Jefferson LeDonne

Jefferson is officially adopted now!!! His family started the process last summer when they were here, and it's finally complete. It has been so awesome for all of us to see it from start to finish.
So....here is part of the journey in pictures. :)

The LeDonne family arrived in Quito mid-August. They didn't get to come to Shell for a couple of days, so I had Jefferson call them on my cell. Here are some pics of the first conversation they had in-country....
The first two are talking to his dad....

then mom.... :)

Jefferson and I were waiting at our house on the day the LeDonnes were driving to Shell. It was so exciting!!! We got 'the call' and went walking over to where they were going to stay. I was supposed to take a lot of pictures, but I got too caught up in the moment!!! Here are a couple....
Jefferson got to stay with the family throughout the process, and it was so fun to see him be with his new family. He didn't hesitate one bit in calling Tim 'Daddy' and Lisa 'Mom.' It was great. His new sister, Lizzie, and brother, Connor, were so great with him. Everyone who spent time with them noticed that Jefferson was just completely at home.

They were here for almost 2 months going through the final stages of the adoption process. They got to stay with us for a couple of weeks at different times, and we loved it!! It was so special to see them bonding...and hilarious to hear some of the stories as well. :) I just have to say that one of my favorites involved the subject of circumcision. You could just say that Jefferson was quite concerned about his new brother....and more concerned that he would somehow become like him.

So....Here's a pic. of the day they went to meet the judge for final approval of the adoption. They all had to dress up for their appointment, and Lisa had brought the cutest outfit for Jefferson. Here's a quick snapshot of the family outside of the courthouse.
God was definitely taking care of things and smoothing the way for them, because every checkpoint they had was completed on time. In case you've never been here before...that is an AMAZING thing.
The ONLY delay they had actually came on the day they were supposed to finally fly out of the country! That was when all of the drama happened in Quito, so they were delayed a day. Here's a pic of when they finally got to fly home. :)

Since then, they've had a couple of weeks at home together. Tim posted some pics on Facebook, and I've put some of my favorites on here. These are from Jefferson's first week in the States.

Classic first trip to Wal-Mart..... They said he LOVED the greeter who so freely handed out stickers.

If you haven't met Jefferson....He has no toes on either feet. He was badly burned as a child, and doctors said he might never walk. That's not even close to the case now.... You'd never know!!! They said his scooter is his new favorite sport. :)



Here's their whole family...minus an older daughter. Aren't they beautiful?!?


Jefferson has been a favorite of many visitors over the years, and I know everyone is so excited that he is now a part of a family. Please continue to keep the LeDonnes and Jefferson in your prayers. God is so faithful.....