3 Months...WOW!!!

Well, tomorrow is the BIG day....we head to court at 9am to finalize the adoption!!! Super excited for this day and it seems like it took way too long for it to get here. We have had a busy couple of weeks-she attended her first Ole Miss game, started Cheernastics, went to the Delta Fair, had a cookie decorating party with kids in the neighborhood and her Uncle Tommy took her for a horse riding lesson. She is one spoiled little child!!! We had our first parent-teacher conference last week where we learned that she needs extra reading tutoring. She starts this week with two days after school....on a positive note though, she did have the most bible verses memorized in the class :-) Another big event in Laura's life is that she lost her first tooth on Saturday. She was SO excited and came running down the stairs the next morning to show off her coin purse full of quarters and smiley face stickers that the tooth fairy left. We all seem to be in a good routine and count our blessings every day!!! Love you all!!

Week 8-9...I think...I lost count.

Well, school is in full swing now...she LOVES it. YAY!!! We have come a long way the last couple of weeks. I love the fact that we have a routine now, but she still ask every day after school "whats next", "can someone come over and play"...LOL. We met with her court appointed guardian yesterday and she is going to make a full recommendation to the judge for adoption. Our court date is Sept 20th...I am SO ready for it to get here and all be done. We are headed to Jackson this weekend for her first b'day party with my family followed up with a second b'day party with Gary's family the next weekend....can we say spoiled??? She has a pretty big birthday list, but she really wants a slushy machine she saw on tv....its all she can talk about. We are also going to get her a bike...I can't wait to see her face :-) Parenthood is SO fun, but the most tiring job I have ever had!!! Wouldn't trade it for anything!!!

Week 6

We have had a GREAT couple of weeks!!! Gary and I got to share our story/testimony in Sunday School yesterday :-)  Our class threw her a huge swim party last Sunday and Laura was overwhelmed with gifts and hair bows. She was SO excited!!! We have been getting ready for school and she can now spell her last name and has memorized her phone number. We have been reading a lot at night-someone gave us an adoption book and it is a great story how a Momma Bear took in a Baby Panda. It is a sweet story and she seems to understand the relation. We also have been playing Candy Land and Memory Cards a couple of nights a week and she FAIRLY beats us at the Memory game. I am learning to be a gracious loser to a 6 yr old!!! Her favorite game has to be Mario though on her DSI...its hilarious to watch her play. She gets as frustrated as I do when I play it...LOL. She sings A LOT even though she may not know the words on the radio, she makes up her own. We have had several play dates and have learned how to skate. It blows my mind how well she seems to be adjusting and how more patient I am than I thought!!! My favorite part of the last couple of weeks is hearing her call Gary "Pop"....God is good!!!

Week 4

We have had a great couple of weeks!!! My family spent a week at the beach...Laura got A LOT of loving on and just a little spoiled :-) My niece Marley came home and spent the last week with us and Laura had a hard time saying goodbye to her. So, I let her have her first slumber party last night with her other cousins and they had a blast!!! Tuesday, Laura will be tested at SBEC...according to her previous tutor, we expect her to go into pre-first. We love the thought of her being in a smaller classroom setting this first year so she will have the extra one on one attention she needs. She is doing SO well and I wake up every day thanking God for this blessing. It has been very easy compared to what we expected. She is a well behaved normal 6 yr old :) I do have to say to all other moms, I do have a new found respect...although it's a lot of fun, it's also very tiring. I would say we all have adjusted well and again SO blessed by the support of our families and friends....thanks to all. We love you!!!

Beach pics to come soon!!!

Week 2

We had a GREAT weekend fixing Laura's room up and spoiling her like crazy!!! She seemed to like it, but didn't get overly excited...I think its just all so overwhelming for her at this point. We started counseling last week and that went better than expected. Its much harder to tell a 6yr old that she is being adopted than I expected. She is definitely not ready to call us mom & dad, but I think eventually she will get there. Our families including our church family and friends have all been SO great. We feel so encouraged and blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. Laura loves to swim...she is a little fish and is now jumping off the top of the deck...it doesn't take her long to follow what other kids are doing. She sleeps really well through the night and most mornings I have to wake her up. She has made lots of new friends and keeps asking why everyone brings her gifts...haha!!! She is definitely a girly girl...she loves her bows and headbands. She also is obsessed with Hello Kitty and anything that sparkles. We are celebrating the 4th with my family in Destin for a week...she is SO excited to go back to the beach. I can't wait for her to meet all her cousins!!! We will begin the school selection process after we get back from the beach...we are going to have her tested and hopefully that will help make our decision easier. It all still seems surreal...I am not quite sure it has hit us that we are parents. My aunt bought her a bible with her new name on it and I can't wait to give it to her!!! We decided to wait till the next counseling appointment to explain to her that she will have a new last name. Tonight, Gary is taking her on a special shopping trip...she will be so surprised :-) I love this little girl!!!

Our Story

This is my first attempt at blogging...I have a lot to learn, but wanted to share our story. About two weeks ago, Gary and I went on a mission trip to Honduras. We stayed in a village about two hours from the airport at The Good Shepherds Childrens Home. It was by far the best experience of our lives. We fell in love with some beautiful children. It was very eye opening and humbling. Words cannot begin to express the grief we felt leaving. Something happened to us that week that really changed our lives...we decided that God was preparing us for adoption. We went to our first meeting at Bethany last Tuesday night. We left there a little discouraged due to the costs and fees associated with adoption....it was a lot more expensive than we anticipated. See, we haven't been able to have kids on our own yet. So, we thought maybe God had a different plan. We prayed that night after the adoption meeting for God just to please show us what he wanted for us-we prayed for direction. Well, the VERY next day, we received a phone call that would forever change our lives. Gary got a call from a family member who explained that she could no longer care for her 6yr old little girl. She asked us to adopt her...we were stunned!!! This family member has been out of the picture for a long time and has not been able to get her life on track. She had NO idea we couldn't have kids, no idea we went on this mission trip and no idea we went to an adoption meeting the night before. We said ok God, we hear ya...thx for that clear answer. We went and picked her up a week ago today-we headed straight to the beach for a vacation. She jumped in our car and said "let's go". It was amazing...we had the best trip. It was so fun to watch her play in the sand and jump the waves. We were blown away that she never cried and was so well behaved. She has adjusted well to living with us and even keeps asking if it's forever. She is smart, beautiful, sassy and the most precious child ever. We already love her like she was our own. Today is a big day for us, we are due to sign all the papers. Although I am scared and nervous like crazy, I know God has it ALL worked out. This is his plan for us and so far, this is our story. What a mighty one we serve!!! Love to ALL our friends and family who have supported and encouraged us this week, we are SO blessed!!!