So many changes...

Here is our life at the present time:

Ryker is officially ours.  We finalized our adoption on February 21, 2012.  We had him sealed to us in the Salt Lake Temple on February 25.  It was a crazy week!  We are so blessed to have him in our lives forever!  One thing that the sealer said really has stuck in my mind...

 "The sealing power is stronger than DNA."

It is so true.  There is nothing else on this earth that can tie families together for time and all eternity

Thank you to all of you that helped make our special days so awesome!

We are loving being this little man's mom and dad!

In other news, Baby Boy is still with us, for the time being.  We have been told for weeks to be preparing for him to leave.  We never knew if it might finally be the week that he leaves us.  Well, we were told yesterday, that THIS is the week.  He will be going to live with his mom on Saturday.  I have so many mixed emotions.  I'm so sad to be loosing him, but I am so happy for his mom that she will, if she continues to do well, have the opportunity to raise this sweet little boy.  I am grateful that Ryker had the time with his little brother.  It has been an awesome experience to have this little one in our home.  I have learned so much from him.  There won't be a day that goes by that I don't think of him and hope that he is doing well.  I read a quote a couple weeks ago that I feel is applicable:

"Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened." 

Now on to the next adventure!

Finally

Well, our big day is almost here.  We will be finalizing our adoption of Little Man on Tuesday, February 21!  We are so excited.  It has been a long journey.  Little Man is so excited.  We will be taking him to the temple to be sealed to us on Saturday, February 25.  He has told us that he will not call us mom and dad until we are "married" in the temple.  We have decided to give him a new first name and have his current first name be his middle name.  He says that he will go by his new first name after the temple, but we'll see.  It's his choice.  I can't believe how much I love this little boy.  I am so happy to have him in my life.  He brings so much happiness and joy to our home.  He is a major mama's boy and I love it!

"For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him."

1 Samuel 1:27

In other news, Baby Boy is still with us.  We are still unsure of how long he will be with us.  He is the easiest baby.  He is so content and happy the majority of the time.  It is so much fun to have him in our home.  We want nothing more than to keep him, but only time will tell what will happen.  We are just going to love him while we have him.

As a side note, we have chosen to discontinue persuing adoption through LDS Family Services.  We have been with them for 3 years and the outcome has not been favorable.  They also charge a $300 home study fee once a year to maintain our file and we felt that we could be paying that fee until the end of time.  Our case worker was wonderful, but we just didn't think that we should continue to persue that option.  This doesn't mean that we are not interested in infant adoption, so please continue to refer us to potential birth mothers.

Thank you for all the prayers in our behalf!

Our life...updated!

So here's the update that I know you've been waiting for...


Little Man's birth mom decided to fight the judge's discussion.  So, we have to wait until January 17th for a hearing/trial.  In the end, the judge has the final say and it's not likely that he will be changing him mind anything soon.  We should be able to finalize our adoption end of January/first of February. 

We have had a crazy couple of weeks.  We have been trying to get ready for Christmas.  It is so different/exciting when there's a 5 year old around.  It really reminds you of the magic of Christmas.  So on top of getting ready for Christmas, we got a phone call on December 13 at 4:00 pm from Little Man's case worker.  We learned that his half brother was being removed and they were looking for a placement for him, and they try to keep siblings together, so we were the first call.  Of course we said yes and he was brought to our house at 6:30 that evening.  Talk about a whirlwind!  At this point, it is a temporary placement.  We would love to keep him, but it is not likely.  I'm sad for Little Man that he will not be able to be be raised with his biological siblings, but I am grateful that he has this time to spend with Baby Boy. 


It is so crazy having a little one around.  We are exhausted, but it is so awesome.  When I rock him to sleep in the middle of the night, I can't help but think about how happy I am.  It is crazy to think that this time last year, a family was a Christmas wish that seemed so out of reach.  But here we are today, with two little ones in our care.  Be it temporary or permanent, we are blessed by the sweet spirits that have come into our home. 

I can't help but think about one of my favorite quotes about adoption:
"I have slept with a baby on my chest.  I've kissed boo boos and mended broken hearts.  I have been puked on, peed on, and spent sleepless nights in the rocking chair.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I did not carry this child in my body, but when I look in the mirror, I see a MOM, and there is no greater honor or blessing!!"

I am finally mom...

Thank you all for your countless prayers and thoughts on our behalf.  We are so blessed to have such an amazing support network around us.  We have the best friends and family.  We love you all!

The big day

The big day is almost here.  We are so nervous and want to see everything come to an end and finally be able to finalize Little Man's adoption.  We have a gut feeling that his birth mom is going to try to appeal the judge's decision.  Also, Little Man's case worker has said some things that have lead us to believe that we are right.  Please pray for us this week.  But, more importantly, pray for Little Man and his birth mom.  We are hoping that her heart will be softened and that we will be able to move forward with our lives.

Our Little Man

So, here's the update...
    The judge has ruled that Little Man's birth mom will lose her rights and he will be able to be adopted.  We are so excited, but we still have to wait and see what happens next.  On November 10, we have court.  Birth mom can give up her rights or appeal the judges decision; if that were to happen, there would be a trial.  It would just drag things out longer and the outcome would most likely be the same.  Now were just waiting, as usual...I guess we should be really good at that by now. 

Please keep us in your prayers, especially on November 10.

I took some Fall pictures of Little Man.  I can't wait until the adoption is final so that we can finally share his face with the world.



I have never seen or read anything that described our journey so well. 

I hope that by watching this, you can briefly experience our trial...

Follow this link: Tears and Hope

Craziness

It has been a crazy couple of months.  Little man is still living with us and we are still in love.  It has been so interesting learning to parent a four year old.  I've never had a newborn, but it seems like there is a little margin for error, but with a four year old, you got to have your stuff together.  You have to be consistent...you can't be wishy-washy because he'll see right through it.  Four year olds like to test and push all of your button.  He wants to make sure that you are 100% positive that you're in this for the long haul.  No matter how naughty he gets, he wants to make sure that you're not going to send him back. 

We have gotten attached and I think that the feeling is mutual.  A few weeks ago, my sister was watching him while I was out of town.  She was telling her son to do some thing.  This is the conversion that followed.

Little man: "Why did you tell him to do that?" 
Marlee "Because I'm his mom." 
My brother-in-law:"Like how Travis and Megan are your mom and dad." 
Little man: "I like my dad." 
My sister: "What is your dad's name?"
Little man: "Travis, you know Travis, right?"

When she told me this story, I seriously thought I was going to cry right there in the middle of Winco.  I don't know what we'll do if we don't get to adopt him.  We'll cross that bridge when/if we get there.  It just amazes me that such a little guy can affect you so much.  I will never be the same. 

Please continue to pray for us that everything will work out.

Love you all!