Finally, It's Final

We've loved him since he came home with us on Leap Day, February 28, 2008, and with every passing day, throughout the many weeks, and over the months, our love for him has continued to grow and grow and grow. Today marks a historic moment for our family, as Jalen Andrew Jerome Brewer's adoption to us became final. The whole process in the courtroom only takes a few minutes, but then that's how long it took for us to start loving Jalen Andrew as a member of our family. The final adoption hearing took place at Durango Superior Court. It was neat for the kids to see the legal process in action; they don't really remember having been to court before. Joseph has recently been learning about the different branches of government at school, so this was especially poignant for him. Jalen Andrew, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on, and was happy to be playing with a balloon the whole time. Because it is National Adoption Day, Maricopa County held a special Adoption Fair today, where many families finalized their adoptions. It was pretty neat. We got a free caricature done of our family (we all agree that it doesn't look anything like us - and it makes the boys look really old - but the kids think that it is fun to be a cartoon character now). They also took a family photo for free (we'll get that in the mail), gave us a free photo frame engraved with today's date, gave Jalen Andrew a sweet teddy bear, and each of the kids got a stuffed animal named Prickly Bear (it resembles an Arizona Prickly Pear Cactus). They had balloons and junk food (a highlight for the kids), crafts, clowns, a puppeteer, and the Phoenix Suns Gorilla and the Arizona Cardinal mascot. It was quite the affair, and after struggling with James inside the court building (he was refusing to listen and kept wandering off and hiding under the stairs), it was nice to go outside and just relax together. It was a beautiful day too. Not hot. Not cold. Just pleasant and breezy. But all in all, the best part was the finalization. 15 years ago we couldn't imagine that Heavenly Father would bless us through the coming years like he has. Erik and I hoped that we would be able to have the chance to be parents, but didn't know if that would be a reality for us. And then once we had Christine and Rebekah, because of the way adoptions were back then, we weren't sure if we would be able to have any more kids (it used to be that LDS Social Services had a limit of 2 adopted kids per family, unless it was a special needs situation). Now look at us! Five beautiful (and handsome) children! Yes, I've complained before (and I'll more than likely complain again - for parenthood has not been easy), but in reality I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity and the privilege of raising these children. I love them all so much! Much thanks goes out to all those who have made adoption possible for us - our social workers: Larry Draughon, Derrell Higgins, Dave Dastrup, for our parents and friends who support us before, during, and after the adoption process, and especially for the birth mothers and birth grandparents who have chosen us and invested much faith in us and in Heavenly Father's hands. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.