Double Happiness!!

After many, many years of waiting...



...the Sacramento Monarchs won the Women's National Basketball Association 2005 Championship!!!! Barb and Reneé have been steady fans since the inaugural year in 1997, suffering through the losing seasons, the rotating coaches, the eight dollar beers, the dashed hopes, so that finally FINALLY we could savor a competitive season complete with nail-biting play-off games, three-pointers at the buzzer, and a victorious best-of-five series against the Connecticut Sun. And Jeremy hung tough with us at every home game since Opening Day of the 2005 season. He was unflappable despite the raucous noise inside Arco Arena -- he even mastered the art of the power nap during the closing minutes of Game 3 of the Finals! Obviously, he is the Sixth Man that the Monarchs needed to give them the winning edge.



Actually, something even bigger and happier than the Monarch's championship happened today. Something that we have been waiting a very, very long time for.

TODAY WAS OUR FINAL ADOPTION DAY!!!



At 8:00am in Department 133 of the Family Relations Courthouse in Sacramento, the judge ruled that "it is in Jeremy's best interests" for us to adopt him! The moment was so profound. The decree was delivered in a calm understated way that allowed the joy of the words to rise up on top of the power of the words themselves. We were blessed to have family and friends surrounding us to witness the official sanction of our family. The celebrants in attendance from Jeremy's Village include:

David & Janelle Hawkins
Ross Hawkins
Jean Webster
Betsy Webster
Rich & Laura Webster
Kay Schlegel & Martha Blackman
Glynis & Anna Wood-Alpert
Terri & Claire Ramos
Mark Callicotte
Margaret & Rhiannah Giddings
Sydney & Edward Carrillo
Chu Marajone & Leslie Gershoff & their Mila
Janelle & Mac & Charles "Rocketship" MacDonald
Genevieve Shiroma
Bob Waste
Trish Stanionis
Allen Warren
Karen Seeback
Susan Hanusek
Joan Turner



We are so honored and humble to be raising this special boy. We are not perfect, and yet we have been given both the gift and the responsibility of providing Jeremy the best possible opportunity to maximize his innate talents, help him develop and sharpen the skills that can benefit his community, and instill the quiet confidence necessary for him to be happy to be alive despite the inevitable challenges he will face. He has already given us immeasurable happiness. We only hope we can return the gift to him in some comparable way.

We love you, Jeremy Paul.