Finalization Day

We are so happy to say that this precious little girl's name is now officially and legally

Anslie Alise Allen

Judge Amero signed our final adoption decree this morning in his chambers at the Henry County Courthouse.  He had the bailiff clear the courtroom after the hearing and formalities were over so we could take some photos to remember this very special day.  

Our family of five with Superior Court Judge Amero and our attorney Jerry Hester  

Judge Amero complimented Jerry at the end of our hearing on his attention to detail and thorough preparation of our case.  We are thankful for Jerry's expertise in guiding us through the legal maze of this adoption and would highly recommend him to anyone in the Atlanta area who is pursuing an adoption.  

My sweet friend Sheila met us at the courthouse to take pictures for us, and our neighbor/Walton's good friend Dave and his girls were there with us as well.  These are the same two friends who each came to our house to cry and pray with us on a cold November Wednesday morning 5 years ago during when our first adoption plans had a much different outcome.  It was good to have them with us as the whole process came full circle today. 

Here are some other moments Sheila captured for us today...

in the lobby of the courthouse

Big brother Will

and Kyle


At the end of our hearing, the judge spoke to our boys and asked them if they were in agreement with adding a sister to their family.  They both answered "yes, sir".  He then told them that they were not allowed to pick on her unless she picked on them first.   ;)

The heart shape that grows in the crown of Anslie's hair
(love this...)

Anslie's "triple A" monogram on her diaper bag - she's an Allen now!

Sweet girl was ready for a nap while Jerry was explaining all of the court documents to us.  She fell asleep on her Daddy's shoulder just a bit after this was taken. 

I really can't put into words what it means to know that Anslie is our daughter.  It has been an emotional, wonderful day. 

"God has made everything beautiful in its time."

Ecclesiastes 3:11

15!

The 30th marked Kyle's 15 birthday (and my Mom's birthday too - she is his birthday buddy.).  We celebrated with steaks on the grill and homemade key lime pie.  I didn't have birthday candles on hand, so I made a last minute substitution of votive candles.  The birthday boy didn't mind a bit - as long as the food made it onto his plate!

In Georgia, teenagers can get their learner's permit to drive when they are 15.  So, here is a pic Walton snapped with his phone of our new driver this afternoon on the way home from the Dept. of Driver's Services.  Kyle is looking incredibly OLD!  Yikes!

6 months old

Anslie is 6 months old today!  Happy Half-Birthday, sweet baby girl!  

At 6 months, Anslie:

-is still a very happy and cheerful girl, especially at home with just our family.  She lights up with a big grin when Kyle and Will talk to her and belly laughs at Walton when he plays with her. 

-is more serious when we are out in new places or around new people.  She is alert and takes everything in with a look of concentration on her little face.  It takes her a while to warm up and smile at new people. 

-can sit up independently for a short time and roll over.  She also reaches out and grabs most anything she can 

-still takes 6 ounces of formula 4 times a day.  She gets rice cereal in her bedtime bottle, and eats baby food vegetables at dinner time while we eat (not very enthusiastically, though).  Grandma tried to give her some baby cereal at breakfast on Saturday, but it was not a hit.  

-weighs 14 pounds and 4 ounces now.  We had to take her to the doctor a week and a half ago for another ear infection.  :(  They weighed her to figure her correct antibiotic dosage. We had to try 3 different antibiotics before we found one she would swallow mixed with an ounce of her formula.  She is a complete drama queen about taking her medicine - she spits, gags, and generally has a fit.  It is the only thing about her personality that has been a bit of a challenge to figure out.  We went back to the doctor for a re-check today and both ears are clear now - no more infection and no fluid.  Hooray - we hope they will stay that way!  

-is still a very good sleeper, usually sleeping from about 9 at night until 7 in the morning.  Her nap schedule is not entirely predictable - although we can usually count on a good morning nap and a couple of little naps the rest of the day. 

Time is flying by!  We love being a family of five and watching our baby girl grow.

  "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart"

Proverbs 15:30 

Allen's bed & breakfast

Last week, we had visits from 3 out of 4 of our kids' grandparents.  Mema (Walton's Mom) came to stay overnight on her way home to Florida from Alabama.  Once again, Anslie snuggled right up to her for a snooze.

Walton, Will, and Anslie look forward to a longer visit with Mema and Pepa and Florida while I chaperone Kyle's marching band trip to Washington, D.C.  next month.

On Friday after school, Grandma and Grandpa (Shari's parents) arrived for a weekend visit.  

While they were here, we went to Macon for the Cherry Blossom Festival.  Unfortunately none of the cherry trees were in bloom yet - but some Bradford pear trees were.  It was an absolutely beautiful spring day in the park.  We enjoyed walking around and the boys liked watching a dog Frisbee competition. 

We wonder why our dogs just look at us when we throw a Frisbee instead of doing this-

When we got home, everyone except me played dominoes at the kitchen table.  ( I am not a fan of card and domino games!  )

After dinner, Walton put this styrofoam bowl on Anslie's head to see what she would do -she laughed as much as we did, and did not try to pull it off of her head.  She's becoming aware of when she's doing something cute and funny - so much fun!

welcome spring!

Zoo Atlanta

Today we had a furlough day from school because of state budget cuts.  We went to Zoo Atlanta with the Brown family (who have adopted 4 of Anslie's biological siblings - see  this post)  and our niece Anita along with her boyfriend Kevin.  Anslie wasn't too interested in the animals, but she liked riding in her front pack carrier with Walton all day.

This is Anslie's sister Nya, who was in my class last year before we had any idea about our Anslie. Nya gives me a note or picture to bring home to Anslie most every day when I see her at dismissal time at school.  (Check out Anslie's smooshy little cheeks in this pic!) 

Most of our group posed with the memorial to Atlanta's most famous Silverback - Willie B.  back row: Jala with Will, Cole, Walton with Anslie, Anita.  front row:  Madison, Kyle, Trey, Malaki, and Nya.

The lion was climbing the rocks and roaring when we walked up - usually he's asleep.

I love to watch our boys interact with little kids - they are so patient and funny.  They take time to help them, listen and really talk to them.  They will be great Daddies one day.

Kevin and Anita took all of the kids on the zoo train.  

And we ended up with some fun time for the kids on the playground.

big stuff

Anslie has been learning to eat baby food.  So far, she's not a big fan - but she's getting better at it every day.  She makes a HUGE mess and the boys find it quite entertaining to see all of her funny faces while she eats.

She's also getting very good at sitting up on her own.  Her facial expressions are so much fun. 

Kyle performed with the OHS Wind Ensemble in large group performance evaluation last week.  (The Wind Ensemble is the "elite" band at the high school. We are very proud of Kyle for making it into this group during his freshman year!)  They scored a 1 overall - the highest score they could receive.  

This was the best shot of Kyle I could get without a flash while the Wind Ensemble was waiting to do the sight reading portion of the performance evaluation.  They did a tremendous job of playing a piece of music they had never seen before - nerve wracking!

Sunday

A couple of sweet pictures of Anslie before church this morning...

We have a furlough day off of school tomorrow and we're headed to the zoo with all of the Browns.  Hooray!   I should have lots of fun pictures to post tomorrow night.