gotcha day 2011...

Dear Caroline,


Three years ago today we went to the courthouse in Lubbock, Texas, and you legally and officially became ours. We "gotcha!" Welcome to this crazy family! :) And even though we couldn't crack a SINGLE smile out of you that day(!), your Mommy and Daddy couldn't stop beaming with joy.

And three years later, we are still thanking God for His goodness and faithfulness to us in giving you to us. You know, people have told us YOU are so lucky to have us as your parents, but we know the truth. The truth is that we're the lucky ones. By far.

In three years, we have been through so much together, my love. At the courthouse, who knew that in just another year you'd begin a journey towards being bald?! We had no idea what story would be written for us, but whatever it was going to be, we knew we wanted it to be with YOU.

You, our sweet Caroline, are loved more than you'll ever know.
You are loved SO much by your birthmommy Megan, who made the hardest decision of her life in order to give you everything she wanted you to have.
You are loved SO much by your Mommy & Daddy, and we would do anything for you, including a year of super crazy allergy free cooking if it meant you would be helped.
You are loved SO much by all of our families, friends, and church.

But even more than all of our love, Caroline, you are loved by your Father. His love is deeper and wider and bigger than anything we can comprehend.


On this Gotcha Day 2011, I am so thankful to God that I got to take you out on a girls' date for a pink doughnut in the middle of the afternoon!... just because! Forget all the stares and the compliments on your "hairpiece" and the questions about your "treatments" and the amount of times I have to explain that you don't have cancer. It's just going to be something we live with, you know? We'll make it together.

But you know what? If I had the choice between any other kid out there with hair or you? I'd choose YOU every time.


And on a day like Gotcha Day that we are already celebrating God's faithfulness to our family, this wasn't such a bad reminder, either... :)