Reese Quote

Me: Reese what shoes are you going to wear today?

Reese: Remember, Mom, I'm making a pattern.  Yesterday I wore my sparkly heart shoes and today I's wearing my gold sparkle shoes, then tomorrow I'm going to wear my sparkly heart shoes again.  It's called a pattern.

It's official!

I have a faxed copy of our adoption decree in hand and will pick up the certified copy tomorrow!

"It is therefore ordered granting the Order of Adoption.  The petitioner, Lindsey Powers, and said minor child shall and do bear toward each other the relationship of parent and child."

Tea Party

Last night Reese and I played outside when we first got home, then had a quick dinner of leftovers. 

Then it was time to have a tea party!  

Please note her little finger is up, on the other hand :)

Grandpa's Visit

My dad was able to fly in Halloween night and stay through the weekend.  He was able to be there for our adoption hearing and celebration pancakes afterwards.  Reese loved having him here.  It has through a wrench in the reality that we have known because now she wants to live back with him Sophia and the dogs.  It hurts my feelings but I understand that she doesn't truly understand what is going on. 

We spent First Friday down at the Museum where we fed imaginary apples to Ponder, the horse.

And colored masks for the Day of the Dead.

 

On Saturday, Dad took Reese to Brian and Randi's where they are Subway and went swimming, while I went to the Author's Luncheon with a few docent friends.  I have been for three years now and I glad I was able to go again this year.  The authors were amazing this year!

 

Sunday my dad played with Reese while I took care of all of the household duties.  It felt good to be able to get things done here and know Reese was having fun while I was.  It was a quick trip and it is hard on Reese to understand how this works but it was still nice having him here.

Adoption Day

November 1, 2012 at 9am was our adoption day. 

I had a feeling that something was not right and sure enough when my lawyer arrived she asked to speak with me alone.  She said that Indiana refused to FedEx a letter that was needed so we did not have all of the correct paperwork for completion that day.  Thankfully, the judge chose to take our case under advisement instead of canceling. Now we are just waiting for that letter to arrive so the judge can sign the correct documents and we can be official.

Reese was a doll as we waited but as soon as we went in, she couldn't stop talking.  She said she didn't want to be a Powers and that she needed a snack.  The judge was soft spoken so I did not hear a word he said.  I dreamed of this magical moment when the heavens opened and the angels sang and I would know that Reese and I were a family, but instead it was real life. 

I had someone say that this was bittersweet but no it was not.  This was all sweet.  This all stopped being about my sister a year ago and finally started being about Reese and what she needed.  For all of Reese's life, I have kept my life on pause.  I have always needed to be ready to fly back to Indiana to care for the girls at a moments notice.  Everything has been waiting to react to the decisions of an addict because the girls deserved it.  It has been a roller coaster, at times infuriating and the times with the girls filled with laughter.  Now we can move forward and take my life off of pause.  My life is completely different from when I paused things.  I have a solid career now that I am so proud of and now I am a mother to the most amazing little girl.  We are so different but made perfectly for each other.  I am ready to move forward now, knowing  that life will never take me where I thought it would and that the universe is out there making the most perfect decisions for my life.

Amy told me recently that while Reese was in utero I said under my breath at work "I'm going to have to raise that baby."  She of course at the time did not know me like she does today and judged me but I feel like somewhere in my bones, I knew that Reese was my baby.  I remember being at the ultrasound and seeing this squirming little person and thinking to myself  as I cried "Okay, it is me and you kid.  I will do anything for you."  I will stand by that until my last breath.  She is my world.

Doesn't the judge look like a wax statute back there :) 

Adoption court or Madame Tussauds?

Here I was telling Reese in the parking lot that we were now a family forever and always.

We celebrated with pumpkin pancakes at Ihop!

Then took some pictures at home.

And danced in the backyard.

I love her more than words can express and am so proud that I get to be her mommy!

Lindsey and Reese Powers, a little family at last.

Reese Quote

 

We were outside in the driveway playing kick with the yellow ball before my dad had to go to the airport last night and someone in the neighborhood was grilling.  Reese stopped and said "I can smell bacon from heaven."

Halloween

Halloween is the best day of the year to be a staff member at Phoenix Art Museum.  After two years of going solo-style, I joined my old membership crew to be Princess Peach from the Super Mario Brothers.  They did a great job decorating the Clubhouse and even had a Wii so people could play old school Mario Bros.

Camille is fantastic!

The Education/Marketing crew dressed up as Mad Men.  They took best group in the contest.

Someone stole Sandy's stolen Vermeer :)

Jelena as Charlie Chaplin

 

John and June teamed up as the witches from Macbeth.  SOOOOOOOO scary!

 

I could not stand wearing the wig and the gloves were very debilitating.  I was ready to get out of that costume by the end of the day.

 

Also, I couldn't wait to get home to get Jessie ready for trick-or-treating!

 

We picked up burgers and ate quickly so Reese could get in costume.  I sprayed her hair red, just like Jessie and drew on some freckles! 

 

Yeehaw!

 

The Wazny's were our first trick-or-treat-ers!  K as Merida, Char as a butterfly and V as a hungry, hungry caterpillar.

Amy made her costume!

Lani and Jessica came over to pass out candy so I could take Reese around.  We went up and down the block then headed home to pass out candy.  She loved giving out huge handfuls of candy to all of our trick-or-treat-ers.