Can you believe it? We hardly can. One year ago Scott and I walked into a dark dreary building in Zhengzhou, China and met Dong Sheng. He was scared and definitely in shock. He made no noise, stared forward and barely moved his eyes or head. He was completely bewildered by us and seemed lost and confused.

Scott and I put together a memory box for Mason in honor of his gotcha day. In it we included his orphanage clothes, a jade necklace which was a present from his orphanage director, pictures of his friends that he lived with for the first 20 months of his life, a toy rattle that was given to Mason by one of the shopkeepers on Shamian Island and some other personal papers. Hopefully this box is comforting for him as he grows.

You can go back and read all about our gotcha day here.

Twelve months later he is a vibrant, energetic, happy, sometimes naughty 🙂 two year old. Our lives are forever changed by him. He fits. His brother and sisters adore him and sometimes get really mad at him, especially when he turns off the television or takes a toy from them and runs. He continues to learn new words and is starting to count. 1,2,3,4…..8,9, 10! His favorite toys are definitely cars and trains. He spends lots of time scouting out trucks and buses as we drive to and from school and activities. He really likes to run everywhere but will occasionally use his walking feet 🙂 It is hard to remember or even imagine a life without him in it. We are truly blessed by this sweet chubby cheeked boy.

Happy Gotcha Day Mason! We love you! Momma, Daddy, Samuel, Alice and Paige. xoxoxoxo