Can you believe it??!!!
This is 10 years!!!
10 years ago we went to China to grow our family!
This very scared little girl became a Woller ---
AND
By God's wonderful plan our family grew not only by a daughter BUT by an amazing group
--- 18 families who also added a daughter to their family -- all girls from YueYang Hunan China. We traveled together for 12 days through Bethany Christian Adoption Agency -- touring, receiving our daughters, paperwork, meals and flights. YES, this has bonded us together for life :)
The girls (and their families) are forever linked!!!
The first FULL picture of the girls together in China -- about 4 days with their forever families.
So, each year we have committed to work together to have a reunion. Since all of these girls came from the same area in China -- 12 of the 18 came from the same room in the same orphanage -- we consider them 'sisters' and thus family! These reunions are important!
This year we are in French Link, Indiana with 12 of the 18 families.
10 years ago we went to China to grow our family!
AND
By God's wonderful plan our family grew not only by a daughter BUT by an amazing group
The girls (and their families) are forever linked!!!
So, each year we have committed to work together to have a reunion. Since all of these girls came from the same area in China -- 12 of the 18 came from the same room in the same orphanage -- we consider them 'sisters' and thus family! These reunions are important!
This year we are in French Link, Indiana with 12 of the 18 families.
This year we decided to just take My Darling to her reunion. We usually make this a family vacation but .... we decided it would be good for My Darling to just spend time with her YueYang sisters.
AND
Yes, she is VERY happy about this choice :)
Unfortunately, Matt woke-up Thursday morning with a terrible migraine. SO -- we left much later than expected and I drove most of the way. BUT thankfully, he is doing better!!!
We had about a seven hour drive -- thankfully, a pretty easy drive!
Some of the girls have not been to a reunion in a few years so all the girls were introducing themselves and their families.
The 12 girls who arrived for the 10th Anniversary Reunion!
Each year the moms (some with their daughter's help) bring something to give each of the other girls. This year the mom's planned a bit before hand and each family brought something to put into a bag (that one family brought for each girl)
SO -- when the girls all left for a bit, all the moms got the bags put together
AND...........
WOW!!!!
look at these bags --- There are SO many awesome items!!!!
The bag, shirts, jewelery, notebooks, jump rope and Frisbee, panda bear, custom water bottle, Vera Bradley purse, memory book -- and more WOW!!!
These are AWESOME custom water bottles!
The memory book --
There are pictures of the group for each reunion AND pictures of each of the 18 when we got them AND now. The girls will fill in the information about each other at their sleepover on Friday night.
A cool custom notebook
My Darling and I customized frames for each of the girls.
We added last years picture to the frame UNTIL this years is created :)
AND then when they came back we let them 'dig' in!!!!
It was like Christmas!!!
We finished off the evening with a swim in the beautiful pool area.
My Darling was EXHAUSTED!!!
What a sweetie with her new panda bear -- sound asleep!
We are so excited to spend the weekend having fun together!!
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