Two Years Ago . . .

In a court in Krasnodar, Russia, on March 29, 2005, we officially became parents. Bridget, then 3-1/2, and Tessa, barely 2 years old, were given into our care. I will never forget how it felt to leave the orphanage with them that evening. It is still amazing to me that Bridget gladly left the orphanage and all she had known and was happy right from the start. That night, I gave her a bath, and she played happily in the tub. Tessa was a little more timid and quiet and was scared to take a bath, so I gave her a sponge bath. The next day, they played and had a big time in the hotel room. Two days later, in Moscow, Tessa decided bathtime looked like fun and was ready to hop into the tub with Bridget. They are my heroes. They were so trusting of us, despite all they had been through in their pasts. Today, they are happy and healthy and the light of our lives. I am so grateful to God for bringing us together as a family.

This photo shows the girls sitting on their papa’s lap on our first night together:



This photo shows the girls on March 29 this year posing with our adoption day cookie cake: