The Best 4 Years of Our Lives!

Baby-girl~

 

You turned 4 today.

 

Four;

 

4 years that went by entirely too fast.

 

 

 

4 years of lessons from you on how to be parents.

 

 

 

4 years of trial and error.

 

 

 

 

 4 years of watching you grow.

 

 

4 years of the best laughter of our lives.

 

 

 

4 years that we'll never forget....

 

 

 

But simply can't wait to add to!

 

 

 

 

A few 'Hannah-ism's' from your 4th year of life....

 

You; Daddy, I have 37 dollars!

Daddy; Who gave you all that money?!

You: Guys did!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Over-tired you threw a fit today at naptime and accidentally kicked me in the chest....

You: "I'm sorry Mommy... where did I kick you?"
Me: "In my chest (and I pointed)."
 You: "In your heart?"
Me: "Yes.... "
 You (very sad): "Mommy, did I kick Jesus?"
Me: "What do you mean, Baby?"
 You: "Jesus lives in your heart, Mommy... did I hurt Him?"
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I was putting something up in the closet and when I backed out of it I ran into into you and you ran into Dee-O...

You; That was really not cool mom.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Daddy was out of town and you and I had pancakes for dinner for the second night in a row... last night was M&M pancakes and tonite was chocolate chip but I made plain for myself;

You: "I see that you have a chocolate chip pancake on your plate, Mama. I fink that one is mine."
Me: "I have 2 plain and 1 chocolate chip... I just wanted to try one. Ummm.... where did you learn to talk like that?"
 You: "I'm not sure, Mama... but I want my pancake back, please." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

In one breath; "mommy, I spilled blue yogurt on the carpet and cleaned it all up with my foot but it's ok because Jesus said in the bible that mommys and daddys need to be nice to little kids and boys (??) so don't be mad, okay mommy?"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Me: Hannah, I have a Candy Cane for you when you poop on the potty!
 You: I don't poop for Candy Canes, Mommy... only for Chocolate.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

You: "Mommy, did you sex daddy today?"
Me: "WHAT?!"
 You: "Did you sex daddy on your phone?"
 (since I'm not even sure we'll still be texting when you're old enough to read this, I'll mention that I'm pretty sure you meant 'text' ;-))

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

One morning in late March, you came running into our room screaming, "Mommy Daddy, Mommy Daddy... my baby brother's coming! He's coming and I don't know what car he'll be in but he's coming!"

 

We had been trying for a year to make you a big sister and it was so so hard for us to explain to you how God works, that He was working on making you a sister but wasn't ready to give us our baby yet. This went on all day and I finally asked you,

"Baby, who told you that your Baby Brother is on his way?"

 

You replied...

 

"Jesus did."

 

Your heart is as pure as gold!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Happy Birthday, Princess.... you're our world, our passion, our gift, and our dreams come true!

 

 

 

 

To My Babies; What I Want You to Know

A letter to my babies... present and future;

Sweet Babies~

The fact that our family has been grown through adoption is something you know; It's who we are. It's HOW we are.

And it's perfect.

You will grow up having access to your First Families... you each have a box; in that box is every single correspondence we've had with your First Family;  every letter, email, and card they've ever sent you or us, journal entries they've shared with us to give to you, the gifts they've sent you, every monthly update we were required to send to our agency... everything. It's all there for you to read and process when you're ready. You'll know your First Family as you grow up.... your Daddy and I will always know where they are and how they're doing and we'll keep them updated on YOU. We'll visit with them. You will always know them.

I imagine one day you'll have questions for your birth parents; Why did you choose adoption for me? How did you know my Mom and Dad were right for me? Did you love me? Did you think about me? And many more, I'm sure...

But babies, your Daddy and I don't have a box for each of you... a place where we write you letters and store our memories. Still, there are a few things I want you to know... things that will always be in you but things that you'll need to read and be reassured about as you grow. Things that I want you to hear from me... your Mommy.

What I Want You to Know

~ We didn't do anyone any favors when God brought you into our lives and we brought you home. We weren't saving your birth parents or even you from whatever it was that prompted them to place you in our arms. We aren't 'amazing people' because our family is grown through adoption. Adoption IS our family. It's not even a choice your Daddy and I mulled over and debated about... it's just us. You have done more for us than we could ever hope to do for you... and we will spend every day of our lives doing our very best. 

~ YOU were wanted and loved before we ever knew you.... by us and your birth parents. For us, seeing you for the first time only put a precious face to that love. There has never been... and never will be a time that you aren't wanted. You are necessary for our family to be... for it to exist.

~ You weren't our second choice. There's no rank when it comes to how the Lord chooses to build a family but I imagine some kids might struggle with this as they get older. Did you try to get pregnant before you found me? Did you continue trying to get pregnant after me? What made you decide to stop 'trying'? Do you ever wish you HAD gotten pregnant? Your Daddy and I tried our best to listen to God... to follow His lead and trust Him to bring our babies to us, no matter HOW He chose to do it, our babies were missing and our hearts were aching for you.  We followed a path to you that was full of anxiety, impatience, excitement, let-downs, and thankfullness. We had to travel that path, through all of that 'stuff' to be who WE needed to be for YOU. For that reason alone, we would repeat everything ... our quest to grow our family, all over again in a second if it would bring us YOU. Our arms weren't aching for a biological child.... they were aching for OUR child. For you. You were always our first choice.


~ It's ok to ask questions. ANY questions. About your adoption, about relationships, about Jesus, about drugs or alcohol or sex, about ... anything. You can ask me and your Daddy or your Uncles... they're your best resource for adoption. ;-) When you're old enough and have formed your own list of questions, you can ask your First Parents.... you can ask them anything. Your story... your history; past, present, and future are vital pieces of your existence....  Your Daddy and I don't know the answers to some of the questions you'll have but we will do everything we can to help you find the answers. You deserve to know and it's ok to ask. Your birth parents AND us give you permission to ask... anything, anytime.

` Your testimony began before you were even born. I wish I could introduce each of you to every single person who prayed for you.... who prayed for us while we tried so hard to wait patiently for you. The first chapters of your lives started in our living room where friends surrounded me and your Daddy and cried with us and prayed that God would ease the ache in our hearts until you came home. They prayed for your First Parents and that God would ease the ache in THEIR hearts as they struggled to make decisions for you. Each of your homecomings brought friends and family to their knees.... your precious faces in our full arms were proof that God answers prayer.  People who weren't close to God for whatever reason couldn't even deny HIS hand in YOUR homecoming. YOU are proof of that.... over and over and over again.

~ There IS a plan for your life. Your Daddy and I knew that the Lord had plans for you far beyond what we could imagine the first time we looked at your faces. I don't know if you'll be doctors, teachers, waiters, CEOs, Pastors, lawyers, janitors, or musicians..... but no matter what you are, be it with everything that's in you. Sometimes you'll fail... and it'll suck. Lesons learned, tears cried, anger released and you'll be ok. I can't promise 'your plan' will be easy.... mine hasn't always been. But it will be worth it. It's hard to remember in those moments but it's all part of the plan... the plan that's greater than any of us can imagine. YOUR life plan.

I know there's more, babies, and maybe I'll add to this list over time; but this last one... it's the most important. I never want you to forget it and I will spend every day of my life showing you...


I love you.


More than Diet Coke, and cupcakes, and Raspberries, and pedicures, and Sweet Tarts, and shopping, and Lily's, ....

I love you more than anything... I did then, and I do now, and I will 'when'.

~ Your Forever Mama