A party for a girl...

... a party for a new mom, a growing community, a party for the stability that family can bring... all in celebration of what God has done.
A crowd of us gathered last night at the home of Brooke and her new baby girl, Rachel Evangeline Lily Larkin Cone, to celebrate the adoption of said long named one and the start of this family.

Our time together was festive, loud, and crowded as we ate, mingled, danced and took a ton of pictures. My favorite time might have been either the dancing, or the time where we nestled into the front room, making a huge circle of friends & family.

During that time we gave blessings, toasted, and praised God for what He has done in and through Brooke & Rachel. Adoption is so cool! I love that in celebrating a child being taken in fully by a family I am reminded that I too was once an orphan. Her story is my story, as a believer in Jesus. I too was lost and in need, and now I belong. It is such a blessing to be reminded of God's love and care for me in the story of this tall Cone family. Hooray for belonging!

The dancing, as I mentioned was another favorite time, mostly because I love dancing and more importantly I love dancing with the Cone girls. They are wild and creative and I am consistently shocked, awed, and challenged to improve my dancing skills when I am around them. My only regret is that David Cone (the DJ by default because of his healing knee) couldn't dance and also didn't play Beyonce's "All The Single Ladies". (sigh) I am obsessed.


Tess, me, Autumn, & Rebekah (aka All The Single Ladies)


UB, the girl of honor, & AJ

I love that the guests dressed up! It made it such a celebratory and pretty place to be!


Lady D & Stace


me & Mumsy

and Asia...queen of felines. She decided to stay home because she knew that as a queen she might put everyone to shame. So beautiful and yet so humble.