Sunday Snapshot

Well I am finally back to Sunday Snapshots. Why is it so hard to keep up with??? I mean, Stefanie does it each and every week (even when she was in CHINA for goodness sake) and she has 9 kids!!!!! That's 4 more than me!! Sigh!! Anyway if you want to join in, click here



Now, on to Miss Lizzie May!! Oh my Lizzie, where do I even start with you my love?? Even though our journey to you began long before we saw your picture, I think I will start there because I could write a book on how we came to find you. You, the one who was meant for us from the beginning, the one who was somehow a part of my past while changing part of my future.

The moment I saw your beautiful face on that WC list...



I knew you were our daughter. The one that we had been waiting for and the one that I felt I had known was waiting for us, even when I was a child.

As the months crept by, I begged and pleaded anyone who was traveling to your orphanage for pictures of you. There were so many wonderful families who were more than happy to oblige...






We were told to expect tears on the day that we met you and that you were scared. Scared you were but as scared as you were, you were oh so brave. Your courageousness shown through even on that first day with you.



You never cried that day!! Never cried!!! Later you did, boy did you but never that day. It was almost as if you were saying,"Where have you been?" "I have been waiting for you!" "What took you so long?"

I will never forget the visit to your orphanage a few days later. It was an incredibly difficult but, I think, necessary visit. As we sat on our little bus to leave, I told you to wave bye bye, not really expecting you to say anything because you had been fairly nonverbal up to that point. You, however, shocked everyone by standing up in your seat and saying bye bye while waving and smiling and laughing!!!



You turned a corner at that moment and I knew, at that moment that we were going to be ok.

As soon as we got home, you began your clubfoot casting.



You had 18 casts in all (in the middle of the HOT Southern summer), along with terrible skin issues and 2 different surgeries to separate some of your fingers!! All this on top of leaving everything you had ever known, everything that was familiar and coming home with us, this large, loud and completely crazy family who was completely crazy about you!! You were strong and brave and determined and sweet and LOUD!! You fit right in!!



We had a wonderful, trying, amazing and challenging first year together and I would not change a second of it.

You love your Daddy,




and your doggies



and your brothers,







and, of course your partner in crime, your big sissy!!!





They all think you are pretty cool, too...



You are funny



and sweet



and athletic



and getting so grown up



and independent



You are so very bright



and you love puzzles



and parties



and life




and it shows!!


My sweet Lizzie, you have come so far and you still continue to amaze and delight us. You tell us so often about how you missed us in China and that you cried for us. Well my sweet girl we cried for you and missed you too and are so glad that you are home, with your family!! I thought I would post (again) the video that I made for Lizzie for her first year home. It is a quick peak at our journey to Lizzie and our first year together.




Love you baby girl!!