My long awaited Mother's Day activity

Several years ago, we made mosaic stepping stones for my mom and Jim's mom with Grace and Mary Emma's hand and/or foot prints in them.  They were a large undertaking, especially with younger children that tend to either throw fits because they have to put their hand or foot in yucky, wet, messy stuff (Grace!), or because they are young enough that when you put their hand into the wet cement they grab hold of it and make a fist!  Whatever the reason, they were a big job, and so I never repeated the project for myself to have a set.  Well the idea of someday adopting was in our hearts for a long time, so eventually I just tucked the stepping stone idea in the back of my brain with the cobwebs and said, "Someday.  Someday, I will give myself a Mother's Day gift and make stepping stones with all three girls the same year."  That splendid idea has been hiding in the cobwebs for 4 or 5 years.  I persisted in waiting year after year, liking the idea of doing all of them the same year - capturing the three different sizes of three different girls.  Until last year.  Last year just before Mother's Day I saw the mosaic stepping stone kits on sale at Michael's and I said, "Forget it.  I have NO idea if or when this adoption thing will EVER happen.  By the time we ever get this third daughter - IF we ever get this third daughter, Grace will have grown completely past the age of stamping a hand or foot into cement."  And indeed, with each year that passes, her hands and feet get a little further from that, "Aw, look how small your hand was" phase.  (Actually, her hands are bigger than mine already....)  So like I said, last year my faith waivered, I doubted our journey, I questioned our calling, and I momentarily gave up on the all-three-at-once stepping stone idea.  So I bought two kits and planned to spend my Mother's Day last year making a stone for each Grace and Mary Emma.  Well, thankfully God seems to have His hand even in the little details - even the ones we think are only important to ourselves.  So He kept me busy last year on Mother's Day - busy enough that go figure, I simply couldn't get around to doing that stepping stone project.  Maybe the next weekend, I thought.  Nope.  So busy.  So distracted.  Wouldn't you know, that project just never moved to the top of the priority list and those two kits got buried in the cobwebs in the garage just like my splendid idea.  Fast forward 6 months.  It's amazing what changes 6 months can bring!  Within 6 months we went from waivering faith and questioning our calling, through exploring the China waiting child program, doing the additional paperwork to enter the China waiting child program, struggling through hoping each month for a referral off of the new list of waiting children, struggling through turning down referrals from the new list, comparing the matching process of other agencies, asking lots of questions about different agencies, and finally seeing the face of our sweet daughter in Novemeber.  One day shortly after accepting Lydia's referral, I was in Michaels and noticed those stepping stone kits on sale again.  I honestly hadn't given them a thought, but that day in the store they brought a huge smile to my face.  I knew this would finally be the year!  So I got myself a third kit and there they sat keeping the cobwebs in the garage company just a little bit longer.  Until last Sunday on Mother's Day, when I finally dusted off the cobwebs and took the time to complete my long awaited Mommy gift...with all three of my girls.

Me and my helpers sorting through the glass pieces that we use for the mosaic

After watching both of her big sisters do their hand and foot print in the cement, Lydia was VERY ready for her turn!

"You mean, you are actually going to let me put my hand in THAT!?  And I won't even get in trouble for getting messy!?"



She thought this whole process was just plain funny and worthy of bubbly giggles!  She giggled at her sisters doing their prints, and she giggled all the way through hers!

I think she must have thought we were crazy to be doing such a strange thing.  But she didn't seem to care if she did think we were crazy - she just wanted to join in for her turn!



"These people are so funny!  They let me get messy.....on PURPOSE!"



Washing off in the bucket.  Even washing it off was entertaining!

I LOVE this picture.  It catches her standing so still, just watching and studying.  She does this a LOT with us.  I just wish I knew what she was thinking as she watches us.

The video for today is of us doing the hand and foot print with Lydia.  Turn up the sound because she has this little giggle that bubbles out of her the whole time!

The finished project....



and