By the way . . .

[Phil]

<<< Those two beautiful babies in my new avatar are our newly adopted kids, Gabriella and Aaron. I'll spare you most of the gory details, but Leslie and I were their foster parents (we got each of them when they were 2 days old - picked them up from the hospital) before we finally got to adopt them. They were both drug-exposed in utero which showed up in their systems at birth, which is why they ended up in the clutches of DHS. Gabby was adopted on her very first birthday, and Aaron about three weeks later. We had a legal fight for Gabby, but it was the best money we've ever spent in our lives.

Gabby (a/k/a "Little Bit", "Sissy", "Booger", and/or "Squirt") is a month past her first birthday now, and Aaron (a/k/a "Little Man", "AJ", and/or "AJAX") is almost 11 months.

Gabby is just on the verge of walking and talking, and we don't expect her to stop doing either one when she finally starts. Aaron is a little behind Gabby, but he's crawling and pulling himself up, and he has a mouthful of serious teeth that he will use on you if you make the mistake of getting a finger or something in or near his mouth. Both are doing quite well, and we are on top of any issues that may arise due to their exposure to things to which they shouldn't have been exposed.

Those who made the tailgates last year have already met them, but most of the rest of you didn't know anything about them. Until it was finalized, it wasn't a good idea to make it public on the board. Now, however, they are ours for good. They are the joys of our lives.

http://www.soonerfans.com/kidsbig.jpg

[jacru]

proud papa and right to be.:D
I'm happy for you.

[Soonerus]

Congratulations !!! That is great !!!

[1stTimeCaller]

that's awesome.

[PAW]

May they bring you all the joy our son has brought us. Spek to you. :)

[soonerboomer93]

great news, congratulations

[olevetonahill]

Joy to you and the babbies .:cool:

[toast]

awesome Phil, may God bless you and your family

[Rhino]

Congrats Phil & Leslie!

[King Crimson]

way to go Phil.

[Tailwind]

Awwwww, they're so cute. Lucky you are. Many blessings on your family.

[colleyvillesooner]

I mean this in all seriousness...you the man. THE MAN!





well talk about the bandwidth issues those big pics are gonna cause later. ;)

[PhxSooner]

That is great news. Those two cuties are so fortunate to have parents who will fight hard for them.

[usmc-sooner]

awesome

God Bless you Phil and Mrs. Phil

[KC//CRIMSON]

That's awesome. Congrats to both of you.

[proud gonzo]

That's awesome! Congrats to all of you :D

[Widescreen]

Congratulations. I know they'll be a blessing.

[Ardmore_Sooner]

The world needs more folks like you! Congrats and God bless you all!

[def_lazer_fc]

foster parents are my favorite kind of parents. kudos to you for making a BIG difference is somebody's life.

[BajaOklahoma]

Congrats! And thank you!
Some of our best parents have been foster parents and adopting parents.

[TUSooner]

That's totally fantastic, Phil. And awesome, too.
You may amount to something yet. :D

The kids are blessed, btw. ;)

[jrsooner]

Congrats!!!!! Good job phil.

[Scott D]

congrats to the two of you.

[BoogercountySooner]

Congrats fer sure. Have fun with em and I'm sure you will do an awesome job!

[OUHOMER]

congrates

[Viking Kitten]

:hmfic: = AWESOME!

Congrats Phil and Leslie.

[sanantoniosooner]

awesome

[MamaMia]

Awww, what a wonderful blessing you all have in each other.
Those babies are just adorable. Looks like you'll have your hands full. :)

[Okla-homey]

Good jorb...and just another exception to the belief held by far too many people that ALL lawyers are selfish jerks.;)

[LilSooner]

Phil I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am for you. 9 years ago my dad and step mom became foster parents to two twin boys after years of trying on their own. The twins mother was a meth addict prostitute from East Austin. She already had 7 other children that had been taken away from her, but for some reason she fought to keep the twins. Well, three years later and my college fund that dad had been saving for me to go OU the boys were finally adopted by Dad and step mom. It was the best thing that ever did. Last year Lance was the Texas novice state champ in wrestling and even though both boys had high levels of meth in their system they are carrying 90 plus averages in all subjects in school this year. Obviously, I am a VERY proud big sister.

It takes a very special person to go through what you and your wife did. Congrats!

[BlondeSoonerGirl]

YAY!

[85Sooner]

hOW COOL IS THAT! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[GottaHavePride]

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/penguincult/_images/hooray.jpg


Congratulations, Phil. I'm glad it worked out.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

Awesome! So happy for you.

[StoopTroup]

WTG Phil and Leslie ! ! !

God Bless you and your Family.

ST

[soonerhubs]

Congrats, and God bless you.