Olivia's 3rd birthday party!!!

As you can see from the pictures, Olivia had a great 1st/3rd birthday party! It's peculiar that she's 3 but just celebrating with her first birthday party. It was a strange day for me. I was filled with thoughts about Olivia's first 2 1/2 years in the orphanage, thoughts about her birth and her birth parents, thoughts about how I had spent those 2 1/2 years while we waited for her... lots and lots of thoughts. It's a very strange feeling to finally be able to give this sweet angel everything she has always deserved. Mind you, she isn't getting EVERYTHING a 3 year old might like to have, but she's got the main stuff - Jesus Christ, Mommy, Daddy, big brother, huge extended family, great church and lots of friends. On top of all that, she was the center of attention at her 1st of many fun birthday parties to come. I don't usually dwell too much on what Olivia hasn't had for the last couple of years, but I sure did on her birthday.

I'm not an overly emotional person. I don't tend to cry about sentimental things or get all worked up about events. I was too busy cooking all day for Livi's party to be terribly sentimental anyway. At the party one of my new friends from our new church asked me if I had cried yet. "About what?" I asked, confused. "About everything!" she said. Meaning of course the party, Olivia's 1st birthday with us, etc. No, I hadn't cried and I would be surprised if I did. After the party was over and most of the guests were gone, I came in the door and saw Olivia standing on a chair looking over the table with all of her gifts and I was absolutely overcome with emotion. Here stood this precious child who never owned a single solitary thing - not even the clothes on her back - and she had a table full of brand new things just for HER! She and I were both a bit overwhelmed. On her 2nd birthday she was no doubt moved from the safety of the baby area of the orphanage to the big kid section placed in a room with 10+ other children that were all older than her except for one other little girl named Kennedy who was Olivia's best friend. There was no party, no gifts, no singing, and no kisses from Mommy. Here she was though just one year later, standing on a chair looking at a pile of gifts that she could never have imagined while her Mommy looked on. I'm not sure I could have imagined the happiness I would feel watching Olivia on her birthday before that moment. I have tears in my eyes right now thinking about how she looked that night. I can't believe I get to be a part of her life. God must really love me a lot to let me be Olivia's Mommy. She is such a precious child. I love her more than I ever dreamed I could. I am the luckiest Mommy in the world to have these two precious children. Thank you God for Jake and Olivia. Their Daddy and I can't imagine life without them.

I can't pass by this opportunity to ask you to remember all of those children left behind. There are 1000's of little children still in orphanages in Vietnam and across the world that may never have a birthday party with a Mommy and Daddy. It is not just a request from me, but a commandment from God to PRAY for these children. It is our responsibility to take care of orphans. Please remember to pray for them and if you have an extra dollar or two (or two hundred) it would be an amazing gift to honor Olivia by making a donation in her name to Dillon International's orphanCare International program that helps take care of the children left behind. You can go to http://www.dillonadopt.com/ to find out how to make a donation. If you want to help Olivia's friends, make the donation for the Ninh Thuan orphanage where Olivia spent the first 2 1/2 years of her life.