The Christian Crew

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!

 UFA  has been receiving so much HELP getting ready for this amazing birth parent retreat! I am overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude by the kindness this community has given so far! We still have a bit more funds to raise for food and  therapists' costs- but I KNOW and TRUST that we will find a way- God is Good- we are STRONG- we Trust in our HEARTS and the KINDNESS of others! ... There are so many people BEHIND these names on this picture- I will THANK you all as this progresses- but I must thank SARAH R. for all you diligence currently-you are amazing! LOVING THIS SONG from the NEW Cinderella- it explains how I feel and the gratitude I have!..  

WE had our Kick-Off Party and ENJOYED getting to know each other! We had VISITORS come all the way from CO Springs as well! and our OLDEST decided to WRITE what she feels Adoption means on the white board and helped set up as well! Her birth momma would be proud- she is growing up so fast! FOOD and Adoption Art/Literature  Tables! Kids being kids:) We Played a Getting to know you GAME!  The Reddekopps even made it here from down south! It was such a treat to see them! You read a question then tossed the ball to the person you wanted to answer that question! Some were easy, some were funny, ALL got us talking and thinking! Myself and Gavin ( He was in a back scratching coma:) Jessica- our birth momma friend ( not my son's Birth mom though:) and SLADE our baby! Our Guest, LCSW, who specializes in working with foster care and adopted kids and her little man! Ray, who was recently adopted this year th...

It's Been on my mind for the past few weeks  to write a bit of wisdom and understanding concerning becoming a parent through adoption. Mainly in part, because I have so many sweet friends and associates who are still Waiting for the Miracle of a Child. These friend of mine are smart, educated, have nice homes, pets, degrees, are well-respected in the community and GIVE so much to those they serve yet, they long to be called Mommy and Daddy.  Their arms ache for a child and their hearts seem to be held together with strings of hope after such long periods of time without kids. I've Been there. Maybe in a different way and time in my life but, I've had those crummy, hard experiences. Like speaking in church on mothers day after three years of infertility and empty arms. Or days when I didn't want to try any more, like after I lost the 5th baby on my birthday one year! I want you precious and wonderful couples to know that HOPE is okay to have again!!! YEP, after 2...

With Many things at the Moment. I am Potty training our son Gavin, getting the last 17 lbs off my bod, and selling again all my overstock on ETSY. Here's some of the images below. ccbabyinc.etsy.com in case you want to shop or stop by! NEED YOUR PRODUCTS SHOT? i can SHOOT anything from Florals to Filagree... buildings to beads and anything in between. 

New Years Resolutions are all about making great changes, committing , and resolving to correct the things that are off in your life! So, what are YOURS this year? Are they about your physical body? Using your talents more? Being more charitable? Accomplishing big goals in your work or life? Sometimes we set goals that are just out of our control all together and we get disappointed when they don't happen! As far as adoption goes, we can't control all that much of the process but, Here's a few things you can .... If you think your agency has forgotten you... GET in their face - in the most helpful and least obnoxious way possible - volunteer with outreach programs they might have, join FSA or similar adoption focused groups and get to know your adoption manager. They won't forget you if are around all the time. And when you are doing good things for others- good things will come your way too. It's true! ALL 6 of the couples that are highly involved on the FSA boar...

I have posted on this before and i wish to post on it again in a different light! I found a perfect article that sums up my feelings about gift giving! If you read my last post about this. I told you that i really don't like gifts, getting things that are meaningless, or just random stuff. I like them to be thoughtful and heartfelt or something i really needed/wanted! I've been gearing up for the holidays and on our last FSA CENTRAL meeting call i found this article by Henry B. Eyring and He gave it the year I was born. 1982 ( yeah, I'm almost 30!) And I love what he says... "Great gift-giving involves three things: you feel what the other feels ; you give freely ; and you count sacrifice a bargain." I thought about that in the context of adoption. And about Expectant Parents who choose to place. As they are looking at so many profiles of couples hoping to adopt a baby. they FEEL for US. Adoptive Couples fe el for what our birth parents may be going through...

So.... TODAY. I took my 2nd Ballet Class! Some of you may wonder WHY an old-ish lady decides to try to fit into a leotard and why on earth now? Well, I can tell you- it's been on my mind for a while. I have wanted to learn all about ballet and the ART of the dance- so, why not now, I'm not getting any younger and i can dance WITH my girls.( not the same class though) And I love the challenge and process I'm going through as i try and learn this new love! Today, as we had our stretch, the teacher asked me about my baby BOY! ( i love telling his story but we didn't that have that much time so, i said yes, We Adopted almost 4 months ago... BINGO! That leads into the ADVOCACY part. I thought to myself ( sweet another op. to shar e my LOVE for adoption) BUT, before i could utter any thing else, Angie ( one of the students who is also a MOM) says: I'm Adopted! Where did you adopt through? Me: LDSFS! Angie: Cool, I spoke on panels with the Albequerque office a couple ...

Hey Everyone- I'm looking to feature YOUR mini story in some Outreach Projects. We are collaborating with other FSA's to create an OB/GYN book that will sit in the waiting rooms of many clinics and offices that highlights the blessings of ADOPTION! So, If you have a story and can condense it to 1 page and would be willing to send me a pic of your child and you( BP's) or your family built through adoption- please email me at corrine.ccbabyinc@gmail.com We are hoping for at least 12 stories! I will feature the cover of this book very soon! Thanks for all your wonderful help advocating for this MIRACLE!

I will be doing laundry, Cleaning my house and packing our bags, so, we can take off early Weds. morning! Gavin is in for a BIG LONG TRIP- let's pray he sleeps good and the girls are god for me too! We are HEADED TO UTAH for the 1st Visit with Jessica and family and the National Families Supporting Adoption Conference! YEP. It will be a blast! I will be teaching the Adoption Advocacy Class with case worker and friend, Kelly Stohl. ( he keeps saying i need to be a caseworker when i gro up and my kids move out- It's on my mind, really, just not right now!) Well, I better run! So much to do so little time!

So, On the following Friday we took our trip to UT! We hardly told a soul ( okay maybe a few people) and after all of our talking,I anticipated a perfect meeting. Well... We took the LOOOOONG way to UT and ended up being like 3 hours past what we had planned on. We were supposed to meet at the LDSFS office at 4:30 and we actually ended up meeting at the South Towne Mall at 7:30 with No Case worker at all! Our phones were dying so we charged up at the T-Mobile store and we were eager to meet Jessica and her entourage of relatives, Step mom, grandma and sister too! Jessica walked in as we were standing around the Gumball machines and IT was Magic! She walked in and I know this sounds so cliche' for adoption but, It was like we already knew her and her family! We talked about all kinds of silly things and rode the carousel, grabbed a bite and then we headed over to Jessica's parents home and talked and laughed and our girls LOVED her kitties and doggies and chasing them all aroun...

..., her awesome BLOG and story of being a Proud Birth Mama - give me so much hope and understanding! Christina's Life is so incredible and the changes that have come b/c she chose to place her sweet baby girl, 12 years ago are fantastic! Please- Check out her blog - and get ready to see her at the CO/WY Area FSA Conference! Thanks for finding me, Christina- I'm the lucky one who gets to be your friend!

Adoption Act... What does this mean for anyone who has a placement with a Native American Child... So, the next time you feel frustrated with the Act, remember what was done in the past. It won't help things go more quickly, but with an understanding of why the Act is in place, it may be easier to be patient as you go through the necessary legal steps. I've got Native American Roots pretty far back. Descendants from the Michigan/Dakotas Mohawk tribes. Crazy, I know!

...Nellie!! So, i just went on a blog hopping- reading spree. And I've decided on a FEW things!!! Some in particular to this blog... 1. I want to gear this blog continually to the advocating for adoption side, regardless of our hopes for another child. 2. I want to FEATURE birth parent stories more often! 3. MORE ADOPTION EVENTS will be posted on our blog 4. I will NOT CHARGE money or make money by anything that is posted on my blog. I will select what the contents are and i will go on inspiration and faith as i head down this path. I don't need peoples money and I'm Happy to put my LOVE for adoption to better USE! I'm not trying to down play those who need to charge for ad space on their blogs/sites either- It's just not what I'm about or do i need it! ( thanks honey for all your hard work in real estate and taking care of us so well:) 5. I WANT TO GIVEAWAY more. My photography will be something I DONATE to those involved in adoption ( Especially Birth Moms) ...

National Social Worker’s Month(March)-- gratitude baskets In 1984, Ronald Reagan officially established the National Professional Social Worker’s Month. March provides a time for each of us to remember the important community roles filled by our social workers. While the profession is known in title, the job responsibilities and potential impact of a social worker in a community may not be completely understood by all. Social Workers champion access, equality and fairness. Social Workers improve the fabric of society by being advocates for people who need help addressing serious life challenges and exploring their options. The Social Work profession was established more than 100 years ago to provide as many people as possible with the tools and support they need to overcome many types of adversity and reach their full potential. Every day, Social Workers witness the best and worst of human nature. A Social Worker’s success is often defined by the opportunities pe...

I really was trying to think what the title of my post today would be on. I understand that the world and values have changed. I also realize we all make our own choices in life and that's a gift we have been given- AGENCY! I could go into much detail about this but, in simplest terms: I'm using my Agency to FOCUS on my family , our hopes for adoption, advocating for adoption and loving those who are in my life. I'm not focusing on all the changes and moral shifts going on but, rather on keeping my boat steady as we parent in is crazy world. Our children (and all children that come into our family ) will know and learn the unchangeable Doctrines of God and Jesus Christ and the Love that He has for Them. I'm choosing everyday to focus on what matter's most. I may not have the latest shoes or handbag or sports car. You may not see me at the latest movie releases or trying to promote the latest fad in the economic climate. I won't waste my time on crap that...

like your inbox... or vice versa... You choose what to respond to and how to respond to it. You check boxes and clear out the clutter , leaving only the pertinent and personal emails left. But, sometimes we muse at the junk mail. The sales at Nordstrom or the funny pictures of a plumbers crack. We drift off into tangents and forget about the REAL stuff in our inbox that really needs our attention and communication. We wonder why we are SO BUSY when most of our time was actually wasted on CLEARING OUT THE JUNK! Maybe, if we had LESS junk coming in our lives - we'd be more focused, more in tune, more in touch with those PEOPLE and Purposes that matter to Us! We can always unsubscribe to those Lesser important things that distract us from what really matters but, do we? As my girls drift off to sleep in their soft cozy beds, with layers of quilts and blankets on this cold snowy night, I think about the choice brielle's birthmom made to think about the stuff that really mattered...

We finally started to take down the decorations from Christmas! Yep, I'm a procrastinator with that. I feel like the season of giving leaves all too fast. There is a great song in the Forgotten Carols that says" I cry the day we take the tree down "... I feel all blue about it. Now we have to wait another year. Even though the outward signs are not there anymore, i still feel the Spirit Of Christmas in my Heart all the time . Forgive me for sounding a bit cheesy but, I do have a great love for everyone in the world and i wish and hope for everyone to be happy and loved! I love sharing and giving and helping! I love it when my friends do those things for me too. It's the Spirit of Christ in us all that makes us want to do the right thing and love and serve those we know or come in contact with. ( thanks to Kara for all the help with the tree and dishes:) I cleaned up the storage room and moved boxes all around and it stunk but it's done and much cleaner. I ...