The Present

Yesterday was history

Tomorrow is a mystery

But today is a gift...

That's why they call it the PRESENT!

Yesterday we began another "stage" in our family. We filed papers with the court to become guardians of a 7 year old little girl. She's here! I picked her up from school yesterday and so began the next stage of our journey. I've been journaling the story and as soon as I catch it up I will post it, but it began in December for us and in the past two weeks has increased to amazing proportions. While we were in Maui, God moved in big ways in our hearts and we were convinced that He wanted us to continue to pursue her. So this week we have tried our best to listen to His voice and do what we feel like the next step is (and having never done this, it has to be HIM having us do this because we haven't a clue what to do!). Yesterday was the culmination of that part of the story and the beginning of a whole new one. Getting to know a little one that God has given us a love for like we've never known. We don't know her, really, we know...but He does. Oh, how I trust Him!
So far, I've learned that she:

• loves Tinkerbell
• doesn't know how to blow her nose
• has a very creative imagination and is content to sit on the floor and play with the Peter Pan pirate ship and figures for hours (we've only got boy things here right now!)
• doesn't like bright sun in her eyes :) 
• likes pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms
• HATES to take medicine
• doesn't have any clothes or shoes that truly fit her(I'm working on that!)
• loves to be read to
• Watches TV standing 2" from the screen
• Thinks a bandaid on her chapped lips is a good idea :) 
• Says, "Can I tell you something?" Then proceeds to spill her deep thoughts
• Uses hers/she interchangeably..."Hers is going to be in she's class"
• Responds well to structure
• Is "a little freak-ily chicken scaredy" about being in a room when the setting sun is leaving her in the dark.
• Is mesmerized by Evan's motorized marble run and will watch for a really long time--longer than anyone else here would! :) 
• Has never been to the public library
• Has never been to the YMCA
• Has never been bowling--and she thinks it would be too hard for her and hurt her
• Is happiest when she's visiting her mama, saying, "Mama, I really love you. Mama, I really love you." 
• Is not afraid to come to us at 4:00 a.m. with a problem. And that she REALLY hates taking medicine.
• Is still sleeping at 9:45 a.m.! (The boys have been up since 7!)

I'm sure that God is going to continue to reveal Himself to us in the coming days and that we are in for one big adventure--but for now, I'm enjoying getting to know her! Afterall, it is the PRESENT!