Summer Solstice is big - I mean REALLY big - in Latvia....

it's a big deal - all night until dawn partying :)  Lots of amazing music, dancing, fireworks - and lots of beer.   We missed a lot of the whole pagan nature of the festival - called Ligo or Jani - while we were there last summer :)  We walked around during the daylight hours - well - the earlier daylight hours.  During the summer solstice - there aren't very many hours in the day in Riga that are NOT daylight ;)  Like about 5ish ;)  But - since we don't do the whole drinking thing, and, we weren't exactly in Latvia to party, AND we had a 2 year old - we didn't exactly stay up til dawn and partay the night away last year :)  We just checked out the unlit bonfires, the games, the music, the festive nature of the closed off streets and vendors in Old Riga :)  It was very fun and festive and happy :)  I even felt myself feeling a little sad that we weren't there this year!  Which - in itself shows how full circle we have come - as this time last year I was absolutely counting down the days til we got to come home to the US and our other kids, who I missed soooo much!!!  I am glad that we truly did get to experience some of the really cool things about Riga and Latvia though - and I hope that we will get back there someday!!!

So - to keep some of Pipsqueak's culture alive for her - we decided to do our own Ligo celebration - complete with flower and leaf head wreaths, a bonfire, and an assortment of the non-alcoholic beers we like to drink - you know - root beer, apple beer, birch beer, and ginger beer :)   We also don't have any oak trees around - so we improvised for the men's/boy's wreaths :)  Really, we improvised on about everything because there was no cheese with caraway seeds to be found, or many of the other traditional Latvian foods that they eat at Ligo :)  It was pretty much an "Americanized" celebration - hot dogs, "pips" (chips), fake beer, s'mores (the highlight for Pipsqueak :) and singing around the bonfire.  Our repertoire of Latvian folk songs is also a bit slim - so we settled for the Disney playlist on Pandora - you should have heard our rousing rendition of  'Let it go....'  - another Pipsqueak favorite.

Okay - so it was kind of a true culture fail - but - we will get better in future years.  Maybe I will learn how to make honey cake :)  It's delish!!!!

A great time was had by all - even if we didn't stay up til dawn (the littles were tuckered out by 11) and us biggers were done in by 12:30 :)  Mr. Hollywood jumped over our bonfire on his way in at 12:30 - said it was amazing ;) ha ha ha   So - even though overall we failed with the true culture and nature of the festival - we did celebrate :)  Now on to research the best way to celebrate Pipsqueak's name day!!!

Happy Ligo/Jani/Summer Solstice :)

One year ago today....

After looking at these pictures.....

and these pictures......

We finally met this beautiful girl in person!!!!

It is a day that I will NEVER forget!  So many emotions - so many prayers answered!  The end of the journey of imagining what Pipsqueak would be like, and the beginning of the journey of getting to know our daughter!   There just aren't words to express the overwhelming joy and feelings we felt that afternoon when Pipsqueak toddled into our lives for the first time. So brave - so trusting - so loving - so absolutely and completely amazing.

Happy 1 year since Metcha day - beautiful girl!  What an amazing little girl you are - what an amazing year it has been.  We are soooo grateful to everyone who helped us bring you home to our forever family.  We are so blessed to have you in our family.  We are so lucky!!!  We LOVE you!!!!!

*this was set to post on June 3rd - but - well - in true "our family fashion" it finds itself delayed by a couple of weeks :)  We did celebrate though - and continue to celebrate our beautiful girl each and every day!!!!