1 year....

Today is our "Gotcha Day" anniversary.  One year ago today we were able to walk out of Hannah's Hope with our Mekdes.  

While the proper thing to say here is, "Where has the time gone?" or "Geez, it just flew by!" the honest to God truth is that Shawn and I have aged 10 years since November 15, 2010!   Three adolescent daughters, rigorous athletic schedules, involved students in four different schools (preschool, elementary school, middle school and high school), boyfriends, social calendars, our youngest child still transitioning, our fourth child still figuring out her role...the list goes on and on yet they all contribute to our perpetual state of chaos here in the Geary household.  This is nothing that every other stay at home mom doesn't deal with on a daily basis and I do realize I am preaching to the choir here with some of you, but I do dream of a day when I am as together as those moms we see around town who look put together, who act put together and who don't have kids going to preschool with a maxi pad stuck to the back of her coat!   But the reality is,  as I look back at all that has happened since a year ago today,  I wouldn't trade any of it as it is the glorious realization of what a leap of faith can do.  

Now the aforementioned "put together" mom would have created a beautiful Ethiopian feast for her family on this special day.  But in our Geary chaos, Mekdes has decided that pepperoni pizza and Sprite would make her perfect dinner....what a change a year makes!   From bananas to pizza.  Perhaps I'll be put together next year...we can dream!

Gotcha Day!  Here is the outfit Mekdes wore when we left the orphanage.  My how we've grown!