One Year.

Time goes by. So fast. I am finding it harder to update my blog as the busy-ness of life with four children and their schedules consumes most of my time. When I do have a moment to sit down, I usually don't want to spend it rehashing the day. However, a year has gone by. As I read over the blogs of many we met through out our adoption process, all of them focused on their gotcha day. For us, that day was important...but not as important as the day we landed in Tampa and walked off the plane to the faces of our family and friends there to meet our little girl for the first time. April 13th.

Ellie's birthday is March 31st and her gotcha day is April 4 but this year we celebrated on April 13th. Nothing big, just everyone from the airport, all together again, one year later. We went to The Olive Garden and the kids all sat at one end of the table, talking, yelling, fighting and as I sat there and I watched Ellie interact with what amounts to her siblings and cousins (because she has none, none of my kids do) I was amazed yet again at the changes this year has brought.

I find that God has worked in my life in little ways...just filling in the holes left by the loss of my brother. He has given me and more so, my mom little gifts along the way to make the days that should be painful more bearable...First He gave us my Rusty...on my mom's birthday. Not amazing in it's self but something special to look forward to rather than just another birthday without her son...and then on my brother's birthday, He gave us Ellie...home forever...what an amazing blessing and again something to celebrate on a day that otherwise would bring only pain. And so, I find it difficult to sit here and think over the last year without thanking God for all the blessings in my life that sit side by side in myheart with the pain of losing my brother

I wanted to sit and reflect over this time but they say a picture is worth a thousand words...

November 2007: Our first meeting. Ellie is skeptical and afraid but allows me to hold her. We coax a few smiles from her and discover that the way to her heart is through her feet. (smile)

February 2008: I fly over to visit because I simply cannot stand being so far from her. I am allowed to see her on two days for two hours each day. Ellie is a bit older and understands the ramifications of my visits...she's not pleased.

April 13, 2008 Atlanta Airport Waiting for our connection to Tampa...we have made a tentative bond but there is still much work to be done...

April 12,2009 Mommy's little girl.

March 31, 2008 Celebrating Ellie's 2nd birthday in the orphanage...just a few days before we carried her out of there forever. She was frightened and confused.

April 13, 2009 Celebrating Ellie's 3rd birthday and the anniversary of our Forever Family.

Ellie has made some really good friend's in just one little year...what a wonderful little year...

More on Easter.

There was a lot more to Easter than Ruthie's Baptism. After the beach, we went home so She and Adam could shower and we all put our Easter clothes on. This was Ellie's first Easter so I was excited for her to see her basket but we held to our usual Easter and Christmas morning rules in which we focus on Christ first. So, when everyone was ready, I took them all out front and posed them in their Easter clothes in front of the usual Gardenia bush which is blooming right now.


Getting my pictures of the kids is always such a chore. Rusty can't look into the sun and Flip is a total pain with it...I usually have to threaten him into submission and this morning was no different. I think he is finally realizing that if he just gives me what I want and I get one or two good shots he can get it over with and retreat back into whatever world he lives in when he is not actively engaged with the rest of us homo-sapiens. Ellie and Ruthie are as usual perfect for the camera.

So, we head to church where we were joined by my parents. Adam's mom & grandpa and my grandmother. After we went to lunch with everyone and then headed home to get into our Easter baskets! And then...the egg hunt! Ellie got into this like you would not believe! I did it a little different this year...each kid had to find their own eggs and if they came across someone else's, they had to leave it and couldn't say anything...of course, there was some cheating. Their father was probably the worst offender of the rule...perhaps I should have hidden some eggs for him as well...all in all it was one of my top 6 days right up there with the day I got married, the 3 days I birthed my children and the day we brought our daughter across an ocean to her home with her family. He IS risen...and all for ME!

Baptism

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 1:4

We had a wonderful Easter. We started the morning at 5:30 by waking all the kids and throwing them into shorts and flip flops to head out to the beach for the Sunrise baptism. This year it was really very special to us as our own little girl was being baptized. Ruthie accepted Christ about 2 years ago but was really unsure about being baptized. So, we waited. We wanted her to have the time to question it, to understand it and to WANT it. She has over the last 6 months or so been asking a lot about baptism; the symbolism, the importance, and the obedience of the action. And finally, she told us she wanted to be baptized.

Our Pastor believes that the person who is most involved in the process of bringing someone to Christ should baptize that person if they are willing and able. So, on Easter, at sunrise, surrounded by family, friends and other new believers, my husband baptized my daughter in the Gulf of Mexico. And now, her journey begins anew as a disciple of Christ as she has taken the first step in obedience and now will walk with Him in truth. Praise God!