A Day at Chuck E. Cheese

The first day we spent with Gavin's birth family, we went to the YMCA and went swimming (sorry, no pictures). We had a great time and it gave all of us time to talk while the kids played. On Tuesday, we went to Chuck E. Cheese. This was the first time for our boys to play here and of course it was even more special because Tracy was with us.

This is where Zane and I squished ourselves in the tunnels/play area. Dallin was too fast to get caught in a picture, but he loved that Zane and I were up there with him. Gavin loved that he was able to join his big brother and cruised through the tunnels.

Playing Together

After Chuck E. Cheese, we spent more time at Tracy's house visiting everyone and then it was time to say good bye. We really enjoyed our visit and look forward to when we can visit again.

A Special Visit

When we picked up Gavin in Florida a year ago, (can you believe this boy is almost one!!!) we talked with his birth family about visiting them a year later. A couple of weeks ago, we made the trek out to Tennessee (Tracy moved out to Tennessee a few months ago where her mom and daughter live) for a vacation. We had a great time spending time with Gavin's birth family.

Tracy: G's birthmom
I loved the picture of Gavin looking at Tracy. I think he sensed something familiar about her.

Gavin's half sister Julia: He loved all the stuff animals she pulled out for him

Mimi (Joyce) and Gavin: his birth grandma

Dallin loved playing with Julia's dog Scooby

Saying good bye to Mimi, Tracy, and Julia
I loved how Gavn's birth family made Dallin feel special and part of the family too.

My only disappointment with the trip was Gavin's crankiness. I think between limited naps (and maybe spending two days driving in a car), teething, and unfamiliar environment, Gavin changed from a little angel who is happiest when he is on the move, to a mommy's and daddy's boy. I really wanted Tracy to be able to feed him, but Gavin decided he didn't want to drink his bottles (Gavin has always been a finicky eater.) Next time I'm sure he will be happier since he will be older. Beside Gavin's occasional crankiness, we had a wonderful time and I'm glad we were able to visit.

Pictures Are Here!

The whole group of people who joined in our special day plus the kids who stayed in the waiting room. (We are missing a few special friends who didn't want to be in the pictures...you know who you are.)

Just the family- My Grandma Skolmoski visited us from Utah and joined us.

This picture cracked me up. Typical Caleb and Dallin

All the grandchildren

Our cute forever family

Kids with Grandma and Grandpa

So sweet

We love these boys!

Thanks Kara for taking such great pictures!

Sweet Memories: Gavin's Sealing Day

We woke early on the 23rd making sure we all looked our best, clothes were ironed, bags packed and only leaving 10 minutes behind schedule. Some of my favorite memories of Gavin's special day happened on the ride to the temple.

I had to squeeze in the back between the two car seats in order to finish putting socks and shoes on the boys. I had Zane put on my favorite adoption music and I sat looking at my two beautiful boys. The day before I had talked to a friend who is going through some of the hardest parts of the adoption process...the waiting, the not knowing, the part where you feel out of control. For our adoption stories, there were three times when I felt totally out of control. The first was when Dallin's birthmom disappeared for a month. We met her and then she went home for Christmas and decided to stay through the month of January. Her cell phone stopped working while she was away and all of sudden I had no information or contact with her. In her defense, she was enjoying spending time with friends and didn't realize that there was a very emotional woman craving any kind of contact and reassurance from her. Dallin's birthmom came back to my city at the beginning of February ready to have Dallin and everything was fine again. January was the worst though for me. Then there was a failed adoption between Dallin and Gavin. Flying out to another city and coming home empty handed is something I never want to repeat again. The last is getting the news that we needed to rush to Florida to pick up a baby without any warning. These are the hard parts of adoption. The parts where everything seems out of control.

Sealing day though is the compensation for all the hard parts. It is a celebration of forever families. You can imagine then my emotions as I sat between my two boys listening to my adoption music and thinking back to our story and how both boys came into our lives. Of course I shed a few tears. Dallin looked at me and asked why I was sad. I told him mommy was crying because she is extremely happy. Kind of confusing for a two year old. Then Dallin broke out singing this song.

"I love to see the temple. I'm going there some day. To feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray. For the temple is a house of God, a place of love and beauty. I'll prepare myself while I am young; this is my sacred duty."

Dallin doesn't know the second verse yet (and I was amazed he knew all the words to the first verse. He does listen!). The end of the chorus on the second verse says, "For the temple is a holy place where we are sealed together. As a child of God, I've learned this truth: A family is forever."

Listening to my two-year-old sing to me these words brought on a fresh wave of tears and Zane commenting that we haven't even entered the temple yet and maybe I should save some tears for inside. :) Although this is Gavin's special day, he won't remember it (although we took a lot of pictures). Dallin though may remember some of it and I got a chance to tell him all about his special day all over again. Love that.

(My talented sister-in-law Kara took pictures at the sealing. It will take her some time to go through all of them, so right now you will have to be content with my lame pictures. More will come though.)

Gavin in the car. Because he is rear facing and because it is such a tight fit in the back seat, I couldn't maneuver myself to get a picture with him.

Zane took this picture while he was stopped at a red light. Gavin is on the other side of me.

Another great memory was entering the temple together. I wish I could have caught this on camera. We walked hand in hand with Zane carrying Gavin into the temple together. Dallin was so excited to be able to go inside since we have talked and prepared him for this day for awhile. I, of course, was so happy to be going to the temple with my little family, that I cried. I always seem to have plenty of tears to shed.

My mom met us inside and took the boys into the nursery area to get them dressed in their white clothes. Zane and I went to change and of course I got to go into the Brides room again. I felt so special!

The ceremony finally started with my family and lots of our friends joining us. My mom brought Dallin in and sat with him while he looked around the room studying everything and every person there. My dad brought Gavin in and held him by Zane and me. Gavin's middle name is my dad's name, so I wanted him to hold Gavin. I have to say that Gavin looked so handsome and angelic in his little outfit. He was very good during the ceremony although he was very interested in the crochet doily laying across the alter. Afterward Zane and I held our boys close and hugged each other. This was the best moment for me. Dallin told me I looked pretty and told Zane that he looked funny. Sorry Zane. He kept talking about how he and Gavin had white clothes on. After all our guests left the room, we tried to show Dallin the mirrors in the room, but all he kept saying was, "Where's Kara?" My little brother and his wife arrived the night before and he was excited to see them.

We took lots of pictures outside and then headed to my mom's house for a family luncheon. It was great to be together and celebrate Gavin becoming part of our forever family. We love you baby Gavin and feel so lucky to be your parents!

It's Official

Gavin is legally Gavin David now and part of our family. Of course he has been with us since he was two days old so nothing has changed, but now it's official. Although we like our adoption caseworker, she no longer needs to come into our home and observe us and ask us silly questions that she is required to ask like, "How do you feel about Gavin?" It just feels wonderful to know that Gavin is stuck with us no matter what!

Finalization was a little different with Gavin. (You can read about Dallin's experience here.) Dallin was born in the state of Texas, and he was six months old. Since Gavin was born in Florida, we should have gone back there to finalize. Florida is very nice though and will finalize over the phone, and it can be done earlier. Gavin is four and a half months old right now. Instead of heading to a courthouse, we went to LDSFS where our caseworker is a notary. We called a number that connected us to our lawyer and judge in Florida. We were sworn in by our caseworker here and then our lawyer asked us some basic questions. The judge then signed the papers saying Gavin is ours! The video below is a short clip from the end.

Now that finalization is done, we set a date. Mark your calenders because on December 23rd, our family will be sealed in the temple for all eternity. We can't wait!!!

To learn more about temples, go here.

Welcome Home

After driving 16 hours straight, we made it home. We got home around 1 a.m. and realized someone had snuck into our house to decorate. What a nice surprise after a long drive with two kids.

The reason we were able to drive the whole 16 hours home in one day was because Gavin was an angel. He slept the entire time except when he was eating. Actually he was sleeping through most of his feedings too. For the first week of Gavin's life, we got excited when he opened his eyes. It was rare.

Dallin on the other hand was as good as could be expected driving 16 hours. This trip was really hard on him. Not only did we just pick up and leave without planning, we spent a lot of time at the hospital. Most of that time landed during nap times and eating times. Besides the hospital, he was cooped up in a hotel for five days. We tried to find parks and go swimming to entertain him, but there is only so much you can do especially after bringing Gavin home. I am a firm believer that two-year-olds were not meant to be cooped up in cars, in hospital rooms, and in hotel rooms.

The Adventure

Our adventure started last Thursday, June 24th at 3:00 p.m. We had decided to work through another agency the Tuesday before, and on Thursday they contacted us for the first time. They let us know they got our application and oh by the way we have a birth mom due on Friday, are you interested? Zane and I had very little time to discuss and pray. When we thought about the baby, we felt peace. When we thought about leaving our home and traveling to another state for who knows how long with a two-year-old and everything else about the adoption process, we felt fear. We went on faith though, packed up the car and headed out on a two day drive. Dallin did wonderful as long as he was watching his movies. We have been potty training before we left and he did a great job on the road and throughout our whole trip. We haven't had any accidents! Amazing for a two-year-old whose life went crazy all of sudden.

We arrived and went straight to the hospital at 5 p.m. It wasn't the ideal time for Dallin so he and Zane didn't stay long, but I enjoyed a nice long visit with our birthmom, her mom, and her 17-year-old daughter. We hit it off and I enjoyed spending the next two days with them. I think Gavin knew we were driving out instead of flying, so he waited to be born on Saturday morning instead of Friday. One of the first questions we were asked when we arrived at the hospital was what we were going to name the baby. We threw out three names with Gavin being the last. Everyone shouted out that they liked that name the best, so that is how Gavin got his name. (On a side note, Gavin's birthmom thought all our names were fake because they are on the unusual side. We just like unusual names.)

Placement is the hardest part of an adoption process. It is hard to watch someone you care about go through something so hard and painful. Thank you doesn't seem to cover how much we appreciate Gavin's birthmom. We appreciate her strength and courage to choose to give her son a life that she couldn't offer at this time. We are eternally grateful for her sacrifice and love she had for her son.

Gavin stayed in the hospital an extra day, and then we picked him up Tuesday afternoon and brought him back to the hotel. He has been very sleepy and a wonderful baby so far. Dallin has enjoyed having a brother and is very proud of him. We thought we would be out here for at least two weeks, but we just heard that the courts have cleared us to leave. Living in a hotel with a two-year-old and a newborn isn't the ideal situation so we are thrilled to be heading home. This trip has been an adventure, but we feel so lucky that we were picked to be a part of it.