Mother of the Year, I am NOT.....

Wow. As I sit down to write this... I hope I can remember everything that has gone on the past six (yikes) months. It is currently September 19th. However, I am going to back up to April... and fill you in on what's been going on. I am so excited that I have finally found my lost memory stick. I was sure that I had lost it forever... and it had pictures from all kinds of significant events - one of which is Sara's 1 year anniversary of her Forever Family Day!

I honestly can not believe that it has been a year since Sara joined our family forever... but it was April Fools Day of 2008... and here we are a year later! In many ways - we can't remember life "before Sara"...

For her special day - Sara wanted to go to Build a Bear. We had gotten certificates from Dolly, Unlce Chad, Austin and Bryson for Christmas... and we had set those aside. I had totally forgotten about them... but Sara doesn't forget much of anything. So she asked to do that for her special day. We went to Fayette Mall and had Chick-Fil-A for lunch... and then set out for Build A Bear to pick out the "animals".

Sara has done really well this past year. She has learned to read and write, as well as speak English quite well. She loves Math - and drawing is still a passion for her. She is happy and easy going - and while I think to a certain degree she still keeps a little bit of a wall up with her brother and sisters... she is learning more and more to open up and trust them to not "hurt" her. It has been a very big year, full of many transitions, and she has weathered them well.

She is still as sweet as ever. She loves to experience new things and has not turned her nose up at a single thing that I have tried to feed her - EVER. She is really very easy to get along with (unless you sleep with her and try to steal the covers....ha ha). She has been a blessing and a challenge all at the same time. I knew that there would be issues with bringing home and older child - but honestly I can say that God really helped prepare her heart so well. She has had a few issues with opening up and trusting us... and yet she feels safe enough with us that she will put on her happy face for other people but let us know at home when she is unhappy about something. I have seen so much growth with her even in the past month. She is maturing more and more each day.

So many people have shared stories with me of the many scary things that can come along with adopting an older child. I have to say - that while it has certainly been challenging... the blessings far exceed anything that I could ever have imagined. Each "first" for Sara is so much more significant... and to watch the wonder that she experiences is so humbling. Just thinking of the many things that she has probably seen in her short lifetime - wondering what she really thinks of her life here.

We are so thankful that God has allowed us to be the Forever Family for Sweet Sara! She is such a special girl!!