Day 3 began with more tears from me (surprise, surprise). The hotel staff now knows our story. Me sitting In the lobby each morning sobbing needed some explaining to our new friends.

The staff are the people that will see us become a family of 3 (really 9, but you get what I am saying!)

As the morning grew later, we had paperwork that needed to be completed and notarized!

Then it was time to see our little buddy again. Today when he saw us, he took off running towards us! Wow, is it really possible?!?!

We then headed to the park for another day of getting to know each other. This day included an over night stay as well.

We enjoyed the zoo again and got to get a tour from the zoo keeper!

As nighttime came, we got to spend the evening at Red Beards, a coffee shop, after eating pizza.

At Red Beards, Santa motioned us over for candy canes. He asked what we were doing in town and I whispered into his ear. He immediately asked if he could pray a blessing over us. We gladly accepted and are still grateful for the kindest heartfelt prayer! How about that for a Santa!

Then we ordered hot cocoa and jumped on the stagecoach for a horse ride!

He loved to smell his hot cocoa but wanted to save it in our hotel mini refrigerator.

As he went to bed, I laid beside him and told him stories. He had a hard time falling asleep/ his little mind must be racing with all that is happening.

As I reflect on the day, I am thrilled that he is calling Blake “dada.” All the while it’s a little sad to be the mom with no name. He calls his adopted mom “mama” and it’s just too confusing to give me a name right now. I must be patient as I wait for the timing of gaining a name from him.

Other things I am thinking about are how he learned things like blowing kisses, thumbs up, and winking! 😊 He also has a heavy set of Bible books that he keeps bringing from home. He takes them back and forth and likes to keep them in sight. Precious one- they are security for him.

Another thing I am processing of the day is about how he keeps asking me to reheat the cocoa. He takes a deep smell of it and then just stares at it. Then he asks me to warm it again as we do it all over again.

The next morning, we toured the Boothill Museum before heading to his house.

Today is the day that the social workers suggested that we take him to his home and let him show us his things and where he sleeps.

We took the long highway road again. Once we arrived his adopted father held his one hand and I eventually reached out where he took mine in the other. Then my tears started again. I wanted to leave to keep from making a scene but managed to step away after thanking them for letting us see where Connor has spent the past 2 + years.

(Connor is the name given by the adopted family and we are presently calling him Connor. We plan to visit the conversation with him as time goes by if he would like a new name with our family all while also keeping Connor in his name. We have heard scenarios of both ways. We also realize that we will make mistakes in this journey and then try again. So we are prayerfully and gingerly going with this plan for now.)

This is the afternoon that the adopted family will explain that he will now join our family. Oh me, I can hardly think of ANYTHING else other than his heart.

We were thankful for the long drive back to help us process it all. Blake and I are bonding in new ways sharing this amazing adoption together. I am absolutely the most blessed wife in the world to have a husband to take this ride with. The song by Ben Rector called,” I Like You,” is rolling around in my head as I type this part about Blake.

“Twenty* years is a long, long while
Somehow you still make me smile
I’d say almost most the time
Here’s the way I feel

I like you, I just like you
Even when I don’t try to
Yes I do, that’s the truth
I like you” 🎵

* 7 years 😊

Well, at this point of our day we had an unexpected late lunch invitation. The adopted parents had their parents ask us to spend some time with them. So this makes them our little one’s present grandparents. They are amazing people. We prayed together, visited, and shared honest conversation about how this is hard for everyone including them. But they wanted us to know that they have prayed for us, are praying, and will continue to pray!

Whew! What a day- we ended it with a light hearted “A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas” play at the local theatre. They ended the play with Luke 2 and Christmas carols.

And now we wait for day 5 of the transition plan.

We are gifted with this one life and we get to choose what we stand for. It’s important to choose what that is rather than let it happen passively. “ Maria Goff (Love Lives Here)