The Christian Crew

Happy Mother's Day to you all! This day holds many special memories for me. Both good, sad & all that made me reflect on the kind of mother I have and the kind of mom I want to be. I remember the 4 years of being married and not being a mother yet- the first 2 were fine but, the next two STUNG and I was even asked to talk on mother's day at church, that 4th year . It was a small dagger in my side ( mainly b/c we didn't share with others that we were trying and miscarrying )  as I went on and on about the beauty of motherhood , while I lacked being one, due to infertility issues. But, it was only 9 months after that when I became a mother! I never gave up hope that it would happen one day! Because of an incredibly selfless birth mom, Kara, I sat that 5th yr of our marriage, in the pew, holding this sweet little baby so tightly! Brielle was a dream baby and we were just embarking on what Parenting was really like. The 6th year, I was p...

So, Make it count! We think about the future all the time- and yet we remain present in the Present! We love every second of our time and have a blast being parents! When our girls sing along in the car or the boys play blocks together, even when they are all Crying or whining we wouldn't trade it for anything! We sat down with and Financial planner a bit ago and they showed us these BIG overwhelming numbers for college savings and asked the big Question " Are you planning on having any more children in the future?" We both looked at each other and said a resounding YES, we are! We plan on adopting out of the country in a couple years and it may be one or 2 and we never know WHO GOD has lined up for us that currently isnt in our plan in between or after that time! The guys looked baffled but, said OKAY , lets restructure some numbers around! Honestly, it would be SO easy to just be DONE with having and adopting children at this point. Seriously, Slade is walking...

Happen Everyday! So, Adoption is threaded through my everyday LIFE. Not just b/c i have children who are adopted and a husband who is adopted or cousins and friends who are birth parents, But because I just seem to run into everyone who is associated with Adoption. Take the last TWO.5 weeks.... I was driving back from getting waxed and i stopped by this ladies house who was standing by some head and end boards in fabulous shape. I asked her if she was selling them, She said she was giving them away. Turns out 6 of her 7 kids are adopted!!! She got all the parts and such and later that day we got a Gorgeous Bunkbed for the girls for 0.00! Thanks a bunch, Margaret! pics to come soon- my phone won't email properly- grrr In the store , the Checker is a birthmom and the lady in front of me is a Foster adopt mom with 3 adopted kids and one hopeful, underweight 2 year old she is helping get better. The awesome Lady, Karel, who sewed up the quilt I designed for Gavin, is adopted! A birt...

We had such a fantastic visit! When Phil and Dawn got into town we went out to one of our fav. restaurants, Los Dos Portrillos, for some fab. Mexican cuisine! The Next day we went Up to Evergreen area to a stocked Fishing pond and Had tons of fun catching BIG trout! Phil, Brandon and I helped Brielle & Aria reel them in while Dawn helped out with Gavin and putting bait on and such. We cranked in tons with this awesome bait too! Mini Man slept the majority of the time :) Brielle had the biggest catch of the day 18.5 inches and 3.5 lbs! This is not the biggest one but, it was a good sized one! Our Lovely Grandma Dawn! Here's one of the bigger one! aria squirmed a bit when it wiggled and flopped around! We had fun cleaning them and then Phil and Brandon cooked them up well that night! P & D were able to come through on the way back too! We already miss them!

So. After accepting that ALL THINGS can not be controlled by me or even willed the way i wanted them ( no matter how much i put into sending vibes and thoughts into the universe:), I came to that Ultimate Conclusion: God Knows what We Need, When we need it. I will do all i can to continually press on in the directions we are led. So... We decided to finish that one last Foster Care Certification Class- CPR and First Aid. I had helped another couple in our agency see that FC wasn't so bad and that they would be such wonderful parents ( b/c they already are:) and they'd be able to give so much love to kids in need and eventually adopt one, 2 or more:) So, we conspired to do the CPR class and finish our process up. April 7th came and we did our class and LOVED IT ( you really do remember the rhythm of stayin' alive :)! The next morning on April 8th , I called our case worker contact and later that day we went to the church building to help set up for the CO/WY Area FSA confe...

So... a while ago i bought this table- solid wood chunky curvy base for 34.00 Then I found 4 chairs on craigslist and bought them for 60. They were also solid wood and in pretty sad shape. Although the wood, design and look was what i was going for- they need joint repairs. That cost me 80.for someone to FIX them up! Then, i need some paint- 28.00 for the top coats and 8. for primer 4 for rollers... total project 214. ( i think that's a steal) Did i mention everything is SOLID WOOD- no veneers! And I Got exactly what i wanted in the end... A black, distressed kitchen table and chairs. I don't have to worry about if the kids beat it up a bit b/c it's solid and it's distressed! Works for me! Even though it took some man hours it turned out awesome! So glad i waited to find the right stuff and jumped at the opportunity when i found these things!

is now on my Photography blog ... Check it out! And please leave a comment on what you think about it! Thanks and Enjoy! All of these photos were free of charge. If you live in CO and want free adoption photos please send me an email!

So... Brielle is getting pretty good at tracing and writing her name and other small words! And today she decided to use the chalk to her advantage after church. She is such a creative little girl and sometimes a little sneaky with her masterpieces too. She loves getting her hands on anything she can to draw, cut, glue, color etc. Luckily, we are here to help direct it properly- most of the time! Since this picture has the W.O.W. in it. I want to share OUR view on this! We totally agree with it! Everything in Moderation, Every Herb is ordained and Constituted by God for the use of Man,( of course the obvious one- no addictive substances) and greater knowledge and wisdom comes through obedience to these health laws of the Lord. And we want to be great examples to our children as well! Neither of us struggle with major parts of this and we plan on raising our kids to be happy, healthy and fit children. That does not mean we are in perfect health though- both of us are striving to be a bi...

But, Like most AP's - it's hard not to fantasize or daydream about our next child to be. Most of us can't go an hour without thinking about what he or she will be like, what the birth parents will be like, if it's a boy or a girl, if it will be sooner than later etc... Some of us AP moms start putting together ideas of what the rooms, car seat covers, fit take home outfits, nursery toys, names etc... And maybe that is wasted time, just maybe but, I think it's also therapeutic and i like getting mentally organized a tad bit. B/c with adoption- you just never know when your day will come! And having dreams, wishes, hopes, is what keeps us going through all the hard things we face. Like little to no contacts from birth moms, being judged for one thing or another, failed placements or almost miracles, stress at work or what have you! If we all stopped dreaming and hoping- what would happen to us? Maybe we'd become more cynical or callus or might some of us just gi...

without just quoting the whole post- I will LINK you all over to it and give you this teaser... ...Let me illustrate. One day I was shopping and a black woman asked me if Denali was my son. I answered yes with a genuine large smile on my face. She didn't like it. A few minutes later, after she had stewed about how wrong this situation was, she came to me and told me. In a three minute rant, her ignorant opinion was told. My first thought was how grateful I was that Denali didn't understand any of it because he was too young... --- Love you Linds and your whole family! Thanks for taking the -ITES out of the picture and being STRONG in your eternal family! Love you even more for that! * pic by her awesome hubby!

So today i had the privieledge of doing a Photo shoot for the Larson Family with their 2 kids and 2 BIRTHMOMS!!! It was unforgettable and I am so happy for them and a bit envious ( in all the best ways) too! I can't wait to have another amazing birth parent and child as part of our family when It's the right time:) Here's to waiting and hoping and praying!!! * This is the shirt B and A wore and IT'S almost an understatement!!! They really do have him wrapped around their little pinkies! Hope to learn more about our adoption family? Click on the words underneath our picture!

Please take a second and donate if you can! Here's the details.... We are holding a contest! The person to donate the 100th dollar will win a prize! If you support adoption help us out! Take what you would spend on a one time manicure, fast food, soda pop, etc and put it towards a good cause! If you need a receipt let me know! Hey guys! Our goal is 100 in 100 so in 100 hours starting at 4 o clock our goal is to get 100 dollars for scholarships 4 birthmothers! Remember it is tax deductible! If you own a business you will go on the website! Even 1 dollar helps!! Spread the work we want to meet our goal! www.scholarships4birthmothers. blogspot.com -- Jessalynn Bills Speight www.birthmothers4adoption.blogspot.com We support you awesome Birth parents!

I love that my friend, Danielle, swaps me cool binks for my boutique products. The last order had some new ones all about adoption that were inspired from the adoption community and I had been desirous to have cool pacifiers that expressed OUR LOVE for ADOPTION ! Today was a Super busy day with lots of cool and crazy things... I biked 3 miles+ uphill pulling 80lbs in the trailer (kids and stuff) to scripture class and back. The downhill was a breeze, Took Aria to preschool, cleaned my car, then myself, picked up Aria, made dinner for the missionaries, Brandon locked his keys in our car- in front of our house. Had dinner, went to YW Volleyball practice and had my new friend Rachel help coach the girls- She's AWESOME (and and adoptee who will be speaking at the upcoming fireside in November. Then came home, put girls down, made clips and finished a few other projects- I AM BEAT! Time to sleep now. I deserve the break BUT,... before i doze off I'm sure I'll read over some ad...

The Girls had their first day of Preschool last week and are NOW busy with School 2-3 days a week. Brielle goes to a Montessori Preschool with her friend Elizabeth! They had a pretty good first day and week. Today Brielle liked playing the House GAME (as she calls it) We love her smile and laugh. She is such a blessing and so full of life and excitement and sometimes little girl drama!!! Here's one of her teachers leading an opening circle time thing. This is B's 2nd year of preschool b/c she is a Jan. B-day. We are thinking of a half year of preschool and then doing an evaluation for Kindergarten in Jan. She's a smarty pants and gets bored if she isn't challenged. We are also looking into a School of Gifted Children. We shall see:) Aria was very shocked at first. To be in a very new place (my friend's home)! She goes tues/thurs. and always comes out smiling when it's time to pick her up! She loves kisses as both our girls do! Her very first backpack. I got cra...

shooting babies lately. Jacob was my first this fall. I'm sure I'll be photographing a bit here and there this fall and winter. I can't decide where and when to have our next family pictures taken! Probably when the leaves change! Here's where you can see more of jacob's and other pictures i have taken

Why is it that i HAVE a gift complex? I have been analyzing this as i have been doing some self exploration on the matter. B/c REALLY? who HATES getting gifts? That's just weird and not normal. Here's where i think it comes from: Back when i was a child (and still) my b-day is Jan. 4th , right after the BIG holidays are over. Often times my b-day presents were combined into Christmas ones too. Or when i had parties- i got other peoples RE-GIFTS that they didn't want b/c most people forgot about it until the day of. My parents made efforts, sort of. My mom always wanted me to have BIG party and a few times i did but, most of the times- it was kind of just over looked a bit. So, i started to resent people giving me things. I didn't want peoples left overs or something that meant NOTHING to them so, why not give it to the girl whose b-day was overlooked? BUT, one year, my dad was super sneaky in planning my sweet 16 surprise party- he even had it 1.5 weeks after my b-day ...

this last week, was spent FLY FISHING! It's still new to him and it's a great stress reliever and time to gather his thoughts! HE digs it! and i am sad for him when winter comes. He will miss this new, found sport! But we are excited for a REAL winter and a REAL fall! Something the weather in Henderson , NV never allowed us! Colorado ROCKS!

Aria could care less that we were taking a family pic! Here' s a HUGE splash bucket at the top L corner of this pic! So much fun! My girls Laying one on me:) Daddy and Aria Splashing:) Aria was such a great swimmer here. It's like she had no fear about it with a HUGE crowd around! And Brielle has always been a fish. She is getting so independent with her swimming Skills. She went off a slide that had an almost 4 foot drop off into the pool and SHE DID IT! You could tell the Lifeguards were about to freak b/c She is so tiny but then she swims to the edge like a pro and they are thoroughly impressed:) Good job, Big Girl! Daddy Took these next 2 of me. He is the greatest! We had such a fun time and enjoyed the slides and such. Next year Brandon and i will hve a date together at a BIGGER water park with CRAZY slides and such. BUT Pirates Cove was PERFECT for kids 6 and under and families! Good memories!

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!