An End and a Beginning- for all of us

I buckled her into her car seat, kissed her one last time, and told her that Jesus loves her.  Then she was gone.  The 2 caseworkers that came to get her (the new and old- go figure) were nice, but this is their job and I don't think they are great with the whole compassion part.  What an amazing reminder for me in my own career in the compassion I offer towards the parents I interact with.  They did say that the uncle will probably let us stay in contact.  We have a couple of large toys that we really wanted to send, but wouldn't fit in the car she left in.  So, we have a plan to contact him ourselves if the caseworker doesn't follow through on her word (that would be such a surprise!).
Mr.A came home to say good-bye then went back to work.  Thing1 and Thing2 said their good-byes before nap.  The boys have been fabulous.  We have decided to take a couple of weeks off to regroup, then re-open for the next darlings God has planned for us.  Even though I am sad, I am so excited to see what will come next. This weekend we will visit Mr.A's parents.  He will go to a pro-football game with his dad.  I'm looking forward to spending time with my MIL (did I mention that we have AMAZING families?).  In 2 weeks Mr.A and I are taking a much needed night away.  I am praying that God refreshes our spirits and makes us ready for the next step.
Our hearts are heavy, but we feel incredibly blessed with the outpouring of love we have had from everyone.  PrincessO and our family has been covered in prayer, childcare needs have been met, food has been brought, chocolate has been lavished on us, words and songs of comfort have been offered.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.