It's my 1st GOTCHA DAY!

One year ago today our little girl joined our forever family! This day will always be special to us, but this year is extra special because it is her 1st GOTCHA DAY! I was in Colorado with Konner and Kamdynn visiting one of my best friends (Auntie Erin), so we celebrated with cupcakes! When we get home we will celebrate with family.
It is hard to believe that a year has flown by and we are amazed at how well Kamdynn is doing. She is right on target for everything with the exception of her talking. While she is a little "delayed" in this area, we aren't greatly concerned as each day she is talking more and more. The other night I asked her if she was my baby and she said "no Dada's baby." She literally went from saying a handful of words to putting a few words together over night, so we know before long she will be talking up a storm!
What a year it has been, one we wouldn't trade for ANYTHING. Kamdynn fits perfectly into our family and we couldn't imagine life without her! God is good!

"Readoption Day"

Today we "readopted" Kamdynn in the State of Washington! She was legally ours and officially adopted in China on her Gotcha Day (July 26, 2010), so this was not something that we HAD to do. This is something we CHOSE to do, so that she could have a Washington birth certificate...making our lives (and hers) a lot easier when asked for a birth certificate for any reason.
One of the neatest things about today, was sharing it with the Weldon Family! We met Chris and Debby in China while adopting our girls. Charis and Kamdynn are just a few weeks apart in age (although you wouldn't know it by looking at them...Kamdynn is much bigger). We have grown to not only love Chris, Debby and Charis but also their four big kids! We are so thankful for God's timing in our adoption and that he brought our families together!
Adoptions only take place at the Juvenile court on Fridays and it was a full house with families adopting! We had arranged in advance for our families to "readopt" together and the judge was very touched by our journeys to our girls. She got teary-eyed at one point, sharing that our world is full of some incredibly sad stuff, but once in awhile people like the Hamptons and the Weldons come along and make it a better place. She called our family "Team Hampton" and their family "Team Weldon" and I think that is our new nicknames for each other! When all of the "formal" stuff was done, Judge Foley gave each of the kids a cookie and was so patient through all of our pictures! Her huge heart was very evident and I'm so grateful that there are people like her in the court system. She said, "Adoption Fridays" are her favorite day of the week...I can only imagine what she sees throughout the rest of a week.
We finished our day with a trip to the zoo and a BBQ at our house with "Team Weldon!" We truly couldn't have asked for a better day!

SASSY!!

Little Sweet Kamdynn has a new name..."SASSY SISTER!" I know those that haven't seen her "SASSY" side, wouldn't believe it, so I thought I'd share a picture!

Just like the BOYS!

A few nights ago we got the kids in their jammies and put them in our bed to watch a movie. When I went upstairs to check on them, this is what I found...


...all of them "shirtless"...even Kamdynn! The boys typically wear basketball shorts and no shirt to bed, but this was a first for Kamdynn. Konner said she wanted to be "just like the BOYS!"

Another example of Kamdynn wanting to be "just like the BOYS"...



...I sent her outside to play with Kaleb and when I looked out the window to check on her, she was playing baseball (with Konner's baseball hat on)!

Birthday Thank You!

I don't think it has EVER taken me over a MONTH to get out Thank you cards, but here it is! "Better Late, Than Never!"

TWO Year Pictures!

Yesterday I took Kamdynn to get her TWO year pictures taken. I'm not in love with the pictures (there wasn't one with her sweet genuine smile), but I am in love with the little girl! She really did a great job, thanks to the candy I brought and all my dancing around behind the camera lady. Sometimes I think I could take better pictures with my "fancy" camera...but for some reason I have it stuck in my head that they need to be "professional" for their birthday photos! Oh well!

Happy Easter!

Easter was so much fun this year with the little "Missy"...celebrating holidays through the eyes of a child is always so much fun! My Mom did her annual Easter egg hunt the day before Easter (due to lovely Washington weather) and Kamdynn caught on very quickly! Every egg she found she had to shake to make sure it really had something in it. After the hunt we took the kids to see the Easter Bunny and to our surprise Kamdynn walked right up to him, gave him a high five and sat on his lap.

While the Easter Bunny and egg hunts are fun, we always put a greater emphasis on the TRUE meaning of Easter. We are so grateful for the sacrifice of our savior on the cross and love celebrating that HE IS RISEN! We made "Resurrection Biscuits" for the first time with the kids and will now be making it a tradition from here on out!
I'm including the recipe below; because I think EVERYONE should do this with their kids!
Resurrection Biscuits
You will need:
*Large Marshmallows
*Refrigerator Biscuits
*Bowl of melted Butter
*Cinnamon Sugar
Have children flatten the uncooked biscuits, wrap a marshmallow in each one, and pinch the edges tightly together. Help children dip the dough balls into melted butter and roll them in cinnamon sugar. Bake biscuits at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. When the biscuits are cool, give one to each family member. They'll get a big surprise when they bite into the treats. They'll be hollow and empty, just like the tomb!