A very special day

August 30th is a very special day in our home. It is Yana's birthday (she turned 11 today), my birthday (I turned 38!) and Lily's adoption day! This year, Lily opted to celebrate her adoption day on the 31st, as it was actually the 31st when we got her in China (it was the 30th in the U.S. and we have always said that she was my birthday gift). This is our 3rd year with Yana, and I really wanted to focus on her birthday this year. She is 11 years old and hasn't had that many birthdays celebrated, so we wanted to make it special.

We went to The Butterfly Pavilion first. It was so much fun. None of the kids, except Adam, had been there. And Adam was only two when he had gone, so he didn't really remember it. We had free passes from the summer library program, so it worked out really well.

Then, we went to Cinzettis for lunch. Oh my, that was good! On the way home, we got Yana's friend, Naomi, from her house. Then David and the kids swam (at our neighborhood pool that's just a block from our house), we had dinner and some friends came over for ice cream cake. It sounds like a busy day, but it actually wasn't too crazy. Yana had a good time and I am so glad for her. She is a precious, wonderful girl. She has a servant's heart and truly cares about others. Happy Birthday, beautiful Yana!


Tomorrow we are making Chinese food and playing Chinese games, as well as singing "Happy Adoption Day" quite boisterously! We'll probably swim in the afternoon since this is the last weekend for the pool to be open. Happy Adoption Day, sweet and precious Lily! I am so grateful to have you as a daughter! What a gift you are to us!