Video of Tessa

Most of my blog posts revolved around Tessa these days, but she's just so darn cute and we are amazed at her progress. I promise I do love my other kids too. :-)

Tessa loves to show off her little arm and when we say, "Where's your arm?!", she loves to pull it out of her shirt. I was trying to get a video of her doing that but she had other ideas and the video is cute nonetheless.

We have been working with Tessa to get her moving and she has finally started scooting around on her back. She just figured out her own way to move by pivoting her head and bottom across the floor. It takes it quite a while to get somewhere, and she usually moves in circles. But she loves it! The progression (hopefully) will be more scooting, then rolling, then maybe crawling, and then eventually getting around while upright using her hand and torso to pivot around.

Easter

Easter is my favorite celebration of the year. I love taking the season of Lent to reflect on the radical salvation and redemption we have in Jesus. This year was especially meaningful as we have experienced so much rich life in the past couple of months with our time in Ethiopia, meeting Elias' birth family (which I still need to blog about but it was so incredible and sacred that I just can't put words to it yet) and of course bring home our miracle daughter Tessa.

The transition to three children and the challenges of adoption have squeezed me a lot. And on many days the result has been pathetic- I'm tired, too controlling, easily frustrated and feeling defeated in my failures of the day. So this year Lent and Easter came at the perfect time for me to experience the power of the gospel right in the midst of my low estate.

These truths:

God is continually working in me and will complete the work He started. (Philippians 1:6) It's not up to me!

It is God who works in me to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. (Philippians 2:13) I don't have to try so hard- God will do it!

Because of Jesus, I am radically accepted and loved by God. There is nothing I can add to this to make life any better- no self-improvement, good behavior, or performance (being a good mom, wife, friend and getting the laundry done and a clean house and serving others and and and) is necessary for me to experience the deep acceptance I long for. I am free and loved! 

have been renewed for me and I am so deeply thankful!

So, all that to say.... Easter was a HUGE celebration for us as our hearts overflowed with love for Jesus and thankfulness for Tessa in our family. We had some friends over and Chase smoked an amazing brisket and we ate, laughed and were merry.

Dying Easter Eggs Together

Chase's awesome brisket

The Egg Hunt

On the hunt for eggs

Eggs are so exciting!

"Choc-et" is delicious

Tessa watched the action from the back porch and had a great time with her own plastic egg.

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 We tried to get a picture of the sisters together in their matching dresses but that proved hard to do and made for an awkward picture since Tessa kept falling over.

And waiting until the end of the day to try again for a sister shot and one of the three was equally difficult but at least they are all in the picture together! (Not shown are the jelly beans we used to bribe Merin for these pictures).