It’s happening, friends.
Can you see it?
The little girl who, just four short weeks ago, had no idea what joy meant.
The sweet treasure who was locked away in a room for five years and knew nothing but misery, is now laughing and smiling all the time. She is so happy.
Hailee’s joy is being restored. Big time.
She is learning how to have fun. She is soaking up life like a little sponge. She cannot get enough.
She giggles until she cannot giggle anymore.
REDEMPTION!
Adoption is worth it! For every trial and hard day I go through (yes, there are many), it just takes one look at this sweet little face to remind me that it is so absolutely worth it.
She is worth it.
Rejoicing in the ONE who promises beauty for ashes.
I don’t have to tell you that the tears are rolling hey? God is sooooo Good! Praise Him for His faithfulness. Still praying for you on this journey my precious friend. It reminds me of Jesus dying on the cross - going through everything preceding it - looking in to the passage of time and seeing you and me and Hailee and humankind and saying - It is worth it! Thank God He didn’t give up on us - how can we turn our back? It is not right. Missing you heaps my friend - heaps and heaps and heaps. Love to all the Salems xxxM
Oh how simply beautiful beyond words. The verse about “beauty from ashes” is one of my favorites.
OHH My God!! she looks so happy!!! I’m so happy for her being able to find smiles in her heart after so much suffering in life! God Bless her!! This is just the begining for her.. soon she will be smiling and having fun like your other treasures!!! Thank you for this pictures!! They just made my day!!
Thank You… Thank you for these pictures. I have started speaking to my husband about adoption, you have inspired us! She melts my hart!!
You are always in are prayers!
Oh Adeye!
She is too cute! Such awesome expressions!
Looks like she is saying “Hold onto your head, this swinging is a total thrill-ride!”
Love it!
Oh dear people,
thank you so much for sharing this journey with us!!
This post makes my heart leap for joy!
That sweet girl…
so amazingly recovering!
Blessings to you and your family for obeying God and be His hand and feet!
Adriana
This totally brought tears. I am rejoicing in the hope revealed in these pictures.
Oh, these pictures are so precious! Praise the Lord. That smile is truly a testimony of love. Thank you for sharing.
Happy, happy tears for sweet, precious Hailee, and the joy she has in her loving family!
This comment has been removed by the author.
I have read your blog for months, but never commented. But today I could not resist. Your post brought tears to my eyes, and I just love seeing what God is doing with these sweet baby girls. Your family has totally opened my eyes to adoption, and we will keep praying for you!
Oh my heart. Seriously, friend…there is no explaining that smile, that joy, that FREEDOM except the grace of God Almighty. Our REDEEMER.
Thank you soooo much for sharing so much with us. You are busier than any of us could imagine yet you take time to give us sweet glimpses into the miracles unfolding in your home.
I am rejoicing big time!! Those pictures made my day!
Thanks for sharing the wonderful news - can’t help but smile and rejoice!! God is so good!!
I just can’t believe it, looking at those chubby cheeks!
Oh….that makes my heart smile!!!! What an amazing little girl!
oh my goodness. A true miracle and such a beautiful smile. I mean, seriously, don’t you want to send those photos back to the Ukraine and say, see what happens when someone cares enough. Those are AMAZING photos.
what absolutely precious and breathtaking pictures. Hailee has the most sweetest smile and it´filled with joy. Those pictures truly say more than a thousands of words
God is good! So wonderful to see the joy on that precious little girl’s face!
Praising Jesus with you! Oh my! Brings tears to my eyes. Our God is a God of MIRACLES … and He called you to be a part of Hailee’s miracle. You are BLESSED! Hailee is BLESSED! Others who have walked this journey with you have been BLESSED by your willingness to share this journey with the blogging world.
Thank you!
Laurel
Amazing, Amazing, amazing, what a smile. Karen
Overcome with emotion my friend.
RESTORATION. REDEMPTION. JOY.
Beauty from ashes.
Geniune smiles and giggles!
She is a new child….thank you Jesus…for Hailee’s life…for Adeye and Anthony’s faith and obedience….and for Your provision, faithfulness and LIFE CHANGING LOVE.
Fill Hailee up to overflowing Lord. Restore to her EVERYTHING that the “moths and the locusts” have eaten in her life!
Healing in her heart and body in the matchless and mighty name of Jesus.
All Glory to You Great God!!!!!!
I have just been following your blog for a few short weeks and many times I have cried tears for these little girls. Today they are tears of joy to see the smile on this little ones face! What a change - you are an amazing family!!
That is SO SO SO SO SO SO SO Awesome! I enjoy watching Daisy experience life… so I can only imagine the joy you are feeling when you watch it with your two precious ones. She looks WONDERFUL!
When our Heavenly Father gives us the oil of joy instead of mourning… beautiful!
BEAUTIFUL!!! GOD IS SO AMAZING!!
Blessings,
Amy <><
I LOVE it!! Praise God for His miracles - thank you again for sharing your journey with us. My heart rejoices for these two little girls who now know what a family and love are all about!
Woohoo! She looks just beautiful with that smiling face. How amazing to know that joy is finally filling her little heart. If she’s come this far in a few short weeks…how far can she go given even more time? LOVE seeing her feeling so loved by you all!!
WOW
Lisa V
Such precious pictures of a precious girl! What a miracle! Did you ever think it would happen so fast? I wish I could actually hear her laughter, though seeing those facial expressions are a treasure in itself! I’m in tears…
Our God is an Awesome God!! She looks so amazing!! Thank God you saved her from her drugged induced misery!
Isn’t it awesome how great LOVE is?
Teri
Adeye,
I could hug you right now! I am so full of thankfullness for what you have done for this little girl…words can’t describe it.
Thank you for giving her the chance to know what it’s like to really live! To know happiness! To know Love! To be part of a family.
Adoption is such an amazing testimony of love….
She’s beautiful.
Jodi
I’m absolutely sobbing happy tears today. That is the most beautiful picture of redemption that perhaps I’ve ever seen.
I have been faithfully praying for you and your family throughout this journey. God bless you for seeing a treasure when others had given up on her. No more sleep meds, no more imprisonment in her crib, no more life without a hope and a future. But many more smiles. God is good.
Much Love,
Kathie
Praising God from the mid-west roof top!!!
So beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Adeye! I am laughing and crying at the same time. How merciful is our God?? Praise Him from whom ALL blessings flow!! You were meant to be her momma and what a treasure you have found. Even with all the chaos of the past few weeks - look at her go!! YIPEE!!!
Oh just look at her beautiful smile! She is so worth it I’m sure. I can’t wait until we can commit to a special little one and have them home in our arms. God is good!
Oh my goodness. Those pictures brought chills.
God is so glorified in these pictures. My family and I have had the honor of peeking into your life (starting about the time you went to get these two precious girls)and have cried and now how our hearts are filled to overflowing in how quickly God moves on behalf of His beloved. Overcome by the word of their testimonies!!!
Your brothers and sisters in Christ- the Enoch Family
She has an amazing smile! I love it. So precious!
One of the most beautiful series of photos i have EVER seen in all my days! This is giving me goosebumps and tears, Adeye, and I just want to run through the church building shouting. In fact, I think I will! Love and rejoicing with you all… dancing before the Lord for what HE has done!!!! This is SO AWESOME!!! SHE is such a beauty! Woohoooooo… Hallelujah!!!
Perfect, Adeye! Praise God!
One of the most beautiful smiles ever!
Lisa
Happy tears here….I am overjoyed for Hailee, and for you!
Lori
crying! praise the Lord!
they’re amazing pictures, Adeye, I have tears in my eyes, so glad to see Hailee being SO HAPPY!
Remember the pictures in the past, we thought she was smiling, but she was grimacing in the sun… but this time there is no mistaking the joy in her face!!! 
Thank you, YHWH, for guiding Adeye and Anthony to this little one who was without voice and without hope, and blessed her with a family that acknowledges You, please keep them safe and guide them always.
God bless beautiful Hailee and God bless your whole family. That smile is exactly why all of us adoptive parents do this. You are amazing and I am glad that God chose you to be Hailee’s mom!
Yep, that was a tear gusher! How precious to see that smile on little Hailee’s face! Maybe you could record her giggling - that would be fantastic!
Oh my goodness how amazing! She looks like she has grown so much!
words cannot express the pure joy in her face and in her heart!!!
Seeing those pictures and reading this post just blessed me beyond words..WOW just WOW! God is do amazing!!!
I believe God has been speaking to me about International special needs adoption. I spoke to my husband about it last night and he said adoption has been on his heart lately as well (but not special needs). I have been praying for God to lead us where he would like us to go and for us to have the courage to do it. I really admire you and have found strength in your blog. I am anxiously waiting for you to answer everyones questions so that it will answer quite a few of my own questions.
I have been following your adoption journey for a while now. I have chills and tears after seeing these precious pictures of Hailee. Our family is adopting a little boy with DS from Russia…Kirill. I can’t wait to see him smiling and laughing just like your sweet girls!
Oh this warms my heart to see, what a precious little angel. I am SO happy for her to have found such an amazing family and for you as you bear witness to such an incredible transformation. Love that huge grin of hers SOOO much!
I am teary eyed looking at your sweet Hailee. She is a doll. You are so blessed.
Oh Adeye!
This is so amazing! She looks like a brand new child! Praise God! This brought me so much joy! Thank you for your godly example.
This gives me and my high school bible study so much hope for the little boy on Reece’s Rainbow we are raising money for. He is similar to Hailee, 4 and a half and only 14 lbs. We were getting down about Jacob’s situation, until we followed your story of sweet Hailee!
Thank you!
That is AWESOME!!!!!! Enough said.
Does God know how to reward or what??????
Oh praise Him for great things he has done.
Amen - crying tears of joy for you all in CO!
I can’t even think of words to write as tears roll down my cheeks. Praise the Lord for you and your love for these children! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful journey. God Bless you all!!! oxox
Such a sweet smile.You can almost hear her giggeling. What a miracle a little love and attention can do for a child who knows nothing about life and living. Thank you for sharing with us. How I wish I weren’t 69 so we could a adopt a child like your Hailee and Harper. Looking forward to more pictures and stories.
How much weight has she gained now? She looks so much bigger.
Oh my friend!!!! What JOY! I can’t stop smiling. What a gift you have all been given. Can’t wait to meet you all and give you huge hugs. PTL!!!!
Oh my sweet friend, this brought tears this evening…. I know it is so worth it! our God is amazing and can do amazing things. What a precious gift of smiles and laughter! Thank you for sharing with us this precious gift.
Blessings,
gayly
WOW! What a gorgeous little girl, and she will truly blossom! These pictures are simply amazing!
My daughter also sat in an orphanage watching other children play for her first 3 years. She was not aloud to move from her seat. When it rained she sat away from the other children with the other special needs children, all so sad. Today she is running and playing.
I am just speechless & overwhelmed with joy for Hailee!
It is worth it! She is so beautiful! Her spirit is so happy!! Oh I am so glad to hear she is doing well and is enjoying life. I can’t believe what a quick turn around it has been for her! So wonderful.
look at her joy…wow that is the best thing ive seen in a long time….big lovies to Hailee, and you guys.
incredible.
Mostly, I just lurk and don’t comment. This post though…oh my goodness, the tears are streaming down my face. I do believe Hailee’s smiles are one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Praise God that you heeded His call. Continued prayers for your little sweeties!
Crying happy tears here too! What a precious little lady! She is absolutely adorable!
Praise God! She IS redeemed! Thank you for sharing your precious family with us! We are rejoicing with you!
Oh my gracious! Look at her!!
I couldn’t help but smile with her. And I can definitely see how her face is filling out too.
What a huge smile enveloping her face.
Amazing what love can do!
Your love for her is such a picture of our merciful God’s love for us!
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How beautiful and what a picture of the LOVE of Christ for us!
Her price was paid in FULL!
Love you!!!!
Jill
can you tell I’m just a little excited over this post
As soon as I saw the first picture I got tears in my eyes. The most beautiful picture I’ve seen in awhile!!
Amen! And I think she even looks like she has grown some!
TEARS of JOY here, Adeye!! I just have no words! TEARS of JOY!!
Oh my goodness…those pictures are totally amazing!! Oh sweet little one…she looks wonderful! And that smile…ohhh…wish I could hear those giggles.
God is soooo good! LOVE seeing your girls. 
That is beautiful. I am enjoying following your adoption journey and praying for your family along the way. You guys are an inspiration and it is a joy to see what God is doing in these little ones’ lives.
Oh my I have chills all over me, that is so wonderful to see that little angel smile and laugh ! Bless her heart, you have given her such joy!
Just like watching a flower bloom. Beautiful and miraculous! God is truly good!
You truly saved these beautiful children from a sad lonely life. You listened to the Lord…and what a blessing it is. Thank you so much for letting us all see your little ones blossom
These pictures made my day. Absolutely priceless. God is GOOD!
Such joy, oh my heart she is sooo precious!!
There’s no better investment to make than in another human being, she is sooo worth it!
I’m so overjoyed to see Hailee’s wonderful smile.
What an amazing family you are.
Hailee has been blessed.
Another one in tears here too.
I was just wondering if you were planning on ever sending the oprhanage photos of her progress…?
Wouldn’t that be an almighty miracle if on seeing how she is changing they rethought the way they look after the other children who were in the sme room with her…..
BEAUTIFUL!
I have no words to adequately express the instantaneous joy and overwhelming gratitude I feel toward our Heavenly Father upon seeing those beautiful pictures of sweet Hailee. But my goodness, do I ever have the tears of joy!!! He is SO faithful!!! Praise you, Lord!!! My heart runs over!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful treasure with us. I’m praying that one day, in His perfect timing, the Lord would open my hubby’s heart to a sweet treasure of our own. In the meantime, would it be ok if I just live vicariously through you?
Thank you, sweet Lord, for such an incredibly beautiful blessing! Wow…..
Oh my gosh…could these pictures be any sweeter?! It’s wonderful to see the joy on Hailee’s face. Amazing what the love of your family has done for this beautiful,little girl. God is good! Continuing to pray for your family.
Blessings,
Barbara
ABSOLUTELY beautiful! I’ve been thinking of her so much! She is thriving and I can see her maturing before our eyes. It will be no time before she looks closer to her 5 years of age but oh the joy and life she as to catch up on…and she will with your lovely family!
Rejoice and be glad in it!!! This is the day the Lord has made for Hailee and for the whole world to see His works!!!!
Love the giggles…love what all the cake eating has done for her cheeks…love you my friend!!!
My heart if filled to overflowing with the joy I am feeling for you all. She is such a treasure and man the joy radiating out of her is so tangible, I can almost hear her giggling all the way over here. I am moved to tears. Love you all Janelle
That may just be the most beautiful 5 year old smile I’ve ever seen. Oh wow that was amazing! A few weeks ago, what we all thought was a smile was her squinting at the sunlight (because she wasn’t used to it). And now, here she is laughing, smiling, and playing in the sun. Praise the LORD!
When you have time (hahaha), can you post a video of that giggle?
Smiling and crying at the same time…
This feels SO good!
Thank you for sharing this.
Love, Charlotte
Smiling and crying at the same time..
This feels SO good!
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Love, Charlotte
This is sooo good to see, love it! Keep up the good work.
Love from the Netherlands, Kirsty
Amen, what a glorious morning. As I read your post, I’m overcome with the most joyful envy to show this amazing transformation,this amazing Redemption. He gave you the force, you had the faith to keep going through this long process, but look at her! A pure beauty. This is what adoption is all about. It it so worth it! I agree, now it’s official, my daughters said, when we grow up, we are adopting! Amen. Let’s spread the word. Thank you for sharing, priceless.
Marie-Claude
Oh the blessing of seeing that baby smile!!! I cannot tell you again how thankful I am that God pointed your family to Hailee and Harper. Redemption indeed!!!
Hope to see you SOON!!!
Absolutely beautiful…praise Jesus!
Oh my goodness gracious God is soo very good! Tears and joy came immediately when I saw that first picture even before I read the words. Beautiful. May God give you continued strength and energy as you love on these precious ones!
Praise God!! The God of LOVE and MIRACLES!!
So, so sweet….
And oh my, Adeye, didnt they say her mom looked like you (or you looked like her)… all I could think was about how much she is starting to favor you…
So beautiful.
Goose bumps!!! What a beautiful smile she has. So precious! She is definitely worth it. They all are!
Caroline
I am in tears right now looking at those pictures. She is definitely worth it. God knew exactly what she needed to create those ear to ear smiles.
Hugs,
mandi
(love the new look)
I know the rewards from God. Several years ago I had 2 foster sisters. They came from unbelievable circumstances that no child should go thorough. I took a picture of them sitting on my front step. Two weeks later I set them in the same spot what a difference you could see. It’s amazing what love, normalcy and God can do. I’m not sure where they are now but I hope I instilled in them the love of God and as adults now they know God is always with them and loves them.
What you need to do? Take any of your ‘before’ pictures - put one next to one of these - and if anyone ever asks “Is there a God?” or the infamous “Why do you adopt?” - just hand them a copy and walk away….
Great joy for you here in Cincy -
hugs - aus and co.
I cannot tell you what your story has spoken to my heart. God is so amazingly and abundantly good. I hope you don’t mind that I linked to your blog. I have been praying for you and your sweet family. And I will continue to. God bless.
What glorious pictures! I have tears of joy. She is blooming before all of our eyes - simply wonderful! What a joy for you and your family seeing Hailee expereincing life! I’m sure there are still challenging times for you but just seeing her giggling and laughing must make it feel so worth it! So happy for you. I have been meaning to mention some homeopathic powder to you for the patches being Hailee’s ears. Its is a Weleda product and is for “Graze & Weeping Wound Powder” For the treatment of wounds, burns, blisters and care of navel in infants. I put the powder on my kids open grazes and it works wonders and doesnt hurt/sting them. Let me know if you cant get it in the states and I’ll try and get some to you. Have a lovely weekend and hope that you are feeling more settled. Lots of love x
This post brought tears to my eyes. I love the verse “beauty from ashes” too. Where is that in the bible?
I’m crying!!!!! How awesome!!!!! She is soooooooooo beautiful!!!!
She is beautiful. God is so faithful and amazing. Rejoicing in His goodness with you!!!!
That is so incredible - what an amazing journey she is on now.
I think about Hailee everyday. This “story” has touched me so much.
AMAZING. *I* feel so happy. I can’t imagine YOUR joy! lol!
Is it just me or has Hailee grown quite a bit? Her face looks “chubbier”. Yay!
Not only smiles but look at those cheeks!!! Her face is filling out and it’s a beautiful tihng to see.
I love the pictures!!!
wow..WoW…WOW!!! My heart is doing flips! Beautiful!!!
Yes Lord Jesus!!!! My heart is absolutely celebrating!!! She is so beautifully alive with the love of Jesus actively restoring her with each new day! So exciting to see my dear friend.
I am getting caught up on blog reading. I have loved every word and every picture! Especially these newest ones!!! Oh, my goodness, I am so excited for you and your sweet Hailee. : )
I just had to comment too. I just love to see that look of pure joy on Hailee’s sweet face. What a huge blessing. You and your hubby are amazing. You have given little Hailee life. I cannot tell you how happy this has made me and soooo many others.
Hugs to you.
Words cannot describe. Those pictures are amazing.
Love,
Shauna
PRAISE JESUS! for this life that was spared, for the love and happiness that she now feels. Thank you Salem family for the work you did so that this precious baby can know the love of parents and of our heavenly Father. love, Rachel
Beautiful, beautiful (previous post too). Thank you for sharing so we can all praise God!
How awesome! I am enjoying wathcing your girls come out of their shells!
Praise our GREAT God. He is the ultimate healer. Thank you guys for making a difference that will last forever.
That is one big WOW! How wonderful and what a blessing to see that beautiful smile on Hailee’s face! God is a good God
Hugs,
Rachel
Redemption, indeed! The joy is visible in her eyes! God is so very good, all the time! I love you, sweet friend, and am thrilled at what God is doing in your family!!
Wow, this is amazing. I knew pictures would be coming like these. I knew the Lord would use you and your family to do a 180 in her life! I follow your blog and really enjoyed your journey to the new additions in your family. I will continue to pray that they grow in every way possible and thankful they are not hindered anymore.
Such a transformation! You can see her changing physically, and clearly she is feeling the love, because those pictures show that she is joyful, happy, and full of life (just as all children should be!) That smile is priceless! I am just so happy for her, for you, and for all that the future holds! God is so good!
What a precious sight! Thank You obeying the call to rescue her from that life of misery. She deserves so much more, they ALL do. It is wonderful to continue to follow this amazing journey. It is truly only the beginning of ALL that God has in store for her precious life. You are blessed & a blessing! Thanks for sharing!
Praise God…I am so happy for you all!!!
What an awesome God and an awesome miracle that He is doing! Laughing with her and crying tears of joy because of God’s redeeming love.
Love and hugs and prayers,
Debi
God is so good! What a beautiful image of His redeeming love of us. My precious daughter from Ukraine is a completely transformed little girl from the one we met almost a year ago. What beautiful treasures are waiting to be discovered if only others would look! Your family is beautiful and I will be following along on your journey!
I have been following your blog for a few months now. I cannot tell you how much you have inspired me with your words. I see the love radiating out in your words. All of your children are beautiful. To see these pictures of her so full of joy, it just brings tears of happiness to me. Life is about living for him and surely you have glorified his name many times over in your love for the children you have adopted. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I look forward to reading all the chapters that are yet to be written by you, but are already known by our great Lord. We knew she would smile and laugh in time, she just needed your hope and love to bring it out of her. Thank you God for the Salems!
Love,love,love the pictures. What a picture of hope….
Thank you for sharing this…more then moving to see where she was just a bit ago to where she is now. Yes, she is so worth it. They all are so worth it and the community of people who realize this are so blessed to be able to “connect” via the internet to celebrate the victories in the lives of the little ones we bring home. Blessings, Jennifer
LOVE IT! cannot get enough of those beautiful pictures. Praise God, and again, and again…
Crying tears of joy. Thank you sweet friend for knowing it is worth it- even when the days are hard. Praying for you. Love, Amy
Tears of joy seeing how His
redeeming love is healing and
restoring your precious little
one.
Thank you for sharing.
Adeye-
Hailee is a little daredevil, isn’t she? Oh, it is so wonderful to see her so happy!
You family is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing and much love from the Jonases.
Tracy