Caroline's 5 | First Birthday Party

This past week we were able to celebrate our daughter's birthday WITH her!  A far off dream this time last year.  A friend reminded me last year on her birthday we had a community garage sale in order to raise money to help with the adoption costs.  So much has happened in one year and yet it is starting to become hard to remember our life with out her.

 Sometime last fall Caroline fell in love with "The Little Einsteins" show.  The show was created in 2006 and they are no longer making toys or decorations to go along with such an ancient show.  This left a problem.  She lets everyone know Einsteins is her favorite!  She likes the characters but what she really likes is the rocket.  Planes and rockets equate basically to air travel which changed her whole life.  A plane in her first language is called a Wagee.  She loves them!  I think she transferred her love of planes to this cute musical rocket and there you have a girl extremely attached and in love with Rocket.

Thankfully some really sweet friends and family came to our rescue and dug through their old toys, scoured Ebay and presented us with some sweet Little Einsteins treasures that made this First Birthday a dream come true to our little girl.  Imagine Christmas morning over and over as squeals of delight came from our newest five year old!

Caroline has watched everyone in our family and almost all of her extended family have birthday parties.  She knew what to do.  From the moment we met her we noticed she had the ability to observe to learn to be able to do it herself.  It is more than likely a survival mechanism.  Birthday parties were no exception.  She was ready.  At preschool her teacher said they sang to her and then she pretended she had candles and went to town blowing them out.

In the orphanage I was told they celebrate the Chinese New Year with a big party where the children were told they are now a year older.  The difference of a family is we celebrate HER.  Her birth, her survival, her perseverance and determination to overcome obstacles, her willingness over the year to let us be her Mom and Dad, her sweet spirit, her joy, her love and trust given to us, and our overwhelming LOVE for her.

The video clip is our voices and her overwhelming joy and anticipation to blow out her candles...

(What we didn't teach her apparently was that the candles are hot even after they are blown out.)

Happy Birthday Caroline Joy!  We are thankful for your life and the gift you are to us as a daughter. We can't wait to see where to Lord leads you and to celebrate all that is to come WITH you!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11