Temple Day Party

A lot of the adoptive families I know celebrate what they call their "Gotcha" Day. Most of the ones that do this are from the multiracial family group I'm a part of though, so most of their adoptions have been international. A Gotcha Day is more significant if you really had a special day you got to bring your child home, or at least got to meet them for the first time. Then others celebrate the day they went to court to finalize their adoption, which is also a big thing to celebrate!

I had been thinking that I wanted to have some sort of special day to celebrate Ashlyn joining our family--since although yes we'll always celebrate her birthday, we weren't there when she was born so that isn't really a day we can say we "became a family" or anything like biological parents could do. But then she wasn't an international adoption so there was no hoopla with that..... and since we finalized our adoption through the Michigan court system we didn't even have to be at a court date, I just got her adoption certificate in the mail one day. Pretty anti-climatic!

So as I was thinking about what I wanted to celebrate the most I definitely felt like the thing I want to remember and celebrate the most is the day we were sealed together as a family in the temple. Because that was such a special day, and what could be more important to celebrate than the day that we became a family forever? So, Temple Day it became.

It fell on a Monday this year which was not a good time since Collin worked all day and I taught from 3-9. So no family party that day. I kept it pretty simple and we just invited some good friends over and had cake and ice cream on Sunday evening. It was really fun to have a little party. I had grander plans of the all-white decor but well, things happen so this was the best I came up with! It was really fun.

I didn't remember to take many pictures....again! But there were lots of kiddos having a good time together!

We did get a picture of all the girls together--love each one of these girls so much! Of course Ashlyn had just punched Abby (no joke) seconds before this shot and promptly began throwing a fit. :)

Eternal Family!

I forgot to get a shot of the 3 of us until Ashlyn was moments from bedtime and pretty much at the end of her partying rope. But regardless of what pictures I got I'm so, so thankful for the blessing of the temple, and that we were able to have our sweet little Ashlyn sealed to us for time and all eternity. These 2 are the most important things in my life and I am so blessed to have them! I'm glad it will continue on into eternity.

 Happy Temple Day!