Gotcha Day and LOA!

Yesterday, July 23, we celebrated 5 years with our precious daughter Eden.  In some ways, it feels like we've had her since birth...and yet I still remember the details of that day like it happened yesterday.

It all started with an empty room and a full heart...

And this precious face...

Over the next several months we got these...

The waiting was almost unbearable!  Finally, after almost 2 years, the LOA and Travel Approval came...and we were off...

After a loooooong day of travel, 4 different flights, a few days sightseeing in Beijing, and more paperwork, we rose early to meet our daughter...

Over the next weeks, there was much sadness and grieving from our little girl.  It was not easy on any of us...but each week was a little better than the one before.  Here are some of my favorite pictures of our first year home...

Every year's Gotcha Day anniversary has been different emotionally than the others.  This year, I have been pondering all of the things, big and small, that Eden (and us) would have missed out on if she were still an orphan.  My heart is so grateful to experience life with her and Gene.  Watching her grow, learn and change is both terrifying and rewarding.  So, in honor of everyday life, here's a list of some of the memories that we so often take for granted.  Each is a miracle...and time a gift from the Father.  

So, in no particular order...Without Gotcha Day Eden may never: 

Have a family Christmas card picture

Learn how to be a mommy

Hug the "real" Santa!

Go to Disney World

Be in a ballet recital

Have top-notch doctors

Splash carefree in puddles on family vacation

Have a pet (her first friend)

Hold her baby cousin

Drive a Barbie jeep

Bowl with a Hello Kitty bowling ball

Eat ice cream with her great-grandmother

Dress up as a pilgrim at Thanksgiving

Have snuggles with her aunt and baby cousin

Stay up until midnight to ring in a new year

Dig for dinosaur bones

Have a mommy to be at EVERY doctor's appointment, procedure & surgery

Feed a horse

Eat a Georgia peach in the summertime

Take gymnastics

Go to the aquarium

Fish at the lake in Oklahoma

Celebrate Advent

Get a new puppy

Go to the salon for a big-girl haircut

Compete on a gymnastics team

Go to the zoo with a friend

Play in the ocean

Meet her favorite person - her cousin Savannah

Pet a sheep

See Chinese pandas in GA

Be adored by a grandmother

Ride on daddy's shoulders

Have a mommy to hug

And kiss

Share God's incredible work in her life

Have a mommy to run to...

Who will catch her every time...

And scoop her up...

And hold her tight

An aunt who adores her

Family traditions like making ornaments...

Decorating cookies...

Leaving milk and cookies...

And understanding what it's all really about

The fun of being a girl

And a chance to feel like a princess

Understand that not all babies come from orphanages

Learn how to swim

Have fun birthday parties

Be a flower girl

Ride a bike

Pick pumpkins at a farm

Carve pumpkins on a fall night

Make a gingerbread house

Celebrate Easter Sunday

Play soccer in her yard

Chill at home with neighbors

Dress up for Halloween

Trick-or-Treat with neighbors

Spend Christmas Eve with family

Bring joy to our entire family

American Girl birthdays...

Learn what "I Love You" really means

Family photos in matchy clothes

While holding a newborn...

Learn to pose like a PRO

And last but not least...without Gotcha Day Eden might never:

BECOME A BIG SISTER!!!!

Eden...you are the light of our lives.  We praise the Father for you!  May your life sing of His grace as your heart adores His Son, your hands do His work, and your feet walk His path.  

Oh, and did I mention that we FINALLY got our LOA (Letter of Approval)?  We are applying for travel visas, collecting crisp bills for travel, and preparing clothes and room for Zoey as we wait for our final paperwork to be processed and travel approval.  2-3 months and we should be on that plane!

Love you all!