The day we became a family

This is the date on which we became a family, and we celebrate every year.  Sometimes it takes a while to actually get the celebration in, but we never fail to acknowledge this day.  It is THE most important date in our family's lives.

The years have flown by faster than I ever imagined, even though everyone warned me they would.  I vividly remember Catherine's last day of preschool, and how I couldn't imagine facing Thomas's last day...it was two whole years away.  And his last day came and went nearly eleven years ago.  Oh my goodness.

We really have amazing kids.  We are very proud of Robert's decision to join the Navy and to serve our country.  He is a productive, tax-paying member of society, and is doing what he wants to be doing.  I am grateful for that.

Catherine is a fabulous young lady, although we are seeing that "I-am-old-enough-to-be-on-my-own-and-you-can't-tell-me-what-to-do" attitude.  I am a firm believer that God provides that attitude in our lives to make it a little easier when the time comes for them to actually be on their own.  She has her best friend Austin, and isn't really interested in other friends if drama is involved.  She loves her books, and more than anything in the world loves her pets.

Thomas is my sweet and sensitive kiddo.  He is somewhat immature for a sixteen-year-old, but there are days when he seems so grown-up, and we get a glimpse into that side of him.  He loves taking things apart and putting things together, and he loves anything involving his Dad.  He struggles with school, but has come so very far in the last year in terms of being organized and handling things.  We are so proud of him for that growth.

Many days I feel like the luckiest person in the world that I get to be the parent.  Last week, when things were so rough for Thomas and we were learning about how tough things had been that we didn't know about, Andrew actually cried.  We love our kids so much, and it is the worst feeling to see them hurting in any way.  We know we can't fix everything for them, but oh goodness, it hurts to watch them hurt.  We are more blessed that I can put into words!