Forever

Although finalization was fun, it has been the sealing that we have been looking forward to for so long. In our eyes, Dallin has always been ours and now the courts agree. The important event was to make him ours forever. Dallin was sealed to Zane and I on Saturday, August 23rd at 4:00 p.m. The day was everything I had been looking forward to. Zane and I arrived at the temple right at 3:00. My mom was already there dressed in white to take care of Dallin for us in the nursery while Zane and I filled out paper work. My mom dressed him in his white romper that we made Dallin (it had a vest and bowtie). He wore this for the sealing and his blessing.

While they were in the nursery, Zane and I were in the Celestial room waiting. Finally they brought us into the sealing room. When I saw everyone there, I started crying. We had so many people fly in from Utah to support us. My crying started to get a little out of control (noisy in such a quiet room) so luckily my brother came over and made me laugh. Jared is always great for a laugh. Finally my mom walked in carrying Dallin. Dallin looked so precious in his little outfit. He was as happy as could be looking around the room. He especially thought the chandelier was cool. Patriarch Sutton was our sealer. He also sealed Zane and I when we were married. Zane and I kneeled across the alter and my mom held Dallin by us and put his hand on top of ours. Normally babies cry at this point, but not Dallin. He was an angel. Dallin was then sealed to us for all eternity.

All of our family joined us at my mom's house after taking pictures in the hot Houston heat where we had Olive Garden cater food. My friend Sylvia asked me which I would prefer, a delivery room or a sealing room. I would have to say a sealing room. The experience was a culmination of all our hopes and dreams for the 6 and a half years that we have been married. No wonder there was so many tears. The sealing represented what is so precious to us, family forever.

Family and friends at the temple

Close up

Grandma and Grandpa with us

Family picture outside of the temple

Finalization!

Dallin turned 6 months old on the 19th and that meant we could finalize our adoption. On Friday, the 22nd, we drove down to the Fort Bend County courthouse, about an hour an a half to two hour drive. We brought along some special guests who had flown in from Utah, Carolee and her daughter Melissa (Zane lived with this family throughout high school) and Mary his mom. The court house looks like an old fashion court house you would see in oldie movies. This Friday was adoption day, so the mood in the courthouse was upbeat and positive with a lot of tears flowing. We were the third family to approach the bench. All of our guests stood behind us. Our lawyer asked us some easy questions about raising Dallin and then what name we wanted him to have (Dallin's name was actually Branson Lee until last Friday). I was crying throughout as Zane wrestled Dallin. Then the judge told us Dallin was our baby. He gave him a blue teddy bear and we turned around and had a picture with the judge. It was a very happy moment. After collecting our paper work, we headed back to the Woodlands for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. What a great day!

At the courthouse with Judge Robert Kern

Outside the courthouse

Our family with Carolee and Melissa

Our family with Mary

Zane's Sacrifice

As many people know, Zane spent many hours studying and taking the CPA test over the last few years. It was rough on him as he was busy with work, church, and dealing with an emotional wife doing infertility treatments (adding extra girl hormones never helps anyone's stress level.) It was hard to find time to study. At the end of last year, I joked with Zane that I would buy him the truck he really wants, a Toyota Tacoma when he passed the CPA test. Our friends Steve and Jenny just bought one and seeing theirs made Zane want one even more. Well, Zane found out he passed the CPA the same week Dallin joined us and I quit my job. Zane, being the accountant and smart guy that he is, could see his dream truck being postponed for a long time with our new addition and less income. We both knew we needed a new car and the nicer, safer car needed to be a family car. He started trying to convince me that the Tacoma could work as the family car. He enlisted Jenny and Steve's help in convincing me, but after a lot of debate, we both agreed it wasn't as practical. This last weekend, we said goodbye to one of our Corollas and bought a 2006 Toyota Highlander. We didn't actually plan on buying a car on Saturday, but we both loved it when we went to look at it, so it came home with us. Dallin loves it because he has more room and can get in and out easier (ok, I love it for these reasons.) So now, no one can make fun of us anymore for owning two Corollas. We have now branched out a bit. Thank you Zane for sacrificing a little longer and letting me drive the newer car! Dallin and I love you!

The Nobility of Motherhood

We had a lesson in church yesterday about the nobility of motherhood. When the teacher asked the class what we thought this phrase meant, I immediately thought of Dallin's birth mom. Dallin will grow up knowing that he has two moms. One mom carried him for nine months doing the best that she could to keep him healthy. She gave birth to him and then spent two days staring at him in the hospital loving him. I remember when Zane and I went to visit her in the hospital. I walked in and looked around the room for Dallin. She pulled back the sheet and there was Dallin cuddling with her in bed. Zane and I will never forget the meeting where she handed Dallin over to us. As she signed away her rights, she asked our caseworker if all birth moms love their baby this much. You can imagine the many tears flowing that day. So of course I thought of his birth mom yesterday during our class. She is a very noble woman who loved her son so much she wanted to give him more then she could offer. How special for Dallin knowing that the first major decision made in his life was all about love and sacrifice and all for him. How could I not think of her as I held Dallin in my lap during this lesson? It is because of her that I am a mother. Because of her, I get to experience every day with this little boy watching him grow, smile, and see the world. I get to experience the throw up and diaper changes. I get to experience it all with him. I'm grateful for all the noble birth moms out there who give couples like Zane and me a chance to experience the joy of being a parent.