Gourmet with the Greens

I've been spoiled this last week-- I've been eating well-- really well!  My newest and dearest friends are the Greens from Colorado! They were staying with me this past week as they were finishing their adoption & waiting on the passports of their newest additions- Daniel (10) and Lydia (7).  I always enjoy the families that stay with me- but the Greens are EXTRA special! (maybe that's because Chris took it upon himself to be Mr. fix-it in my apartment!) Since they were with me for a whole 8 days we got a lot of bonding time in--  which included cooking together!  

Daniel and Lydia are great helpers and Monique and I had fun in the kitchen creating the evening meals for the hungry crew-- and boy are these kids good eaters! You'd never know that they were used to eating bland orphanage food-- these kids will try just about anything.

if only I could look that calm and collected and beautiful when I am cooking!

When I'm home alone I don't make anything too exciting, so as you can see, this past week made up for the past month of eating on the go!

Thankfully I found a work-out partner in Monique as well-- so we were able to counter act our gourmet meals with a couple morning jogs together-- so fun to show her my favorite city running 'paths'- and to have this fitness instructor give me a pointer or two-- let's just say I was little sore after I was introduced to some new exercises!

It was a full house this week with 6 of us sharing one bathroom- but it was a sweet sweet time!  These sweet kiddos blessed my heart so much as I watched them navigate uncharted territory with their new mama and papa and did so with teachable spirits (most of the time!) and true bravery.  

One night as we were chatting in the kitchen, Lydia walked into the room and threw her arms around mama, telling her it was bed time and time for a bath and story. Only a week together and yet Lydia had settled into this new routine, and seemed to anticipate it.  Tears flooded my eyes as I watched this interaction. Only weeks before Lydia had been one of many, in a large group of children-- I doubt she had someone reading her bedtime stories or washing her hair.  I felt so honored in that moment to have this glimpse of this new forming mother and daughter bond-- seeing Lydia's eyes light up when mama walked into the room or when she would help mama make the evening meal. These kids come from a very difficult past and they could have remained numbers in an orphanage-- but God plucked them out and called forth a family who was willing to leave the comfortable and say 'YES.' Daniel and Lydia's lives will forever be changed because the Greens stepped out in faith.

Praying for you Green family as the prologue is completed and chapter one begins.... :)