Little Sister

Everyone needs a turn holding their little sister.  Parker even got brave enough after awhile.  Paige has her the most though.  As soon as she walks throught the door from school she picks up Hope, if she is awake or not.  Paige has already taken her on a few stroller rides around the neighborhood with her friend Brinn.  She also changes her clothes and her diapers- NICE.

This is a picture of the Tinker bell quilt that Grandma R. made.  She had it on the quilt frames the day she had all of her granddaughters over.  So the girls that were big enough helped tie it.  Grandma crocheted around the blanket and burp clothes... so darling.

Hope, 1 day old.Hope, 2 1/2 weeks old.

Hope's birth mother has a teddy bear just like this one, so she can see how big she is getting.Hope's with her best friend Ellie.  Okay, Hope doesn't know it yet, but we have decided that they need to be best friends.  They live next door to each other, close to the same age, and both are adopted.

HOME Sweet home

We are home!!!  We made it home about 1 A.M. Wednesday morning.  Loren flew into Florida to help me get home with baby and luggage( He's so sweet).  He took a red eye and arrived about 9:00 a.m.  took a 3 1/2 hour nap and then we headed back to the airport. Loren agreed that I probably wouldn't have made it back if he wasn't there to help out. We were both exhausted Wednesday morning.  I was awake to see Braden and Paige off to school but fell asleep and woke up at 9: 35.   Zach and Ethan are supposed to be to school by 9:15.  I ran to Zach's room to get him up-he wasn't there.  He and Ethan got up and out the door to school on their own without waking Loren or myself up.  What awesome kids.  I am so grateful to be home with the rest of my family.  Two weeks away is toooo long.
We had a few visitors.  Grandpa and grandma R came with lots of gifts to spoil their new grandchild.  Grandma made receiving blankets, burp clothes and a darling Tinker bell quilt.
Susan and John (birthparents) sent us some avacodo's from their yard and the sweetest letter.  They made it here before we got here . Now to find things to do with avacodo's.
Hope needs me, so I will post pictures later.

THE MAGIC PHONE CALL...

I got the magic phone call today.  Of course it came when I was out shopping for diapers.  When I got back there where 3 messages waiting for me all of them from the adoption agency.  I can't believe that I can actually go home.  Loren is making arrangments as I'm typing this.  Yes kids, I'm on my way.
Parker told me on the phone last night that I better be home in a few days or he would freak out.

Sunday, sweet day of rest

Hope slept a lot better last night and has taken a few good naps today.  Which means I actually got some sleep too.
  Loren and I looked up church buildings before we came, thinking that we might make it to church.  However, with Hope's early arrival we decided it best to keep her way from all of the people and the germs.  But some sweet member here put a book of mormon in the night stand drawer. So I've been able to read some today.   We have been so blessed to be able to bring sweet little Hope into our lives.  And even though it seems like it's taking forever to get home, I wouldn't change it for the world. Hope's birth mother has lived a very colorful and hard life.  It has opened my eyes to just how blessed I am to have grown up with the gospel in my life.  And to have friends and family that love me.  I hope that our family can bring these blessings into little Hope's life as well.