Our Forever Family

Today was a special day. Today we took our little Drew to the Draper, Utah temple to be sealed to us for time and all eternity. This is the day I've been anxiously waiting for for over a year. I've been imagining what it would be like, imagining who would be there. Nothing could have prepared me for the day that was today. It was a day I'll remember forever.

We were so blessed to have family and a couple of close friends there with us. The temple workers were so sweet and so helpful helping us get ready. I knew I would cry during the sealing, but I didn't realize I'd start crying while we were walking to the sealing room. I didn't realize I'd have to do all I could to not bawl so I couldn't even speak. I didn't realize just how strong the spirit would be in that temple, in that room. I didn't realize just how I would feel when I saw my family and friends who are my family and how I would feel so much love for each of them. I didn't realize just how much love I could possibly feel when my mom walked into that room holding my little baby boy in all white. That's when it hit me. He was so sweet and he was so good.

I'm so grateful for a Heavenly Father that allows us to feel things like this. I'm grateful that we've been able to experience this. I'm so grateful for Johnny and Kaitlyn and their selflessness. I'm so grateful for my sweet little boy that I get to be with forever. And of course I'm grateful for my Dan. There are no words.

Here are some pictures that Brenley took for us today. She was so great to get them to me so fast so that I could post them.

Thank you again for all of your prayers, love, and support. We couldn't have done it without you. This has been such a great experience for us and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm going to miss the adoption process and I hope we'll be able to be blessed by adoption again.

This is the end of the beginning of our adoption story, and the beginning of our lives together forever.

Adoption Finalized!

We got to finalize the adoption today! It was a great day! We had the option of going in to the courthouse or to do it through the mail. I am so thankful we chose to go in. It made it really special for me. Hearing Judge Merten say all those wonderful things - such as: it's as if he's been born to us, the courts approve the name change (last name) - was so amazing and emotional for me. I feel so blessed. It really was a neat experience for us. My parents drove all the way from Utah yesterday (and were even stuck in Twin Falls for 3 hours getting a new alternator) to be there. I'm so grateful for them. I love that they were there. Our good friends, the Johnsons, got up early, got their kids ready to come be a part of this. So sweet of them. Stupid security line made them miss it by mere minutes. But I'm still so grateful that they were there. I'm going to miss the adoption process so much. This has been so life-changing, there's no way I can even begin to describe that. I have grown so much. We have our sweet little boy. I am so thankful!

Court Date

We have a court date!!! I can't believe it!! (Especially after I whined in my last post. You'd think I'd be punished for that.) So next Tuesday (we were so blessed to get a court date so soon - our attorney told us we were "lucky," but I'd say we're incredibly blessed) we'll be there at the court house finalizing our adoption so that our little guy will be legally ours! I can't wait! I can't believe it's finally here. And in 13 months, no less. It's amazing. Miracles left and right. Heavenly Father carefully planning this and with us every step of the way. Amazing, amazing. I feel so blessed. I can't wait to be in the temple with Dan and Drew. I was looking at Drew today and thought about that special day that will come soon and teared up, as I'm sure I'll do for a long time. How did I get so lucky? It's been a long time comin', but I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything!

Almost There...

SO EXCITED! We got an email from our caseworker yesterday with good news.

We've been waiting to hear back from DHS - the state of Oregon has to approve the adoption. We had to wait for them before we could finalize the adoption. They have been taking forever. Surprise, surprise - something from the state is taking longer than expected. :) Oh well. So far everything's worked out perfectly.

So we got this email yesterday saying LDSFS heard back from DHS! Yay! Finally! So she mailed all of the paperwork from LDSFS to our attorney, who has been awesome so far, by the way. He has everything ready on his end so when he receives the paperwork from LDSFS, he'll submit it and we'll just have to wait for a court date and then it'll be finalized! I've been told this part takes a couple of weeks. We'll see how long it really takes.

I sound like such a whiner in this post. And I don't mean to be. I'm just so incredibly anxious to take our little guy to the temple to be sealed. It's the part I've been imagining since the very beginning. Everything so far has worked out great and things have gone so smoothly for us and I know it will continue that way. I know I have absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm just SO EXCITED!