Day 2: Skyline

I have a confession...I don't think I'm going to make it through the May photo challenge.   It's only the second day, and here I sit at 10:30 pm trying to scrounge up a picture of a skyline.  I take lots of pictures, but they're all of my kids!!  No skylines to be found anywhere.

I thought a lot about the skylines that we've seen over the years.  We spent several hours gazing at the Republic of Kalmykia (Russia) skyline as we wondered what happened to our quiet, peaceful brand new 7 month old daughter that we left the orphanage with...she screamed for hours her first night with us.  Thankfully, she quieted down once she wrestled her bottle away from me and was able to feed herself.  We watched the sun rise over that same skyline as we stood on a balcony too excited to sleep as the sweetest little miracle snoozed in the middle of our bed.

This isn't a Russian skyline, but look at our adorable first child.  Mary Ashtyn was and is our dream come true!!!

Almost three years later, I stared at the Ust Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan) skyline from our hotel room and held our second miracle as he slept on my shoulder.  He was too congested to lay down and I was happy to snuggle with him through the night.

Again, no skyline...but look at those cheeks!!  I still love to snuggle with my sweet Reece.

Ten years went by and who would have imagined that we would ever hold another child in our arms as we stared at the skyline of her birth country.  Wow!!  I think we spent the most time looking out at the Inner Mongolian skyline holding our sweet Lily as she grieved....crying, praying, begging God to help us comfort her.  As she adjusted to us, I held her and gazed at that skyline, wondering if she knew that it hurt us to take her from all the she had ever known.

My whole world getting once last glimpse of the IM skyline before we flew to Guangzhou .  

Y'all...there is a skyline in that picture!!!  I seriously just found it.  Bring on Day 3 of this Photo a Day challenge, I can do this!!!  LOL


God amazes me!!  He had this perfect plan to bring our family together, to send us across the world three times and place our children in our arms.  As I thought about skylines and tried to find a picture from each of their birth countries, I could close my eyes and remember holding my babies in my arms on our first night together.  Sweet memories of my sweet miracles...so thankful for Mary Ashtyn, Reece, and Lily and for the One who knew they were mine all along.