Jeff’s Place

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Originally uploaded by schimoo

March 24, 2011
Oh My! 9th Gotcha Day for Suzanne!
I really don’t have words for this day, accept, WOW!
9 years ago Liz and I were not parents. We were just a couple traveling half way across the world for a very precious gift. A gift that would bring a lot of joy, a lot of challenge and a lot of love. We have a beautiful daughter who is awesome! Our older daughter who is full of life and loving everything she does and works on. It is a joy to watch her learn the clarinet. It is fun to watch her grow from a small little infant to and very complete little girl. There are a lot of things that come to her very easily and some that are just really hard. She loves math! That is nice to see. She loves to read and will reread any and every book that she has read. She has many friends. She loves school. She is an awesome girl.

On this day 9 years ago we were waiting in a lobby of a hotel in the middle of China. Waiting to make our family complete. (Little did we know that it wouldn’t really be complete for a few years to come.) We saw a beautiful little girl come through the door, into the hotel lobby, in the arms of a caretaker. Looking around not knowing that her life was about to have a huge change. She wasn’t really happy about it. She has never been good with change! The unhappy little girl lasted through the night. But when the sun started the next day we had a happy little girl on our hands. That has not changed since that first full day as a family, a forever family! Ups and downs have happened. Don’t get me wrong. Everyday is a new adventure. But that laugh has not changed, it has just gotten older.
Every year I write a little note and every year I wait until the last moment to do it. Not really sure why, but I think I just want to write from the heart. I think that has happened.
I love the Gotcha Day’s that we celebrate as a family. It is a celebration of the heart from the heart. Suzanne gets a gift that we purchased in China on our “Trip to Suzanne” so that every year she gets a gift from her homeland. She has started to really enjoy the excitement of getting that gift. We have wrapped them all in red paper so we can’t even remember what is in the package. We get a little enjoyment as well.

Today is the day we celebrate our oldest daughter, making a couple become a family.

Apparently I do have words for this day!

Happy Gotcha Day Kiddo!