Our Littlest Princess Turns FOUR

January 1, 2010
Breakfast in bed to start…. Complete with her milk in a tea cup….
and a chocolate/chocolate donut (yummmmm)
Princesses and some princes too….all for a party….
Prince Isaiah brought a pink tiara for me
(and bowed in respect)
as he gave it to me……
Princess Jubilee loved dressing up…. Princess LibertyWhat kind of celebration would it be without some dancing?
(And exactly what kind of Princess party would it be
without big brother on Facebook *in background*)

Opening presents…..

Elijah stood in disbelief! What?!? No presents for me?!?!
Skyping with Abi & Ryan……
A Princess cake with a little Strawberry Shortcake flair…Just imagine with me for a minute….
This little Princess was spared a lifetime in a large institutional setting
by our
Miracle-working, Mountain-moving, Awe-inspiring, Gasp-giving God
by just one hour and
a slight temperature….
(see her story on the sidebar under Our Wild Adventure) We praise His name all the time for sparing our Princess….
and allowing her to come home to us…..

Think with me for just a second…….there are 147 million orphans in the world….

which means probably about 73.5 million little Princesses around
the world needing a mommy & daddy….
some have light skin
some have dark skin
some have Asian eyes
some have special needs
some are taller
some are shorter
some are serious
some are giggly
If given a chance:
some would be great cooks
some would be snuggle bugs
some would write well
some would be artistic
some would sing beautifully
some would be public speakers
some would be nurses
most would learn to love Jesus


All would bring you great joy…..

Would you pray about bringing home just one more?

48 thoughts on “Our Littlest Princess Turns FOUR

  1. oh, linny, she is so precious. praise God for orchestrating perfectly to spare her by that hour!!

    and your last line brought me to tears. of course i'll continue to pray about it, but He's already given the answer yes. now praying for Clayton Elijah's (from sanyu!) brother to be revealed to us SOON! =)

    bless you for allowing your blog to be used in such a beautiful way to fight for the orphans!

  2. OH! I love this! They are having so much fun!! Happy happy birthday, Big girl!! You are indeed a pretty princess!! Linny , ya got such a boatload of beautiful kids. I cant wait to get my big girls home!!

  3. such beautiful pictures of a truly beautiful little princess….and her court. Happy Birthday sweet girl! Hugs to all the kids from all of us, Mercy and D are seriously missing you guys. Love you tons. Praying for you, let us know how things are.

  4. Happy Birthday Elizabeth! What a joy you bring to your family!

    I wish everyone new the joys of bringing a child home! It is incredible! Thank you Jesus!

    BTW – I am so excited you have moved into your home! God Bless your home sweet home!

  5. I am! we aren't quite as adventuresome as you… (3 adoptions going on at once) We gotta finish this one then see if they will approve us again. (Better not let DH read this)

  6. Linny she is so sweet. What a priceless treasure you were given through the gift of adoption. My heart aches for those without forever homes. If we were only younger!!

    I love how you celebrate birthdays. They look like so much fun. Hugs and love

  7. She is beautiful…we have a couple of snuggle bugs ourselves and are waiting for two more from Ethiopia. LOVE the pictures (and can't blame him about the facebook…lol)

  8. Happy Birthday sweet little Elizabeth!!!! What a precious and Pretty, Pretty Princess You Are!!!!!

    Linny, I'm already praying about the next one. Planning on going to Ghana with one of my best friends to pick up her next two. Who knows, maybe my next one or more is there?! I don't see how at the moment, but God is moving, so we'll see:O)

    I love all the pictures of your princes and princesses!! My little princess was fixing her big brothers hair and putting her crown on him tonight. Daddy has no hair, but she still tries:O)

    God Bless You!
    Jenn

  9. I started reading your blog after Elizabeth and Elijah had been home and had never read the story of their amazing journey. Tonight I went back and read the Wild Adventure Posts and continued from there. Wow! We are in the process of adopting from Taiwan and reading your story and seeing how God was always working behind the scenes to bring these sweet babies home, I just really needed to hear that message. Thanks for sharing God's love through your writing.

    Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

  10. happy birthday, sweet elizabeth!! may you one day come to a real understanding that you are a real princess, a daughter of the King.
    blessings to you, sweet girl!

  11. PRECIOUS!!! Oh, my heart just smiles at all those pictures (especially the one of Isaiah bowing while offering you that crown. Oh my goodness!) And my heart breaks to think about all the orphans in the world.

  12. Happy 4th Birthday, sweet Elizabeth! I hope you and your sisters and brothers had a wonderful time dancing, laughing, eating, and celebrating YOUR special day! Keep smiling and being the princess that you naturally are and remember that your family and God love you soooo much! Happy Birthday!

    Happy 2010, Saunders Family! Linny, the re-cap you wrote in the previous post was great. What an awesome testimony of God and His sheer goodness towards us! Thank you for sharing it.

  13. Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!!! How great to see her celebrating her fourth birthday with her family! My daughter was at SBH with Elizabeth and is turning five next month. Elizabeth was always one of my favorites and it broke my heart that she was being shipped off to the big institution where her chances of adoption would be over. Praise the Lord for remembering Eliz and saving her for her family!

    – Grace and Ella H.

  14. thank you for your comments. I am so ready to bring just one more home. I have been praying that my husband will feel the same. In fact, I feel I know who it is we are supposed to bring home. Yes, lets all just bring home one more…Happy birthday to your beautiful little princess!

  15. Happy Birthday Miss Elizabeth!!!

    I remembered her birthday since it is only a day away from Jaxson's but I hadn't had time to stop and say happy birthday yet.

    You have a beautiful, beautiful princess there!

  16. AWWW, Happy fourth Birthday Princess Elizabeth. You are so beautiful and I am so lucky to have met you! You make me smile!!!! Sending a huge birthday hug and kiss your way!

  17. I love this post! Let me start by saying "Happy Birthday, Miss Elizabeth! God has big plans for you! You are a precious gift from God!"

    On a side note, just this morning (at church no less) someone said isn't it expensive to adopt internationally when we have a lot of kids here in the states that need homes. Yes, her statement is true but where a child lives does not make them any less of an orphan that needs the love of a family. I was so flustered by her comment I don't think I responded the way I would have liked. I smiled politely but what do you say when confronted with that? Jesus loves all the children not just the ones in the United States! Anyway, I just get so frustrated that people think they need to point out to us that children in the US need homes so why spend all that money for international adoption. I usually just say we each have to do what we feel God has called us to do. How have you all answered such questions? Just wondering?

    Hugs,
    Robin

  18. You have no idea how strongly this post resonated in my soul today. My husband and I have spent the weekend in deep discussion with our hearts heavy for the children without forever families around the world. How to continue to make a difference? Right now it is to get to China to make a difference to our waiting daughter, almost three year old Darcy, but after that…?
    If only everyone would simply ask themselves the question, "Could I make a difference to one?" Not everyone would answer yes, but I suspect many would, if they would just ask! Thank you for always being a voice for the children!

  19. Happy Birthday Elizabeth! She looks so happy! Linny, just wanted to thank you for sharing your journey to Isaiah. Thank you for the encouragement on not giving up and praying and doing whatever it takes to bring him home. We are doing the exactly the same thing. Petitioning China to allow us to adopt. I am scared and nervous, but still have peace.. Our story is different, but the same. We are sending our petition letter soon to China and everyone tells us there is NO WAY they will let us adopt, but I feel I have to do this and see what God is calling us to do. I know you are so busy, but if you could remember us in prayer and that China and everyone involved will be moved by our petition. Our God is able!!

  20. Happy Birthday! Her "gotcha" story brings tears to my eyes every time I think of y'all!
    Praise God! ooops – yippee Jesus! 🙂

    What a sweet little princess!

  21. What an awesome birthday celebration! Happy 4th Birthday to the sweet Princess Elizabeth!

    You know, I've been reading your blog since before the fire, but I never read "Our Wild Adventure." So, I ignored the dishes and settled in to read. Now I'm a puffy-eyed, sniffling, tissue-clutching mess who is, once again, just in total and complete AWE of our amazing God!!!

  22. I didn't realize you now have 2 birthdays back to back in your family. By my calculations you should have at least one a month – seeing as there are 12 members! What fun! Jubilee looks like she's having so much fun already being a princess in her new family and Elizabeth is such a special girl with a special story.
    Happy Birthday princesses!

  23. Happy 4th Birthday Princess! My Princess turned 4 in December. What a great age to be. And I would l-o-v-e for God to move mountains and entrust another precious child into our family!

  24. Happy Birthday to a most precious and adorable Priness Elizabeth!!

    We know the Lord has big plans for such a little girl with an awesome testimony right from the start! Be blessed precious child!

    Hugs & Blown Kisses,
    Barry & Heather of
    Swallowing A Moose

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