Looking back and then celebrating....

Last week I was was able to sort through some things that had basically been thrown in a pile since we got home from China.  I came upon these pictures that the orphanage caretakers had taken of Ingrid and handed to us in a little book when we received her. What a blessing it is to have even just a few pictures of her at younger ages!
*FYI -you have to scroll down quite a bit between the pictures


 

 

 We had sent a care package to the orphanage last spring, but never knew if it got there.  When we went to Ingrid's orphanage, they handed us back a disposable camera. These are the pictures from that camera.  Ingrid is wearing one of the outfits we sent, and the big puppy Oskar wanted to send was with her too!  Oh so bittersweet for us to see these pictures.  The picture following where she is in her crib crying breaks our heart. 

 

 

 

 This was the woman we know cared for and loved Ingrid!  We are so thankful to her! 

Here are just a few of the little boys Ingrid knew.  (Although the child on the left looks like a girl- she is probably the one they talked about as who was adopted a few months before Ingrid, and meant Ingrid was the only girl left in  this orphanage).  There isn't a day that I don't think about these children who are still there.  We know God has a plan for all of us, but it really doesn't seem right that they do not have a family to love them.  The verse that we have been so challenged with comes to mind when I think of these children... God's precious children...
 "Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do.  God. who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12
 

On a lighter note and back to the story of "looking back and then celebrating"...5 1/2 months later.., here are some pictures of Ingrid at her birthday party!

 Ingrid was not too sure about the red frosting, nor about people singing to her....

 Once she licked the frosting (scary red!!!) she dove right in!

 Every inch of frosting was licked off the Elmo cupcake!

Our birthday girl with and Elmo tattoo on her hand and red frosting everywhere!!!

 

 

 

She opened some Elmo gifts and really needed a bath!!!

 Happy 2 year old!!!

Loved by her brothers!

The next day we found her alone in the family room.... worn out from all that birthday party business!

(or on a sugar low from all the red frosting!)

 

The other new news at the Anderson house is the addition of our puppy, Coco Sunshine Anderson.  She is a cockapoo, born January 10, and "YES!", we are crazy!!!!

 

 

Ingrid loves to chase the puppy with her stroller, stick her Elmo microphone in it's mouth, and is now attempting to pick her up!  Puppy weighs 5 lbs., and Ingrid only 17 lbs!  Two sweet peanuts running around!!

 

Last pictures for now are our attempt at getting little Ingrid's hair out of her eyes.  Each hair piece lasted only enough seconds to snap a picture! 

xoxo
Ingrid and family