GOTCHA DAY...........

I can NOT believe that it is a whole year since we brought these little ones back to the hotel. I so remember every detail of that day. Getting into the van and driving out of the gates with Moses in my arms. Ayana snuggled up to Dave for reassurance. Looking at them and thinking, "We made it! Here you are! Let's go!"

I thought I would do a quick series of pictures to show then and now. Here are a couple of our referral pictures. Ayana looked so sad, so scared, it broke my heart.

This picture of them together was one of my favourites in those first few weeks after referral, they just seemed so vulnerable and I was desperate to get them.

Finally, we got to go and get them and here we are. Those very first hugs......the hugs that you dream of and imagine hour after hour, day after day.

Suddenly, it is a reality and you are holding them in your arms for real.

Here we are with all the staff, this was hard for me. They obviously loved our children and were sad to see them go. I wanted to reassure them that I would love them with every fibre of my being.

This was outside the (old) foster home, sitting on the porch and hugging my babies, both together. I was so happy, my arms were full and we were about to leave and go back to the Weygoss. I just couldn't believe that it was real. I kept looking at Joanne (another mum there) and saying :"Can you believe it? We're really here!"

On the way "home" in the van, Moses was very quiet, very still. He just stared out of the window with his huge eyes and sucked his fingers.

Ayana fell asleep almost immediately in Dave's arms. We would learn that this was a stress response from her, she fell asleep very quickly over the next few days if there was something new or different going on.

You can go back and read about all our experiences in Ethiopia and the plane ride to end all plane rides.

A year has gone by. It has not always been easy, not always warm, huggy feelings of love and delight. There have been hard times as we came to grips with adding two more people to our already pretty big family. I was often over whelmed and wondered if I could handle all the laundry, the cleaning, the piles of dishes, the diapers and the sheer hard work of having a baby and toddler added into the mix. But as I reflect now, those times kind of fade as I look back on all the "firsts."

We saw Moses learning to crawl, pull himself up and take his first steps. We watched as Ayana learned to hop and jump, to bounce around like Tigger and pedal her little bike. First tastes of ice cream, first jumping into piles of leaves, first fall in the snow. First dance to the great Bob Marley (yes, my bias!)

Birthday parties, Halloween costumes, Christmas celebrations and their Dedication in front of family and friends at church.

We cried as Ayana began to say "I love you" and Moses learned to say "mama and abbaba". We laughed as they discovered playgrounds, swings, slides, beaches and parks.

Ayana has been a flower girl (I will post about that soon) and danced until midnight.

We have had rounds of immunizations, bottles of TB meds (still going on!), E.R. visits and check ups.

We have grown as a family and feel as if these little ones, so precious and so beautiful have been with us for ever. We thank God that he hand picked them to be in our family, to teach us more about sharing and loving.

I have so much that I could say, but my heart is full, I just can't put it all into words. I am content.

Tonight we will go into town to celebrate at our very favourite Ethiopian restaurant as a family...all together....forever.