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April 7, 2011 - officially Kinley Tareena Gates |
Dear Kinley Tareena Gates,
Today I am writing you a letter to tell you about a very special day that we celebrated last month....your "Gotcha Day". Now princess, one thing you are about to learn is that every year you will get to celebrate your birthday on May 18th. Birthdays are so fun. It's a special day where we celebrate you being a year older, and spoil you with attention, love, and tons of birthday cake (which you apparently are a huge fan of). Birthdays will quickly become a highlight of your year, just as it will be for all your friends. Birthdays are so fun, and that is why everybody has one. But guess what...you get another special day...one that not everyone gets...and we loved celebrating your first one this year.
On April 7th, 2011, we celebrated your first "Gotcha Day". This is a very special day that only children that have been adopted get to celebrate. This is the day you officially became part of our family as recognized by the state of Arizona. This is the day your name became Kinley Tareena Gates. Now before you were born I wrote you a letter about what your name means, so you have to promise me that you will read that! But today's letter is something different. Today is about your "Gotcha Day". Before I tell you about the day and celebration, I want to remind you just briefly of how you got to that special day.
Kinley when you were born last May 18th, you were loved by all who were around you. Your mom and I sobbed tears of joy the first time we hold you...you were so beautiful, so tiny, so ours. You were absolutely perfect in our eyes. Your Papa and your Nonnie and your Grandpa and your Gigi loved touching your litttle hands and feet and couldn't believe they finally had their first grandchild. All your aunts and uncles loved you so much that they waited in line just for the chance to see you. Kinley Bear...you were loved by this family the second you were born and you always will be. You are so special and so appreciated by every single one of us. We all love you simply because you are you....a precious gift from God. But guess what...we're not the only family that loves you...
You see on the day you were born your birth mother Tareena fell in love with you as well. She loved holding you, and talking to you, and she also cried tears of joy as she saw how beautiful you were. Your birth father Riley fell in love with you as he saw you for the first time, and as you wrapped your tiny little hand around his pinkie, he looked at you and knew he'd love you forever. Then, both of their moms, and their brothers and sisters got to meet you and they all fell in love with you as well. You were loved by their family the second you were born and you always will be. They also love you simply because you are you...a precious gift from God.
There is just something about you Kinster - something that is just so incredibly lovable - that all who meet you want nothing more than to do what's best for you. People will hold and comfort you while you cry tirelessly and never put you down. People will rush to the store to get you anything you need no matter the cost. People will do anything and everything to make you smile, often making complete fools of themselves. And, people - like your birth parents - will even make the hardest decision of their lives....to give you to your mom and I...because they love you enough to do what's best for you. Kinley....you are so loved....I can't think of a child anywhere in the world surrounded by so many people that care for her. That love is something worth celebrating.
"Gotcha Day" is exactly what that celebration is about....the celebration of your adoption and all the love that surrounds it. Adoption is a beautiful thing created by God to bless families. God loves adoption so much, because its exactly what he does for each of us as we choose to put our faith in His son Jesus. Galatians 4:4-6 says "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." God wanted us to be His children so badly, that he sacrificed His son so that by simply believing we were able to join His family. Do you know that baby girl? When you choose to believe in Jesus, you become a child of God! You join God's family! God wanted to adopt you in His family so badly that he let His son die for you....to save YOU...the Kinster. That is YOUR God! That is His love! That is adoption!
So that brings us back to your big day. Your first "Gotcha Day" was very special Kinster. While you have lived with us since you were born and have always been our daughter, the official process from the state can take a long time. On April 7, 2011, that wait was over....and it was official. Our family and friends crowded into a tiny court room all because they wanted to be there for you. The judge asked us a few questions, we answered, and then he congratulated us on your new name. Then all of your family and friends made our way to Joe's Farmgrill for a celebration with cake and balloons (all color coordinated by your mommy to match your beautiful dress of course). It was a very special day. Your mommy and I and all who were a part of it will never forget it.
Every April 7th of every year we will celebrate this day...the day we "got you" officially as our little Gates girl. But Kinster, we will be celebrating so much more than that. Every April 7th we will celebrate your adoption and all that word means. We will celebrate that you are loved by your mom and dad, and that you are truly the greatest gift anyone has given us. We will celebrate all of your family, the Gates and the Hodge sides, that love you to pieces and can't wait to watch you grow. Every April 7th we will celebrate your birth mother and birth father and just how much they love you, and how God gave them the strength to do what they knew was best for you even though it was incredibly hard. And most importantly, every April 7th we will celebrate what it means to be adopted into the family of God, and the amazing truth that God loves YOU so much that he wants you to be His own child. This Kinley Bear, is the greatest family you will ever join...your eternal family. I cannot wait for the moment you do. On that day....just like every April 7th...we will celebrate. :-)
Oh Kinley Tareena Gates....your daddy is ridiculously in love with you. You make me so happy. I am so thrilled that you are my daughter. You make me smile every time I see you just because I love you. And guess what? I absolutely love that I am just one of many that you do the exact same thing to. There's a lot of us...you have quite the fan club. But since this is my letter, I get to say that there is no one that loves you more than me (though I'm sure your mommy will beg to differ). :-)
Your biggest fan (forever),
