Our first year as parents

  Well, it is hard to believe it is August already. It is also hard to believe that our precious girl Patricia has been with us over a year now (she's adopted for those of you just tuning in now).  

Of all the growing that has happened around our house, I can honestly say it is Ryan and I who have grown the most!  Yesterday we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary and had a lovely evening out on the town together.  I am still married to my best friend, not to mention one of the best men I have ever known.  Looking at his handsome self over the rim on my beer last night I couldn't help but be amazed by the blessings we have experienced in this year gone by.

Living in the land of Toddlerdom is truly the craziest adventure I have ever experienced! I say so in part because it is wild for everyone who has ever visited, and in part becuase we have a unique and exceptional child
capable of levels of chaos I never knew existed.  I like to think of myself as resilient, positive and capable.  I can now say with confidence that these 
things are true, but I have seen myself stretched further in these areas than I could have ever imagined.

Our Tricia is not challenging because she is adopted (though learning about attachment and trauma have been a big learning curve as well).  She is challenging because she is herself, full of adventure and very little fear. She is smart, beautiful, strong willed, determined, focused and for whatever reason absolutely refuses to learn the alphabet. Which is just fine with me as I have far more important things on my mind for her to be learning and she probably already knows it anyways.

All of this to say, we are blessed, and fortunately for me what I lack in patience and grace for the task I have been blessed with is more than made up for when I ask for help.  My heavenly Father has grace sufficient for this life of mine and I have been struck by just how crucial it is that I become what I want to teach my daughter. If I want her to be kind and gentle, I must be those things first. If I want her to be slow to anger and learn patience then I must do so also. Otherwise where will she learn these things? My job is big but I can't think of a better adventure or a more amazing way to spend my energy.  Now we just need to pray for a sibling for her, the girl needs one big time :)

Here are a couple fun videos of little T this past week....

Parent's note: The toad lived, I checked to see as I get very nervous about these things.

Parent's Note: In case you missed it, she did declare some strange things, including something about God being her daughter. Everyone is her daughter lately and she is pregnant at least every other day, so fear not, we'll get it straightened out eventually :)

More recipes coming soon... also I've been working on some homemade cleaning products I'm pretty stoked about so I'll try to get back on here soon!