Um, I wish I thought to post more often.
We took the kids to Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond last night, to see their GardenFest of Lights. It has become a tradition to make this little trip on or around Annamarie's Gotcha Day. It simultaneously seems to me like just yesterday and a million years ago that we met this tiny, severely delayed baby girl in Bulgaria. So many of my wishes for her have already come true...that she would talk, that she would learn to read, that she would be happy and healthy. And I am so grateful for her and the joy she has brought to our family over the past eight years.
This "wall of wishes" at the botanical gardens is funny and sad and touching. Of course many of the wishes are for material things (LOTS of wishes for XBox 360s and wiis), but there were also many wishes for peace, for an end to the war, and for healing for loved ones. The ones that touched me the most were the notes hoping for someone to love, especially the one that read in childish handwriting, "For my mom to find love."
The lights were beautiful, and Thomas and I were able to make some s'mores by the bonfire. Mmm. Unfortunately, my lens somehow got switched to manual focus and neither Ron nor I realized it, so we came home with 120 blurry photos. He did get a good one of the huge peacock in the courtyard.
We're expecting a wintry mix tonight. Sounds like a good night to light a fire and watch Christmas movies.
