A Heart As Big As Texas

Paul and I had the most amazing time in Texas this weekend with Kayli and her family.  At the risk of embarassing Kayli, Paul and I just have to say that she is absolutely wonderful and we love her so much.  She is fun and gracious and strong and beautiful and someone you just can't help loving.  Since Paul and I didn't fly in to Dallas until midnight on Friday, Kayli suggested that we have a late breakfast at Mimi's Cafe on Saturday.  We got to the restaurant just a little bit early and watched for her to come through the door.  Paul proudly announced that he saw her first through the window. 

It was like...a reunion of sorts, even though it was a first meeting, technically speaking.  But we have already communicated so much and feel so close that it wasn't awkward a bit.  And the funny thing is that I don't think any of us were ever even nervous about it being awkward because our friendship had already been built through epic emails and phone calls.  

We got to spend our weekend talking and laughing with Kayli - we all laughed a lot in fact, it was so much fun - meeting her caseworker and talking about the adoption plan and the logistics for the baby's birth (we have a name - Clara Jane - and I want to do a separate post about the story behind her name soon), and spending time with Kayli's family.  We played games, went to church, ate meals, celebrated Kayli's birthday, and we were even invited to participate in family scripture study and prayer with Kayli's family.  It felt like home and we couldn't have been happier.  

I got to feel the baby kick a number of times even though Kayli explained that now that the baby is getting a little more squished she doesn't move around quite as much.  And on Sunday, during Sunday School, the baby got the hiccups and Kayli had me put my hand on her belly to feel the rhythmic little jolts of the Clara's hiccups and we stifled giggles at how funny and amazing it is.

Oh, and did I mention that Kayli's family has a little farm?  Maybe it's not a farm, but they have goats and chickens, and one of the goats had just given birth to two kid goats just a couple days before we got there.  The baby goats were SO cute with their soft fur and their wobbly legs.  I, of course, just had to hold the animals, even the chickens.  Initially I thought I wanted to try milking one of the goats, but I lost my nerve when it came down to it and said "no thank you."  Maybe next time.  I learned that chicken eggs aren't just white or brown - they can also be green or blue or pink.  I touched freshly laid eggs while they were still warm in the henhouse.  Kayli's brothers and sisters told us about how sometimes hawks try to get the chickens.  We fed scraps of food to the goats.  Kayli's mom made delicious strawberry ice cream (my favorite although I'm pretty sure she didn't know that) from goat's milk.  It was awesome.

Me and Kayli with a chicken.  I really don't like how I look in this photo but Kayli is so cute that I decided to post it anyway.  :)

Kayli's brother and sister showing me the baby chicks.

Holding the baby goats.

I love this photo so much.

At one point in our meeting with Kayli's caseworker, Kayli's mom described Kayli as having "a heart as big as Texas."  It was very apparent to us that everyone loves Kayli and it is easy to understand why.  We love her too.

We can hardly believe that she is due in just about a month and we can't wait to go back!