one year home

I'm squeaking this post in. It figures. Been thinking about our one year anniversary post for a long time now and here I am throwing something together at the end of a hard day. It figures.

But really, I am so thankful I spent this September 9th at home with my three little boys! Granted, I wasn't the thankful mommy I wish I was, I griped that my husband had to work and certainly didn't drip with grace and gratitude because this day, September 9th, marks our one year anniversary of having Bereket and Tamagn home.

But I am thankful. And as we've seen this day approaching and prepared for a celebration with friends, I have been more reflective on adoption, God's faithfulness to our family this past year, the grace that He gives every new day, precious grace that I treat as commonplace.

In my musings on adoption, I pulled our big, green 1828 Webster's dictionary down from the shelf and thumbed my way to adopt. A Latin word, adopto of ad and opto {as in option}, meaning to choose, to desire. Here's Noah's definition from way back when:

adopt: 

1) to take a stranger into one's family, as son and heir; to take one who is not a child, 

and treat him as one, giving him a title to the privileges and rights of a child. 

2) in a spiritual sense, to receive the sinful children of men into the invisible church, and into God's favor and protection, by which they become heirs of salvation by Christ. 

Adoption is a good thing. Really good. I am so, so thankful God desired me. Chose me to be an heir of salvation by Christ.

And I am so thankful He called us and paved the way for us to share in the adoption of two little boys this side of eternity. And for those of you who haven't heard, we are close to mailing away our dossier again. To, by God's grace, bring a little sister home for these crazy boys.

Here is our first family photo from September 9th, last year.

And one year later, outside of Abay, the Ethiopian restaurant in Pittsburgh where we celebrated this weekend with friends. 

When we decided to start the adoption process I remember thinking how lucky that child would be for the community of friends and family they'd be gaining in the process.

Thank you again...

to Brandon for going with me and sharing in those 17 wonderful hours of bonding at 30,000 feet,

to Steve and Jeannie for caring for my biggest boy and for all those meals and dishes and everything you did that first week!!!,

to my dad for loving and taking care of Josiah on our first trip,

to all our friends in GC for the meals, and milk, and balloons and flowers and support! you showered upon us,

to Eliza, for serving us on a regular basis all year that first year and, really, helping in such a big way to make it a good first year,

to all of you who read this and have prayed for us, sent encouraging emails, loved us from a distance.

thank you!!!