Three Years Ago Today

We met our daughters for the first time.  What an incredible 3 years this has been!

We entered the CCI Transition House to discover

a little girl in purple peeking at who was coming in the gate 

(& hiding her goldfish crackers in her shirt)

It didn't take Chloe (Juju) long to say hi, but Essie (Jury) was not so sure about these strangers (note her way off in the background in the picture below).  This was our first insight into the girls' personalities.  Chloe is fearless and is the first to try something new.  Essie won't try something until she is sure she can accomplish it to her satisfaction. 

I love this photo because the nanny is trying to reassure Essie its ok and 

Chloe ecstatic to show off her sister. 

Finally a family of four

My best memories from the day were when the nanny was trying to get the girls to come over to us, she kept saying, "Mommy & Ababa" and Essie kept walking away saying "no, no, no" and shaking her head.  Not in a mad way, but you could tell she was thinking, "if you expect me to run up to these stranger and head off to America with them, you're nuts!"  We expected this reaction so we weren't upset.  Just knew it would take a bit to earn Essie's heart.  The nanny got Chloe to come up to us and when I got her to sit on my lap, she peed all over me (thus the outfit change in the last picture).  Welcome to motherhood  I thought.

I had to include this video because it is just so dang cute!!!  

This is the girls first time on a swing.

One year later (2010):

They are such hams!  They always make us laugh!

Discovering their love for Princesses

Two Years late (2011):

We bleed blue!

The girls discovered friends and school.

2012: 6 going on 16

We love you girls more than life itself (even when you make us frustrated by moving through life at your own pace).  It has been so fun watching you blossom over the last three years!