the best of 2017

One of my top memories from 2017 was the birth of Douvens.  Oh how this little one has rocked my world and yet I wouldn't want to change a thing because he really has brought so much laughter and sweet moments into our family!

In what seems like a blink of an eye 2017 has come to a close.  This year has been filled with so many ups and downs and yet as I look back I can't help but be thankful for all that He has blessed us with.  I am thankful to live in a community that loves and supports me and one that has shown me what it truly means to live a life of faith.  I hope that you enjoy looking through some of my favorite moments from 2017.  Wishing you a wonderful New Year!  

Douvens first Sunday to go to church!  This was a morning where the women
of the church truly loved and supported me in a way that only the Lord could orchestrate.
So thankful for a community of people who have loved my little family over the last year. 

A little one in each arm is the best way to live life!

The shocked look on Douvens face is pretty much priceless because this little one
had no clue what family he was being "blessed" with!  

It's pretty much been a year long challenge to see just how many people we can cram into
our friends car!  My kids LOVE Adam's crazy driving and getting to go on all sorts of adventures!

Just a snapshot of what life is like swimming with my crew!
The pool is for sure one of our favorite places to go and the kids have become fish!

2017 was a year of watching this little ones cheeks grow--Douvens has captured all our hearts!

So many of our "roles" and just life in general changed in 2017 and yet I'm thankful that
these are my people and that even when it doesn't make a lot of sense- I get to call them mine. 

This has been a year of starting new traditions and I know that having an Easter egg
hunt was one of the kids favorites--especially when they found out one of the eggs had
some money in it!  Love the community we get to do life with!

This is what I pray my space will continue to be- constantly filled with kiddos.  A
place where we play games and scream and yell because well everyone seems to be a tad bit
competitive.  A placed where the counter is filled with cups and the sink is always filled with dishes. 
Because even in the midst of the chaos--this is what the best of moments are made of. 

I promise you I have more than one chair in my house...it just wouldn't be nearly
as much fun if we didn't all sit together!

I do a whole lot of walking on this road with my kiddos.  We talk about
everything from math facts to some really hard stuff.  I'm thankful for this space
to process and hear from the hearts of my littles.

Over the course of this year Saina went from being a little baby to a girl!  She has
so much spunk and personality and LOVES all the new little babies!

We spend so many hours around this little table playing games, eating, and just
having fun.  So thankful for my crew!

This picture pretty much sums up so much of life.  On this day I tried to slip into the village
without the kiddos seeing me.  I wanted to visit a new mom and have a chance to talk with her about
hew new twin baby girls.  It wasn't but a few minutes when I turned around and noticed this behind me--
oh how I love each and everyone of them!

I love that visiting friends in other villages nearby is a favorite of all my kiddos.
These long walks give lots of time for all sorts of silliness on the road.

I consider myself completely blessed because I get to do life with each of these women.
These women have a faith that is lived out in both words and actions.  They inspire
me and they encourage and love me in big ways.  I'm so thankful the
Lord has placed each of them in my life.  

Douvens is a complete water baby!  He napped like this for a long time!

Saina, Mirlande, and Mirolta are three of the cutest little girls ever. 
Love that I get to hug and kiss them everyday. 

This was the more "us" Thanksgiving picture!  I just wanted to get a cute picture with the kiddos before
leaving for the Thanksgiving meal we were having with several other families...and this is what happened.
 Oh so thankful that this life is for sure not dull or boring!

Afternoons in the village are my favorite- and this pretty much sums up what life is like most days. 
There is always a fight over who sits where on my lap and everyone has a story to tell.  These kiddos
are growing up SO fast and I feel so blessed to get to be here with them!

Thankful that I got to do 2017 with these two- so much change and transition has happened and yet this girl hasn't stopped fighting or working hard towards everything in front of her.  Oh so proud of her!

All dressed up for the Christmas party!  I have SO many more pictures that are more "perfect" with the
kiddos actually looking at the camera and yet this one pretty sums up what life is like with this gang!

This is a moment I want to freeze- a moment where all my kiddos were decorating the house
and life just seemed so perfect.  These little traditions have been something we all look forward to!