finally final!

Today we finalized Saren's adoption! What we have known to be right and true and perfect for 10 months and 23 days is now right and true and perfect in the Seventh District Court! It is a special thing to hear what it means to be someone's parent and swear an oath in court to fulfill those obligations. Every parent should get this opportunity...to tell the world that you are and will always be responsible for and available to your child, in every way necessary and in every respect is a very sweet thing.

We will always be grateful to Bill Heder, our awesome Attorney, who has led us through many an adoption crag and mire without breaking a sweat and with total reassurance and confidence. He is worth every penny!

And to Judge Douglass B. Thomas, who after pronouncing Saren's adoption as final, pulled a little, stuffed "Wilbur" out from behind his bench and said affectionately..."This is for you baby!". What a sweet public servant.

And, today, I can't help but love, even a little more, our birth parents, who made this all possible. I know, in my heart, that God will most certainly reward them richly someday as I could never adequately express what it is they have meant to our family.

And, of course, I thank my Heavenly Father, who brought everyone together...and made a family where there was once just David and myself and a lot of hope. We are so grateful!

visions of sugarplums

Last night, I had so many laughs while the boys carefully searched through a Walmart Christmas toy ad. When Jacob turned a page to reveal a load of Star Wars paraphernalia, Eddie was so excited...all he could come up with was "Oh....Come on! Come on guys!". Other things Eddie repeated over and over were "Hmmmm...yet's see", "You gotta see dis!" and "What you yike Mom?". Jacob was torn between a hot wheel race track and a dinosaur tower....but he woke me up this morning for help writing a note to Santa, so he must have made his decision.

The biggest crack up was when Eddie pointed to this picture.

Eddie -"What that?"

Me - "It's a gorilla!"

Eddie - "No, that's a boy-rilla"

So funny. He went to bed with his little book and Jacob asked me for it first thing this morning.

This Christmas is going to be so much fun! I remember wanting to be a mom so much and how this time of year just doesn't have the same magic without kids. I'm so thankful for these little sweeties.

can you guess?

the windowsill
my couch
Saren's hands
Saren's left foot
a wicker basket
four bathroom towels
shower curtain
tile floor
The toilet seat
Eddie's feet
Eddie's hands
Under the computer desk
The flush lever
the bathrug
Down the hallway
the shower curtain
A box of wet wipes

These are the places Eddie managed cover in poo while I was making my bed this morning, 10 minutes before the neighborhood preschool arrived..."I keen it myseff!" was his only defense.

halloween wrap up

Halloween is over! Yeah! It is one of my favorite times of year...but seriously...how many parties are possible to squeeze into three days? Seven....yep. That was difficult what with all the peeing going on in Eddie's costume. But we survived. The kids had lots of fun and that is all that really matters. Dave and I had a great time at a party with friends. We dressed up as a "Biggest Loser" contestant and Jillan. Really, I just wanted an excuse to dress like a hoochie. No muscles...I know. It was a little bit of a stretch. My eyebrows were clearly lacking as well.

Why the wig? Well wigs are just funny. You can't help but laugh to see someone you love in a ridiculous wig. It's humor on the basest of levels...like seeing someone get hit in the yoo-hoo's or trip violently down the stairs. Good memories.

And speaking of violence...my boys dressed up as "Army Guys" this year. They were very cute in uniforms made by Grandma B. Jacob was especially proud, and for the week leading up to Halloween night, he would do anything I asked it I pretended to be his commanding officer. "Do not dishcarge that firarm in the vicinity of the sleeping baby cadet! Move it upstairs doubletime soldier and pick up your blocks in an orderly fashion!" and "Keep your sandwich in the mess hall or I will send you to the General for latrine duty so fast it will make your head spin!". You get the idea. He would salute me and do his best not to smile. Even with the perks, I'm glad it's over...I had used all my good stuff up by Thursday.

It was an unfortunate serious of bad timing and bad moods that led me to not really get a good picture of Eddie this year...but these paint an accurate picture of the holiday. The highlight was teaching Edison to say "trick or treat" which Eddie translated into "freakin' treat!" I loved that.

Here he is eating a 1 pound can of cashews....a choice I would come to regret at least 6 times the next day.
And Saren was an adorable little flower/fairy/elf/Anne Geddes model (I'm not sure exactly which), but thanks to Lori for the cute costume. She said her first word on Friday night... "Candy" as clear as day and I think Halloween should get the credit.

And who can forget these guys...they're back!!! Some genius on the city council decided not to wrap their legs around the trees on main street this year (no doubt thanks to my hard hitting, expose on the "downtown humpers" from last year)... http://tookiecramer.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html

I think this use was much less creepy.
Happy Halloween everybody...bring on Thanksgiving!