family

Have I mentioned how supportive and wonderful our family has been through our decision to adopt?

It's a fun thing to have had your parents walk the road of adoption 

and COMPLETELY understand this process...  

Like I've mentioned before, I knew I would one day adopt after spending ten minutes in the Albanian orphanage but I never expected my parents to adopt.  What a cool thing to watch my parents adopt when I was 19 years old - I had the opportunity to walk that journey with them and even travel with my Mom to help bring my brother home.  

We are BEYOND blessed that they now live 10 minutes from us and we get to see them all the time.  

They spoil our kids rotten!  

- Addison's favorite day is when Mimi picks her up from preschool...  they go to lunch (which usually involves a milkshake), go shopping and then play all day.  

- Xavier loves hanging with his Pop Pop and trying to steal the tv remote.   

- Pop Pop flies Addison to the car everytime we leave their house (not sure how he'll make 3 trips of flying once the boys are old enough to want this too...) and feeds her ice cream (with chocolate sauce and whipped cream) pretty much every night she's there for snack time.  

- Mimi loves on her boy and tells him "no" in the nicest of ways when he's into things he shouldn't be touching (which is pretty much all the time right now).

- Pretty sure my kids don't come home from their house without something new.  (I guess that's what grandparents are for... but if they get one more Christmas ornament this season, we're going to have to buy another Christmas tree.)

- Addison can't wait for us to go to Africa because that means 1-2 weeks at Mimi and Pop Pop's house.

- We love the fact they bought a house with a big inground pool - we kinda move in during the summer months.

- Addison has made the best memories while picking apples with Pop Pop and baking cookies with Mimi. 

Coffee cup we bought Dad for Christmas last year.

Addison enjoys helping Mimi decorate for Christmas.

What's Thanksgiving without a little pumpkin pie whipped cream sprayed right into the mouth?

This boy loves his Pop Pop!

Uncle...  now he's the coolest uncle a person could possibly have!  Addison thinks it's fantastic to have a 12 (almost 13 year old) uncle.  He jumps on the trampoline with her, lets her hang out with his friends, plays games, builds forts, shares snacks and candy, plays Rapunzel wii games with her, and the list could go on and on...  His reaction when we announced we were going to officially adopt... "Cool! But how an I going to entertain 3 of them???"  

True Steelers fans together

They understand this waiting game.  They understand how adoption stretches you. They understand how adoption can draw you closer in your relationship with God.

We are blessed to have them encouraging us, helping us, praying for us and loving us through this journey.  There is a little boy half way across the world that is very loved already...