{500}

My 500th post. It was started on August 11, 2007, I remember my first post well. I introduced the blog and had a picture of 5 year old Grace posing for me. I started this journal because we had been logged in to China for our second adoption (at that time we thought for a little girl we called Lily). The first name of the blog was 'Aging with Grace,' a little play on words commenting on Dan and I being middle aged (and getting older) parents to Grace. The name was also a comment on our character and outlook on life, trying to keep things positive with our second adoption. Obviously that second adoption changed and 'Lily' was William.

Shortly after meeting our little boy in China, in the Summer of 2008, I made a comment about how 'strong Will is.' That became the second part of the blog name, and that's how we got 'Aging with Grace and Strong Will'...a statement about us and our two little children.

(Will-age 4 and Grace now age 7.5)

The blog has been an enormous source of joy to me, as far as true friendships and support while we waited for Will to arrive and continuing onward with our adventures as a family. I've tried to keep it real with a positive spin on things because that's who we are as people. While waiting for Will I did my own fair share of whining, but that was because we wanted to meet this new little person(who we didn't know at the time) and bring him home. The blog was my daily journal in China almost 2 Summers ago. Sometimes I can't believe I wrote everyday...but it was important to me to remember every single detail.

I've kept it real with Will's transition to our family and me finding help for him for his sensory issues. I've always felt if I can help at least one person with their adoption journey, I'll have done what I'm supposed to do.

The blog has evolved and changed and I hope you can see through it how happy our children are and how dearly we love them. What the future holds for us as a family, I'm not quite sure...here's to another 500 posts!