This morning, our dear Montagues met their daughter, Joy (the cutie in the middle) for the first time.
Today was Joy Montague's "Gotcha Day."
The Rupps and Monts go way back. David was the first person to give us his blessing to get married, back when we were punk kids in ooey-gooey love under his leadership at S.O.S. in Memphis, TN. Kelli, the hot mama with the pink bunny rabbit above, was the one who talked David out of firing Daniel when he and I refused to recognize the curfew. We were out late praying, people, we honestly were!!! Their two oldest daughters, May and Annie, were our flower girls. Now look at them! I remember when Mary Van, the darlin' on the far right, was still breastfeeding.
Ruthie, the second beauty from the left, has a blog called "Journey to Joy." This is what she posted about today:
The day FINALLY came!!! Joy is here!!! Today we got up at 6:45 am and got ready, ate breakfast, packed things for Joy. Then at 8:00 our guide picked us up and took us to the Civil Affairs where Joy was. We got there and went up the elevator into a room where Joy was sitting on a couch eating a snack. She just sat there and watched us for a while and then she started crying. Mom picked her up and walked her around the room in till she fell asleep. It was so cute! Dad and Mom signed some paperwork and then we left to come to the hotel. Right now Mom is holding Joy and walking her around! It is so weird having her here!!The Montagues were our trailblazers on our journey to East Asia. One could say that they are the reason we are here. They live back in Memphis, now, but they continue to be a huge part of our lives. David, who has no sons of his own, has been a spiritual father to more young men than he can probably count, my husband included.
Back in 2004, when we told them we were ready to become parents, we got the most interesting reaction out of Kelli and David. The two of them, who were in the thick of child-rearing, just stared at us blankly. "It's a lot of work," Kelli said frankly, "and you'll never see your husband. You'll collapse every night at 9 O'clock." Not exactly the, "CONGRATULATIONS!! Welcome to the bliss of parenthood" we were expecting.
Ha, now we know.
And now the folks who have been-there, done-that, are DOING IT AGAIN! Why? Because they have a home, and two giant hearts, and they love the L0RD and the children he has made.
Welcome to the fold of love, Joy. We can't wait for you to meet your friend, Jubilee, next summer when we drive to Memphis for some Montague time. Let me tell you this, little one, you are (as you will soon find out) blessed among children. You really and truly are!
