Luke's 11th Birthday and his first one home with his family!!!

Well folks tomorrow is the day! Tomorrow is our first time to Celebrate Luke's Birth! He is going to be 11 tomorrow and it is a bitter-sweet day for me tomorrow to think that he celebrated 10 Birthdays without his Momma, Daddy, Aaron, Tommy, Paige and Chase and all of the rest of his family who loves him so much!.  BUT we get to turn the tide from here on out! We get to celebrate all those Birthdays together and make jokes about goofy things he has done, talk about how much he is changing, gasp at how big he has gotten (really! we are doing that this year) and just plan old rib on him for getting older! :)))))  I am so happy and proud to be Luke's mommy!

Adding an older child into your home isn't easy. Adding an older child into your life that has no previous language and education isn't easy.. but WOW is it worth it! Our lives are so richly blessed by Luke and his abundant personality, zest for life, LOVE of us!! He is truly my miracle baby! If anyone would have told me years ago that I would adopt a 10 1/2 year old child that is Deaf, I would have told them they were mentally insane! :)  Today I know many people certainly might still think or thought we were mentally insane to bring home a child so old with so many "issues", but let me tell you that having Luke here has meant many things but here are 2 things for sure.....1: Yes! Without a doubt the biggest challenge ever presented in our lives... 2. Yes again, Without a doubt, The most amazing blessing ever bestowed upon our lives!

Luke has made me see the world from a whole new perspective! Luke has made me open my heart to possibilities I thought were never possible. Luke has made me see the world through new eyes.  Luke has helped me to Love on a whole new level. Luke has helped me to see the abundant joy in the "small"  things in life.  Luke is still teaching me how to have patience like never before.  Luke has shown me that GOD has had his hand in placing Luke in our family and making sure this precious child had a future and a family that loves him immensely! Only God could match this mothers heart to an un-seen child over 7,900 miles away and make us such a perfect match for each other!.  Only God could watch over this precious little baby as his birth mother placed him on the steps of that orphanage in Jinan, China 11 years ago knowing full well that this baby whose real name we don't know, whose exact birth-date we will never know, whose actual birth time and weight and length that you see on all of those fancy birth announcements will never be known to this momma, but Our God knows and watched and protected my baby until he could come to me Jan 17th 2011 to become Luke XinHai Worrell!

So TO LUKE!  September 22, 2000 is the date on his paperwork and the day we will celebrate his birthday! Luke told me tonight that tomorrow is the first time (other then last year when we sent a few books and a car to him in the orphanage) that his Birthday will be celebrated with anything other then some food and a few staff and kids saying Happy Birthday.  He still cant believe he is going to get gifts! He cant believe we are having a special day for HIM! Tonight we made cupcakes to take to school tomorrow and I have never had so much fun making cupcakes. Let me tell you my boy can bake.. he is in trouble now that mom knows that hahah! We laughed and giggled and he just jumped up and down for joy at the thought that this magical cupcakes were being made to celebrate him! We baked them and he sat in awe as they rose and turned out so pretty! We did the icing and some sprinkles and he even practiced how to carry the case on the bus tomorrow haha!

So as I tucked my precious 10 year old son into bed, we hugged and kissed goodnight and waved goodbye to 10 and when he wakes we are ushering in 11..... I have a feeling this is going to be a stellar year for Luke!  Thank you God for placing Luke into our lives and allowing us the privilege of being his family! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKE!!!!

                                Making cupcakes to take to school!!!

                       Breaking the eggs (he was amazingly talented at that!)

                       Never have I seen someone so excited to use a hand mixer!

 Showing him the age old family tradition of licking the beaters! He was very unsure of this tradition until he tasted the magical batter!

                                  Umm are they ready yet (30 seconds into baking)

                                                                  Still waiting......

                                                           Icing up the cupcakes!

                            Got them all ready to take to school, colored sprinkles and all!