July will be upon us and we will...

April is almost over and we had no problems getting through the month with no surprising news and we are so thankful! Thank you for your prayers and love for us as we waited for April 15 to pass. 

What is next? We expect to hear from our adoption agency soon that they are applying for a date in July to go to Boston Courts to finalize our adoption. To legally make Jaylen become Payton... to legally make Payton our daughter... to legally become one family... but honestly

We are all those things already! Payton knows her name, she will respond to it, she loves to be called Payton and she fits her name perfectly! I think of the Bible verse in John 10 that talks about the Good shepherd knowing His sheep by name and I know that God knew that Payton would be Payton and must rejoice when she responds with a smile to her name!

Payton is our daughter. As odd as it may sound she looks like us! Strangers who don't know we are adopting always say how much she looks like us. But it is more than that, there is a connection between Payton, Todd and myself that is so deep and so real. I have heard people say that they would die for their kids and I can say without a doubt that I would do ANYTHING  for Payton. She is my daughter! The adoption quote, "Not flesh of my flesh, Nor bone of my bone, But still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, You didn't grow under my heart - but in it." Is 100% truth for us! She has grown a spot in my heart that no one else can ever touch. Payton is my baby and I love her more than I will ever be able to express!

No matter what date it is or what we are waiting for in the next step to our adoption, we are a family. I can't imagine waiting until July to think we are a family. We do everything as a family now because we are a family. The three of us have our family routine down, we know what works for us and what doesn't work for us. We know how to care for each other and how to have fun together. Some of my favorite moments are the little ones when we are sitting in the bed together and Payton is just talking to us (baby jabber) and we make her laugh by tickling her or kissing her or we sing her favorite songs with her toys. I love those moments as a family. There is pure joy in the small moments as a family!

The date in July will mean the world to us because legally our society will know what we already know... that God has brought us a miracle and we can celebrate who God is and what He has done for our family!!!

The day is quickly approaching!

Tonight we were sitting around talking and Payton was playing in her exersaucer (she loves that toy) and I looked at her and she started talking and I said "where is dada?" and she just repeated the sound, dada dada dada. It is no surprise that at the time of waiting for one unknown father that Payton would have such a love for her daddy that she would said Dada. Of course Todd went over picked her up gave her a huge kiss and she just smiled ear to ear. (We fully understand that she is just repeating a sound but man what a sound!!!)

We knew that when we had Payton placed with us that it was an at risk adoption placement because we don't know who the biological father is but we had to legal have the opportunity for the biological father to
come forward. We placed a legal ad in the newspaper and the court posted all the information and the day is quickly approaching when the father no longer can come forward... April 15 to be exact.

We continue to put our trust not in the adoption system or people but in God and because of that we have fully loved our daughter because God has brought her to us. We will continue to pray for the next 5 days for a smooth uneventful passing of April 15.

Our agency has been getting together our case to present to the local court so that we will no longer be "foster parents" but FINALLY "preadoptive parents!" It may not sound like a big deal but it is HUGE and we are so ready for the calendar to be April 16.

We ask that you continue to pray for us during this upcoming week, the excitement and anticipation is high and we know that this is just one HUGE step leading to our final adoption in July! Thank you for all your love, support and mostly prayers!!