HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA!!

Today was Olivia's 9th Birthday!! NINE! I can still remember when she was 8 and 7 and 6 and 5 and 4 and 3 and 2 and 1 and the day we found out that she would be ours. And the day we brought her home! And the first night she was home with us and how I cried all night long because it didn't seem fair that I was holding this sweet baby and someone else was not. I cried for the first three months at night when I'd feed her and wonder "why me?" It all goes by so quickly, even though the nights seem slow sometimes. Gone are the days of playing princess and prince for hours on end. Gone are the days of dressing up as Cindewewwa and Sweeping Booty. Gone are the days of gathering treasures (of who knows what?) into tons of tiny purses and bags. (Athough there are still piles of things here and there that she says, "I want to keep those!" and I still don't know why.) But I get glimpses of that little girl once in a while. Not very often. Mostly when I hear her tiny voice on the phone, I can picture her being 4 or 5. But now she is grown up enough to play in piano recitals and swim on swim teams. She knows what her best qualities are and what she wants to be when she grows up. She has favorite memories of being younger, favorite authors, and favorite people. She worries about stuff. She loves without limits. She forgives much easier than I do. She has talents and character traits that are developing and things about her are still surprising me. She can write a poem and enter it in a contest and I'm the last one to know. She can keep secrets. She has had her cat for 5 years! She is a loyal friend. She is one of the neatest people I know. One day, when I was a mother volunteer for The Music Man and I was in the room with all of the Wells Fargo kids, waiting for their turn on the stage, I just sat and observed Olivia with her friends, or with the girls in the play she didn't know very well yet. I just watched her interact, but she didn't know I was watching. A thought washed over me: did she come for me? or was I here for her? Even though I am the mom, I'm convinced she came for me. She came to me because without her, I would never have known what heaven is like. I wouldn't have known what pure Christlike love feels like. I wouldn't have known about miracles such as Olivia and Isaac. I wouldn't have seen the plan of Salvation, in action, or known her birthmother, who, like Olivia, is the pure love of Christ. So today, I am thankful for this amazing little girl, who is in my life, who is my life, and who has given me the opportunity to be her mother. I love you Liv!

OLiVia: age 9...woke up at 5 AM thinking she could open her presents: NOT! She had to wait until 7!

Next: Olivia at age 8.
Next: Olivia at age 7.

Next: Olivia tonight in Park City. We went to the Kimball Art Center to see the Lego exhibit!! It was amazing! We went with the Dickerts. Andrew's birthday is next week, so we celebrated together...with LEGOs of course!!

Last photo: Poor Isaac. Fell down at the restaurant, after dinner, and cracked his head on the edge of the chair seat. OOOPS!! 3 staples later, and some blood and screaming at the Park City Urgent Care, he's home and fine. I had to get a picture of it after the trauma. Not such a great end to a fabulous day but I'm sure Olivia will always remember it!!