What a Difference a Year Makes!

July 16, 2012:  We wait anxiously in a large room for a little girl we've never met to come out from behind a curtain.  She's carried out by her caretaker and they call our names.  We don't know what to expect, but she comes to Heather immediately.  She's so tired from the 5+ hour trip to get to Guangzhou that day that she falls asleep in Heather's arms.

July 16, 2013:  It's impossible for us to believe that just a year ago, we met a little child that changed our lives forever.  The transition back home was extremely hard; in fact, it was the most challenging time we've gone through together.  But now, we've adjusted and found our new normal.  We don't even remember what it felt like to only have two children running around.  A year ago we wondered if this docile little girl would ever say anything.  Today, we often wonder when this energetic little girl will tire out!

See this little one's transformation for yourself...

Pics from before we met her:

The first time we met:

The first weeks back home:

Getting used to the "new normal":

And today:

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Helen Joy Songxiang Adolphs, we thank God for bringing you into our family.  We and your siblings could not imagine life without you or all of the joy you bring to the rest of us in this house.  Happy Gotcha Day, little girl.

To Ella & Myles, you are both wonderful siblings.  Thank you for welcoming her into our family with open arms and showing her all of your love in your own little ways.  We thank God just as much for bringing the two of you to us.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Helen!

Little Helen turned two on February 23!  We had a big party with extended family on the 23rd and a friends' party on the 24th.  We don't know what it is, but Helen somehow suddenly "seems two years old" now.  Maybe it's all of her new words (that only we really understand, of course) or the new ways we see her interact every day... or her fits (while still cute in a way) now being full-blown two-year-old-tantrums.  :-)

Anyway, anyone reading this is probably just looking for pictures at this point.  Here's the clan celebrating Helen's big weekend!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

...or "Gong Xi Fa Cai" if you prefer Mandarin over Cantonese!  We enjoyed celebrating the first day of the Chinese New Year this past Sunday with a special celebration.  Several local families that have adopted from China get together every year at a local restaurant to celebrate, and the Chinese children all wear traditional attire.  Ella was even able to join in by wearing one of the dresses we brought back with us. 

Enjoy the pictures!

 

 

A Week of Milestones

What a week!  We have had so many milestones to celebrate this week.  Yesterday marked six months since we first held Helen in our arms:

Today marks one year since we received our referral from our adoption agency with the first pictures of Helen we ever saw:

Life is going just great right now.  As we mentioned before, we had a really hard time with the adjustment to our "new normal" after returning from China.  However, it now feels like the transitional time is complete and and we're loving our life as a family of five.  Helen is an incredible blessing to all of us, and these pictures speak for themselves: