All Because....

So I know this is a little late (more a Valentine's type post) but I wasn't finished with our project above :-)

This past summer we had a family reunion on my mom's side and someone had created a geneology chart that started a few generations back. The paper spanned the most of the length of one of the garage walls. I looked at the first couple listed at the top (I forgot how many "greats" it was) and I thought, all because these two people fell in love, all of the rest of this followed. Those two people helped create that large family that had gathered to celebrate being in a family together. The family line has not been with out "mess" and conflict but here we were letting those walls fall and singing and dancing the night away.
A few months later, I found the wall hanging at the top of the picture "All Because Two People Fell in Love" and have been waiting to find the right place to put it. As I have jumped on the "Pinterest" wagon with so many others, I saw a wall hanging with hand prints that was similar to the one I made with our kids. So last night we completed our "Hand Print" artwork (and can I say how DIFFICULT it is to get a painted hand print of a 10 month old!!). I knew my other piece of artwork would now have a home: It is because Craig and I fell in love 15 years ago that this family has come into existence. Some of our children's have come from us biologically, some have come to us through another's biology but have found a place in our hearts. We don't know how our family unit will end up: two of our children are in the foster care system and we don't know how their cases will end, we do not know if more children will come or if this will be it and for all of us, we are not guaranteed a tomorrow, so I have a snapshot of how our family is today.
Just like my family of origin, our growing family is not perfect; we have our ups and our downs. Life is messy and complicated, yet, so beautiful.
So I will sit here on my couch and see these beautiful little hands; hands that will help one another, hands that will steal siblings belongs and create drama; hands that will make messes all over the house; hands that will wrap around our necks and give us the best squeeze here on earth. 

Here's to the next 15 years and what suprises may be in store!