Three days before our girl’s 2nd birthday the postman arrived with a special delivery from Korea! We could hardly wait to see what the box with the telltale red characters contained, but we were pretty sure it was full of sweet birthday wishes…

And we were not disappointed.

Inside the box were a CoCo Mong tea set with dishes and a precious letter from Umma and Appa sending their love.

It brought tears to my eyes to think how much they must miss Lovey,

and how much she must miss them.

And I thanked God again for giving her amazing foster parents who would not only care for her tenderly, but pray for (and with) her and love her without holding back. Words are inadequate to describe how much we love them or the connection we feel to them.

Blessed be the tie that binds our hearts…

Lovey’s birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so we put her down for a quick nap after church, then headed over to the local Korean restaurant for a special meal. She enjoyed eating beef bulgogi and rice with chop sticks. That is, I fed her with my chop sticks. She drummed on the table with hers.

Birthday cake was a delicious chocolate chip cheesecake, baked with love by Daddy, which we enjoyed with dear friends at home.

And a few more pictures of Lovey’s special day…

Lovey got a few cards and packages in the mail even after her birthday, which enabled us to spread out the gift extravaganza and extend the celebration a few days…

[In photography, like in many other areas of my life, I’m still learning exactly where my focus needs to be.]

But the real celebration is Lily Love’s day-to-day presence in our lives — the joy she brings and the opportunity we have to SEE the world through her eyes.

When I remember what we were doing this time last year,

waiting, hoping, praying, planning…

to bring her home —

I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming!

Happiest of 2nd Birthdays, to you, our little flower!

I’m so glad you’re home to celebrate with us this year.