A family again

My girls are home. My family is complete again.

Thank you, thank you, thank you JESUS!

I stood upstairs, gazing at the cute three little-girl faces, looking so much like a smaller version of the 7 dwarfs (aka the 3 non-dwarfs) and I just about cried. My girls are home. I’m home. Scott is home, Annabelle is home.

God is so good. It’s been almost a year of praying and hoping and crying and hurting and healing and begging and pleading… and I’m here to tell you that God answers prayers. They may not be in the way we expect, in the timing that we expect, but He makes us whole again.

I know, from my journey this past year, that sometimes that “whole” will be in heaven. But sometimes, He chooses to bless us with a version of whole on earth.

My whole family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued prayers this year! We still have hurdles to over come, with finances and physical therapy and electolytes and oxygen and getting back on schedule and learning to deal with this new family dynamic… but together, with Jesus, we can concur and thrive. I’m confident of that.

Annabelle’s visit today went great. No big issues (except still that pesky diaper rash, but it’s getting better!) Will see lab results tomorrow.

Going to take Annabelle on her first “outing” tomorrow night!! The doctor approved her limited “going out” in public, i.e. a quiet restaurant with the stipulation that we warn off all strangers to not touch or breath on Annabelle! In celebration of our family home, we’re going to use a few giftcards a few people have so sweetly blessed us with and take our family out to dinner for the FIRST time. I’m excited!

My blog’s future

Originally, I had planned for Annabelle to hijack my blog for a few months while I was on maternity leave until she got home. I NEVER imagined it being a year long, or for my “viewers” to grow like they did. I appreciate each and every one of you!!! Just as a comparison, this time last year, I’d be really lucky to get 50 hits on my blog a day, and that was a GREAT day. Now, I average between 700 and 1000 per day. Your caring for our family is humbling and I appreciate it more than I could express.

I’ll still be giving Annabelle updates often, with plenty of update pictures! However, as she gets better, I hope it will grow into more than just “How is Annabelle doing.” I love to write, and this blog is part of it. The goal of my writing has been to share Jesus’ truths, to impact lives, to make people laugh, and to entertain… all at the same time! Lofty goal, I know! My hope for this blog is that it will be an extension of my hope for my someday-to-be published books.

OH! And I’ve also changed it so you can get to my blog by going to just www.kristaphillips.com, so if you have a probably remembering the reflections thing… that might be easier! 🙂  (better said, my uber wonderful brother-in-law who is all-knowing about this web issues changed it for me… THANKS Trav!) SOMEDAY I’ll have a nice, normal website with my writing stuff on it that links back to hear, but for now, the blog is enough!

Discussion for the day: I think everyone knows my “writing” dream (and if you haven’t heard my fun news… read last week’s post here!!!!) But I’d love to hear with YOUR dream is!! It can be simple, or it can reach for the moon. Do share if you can!

Sleeping Beauty #1 tonight…

 My other three-almost-sleeping beauties!  LOVE LOVE LOVE having them home and knowing they are asleep in their OWN beds under our OWN roof!

High-chair time!

Hello? This is Annabelle…. playing with the phone. Smilin’. Bye!