{Thank you, Aunt Kathy, for the picture!}

My sweet parents came into town on Wednesday, to support us at the we headed to the courthouse.

We headed out around 7:30 am and drove down to Mesa. I’m pretty sure we were the very first people at the courthouse. We were joined by Riley’s grandmother and great aunt. And my friend, Nancy, came to take pictures. She is a mamma of seven, three of which were adopted, so having her support that day was a treasure to me!

The proceedings were very straightforward. We stated our names for the record, read through the paperwork for confirmation, and told the story of how we met Riley.

Grandpa Thompson bought Riley a race-car on Wednesday, and the entire time we were being oh-so-serious for the Judge, he was telling her about his new car. It was pretty adorable. She announced that all was final and said, “Congratulations, It’s a Boy!”

I did fine and held it together until were outside the courtroom. Then his great aunt hugged me and thanked me and I just about lost it all together.

Brian and I made a promise to keep them included in the family. That is a promise we will keep. I think we ended up getting the good end of the deal – a grandmother, great-aunt, and a son.

Brian found the most amazing breakfast place for us to celebrate. It is called the Farmhouse, located in downtown Gilbert. I’m craving their breakfast potatoes as I write this. Everything was delicious, and it was the perfect place to celebrate. As I looked up, I realized that I was sitting across from Riley’s grandmother, my dad was sitting next to Brian, and my mamma was down at the other end, entertaining Julia and Nate. A truly mixed and wonderful and blessed family.

I cannot thank you all enough for your emails, texts, notes, and gifts. We feel the love and blessings beyond measure. It’s hard to believe that this chapter is closed. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.

With much and sincere love,

Kate