I am happy to announce the end of one of the longest journeys Sarah and I have ever undertaken. Sarah and I are licensed foster parents. Last fall, a young boy by the name of Will came to live with us. We were immediately taken by his amazing heart and sweet soul. Not long after he moved in we filed the paperwork to adopt him and this past Wednesday, the adoption became final - Will is a permanent member of the family.
The last 10 months have been long when not outright frustrating. While our agency and caseworkers were awesome, interacting with some of the government's red tape takes its toll on you. The day of the adoption hearing followed that theme. We get to the courthouse, wander around for 10 minutes only to run into an employee who informed us family court had moved to a new building. We get to the new building, are directed to a courtroom and sit for 10 minutes or so only to be told we were in the wrong courtroom. We finally made it to the correct court with two or so minutes to spare before the start of the hearing. Augh! The important part is, we made it and it is done!
This is the first time I am able to post a public blog regarding our new son. Prior to the adoption finalization, he was a ward of the court and certain privacy regulations were in effect. I've sent out a number of updates, thoughts and musings to our family and close friends - some of which I may republish here at a later date. It's difficult to capture the range of emotions one experiences during a process such as this. I think it's safe to say that the journey was the longest and hardest for Will. The judge allowed him to sit at her chair and bang the gavel... I don't believe I could come up with a better image to express the cumulation of the moment more than the one below.

We were blessed to have several members of our family and close friends on hand for the hearing. Will's been able to bond with his new grandparents - having them there was extra special. For those of you that would like to watch the hearing, you can find it on youtube.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tcbWkASO2w
After the hearing, we headed back to our place for a celebration with extended family and friends. We had 60+ people over (glad the fire marshal didn't stop by). You can't pull off a party like that without a lot of help. Special thanks to my cousin and father-in-law for manning the grill.
We collected a number of random photos throughout the day. Here's my dad practicing his gang signs...
My brother Andy and I. He and his spouse, Holly, flew in from CT for the day. 15 hours of travel for five hours of beer and brats. I just love those guys! (And yes, most Vomastek men tend to were Hawaiian shirts as often as possible.)
We Vomasteks also have a pretty strong carefree streak running through us. At the last minute I decided to set up some studio gear in the garage to let people take pictures of themselves. Andy and Holly were early takers....
Mom and Dad doing whatever it is they do...
My brother Ed and Tam (Ed's the only Vomastek male who can pick out clothes on his own)...
My sister Rebecca and her daughter Sophia....
The whole Vomastek clan minus Cait (WE MISS YOU!)...
From there, the kids and teenagers took over. The adults returned to the backyard to chat... as such, I really can't be responsible for the images that follow....
Lily, a wonderful young woman we've gotten to know this last summer, staffed the party for us. On a break, she got into the act as well. (Thanks, Lily, for all the help!!!)
Sarah and Rebecca, the "Dark Barbies"....
Not sure how to explain this next one so I am not going to try....
And finally, on a more serious note, the new family.
Thanks to all of you for all your love and support these last several months.
Dan
PS - you can find the complete gallery of silliness at http://lakeshoreclick.com/family/willsadoptionday/