Happy birthday, Leah!

Our Leah is six today! She told me the other day she wanted to go bowling, so bowling we went, along with family and friends. Then it was back to our house for lunch, presents, cake, ice cream and punch. The girls' birthdays are a bit bittersweet for me as they remind me they were born to another woman across the world from me and that I never knew them as babies. I remind myself I'll have the rest of their birthdays as their mommy, mama or mom, whatever my name of the moment is.

We assumed custody of the girls just a few weeks after Hope turned 3 and just a few weeks before Leah turned 4. So, this was the third birthday we got to celebrate with her! How times have changed. The first birthday together we walked to the pedestrian mall with the girls (we walked there a lot. A. Lot.) and bought ice cream cones. Neither really understood the concept of a birthday, nor could we communicate birthdays to them since we spoke different languages. The baby home told us they celebrated once a month the birthdays of children born that month, but I'm not certain I entirely believe that. I am pretty certain that the girls didn't get treats like ice cream cones, so those we had on Leah's fourth birthday were quite the unusual experience!

This is what that day looked like:

I'll post pictures of today later, when I either download them from the camera or when my dad sends me his!