• Home
  • About
  • Wild Olive Tees
  • No Hands But Ours
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Ni Hao Y'all

when east meets south

  • Ni Hao Y'all
  • Faith
    • my faith
  • adoption
    • special needs adoption
      • clubfoot
      • Down syndrome
      • dwarfism
    • shared list
    • advocating
  • family
    • Magnolia
    • Clementine
    • Tallula
    • Poppy
    • Esther
    • Vivienne
    • Shepherd
    • Jude
    • Isabelle
    • Sophie
    • Dalton
    • Asher
    • Zach
    • Victoria
  • Life
    • memory lane
    • what works for us
    • things I love
    • Q and A
    • marriage
    • cooking
    • celebrations
    • blogging
      • love others
      • kudos
  • photography
    • photography 101
    • Sunday Snapshot

Something to Celebrate

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.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
«
»

05.12.18 · Asher, Clementine, Dalton, Isabelle, Jude, Magnolia, Poppy, Shepherd, Sophie, Tallula, Vivienne

I'm Stefanie. Wife to one, mom to 13. Occasional blogger and t-shirt maker. Wannabe photographer and exerciser. Constant grace-needer and orphan advocator. more
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS

Subscribe

instagram

see more...follow us on IG

our china journeys

magnolia - 2016
clementine - 2014
tallula - 2012
penelope - 2011
vivienne - 2010
shepherd - 2008
jude - 2007
sophie - 2006
isabelle - 2005

ways to make a difference

Love Project

proceed with caution

a dirty secret in adoption
we don't celebrate gotcha day
there's no such thing as an easy adoption
if I can, you can.
co-sleeping, why we do it.
gawsh. the series.
crazy
affording adoption
God and me.
Vivi's diagnosis
the ugly, beautiful truth
special needs: my .02
my testimony
dear anonymous
my chinese son

Creative Commons License

Copyright © 2023 · Darling theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Darling Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.