the water, which is huge for her. We've got her signed up for a soccer class which will start the end of August, that she's really excited about. We've been trying to slowly introduce her to different sports and activities over the last year (only 1 at a time) to see what kinds of things she would enjoy doing. Last year it was swimming, gymnastics and ballet. This year we're trying soccer. She starts school 8/9 already and will do 1 more year of preschool. She's been really starting to show more of an interest in Jesus and has started asking more questions about God both at home and at church. We've been thrilled with the children's ministry at our church and have been excited to see her begin to grow more in her faith. She still has moments of grieving over her birth mom and we continue to support that process as we know what it's like to lose a loved one and have God bring healing from that loss. People always focus on the good parts of adoption but often skip over the tough stuff - like the grieving & loss that is very much a part of adoption. We have found, through the loss of our baby via miscarriage that grieving that loss was not only healthy and brought us healing and closure but it also brought us to a place of being open to God's plan for our lives. We never would have adopted if we wouldn't have grieved that loss. Thank God for His healing and His plan for our lives because now we have 2 of the most amazing little girls! We pray for that same healing for Lily and trust God to make all things new and bring good out of the loss.

As for Jasmine, she's walking more and more! She's still pretty tiny, so it's a trip to see her stumble around on those bitty legs. I'll try and get some footage to post soon. She, like the rest of our family, LOVES music and is fascinated w/the touch/feel books we have. She is curious about everything and so we've had to make sure that everything is as baby-proofed as possible. She is either ridiculously cute when she smiles and laughs or crazy annoying when she whines so we might just have another feeler in the family. Poor Jim! 3 feelers! She's started to say "Up", "Ball", "Dog", "hi", "Bye" along w/ "mama" and "dada". She still shrieks alot but it seems to be decreasing as she's learned some words so perhaps that's been her communication up 'til now. She also loves the water in the pool and has a fantastic time splashing. She's starting to do a little kicking as well when Jim or I take her in the deeper water.

This summer hasn't been as fun as last summer but we've still been able to get to the pool as a family and do a few things here and there. We're continuing to wait and see what happens w/Jim's job and will hopefully know more in the next several weeks. Either way, we're trusting God to take care of us and lead us to where He wants us. We're still incredibly thankful for our church and how God has used them in our lives. It's hard to believe that almost a year ago, our lives were turned upside down but God has been SO GOOD! He provided for our adoption through so many of you and has brought us so much healing and overwhelmed us with His love that we are often in tears. God is so good and we are so incredibly thankful for all that He has done for us and in us in this last year especially. I wouldn't trade this last year in for anything! Thank you for walking with us and we can't wait to see what God has in store for us next!