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!

Our family headed to the Deserts of Arizona where we played with cousins, all my full siblings, aunts, uncles, ad all grand parents too! We enjoyed Hiking, Running, Biking, hot tub time, trampoline, game nights and girls nights with my sister , Mom and sis in law! This was the first time all of my family has shared Thanksgiving since my parents split when I was 4! It was wonderful- no one got sick, only little boo boos and lots of good convos with each other! Enjoy these pics! Uncle Glenn and Aunt Di fooz-ball cousin Pete singing to Slade learning to ride his new bike the feast of Thanksgiving! Uncle wade cooked a smoked Turkey this year. Uncle Glenn ( great uncle to our kids) trying out the Ladies Bike- funny guy:) the Girls and Grandpa Danny & Grandma Mary Grandma Leslie and Grandpa Carl and the kids Grandma Mary, Gpa Danny, the boys and MIMI - their labradoodle daddy's instructions and patience are often better than  moms ...

Can't believe We were so lucky to have her up here to visit with Brielle and our whole family! Her little man, Jr., came too. He was able to experience what it would be like to have 4 siblings!!! He had a blast too! Kara came up the day before the Birth parent retreat and we spent the day just catching up a bit! She is a special part of our family and we all just fit together like we have never been apart. When we are together, we cook and clean and play and nothing is awkward, its just natural and feels like home when we are together. We snuggle on ALL the kids and when we left to the retreat, Brandon surprised all our kids + jr. and took the to see Minions movie and out to panda! He was Brave but, they had a great time and He is a Super Dad, so it's not too shocking! He also took them to a furniture store- now that is even more impressive! After the retreat, we spent some time playing on Evergreen lake,   Us ladies!     Navigator Slade  S...

Me being NUTS on the Leap of Faith! I have just experienced an amazing weekend! These last couple of days I have been surrounded by 25 incredible birth mothers and a birth father too!                                Our Colorado chapter hosted the 1st Annual High Adventure Birth Parent Retreat at Wellington Lake! It's the first time I've tried putting a retreat of this magnitude on and It came together beautifully with the help and donations of many wonderful people, God and friends!  We all tried really HARD things like the Leap of Faith, the catwalk, zipline, and the HARDEST was the high ropes courses. We enjoyed yoga, hiking, canoeing and water play on the lake and the birth parents had open group sessions throughout. I know it helped them a lot but, I had no idea what this experience would do for me... You see, we...

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!          

I remember when Brielle had her 3rd birthday and the party we threw at our home with a bunch of her little friends, her birth family and all her grandparents from every side that could be there. We make a fun cake and large bounce house was inflated in our living room! There was FUN in the air but, also a lingering feeling of " OH CRAP- it's about to get REAL!" In our original placement agreement- we would terminate contact in person with Brielle's birth parents except for pictures and letters/emails/ blog at 3 years so, She could have a NORMAL life! Our heads and our hearts couldn't wrap around the idea of never seeing our NEW family ever again- or Keeping Brielle from knowing her birth family, in person. What kind of selfish people were we? Well, I think when we made that agreement- everything was just so unknown and new (and Yet Kara and Kyle agreed that this would be okay with them.:/) After our tiny girl dug into her presents and the last pieces of...

SO, in February, Grandma Dawn ( Kara's mom) asked us to come to Las Vegas. She wanted to have some time with Just the girls ! She bought tickets for the girls and I purchased one for me so we could all visit & I could see my friends and family while we were there! We took 2 days off school and the girls got to fly on an airplane for the first time, as bigger kids! The girls had fun meeting the capt, getting their wings, watching us take off and land and all the bumps along the way! ( this was good prep for the upcoming trip they are taking with us to Hawaii next spring!) We landed safely and were greeted by Brielle's birth mom , Kara and her mom Grandma Dawn! Over the next couple of days the girls had time with Just the Grandmas and great Grandma Maxine too!- spending a Day with Grandma Betty- going to jumpstreet out to eat, doing nails, Going to Adventure Dome, restaurants & going to Chuck E Cheese, getting presents and ice cream and pretty much being SPO...

SO... myself, Slade and Brielle all had Birthdays this month! Slade is now 1- i can't believe it! I seriously and holding him and knocking him over when he stands so, he will just crawl longer and stay a baby longer ( okay not really knocking him- just not encouraging walking) It seems like weeks ago- He was just born. We were going to name him TROY or SHANE but, neither stuck! He was a large 8 lbs 14 oz. and a few hours shy of 42 weeks. He is a bundle of joy in every way! I will miss every part of His tiny-ness when he grows- just as i Miss all my kids being babies. I have to say- that Slade is the most cuddly baby we have had- and so chill ( except for hen he is teething!) I was looking back at Brielle's photos too...  Her  3rd bday!  Her first haircut after SHE first cut her hair!  After we moved to CO- she was 4.5 Brielle is about 5.5 here before we moved to our current home.  SHE IS A DIVA! And we are so blessed by her...