Our first family photos

After the adoption hearing, we did take our first "official" family photo.  But on Sunday after church, we met with a photographer to take our first professional family pictures.  They were taken by the old schoolhouse at the park on North Main (close to Baytown Christian Academy).  Here are just a few of the results!  If you are interested, the photographer's name is Janey Wood and she lives in Mont Belvieu.  Just send me an email at  we3kings1@comcast.net if you'd like more information about her.

My mom's dog

In the midst of what is supposed to be such a joyous season, it seems I have been hearing of so much sadness lately.  Today was no different.  My mom adopted a massive dog - an American Bulldog - through an animal rights organization last year.  I was shocked when she did this because she loved her last dog so much, she vowed to never have another dog again.  Actually, she wanted us to adopt him after my beloved Holly, whom I adored for 15 years, died right after Hurricane Ike.  But we decided he wasn't the dog for us and she adopted him.  It was not without grief, by the way.  Many of the the people she had to deal with made the entire process very difficult.  (Side note - it works the same way for children, too!). 

Finally, he was hers and she let me choose his name.  Since he was partially intended as security, I suggested she name him Brinx.  She did. 

Today, Brinx had to be put to down.  He stopped eating last week and after several very expensive trips to the vet and finally a canine internist today, my mom learned that Brinx had cancer. 

I'm so happy for the time that he had with my mom.  But I'm so sad that he is gone.  What a cool dog he was.  Huge, cuddly and very slobbery - just the way a dog should be! 

Thankful

What are you REALLY thankful for on this blessed Thanksgiving Day?  It is, after all, a holiday intended to honor the Lord.  I have SO much to be thankful for, I cannot possibly list it all, but here are a few things.....

Our boys
The opportunity to see the world through their eyes
My incredible husband
My husband's cooking skills (YUMMY!)
Our families
Our beautiful home
Electricity (If you experienced Hurricane Ike, you are probably very thankful for this too)
Cool weather so I can wear a warm, fuzzy sweater
Afternoon naps
Laughter
Smiles
Good friends that truly love us
Toasted marshmallows
Night lights
Music
Good books
I could go on and on and on.

But most of all, I am thankful for Jesus. 

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him,
and bless his name. For the Lord is good..."

Psalm 100:4-5

Field trip day with Donovan

Today I had an opportunity to take a field trip with Donovan and his Pre-K class.  We went to a wildlife park in Alvin, Texas.  It was a really great day, despite the chilly and rainy weather.  How close have you ever been to animals such as giraffes, camels, buffalo, zebras, etc.?  This place was WAY cooler than a zoo, in my opinion.  The animals roam freely and are very tame.  They provide you with a bucket of food so you can feed them.  A buffalo was able to wrestle Donovan's bucket away from him, although Donovan tried to be a worthy opponent, the grown male buffalo had a few pounds advantage over Donovan, who just turned 5 last Friday.  But Donovan loves to tell everyone about it. 

Here are a few photos I took today.  It would be great to go back again with Jonathan.  Maybe then I could get a good picture of the rhinoceros and the ringtail lemur, neither of whom had an appreciation for the weather today and refused to come out of their houses - much to my extreme disappointment. 

We can FLY!

Kevin had this really great idea to stretch bungee cords across the bed of his truck and let the boys lay across them so they could "fly".  This was a HUGE hit with both of them.  It's so much fun to see the things that entertain boys that most girls would not dream of doing.  SO fun. 

Boys and Bikes

Both of the boys LOVE to ride bikes.  Donovan has a bit of a daredevil personality.  Enough to cause a bit of worry, actually.  Jonathan still rides Flintstone's style (using his feet) but is now learning to actually move the bike by using the pedals.  We suited both boys up with full protective gear for these reasons. 

Backing up to the First Day

I think I got a little ahead of myself and should have started with the day the boys arrived - July 3, 2009.

Donovan and Jonathan visited our house only 5 days after we first met them - and they moved in on that same day.  There was supposed to be a "transition period", but distance made it difficult and NOTHING can change God's plan.  I promise you, His plan was that these boys be with their new parents as soon as possible.  And what a sense of humor He has.  After a 5 year wait, he gave us 5 days to get ready for these little guys.  I guess He figured we'd have done more in that 5 years!  :)

So, here are some photos from Day 1.  Donovan insisted that they have a farm cake to welcome them home. 

Oh, the places we have been

Since Donovan and Jonathan joined us in the middle of summer (July 3rd, to be exact), we were able to have LOTS of fun before school started. 

We went to see the Houston Astros.  Big Sister Amber, her husband Leon and Grandma came along!

We went to the Kemah Boardwalk to play in the fountains.  Donovan LOVED it, but Jonathan preferred to keep his distance.

We went to the Children's Museum in Houston.

And sometimes, we stayed home and played in our yard.

Catching Up....

I thought it would be good to add some posts to catch everyone up on what we have been up to since the boys (turned our lives upside down - in a good way) joined us in July!  So, here we go.........

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!

On Friday, November 20, 2009 - National Adoption Day, the boys became part of our family for good!  The adoption was consummated on the grounds of Baylor Law School.  It was a good day. 

Here is how our hearing went....

We were waiting in an area just outside the courtroom. When it was our turn, we told the boys that we HAD to be quiet and just listen and that Mommy and Daddy would talk to the judge, but they should be quiet unless the judge spoke to them directly because it was important to show respect. So, we walked into the courtroom, both boys perfectly quiet in a completely quiet room. Suddenly, Jonathan yells "BOO". Everybody died laughing.

After the hearing, we were allowed to take pictures with the judge. The boys love to have their pictures taken so as soon as they saw the photographer, they started smiling and saying "CHEESE" together, also very loudly for such a big, quiet room. They had the whole place rolling. Very typical behavior for our sons.

It was perfect.  Here is our first "official" family photograph and a picture of the boys with the National Adoption Day sign taken immediately after the hearing.  I'll add the one with the judge, but I have to wait for CPS to send it to me because they hired the photographer.