A great day to remember!

I chose this picture because it shows you just how great of a family we have. We all dressed as Pirates for Canyon's 6 year old birthday party. The things we do for the ones we love. There is nothing our family would not do for eachother...even if it means dressing up. Arrg! Look out Esther you are joining a crazy clan. (Crazy cuz'n Taylor included)

So today is a great day for the Raymond and Pepos families. I must admit I did not get much sleep last night..if any. I knew that while I slept my wonderful parents would be on the search with Esther to find her father. It is not like you can look up his address on Yahoo and map quest it, so the journey is a difficult one. But definitely not one my folks can not handle. I finally got out of bed at 5:30 and paced until about 6:45 and then got in my car, with bad hair and sweats , and drove to my parents house to call.(my comcast phone does not allow international calls) When I got a hold of them dad answered and told me that yes in deed Esther's father gave permission for us to adopt her. I can not tell you the emotions that filled my heart. Then dad gave the phone to Esther...my heart was racing and I was a bit nervous. I wanted to say so much to her, but knew that although her English is better, it is still very limited. But to hear her voice after a year made my heart fill with love and joy. She sounded just as beautiful as I remember and it made it all seem so much more real. Today is truly one of the best days of my life. I then got to talk with Mom who told me that Esther's father was also in the car and that they were taking him to the city so he can visit with the Minister tomorrow to grant permission in person. I then screamed and could not hold back my emotions. Of course, mom said do not cry, but it was tears of extreme relief and lots of joy. So hopefully by tomorrow the papers will be approved and she will be coming home soon.

Thank you all so much for being such a great support. Especially Eric, Eve, Cedar and Eden for letting me wake them up. I wanted to share the news with someone so I knocked on their door early this morning. I did bring coffee as a peace offering and they were more than welcoming. I love you all so much and want you to know that I appreciate all the prayers and positive energy that has been sent our way. We are getting closer and Esther is a lucky girl to have all of you as her friends and family. So have a great day today and be thankful for all we have. God is bigger than I ever imagined.