This time last year...

This time last year, we visited our favorite pumpkin patch with our boys.

This time last year, we were making our lists and checking them twice, preparing for our trip to China to bring Sarah home! (We flew to Beijing on Halloween!)

This time last year, we were experiencing a huge range of emotions about the trip and about meeting our daughter for the first time.

This time last year, I was praying that I would be able to cope with seven flights (I'm not particularly fond of airplanes).

This time last year, we were overwhelmed and grateful for all of the love, support, and prayers said on our behalf... and for Sarah.

This time last year, my heart ached to hold our little girl.

And now, this year...here we are, on our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, with Sarah skipping through the corn maze with her brothers.

What an amazing year this has been. It has not always been easy. There were days, especially early on when I worried if we were "enough" for our little one. Was she bonding appropriately with us? Was she happy? Were we "getting it right?"

We still wrestle with these (and many other) questions from time to time, in regards to all of our children.

But we try to learn from our mistakes, seek out advice from other parents, share experiences, press forward in faith and pray always!

And, especially today, we smile as we watch our children scatter in a field of orange, choosing perfect pumpkins.