Finalization is Finally Here!

We have a court date!! This Friday, Dec 17th @ 8:30am, Joshua will officially, legally, be a member of our family! Finalization occurs after he has been with us 6 months. Thursday, Dec. 16 will mark 6 months so we couldn't be happier with the given date!
We have finished all 3 post placement home visits & he has adjusted very well. He is walking all over the place! He is signing well to communicate & speaking new words every day! We are very excited about a super special Christmas this year! It's hard to believe that Christmas 2008 we told the children & our family about our decision to adopt, then recieved approval for Joshua Christmas 2009. Now, Christmas 2010, we wrap up this initial part of a lifetime decision. Paperwork may be coming to a close, but we are really just getting started. It's quite an adventure, but I can't wait to see what else God has in store for my family!

Beach Trip 2010

Beach Trip

We took Joshua out to the beach for a few days last week. I couldn't wait to get him in the sand & watch him crawl around. He had a great time as I am sure you can tell from the pics!

Help! Where did this music come from?

Ok- so I pull up the blog this morning & this song is playing! I didn't put it on there. My song started playing right along with it..weird! I took my song off thinking maybe my playlist was just messed up, but this other song is still here! I seriously have no idea how to take it off. My background is gone too...HELP! Any suggestions?

First Post Placement Home Visit

This past Saturday we had our first post placement home visit. It went really well. It was obvious how well Joshua is adjusting. That baby just amazes me! He is such a joy- so happy & playful. He will just GIGGLE when we kiss & tickle him. He anticipates the next tickle & starts to giggle before we even tickle him. He only took 1 nap in the middle of the day for 2 hours both yesterday & today. He's sleeping well at night, gets up once for a bottle (which we are in the process of weaning).
The physical therapy dept @ Memorial Home Health (my work) gave a shower for Joshua & I Wednesday evening. Once again I am amazed at the support & love for this child. He brightens every room he enters & people are in awe of his "preciousness" (Is that a word? - no other way to describe it!). I have been so humbled as I have walked through this experience. God reveals himself to me through this child daily & I could not possibly be more thankful! He has brought pure joy into my home & my life. Living with Joshua is a perfect example of living a "rich" life in the spiritual sense. Not always easy with 2 other children, but SO WORTH IT!!!

Our newest new addition

Our newest new addition

So Emalee Grace is on the treadmill in the garage when a little neighbor boy comes by with 2 kittens. Of course you know what happened next- "OH mommy, mommy, she's so cute! Can we please keep her!" Well, for those of you who don't know, we have had 2 outdoor cats, Sonic & Smokey. Smokey, the grey, female cat has been missing for about 6 weeks now & it doesn't look like she's coming back. So, Emalee Grace is carrying this kitten (like a baby) around calling her "Smokey 2". I call Scott & he says "yeah she can keep it" so there ya go...our newest baby. It is actually working out great because it has given little Joshua some respite. Last night, Emalee Grace's friend, Lila Grace, came over & they played with that little kitten for a couple of hours. Joshua played in the den all by himself for over an hour! I wasn't sure he could even do that! He always has a playmate. So, we are now a family of 5 plus a cat & a kitten. Caleb & Emmy take turns playing with Joshua or the kitten- when we go on walks, one of them pushes the stroller & one of the carries the kitten. Perfect!