Great Start for the New Year!

Waking up to a White Christmas was amazing! The kids were so excited & Joshua joined right in. I'll post pics from Christmas soon. Joshua continues to fall right into place with our family. It seems like we have had him so much longer than just 7 months! He is all over the place now & into EVERYTHING! He loves books & balls. He is talking more & more everyday. His new favorite word is "NO!" We can hardly get a question out of our mouth without him answering "No". I have a feeling he is going to be super spoiled. Being so cute & being the youngest pretty much makes it a given. He continues to eat well & sleep through the night (for the most part). He is such a blessing to our family & a constant visual reminder of how God has adopted us. It will never cease to amaze me how I can love this child like I do. Watching my older children love him & help care for him has been beautiful to watch. It's such a sweet reminder of how our Heavenly Father loves & cares for us! God continues to use this experience to increase my faith & draw me closer to him. I ask for prayer for my sister in law, Susan Blankenship, who is on a mission trip in Africa for the next 10 days. I know God will use her in amazing ways as he increases her faith & pulls her close. Read about her experience at http://www.susanblankenship.blogspot.com/.
God Bless!

Best Christmas Present EVER!

We did it! We are truly at the end of this chapter! It could not have gone smoother! We stood before the judge, told our story, and introduced Joshua. The judge reviewed our paperwork and signed the decree! We came home with 2 copies of the decree of adoption. We should receive his birth certificate in a couple of weeks, then we can file for a social security number.
We met another family at the courthouse this morning. Keith & Holly McAfee were there with Claire, their little girl from South Korea. She became a part of their family in June 2010 also. They live in Hixson so we plan to get together soon!!
Thank you all so much for all your prayers! I can't tell you how much we appreciate your support!!

It's Official!

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?