Pink Frosting Celebrations...

This morning Biruk looked at me and said, "Mommy...I wish my sister was home.  That way she could play with me and I wouldn't have to keep asking you to play!"  I smiled at him and said, "Me too, buddy.  Me too."

You would think that your second time adopting would be so much easier than the first, but that just doesn't seem to be the case.  Sure, you have a better idea of what it means to really "wait," you have one leg up on creative fundraising ideas, you've honed the "skill" of completing paperwork like a champ, and checking emails for new "updates" becomes part of the daily routine.

But...at the end of the day, you are here and your child is somewhere on the other side of the world and there is nothing "easy" about that.

I want to be the one to tuck her in at night, to read stories to her, to have dance parties and eat ice cream until our bellies ache, to remind her that she's loved and she's safe, to let her know about this God that has unbelievable plans for her life, to celebrate all that she is.  But the miles, the paperwork, and the process make that a little more difficult than I would like these days.

Today our little one turned 2.  As a kid, I always remember my mom making the biggest of deals of our birthdays.  While we didn't have much, she always made us feel loved and celebrated.  She wanted us to know that our life had value and God had created us for something really special.  So she did everything in her power to make sure we knew that, especially around our birthdays.

Tonight, we decided to throw a birthday party for "Little M," complete with cake, decorations, and even a birthday song (which my niece made up and is really great).  Biruk and his friend Callie worked hard on baking the perfect pink cake with pink frosting and an overabundance of sprinkles.   We splurged on cotton candy and pop-rock ice cream even though the off brand was so much cheaper but so less cuter.  My sister, brother-in-law, and two nieces came over, not only with gifts, but with an insane amount of excitement about the family member they would be gaining in the months to come.  We all wore paper hats and blew out candles and talked about what it would be like when "Little M" becomes a part of our crazy forever family.

They say it might be another 8 to 12 to 14 months before "forever family," status becomes a reality, but the truth is, I think it's already happened.

I know because I see nieces who are already talking about teaching their new cousin how to speak their language.

I know because I see Aunties and Uncles who continue to do everything in their power to raise funds for what often seems like a never ending financial hurdle.

I know because I see Grammies, Pop-Pop's and Nans, praying fervently behind the scenes.

I know because I see a little boy choosing the perfect sprinkles, picking out toys and continuing to tell people that his sister coming home soon.

She is loved.
She is celebrated.
She is prayed for.
She is family.

And we haven't even met her yet.

So..."Little M," as you get tucked into your bed tonight, one year older, our hope is that you know you are super crazy loved.   So crazy loved that we just have to throw a party, complete with tons of pink frosting, an abundance of sprinkles and only the best of ice creams.

We're celebrating you tonight, little one.

And we want you to know...we're saving you a seat at our family table.