Two Years Ago...

Two years ago I had cried my eyes out with joy as I held my daughter and learned how to be her mommy.  She was such a fragile little girl with no hair.  I remember getting off of the plane and our friends wondering if we really brought her home from Africa because of her fair skin.

Today, I still cry with joy as I remember the journey that led us to Marley. She is a tough girl who wrestles with her big brother…and can hold her own!  She has a head full of curly hair that I LOVE to braid!  And she has blended perfectly in our colorful family.

Two years ago, Miles finally became the big brother we had been talking about for over three years.  He held her carefully and made silly faces waiting for her to laugh at him.

Today, Miles is still careful with her and still makes silly faces.  He also gets frustrated with his baby sister beating him up.  They tickle each other and scream when they get mad.  Today, they are brother and sister!

Two years ago, this little Ethiopian princess joined our family and her life was forever changed.  The language, the smells, the food and the routines were all different from what she knew.  She studied us.  She was hesitant to get too close.

Today, she knows no different.  She knows that somehow "Ethiopia" and "Marley" go together, and when we say who is from Ethiopia she says, "Me!"  She imitates us and wants to be as close as she can get to her forever family!

Two years ago seems so distant from today.