What a difference two years makes

It is so very hard to believe that it has been 2years since Moriah and Silas joined our family. In some ways it has been long and in other ways the time has flown by. There has been so much growth and change. We picked up two scared, Lingala speaking, malnourished kiddos who had left the only life they had every known. They had gotten on a plane to fly across the globe to be brought to people whom they had never met and who talked and looked so very different.
We hit many bumps in the early days. We had to battle parasites for a year. We had to teach boundaries. We had to teach eating, but not gorging. We had to learn what family was. We took this all as baby steps and some of the steps were even steps backwards.
However, we made it through year one. We were wiser and our faith was deeper. Yet the journey was still challenging often times. The hard part of the journey is most people don't understand the "post-adoption" journey. It is not as "glamorous" as the road to adoption. It often felt lonely and overwhelming. But we made it through the hardest days and some awesome days.
We now have made it through an additional year! Moriah and Silas have changed in so many ways. Gone are the thin arms and legs and sad, scared faces. Now there is some meat and muscle as well as smiles and laughter. English is now fluent and at most times easily spoken. They understand boundaries, although like all children they love to test them at times. They give awesome hugs and kisses and enjoy being part of this family we call The Thomas Crew! And most importantly they have now heard about Jesus! They hear stories about Him, sing songs and talk to Him and we pray one day they will come to know Him as Lord and Savior! We have been wowed by the growth and by how far we have come. Gone are the days of tears from this momma from feeling oh so overwhelmed. Instead I now look forward to the adventure that each days brings. And some days it is such a wild adventure. I continue to utter sentences that I never expected to say-
-"Please don't play leapfrog while your naked."
-"No licking other people."
-"Please do not bite your TOEnails while we are praying."
And the list goes on!!
Despite the ups and downs and sometimes craziness, I am so glad God put us on this journey! Our faith has grown. My dependence on Christ has grown. I realized I couldn't mother these precious 5 without Him. I am thankful God has given me these "gifts." They are His forever. I cannot wait to see all He has in store for each one of them. We pray that He uses them in great and mighty ways for His kingdom!
What a difference TWO years makes...