The Christian Crew

I know it has taken me forever to post on Hawaii but, Here it goes... WE HAD A BLAST and are ready to buy a second home there in the coming years but, first we have to visit Maui since we have not been there yet. This trip was to the BIG ISLAND- the island of Hawaii!  Our view from our balcony/patio room  HAPUNA BEACH  Black Sand Beach with a large amount of seat Turtles too! Our Valentine's Dates :)  It was so fun taking n our girls and more pics and hopefully some videos to come! It was here that we were contacted by our agency about a potential adoption situation ~ An expectant mom had looked at our book and was interested in having a convo /skype call with us. We weren't even in Hawaii for 24 hours when we read the email.  NOW, we are matched and 1-2 weeks or less away from welcoming a tiny sweet Wahine into our Ohana! God is Good!

We had a Very Long vacation and it's best to divide it up based on our travels. SO, this last summer we left at the end of July and went to my mom's place, in a little town called Fallon, NV! It was pretty cool to drive down memory lane but, as I get older, this is less of my town and more of the past. This town holds very special memories and some sad ones as well. Like performing as Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof, helping out with the Local ARC with the special needs adults and students, meeting some of my Best good friends here, singing at the Christmas tree lighting, swimming at the pool, playing at the parks I played at as a kid, passing by the schools and soccer fields I once frequented and so much more! I will always have a love for little Fallon and the great people I know from this town who helped me become the woman I am today! We got to see a few friends and the zipped off to June Lake and Mammoth , CA to visit my grandma's gravesite and walked again down Memory...

It's so funny how, in passing Brandon will say things like- This next baby's room is going to be Ridiculously awesome and beautiful! Or we will bring up what ART we want in it!  They may seem like small things but, it's some small details that are meaningful to us. Each of our kids' bedroom has had pictures of birth parents in them. It's to remind us how important each kiddo is, not just to us, but to our baby's or children's birth parents and family. There are so many secret desires that I have or that I hope for. They might seem silly but, to me, I think they will be bonding as well. Like how I hope the expectant mom of this baby girl, wants to design the room with me, even if we have to do it online! Or I hope she is cool with helping pick the middle name out  together. I hope she likes LOTS of kids who will want to climb all over her, embrace her and surround her with cute chaos , when she visits!  Life is too short to sweat the small stuff, some may ...

Brandi takes you on an interesting journey as a child who is born hearing but loses her abilities b/c of a sickness she gets in her youth. You go through the emotions of herself, her parents and friends and family who learn how to navigate this very NEW challenge. She Braves it like a champ and in her young adulthood challenges what Others think of The Deaf Community, laws, closed captioning and so much more. She conquers her fears and motivates others along the way to becoming Ms. Deaf America!  She later gets married and has three HEARING sons with her husband, who is also deaf, and together they had always talked about the day they would have a little bouncy, blonde girl who signs and is as Strong as her momma! But, God leads them down a different Path and that has many bumps in the road and they eventually put there papers in for China to adopt a little girl... BUT, what happens next? Well, You will have to read about it yourself. In the Meantime, while Brandi and...

God is so Good! I am Amazed How he has changed our family through the Miracle of Adoption and three incredible women!  And to Brandon's Birth mom...

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...

I wanted to SHARE Brina's letter to others who may be considering Adoption as a choice... It is astounding! She is so brave and so open and honest- everything we all need to hear! PLEASE READ THE FULL LETTER HERE Now... Here's a tid bit from it... "Sweet mama, you are so loved. Many of the women who came before you are thinking about you. We are praying for your peace. We know what this is like and how hard it is. No one but a birth mother knows this path. This path is hard and it's full of heartbreak, but it's also full of joy and beauty. You learn to love like you've never loved before. You learn what true selflessness is. You put this tiny person ahead of yourself so that they can thrive. You do whatever it takes to make sure that their life is the best it can be. For that, you are an AMAZING MOTHER. Don't let anyone tell you different." Don't forget to read the FULL letter and frequent her blog!

This is NOT MY article but, i will link you to it- SINCE IT's FABULOUS! and Insightful! this pic is of my friend , Miki, and her family! She has such blessings after such heartache! She lost 3 babies then held her niece for 3 weeks before the niece went to her forever family! She later had 3 kids and was told she would die if she had anymore! So, she hoped to adopt for 3+ years then, it happened and Shaylee ( in yellow) joined the family b/c of a selfless birth mother! Now, the Watt Family also waited 3 ish years and had a beautiful baby girl placed with them- only to be reunified with the Father who does'nt stay clean( but wanted the govt' handouts for this sweet girl). Then about a year later a loving couple who chose them placed their big BOY with them on FATHERS day weekend! It was an amazing day to say the least! Adoption blesses many lives, the child, the parents and the birth parents but, we must consider what we say and educate others as we LI...

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...