Out with the Old, In with the New

The cooler breeze is flowing through my house as I sit down to write.  I have been cleaning out closets and hoping for autumn.  I go through these seasons when I feel the need to "purge" the house, and that is just what I have been feeling lately.  Out with the Old...  (The possibility of moving to a new apartment might also be incentive to cut back on "stuff.")

We have gotten back down to a slower pace of life after a long and eventful summer.  Taylor is doing pretty good.   I think that she just probably continues to feel more and more at home here.  She has a stubborn streak--but don't we all? I think she fits in pretty well.  :-)

(There are also some pictures here of Autumn's birthday party.  It was a small party.  We told her she could invite just a couple of people.  She had a blast and was super excited about her Frozen cake.)

Last week we went to see Taylor's orphanage.  Certainly she doesn't remember the place, she wasn't there but just the first couple months of her life, and then she was moved to the foster home.  The orphanage was very surprising for me.  I don't know what I expected.  I guess I expected it to be overcrowded and hectic, but it was just the opposite.  Of course there are more kids there than anyone would want there to be, but the facility was very nice and clean.  Most special was that the nannies were very sweet and you could tell that there was a genuine love for those kids.  We are so thankful for how well our little one was taken care of.  We will never know all of the circumstances of how Taylor ended up there, but we do know that God was with Taylor--always.  We know that fact from God's Word, but it is also evident in the many ways that she was cared for before she was placed in our arms.

We are enjoying a two week holiday from teaching, and it feels nice to have a break.  We have some things on the agenda, but for the most part it is pretty laid-back.  We are already preparing for our trip back to the states.  We are getting our physicals, dental check-ups, booster shots, etc.  There is a lot to do to prepare, and there will be a lot to do once we get to the states.

We are looking forward to going back.  There are some new family members that we haven't met, and there are a lot of "old" family members that we haven't seen in a while.  :-)  We can't wait for all of the hugs that we have missed these past 2.5 years.  We also might be craving....I don't know...Mexican food!  There are lots of things to stock-up on while we are back.     ....In with the New.