Introducing....

Introducing...

Summer Rose Sophia



Adoption day was last week and we can now officially share pictures of our beautiful new daughter with all of you.  Even though I don't share a ton of pictures on this blog, at least not a ton of identifying ones particularly of foster children, I have been really excited to have the opportunity to write this post with said picture above.

Speaking of the picture - this was taken with my camera phone after we left court and went to Cracker Barrel for a late breakfast.  We celebrated in style, 12 of us, including a scoop of Blue Bell ice cream for the guest of honor and her new forever brother.

See the sugar packet?  Her new forever cousin and aunt taught her to eat sugar from the packet.  That's just nasty, I agree, but really it is such a special day why not?  Eating ice cream at 10:30am and 2 sugar packets one of which appears to be an artificial sweetener seems the perfect way to celebrate adoption day, no? (and, to be honest, she used most of that sugar to give me a sugar scrub down at the table.  My left arm is exofliated I'm sure!).

Court itself was a wonderful ceremonial experience, but it really didn't last long.  We arrived on time about 8am, went over a few things with our attorney, took lots of "before" pictures, and then waited with a slew of kiddos in the hallway until it was our turn to be called to the bench.

See the slew of kiddos?  The three oldest are my niece and nephews.  Then Logan and Summer.

Waiting and pictures were hard work for the princess-of-honor, but we did get a few decent shots.

This one wasn't too bad, but it seems daddy was getting done holding the squirming child.

The girls were happy to take pictures to capture this day (including my mom, sister, niece, and princess.).

By the time it was the boys' turn they were a bit reluctant, but at least they're all somewhat smiling.

When we entered the courtroom, the judge noticed all the family in attendance and told them to come on up.  She frequently mentioned how this was definitely a family thing today.  See Summer raising her right hand - she was ready to testify.

The judge also said to the photographer, my sister, that she could go wherever she wanted to take pictures.  I was surprised how many shots we have.

Then after we testified we were able to take the picture with the judge. This wasn't her judge through the whole case, which was somewhat unusual - I know he was scheduled to do the hearing so I'm not sure what happened.  In any case this judge was nice and in the end the adoption was final with the records sealed!  Thank you Judge!

When it was over, we all waited in the hallway a little bit longer to receive the final documents.  Here we are, the happy adoptive family! 

Thanks to my good friend Melissa for bringing her two young boys to celebrate our big day and for taking a lot of the pictures!  There were lots of cute pictures of her boy(s) hugging on my Summer, but I apparently don't have any of them on my camera.

All in all it was a great day.  Summer did manage to vomit on her outfit on the way to court, which was quite unpleasant especially because I thought we were done with vomiting when our last placement went home, but I think years from now it will be a "funny story" type thing that we hardly remember, kind of like the rain on our wedding day (that followed us across the country to and through our honeymoon).  After the celebration breakfast we went home, took a family nap, then went to build-a-bear to get Summer's official "welcome home" bear, just like Logan has from the day he came home from the hospital.  Of course, he got one too because he doesn't remember making the one he has - he was 2 days old.  We ended the night with a nice dinner at Red Robin, at which she threw a tantrum and a dinner plate which broke in a million pieces with a crash on the floor.  It was a great day and now Miss Summer is no longer just "#4". 

Welcome home officially, Little Miss.