Today was such a special day for our family!

Here is Anne Pearce's cake.... It was so beautiful that I hated to cut it! Proud Parents!
Ap's like, "Gimme that cake"!
In our beautiful church.....

My sweet friend, Becca, with AP. She has prayed SO hard for this baby!

Our clan

Anne Pearce's godparents, Mark and Karen.....Aunt Lisa got away before we got a picture of her!
Getting some lovin'
Proud grandparents
Here we are with our pastors Chip and Dana. Chip has been a constant source of strength for us during this entire process. We love you, Chip!

Mock ceremony pics....we're not allowed to take any during the actual ceremony.
Anne Pearce just wanted Mommy all day!
Chip loves Anne Pearce so much....I wish she wouldn't have been so fussy with him.... That just means she'll have to spend lots of time with him to get used to him!
Here is Anne Pearce in her Christening gown. This gown was first worn by my great-grandfather and is over 100 years old. I wore it 36 years ago!

I have stated time and time again that God led us to Anne Pearce. He not only led us to adoption, He carried us THROUGH it. I can honestly tell you that waiting for Anne Pearce was the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. The pain of having your child away from you in another country is sometimes unbearable. I tried to handle it well, but sometimes I wasn't myself, and I regret that. I know we all handle things differently, and I TRIED my very best.... I will admit that sometimes I just was miserable! God doesn't promise that everything He tells us to do will be easy, but His rewards are magnificent. Today Anne Pearce was baptised. I cannot even explain the feeling of joy I had when our wonderful pastor, Chip, dedicated our child's life to the Lord. Even now just writing about it brings tears to my eyes. You see, our church helped us bring Anne Pearce home in SO many ways. Our church family prayed diligently for the months it took to bring her home. They were always there for us......many people even gave donations to help with the costs and for our visit trips. Our church is amazing. You can just feel God everywhere! I was so proud to be able to share Anne Pearce with our entire church. She doesn't just belong to our family......she belongs to everyone. Chip pointed out today that Anne Pearce is proof of our faith. She is the best reward that God could give us. So many of our friends were there to support us, and it was wonderful! JUST WONDERFUL!!! Thank you, sweet Jesus, for our precious daughter. My prayer is that she will be a servant to You for her entire life! Thank you to everyone who has supported us in any way during this adoption. Anne Pearce belongs to you too!