happy birthday to our little Anna

Today our little Anna is three years old.  She is growing up so quickly which reminds me how fast time goes by when your kids are little.  Was it really just a year and a half ago that we brought Anna home from China to join our family? I also realize that she has now spent half of her life with us. There are so many thoughts that have passed through my mind today. And as Tony and I were talking at the end of the day, we discovered that we both have had repeated thoughts about Anna's birth mother.

Every mother I know thinks about her child on their birthday.  And for a birth mom, she often recalls that miraculous experience of giving birth. All day, I thought of Anna's mom thinking about Anna's birth. I've thought so many things ranging from her hope that her daughter made it to a loving family who could take good care of her to her possible anguish of not knowing what happened to her little girl.

While I know we are not supposed to create a story around Anna's birth story, I can't help but feel that her mother loves her dearly and thinks of her often.

I have a fantasy of someday finding Anna's mother and introducing her to her beautiful daughter. I hope someday that she will read this blog and learn about her daughter's life and be able to watch her grow up through these pages.  

And so, with this in mind, I wish you, our little Anna's sweet birth mother, a most wonderful birth day. Thank you for the gift of this little girl. 

We truly cannot imagine our lives without her.

chocolate bribes

I'm one of those stingy parents who rarely gives my kids candy or treats. I'm loosening up quite a bit, but we still have a small bag of skittles from Halloween that we're working on. More and more I view candy as bribes than as treats though.

Ryan, who is four and a half years old now, is still taking naps (proof there are still answers to prayers). However, the number of days when he "doesn't have the tired" and doesn't want to nap is on the rise. Enter skittles.

Me:  Ryan, if you take a long nap, I will give you TWO skittles!

Ryan bless his heart, doesn't know how stingy TWO skittles is and excitedly accepts the offer.

So the other day, we were driving home from Auntie Patty's (Auntie Patty watches Anna and Ryan while we work) and Anna was unusually sad for some unknown reason. Which translated to fighting with Ryan. Which was driving me crazy. And so I offered her and Ryan a piece of chocolate to see if that would both perk her up and end the fighting.

I knew perfectly well that there would likely be melted chocolate to contend with when we got home, but the bribe was well worth it.