Mastercard has NOTHING on us....

Paper chasing with your Best Friend-$$

Getting Parking Ticket while authenticating Paperwork with Best Friend-$27.00

(each. yes, we both got tickets!)

Trip to China (again with Best Friend)-$$

Celebrating Life on Gotcha Day-*Priceless*

From the very first adoption paper signed on February 2005, we have walked side-by-side with the Massey family. God purposed our journey's to be a triple braided cord. Only He knew what the road ahead would hold. And he knew we would need each other to make it through.

Ally and I have joked that our lives run in a parallel. What happens in one household, will soon be a recurrence in the other. Some things have been anticipated with great joys and well.... the others have been harder to swallow. Like middle-school. Baby boys. Teen-age first born's. Faith walks. Adoptions. Children who struggle with reading.

As the years have gone by the bonds that tie our hearts together have grown stronger. What was once a friendship is now family. Ally sent me a card this summer ( because we missed the family va-ca) that said "Once we were were strangers and now we are just strange friends!" Love it. We just get each other. And love each other even more.

This Gotcha Day was welcomed with a sense of relief. Our very first Gotcha Day was hard fought. The day would always be on the calendar, we just weren't sure how it would look in the flesh. Myer's little life is nothing short of a MIRACLE. A work from the very hand of a Faithful God and Father that He allowed us to witness and be a part of. Something that has changed us from the very core of who we are. The days we spent talking about the girls growing up together and dreaming of what the future would hold, took an abrupt stop.

For a moment.

Then God allowed us to re-dream and re-think. Thank You, Father.

So, on Friday we once again gathered our families together to celebrate. Ally has been feeling yucky (gallbladder) and so it was low-key. Kip and I showed up in dress down clothes. I wore work-out clothes (clean!) and I wanted Kip to wear his running shorts but we compromised when he wore a T-Shirt and Un-Ironed Khaki shorts. Which if you knew my husband, you would know what a sacrifice that was!

Tatumn and Myer are truly the bestest of friends! They laugh, giggle, and boss each one around! It is so funny to watch. Tatumn was fascinated with Myer's LONG pigtails. She kept taking Myer's piggy and brushing it across her face! Long hair is quite amazing for my hair challenged girl. Myer is getting so strong and Tatumn was her encourager the whole time. I think Tatumn may be a nurse or a therapist when she grows up. Which will probably be a source of contention for Ms. Myer!

Ally got the great idea to put Tatumn's hair in rollers. Which I told her boldly that they NOT work in the very little hair that she has. But because Ally is Ally, she double-dogged-dared me and got out the rollers! And they......stayed! Well, the story ends with the mommies and the Asians having rollers in their hair. Laughing until Ally had a stomach ache. Sorry about that. Seriously, my jaws hurt that next morning from laughing so hard!

So, there it is. Life. Priceless. Joy. Abundant. Has it been easy. No. That Tatumn is here, ours, is through God's faithfulness. Because He is our Faithful Provider. Jehovah-Jireh. Myer's life is miraculous. Because He showed us the One who heals. Jehovah-Rophi.

So, for the rest of our days we will sing for joy over God's Victory. And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. Psalm 20:5