The Christian Crew

A Very Merry Christmas! may you make lots of memories and cherish every moment with your children and family! And Some special time with your birth families- if you are so blessed! Have a Happy New Year too! Be back after the Holidays!

SO, now that we have LOTS of Birth families in our little family- visits can be tricky. Here's a few tips I've come up with when it comes to planning your visits with family and birth families... 1. ALWAYS do what is BEST for YOUR immediate family first-not your parents or extended family. You can't please everyone all the time so, quit trying. Focus on who you can please- your spouse and kiddos! 2. Make a MAP of your trip/ Timeline but, don't make a play by play list. LEAVE your plans open and flexible when it's possible. The coolest things/ experiences happen when they are not planned! So for us, we have one afternoon/evening in UT on our way to NV to see Gavin's Birth mom and her entire family. We will have a dinner there but otherwise the rest if the evening in unplanned. We are open to whatever:) You can overbook your hours too quickly, stress out that you are not following your plan or way behind schedule and there goes your sanity and stress levels. 3. D...

To Halloween and our visit with Jessica and Daylen! The kids loved playing with both Jessica and Daylen! You know kids are the best filters for BAD/ODD people, right? So, if they can see and feel love in your eyes- you are free to jump all over them and play till they peel you off!* Thanks for being very patient with the girls, guys! We attended a Church Halloween Trunk-Or-Treat, went to a dance and had dinner with friends and played games and such. It was relaxing at times and stressful at times too ( way too many parties and cold). Jessica and I handled this beast of a pumpkin carving project! Food Network Challenge- here we come! Bring it! ( okay not really- don't call i won't answer) Gavin IS the BEST Tootsie Roll EVER! I let the Girls PICK what they wanted to be this year- Brielle chose Sleeping Beauty! Aria chose Ariel. Both girls got their costumes for their birthdays but, i had to severely alter Aria's and add 7 inches to Brielle's so, i got a bit creative with ...