Heather F. meets Anya for the first time & Hazel for the second time

"They say that adopting hurt children isn't for the faint of heart, and I can vouch for that. Adopting Anya and Hazel has been hands-down the hardest thing I've ever done. But I've learned more than I ever imagined and grown so much closer to my savior 1) because Christ loves us so unconditionally as His own, and I'm learning that the more I try to be like Him, the more I love them and accept my girls just the way they are,  and 2) because I make so many mistakes and need his grace...every single day.

Each week, each month, my love for them grows a little more and they work their way into my heart, just as my other children did when they were born. I really feel like those of us who are led to do this were given the assignments in the pre-existence. There's no other way to explain how it jumps right into your heart when the time is right, and won't leave until you have your children home. With both of our adoptions, I couldn't believe how amazing it was that I could actually fall in love with a child who came from another mother. But I think I have the answer to how it can happen: Motherhood encompasses much more than raising children who came from your womb. A woman's heart can grow and grow and grow. It's capacity is endless. The Lord can shown you how love "other people's babies" if you're simply willing to let them in, then allow yourself plenty of time. There's no secret formula. You don't have to be Mother Theresa or anything. Just have a willing heart and know that it takes time, time time. And work. :) "