2009 in Pictures! 11

November was a whirlwind of a month for us! In early November we got a real treat, a visit from Grandpa! Daniel was ecstatic. One of the first things we did (after Schmidt's and the JC Penney Outlet, of course! ;) Was go to the Zoo. It was a beautiful day to go check out the animals. I had to renew our membership and while I was inside Daniel gave Daddy and Grandpa a show. He loves to dance, but strangely only in public places. Don't know if it's adorable or embarrassing yet... ;)

We were lucky enough to visit on a day when there weren't lines to see the baby elephant.

I just loved watching the Mama Elephant take care of her little baby. Every creature on earth loves their baby.

We were lucky enough to catch the tiger while it was having Lunch outside. I never really feel 100% safe looking at these guys, lol. This guy was romping all over the place just showing off how strong and fast he was. I think he was just taunting me. Nice kitty....

After the Zoo Daniel went to a little girl from school's birthday party and the boys went to the OSU football game. GO BUCKS!

I made two nearly identical quilts, one for Sam and one for his Birthparents. I got so close to finishing them before I had to leave for Tennessee! I ended up finishing the binding for Sam's Birthparents in the Hospital. I thought it turned out beautifully. I finished Sam's when we (finally!) got back to Ohio.

Dan (my Father-in-law) left early in the morning on the 16th and Carol (my Mother-in-law) flew in later in the afternoon. (Thanks SO much you guys!) So that she could take care of Daniel while I was in Tennessee and Bryan was in Ohio in school. After we found a rental car (it was close!) I finished packing up the car and left for Tennessee. To be honest, I was scared to death. I had no idea what to expect. I arrived LATE that night (next morning, really) and stayed at a Hotel. Early the next morning I met Sam. :)

Bryan and Daniel came down a few days later when he was able to get time off. (it's such a weird experience trying to get time off for a child's birth who could "potentially" be yours.) This one of my favorite pictures from our Hospital stay.

We got to take him "home" (really to a hotel in-state) a few days later.

On the 24th Sam's Birthparent's signed away their legal rights. It was a very bitter-sweet day, knowing that our joy came out of their sorrow.

We had a "Stranger Thanksgiving" as Daniel called it. Some wonderful members of our church invited us over for Thanksgiving so that we wouldn't be stuck eating McDonald's or cereal. We had only spoken with them on the phone and hadn't meet face to face, so Daniel called them our strangers.  We ended up meeting some wonderful friends and eating some fantastic (!)  food. It's one of the best Thanksgivings we've ever spent. (Thank you Flemings!!!)

Daniel and I got very adept at Hotel living. He discovered what Hot Pockets are and that their sleeves make awesome super hero cuffs.

Daniel found his dream car outside of the dollar theater. I think he had dreams about it for a week after we saw it.

One of the weekends that Bryan was down with us we ventured out in Nashville. We found Centennial Park with it's full scale replica of the Parthenon. (you know, the one in Greece...) You can see Bryan, Daniel and Sam next to one of the pillars... that's how huge it is. It was really cool.