Well, at least the last 8 months or so in review ;)
When I last posted for reals we were waiting on the appeal to be read. We thought that would happen in early May but it didn't. His birth mom appealed and the state appeals court was behind so we had to wait some more. Memorial Weekend we did our annual camping trip and I actually took 2 vacation days to be able to relax and enjoy it! I was also able to attend O's end of year field trip. It was a fun but chilly day enjoying our local children's museum and our beautiful waterfront.
All of May we were anxiously awaiting the review of the appeal but it seemed like it would never happen. And then...it did! They ruled on the appeal the very end of May and his mom had 2 weeks, until June 12th, to file a second appeal. We went ahead and scheduled adoption finalization for June 13. All day on the 12th I jumped when the phone rang. I thought for sure she'd file but she didn't!
We were at the courthouse bright and early on the 13th and it was a wonderful adoption! We were given the big courtroom because we had so many friends and family in attendance. With my hubby working in law enforcement he had a bunch of county and city officers as well as people from the courthouse in attendance. The sheriff and undersheriff were there too! We had family from both sides and both of his grandmas cried. The judge was shocked by the number of people there and he had everyone introduce themselves and say how they were connected to us. It was wonderful! He honestly and truly became our son that day. He was happy and charming and he knew the day was all about him. Such a special memory! One of the officers E works with is also a photographer so he photographed the whole event. We also have a friend who has a local online paper and he wrote an article about us too. Best adoption ever!
So on to July, we did our annual trip up north camping for 10 days and it was awesome as usual! Also, we put our house up for sale. Yeah, we did! My parents decided they wanted to downsize so we started the process to buy theirs. After vacation I started packing and loading the boxes into the camper. So much for camping the rest of the summer!
In August we got O registered for school; first grade, OMG! We started to really pack up the house and moved a few things into my parents, soon to be our, house. We had a couple yard sales and hauled a ton of crap to donate. We managed to fit a few trips to the beach in and then boom! it was September and time to move!
We didn't have any offers on the house but we did have friends that needed to move so they moved in as renters. We are giving them the option to buy and I hope it works out for all of us.
September was a rough month. Right after the start of school and moving we had a good friend killed in the line of duty. It was a regular traffic stop and the driver pulled a gun and shot him point blank. It was so awful for our law enforcement family. Trying to explain it all to O was so very hard. Especially since he wants to be a police officer when he grows up.
October saw us settled into the new house and a routine that was working well. We had a fun camping trip on our 17th anniversary weekend with some of E's fellow CO's and their families. It was such a terrific weekend! We shared some tears for our fallen buddy and a lot of laughs with our kids. Then, two weeks after, something unthinkable happened to one of the families. Our friend lost her 9 year old son in an auto accident. All 3 of her kids were in the car with her oldest driving and she lost control on black ice. Her youngest and only son died instantly. Her daughters were injured but they are healing well. Such a terrible tragedy and we are all still reeling from it.
November and December were all about school events and holiday planning. I was also really busy at work so time flew. We hosted Christmas for both sides of our families this year since our new place has been deemed "the party house". My brother-in-law and his family stayed for 2 nights right before Christmas and it was so much fun! Our kiddos played so well together and I hope it was a memorial Christmas for them all.
So, we're up to January! I'm approaching a 'big' birthday the end of this month and I'm quite excited about it. I actually took the day off to spend it with my mom. We're heading to a bigger city for shopping and lunch. What better way to celebrate turning 40 when your big guy is working and your little guy will be in school?
So 2013 was a year of highs and lows, heartbreak and joy. I cannot wait to see what 2014 will bring! I am hoping for another set of little footsteps.....
