Six more reasons to give thanks

I can't contain my excitement! Three families are in Rwanda right now and have just met their children for the first time! As I read their blogs, so many memories of our recent trip to get Kieran are resurfacing. The tiny waiting room, the moment when he was placed in our arms, the crying, the soothing, the bonding with our child...and the exhaustion, there's nothing else like it. Congratulations to the Bowers, Smiths, and Spores! Soon to follow them are Kari's family, the Vincents, and the Furrs. I am spending a lot of time on the computer, when I get the chance, to read their blogs. Our prayers are with them, and our hearts are rejoicing as six more children are grafted into families forever. Awesome!

Citizen Kieran

Yesterday we went to court to get Kieran's re-adoption completed. Although he was legally adopted in Rwanda, we had to re-adopt him here in order to get his U.S. citizenship, birth certificate, passport, etc.., as well as to legally change his name. It was the last major paperwork hurdle to finish, although we still have a few more citizenship forms to finish. So now he is on his way to becoming an official U. S. citizen! He was very good in the courtroom, and we all had a great day!

Project update

Hello to our blog followers. We've had a few people ask how the fence project is going, so here are some updated photos for ya. The fence is mostly done. Mike just has some finish work on the cross pieces. I think it looks fabulous, and I'm so grateful to have a husband who can do home improvement projects like this!



Kieran looking cute in his airplane hoodie from his Aunt Jeanne. He loves airplanes so this is becoming his favorite jacket to wear when he's chilly. Good choice Aunt Jeanne!

Quick update

I just wanted to share a few milestones... We had our six month post placement visit last week. It's hard to believe six months have already gone by since we first met Kieran. He is thriving! We went to the doctor for his two year check up this week. Our doctor was impressed by the progress Kieran has made since she saw him in July. He's grown two inches and gained five pounds! He was barely walking last time she saw him. Now he's so mobile. It's awesome to look back and see how far we've come. Another big leap in development has been in his verbal skills. Kieran is able to count to ten and he recognizes all of the numbers 0-9. And, he's got the alphabet memorized. Today he shocked my socks off when he pointed to a capital L in a book, correctly identified it as an L, and then turned the book upside down and said, "seven!"

Family photos

This post is long overdue. In October we spent some special time with family. Kieran was a miniature celebrity and got his picture taken with lots of family members. These photos were taken by his Aunt Berta. Thanks, Berta, for letting us post them on our blog.
Cousin Rose
Uncle John & Aunt Trenna
Cousins Vanessa & Rebekah
Aunt Trish
Aunt Berta

Thank you to all of our family for your love and support of our adoption. We are so grateful that Kieran has been welcomed with open arms.