Adoption Day

Today was our adoption day, oh what a wonderful day. Reah is such a wonderful baby, she is learning to sit up and is attempting to army crawl if you put something out of her reach that she thinks is worth the effort. She grows by leaps and bounds everyday. This past week I think she has started looking less like a baby and more like a little girl. She is beautiful. It is hard to explain the feeling. She has been ours since the day she came to us, but there is something about making everything legal. Not having to check in with anyone. So today Anastasia legally became Reah, which we have called her for months. Several times lately we have sat dumbly in a waiting room while someone called for Anastasia. We were blessed by having both of our moms here and a few friends from church. At an adoption preceding you get to testify and after answering a bunch of questions they ask you to say something. For both adoptions now I have gotten to choked up to say what I wanted to say. So here is what I would say if I could. “I have thought a lot about the right thing to say today but there are no words to say for such a gift. When they called us to take Reah we were super hesitant. We just did not know if we could do it. Now people comment daily on how crazy they think we are, but to us it just who we are. Somedays we are good at it, somedays we are not. But it is us, crazy loud, lovely chaos. I think when we were a little younger thinking about starting our family we thought we knew what that took. But we never knew that God would place so many people in our lives to make us a family. Social workers, in home workers, adoption workers, visiting nurses, lawyers and judges. We would not be the family we are without them all. There is no set way to be a family we are all different and so blessed.
What a wonderful baby girl you are Reah Elizabeth. You make a wonderful completion to our family. I love you sweet smile and silly squinty eyes. I cannot even imagine our family without you now. I love you princess reah.

After court where my kids were loud and as unruly as possible we went to chuckecheese to celebrate. The kids had a blast shoving tokens in any game that they could reach. Then naps and burgers with Andy and Karl. Such a big day and she had no idea, she just knew that her mommy put her in a funny dress and made her wear a bow that she did not like. It was an ordinary day for her and anything but for us!

Reah Elizabeth Clapp

What a good looking crew

Colby testifying that we would take care of her to the best of our ability!

Minutes after the judges ruling. Judge Jacobs let the kids bang the gavel, they were only slightly impressed

Rosa and Logan trying to give Chucke a five. Bryant said he was not going near that monster


Sorry about all the lines, it goofed up somewhere