Five...

Ayson and Cason (2008)

The evening we rang in the new year (2007), we found out from our good friends that they were expecting their first baby.  We were thrilled for them - they were the lone "holdouts" in our group of friends to have children so it was about time! :)  Four months later A.J. and I finally decided that we were ready to pursue adoption as a way of expanding our own little family.  Malinda and I lightheartedly discussed the idea that it was possible we could have babies that were as little as one or two years apart if things went well with our adoption pursuit.  Little did we know.  Once we made our choice of adoption agencies, we feverishly began the "process" in earnest.  Within a month (May) we had completed all of our home study paperwork and had scheduled the home study for the first week in June.  Things seemed to be moving pretty quickly.  Our home study was approved the last week in June.  The day it was approved, the adoption director told us our profile was one of six that was being shown to two young women.  We were super excited that it was already being shown!  So you can imagine how utterly shocked we were when we found out the following day that we had been chosen by one of those young women!  Our little Ayson was due to be born just two months after our friends little boy!

These two little guys have spent a fair amount of time together over the past five years: shopping, eating out, going to the zoo or science museum, periodic play dates, even taking a vacation together, and celebrating birthdays.  Cason just celebrated his 5th birthday this past week which means our Ayson's is just two months away on September 13th.  Five years old! My baby is not a baby anymore (he has been proclaiming for about three years now that he is a "man")!  I miss those "baby" times, but I relish the age he's at now. And I can only imagine what amazing things await, not just for Ayson, but for Alex as well. Time has flown by sweetly in this short period of time! And blessings have been abundant!