The Christian Crew

Man, I need to reformat the blog, update pics and so on. If you are following us on Facebook- you have more of an updated version of our family and adventures. Our community page is Brandon and Corrine- Party of 9.  Find us and read on. Even that needs updating too. A few things have kept me away from writing and rightfully so. These adorable little blessings are certainly worth it but, now they are 14 months and it's time to continue to open up, share and be vulnerable with ya'll who read or who are connected to us personally or through mutual friends. Adoption is HARD, life is Hard and all of us have hard things we are going through. I am often asked a few different questions to today, I will put these ?'s to rest... Are you guys going to adopt MORE? How did you get 4 birth moms/dads to pick you guys? What can I do to get chosen by an expectant mom / what advice can you give me? Q#1 Well, I think our Quiver is pretty full guys and 7 is a LOT OF KID...

WOW! I cant believe 6 months has flown by so quickly! Where did the time go? I am so happy to announce that i will be back blogging again with my main emphasis on family, my family, adoption and issues related to all aspects in between. You might occasionally here a few reviews on books, products and such but mainly the above stuff. So, yeah, I can back track too much ( or you'd get bore to tears of a million flash back fridays ( i will post a few) but the next bit should get you up to speed... Where are we now? Staying put in the Denver Area suburbs, raising 4 kids, swimming& lessons, workouts, walks, naps, gardening, hanging out with friends, learning to balance life, going on dates with my hubby ( we just celebrated 11 yr on the 5th of July!) and building a business. My husband is loving the real estate company  and the ownership position. Its tons of work but well worth it! The kids are growing like weeds! we tube down rivers, do gym and dance and B fly fishes and we ha...

On Gerald And Jennifer She Goes by Jen and I met them through FSA here. Jen teaches music to children and is so bubbly and full of energy and their little girl is adorable! They have been waiting about the same amount of time as we have and we hope that this will be the year they get to find out what adoption is like for the first time!

Once this girl was tiny and small.... growing inside this angel's belly... and 5 years ago, she was born to a lovely young woman, her first mother, Kara... who only weeks before she was due, found US and chose us to be her parents... We met on Jan. 2nd and that day changed our lives forever. Then met again on the 9th and on the 12th of January, This precious Girl came into the lives of Many and has been since LOVED BY MANY b/c of Open Adoption! Please look at our old family Blog for all the details on her adoption and her life thus far! click on Brielle or adoption day:) And now, We Wait for Another Miracle through Adoption! She is the best Big sister and any child that comes into our family will have an older sister to relate to. Not to mention an Amazing Father( Brandon) who is also adopted. I'm so blessed and i hope we can all bless the next life that finds it's way into our family! Adoption is a Miracle and everyday I'm grateful for it! Especially today!

I know i have TONS to catch up on and the reason why i have blogged less is due to busy work. I'm editing a bunch of photos, planning and helping with parties, decorating the home for Christmas and so forth. So, for today You will get these pics of us and our friends- Jesse and Dara- at the Denver Nuggets Game. I will give you the FUN details in a later blog post. SO much cool stuff to say about this night!!! Till later! and yes we are STILL Hoping for a Miracle and hoping that it will come when It's right!!! Our friends are all awesome here and are hopeful right along with us!!!

I swear... I wish i knew all the answers but, I honestly DON'T! I'm not a liar or pretender and i don't say things that i don't mean. The reason i bring this up is b/c Kids these days feel this NEED to be accepted and SAY YES to everything- even if it means putting themselves in harms way just to feel some sort of belonging to something or someone. I have to hand it to some parents who have done all they can do but, what is comes down to is... I'm NOT going to BE that kind of parent ! I'm not going to overlook BAD friends or questionable visitors in my kids lives! I don't think you take a backseat approach to teens either... YOU stay involved. YOU love them even if They haven't figured out who they want to BE yet! Unconditional love (not enabling) is truly what kids and teens need. I 'm not ready to parent teens right now but, I am ready to HELP those around me get through stuff they aren't ready for- that has been inflicted on them by their pa...

As of late... I've been helping the Denver Metro Are get ready for a Fireside on Adoption in early Nov.. If you are saying "what the heck is a fireside? " here's your answer- It's a meeting normally later in the evening where testimony is shared (back in the old days- it was done around a fire) on basic gospel truths with detailed personal experiences and stories- It's a more intimate setting than that of Full fledged Church service! This one happens to be on Adoption! The speakers will be an adoptive couple,a birth mother, an adoptee and special music about adoption will be performed! So far most everything is falling into place for it too. If you are just checking out my blog and interested in adoption in any respect- shoot me an email and I'll shoot you over the details. These are open to those not of our faith and in our church too! I've also been contacting HS's to do presentations in their family and consumer sciences classes or child devel...

miracle happened today. It was like i was on this emo rollercoaster. I woke up- went for a jog , came home and my cousin called me about a situation. It sounded exciting and we have talked about this many times before- adopting 2 kids under the age of 3 ! Things sounded promising and we have been down that road before. I felt peaceful yet excited of course! I made a few calls and painted with girls- then read them a story tale about Hansel and Gretel (kinda crazy ). We had lunch and played and i decided i needed to do some detective work. In a matter of a few hours i called the kids case worker and found out that it was a NO GO! It wasn't in SD's best interest to place them out-of-state when there are so many qualified wonderful people in-state. So, i understood. It was still sad but, I get it. I feel like every ALMOST is getting us one step closer to our next MIRACLE! I know those 2 will be loved and taken care of and I'm glad i have the attitude i do about these things...

Splash Parks are sooo much fun! Here's the girls and some other kids from our last FSA playgroup. We totally think it's grand to have our kids around other children who are adopted well. As they grow in life they will have something to relate to with these friends that no other friends can understand! Having a birth mother and birth parents/family, a gotcha day, the day they were sealed to us etc... Such special wonderful things! WE LOVE FSA! I have no idea why Brielle played camera shy during splash time! Aria had way too much fun and my fav. part was being chased around by the girls with cups of water that they could barely throw on me. Most of the water would splash out as they were running! It was a HOOT!

Our friend Liz took this pic of Brielle right before we walked in the parade! Her Balloon says "Adoption Rocks" with some scribbles from the kids too! She is totally right - IT DOES ROCK! Here's another cool Adoption tee:) Available to purchase on adoptionbug.com

To all you who BLOG about your amazing adoption experiences: You must stop! I am up late at night reading your stories- crying with joy and sorrow and amazement of your strength. It's like a new addiction- all these bloggers who hit straight to the point about WHY you placed and you go into great detail about your choices and your life. Your posts give me strength in ways i thought i didn't need to be strengthened. i see how you advocate for adoption and LOVE IT. I am kind of envious that I'm not YOU. How did God make you Stronger in that way and Not me? I remember as a teen thinking that I'd love to surrogate for someone- just so, i could help them- no strings or money- just b/c i loved them and knew they were waiting for a child. Then i found out it's kind of frowned upon in our faith. Then i found out about my crappy PCOS and other reproductive issues. Anyway, I am so truly grateful you blog and keep me up all night. I enjoy the red in my eyes from time to tim...

So, Click on this pic to get a closer look. And NO, i didn't get all digi-scrappy with this one- just straight up plain old PS. I know- boring but, camping isn't about all the bells and whistles- It's about getting back to nature- pure and simple! So... the real deal... The girls in our tent slept well. Our friends kids- not so good but, we all went to sleep nonetheless! My tin foil dinners were a little over cooked but still tasty with some Steak sauce! The s'mores were delicious with cinnamon sugar grahams this time and got everywhere too! We played Spot Daddy on the Mtn. with our high beam flash light. B would run up the mtn with his tiny flash light - move around after it was turned off and yell out to spot light him- the girls went nuts!!! In the morning- the girls had a blast playing fake fishing and we all were extremely tired!!! I hated the port-a-potties but, was grateful they were there anyways! Our girls got scraped up a bit from sticks and rocks and such, so...

If you are prospective birth parent - please read this letter by clicking on it to enlarge the text. If you are not, please note that this letter is not intended for your eyes but, you are free to read it nonetheless! Here's the poem i wrote after Brielle's birth mom told me that we were the gift she was giving her child. And she said she wasn't doing this for US- but for her Child! It was featured at the last LDS FSA National Conference Art Display! And the pictures are all adopted babies from the CO agency! For My Child A Birth mother's Song Looking in your eyes The Longing for a chance to be Parents to this child That will come from Me You Must feel Grief and Pain Many tears have been shed Sleepless nights you've wondered In Prayer you've bowed Your head. If you are like me, You've pleaded to God Above To Have some peace and Fill your home with LOVE And You May Say That You are so Thankful To receive this Tender Baby, Meek and Mild But, I want you to k...

So, I think he's a super handsome man. Others may disagree but, He needed a pic for his new Business Cards so, I took it! He's a Real Estate Agent with Metro Brokers and a Loan Officer as well! I am so glad he's a great man, husband, provider, friend and dad! I thank his parents for raising him and his birth mother for placing him over 31 years ago. You both are amazing for what you have done for him and for me and for our children!!! We are all so blessed through adoption!

So this may seem like a hodge podge of stuff in one post- but that's how we roll sometimes! Seriously, It's a good mix so, here it goes... This Is Lauren, a friend who cut my hair. We are doing BLUE STEEL and Magnum from Zoolander (a Bent Stiller Movie that is totally silly) This paragraph SPEAKS volumes of the importance of Teaching your children in the home and how it's the foundation of a child's life- great stuff and this book was published in 1926!!! Here's what the outside looks like. It's Spiffy to me and B! Here's our girls AFTER they had thier own barbershop CHOP the hair off party at Dara's HOUSE! When Aria came down and apologized about using Dara's Makeup- i looked to see how much make-up she'd have on her face and was appalled at the LACK Of hair on her head- You Bet i screamed in PURE SHOCK- Brielle and Elizabeth(her friend) came downstairs with HUGE chunks of hair Missing too! I was so out of sorts as we trimmed up what we could. W...

This is the first family portrait Brielle has drawn! At the end, Aria has her arm outstretched and it trails off the page.. like she's reaching for the rest of our family. Maybe her baby sister or brother We will see what God has in store for us!I sure hope our birth mom finds us soon. Where ever she is- we know she is being watched by angels through this process. She must be so incredible and we can't wait to meet her someday! Brielle's Birth mom is just wonderful and we are so lucky her whole family is still involved in our lives. We call and chat and send things now that we are far away in CO. I wish they were just a few miles away like it was back in LV! We miss you -awesome part of our family! Ta-ta for now! ~C

or emailing/texting so, you can get to know us better? Please do... Even if you are unsure of who you will chose. NO pressure here. We know it's got to be a tough choice with so many amazing couples in the U.S.! email: brandonandcorrine@gmail.com we will text you and you can feel free to chat with us when you are ready. After that we will have you get in touch with our agency/ case worker in your area to help you in whatever way we can!!! We are really open and super understand so, no worries about us NOT being REAL! We know a lot of couples have a PERFECT persona for their adoption blog or Profile. Rest assured... WE have been through the process before, have an open relationship with Brielle's Birth mom and are very silly and fun- not pushy or intrusive! Have a great weekend!

This is Brandon's newest Challenge and passion!!! He is Lucky to have an awesome Friend named Jesse to show him the best spots to fly fish! And it's scenic too:)

I want to put some myths to rest about Adoptive Parents who already have a child, or two, adopted or biological. This is my opinion and maybe not everyone would agree but, I feel like i need to express these things- just to clear the air... Just because we HAVE kids- Does Not Mean that we aren't aching just as terribly for a child as those without children. Because we already know what being a parent feels like and requires of us, we may ache even more b/c we know the difference. It stinks to have these gnawing feelings in your heart and in your mind that " Someone is Missing- your family is NOT complete yet!" The sense of urgency most of us have is undeniable! I feel this every single day! I see it in my husbands face. My kids ask us all the time when our baby will come. I explain that God has to prepare a place in someone's heart for US! (the right person.) And that when She knows, then we will have another miracle in our family. And we must be as patient as we can...

I found this awesome artist on ETSY ! She has such great and special messages in her artwork but keeps them so playful. Here's a few of my favorites... This is an Adoption Piece which comes in Blue and Pink. I can't wait to have a reason to buy this for our next nursery! This one is just so fun! DJ Birdies ROCK! Brandon's parents and brother came into town today. We will have a fun filled week as we get ready for Aria's 3rd B-day and the Zoo and hiking etc... Also, an AWESOME birth mother blog has been on my reading list lately! She is incredible and writes so well! Can't wait to post more pics and to write a bit more from our hearts. I have had some incredible feelings lately... ~C