Lilly's 4th Birthday

Making the wish...if you close your eyes it comes true faster.

The Queen opening her presents.

It was decided earlier that she skipped right over the title of princess and went straight to Queen.

Should I be worried?

Family

(notice the vintage stove in the foreground....love that thing!)

Working on her painted tea set.

Apparently it helps when you stick your tounge out.

A very cold walk.

Watching Horton Hears a Who with Daddy.

Lilly turned 4 today...so hard to believe that much time has passed us by already.

And the question always ringing in our ears is "what did we ever do without Lilly?"

She is funny and compassionate.

Sweet and sassy.

Tender and tough.

Beautiful.

Smart.

Kind.

This day can never come without my thoughts going to Lilly's birth parents, especially her mother.

How could it be that 4 years ago today a woman gave birth to a little baby on the other side of the world.

And how could it be that we sat waiting for that very same little girl.

Every twist in the road. Every delay...ours or the government's or the postal system's.

Each day that I didn't work on the paper work to proceed with the adoption.

The promise from our agency that it would be 5-7 months after we turned in our paperwork before we were matched with a baby and then 7 months became 8 months became 9 months and ulitmately

became 2 long years.

It occurs to me to be so grateful for every perfect moment to bring us to this one sweet girl...our daughter.

My prayers go out to comfort the heart of a woman I will most likely never meet but lives in my heart always.

Thank you to Lilly's birth mother...thankyou for doing what must have broken your own heart in two.

Thank you for the greatest gift we have ever received.

Your courage amazes me. Your sadness lives in me.

I honor you. And our daughter is thriving...equal parts nature and nurture.

Perfectly herself.

Happy Birthday sweet, sweet girl......Lilly Marguerite KeXiu Stairs

What would we do without you?