Gotcha Day Photo Shoot~

So what does a Girl do for her Gotcha Day??  Well, Lucy chose to wear her FAVORITE dress, in her FAVORITE color...and her hair in her FAVORITE hairstyle.  She then wanted to go to her FAVORITE store...

yes, Walgreens...because we usually only stop in there for one thing and she doesn't have to ride in the cart...AND all her FAVORITE things...nail polish...are right at her level...so she chose a new nailpolish called "Hottie" :) and rhinestones.....We then went to her FAVORITE place for ice cream....Dairy Queen...

...and we took home an ice cream cake to celebrate with later....it has been VERY hot here...so that is why all the ice cream!

....and we gave one of the small gifts we bought while in China...which was perfect for a very HOT night!

Lucy had a wonderful day...everytime we told her 

Happy Gotcha Day" she would say 

"Thank you"...she made us sing "Happy Gotcha Day to You!", and she blew out one candle for her first Forever Family Day...We are looking forward to many more to come!!

Gotcha Lucy!

One Year Ago...

You walked into the room and into our lives FOREVER.  The moment we had prayed and waited for was finally here....

One Year Ago...

You became the Daughter I had longed for my whole life...

One Year Ago...

You stole his heart and HE will never be the same...

 

One year ago today I met my Daughter.   Words cannot describe the moment she walked into the hotel room in Changsha.  I knew that God had orchestrated this moment so perfectly.  As her Nanny told her I was "Mama" she walked to me and touched my cheek and said "Mama"...and at that moment every moment of waiting and anticipation slipped away.

Our attatchment and bonding with Lucy has been nothing short of miraculous, and I owe that to each and every person in China who showed her love, as she knows how to give and receive it freely.  She is an absolute joy.  She is confident, funny, smart, kind, and beautiful and our lives are fuller because she is part of it.

To our Sweet Lucy Joy~

One year ago you became our Daughter, and we will never forget the moment you walked into our lives.  Though we loved you from the moment we saw your picture, to actually hold you in our arms was a dream come true.

This first year has flown by.  We celebrated your 4th Birthday shortly after you came home and each Holiday after that.  We have been amazed at how quickly you have learned English.  You came to us completely fluent in Mandarin and today you are completely fluent in English.  Phyicaly you are stronger and more confident.  We watched you go to pre-school for the first time and trust that we would be there for you when it was over, and then you wanted to attend more days!

We will be forever grateful to your birth Mother in China, who we know loved you more than we will ever know, as she left you in a very busy place so that you would be found quickly.  For each Nanny who cared for you in the orphanage we could never repay them, for they loved you and cared for you until we could .

Lucy you have blessed us beyond our wildest dreams.  You are a light in our lives, and in the lives of your Brothers, family and friends.  We are so Blessed to be your Forever Family~

xoxo

Mommy & Daddy

Hey Cowgirl!

Changsha China - One Year Ago

Our next couple of days were spent flying to Changsha, Hunan...Lucy's province...and sightseeing.  We visited the Embroidery Factory and the Provincial Museum.   These two darling children were in line in front of us at the museum and wanted their picture taken with us...Americans and blonde hair are not very common there I suppose :)

a very hot and humid day...hence the foggy picture!...hard to imagine we still had to wait TWO more days to get Lucy!

Guangzhou China - One Year Ago

We booked our own travel to China, so we flew directly into Guangzhou and spent the first day sightseeing and soaking in the culture.  I remember seeing a few families with their babies, but it was relatively quiet...nothing like when we returned a week later with Lucy.  We were not approached by shopkeepers because we did not have a Chinese baby with us...a couple of them finally did ask if we were on our way to pick up our baby.

We loved Guangzhou...it reminded us so much of Savannah GA...one of my favorite cities!

We loved every minute in China and cannot wait to return one day with all of our children...I have been having a Shaken Black Tea Lemonade in remembrance of the ones I had in China...YUM!

It was 4 days before we would see our girl!

Field Trip Friday~

We knew today was going to be a beautiful day here in the NW...so we decided to visit a little town that we had never been too...Edmonds!  It is so charming and right on the Puget Sound.

We had a great lunch outside looking right at the beach and watching the ferry~

We walked through town and visited the little shops and then headed down to the beach~

I love these shots below of Blake and Lucy, they look like they are having a serious conversation~

What a great way to spend a perfect afternoon!

One Year Ago~

We have been blessed beyond belief by a little Girl who is so full of life, who is as smart and funny as she is BEAUTIFUL.  This truly has been one of the fastest years of our lives...and we cannot imagine a day without our Lucy Joy in it.

In Celebration of our upcoming "Gotcha" day, July 28th (we wanted to change it to Lucy Day, but Lucy insists she LOVES "Gotcha Day", so that it is!)...I will be posting some of my favorite photos from each day of our trip to China.

One year ago I posted this on our travel blog, We Love Lucy!  

To our sweet Lucy Joy JingXuan~

I cannot believe the time is finally here. Tomorrow Daddy and I will board a plane and fly to the only place you have ever called home. As you spend your last few days in an orphanage...I wonder if you have any idea of what is to come. Your world as you have known it will change forever.

We are so excited to hold you in our arms and tell you that we will never let you go. We have prayed for you and prepared for you , and we cannot wait to "officially" make you part of our family.

We are looking forward to spending time with you in your birth country, and getting to know the people and places that you have called home for 3 1/2 years. We are also looking forward to bringing you to your new home and introducing you to so many family and friends who are so anxious to meet you.

We love you so much,

Mommy

Playing Catch-up!

I posted our pictures from the lake...scroll down to take a peek!

Lucy Goes to the Zoo!