My favorite house.....

Mark , Nick and I were playing one of our bordom buster games as we ran errands yesterday. "My favorite things" as we have dubbed it. We started out with the usuals, what is your favorite color, animal, food. Then we tossed in a new one, what is your favorite house, as we were commenting on all of the big, pretty and very expensive new houses in our city. We did not elaborate on the fact that we assumed this meant a favorite physical dwelling. Nick chimed in first that our house we live in right now is his favorite and began to describe why. To our delight, he began to describe what we call our "home" and the relationships and love that are contained within the physical dwelling of our "house". It reminded me again of how insignificant the size or location of a family's house is and filled me with true gratitude for all of the blessings God continues to give us.

It has been almost a year since Mark and I traveled to Ukraine to grow our family with three more wonderful sons. The past several months have stretched our emotional, physical and spiritual lives far beyond what we imagined. The many challenges have brought us true joy as we rely on our Lord to provide for the family He has given us. Immediatly upon returning from Ukraine, Mark lost his job and we faced several months of unemployment. But God is forever faithful and in His Divine timing, provided for all of our needs.

All of our sons are bonding well and forming a true brotherhood. Many days there are the usual sibling spats, but at the end of the day they all defend and encourage each other without fail. Christopher has likely changed the most and has gained 20 pounds in nine months. We are encouraged that he will walk one day as he is taking steps with assistance. Chris is also learing how to utilize a simple communications device to express himself. We are so proud of all of our boys for including their exceptional little brother in their activities and for always offering to lend a hand to mom.

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