Thankful: November 4

Where do I begin about Ellie and how thankful our entire family is for her. We prayed for this child and God has given us what we asked of Him. And while this little one didn't grow in my tummy, I spent four years "laboring" to bring her home to her family. I travelled across the globe twice and fought a system that was certainly invasive, expensive and fraught with difficulty to get her here. And I would do it all over again.

For years we knew that we wanted another child, and then God gave us Hannah for a few days and confirmed for us that we wanted a girl in our family. We thought she would come domestically, then we thought she was in China, Vietnam, Taiwan and then finally we found her in Kyrgyzstan.

She has been the reason that I learned what waiting for God's blessings truly feels like. She is how I have learned that God will bless you in bigger ways than you can ever believe or ask for. She has strengthened my faith in the God I serve.

She is a beautiful little girl who is so full of life. Every day she makes us laugh and smile and sometimes I find myself just watching her going about her day with such fascination in everything. She never meets a stranger and is such a social little girl. I know our life with her will be filled with people and fun.

She is also a cyclone -- taking apart a room in mere seconds; a tornado, throwing a full-fledge "hissy fit" complete with screaming and thrashing around; she is a breath of fresh air who has just begun to give kisses and hugs on request.

God's blessings are good. She is such a blessing to me and our family. I can't wait to watch her life and see how God uses her life to further His kingdom.

Thank you God for this sweet, sweet girl.