Birthday Girl

Yesterday we celebrated Aliah's 10th birthday with a park playdate and picnic with some very special friends. Together with our friends there were 13 children ages 3 - 12 from our three families - all the children who had come home through international adoption within the last five years. It is an incredible blessing to have a group of friends who share your experience and lifestyle when that same experience and lifestyle is considered countercultural by society. Our children enjoyed hours of playing together and we enjoyed hours of sharing experiences and doing our best not to intervene too much in their play. It was a fabulous way to celebrate together.

When we came home we settled down for some quiet time, enjoyed our regularly scheduled two-by-two time where Nic and I each take two of the children for some purposeful, fun, bonding activity, and then it was time for Aliah's birthday supper of choice. Aliah chose French toast bake, bacon, and fruit for her supper of choice. We occasionally have breakfast for supper because it is too hard to make a big breakfast in the morning.

After supper Nic's brother and his family came over for cake and ice cream. Time with cousins is so much fun! Aliah asked me to make a marble cake with pink frosting and princesses on it for her birthday. It is sweet to see her child-like heart and to be able to celebrate with her on her birthday. Having had a hard and traumatic start to life, Aliah has some developmental delays that make her really appreciate the things of early childhood more than typical 10 year olds. While these delays can be challenging at times, I am learning to be thankful for the simplicity that comes along with this disability. Sweet Aliah is not trying to keep up with all of the 10 year olds she knows, instead she enjoys princesses, baby dolls and pretty hair bows.

We enjoyed our day of celebrating God's precious creation of Aliah and His good gift to us in this daughter. It is our prayer that Aliah will continue to understand more and more about God's love for her and that she will trust in Jesus with her whole heart. We pray that Aliah will know and experience God's sovereignty and sufficiency in her life, and that she will find her true joy in Him. We are thankful for you, Aliah, for you are wonderfully made by God.