Always and Forever Ours: Christmas as a Family of Four!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas as a Family of Four!

Twas the week before Christmas and all through our home,

we hear two little voices--we're no longer alone!

Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care,

This year there are four...last year just two hung there!

Now Jeremy and Zachary are finally here!

We have our two sons, which makes one more thing clear...

Brian and Tracy's stockings now have NEW names!

We're "Mama" and "Daddy", and life will never be the same!

Our house might be messy, and this poem might be sappy,

But life in our family has never been so happy!

8 comments:

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...: *love*; December 20, 2010 at 6:41 AM
Rebecca said...: I love this. Perfect for everyone to read - especially waiting families. To know that it will happen!!; December 20, 2010 at 8:36 AM
Anonymous said...: I LOVE THE POEM!!!! Your home is beautiful!!! Congratulations on your first Christmas as a family of "4"!!!

Merry Christmas!!
Love,
Lauren; December 20, 2010 at 5:58 PM
The Busters said...: Love, love and love it some more!!! Merry Christmas!!; December 20, 2010 at 6:57 PM
Anonymous said...: That's the most organized mess I have ever seen! LOL

Love the poem :); December 20, 2010 at 7:44 PM
Heidi said...: Too cute! Merry Christmas :); December 20, 2010 at 10:01 PM
will + adri said...: Super Adorbs! Just loving this for you guys! Merry Christmas! May it be the best ever!; December 22, 2010 at 5:32 PM
J said...: Love your sappy poem. :); December 22, 2010 at 6:32 PM

Our Adoption Timeline

January 2009 - We saw Slumdog Millionaire, and God really began to stir our hearts about international adoption.

February 2009 - We had serious conversations and prayer about adopting from Ethiopia.

March 2009 - We had our phone orientation with Gladney (our adoption agency), decided to adopt from Ethiopia, and sent away for our application.

April 2009 - We submitted our application to Gladney, and began the paper chase!

May 2009 - We had our doctor appointments, continued the paper chase, and had our homestudy visit.

June 2009 - We submitted our last item of required paperwork to accompany our application to Gladney. Our homestudy report was completed and submitted to Gladney. On June 30th, our second anniversary, we received word from Gladney that we were fully approved to be an adoptive family through the Gladney Center, and that they sent our homestudy to CIS.

July 2009 - We received our "invitation" from CIS to come for fingerprinting. We were fingerprinted on July 18, 2009.

September 2009 - Our CIS approval notice arrived in the mail. Dossier completed and sent off on September 8. Placed on Gladney's wait list on September 8.

May 2010 - We received our referral for two boys--brothers--on May 24. The older is 19 months old. The younger is 1 month old.

July 2010 - We passed phase one of the court process on July 19th.

August 2010 - We traveled to Addis Ababa to meet the boys, go to court, legally become their parents, sight see a bit, and return home for three weeks. We returned to Ethiopia on August 30th, when they were placed forever in our arms! We are a family of four!

October 2010 - We received the boys' Certificates of Citizenship in the Mail from CIS!

November 2010 - We completed the Recognition of Foreign Adoption Decree process here in Texas, and received the boys' original birth certificates issued by the state of Texas!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas as a Family of Four!

8 comments:

Brian and Tracy

Blog Archive

Contributors

Our Adoption Timeline