Celebrating 1 Year Home with a video

Ya'll.....ONE YEAR!  It really is hard to believe that 1 year ago today we physically picked up a little girl to be with us forever.  Most people celebrate a "Gotcha" day but we decided to do a "Familyversary" which will be on September 8th when we arrived home and all six of us were together.

We've had a great, good, bad, and ugly year all rolled into one.  Adoption is just like becoming a new parent and some of you become a new parent solely by adoption.  People can tell you what to expect but each child is different, at any given age, coming from different life experiences, with your emotions/feelings all tossed in the mix, so you can never be fully prepared with how things are going to go.  We read books, took seminars, talked to several people who have adopted and while they could share stories and experiences, it's not real until they are your OWN. 

We never had the "honeymoon stage", it was hard the minute we stepped on the plane heading towards the U.S.  We had a very confused little girl who screamed if daddy came near her, who had been uprooted for the 4th time in her almost 2 yr old life and was scared to leave my side even for a second.  Scared meaning she would cry uncontrollably and fuss until I was back in her presence.  It was tough to explain to a toddler who only knew her language that WE were forever until the end of time and nothing would change that.  The "ankle crying" as I call it finally eased up after about 6 months home but we still daily deal with "mommy wait" even when I'm just walking to go inside of our house.  Time, it takes time.  Time to get adjusted, to trust, to grown, to learn, to bond.  "It will take time" is our new motto.

If I were to describe the past year in 1 word it would be Blossomed.  Kena has blossomed in so many ways. We as parents feel we have blossomed out of new trials and experiences.  We have grown depths in our relationship, leaning on each other for support and encouragement, and how we had to adjust our parenting of all 4 children with such a big change.  God continues to show us how sinful we are both in the 2 yr old sense and continually as adults and how much we daily need Him to forgive and guide us.  Without Him we might just go insane.  Albert Einstein defines Insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  I would be insane without Christ guiding me back to truths in His word and leading me back on the right path as He continues to mold and refine me as a mother.

He encouraged me through friendships and fruitful conversations.  On really tough days when I wanted to throw in the towel, he would have Kena give me hugs and kisses when I least deserved them.  She is thriving on tough love because we all know 2 year olds have a lot to learn and learn from right?  Like with each of our children we are having to learn to choose which battles to fight and which battles to let go. 

To celebrate I've made a video of pictures of our past year.  Many you've already seen on this blog or facebook, but I put it together mainly for me.
 -  To be a reminder that even in the midst of some of those long, hard days, a child who at one time didn't have a family is now officially interwoven as a Corbett.
-   A child who didn't know where or when their next move was or who would be taking care of them, can count on a strict routine and schedule and wake up knowing she'll be in the same place with the same people.
-   A child who once shut down or ran away from strangers, now runs with arms in motion to greet new people and faces.
This child has definitely blossomed not only into a beautiful little girl but because God told us to "Adopt."  We have been blessed and I know those who have met Kena have been blessed too.  We are thrilled to have her in our family and can't wait to watch her continue to grow.

*To watch it on full screen, click on the bottom right hand box on the video.  It is set to music by Natalie Grant and Plumb so be careful if watching at work ;)  Hope you enjoy!