OneMooreMinor: Along for the crazy ride!

These past two months have flown by so very quickly. In April, we made two trips to Central Florida: one for a conference with Bethany where SK was able to stay with Grandy all week and the following one for SK's finalization court date! Selena is still a trooper when it comes to traveling via car but as she is now very alert and inquisitive, she tries to crunch here abs and sit up out of her car seat. Of course, she cannot because she is restrained by the seat belt portion and this makes her frustrated!
On the day of her final court case, we traveled with Amy's family and SK to the Orange county courthouse and waited for what they call a "cattle call". This meant that all family court cases including divorces and adoption were seen in no specific order but all are asked to arrive at 9 am and wait for your name to be called. We arrived at 8:30 to be sure we had plenty of time and waited patiently in the outer lobby area. Selena was a doll the whole time we waited and did not even make a peep. Finally, at 11 am our names were called and we entered the court room. As we were being sworn in, Selena decided this would be the most opportune time to throw an utter fit. She was not hungry, wet, dirty or tired. She just decided to voice her opinion as well. We could barely hear what our lawyer was asking us and it was difficult to keep her under control. Nevertheless, she did not give up the crying and all of the hearing
included her tantrum as well as many of her pictures. As soon as were dismissed from our hearing, and walked out of the courtroom, she smiled! STINKER! Then she proceeded to fall asleep.
After this, we took pictures of the momentous day where Selena Kate officially became our daughter in the eyes of the law. What an amazingly beautiful day. We were truly honored to be chosen to raise this precious sweet girl. We celebrated with Amy's parents before they flew to Mississippi for Easter. Chad, myself and SK spent the Easter weekend in Merritt Island lounging by the pool.

On a side note, we have received orders to move to Ft. Polk, Louisiana and are scheduled to leave in July! This news was unexpected and of course saddened us as we have built a life here in the Panhandle. Although, we knew the day would come when the Air Force told us it was time to move on, we sure were not thinking it was anytime soon, nor would it occur so very quickly. We are excited about what the future holds for our family but the impending move is bittersweet. This is the longest we have ever lived anywhere besides our homes in Merritt Island and Byhalia and we had grown to love this part of Florida. The Pensacola area will always hold a piece of our hearts and we hate that Selena will not have any memories of it. We do know that our memories made in Louisiana will give her another perspective that we can only hope and pray is as wonderful as the time we spent here. We are trying to remind ourselves that "happiness is a choice" and "home is where you make it". Although those statements are a bit cliche, it seems to be the only thing keeping us optimistic as we plan for this upcoming move.
Mother's day is this weekend and I am thrilled to finally be celebrating it for the first time as a mother not just a daughter. I had no idea how emotional and excited I would be about having that day. It really does not matter what we do, or where we go and seeing as though we need to save money for a move, it looks like we will be hanging out doing things that are free. Which by the way, I love especially historical tours and the beach..dare I say it...I have grown to love the beach! Still do NOT like the sand, but the beaches here are prettier than anywhere I have ever seen including the Keys. So as Mother's day approaches, I am reflecting on my amazingly strong and supportive mother who always has been there for me AND on my time spent longing to be just that: a mother! It is finally here and I plan to cherish every moment, no matter what comes our way!

Pictures to follow soon!

Update: We ended up spending Mother's day weekend with my sister and Selen'a Aunti M (aka Meredith) in Orange Beach, Alabama! What an amzing weekend with family...only thing that would have made it better would have been to have our mother there!

Here are tons of pictures of the last two months since we have slacked at posting: