It's here...

OK...I promise I won't get all emotional...I won't get all nostalgic...I won't gush...I won't...I promise...oh, who am I kidding?!

A year ago tomorrow (actually, in Ch*na time it was just a few hours from now) our lives changed forever. We became the parents to two gorgeous, smart, opinionated, challening, joyous, dramatic, lovable, ticklish, perfect daughters. Our labor room was a chilly, wooden-clad room on an upper floor of the Civil Affairs Office in Nanchang, Ch*na. Our doctors were a petite agency guide and the director and assistant director of the girls' SWI. Our videographer and photographer was two wonderful women we met while on this adventure, who would later meet their daughter and niece in that same room.

There were tears, there was a camera rolling, there was rapid-fire Mandrin being spoken where all we could understand was Mama and Baba. Mama and Baba. Our new names. Forever Mama and Baba. The girls did not know it yet, but they were so loved, so prayed for, so wanted. All they knew was when they woke up that morning, it was business as usual...then their world turned upside down.

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We have been enjoying this time of celebration with the girls. Since it is our first anniversary as a family, we wanted it to be special. This weekend, we had both sets of grandparents over and we ate Chinese food and watched our Ch*na videos. It was the first time either set of grandparents had ever seen them. Abby sat riveted to the screen. Laney, chose to play. When I asked her if she remembered Ch*na, she said yes. When I asked her what she remembered, she said, "I don't want to remember." It's ok baby. You don't have to.

Everyone had fun though. We all celebrated and loved on these two little ones till we thought our hearts would burst. Thank our Lord Almighty we had such a good reason to celebrate. We have been so blessed!

Tomorrow just Mama and Baba have some special things planned for the girls. I'm not promising every year will be this elaborate, but we wanted a first anniversary to remember.

Stay tuned because we will be doing a final update to the website we used when we traveled. We will be sure to link it for you as long as you promise to sign the guestbook there. It will be posted in the next week or so.

Ok, I promised not to get too emotional. So I better go. :)

Happy one year family anniversary baby girls! It is a day forever etched in our minds. Thank you God for giving us these girls.


(If you want to read what we posted on this day a year ago, click here.)