EllaKate Day: 3 Years

Today is EllaKate Day. Three years ago today we were given the precious gift we had been dreaming of for 18 months. It was a very exciting day for all of us- really like Christmas. We could barely wait for the time to come for us to go to the Civil Affairs office. That morning we were taken shopping for things we might need for our baby, we ate lunch at Pizza Hut, and boarded the bus about 1:30. EllaKate was supposed to be there about 2:00 but they were running late and finally arrived after a six hour bus ride. A man walked in and placed her in a chair and walked away. Can you imagine how hard it was not to pick her up and kiss her all over??? We sat very close and took tons of pictures. Finally it was time for us to take her into our family forever... there are no words. You are welcome to watch part of our EllaKate video made with love by my precious friend Sheryl. Thank you so much sweet friend!!!



I remember watching my friend Cathie Z. with her two Chinese daughters before we got EllaKate- absolutely beautiful! I wondered how it would be when EK was ours and then I dreamed of who she would be as she grew in our family. I never imagined it to be this sweet. She is still a spicy Chongqing girl and strong willed, loving, happy, creative, smart, funny, and extremely attached to her stuffed animals especially her horses.

She is still extremely attached to me and needs routine. She can't wait for her daddy and sisters to get home each day and when Savannah is on her way home, it is all I can do to keep her calm. She loves to read books and watch Diego. She would rather do school than most anything- especially cutting and gluing. She loves to do whatever I do whether it be vacuuming, ironing, writing, texting :), resting, reading... we are pretty much always together. I think the sweetest thing about her is that she knows God made her and chose her for our family. She loves Jesus and loves me to read her Bible stories. And she cannot WAIT to go to China to get her baby sister ShayleeJoy. We talk about her everyday and look so forward to ShayleeJoy Day!

To celebrate, Scott is picking up PF Changs for dinner and we will all watch EllaKate's video plus look at the scrapbooks I have made. I also have a very special gift for her... check back to see...
Blessings,