Gotcha Day (Ten Years and Counting)

It's Gotcha Day for our sons! 

Ten years ago on this very day we travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and picked them up from their orphanages.  I'll never forget the finality of taking them back to our hotel room and realizing that there was no going back.  They were ours as if they were just born.  And they were, born again.

We laid Caleb in a pack-n-play and he laid right on his belly and hit the sack.  Josh took a little more finessing as we opened up a space on the couch and tucked him in next to his stuffed animal.  He stared at the ceiling for a bit.  I often wonder what was racing through his mind.  I can't fathom.

We didn't have a common language and we didn't have any common memory.  The only connecting point was Looney Toons.  I never realized the power of that cartoon until we all sat there and watched an episode that was nothing but animation and music, no words.  They smiled spellbound.  The space between us was filled with Tom and Jerry and holding them on our laps.  

It's hard to believe a decade has gone by.  Caleb is 10 and Josh is 12.  Increasingly they want to talk about where they were born and who their parents were.  I wish we knew more.  I'm so grateful we have even the little details we do.  Their little hearts are groping for meaning and their homing instinct is strong.  I never want them to feel like they can't inquire and have feelings about their bio parents and their motherland.  It only seems reasonable.

Today we are going to Urban Air in Cherry Hill, NJ to celebrate the day we made them ours.  It's not always been easy, but meaningful things rarely are. There are days we don't know if we're doing things right, but we're trusting God to fill in the gaps with His grace.  

They are precious to us, our pride and joy, honestly.  Life would be much less colorful without their energy and personalities.  It's hard to tell who we would be without them at this point.  Would't want to know.

All I know is that I'm grateful to have sons.  Looking forward to another 10 years of memories and meaning.

Love you much, Josh and Caleb