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.

Family Temple Session

Dan and I had an amazing experience today. We planned a time for our families to go to the temple and do an endowment session with soon-to-be-our birth parents in mind. It was a suggestion from LDSFS and I LOVED the idea. So most of my family was able to meet in either the Portland, Oregon or Jordan River, Utah temples at 1:00 PST. Dan's mom went this morning because she didn't get the message in time - good thing because the St. Louis temple didn't even have a session at the right time!

I've been feeling the adversary lately trying so hard to work against us! Yesterday, Dan's work offered him two tickets to two of March Madness' NCAA basketball games for today (I'm not sure exactly what it's called...), which is great, except the first game started right when we'd be in our temple session. But Dan didn't fall for that one! Well, actually he went to the temple and then went late to the games. :) Than, we had a rough morning getting ready to leave for the temple. Lost keys, had to get gas, contention, etc. I felt so frustrated because I've been so excited about this temple trip, and it so easily could have been ruined.

We actually ended up being early to the temple and it was great! I've never felt the spirit so strongly as I did today. I thought about our adoption and our sweet birth parents the entire time and I feel so good and excited about it. Every time I thought about my family sacrificing their time, sitting in the temple in Utah for us, for our birth parents, for our future baby, I felt my heart swell until it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. I was so emotional - it was absolutely amazing! I know I keep saying this, but I still cannot get over how supportive and involved our families are! We are so blessed!