Happy Gotcha Day, Brynn & Cale!!

"By choice we have become a family, first in our hearts, and finally in breath and being. Great expectations are good; great experiences are better."
Richard Fischer, adoptive parent

HOLY PETE, I cannot believe it has been two years already since the day we met these sweet babies and brought them home to be ours forever and always! Golly molly, what a day. We had no idea. We had no house. Not a whole lot of money. No clue what we were getting into, what medical issues these TWO babies were bringing with them... but we had FAITH. Of course we knew it sounded crazy on the outside. It wasn't supposed to make sense or be logical to the world. We just knew that we had to be obedient. God had a plan. A plan He put into action very quickly!

We had been emailed a picture of the twins a couple of days before meeting them so that we could give them new names, but they didn't look a whole lot like them. I got to meet the babies and their foster mom that morning for a doctor appointment, but Nathan had court and he met us after lunch back at Bethany to sign the papers where he met them for the first time. It was the craziest feeling to meet these babies, sign a few papers, take a few pictures and then everyone just walked out and left us. That was it... they were just going to let us take them home! We had just heard about the babies a few days before, just met them that day, and they were handing them over for us to take home?! But at the same time, I looked at them and had this overwhelming feeling that they were ours. Just as if I had just given birth to them. I can't explain it. I was SO proud of them, so protective, I LOVED them. I really, really loved them immediately. And just like at the hospital with Layla, our whole family was waiting anxiously to meet the newest members of our family. They did have to wait just a little longer while we stopped at the mall to buy new outfits because both babies puked all over the only outfits they had and I wasn't taking them home to meet their family for the first time covered in vomit!!

We wrapped them up in the blankets that Anne so sweetly (and quickly!) made especially for each of them. After pulling up, Uncle B brought big sister Layla around to meet her new brother and sister first then she ran around back to where everyone was waiting and screamed "its twiiiiinsss!!".

I still feel the joy and excitement and confusion! that I felt that day regularly when it comes to these two. We are so so so so thankful to have these amazing little people in our lives. They make each and every day better than it could be.

April 2, 2007
(Forgive my naked face, I had given up makeup for Lent that year...)

Our first picture together :)
Taken at the agency.



Waiting to meet the babies...


Here we come!


Introducing Cale Benjamin (named after Nathan's brother) and Brynn Christine (named after Nathan's grandmother)! We hadn't told the names until that moment!


Our first picture as a family of five!