The Christian Crew

Man, I need to reformat the blog, update pics and so on. If you are following us on Facebook- you have more of an updated version of our family and adventures. Our community page is Brandon and Corrine- Party of 9.  Find us and read on. Even that needs updating too. A few things have kept me away from writing and rightfully so. These adorable little blessings are certainly worth it but, now they are 14 months and it's time to continue to open up, share and be vulnerable with ya'll who read or who are connected to us personally or through mutual friends. Adoption is HARD, life is Hard and all of us have hard things we are going through. I am often asked a few different questions to today, I will put these ?'s to rest... Are you guys going to adopt MORE? How did you get 4 birth moms/dads to pick you guys? What can I do to get chosen by an expectant mom / what advice can you give me? Q#1 Well, I think our Quiver is pretty full guys and 7 is a LOT OF KID...

Today was a great and HOT day for a parade but, it was great nonetheless! Our Co chapter participated in the Wheat Ridge parade! All went pretty well too! I have to say, since it was our FIRST time- it couldn't have been better but, Next time... I'm thinking a bit Bigger deal should be made- maybe a ride on float for about 15 people, some poles with long streamers on them that people walking can wave around, more pamphlets, more candy, more pass along cards etc... We did get our message out which was : Support Adoption- It's a Miracle! And not everyone in the crowd was really cool with it- but most were nice! I just find it baffling that some find adoption so- TABOO or terrible- when it is the exact opposite- It's Amazing and full of Love. Birth mothers don't place because they don't want- they place because they want more for their babies! There are so many MYTHS that are unfounded in the general media about adoption and I'm working hard to stop anti- a...

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, I think he's a super handsome man. Others may disagree but, He needed a pic for his new Business Cards so, I took it! He's a Real Estate Agent with Metro Brokers and a Loan Officer as well! I am so glad he's a great man, husband, provider, friend and dad! I thank his parents for raising him and his birth mother for placing him over 31 years ago. You both are amazing for what you have done for him and for me and for our children!!! We are all so blessed through adoption!

with our blog backgrounds! So, don't be shocked if you see a few ones here and there. It's like shopping for a new pair of jeans- you hardly are going to settle for the first ones you find. You have to try them on and see if they fit. So just hold a on a second and enjoy the Blog background fashion show:) More great posts to come from Brandon and Corrine, a couple who is hoping to have another adoption miracle. This adoption blog has all kinds of info about us, our family and our activities- please look at the sidebar and read whatever fancies you! Thanks for looking! I think the picture i posted is SOOO fashion forward- i love the pinky-red and yellow combo-it does wonders for his eyes:)

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...

This is the first family portrait Brielle has drawn! At the end, Aria has her arm outstretched and it trails off the page.. like she's reaching for the rest of our family. Maybe her baby sister or brother We will see what God has in store for us!I sure hope our birth mom finds us soon. Where ever she is- we know she is being watched by angels through this process. She must be so incredible and we can't wait to meet her someday! Brielle's Birth mom is just wonderful and we are so lucky her whole family is still involved in our lives. We call and chat and send things now that we are far away in CO. I wish they were just a few miles away like it was back in LV! We miss you -awesome part of our family! Ta-ta for now! ~C

We had such a Blast at her Party!!! She had tons of fun dressing up and feeling like a REAL Fairy Princess! My friend and I made this tee for her special day! My mom, dara, Mom-in-law, Kellie and I made this fairy princess castle cake:) Which everyone enjoyed- Especially the birthday girl! She opened lots of presents and loved her cards too! The friends played games and made crowns and fairy wands at craft stations and everyone left with wings, a tutu (most of which i made) and a tiny crown comb. We will never forget those we celebrated with! It was so amazing! more photos will be on my FB page soon:) Thanks everyone for making it so wonderful!

The Denver ZOO was GREAT FUN for ALL! We had a great protector to keep us safe from all the crazy Monkeys, right when we walked in! And we found the "ZEE-BWAA's"(aria) Our friend the Polar Bear Bismark the Seal with NO end flipper. He was rescued off the La Jolla Coast after he was attacked! OKAPI (it was on Dora, that's how i remembered it:) counting to 10.... or he's being camera shy! where is that girl at? She blends in! giraffe 1 what a pain in the neck! so glad this Kitty is Behind bars!!! The best kisses:) Overall, we had a blast! More pictures to come!

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!

You just get worn out you feel tired from all the stress of the day and you just want to curl up and fall asleep on a nice, comfy WOODEN CHAIR! Aria will sleep just about anywhere!!!

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...

these will be featured at the National Families Supporting Adoption Art Display this coming weekend! both are very special to our family and have to do with our own feelings and experiences and are resounding feelings among the adoption community! Click on them to make them larger and easier to read!

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