The Christian Crew

Hi, my name is Traci and I have been asked to write down our adoption story... So here goes. I have to admit that I am not quite sure where to start. I feel that I have personally seen adoption from pretty much every avenue; my little brother is adopted, my best friend placed a child for adoption, I have numerous nieces and nephews who are all adopted, and then my husband, Jake, and I have chosen to grow our family also through adoption. I think I am just going to start with the journey Jake and I have had through adoption, its heart break, its endless roller coaster of emotions, and its happy endings. Jake and I were married in 2001 when we were 19 years old. We knew we were young and we didn't want to have kids right away, but because of some health issues with myself, we knew we couldn’t wait forever to start trying. So we waited until we were 21, then I went off birth control. That seems easy enough, until it wasn’t. We gave it a good year and then sought out help. My first...

today Scott Simon was interviewed on NPR- he and his wife adopted 2 girls from China! It was a great article here's a bit from the column: "Adoption is a miracle. I don't mean just that it's amazing, terrific, and a wonderful thing to do. I mean that it is, as the dictionary says, "a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of divine agency." It is so divine! I am amazed everyday at all the miracles that take place in the adoption world!

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...

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...

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!

Something i haven't really mentioned before is how we envision our family in the few years to come. I have always felt in my heart that we would have about 5-6 kids, maybe more. Most will come through adoption. I'm not an idiot and I'm not trying to be GREEDY, either! We just know what we know and feel that we have missing children in our family! It's like this huge part of my heart that aches daily. As each day passes, i feel more urgency to do something about it. But, i can only do what i can do and God plays the biggest part in this process. Then our future birth mother plays the next part and us the last part. We've always hoped for many races of children in our family. I actually thought i'd marry interracial but, who would have known I'd fall head over heels for a Blondy! I am so glad i did though:) Brandon is my perfect match, best friend and sweetest husband and father. That doesn't mean we always agree on everything(let's be real people) an...

Let me just start off by Saying How much i LOVE all the birth moms, fathers and grandparents i met at the conference. I am so inspired by your strength and courage and ability to overcome what non-adoptive people throw at you, verbally and emotionally. I met, Jill, Taryn, Celeste, Julie, Heather, Tamra and a whole bunch more awesome ladies! I adore you all and I can't wait till our awesome future birth parents find us:) I learned a TON at the conference about so many things and i could just write a book but, i will avoid it for time's sake. The highlights were too many to number. I can't wait until next year and will be BUSY at work with FSA. WHY? Because we love adoption and everyone involved in it and I was asked to Be the CENTRAL REGIONAL FSA C0-Chair with my sweet husband!!! That means that we will follow the direction of the National Board FSA leaders in guiding and helping the FSA Chapter Chairs in these states: Wyoming, Montana, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado, Missouri an...

We Love you so much, Bitsy Girl! We can't believe you are already THREE. Let's have lots of fun today as we swim and have your fairy princess party with everyone! Our birthday wish for you is that you get to have another awesome year and hopefully become a big sister! You love to hold your doll and tell us how much you love your babies. You change your mind everyday hoping for a boy , then a girl, then a boy again:) Thanks for making us better parents and being such a good lil' sis to Brielle. Keep being a cuddle bug and sweet and sassy girl! Love, Mommy and Daddy

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

we're such troopers and little patriots on July 4th! The morning started off Sunny and bright and church was wonderful! The girls couldn't wait for fireworks and kept asking us to see them all day long... Unfortunately, it RAINED and the POURED!!! But, we still were able to watch our friends set off a few before the torrents of water came pouring down! So, glad i got these pictures BEFORE all that craziness! The girls had a great day even despite not seeing that many fireworks. So, we will just have to have fun setting them off at a later date! Maybe for Aria's Birthday?

So, this may sound silly to some people but, On our anniversary day we went on a double date with our friends and played Mini Golf! I hadn't played for a year or so since we lived in Henderson at King Putts. I enjoyed getting cool shots with my camera (of course) and being just slightly sharp on the side of Cheesy! I love the effects of keeping your shutter open longer than normal. It makes this small waterfall look like something more spectacular! And of course , B has to get some Credit for his Talladega Nights Shirt. (sorry if it offends some people) But that's how we roll! (and i bought it for him so, I'm to blame or thank!) I was leading the pack of us four peeps the whole game except for the last 2 holes! Then Brandon BEAT me. It didn't help that him and our friends were all making coughing/choking noises while i was trying to putt! Stinkers! B only beat me by 2 so, i will win next time and it's all in fun. We are really not that competitive! Then we went ...

Hey Readers and Everyone, I just thought i should Lay It ALL out for everyone on how Brandon and I communicate. We are a very outgoing couple and our parenting style is the same. We do not hesitate to say what we feel unless it would be hurtful. So, we are very Open, Outspoken and always Expressive. We are sometimes intimidating to others who are not as Open as ourselves. We say we LOVE our kids and tell them that more than 3 times a day. We talk openly about our friendships, relationships, desires, interests, wishes, goals, flaws and spirituality. We are both TYPE A personalities (with different strengths-thank heavens:) . We Love to joke and play and wrestle and tickle or tackle with each other. Communication can also be called LOVE LANGUAGES .. We all have different LOVE languag es (or ways we feel/communicate love) Here they are: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service and Physical Touch. To be totally honest here's my top 2 languages (or ways i ...

with the girls, etsy and loads of outdoor fun. We Have been swimming about 3 times a week lately! And going to the park as much as possible! While we have quiet time, i work on cleaning or crafting. Here's a few of my recent creations... for more look here tons more pictures to come of the girls and us!!! We are so excited to have Brandon's Family and my mom come for a bit of vacation! Aria turns 3 on pioneer day (July 24th) and we plan on having all kinds of fun! She's just growing way too fast and it's very bittersweet. She can't wait to be a big sister herself one day! ***Keep reading about our little family, hoping for another miracle through adoption***

Brandon and I are finally making progress and are about 6 episodes from finishing the whole series... It's been awesome and i cant wait to see how it ends!!!!

We had loads of fun at the FSA park day with all the kids and moms and animals!!! Aria and Brielle wanted to hold the turtle so badly but, to no avail. Aria was the animal whisperer... she even was able to calm the mean old turkey - who you are generally not supposed to touch! Us on the train. I think the girls are saying CHOO CHOO to the friend behind the camera! Some of the kids staring at the bunnies! Then it was time to play in the creek! We loved it so much, we came back the next week with Daddy! * keep reading about Brandon and Corrine, and adoptive couple hoping to be blessed through adoption again...

I Like this crib if it's a BOY: I imagine I'll do some Rad looking Semi-old School Vintage Retro/Modern/Surfer/Board rider decor. I'm also considering a BLACK crib which, is growing on me more and more each day. I love the combo of black lime, white, and hints of deep orange and dark aqua. I don't want the baby's room to look like a mortuary:) For the Girls' crib, i have this gorgeous white crib by Bonavita that has carved floral details and perfect feminine curves. I LOVE this crib, am so glad that i got it with Aria but, i think i will do her new bedding in black, white, hot pink, lime and Aqua. I will incorporate a few pops of other colors in the jewel tones as well! I LOVE DESIGN(if you couldn't tell) Both of my girls had their own bedding and i can keep that going with the next! And I'm really picky so, i may have to custom make it! We will see! With all that said... I still want to be surprised if at all possible. If I'm not surprised on the g...

We had such a delicious dinner at PF Changs last Saturday night! Lettuce wraps(of course) Mu Shu Chicken and Sweet n Sour Pork, pot stickers (they called them dumplings?) and the super sweet Banana Spring Rolls and pineapple coconut Ice Cream with caramel/ vanilla syrups- WOW, it was superb! I will have to try and make that one night too! Here's some crazy pcs of us- just being real! Sweet and Sour Pork was Brielle's fav! daddy burning off dinner around the mall!