The Christian Crew

I had the privilege of meeting Thomas and His wife and birth mother, Rayanne, and feel their love for their birth child and the parents they chose. Here's a poem that touch my heart.... The Challenge  Months of preparation are now a reality. We held him, looked into his eyes, listen to his coos, loved him And now...he is no longer with us. Yesterday was the worst day of our life, hands down. I know he is loved and will be taken cared for...but, that knowledge can not take away her pain,  dry her tears,  fill the hole in her heart. She is fractured but I will make sure she doesn't brake. She is in pain but I will find a way to comfort her. She fills alone, I will reassure her that this is not the case. She is lost, I will be her light to find her way home. With all my good intentions, I can not ease her sorrow. That fact rips my soul in two. I must be strong, be her strength. Only time will mend her wounds. All I can do is be h...

We had the honor of not just attending the wedding but, of being part of it! In open adoption, we have become each others' family in the most beautiful way! I really believe this is divine- us all meeting and becoming a pretty awesome family through adoptions. The boys were the Ring bearers and the girls the flower girls! They all did wonderful and it was fun to watch the boys start off with a good slow walk, then see Josh pull out the candy sticks, watch Slade start running and Gavin trying to hold him back! Both girls were a bit nervous but did fantastic and the ceremony was fun and beautiful. All of Sarah's family were so great to meet and I was able to even meet a few cousins who flew in from the east. I didn't realize that she only has a couple cousins b/c you just figure we have like 30 + cousins, right? Dustin looked dapper and Sarah looked like an angel/ fairy/ bride. Her hair was whimsical with the baby's breath in it and the gorgeous curls! She is ...

well, try moving 2 times in 2 years and adding two kids along with those moves-Oh and switch companies and become a business partner owner... That's how it all seems so fast! I can't believe we are planning Gavin's 4th Birthday already- it's bittersweet!  He is SUCH A JOY now that he is out of the terrible twos and is doing so much better as a big brother and overall, little person. I'm not sure if I ever shared his 2nd year with everyone but let's just condense it to a few words- Fecal fiesta- every other day, lots of dirt, yelling, messes and screaming! It was HARD and I'm so glad he is speaking so well now- most of his yelling was in frustration that we couldn't understand what he wanted or was try to say. Enjoy some BABY pics of this little man!!!   5 days old...       10 months old  7 months old  

We will have a big JAR on site Labeled BOOTY for BIRTH PARENTS! Please feel free to contribute any denomination as we raise funds for the UFA Birth Parent Retreat, here in Colorado- Instead of a gift! Without Gavin's birth mom- He wouldn't be part of our family ( and birth dad too)!  Jessica- His gorgeous birth mom     Dustin- Handsome Birth dad:)       BIRTH PARENT RETREAT INFO...     DONATE HERE - if you wish! & Thank you!          

G-man is growing like a weed and will be 3 in May! He is working hard learning is words, colors, shapes etc. He is 90% of the way potty trained, loves cars, trucks, and most importantly CHOO CHOOs !!!  He plays well with Slade and teaches him funny things ! He loves his HUGE doggie- Hemi , and crawls all over him.  He loves anything physical and enjoys hugs kisses and snuggles and is very affectionate and friendly. He hates going down to sleep and doesn't like certain foods these days but that changes day to day! He is roughly 30.5 lbs and is a SOLID little guy. Not much body fat on him ( except in the two cheek areas:) We are so blessed by our little man , our open adoption with his Loving birthmom and birthdad. Seriously- we are LUCKY and overjoyed by this FUN, loving Mini Man!

 GAVIN WAS ONLY ABOUT  6 MONTHS_ HE WAS SOO TINY!  look at TREVOR( on Todd's lap by Gavin- looks a lot like SLADE)  I LOVE GINGERBREAD SO MUCH- I THINK IT"S AN ADDICTION  Gavin's Birth dad and Birth family on that side! WE LOVE OPEN ADOPTION!

Without bragging too much- Lets just say we got to enjoy a beautiful cabin up in the woods for a couple days last week as we celebrated Aria's 6th Bday! Aria and Brielle loved playing by the river and finding all the COOL stuff around the cabin and property- they found hidden doors, keys in stumps, little critters, neat carvings in the wood details o the house and outside and a fish and crawdad too!  The first day of fishing Brielle caught a lil' guy and the second day- Aria decided to dangle a worm in the water off the ledge and caught a crawdad. He was a meaty looking one too! Her birthday was a success and so much fun ( pics on that to come)! Thanks everyone who made it so and thanks to Gma Betty for ALL your help! This is the gorgeous view of the mountains and valley and river we had right out our window and from the campfire area! we truly enjoyed this retreat and will come back again! I'm so happy our summer had been a blast and we have 2.5 weeks ...

So , its been 7.5 years since our first open adoption and here's where we stand with everyone.( at least from my vantage point)... Brielle's Birth mom, Kara, has a full open adoption relationship- we visit when we can ( she is two states away) . Her parents and siblings and grandparents all keep in touch. We all visit when we can which is at least once a year but we shoot for more. we last saw her and the family in June! We love and miss them and are sad they are so far away but that's life! We have our birth families stay in our home when they visit and we stay with them when the opportunity arises. ANd we look forward to planning a vacation together next couple of years! Brielle's Birth dad- Kyle is still keeping his distance and still keeping his eye on us through FB and this blog but, that's all he can do right now and we respect that. His parents want more communication but we need to figure this all out again- its been 7 years since we have seen them. th...