This was the sky in Alabama last Friday night…June 13th, 2014…
…the night Gary and Amanda flew back from Haiti with their twin boys…
It was almost midnight by the time they landed in Birmingham, but we were all SO excited to be there to welcome them home!
We waited and waited…and then…they appeared!
Gasps and cheers filled the air as the doors opened and Gary and Amanda came out holding their sons!
Their daughters ran to greet them first…
…and it was one of the sweetest things I have ever witnessed.
Big sisters, loving on their new little brothers…
…and little brothers loving their new big sisters…
I just clutched my hubby and soaked up every extraordinary second. 🙂
Bet’cha know who we’re looking at in those last two pics, don’t you? Yep. Amanda captured some video footage of Sweet P looking at the photo book we sent with her. 🙂
I was all smiles while watching it, but when she pulled me in for a hug and shared sweet-somethings about my boy…I just lost it, y’all.
I’ll never, ever forget that moment.
I am so ready to go meet my boy.
*sigh*
***
Around 12:30am, we all bowed our head in prayer…
I’ll never forget that one either. What a precious and powerful experience!
***
It was such an incredible night from start to finish. To FINALLY see those boys right here in Alabama after keeping up with them on the Three Angels Facebook page for the past year was surreal!
Congratulations, Knotts family! We love you and we’re so glad you and your FOUR kids are just right up the road! 😀
And HUGE thanks to Hello Baby for doing such a beautiful job of capturing this night for keeps! I hope we get to see you (and your camera!) in that exact same spot again REAL soon! 😉
PS- Here’s a short video I captured of the kiddos meeting for the first time that night if you’d like to watch! #GrabATissue 🙂
Oh Layla- how crazy is the internet? I don’t even know you and having read your blog for quite awile I feel so blessed to have been witness to the power of your words and photos. To share something so profoundly personal with us is such a gift. I too cannot wait for the day that you hold that precious child in your arms-there is nothing like it whether it is your biological child or not-a child is a gift. The pic that had me cry was the one with you and Amanda-the gift of a Mother’s Love is written all over her face when she was hugging you. Such a powerful and beautiful moment for you both-I feel blessed today to have seen that-so thank you from the bottom of my heart for opening up yours and sharing your life, love and grace with us all. I can’t wait for what comes next.
I’m dropping big ol’ fat teardrops of joy all over my keyboard.This absolutely made my day. Thanks for sharing–you did my heart GOOD!
I had to go dry some tears and come back to comment. This is beautiful. God bless this family. God bless you.
Hello Baby, you couldn’t have captured this any better. I felt like I was there. The Knotts family is so fortunate that you were there to photograph this special event.
All best wishes to the Knotts. You have a beautiful family.
Oh my heart. That is soooooooooooo beautiful. Thank you for sharing, your journey, their journey. What a beautiful story. What a beautiful love story. Praying for all of you.
This is so beautiful! Praying sweet baby P is in your arms soon!
I don’t normally comment, but this was beautiful! Seeing the beginning of a new life for all of them…ordained by the Father above. What a gift! I can only imagine what you are feeling. Blessings to all!
I’m with the others in that I’m not sure my heart is ready to watch the video…
But for as sweet as all of the pictures were of those ADORABLE and loved little boys, the one of your Kevin looking at the video and you at him… that just melted me. Praying for you guys and your sweet boy every day.
Congratulations, glad the boys are here! I know you are. You are such a lovely family. I know you will all be happy together.
Crying way before the video! How wonderful!
Crap! Now I’m a bawling mess!
It’s all so precious! Praying for you and Kevin as you wait to bring your son home.
OMG, I wish the comment about the tissues was first! What a super sweet moment! So stinking cute seeing those girls realize they now have twin brothers!
It will be great that they are just down the road for your sweet pea as he already knows these boys!
So excited for you guys and I hope your time happens very soooooon!
OMGoodness!! Such precious pictures. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
Loved the group prayer at the end. So much to be thankful for.
I was at LAX the day my niece came home with sister from Ethiopia. I didn’t know what to do with myself at the baggage claim & then a very dear friend looked at me & said “baby, your cup runneth over.” THAT’S it, that’s Gotcha Day emotion & I saw it in your faces too!
8 years later, that infant now a girl makes me teary when I think of LAX on that Spring Day.
Blessings to them & Family Does Rock!
I am crying so hard right now! Remembering my grandson Ben’s homecoming……
Just curious about this adoption. Since the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 I have been following a family, the Gengels, who lost the college-age daughter who was on a mission trip. They have since built an orphanage in her honor in Haiti. It is called Be Like Brit. Was wondering if the boys were adopted through their orphanage. They are wonderful people and have a Facebook page if you would like to follow them and the work they are doing in Haiti.
So very special. It will be neat when these twin boys and your sweet P see each other again in different circumstances.
Oh goodness… my allergies.
What a beautiful day, and great foresight for hiring a photographer to capture it!!
Thank you so much for sharing the love, joy and utter elation of the birth of a family. No hospital, no nursery needed- GOD puts you where you need to be in his time, and the Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport played its part in this blessed beginning. A very Love Actually moment, indeed! The look of love knows no boundaries, and is beautifully at home in the eyes, smiles, tears, joined hands and hearts among you all (and many of us, too!) Congratulations, Knotts Family! I feel honored to witness this blessed event as well as this Palmer Family preview.
Beautiful. . . just beautiful!!!!!
Oh this is just wonderful! I rejoice for this family and pray your gotcha day is soon in coming!
Thats it! No more reading these posts without tissues. You got me good. So glad you got to see some behind the scenes of your sweet P 🙂
Small world..I’ve been a fan of yours for a couple years at least as well as that of Three Angels..you see a family here in rural NB, Canada are also very closely tied to Three Angels..they brought their 2 precious girls home shortly after the earthquake. So I saw similar pictures first on the Three Angels page of the parents walking away with the 2 boys…and now tonight it shows up on your page! And you are getting a boy from three Angels? WoW! Amazing! Good luck!
I was doing OK until the pic with that sweet little blonde with both hands around that little chocolate neck while she planted a big kiss on his face. Such acceptance and genuine love from a child who is “color blind”. Our daughter and her husband have adopted 2 mixed race children and 1 African-American and we couldn’t be happier with our little melting pot family. My husband and I were both raised in very bigoted, prejudice families who thought Caucasian was the better race so we believe God has done a mighty work in our hearts because we love our little ones so much.
I can’t wait to see the pictures of you and Kevin bringing your sweet child home to begin the beautiful journey growing your family.
Blessings
God Bless You All! How amazingly beautiful. Thank you for sharing…
Happy tears! ♡ Such a wonderful moment… and it’s only the beginning! Layla and Kevin, your moment is just around the corner. Blessings! ♡Dawn
Beautiful, just beautiful. A gorgeous picture of our own adoption into God’s family. Can’t wait for it to be your turn.
I am very excited for you and Kevin. I hope and pray, you will be experiencing the same emotions this year.
THIS is the sweetest thing, I can hardly SEE to type with tears of joy of course. The pictures are AMAZING, Layla you are the most beautiful lady, you shine inside and out!!!!
I can’t wait for you two to get your baby home!!! HE is a lucky lucky boy for sure. Thank you SO much for sharing this, REALLY needed a “happy thing” today…thank you!!!
Crying my little eyes out!!!! I so love this moment and can’t to witness yours with Sweet P!!!
wonderful! Having a little cry all the way over in Sydney Australia – What an amazing thing you are all a part of! God Bless!
I am moved to tears. What precious little boys and how blessed! Cannot wait to see you and Kevin when you welcome home Sweet P!
That was beautiful…it brought tears to my eyes to see this beautiful family adopt two boys from Haiti and to see their girls welcome them with hugs and kisses was priceless, This should be on a commercial…it was beautiful.
I have to say this moment needs to be shared with the world. What a wonderful blessing for all! I find myself checking your blog just to get an update on YOUR little one! Thank you for sharing your journey.
So much love I can’t take it!!! I am bawling and so choked up I have to remind myself to breathe. I feel as though I watched a new birth. I wish the best for this growing family and hope that your Gotcha Day isn’t far behind!
That was beautiful… and now I’m a hot mess.
I’ve looked at these pictures, I bet, 15 times!!!! I tear up every single time.
Look at Kev’s sweet face as he was looking at the video on the camera of our Sweet Pea. Smiling so sweetly, over his new son!!!!!
I swear……..it gives me goosies!!!!! I cannot wait for Sweet Pea to be yours!!!!!! (ours!!!!!) I am just so excited!!!! How cool it is to have 2 friends right down the street. Sweet Pea will already have that bond!
Oh what a beautiful blessing to watch! Tears for sure! Your time is coming…..God is working on it! Those are beautiful boys and what a lovely family! Thank you for sharing with us.
This is so extremely emotional to watch. All the love from everyone for those two beautiful children is truly overwhelming. 25 years ago I made the choice to give my daughter up for adoption to a very loving family and being able to witness another family love for their adoption children makes my heart warm. Much love to all of you in your journey.
This brought tears of joy to my eyes, thank you for sharing this special moment with us!
Congrats to them! Seeing the girls love on their new brothers is priceless! That is what God’s love looks like! Thank you for sharing! Can’t wait to see your sweet gift!
God Bless Ya’ll!
Layla and Kevin,
Thank for sharing such intimate moments with all of us, no words can measure the beauty of these photos. And the power of God bringing people together, making families..I am so deeply moved, and esp the last photos..we will all rejoice with you on that day too.
God bless!
I couldn’t sleep tonight. I am so overtired from doing a craft show yesterday in a beautiful old town in Ocean Grove, NJ. I opened up your blog post and it was so heartwarming! I wish the world was all like this. Such good hearts!
bawling.
What an awesome experience to be a part of. Many blessings for the happy new family. Hope you get to experience this real soon. Tears are running as I type this. Such a moving experience. Peace, Joy and Love to you all.
My heart feels so conflicted for those children. I know the deep loss of losing my home country has stayed with me my entire life. It is a deep scar that never heals. I’m sure their new family will love and cherish them and be able to provide them with safety, security and wonderful opportunities. I hope they honor and respect the children’s native culture and religion. I hope they can help navigate the difficult road of racism and hate that thrives is this country. I have much more to say on the topic, however I don’t want to squelch anyone’s joy. Praying for God’s highest and best for the children and all the families that reach out in love.
At work reading this and tears are just rolling down my cheeks. I can’t wait to see you reunited with your sweet baby boy!
Shannon ~ bohemianjunktion.com
This brought back such tender memories of when we brought our son home from Russia. Huge crowd waiting to greet us. We were so tired physically, but the emotional high is unbelievable. Truly, an experience we will never forget.
Boy, that just melts my heart! Those boys are the most precious babies…they are adorable! All are blessed.