"Don't Cry Because It's Over, Smile Because It Happened." -Dr. Seuss

Today is our last day with Vitaly. During his stay here, he went from a scared little boy to an important member of our family. He went from standing outside our bedroom door looking in, unwilling to step inside, to running in, jumping on the bed and snuggling with us under the covers. He went from keeping all of his things close by his bed to spreading them all over the house. He even went from protecting his medicine in a special little spot in his bedside table to leaving it on the kitchen counter. He went from this......

......to this.

And from this......

......to this.

A last-minute family photo taken last night after we were all in our pj's. And no, I have not had time to take down my Christmas decorations yet; hopefully that will happen this week after things settle down a bit!

Vitaly wanted spaghetti last night for dinner on his last night here (tonight we will stay at a hotel close to the airport since he has to be there early in the morning.) I found it interesting that he ate the same thing on his first and last nights here. He was very good at stalling when it was time for bed last night, and just wanted to lay in our bed talking to us through the translator app. Chris was emotional, and Vitaly kept telling him not to cry because he is coming back to our house this summer. However unlikely that is, this boy has hope that he will see us again. I have no doubt that he is right - someday, we will meet him again. 

Please say a prayer for Vitaly as he prepares to go, and for our children as they say goodbye to one of their brothers. And to Vitaly, wherever life may lead you, we love you and are so thankful that God brought you to us for a time. Always remember that He will be there for you, no matter what. Surrender your life to Him, and prepare to be blessed.

To my faithful blog followers, stay tuned as the story of V is not over. God works in mysterious ways, and soon I may have some great news to share with you all. :-)