B’s “gottcha” day was on Saturday. I’ve included a picture when he was about three months old and in the orphanage. Wasn’t he sweet?! It’s hard to believe he’s been with us for 13 years already. Watching vidoes of when he was a baby, I want to pick him up and cuddle and snuggle and kiss him. But at 13, he won’t go for that anymore. We had a wonderful family day. We went swimming for about an hour. It felt good to swim some laps. J loves the water and didn’t want to get out. D works with her and she is learning to put her head down and kick. After swimming, we went bowling. We had a coupon for some free games. J loved knocking the pins down. It didn’t matter how many she got down – she cheered the same for one as for eight. I think we have a lot to learn from her! Of course D won; then it went in order according to age. But we had a great time. When we got home, it was time to get ready for the celebration. B’s cake broke apart, so I literally had to hold it together as I frosted it. Somehow I managed to get it looking pretty good, if a little lopsided. Oh well, it tasted great. We also had Vietnamese egg rolls and won ton soup. They’re a lot of work, but very, very yummy. A wonderful woman from Vietnam taught me how to make them, so I know they’re authentic.

I’m so thankful B is part of our family. Despite the usual teenage challenges, he’s a great kid. I can’t imagine him not being part of our family. The Lord made us wait a lot of years for him, but it was worth every minute of the wait. Another evidence of His grace to us.