Happy Birthday Odette

Today is Odette's 11th birthday. I am thankful beyond words today that for the first August 20th since I met her I could walk in her room, wake her up & tell her happy birthday for the first time in person. The last two years have been really hard for me on her birthday but today we are rejoicing that she is finally here for us to celebrate her life. Andy & I are taking her Panera for lunch at school (her choice) then I am taking Odette and Taylor to get a pedicure for their birthdays after school (Odette has been asking for one for months and I kept telling her maybe for her birthday so her first question today was "can I get my feet done today"- I think she will love her surprise!) then she picked Calhouns for the whole family to go eat at tonight for her date night. Tomorrow night we are having a combined family birthday party for Odette & Taylor at my mom & dad's farm.

Thankful

So many things this week reminded me how thankful I am to God that he moved mountains to bring our little girl and some of her friends home and he still continues to be so faithful.

*On Sunday I sat in the first "Haiti Sunday" service at church since Odette came home with her cuddled up beside me watching the videos and like in Haiti her wiping the tears from my face as I cried. I also looked over and two of her Haitian friends are sitting in the floor next to us & then on the other side of us is Wousamy who for the first time since the first trip in 2003 is NOT in the Haiti video up on the screen. GOD IS GOOD!!!

*I am thankful that she trusts me enough to share hard things to hear about her life in Haiti (but then she worries about me when I get upset and doesn't want to make me sad). I told her that even if it makes me sad I still want to know it all so I can share that part of her life with her.

*I am thankful for good news today that we can start the process to finish her adoption and she should be legally ours in a month or two. We also found out that the bill to make all the Humanitarian Parole kids eligible for faster citizenship status has passed the house & the senate and now only needs the President's signature. From what I understand when the adoption is complete we can apply for her citizenship and after it is processed and approved she will be a US citizen and we can apply for her passport (before you had to wait 2 years to even apply for citizenship). I am thankful that I could give my little girl some good news today and if all goes well the two of us can be on a trip in early 2011. Join us in praying for a smooth and speedy final adoption process for all the girls and Wousamy.