Thankful Thursday

 Our Hope a few days after we picked her up:)  Doesn't she look entirely different?

 Our first Mother's Day with Hope in the family:)

Everything with a little bit of sass and a WHOLE lot of gusto!

I am so very thankful the Lord saw fit to bless our family with our Hope Jubilee!  And yes, she does know how to celebrate life:)  When I look back at our journey to Hope, wow... it wasn't an easy road.  I highly doubt ANY adoption is.  I remember early on someone telling us, "Adoption is not for the faint of heart!"  I would totally agree.  But I would add a resounding... "IT IS SO WORTH IT!  God's heart is for the orphan... GO FOR IT!:)"

I sort of had to laugh a little the other day when someone commented on my blog after I posted about Levi's embryo adoption and and how it was a little bonus blessing that he looks like us.  (This anonymous person took offense on Hope's behalf since she obviously doesn't bear resemblence to us in some certain ways:)  The reason it almost made me smile is because each of our children have their own little bonus blessings that go right along with them specifically... And Hope's BEAUTIFUL velvety dark skin is one of those bonuses to us.   We think it is amazingly beautiful and we love it! (If that person knew me they would know with out a doubt that we don't care who looks like us or doesn't... we know each one was hand picked by the Lord for us... and for that we are SO SO VERY GRATEFUL!)

The first foster child my parents ever had was a little biracial boy... sweet skin just like Hope's... I had a dark baby doll when I was little.  When we were at the seminary, I specifically picked out a dark doll for my Anna.  Truth be told, she didn't even notice the color of the doll's skin on Christmas morning:)  

Anyways, sorry for the tangent:)  Hope is so incredibly loving and affectionate.  It is pretty dog gone amazing.  We love that even though she knows that she has a birth mom and we pray for her by name, she still really knows no different than that she is a Hintz, and she is ours!  

She is silly, determined, smart, and honestly... at times, the most challenging kid to date

  to raise:):)  Caleb would totally be a contender at her age in the strong willed department... But she has him hands down in the busyness and curiousity department:)  So put that all together and we ALWAYS have to be on our toes with her.  I know that someday God is going to use that determination, independance, constant motion for HIS glory.  I can't wait to see it!

 What a gift she is!