Monday Musings Memories

There are certain times in a year that you unintentionally walk down memory lane.  A past experience is always with you at that very moment.  For me, it is our spring SM.  Twelve years ago we walked into a high school auditorium.  The Chairman and I were full of anticipation, anxiousness, nervousness, utter joy, and butterflies in the belly.  We were less than two weeks from leaving for China to bring back our daughter. Besides that, most everyone was unaware that we were two months away from also meeting our yet, unborn son.  These little souls were in our minds and hearts constantly.  The future was veiled, but we had a hope of a family coming.  

Then they came.  The sweet, preciousness of little babies X 2.  To say that first year was hectic and thrilling and exhausting and unspeakable joy hardly does justice.  

One year later.  We are spit-polishing up these little people to go to SM.  I am flooded with the memories of our previously quiet and pristine home.  I am frantically packing a big bag of tricks and snacks and bottles to keep these little people entertained during the meetings.  We are trying to decide if we bring the stroller.  We hope for long naps.  And I hardly gave a thought to what I was going to wear that day.  

As we walked to the front doors carrying our babies and our bag of tricks, there stands one of the most helpful ladies of our adoption journey.  She had gone through the same waiting and anxiousness and joy that we had as their daughters were also from China.  She comes over with a huge, beaming smile and says, 'it feels pretty good to bring them here this year doesn't it?'  Oh my, does it ever.  Here are the pictures of those cute little things that very morning.  

T - 10 months

R - 21 months

Each year, I remember her comment.  Each year, I try to take a picture of our MYP before we leave for SM.  They used to be willing participants.  As the years go on, they are grudgingly doing it to make mom feel better.  And that's ok.  They are not babies.  They are young people with their own thoughts and feelings and I respect that.  But what gives me utter thankfulness is that they want to get the pictures out of the way because they want to get to the SM place early as possible.  That's the best.

This years pictures are dreadful.  The camera setting was switched.  I will only post because it will be a record for me on how big they are this year.  

:-)