Hello, Spring

We've emerged!  Spring is here, the sun is shining, and my little girl can hardly wait to get outside.  It's time for those after dinner walks, where you barely make it around the block, as you stop to chat with everyone else who has emerged from the winter.  The first spring runs outside, pumping up all the yard equipment and bikes, running to a friend's house to play, wanting to be outside until dusk settles.
I love the sun, it's warmth, the heat. 
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One year ago....

A year ago, we packed our bags, said goodbye to our kids, and traveled across the ocean to meet Sarah.  I look back at what a year we've had.  She is as spunky as ever and more independent, and definitely a risk-taker.  She has yet to master the concept that she doesn't float when the life jacket is taken off.

She will sit and watch a performance at school, lift her hands in a wave, and laugh when she sees Addy or Austin up on stage. 

Taking a picture of her sister during the program.

I laugh as I'm now Sarah's mama to everyone we see.  At school, "Sarah, your mama's here."  Dropping the kids off at their parties, and the kids and their mamas' ask, "Where's Sarah?"  She's known and recognized in our circles.  She is loved and I marvel at the gift we received the moment she came home.  Whenever she passes a milestone, learns something new, or will find her Easter basket tomorrow that matches her siblings, I count my blessings, my half-full glass.

While we were in Florida, she was a rock star.  The neighbors in the pool, those passing by, could hardly wait until Sarah joined them.  Even those we see one week every year, she mesmerizes in her cute factor way.  My parents loved watching her take to the water in a few short days, and they, also, see the blessings she has bestowed on our family.  "She will never know how truly blessed she is," was a remark spoken in the pool. 

But, it's the other way around.  We are the ones who are truly honored, blessed, and been given a gift like no other.  I can't look back at the 3 1/2 years she was alone.  All we do is look forward to where she is going, what she will do, and how she will make a difference in this world.
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Friday, I learned the book I had been waiting was in stores.  At Target, I pushed my cart to the book aisle, there it was...the very last copy in the store.  It was mine and I held onto that precious book all the way home.

I remember two years ago as I was learning more about orphans with Down syndrome, I stumbled upon Kelle Hampton's blog and I remember reading into the wee hours of the morning, crying tears of joy as she wrote with raw emotion the morning of her daughter's birth.  Since then, she has become an advocate for the NDSS, sharing her story through her words and pictures, and showing us all that life is beautiful.  I recommend it for anyone.  The glass if always half-full.

Have a blessed weekend.
Shelly