I looked into his beautiful eyes for the first time. You can read more about our first meeting here.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year, and it’s hard to believe it’s been only a year. It feels like forever and an instant all wrapped into one.

But he’s completely ours now. Head to toe, a Picker Boy, and we’re absolutely in love with him.

It’s hard to imagine what we would be like today if God hadn’t hand-picked him for our family. But here’s what I know: our house would be too clean, I would be getting too much sleep, I wouldn’t be laughing enough, I wouldn’t be getting enough slimy kisses or “love hits,” Caleb would be lonely, Casey and I would be bored, and we would still be completely ignorant about the beautiful miracle that is adoption. We would understand less about God, His love for us, His calling on our lives, and what we owe Him.

And we would still be completely blind to the continent of Africa that God has placed in our hearts. When I look at the world that I lived in before we began the process to adopt Josiah, it is small, pitiful, and ridiculously self-centered. We still have a long way to go, but because of Josiah, and God’s placing him so lovingly in our family, we understand better who we are supposed to be.

Baby boy, we are so in love with you. You are the salve to a wound we didn’t know we had. Your smile could melt an iceberg, and your joy is contagious. We are honored that God has entrusted your life to us. We know He has a great work planned for you, and we can’t wait to see what that is.