Gotcha Day Cake

Last Tuesday we celebrated Lucy's adoption into our family. I could not figure out what we were going to do to celebrate. At one point a few weeks ago I thought, no matter what we did I would like a special cake made for our special day. So, I asked the best cake decorator I know, Amy, if she was up for a challenge. Oh, she was up for the challenge and did such a great job! The cake was decorated just as I had pictured it in my head and it tasted great too. It was hard to cut it because I didn't want to ruin it. :)

 

 We had Grandma and Grandpa Penner and Uncle Mark over for cake and ice cream in the evening. First though, the girls needed to get hair cuts, so off to Miss Sheila's we went. Lucy now has some fringe. hee, hee!

 

 Thank you so much Amy for using your talents to help us celebrate such a special day in a special way!

**HUGE side note.........My brother and his wife are just hours away from meeting their daughter, Lilly, for the first time in China. You can follow their journey here. I am beyond excited that there is now "One Less" in this world.

Dance

As promised, I have posted Isabelle's 1st dance recital video. This is one song the cute little 4 and 5 year olds danced to. Isabelle gets a little confused about her proper place after the girls do their little train ditty, but she handled it well. I was getting nervous that she would have a meltdown and start to cry when she noticed she was in the wrong spot, but she didn't. I think I would have. There were A LOT of people watching her which is different from her little practices in the Butterfield gym. She did great and I am very proud of her. She seemed like she was in her element in her dance classes. I think she enjoyed it. :)

Izzy and her friend Ava at practice (early in the year)

Dress Rehearsal in the gym

 

Ava and Izzy at the recital

 

 

Happy Gotcha Day

Today we celebrate Lucy's adoption into our family. Here is the year in review: 



Gotcha Day - May 21, 2012

 



Place of abandonment

Place to call home





First plane ride to the U.S.

Having fun at home

First birthday at home (June 16, 2012)

First visit to the doctor (vaccines - ouch!)

First "real" haircut (not a buzz cut)

First visit to the Fairmont Water Park

Boys first day of school. Saying good bye.

First harvest

First U of M Adoption Clinic visit

First surgery while at home (tubes in ears)

2nd dose of anesthesia while home (Dental procedures under anesthesia)

First time being sick at home

First carved pumpkin

First Christmas

First Minnesota Winter



Sleeping in her toddler bed. Ha!

Lucy and her favorite blankie - "Purple"

Wearing "Gotcha Day" outfit at home

Sneaky girls outside of room asleep

First Mother's Day with the family together

Lucy Fei - You are beautiful!



 At times Jason and I talk about how much it hurts or bothers us that we missed so many memories from Lucy's first 2 years of life. We missed her first smile. We missed her first steps. We missed her first tooth poking through. We missed her first babble or spoken word. We even missed her first surgeries to repair her lip and palate. However, as I have looked through pictures over the last year with Lucy at home, I remember so many memories that we have been able to make with her. We weaned her from her bottle. Yes!!!! It used to take 45 minutes to one hour for her to fall asleep. We stayed at her side while she fell asleep those first few months. We now read books, rock a little, and off to bed she goes. She is comfortable in her bed. We have celebrated and praised her for working hard in speech therapy and have been there when her words started to make sense to us. We have been able to get her out of diapers and into big girl undies. Double YES!!!!:) We see how she plays with her baby doll. With care, she holds her baby and sways back and forth like a little Mommy. She makes us laugh when she plugs her nose and says "stinky" when her baby needs changed. We enjoy listening to her sing, and I may be biased, but I think she has signs of being musically talented. I look in the rear view mirror as we are driving and see hands lifted high when KLOVE plays a song that she recognizes. We have witnessed a sad, sad grieving child blossom into a happy energetic 2 year old that blends right into our family. There is nothing like seeing healing happen before your very eyes. We have witnessed healing in Lucy's life and have realized the healing that comes when our Heavenly Father draws close to us and says, "Don't be afraid child. I love you. You are mine."


"What can I offer the Lord
for all he has done for me?
 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.
I will keep my promises to the Lord
in the presence of all his people."  ~Psalm 116:12-14

Throwback Thursday. One Year Ago Today.....

One year ago today, Jason and I took the kids to the park before school and ate breakfast together for the last time as a family of 5. As we dropped Ian and Aiden off at school, I remember tears filling my eyes because we were about to embark into unknown territory and I was leaving my 3 children behind.

Last year Mother's Day - a few days before leaving

There were so many things I was anxious about on this day last year. I was anxious to leave 3 children behind as we traveled half way around the world to bring home another child. I was anxious about making all our flights and traveling for almost 24 hours straight. I was anxious to see what China was like and to be in a completely different culture. I was anxious to see Lucy after waiting so long for her. How was she going to respond to us?

Getting packed

Jason, taking on the task of packing and staying within weight limitations

Minneapolis to Tokyo - First stop before going to Beijing

Now, one year later, I see that I had nothing to be anxious about, as always. I tend to be quite a worrier but I am learning in my later years of life that it does not help one bit to be anxious or to worry. Trust. This is what I continue to learn. My dad showed me these verses when I was very young. Worrying came so early in my childhood and he pointed me to some good advice for which I am thankful.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?
²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matt. 6:24-34

A souvenir we bought in China.