We had the chance a couple weeks to go out to Utah to finalize the adoption of Amari and Joseph. We've been waiting for my brother to get back from his mission to the Philippines so he could be a part of this special event. It is a big expensive deal for us to travel these days, so we packed two family reunions, our court appearance, and our temple sealing all into the week we spent in Utah. All our family traveled from various parts of the country to be a part of this which meant a lot to us.
On Wednesday we had our court appearance to finalize the legal part of the adoption. We appeared before Judge Lindsey, the judge who's been in charge of the children's case from the beginning. There was an anxious moment when neither the judge nor our lawyer had some critical papers, but luckily I had brought copies of EVERYTHING (this is the government we're talking about after all) and I was able to produce the papers that were needed. Judge Lindsey gave the kids stuffed animals to "adopt" and had them choose new names for their new friends. All the kids got to use her giant gavel to make the adoption official- it was neat. Judge Lindsey made a point of talking to me after when we were taking pictures to tell me what an amazing mom I had. My mom, the kid's grandma, has been an advocate for the kids from the beginning. Judge Lindsey shared what a great deal of respect she had for her and the work she has done to make sure the children were being cared for appropriately. We are so grateful to her and dad for taking care of the children when my brother and his wife were in a place in their life when they could not give the kids what they needed.
After the court hearing we celebrated with ice cream and got ready for our Hardin family reunion. We had rented a huge house in Salem with an indoor pool- it was so much fun! We spent a couple days eating, playing games, swimming, and chatting. I put on a fun Water Olympics- my favorite contest was the synchronized swimming- and Dave and I won the Dating Game! I love my family- we are a loyal, fun, inclusive, loving, crazy, and good looking bunch. We're humble, too. :)
On Saturday we went to the temple to have Amari and Joseph sealed to our family. If you're not familiar with that, it's an ordinance as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that we participate in at the temple. Our family is sealed, or connected together, for time and eternity (See
Matthew 16:19).
It was a beautiful and special occasion. Many members from both sides of the family were able to attend with us- it was a special thing to be there as a family surrounded by family and friends. I imagine that is what Heaven is like- being surrounded by people you love. My parents threw a dinner for everyone afterwards- I think they counted 40-50 people! That's one of the cool things about being from a big family- there are no small parties!
The next few days we got to spend with Dave's family. We met our new niece Zoe who is just adorable,and got a surprise announcement from Dave's youngest brother that they're expecting their first this fall. Dave's side is expanding rapidly! We are very happy that our kids will have cousins on both sides now. We had a great time with Dave's family. On Monday the kids got to go to an awesome bounce house and play with their aunts and uncles, then we went to Steve and Jessica's house for a BBQ. The dinner was great and it was fun to see Steve and Jessica's new house. I was a little jealous of their beautiful mountain views- I miss the mountains! We had some fun evenings just chatting together- you get those Zincke's together and it's pure comedy. They can take the most random topics and just have everyone rolling on the floor.
We want to say thank you to everyone who traveled, took time off work, gave up bedrooms, and made time to be a part of our lives that week- we feel and felt so loved and supported by you. I truly believe that family is forever, and there is no group of people I would rather spend my forever with. Love you all!
