Finalized!

Wow, what a whirlwind of a weekend!  Going backwards...we officially adopted the kids Monday, May 14!  We were blessed to have another mom from the kids' preschool provide attorney services for what the state would reimburse us.  She is also Alex's soccer coach!  The kids were fairly at ease during the process & Alex clearly looks ready to take over as judge if anyone will let him.

On Sunday, the kids were dedicated at church.  We are so thankful for our church family who has walked through this process with us, babysitting & offering words of encouragement.  We're so thankful that they have hearts that are open to love & have a desire to pray.  We're thankful for those who went before us to show God's love to them, and we're excited to see what God has planned for them.  They are teaching us a lot, challenging us to deepen our faith, and encouraging us to have simple faith at the same time.  After the dedication, Dave was holding Ali  & she put her arm around me too, resting her head on both of us.  I think she is finally starting to feel at peace.

On Saturday, we had an open house party.  Alex was literally standing out on the front porch yelling to anyone who would listen, "Hi neighbors!  Come to our 'doption party!"  We had a great celebration & received a lot of very thoughtful gifts.  We gave the kids necklaces engraved with their new names (Alexander Gabriel Kornmann and Alisynn Ann Kornmann) and the words "we love you."  They were going around asking everyone at the party to read them. At the end of the day, Alex wanted me to read his & then he said, "that's how I feel right now" and made a heart shape with his hands.

It's our hope and prayer that the kids continue to feel more secure in our family and in knowing that God is always with them.  He has certainly answered our prayers throughout this adoption journey!