ONE YEAR AS A FAMILY

Today marks a full year since our family arrived in the U.S. with our new daughter, Jessa Li Hope. I still remember the crowd of friends and family that waited in the airport that night to welcome us home! It is a wonderful, endearing memory that I will never forget! To be embraced home by those that had prayed so long for this moment and for this child. I have heard from so many families that this first year is a blur, and I couldn't agree more. Where does all that precious time go?

I decided I would try to make a video of all the major events this year and I haven't quite completed it, but soon I hope. Still, it is hard to edit out the photos. Each one of them shares something different and new about this journey we have been on this year. I love how God has woven her story and how we can already see glimpses of who she was created to be! I can't wait for next year to experience even more joy & laughter with this precious miracle.

So, this week we celebrated with Jessa by having our 1st Family Forever Anniversary at P.F. Changs. She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES dumplings! LOVES THEM! And it is always so comforting to me to see her smile with delight when she eats them, something so special in knowing this is a food that reminds her of her beginning and her homeland. Just like we feel comfort eating our favorite foods at say, Thanksgiving, I think there is a special place in her heart that remembers her Nai Nai's cooking and I think dumplings had to be on that menu! The girl loves them so.

We ordered them as an appetizer and needless to say she devoured hers and quickly asked, "More please!" I think next time, I will order her dumplings for her entree. LOL! She also liked the noodles and pretty much ate everything there was to try! She kept asking me for "Mommy's noodles" and it wasn't long before I realized between eating her own dish and mine...she was getting stuffed.

Still there was more to come! We had planned on ordering the Great Wall of Chocolate Cake and putting one candle in it for her to blow out in remembrance of this first year home. The cake was a hit with us all! In Jessa's words, "Mommy, deeelishus" tee hee!

Still eating at a fairly quick pace, suddenly she stopped and looked at me and said, "Mommy, we no throw-up." what? okay...um...I think you are done now honey. LOL! She was fine, but that sure scared us. On the way home, she was chatting up a storm with Hollyn. I couldn't help but think of that very first ride home from the airport. Both of them seated side by side in their car seats, both so very quiet, and wondering I suppose who this other little girl was in the van, both of them scared and curious about what was going on. How time heals! How faithful God is to bring their hearts full circle!

 

We bought Jessa special gifts while we were in China to share with her on each Family Forever Anniversary. A special way to remind her that she is a gift and that God has a plan for her life and that a huge part of that plan was allowing us to be her family. She was chosen by God to be our daughter and we are blessed to have the awesome privilege to be her parents and brother and sister. One of the gifts we gave her was a special t-shirt to wear that reads, "Chosen" on the front and has a very meaningful verse on the back that depicts perfectly God's love for us and His plan for adoption. "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession." Deuteronomy 14:2 

In opening up her special gift from China, she was so cute telling us, "Mommy, Daddy. It my happy day!"  Yes! It is your happy day! She loves to watch Kai-Lan and Kai-Lan talks about her heart feeling "super happy" and having a "happy day." So cute to see our little girls incorporate their favorite cartoons into their everyday life experiences. :) This beautiful necklace was bought in her home province of Guizhou and was hand-made by the Miao people who are a minority group that live near where she was born. They are amazing silver artisans! The necklace is marked with well wishes for the year and has the symbol of the Chinese zodiac rat on the back which symbolizes the year she came into our family. The red rope is a sign of good luck and prosperity for the year ahead.

She loved the necklace and the little jingle bell charms that hang off of the pendant. She heard them jingling in the box and giggled saying, "Shake it! Shake it!" We also gave Hollyn and Andrew gifts from China to remember this special day. Andrew received a wooden & marble carved Chinese chop/stamp with his name carved in it using Chinese characters. And Hollyn was super excited to receive a Guizhou hand-made whistle shaped like a puppy dog - she was born in the year of the dog.

I continue to be so proud of Andrew and Hollyn for helping us to welcome their new sister home. They both celebrated Jessa's special day with a full understanding of the importance of family. They both in their own way have healed Jessa's heart and they already share a special sibling bond. We are blessed with children who enjoy life and playing together! When we got home, we tucked the kids in bed and there was a huge smile on Jessa's face. I knelt down to give her a hug and kiss and asked, "Did you have fun tonight celebrating our family?"  "Oh yes, Mommy! My heart super happy!"

Oh sweet Jessa, Mommy's heart feels super happy too! "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"