The Christian Crew

I promise i will have PART 2 of our story come out sooner than later so, cut me some slack- im a tired momma of 7 now! Whoa that's crazy to write. Also, there's been some suggestion that it's time to write our BOOK. I'm nervous and trying to figure out where to start our story at. I think possibly starting it at Brandon's own adoption may be the best jumping off point but, we will see. Anyone want to be my Ghost writer? lol. I'm almost certain that when i get sleep again- life will start to normalize- or at least I will start to feel good with our new normal. Anywho, the TWINS are Doing Great! Dahlia is smaller than Drake now and here's some photos for your entertainment!  they were 5 days old! so precious:) just last Sunday! our funny outake 

Back in Nov of  2016, myself and Brandon were very content loving on our beautiful children. Our house was brimming with squeals and giggles and the occasional bit of sibling rivalry and loud noises. We were gearing up for the Holidays and couldn't be happier. One cold night as we snuggled in bed, we were recalling how quickly our kids were growing up and how blessed we are. "So, Do you think we are Done now?" I asked Brandon, as I had man other times. His response was the same as it had been the last two months. " I don't really know." And for the next weeks this question would keep coming up. Finally, 2 weeks before Celise's finalization for her adoption to be made complete, I asked again and he answered almost the same as He had before. But this time I said " If we are not sure now, then we are not done. We are not complete. " Brandon quietly responded " Yeah, We aren't done. " What followed was a week of contacting our ca...

...When picking your path to find the missing pieces of your HEART! I am asked quite often " Who should we pick for an agency/ attorney etc?" "What do you think about fostering to adopt?" " What worked for your family?" All legitimate questions and guess what- the ANSWER is different for each person and family! Gavin at 5 days old after placement I wish I had a rote answer- it might be easier that way but, honestly, my advice is to SEARCH out the agency, facilitator, attorney, foster program and ponder on what you are being led to. If you pray- do that too- a lot! With our last adoption, I found the agency on the Internet and then I asked a colleague of mine what He thought ( he has been working in the adoption field for 30+ years) about this particular agency. He had great things to say about ethics and good practice of adoption laws. I researched them more, prayed about it, and reached out to them to see if they'd even be interested in ...

Hey Hopeful Adoptive Couples!😀  You know, I'm totally FOR you adopting a baby or child, right? Good, because I want you to take some loving and fun POINTERS from this Momma who has adopted (or has been matched) 4 times in under 6 months each time! First adoption was 10 days, second was just about 6 months and third was 2 months till we were matched and 9 weeks later Cece was born . With the Twins adoption, we had ZERO wait- we weren't even really ready but, our digital book was  and it was chosen over 10 others bc It was RIGHT for HER and RIGHT for US too! 8 days later we had twins!!!  ( learn more about our adventures by checking out our pages or our PODCAST on the Adoption Now Radio Show)! SO, I'm giving these pointers as a play on this awesome Dr. Laura Book SO, take this in a Light Hearted way. If you know me- you know I'm a bit funny and jest here and there a bit.   ( there is also a MEN's version of the book too)   Mostly I'm writing this ...

I'm going to try and NOT be mean to my own kind here ( adoptive couples/hopefuls) but, I want to give you a bit of RAW advice. It's nothing new or something that hasn't been said before by someone else- It's just time for a reminder- a reminder to your HEART... START with your HEART, listen to it, find a peaceful place to meditate and listen to your spirit as it connects to your heart and enlightens your mind on  this somewhat of a heavy topic... WHY are YOU PICKING and CHOOSING, When GOD and the UNIVERSE are trying to line things UP for you to be blessed with a child? Here's a bit of what I WROTE for Premier Adoptions Newsletter published back in February... " To Hopeful Adoptive Couples - I have been in your shoes- I have suffered 5 miscarriages, 2 almost adoptions and brought back a foster baby. This is a tough spot to be in but, It’s WORTH IT! Every time you think you are losing Hope- turn it over to that Higher Power. Open yourself and your h...

This amazing Gal I Know has been a friend for about 5 years now! BIG TOUGH GIRL! Please consider donating or purchasing some cool swag for your adoption peeps! She runs an incredible company called Check out her whole site and her goal of Lifetime Healing! Did I Mention she is also a birth mother , mother of two and married to a big teddy bear hunk? YEP! She owns it where ever she is! Love her realness and kind heart! She is a woman of GOD too:) Thank you Ashley for Supporting adoption and healing and Owning Your Story. You are a life changer in Every way!

I recently had the pleasure of going on the Radio show/ Podcast show Adoption Now, with April Fallon. She is a STELLAR busy adoptive momma of 4 with her own unique stories too! I got to share a good bit about our stories and I LOVED it. The only regrets that I have are that I feel like I didn't get to tell Celise's story enough ( we ran out of time ) and we left details out of Brielle's story too. Brandon listened with me last week as we were folding clothes and said " I should have told this story with all the details!" I agree that He is a terrific talker and I think You may here a podcast from Brandon himself, soon ( cross your fingers). His POV is a bit different than mine and as an adoptee He has very different experiences. Also, some of our story will not be shared- its those intimate details that stay between birth parents and adoptive parents. It's not secret info, its just sacred to us. During birth and placement-  is such an extra special tim...

As you know I help run the local CO chapter of United For Adoption .  I do not make any money but, get paid in positive energy and love! Helping families, expectant moms, birth parents and adoptees connect and have a sense of community is so needed and a HUGE part of my heart! Here's what on the Horizon for MAY... Here's this YEARS Birth Parent Retreat too!   If you are reading this and want more information on any of these events- leave a comment of message me! Adoption support and community is so important to all involved and we are blessed to be surrounded by many adoptive families here in Evergreen, where we live. In my kids' school classes there are at least three-5 adopted kids in EACH class- its pretty awesome and pretty normalized here.  Have e wonderful SPRING! til Next time!

Over the last couple of days, I have been talking with different Agencies and attorneys and I needed some time to reflect upon all this new information I've been processing. I've been talking to ones in the East and MAN, they do things very differently over there and I'm kind of taken aback- like WAY BACK- 50 yrs or so... WHY? Because one agency told me they are TRADITIONAL meaning they are not FOR open adoptions at all. In Fact, you never meet the expectant mom before she has the baby and you don't come to the hospital or anything until papers are signed. In my heart, that's not right- how would you NOT want to form a relationship with the woman who is choosing you to parent Her child? And in that sentence, I realized that back even 15-20 years ago- most women didn't even have the choice to meet the couples hoping to adopt. That just wasn't the way they did things. Any who, now things are different and We have the choice to build relationships if that...

Oh My Word - this has to be one of the hardest things for most of us to do. Like how often do you meet someone you want to impress and just unload all things private and sacred in your life on them? Practically Never! The same goes for Being In the Adoption community/world. It's a HARD space full of judgement on all sides. And most of those things we all judge each other on, are irrelevant in nature! Who Cares if you are a stay at home or work at home mom or if you cook dinner ever single night for your kids with 3 different tastes. Who even cares if the expectant mom is living on a diet of kool-aid and Cheetos.  The THING I've learned through adopting 3 times is that YOU have to LET things GO that don't matter and you have to LOVE someone where they are at! You can't wish someone better or change the fact that the Adoptive parents let the kid read Goosebumps at age 9 when you think they are too young. Just Stop it. Let's focus on Building each other UP and se...

Our Court Day was Epic! Of course a few things had to be changed up... like our judge, our courtroom and a few people getting lost in the changes but, overall. It went well! The kids got to answer ?'s and it was unlike any other court date we have had. I hope and pray our kids will remember this and retell Celise about the Day she became an Official Christian Family Member! Here's a CUTE shoot i did of all her sweet little rolls, creases and bit parts too. It's so important to enjoy every day as kids grow so quickly and life on Earth is short. As a mom, i feel like I'm becoming the Mom on The Goldbergs ( if you haven't seen this show- it's hilarious and about the 80's90's) . I want to KISS and snuggle my schmoopies until they can't take it any more. I know why my mom always wanted a hug , a kiss a time with just me- because time is fleeting! In a blink- they are off to college and starting families of their own ( well not...

Sheesh! It's seriously going by so quickly and I can't believe Celise is 9 months now and we had a few hiccups in the court doc process ( nothing negative- we had a judge who wanted a few things the agency thought they wouldn't need) and now in a week- we will be Adding CeCe to the official Christian Clan roster! Woot Woot! Enjoy some pics from the last couple of months of this growing beauty! at Disneyland! Nov 2016 5 months the Cast of Alice in Wonderland At Santa's boots Christmas Eve night 2016 9 months old Garrett & CeCe Buddies forever!