A year ago we met and held Ingrid for the first time. It was our "Gotcha Day" and we all remember every second of that day. Here is the video we made for her to remember and celebrate a day that to us is beautiful!
(hopefully you can click on this link and see it)
Notes to Ingrid from her brothers (unedited):
"We were about to go to CA when my mom screamed that we we're getting you. When I saw you you we're the cutest thing ever and you still are"
Oskar
Dear Ingrid,
About a year ago today, September 16th, we received you. I will never forget the day when you came in to the hotel lobby all frightened and shocked. You had small pears in each of your hands. You didn't want to leave the caretakers arms but now you don't want to leave moms arms. When we went back to our room we gave you your first toy, plastic circles that you connect, you didn't want to play with them so you threw them away! Than we gave them back to you and you threw them away! And then you started to laugh and it became a game. You are super cute and everyone that see you say's the same thing. Girls ask me about you in school because you are so cute and funny. You've changed a lot since we got you. For example you used to only eat healthy food now all you eat is any meat or anything in the snack drawer. You have a great way to make us all laugh like saying "one more time" at the park when you want to stay which you repeat until we force you to leave. Right now you are playing tickle monster with Dad and you can't stop laughing. I can't wait to see you grow up in this family and I want you to know even though you might not have the same skin as us you are part of our family and Mom and Dad will treat you just as well as they treat all
of us boys.
Love,
Isaac
Dear Ingrid,
One year ago today on September 16th, 2012 you became a part of our family. We were picked up from the airport arriving from Beijing and we were expecting you to come to the next day. Ann, our tour guide told us that you were actually going to arrive in a few hours. I was shocked. It all had come so quickly and I had not time to think about it. The thought of having another person in our family was hard to grasp,especially a little girl. Minutes before you arrived our room was hectic. Isaac and Oskar were wrestling as I watched mom and dad were trying to prepare, and Noah was was having a nervous breakdown making a list of everything that could go wrong. We met you in the hotel lobby. As expected mom started crying as dad stood there smiling. You were with 3 of your caretakers and the bus driver. You clutched two dates in your hands and didn't let them go. As soon as your caretaker handed you over the crying began. Your brothers spend the first hour of your time in our family in the other room as mom and dad tried to calm you down. When you took a break from crying we got to come in and play with you. We gave you connecting blocks that you would throw. It turned into a game where you would throw and them and we'd retrieve them and hand them back for you to throw again. We even got you to laugh. It was weird to think that you were now going to be a part of our family. Now a year later I couldn't imagine life without you. It has been so much fun to see you grow. By the time we arrived back in Minnesota you already had learned how to walk and a few weeks later you were saying your first words. You can now speak full sentences and you know your colors. You love Elmo and the Jacob bible story, playdoo, jumping on the trampoline books, and going to the park. I know that God has a plan for you and one day you'l grow up to do great things. God has placed you into our family and I am so glad you r in our lives.
Love,
Your brother Bjorn
Dear Ingrid,
Hopefully someday you will read this. By the time you do I will probably be off running the world and making it a better place. I just wanted you to know that you are special. You are special first off because you are a gift. You are a gift from God to our family and have been a light in all of our worlds. You are also special because you taught me humility. Before we went to pick you up I was a typical high school kid: selfish, and focused on nothing more than my friends. After, I changed. You were that change. The day we got you was the most nervous I ever was and ever will be. I mean, I was going to be an older brother to a little girl who was 15 years younger than me. It was insane. I am someone who thinks a lot and I was thinking of all of the ways this could go wrong. But that moment when we first saw you was when I knew you would be a gift. And not a day has not gone by where I haven't thanked God for putting you in my life.
Love,
Noah
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