Surprise Visit

Today was a great day. Emma's foster parents came and dropped her off at our house, we had a great visit. It almost broke my heart to give her back when they came to pick her up 4 hours later. Of course, it does make it a little easier to think that some day very soon, they will drop her off and she will stay forever. I realized that I didn't have any pictures of Emma and Ryan together. So, here are some pictures. Let's just say, Ryan is already wrapped very tightly around her little finger.

What cuties those Brophy kids are.

FREEEEEEDOM!!!

Ryan and I finished our Foster Parent classes this evening. What ever will be do with our Tuesday and Thursday evenings now?

Life Doesn't Get Much Better Than This.....

Braxton and Emma met today. I will never forget what a sweet moment it was when he first saw her. He cannot wait for her to come home, so that he can hold her all the time. He was so cute with her. What a great experience it was to be there with my 2 children. (Still seems weird to say that :)

Here's the Story....

The last month at the Brophy household has been filled with every emotion known to man. I am happy to say that things are finally starting to be filled with joy and happiness. I am starting to realize just how blessed we are. Here is the short story of a very LONG story/process. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call. :) On December 23rd, our adoption agency called to tell us about a little baby girl that was born on December 15th. She was born addicted to cocaine and her birth mother ("bmom") wanted to place her for adoption so that she wouldn't go into State custody. Ryan and I talked about it and began to think about whether or not we would be able to provide for a child who would probably have some special needs as she gets older. We felt that maybe a family with more experience with this sort of thing would be better, we were kind of being cowards, but we decided to go and meet with Laraine, the caseworker from the other agency. Laraine is wonderful. She was really the only person who was visiting the baby and we could see she really loved her. We saw the baby and it was love at first sight. I cried the whole way home from the hospital because I was sure I wanted to be her mother, but was still worried whether I could provide her with the best care. Over the next few weeks, we met with doctors and specialists. We prayed and prayed to know what to do. We met with Laraine at the hospital. The baby was doing great. She was doing everything that little babies are suppose to do, she would be discharged from the hospital soon. Ryan and I knew soon after that we wanted her to come home with us, but then things got complicated. To summarize days of traumatic phone calls and dark moments, about a week ago, we were received a phone call that the State had taken her into custody, she was now in a foster home and we had no idea where she was or what to do. We were crushed. I felt abandoned and betrayed by the State and by our agency. They all told us that we would be able to adopt her but things had changed. The next day, we were told that DCFS and the AG's office were aware of our situation and since the bmom was no longer in the picture, they all wanted us to have the baby. But, of course, we have to go through all the necessary procedures. So, Ryan and I are now taking classes to become licensed foster parents. We are being licensed as kinship foster parents, which means once our reference letters come back and our home safety visit is done, we will be able to bring the baby home while we are waiting to complete our training. We are thrilled beyond words. Another wonderful thing is that our little one is with a wonderful foster family, we honestly couldn't ask for better people to be caring for her. They are a cute grandma and grandpa, who have welcomed us into their home. Yes, we do have daily visitation, what a blessing that is. So, here she is.....my little girl!!! We will name her Emma Laraine Brophy. Emma after my aunt, and Laraine for the amazing woman who first introduced us. (SHHHH.....The State calls her something else for the time being, but we will only call her that at meetings and in Court)

I have to say, "THANK YOU" to those of you in blog land who have been there for us and continue to be a big support. There have been times this past month when I have felt exhausted physically, emotionally, and spiritually, but I have always been able to move forward. I have an amazing family and group of friends. Some who have been a strength to me through their prayers, phone calls and hugs, others who have sat with me on the couch and cried right along side me. The journey isn't over yet, but I am starting to feel like it will have a happy ending.

Happy New Year!!!

New Year's Eve began as a strange day for us, but got much better as the day went on. We went up to Wyoming where Ryan's cousin, Josh and his wife, Tammy, were hosting a family party. We ate a lot of yummy food and had a blast playing games. We have been up to Evanston on New Year's Eve before and are always impressed by the fireworks display that happens at midnight. I always think that Kaysville City does a wonderful job with their Fourth of July fireworks display, but that display is nothing compared to what they do in Evanston. It was almost as if they were trying to burn the town down or something. It was pretty amazing to see. It was SOOOOO cold there, though. After the fireworks, we went to Ryan's aunt and uncle's house for more games. We stayed up until 4:00 am. I am realizing today that I am getting a little too old to be up that late. We were all impressed that Ryan's grandma Louise stayed up with us and played games, she is quite the gamer. So, Happy 2009 everyone. I am hoping this year brings us all health and happiness. (and maybe a new member of the Brophy family, who knows??!!)

Braxton, Ryan, Shelley, Wendy, Grandma Louise and Rick trying to stay warm, while waiting for the fireworks to begin. (Ryan is growing a goatee this holiday season, I am so glad that it will be gone in a few days. :) Fireworks

HAHAHA, this picture will someday be used as blackmail. Gotta love my boy!