Where are we now?

I cannot believe that it is already about to be September. This year has really flown by. I guess that is what happens when life is crazy busy.
Lets just start off by saying that GOD IS SO GOOD!
Everything with Ali is moving forward and we couldn't be any more excited. All the paperwork has been filed and we are just wiating for a court date. Both biological parents have relinquished rights to us. If all goes as planned everything should be final by Dec - YEAH!! She seems to be adjusting really well. We started out as Samantha's Mommy and daddy, then The mom and The dad, from there we became Todd and Jennifer and then daddy Todd and Mommy Jennifer. Somewhere in the course of the past week we have become just plain mommy and daddy. Kind of just melts your heart a little. While we are still working on the eating thing it is slowly getting better, she is starting to gain some weight and has actually had a little growth spurt. She and Sam started out the same height and now she is almost a whole inch taller.
Next week both girls will be starting school. Ali is really thrilled. She hasn't ever been in school before and this will be her first chance to really interact with kids her own age. I have to say that I am definitely ready for a small break when they start:))
Running errands with the two of them is quite hectic. I said the other day, "you girls are killing me!" - Ali said, "Mommy why do you keep saying you are killing me? Who is killing you?"
Monday night we went over to Jackie's house for Pizza and swimming. Todd had gone to the baseball game with Tony. While we were walking to Jackie's, Ali said - " Mommy we should call daddy because he might wonder where the hell we went!" I said excuse me? and she repeated it. I told her that was not a very nice word, and she said OH! I wasn't quite ready for this stage of life. :)
I feel like our lives have just be fast forward 1 year into the future!

Another BIG praise is that Todd will be starting his new job at HP on Monday. After a gruling summer serach, God blessed us at just the right time. In the midst of it we don't really understand why things happen the way they do. In hindsight we can truly see Gods hand in all of it. While losing his job was very stressful, it turned out to be a big blessing in disguise. He was able to be home this summer and help out a lot with BounceU. This gave me a much needed break. Most importantly, he was able to be home when Ali joined our family. It has really helped the bonding process for our family. The new job is better than the old one, so in the end - God really knew what He was doing. If we can learn anything from all of this - FAITH!
No matter how bad it all seems, God is always in control. We just have to trust in Him and He will always provide.

This summer at BounceU was great. While we are still not where we need to be, every month continues to get better. God certainly blessed us this summer in so many ways!

All that being said, I am really looking forward to what is next! The girls start school next week, and I am going to be doing a new Bible Study this fall - The Amazing Collection. I am really excited to go through the Bible book by book. I am equally excited that the girls will be working their way through the Bible as well. It is a big committment, but I know it is an important one to make. The girls are also going to take a tumbling class through the city of Schase. Got to love the small town Parks and Rec classes - $35 - Score!!
I feel like since we opened BounceU, I feel like our lives have been total madness. Too many irons in the fire and I just feel like I have not been doing a good job at any of it. My goal for the remainder of this year is to declutter and take some of the madness out of our family. I'll let you know how that goes:)

Thanks so much for all your prayers. We truly appreciate them. While we still have a long road ahead, we know that everything will work out in the end!