November is National Adoption Month!

In honor of the loving parents who have adopted children both domestically and internationally . . .
In recognition of the courageous young women who choose to make an adoption plan for their baby's life . . .
In celebration of the precious children all over the country who are loved by their Forever Family . . .

Happy National Adoption Month!

To my dearest little angel Madilyn,

Please know that you are so loved by the ones you call Mommy and Daddy. I may not have given you the gift of life but Daddy and I have given you our hearts forever!! You're birth mother is a courageous woman to have trusted your life, heart and soul to us. You are the gift to our lives. You brighten our lives by just being present with us. Your laughter is contagious and filled with joy. Everyday you amaze us! We promise to you that you will always know you are special. Adoption has given you a life and has given you to us!!

We love you forever and always!
Mommy and Daddy

Gladney 2010 Kickoff

We had our Gladney 2010 Kickoff a couple of weeks ago and it was a complete success. Madilyn had such a wonderful time, and she was completely herself around a large group of strangers. It was almost as if Madie knew she was in the company of many other adoption families. Scot and I had a wonderful time as well being in the company of so many adoptive families and knowing that we all have similar experiences. She was a chatterbox and gave everyone kisses and hugs who asked. There were ponies, a petting zoo, bounce houses, face painting, photographers, and food. Photographers were walking around taking pictures and then they even had an area inside for families to take pictures together and the kids could dress up. As you can see from these pictures...Madilyn is going to be a little ham.





Madilyn will be 17 months tomorrow and she is already becoming a polite, little girl. She won't be my baby much longer. I can't believe how quickly she has progressed and grown. I enjoy every little moment I have with her. She loves to identify body parts, animals and sounds, and fruits and vegetables. Of I'm most excited because my little angel loves to eat broccoli and spinach.

Body parts that she can I.D. and say - head, hair, eye, ear, cheeks, mouth, nose, teeth, tongue, elbow (which is the cutest), knee, and toes.
Animals and sounds - monkey (her fave), cow, horse, sheep, cat, dog, chicken, pig, duck, bear, elephant, and snake. We're also working on counting and she can count to three and I believe Scot has started working on the alphabet as well.
Fruits and Vegetables - broccoli, carrot, green pepper, red pepper, apple, peach, plum, banana, grapes, lettuce, tomato, and onion to name a few.

Update on Scot...he is will be starting as a Junior at UTA in the Spring to finish his BS in teaching. Once he's finished he will be an Elementary Teacher. He's very excited. I'm excited that we have a plan and we're sticking to it. I can' wait till he has a permanent job and there won't be anymore wondering, "What's next?"

Love to All!!

Becca

Our Little Monkey is Walking

Our little monkey Madilyn is officially walking on her own. On June 27th we took her swimming for the first time, and she absolutely loved it. When we returned home after swimming she started walking all over the house. It was great!!! She's talking up a storm and she's so curious about everything. She is just a joy and blessing to have in our lives. I can't imagine life without her now.



Everyday is a new day with her and it's so fun to see life from her point of view. We love the way she mocks everything we say and even sometimes the intonation. I love the way she laughs when we play peek-a-boo. Of course we say "ahhhhhhhhh-boo". Madie thinks it's so fun to play in the fridge. She enjoys sitting on the bottom ledge as I search for certain items for dinner. We even love how independent she's become when eating. We are in no way allowed to feed her or help her out when she picks up her cup or places it on the table! When you ask her "What's your name?", she'll say "Maaaaa-die." She's doing so many awesome things now that it would take forever to write them all down.

All of these moments Scot and I are enjoying, but sometimes I catch myself thinking of her birth mother and I wonder if she realizes how wonderful a child Madiyn is becoming. It does give me comfort that I have the ability to write her letters and send pictures so she knows that Madie is doing so wonderfully. I do hope that one day her birth mother and I can have a relationship where she can tell me more about Madie's background and her birth father. I'm hoping she will decide to contact me and reach out to me. I know the day will come when Madilyn has so many questions, and I can only hope I have some answers. I write, I send pictures, and I've even called but I can only do so much. So I continue to pray and be hopeful that one day her birth mother will feel she can call and we can share moments about Madie. Until then I will continue to live every moment to the fullest with my wonderful little monkey Madilyn who fills my heart with love and joy!!