Monday, April 27, 2009

First Family Day!

One year ago, our sweet boy was placed in our arms forever. There really are no adequate words to describe the emotions of that day! Such joy! We were so incredibly happy to finally be together as a family, yet there was also a deep sadness watching Eli's foster family say goodbye knowing Eli was losing everything that was familiar to him and they were losing a son, a brother. At the same time, our hearts were also with Eli's birth mother. The finality of our adoption process was a whirlwind of deep joy and sadness. To say it was overwhelming is an understatement! One year ago marked the beginning of our life as a family of three, but with that beginning also came loss. That is just the reality of adoption and, as adoptive parents, it is so essential that we acknowledge and honor all of its complexities. In that sense, this day for us is not only a huge celebration of our life together as a family, but also an honor to the journey that brought us together, Eli's birth mother, and his foster family.

With that said, we had a lowkey celebration this evening. We spent time playing outside and watched our video from this day last year. Pea was very intrigued by the video and actually sat on my lap watching it for quite awhile. (He rarely sits still for anything!) It's so hard to know if he recognized his foster family, but he certainly was interested! We were so lucky and blessed to share that day with our parents, who joined us for the first week of our trip. They took lots of pictures for us and my dad was the videographer. The pictures and videos are priceless and something our family will treasure always.

We also left for Guatemala not knowing when we would return. We had not received our pink slip, yet, but we just couldn't be away from our pea any longer. We expected to be down there for a month, but it only ended up being 2.5 weeks. We had such a wonderful trip! I am sure this post will be part I over the next few days as I pour over the photos from our trip!

Family Picture April 27, 2008

Family Picture April 27, 2009
My favorite silly fellas!

Daddy attack!!

Me & my pea
My sweet, sweet boy

10 comments:

Jess said...

I love that last picture of you two, and the one of Eli and Jason in the grass!

You are so wise and you worded the mix of sadness and joy so well. Eli is lucky to have adoptive parents who consider the deep complexities of his adoption. How blessed he is to have you as his parents!!

Bobbi said...

Ok, I was on the verge of tears then that last pic of the two of you put me over the edge. What a sweet, sweet photo! Congratulations. You said it so well that day in Guatemala is so bittersweet.

The smiles from all of you this year show a glow and a love that certainly has grown deeper and deeper over the year. Can't wait for more pics as the week comes.

Derek and Jennifer said...

It's hard to put into words what happens on that day but you did such a great job. Adoption is a wonderful yet heartbreaking thing.

It's great to see you all so happy and full of love. Happy Family Day.

Joelsburg said...

Happy first of many, many Family Days!

Anonymous said...

Great pics! Happy family day. Hard to believe it's been a year! Here's to another wonderful year as a family of 3!!!

Anonymous said...

What great pictures! Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the advice! Your son is so darn handsome! Happy forever family Day!!!!

Kelly said...

Love this post and happy family day!!!!

Greta Jo said...

Happy family day. OMG- that last photo...where are my tissues?

Guatmama said...

Oh what a sweet post. One year already...congrats...

Kim said...

What beautiful, beautiful pictures and memories. Happy Family Day!