Happy New Year!

THIS IS OUR YEAR!!!! Undeniably, it will be the best year of our life! Tonight I am happy, grateful, and feeling so fortunate to have the life we have. Everything in our lives has led us to this point. Every up and every down has made us who we are and given us a chance to learn and grow. Every moment of the wait has made us love and appreciate and anticipate this beautiful daughter of ours that much more. Reflecting on the past year, I see that everything had it's perfect place in our life and we are better for it. We are more ready than ever and will be better parents thanks to all the time we had to plan and get prepared.

The picture above is a Chinese New Year shot, but I couldn't help but post it for our New Year. It made me think of Ruby, Frank, Lily, Baby G, Mia, Marlie, Hayden, Joel, Penny and all the other wonderful children coming home to their parents this year. They are on their way! This is their year! We wish all of you a very happy new year and look forward to sharing in all your homecoming stories. 2009 is gonna ROCK!

I am not going out to a fancy restaurant tonight or even to a party. I'm not even with my dear husband. I am out of town working an auto show and he is at home. We both opted to stay in and have a quiet, relaxing evening and we'll call each other at midnight. But my heart is overflowing tonight as I think about how lucky I am. Oh, I made my normal New Year's resolution list that may or may not be followed through like every other year (lose a few lbs, exercise more often, do this more, do that more, get better at this or that). But the only thing I really care about accomplishing is being a great parent to my daughter. To bringing her home and showing her more love than she could ever know. To being a happy family of 3 and enjoying every single joyful, crying, laughing, silly, tiring, messy, blissful, crazy, wonderful moment of it! 

Ruby Kate this is your year, baby. Your coming HOME!