Gung Hay Fat Choy

Happy Chinese New Year!

With Chinese New Year being a time of new beginnings, giving thanks, and reunions with family and friends it seemed like the perfect opportunity to gather with friends and their beautiful children from China.  For lunch today we met at a local Chinese restaurant with four other families.  We were a group of 21 total, including 6 children from China ranging in age from 19 months to 10 years old!! 



I was so excited that my friend Judy and her two daughters (10 & 8 years old) were able to come.  Judy was the first person that I ever spoke to about adoption and I still remember that day very clearly.  I walked away so encouraged and excited about the possibilties of adopting from China.

I am personally blessed to know the three other families individually but they had not all met each other.  These families have been home with their children 13 months, 12 months (today), and 5 months.  They have each personally blessed our journey in such a special way.  I hope that today marks the start of many more gatherings with this precious group of friends!!



Tonight we had friends over for dinner and when we realized while planning it a few weeks ago that it was Chinese New Year, we decided to make that our theme for the evening.  I was able to use some beautiful decorations the church had from VBS a few years ago and we ordered Chinese take out.  We had alot of fun trying to eat with chopsticks and were all very surprised when Eva actually seemed to know what she was doing by getting a few bites of noodles in her mouth!! 



Although I'm sure we didn't come close to an authentic Chinese New Year, it was a lot of fun to incorporate some of the traditions of Eva's heritage into our evening and to celebrate the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays.



I just wish for Eva to grow up proud of who she is and from where she comes. 

Today also marks ONE year since we received Eva's file from China to review!!  It is so amazing as I sit back and reflect on all that has happened since that day!  At times it still seems so surreal and if this is a dream...I pray I never wake from it!!