Ellie's 1st Gotcha Day!

Ellie's first Gotcha Day Anniversary was very special for all of us. We are on a break from homeschooling so it was a pretty laidback day, if there is such a thing in our household : ) Ellie and I took time for a photo shoot. She enjoyed dressing up and being in the spotlight all by herself. Shelby managed to get a few good shots of Ellie and me which I am excited about! Ellie is such an observant child as she goes about her daily life. She stops and notices everything- unlike her mother who is always too busy. I should take some notes and learn a few things from this child. Today during our picture taking, she delighted in the butterflies and the yellow flowers. Later, we continued the celebrationwith Chinese food for dinner. We also gave Ellie a panda bear puppet that we purchased in China. She loved it! Speaking of gifts, Ellie is a gift, and I am so grateful that out of all the women in the world, God chose me to be her mother. I definitely don't deserve it, but she is my daughter by God's grace for which I am forever grateful.

Happy 1st Gotcha Day Ellie!

In a previous post, I mentioned how Shelby loves to bake. Today was no exception. She decided to pull out that Williams and Sonoma kids cookbook and bake Ellie a "Gotcha Day Cake". It turned out very cute and more importantly, it was most delicious! Of course, all the children were happy for Ellie on her special day and thrilled to help her eat her "Gotcha Day Cake".

September 16, 2008 Kunming, China

Life is much different for all of us today, September 16, 2009 compared to a year ago. However, Ellie's life certainly changed in amazing and dramatic ways. She sure has blossomed over these last 12 months, and my heart is full of love for this precious child given to us by God.