Many happy tears...

Our first Christmas together was so blessed! Our little family got all dressed up--I'll post some pictures later--and ate dinner at the Outback after early service. Then it was back to church for the late Christmas Eve service. The congregation gave Mark a new alb, and he cried as he thanked them for being a blessing to us. Afterwards we went home and each opened one gift.

K. opened a small box I filled with a few items from Bath & Body Works --some glitter shower gel and other "girlie" things I thought our eight year-old would enjoy. The day I picked up that particular gift was a very emotional one. I stood in the shop and realized that I was buying a gift for MY DAUGHTER. The tears came and I could not stop them. I wanted to shout to everyone, "Hey, I'm a MOM!"

K. slept pretty late Christmas morning. I was annoyed a little bit when she looked under the tree and asked us if "that was all there is"...it sure looked like enough stuff to me. We've been trying to avoid the materialism by keeping this celebration very low key. I didn't know if that was a typical eight year-old 's reaction or if those words came from the insecurity of her past. We told her that it looked like a lot of stuff to us, and that seemed to satisfy her.

After we opened gifts she told us that this was the best Christmas ever, because she knew she would never be in foster care again.

It's early Monday morning, and we sign those papers tomorrow!