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I wrote this devotional for another project and decided to post it here. (Breaking out of my often shallow posting!!)

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6

Our toddler son will from time to time will say, “I home.” That may not seem particularly interesting except for the fact that he has only arrived “home” a few months ago. My husband and I traveled to China and brought him home to be part of our family. Some have said “He doesn’t know how blessed he is.” But even at two years of age, he does truly seem to understand and appreciate his new forever family. When he says, “I home,” he will say it in a contented tone of voice. Of course, those words frequently bring tears to my eyes when I think of the things our son already has experienced. Not only was Bennett blessed by a home, my husband and I are also blessed by the joy that he brings.

I am so grateful for our forever family God provides for us as believers. Sometimes I watch people in the world and wonder how they do it without the security God provides for his children. I too need to express thankfulness to the Lord for caring for me!

Lord, today may we count our many blessings including our eternal home with you. Thank you for embracing us with your tender care. Amen

Six Months!!

Bennett has been home 6 months already! He now speaks many words, not just understands them. He will now eat mac n cheese. Mommy is thrilled! He is beginning to pedal his toys, not just speed along with his feet. He is heavier to carry than he used to be! The Thomas the Tank Engine sheets went on the single bed this week...helping him identify it as his own bed which he naps in. His prayers sound like this: "Mumble, mumble, mumble. Amen!" Our trip to China seems like such a long time ago!

We thank God for the tremendous growth we've seen. And thank you for all of your prayers and support for our family. We are so blessed!

Beach

Bennett loved our trip to Long Beach Island.

Carrying Ben up all 276 stairs at the lighthouse was Daddy's accomplishment!

Having Daddy around all day was a great start to his weekend!

Ben loved the sand but maybe next year he'll be up for swimming in the waves!


We had perfect 81 degree weather!

Ben surprised us by wanting to go by himself on this rather noisy ride.
We look forward to next year's trip to the beach! time flies so fast!

Boys will be boys

Who can resist some good, sandy mud?

And water handy to splash it up?
Who needs a boat with all of those options, anyways!!

Summer fun

Bennett is learning to enjoy more and more things in the pool. Of course, Grandpa and Grandma Sauder help. Cousins Maddie and Bailey teach him new tricks, too.

Smile!

It's fairly easy to get Bennett to smile! So, when it came to picture taking time, I wasn't too worried about the out come. But it was fun to see how nice the photos look in his traditional Chinese outfit!

Where ever we go: grocery store, Post office, Social Security Office, through our neighborhood, it's interesting how many smiles Bennett gathers! And it's mainly because he hands out smiles and little waves so freely. Hey - it costs nothing to smile! Let's ALL learn from him.

Great day!

We had a great day - Dutch Wonderland sandwiched around a visit to the Cleft Palate Clinic in Lancaster. Bennett did better than we expected with all the attention. The team of several different specialists were wonderful. We will get a final report after the team meets but we got a lot of positive feedback. His cleft lip surgery, done at 6 months of age in China, was good quality care. Different individuals commented about how beautifully done his surgery was. I have to admit, I didn't think about it before how nice his lip really does look. I keep seeing the scar on his upper lip. He will need a bit more surgery at around age 6 and 16. He passed the hearing test in flying colors and the speech therapist is pleased with his progress. We will have at least annual visits to the clinic to stay abreast with Ben's growth and needs through the years. (Ben did not have a cleft palate.) We are so blessed to have this incredible resource in our back yard!

We really did have some family fun at the park! Ben made the choice to go on the merry-go-round and loved it!

A big slide for a big boy and a little boy.

This is the first ride Ben made up his mind that he could go on by himself. He passed it up once but went on the second time around.

What's that song about the watercolor ponies riding away? Bennett really is growing up! It makes me want to hang on to his cute toddler ways!