more thoughts on this weekend

so this weekend was so wonderful, and very similar to our experience in germany parts are hard to put into words how things were. so i will share a few things with you. first of all i know that this weekend would not have gone as smooth without the help of Heavenly Father paving the way because we had nasty snowy weather up where we live, it was fine everywhere but to get out of town was interesting.

You see when the weather gets bad here they shut down the main highway and back roads, so basically people cant get into town or leave. some people cant come home from work when this happens or leave for work in the morning. but somehow, someway we managed to get to every city we were headed to and on time (or miraculously early to the temple). We had so much support from people this weekend it was amazing, we are so thankful for everyone in our lives who helped make our weekend special.

all right so the run down.....

tuesday and wednesday last week-

-find out for sure that our court hearing would be held on friday afternoon.

-set up things and finalize details with our attorney and court clerk

-call the temple to make sure there will be openings on saturday because i know i can't schedule our sealing until friday after the hearing.

-weather is snowy and lindsay has short days at work to make sure he beats the snow home.

thursday-

-my parents come in that day. we are concerned they will be shut out of our town and have to stay overnight in another city.

-parents make it well after a long exhausting day, eat dinner, go to bed

friday-

-the first BIG day

-we head to the courthouse, meet our attorney in person for the first time, file one last document with the clerk, who knows us by name at this point, and head up to where the court rooms are

-there is one adoption before us-how wonderful!

-we go into the court room and sit down where the judge has told us. we are sworn in, my parents are told they can sit in the jury box if they want for better viewing, also were allowed permission to get up and move wherever they wanted to take pics.........yeah our judge was that cool! we are asked a series of yes or no questions regarding our understanding that we are completely responsible for our little man, sign the official agreement, keep the commemorative pen that we signed it with permission of the court

- take pics witht the judge..........interesting other tidbit, our attorney's first name is James, erik's middle name is James, and the judge's son is named James. Also the attorney referred to Erik as Erik Moon in the hearing before he made it official ;)

- go out delighted and ecstatic. stop by costco, call the temple and schedule our sealing, and rock n roll home!

saturday- the next BIG day-

- we leave early for the temple and make it passed the closed portion of the highway

- arrive at the temple and are escorted to the childrens care area where we drop off erik and are told how they will handle his part of the activities.

- talk with the records person to make sure the adoption has been finalized and record things for church records.

- change into appropriate attire and wait together in the celestial room until sealing is to begin. it was beautiful, glorious, and wonderful

-go into the sealing where erik giggled the entire time, he totally knew where we were from the time he got into that room.

- we pick up erik from the childrens area once we are done and the workers say they have never seen a child act in such a way during a sealing

-we head home

- i look exhausted and not very cute in all the pics because erik didnt sleep hardly at all that night before and i had zero energy to get myself dolled up, plus i knew that it didnt truly matter what i looked like, just a little self conscious that's all.

sunday-the last BIG day-

- we head to church with erik in his white suit once again and lindsay gives him the most amazing blessing. i dont remember all of it, my friend took notes but i forgot to get them from her yet. but i do remember he was blessed to be brave and courageous. that he would always remember the love and sacrifice that went into his adoption, an understanding desire for the scriptures, and something about when he was a man. honestly though it was awesome! and when lindsay held him up when it was over he laughed and waved his hands, such the charmer!