Happy Birthday!

Today was our new daughter's 4th birthday. We purposefully kept the celebration small so that she didn't become overwhelmed with all of the new people. Just our immediate family and both sets of grandmas and grandpas came for some cake and ice cream. We also figured that just being in America with her new family was celebration enough in itself! Here are a few pictures from our celebration.

By the way, I wasn't sure what our new daughter's history was with birthdays so I had our friend talk with her on the phone and explain it to her. Who knows if they did anything for her in the orphanage or if she even knew what a birthday was before today, but her face certainly lit up when he explained to her that it was her birthday today and what we'd be doing to celebrate!

She certainly knew what to do when we finished singing...blow those candles out, girlfriend!

My friend who makes the most incredible cakes for all of my kid's birthdays was ready with ideas for our daughter's birthday. She was practically ready on our court day! She was so excited for our daughter to have her first birthday with her new family that she made an individual "first birthday" cake for our daughter and a big one for the rest of us to share. Our daughter's eyes were so wide with excitement that all of this cake was just for her! Below is the bigger "main" cake--a crown cake for the new Russian princess.

Finally! A picture of all five kids. I'll keep trying for a better one, but this will have to do for now!

Opening presents for the first time. She kept questioning, "For me?"

1 Samuel 1:27 "I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him."