Happy Birthday to... me!

Okay-- so it isn't the post on citizenship that I had promised, but I just had to share my birthday surprises with everyone! Bill and my Mother In Law went in together and purchased a NEW CAMERA for yours truly! Get this... it is waterproof up to 10 feet and "SHOCK PROOF" up to 5 feet meaning I can drop it!!! Here is a picture I took of the boys in the pool. I know Joseph looks a little bit dazed. I promise that he had fun that day!!

THEN... my mother and grandmother purchased the shoes I have been salivating over since I first saw them! I have very high arches and these shoes feel WONDERFUL on my feet. AND I think they are so cute with the sparkles on them. They make me feel like a little girl! The shoes are supposed to shape up your tooshee and legs. I'm not calling Sports Illustrated just yet.


They also gave me a big bag of clothes. I AM NOT A SHOPPER, but these ladies purchase almost all of my clothing making them my very own personal shoppers. I always love what they pick out and the best part is that I don't have to shop for it.They are a huge blessing to this busy mom.

My family and hubbie went out of their way to make this Birthday so very special. I love them all so much!



On the adoption front, we have officially retained an attorney to help us with the finalization. You know, I didn't give all of this much thought on the front end. It was ALL about getting Joseph home. Now, I wish we had taken the time to educate ourselves on how to go about the business of legalizing stateside. Each state is different, but we feel an urgency to make this bond official.

This stage of the adoption reminds me of our (Christian's) spiritual adoption as joint heirs with Christ. The Bible reminds us of our TRUE identity and that our old selves are buried IN CHRIST. We are ready for Joseph's true identity to be declared and want him to have all legal rights as a son because we love him. Just as we can do nothing to "earn" our salvation, he doesn't have to to anything-- it is all being done for him. So many beautiful parallels of God's grace in adoption. That is one of the millions of reasons we think adoption is a remarkable thing.