It’s been a big week around here.
A *really* big week.
Big enough to justify taking an entire weekday afternoon off just to celebrate.
Specifically two of our kiddos – and the miracle of God weaving them into our family through adoption.
So, at the request of one of the two being celebrated, we closed the schoolbooks early, packed the cooler with Cokes, stopped by Publix for strawberries and fried chicken, and headed to the park.
And spent the rest of the afternoon playing, laughing and just being a family.
This girl.
Home two years now.
Such a perfect caboose – feisty and brave. And finally beginning to understand what forever really means.
And this beauty.
Home 12 years.
And so deeply embedded into my heart – I cannot even remember not loving her ferociously.
Over the years we haven’t specifically celebrated gotcha days… knowing the heartbreak our kiddos endured and the losses they suffered on order to gain a family, all culminating on the day we call “gotcha day”.
And yet, we’ve tried to not presume they don’t want to celebrate or honor this day in some way.
So we’ve committed to follow their lead and let them to decide how they would like to celebrate – or not – the anniversary of the day their worlds collided with ours.
And, this year, my sweet Sophie chose to celebrate it together. 
And it was fun.
It was beautiful.
It was a breath of fresh air in this season of busy, big-family life.
I’m not sure what we’ll do next year – or even for the next gotcha day circled on my calendar.
But for today, I’m reminded how very good our God is.
How His plan is trustworthy.
And how His Word is true.
And that He has taken something broken and tragic and is making a new thing. Flaws and all, this broken and beautiful family is His workmanship.
And that is something to celebrate.