Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Happy "Gotcha Day", Joy!

Here is our little cutie 1 year ago . . . 





And here she is now!





We had a very special day of celebration as a family. We ate lunch at a local Chinese restaurant so that Joy could eat her favorite noodles. It is always fun to experience a little "taste" of China . . . comfort food!





 Then we journeyed to the Pumpkin Patch for some celebrating fun! Joy had no idea what a "punkin patch" was, but she sure was excited to go! She loved every minute of it!





Joy's first request was to ride the ponies, and Lindy was all in! Once Joy got closer to the pony, she decided that she needed mama by her side, so I accompanied my little cowgirls on their journey.





Riding on the boats and loving it!




We returned home, and Joy opened up her Gotcha Day present!






She was thrilled with her new scooter! It will also be a great activity to build strength in her legs and help with her balance.

We finished off the afternoon with pink cupcakes and pink icey cream!




What a wonderful day of celebration! I love this girl so much . . . it continues to amaze me! She is my daughter in every sense of the word, and the bond that we share runs deep. Joy is a beautiful child, so full of life! She is so much fun to be with and brings smiles and laughter to our family. What would we do without her? God divinely planned for this precious girl to come into the world to make it a brighter place. And we can hardly believe that He chose us to be the ones to love her and cherish her all the days of her life. She has endured so much over the course of this past year, and her resiliency and joyful spirit are evidence of the fact that God has His hand on her life. She is coming to know and love our Savior, and that is the greatest gift of all! She is learning that He loves her, and she belongs to Him. He has always been with her even when we were not. Thank you, Lord, for Joy! Thank you for leading our hearts to her! We are forever changed because of her! Draw her to Yourself, dear Lord, and please use her life for your glory!


"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with JOY!" Psalm 126:3