checking in...

So, I've been thinking about my blog a lot lately. Mostly what I've been thinking is how little I've really shared in the past few months. There are a couple of contributing factors to that. One is that things have really been busy. Even since I've been thinking about writing this post, several days have passed. It is amazing to me how fast the days fly by (I mean, really it's already time for Christmas cards?) Another reason is that I've been trying to figure out what blog life looks like with a baby in our family now. We've talked a lot about how much to post and how to find the balance of being real while still being aware that this is, after all, the world wide web.

This has continued to be a wonderful season for us. As of yesterday, our adoption was official and final. It was an exciting and celebratory day for our family to say the least! Grayben continues to delight us and we still cannot believe that he is really here. The truth that our longing has actually been fulfilled is still somewhat unbelievable. We hope that our story will be an encouragement to people who have considered adoption. If there is anything I have learned, it is that everyone's journey looks different. Yet I know there are things that bind and connect us and I hope that our story will be used in some way. Though it is a cliche, it is nonetheless true: Grayben is a testament to God's faithfulness to us. Had we waited longer or had our longing never been fulfilled, God would be no less faithful. We consider Grayben such an overwhelming gift, so much better than anything we could have imagined. Friends who have gone this way before us told us that this would be true but you don't believe it until you walk it yourself.

We were able to spend a few days down at the beach a few weeks ago. Our friends, Josh and Keely, were able to join us there over the weekend and we had a wonderful time. We ate at all of our favorite places, the boys played tennis while we talked by the pool, and we fit in time for a brief little photo shoot. Keely offered to take these pictures of our little family and she did an amazing job. I am so grateful to have them and will treasure them always.