adoption day!

As of today, the kids have been official Browns for 11 days!

We went to court early on Friday morning to meet with our attorney (thank you, Kara!) and get the kids settled in for a long wait. There were a lot of things that we weren't sure about - whether we'd be able to do the adoption that day (we had to see the judge about other paperwork first), whether we'd be out by lunchtime, whether the kids would be able to sit still... but all of that vanished when the judge came out. I'd seen him once before during a pre-trial conference and saw that he could be a pretty tough cookie. But not on adoption day! It was obvious that he loves adoption day and is genuinely thrilled for the families who appear that day. The kids sat with us in the court room as we watched other families complete their adoptions. It made me really glad that we have them sit with us in "big church" - they were so good the entire 2 hours that we were there! It also made me really glad to have my mom there (hi, Mom!) - she helped us keep the kids occupied with snacks and books for those few minutes when they needed a break from the court room and snapped a few pictures for us while we spoke with the judge.

Our turn finally came, and after a nod from the judge, we got to proceed with the adoption hearings for both kids. A few testimony points, a smile, and a "so be it!" - and Ibra and Suma were officially and legally ours, for better or for worse, richer and poorer, in sickness and in health for as long as we all shall live. The judge gave both of them a stuffed animal and smiled for a group picture.

All the way home, the kids kept telling each other,
"My new name is...."
"Yeah? Well myyy new name is..."
"Well, mine is..."

They were so excited. And of course, no celebration in our family is really complete unless it involves a visit to the world's greatest restaurant: Chick-fil-A. And no great evening is really great unless we also get to put up a tent in the living room and watch a movie (Pinocchio) until we all fall asleep.

Happy adoption day, kids! We love you and are so thankful that God has made us family!