Forever Family Day

2 years ago today, we met a scared, little toddler who had no idea of how her world was going to be turned upside down.  Thankfully, today she is a happy, fun-loving, smart, silly, caring, sweet, kind (the list could go on...biased am I?!) preschooler.  The other day, during my quiet time, I realized that she has now been part of our family and in the US for longer than she was in China.  Her memories here are now stronger and longer and China is becoming a distant memory.  While that makes me glad, part of me is still sadden to think that the first chapter of her life is receding to such a depth that pretty soon, if not already, she will have forgotten ever living in China.

So today, we celebrated God's awesome plan for bringing us together to make a family but we also remembered the Noodle's roots and culture.  We went down to AsiaTown for dinner and then came back for Gotcha Day cake and a few small gifts.  We said prayers for the Nannies who took care of her, for her orphanage and the children that are still waiting for their forever families, for her Chinese birth parents who made a plan and gave up their precious gift so that we could humble receive that gift.  We thanked and praised, rejoiced and even cried a bit.

 When asked, she was very specific about wanting a white cake with red frosting and those sugar animals that you find in the bakery aisle. Oh yeah, the cake was suppose to have a second layer. Guess who managed to drop one of the layers as she was removing it from the oven?  Yeah.  Keepin' it real here.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before they came to be".--Psalm 139 13-16

***Here's wishing an early Happy Family Day to all the families we traveled with to China (we got the Noodle a day before everyone else b/c it was during the Autumn Moon Festival).