Recently, I was able to attend Charlie’s Kindergarten graduation ceremony. I know I am so blessed that his parents asked me and that I was able. While I was thrilled to be there, it was bittersweet at the same time but today I need to focus on the positive of that experience.

It wasn’t much different from other Kindergarten graduations. When Charlie saw his Mom, Dad, sister, and me he started waving wildly, pointing out who we were to the boy standing next to him on stage. He was excited to see us. The children all sang a few songs together; Charlie being the best of... more

Today I actually did something that I rarely allow myself enough time for. After my son was out of school I decided, spur of the moment, to take in an afternoon matinee with him. Just the two of us!

The movie we saw was “Bee Movie” and it was absolutely adorable. I know the girls will be a bit miffed because they were not included. As the tiny guy in the family Carson often gets left out of the one-on-one time, so today was just about me spending some time with him. I usually spend so much of that time trying to get... more

Ok, the old “punkin head” in this scenario is me, and I have been in need of a bit of a break from some of those daily duties, that it often feels like only I can carry out around here.

Today my husband is taking our five year old along on her Daisy troop field trip to a local pumpkin patch, and I got to come home for some peace and quiet! Well...I still had two kids in tow, but trust me the two of them is a break when you are familiar with the anxiety driven behavior of my five year old. I only hope she and dear Dad make it home in one piece... more

Look at that little guy (my little guy) making a crazy, funny face! Yes, he does it often. He is such a joker! His personality continues to develop and he grows into this independent little person. His mom tells me that he likes to tell jokes, be silly, cut up, and make you laugh. Almost every time I talk to Charlie on the phone he has me rolling in laughter at his comedic antics. When I talked to him earlier in the week, he said, “I love you Coley but Zach and Cody comes on in five minutes, so you have five minutes.” Then there was a dramatic... more

I love this picture of my little guy playing around on the piano! Isn’t he a cutie! He is wearing one of his Dad’s old shirts and ties and pretending to give a piano concert.

Charlie’s adoptive Dad, S, is a great pianist and vocalist. He plays the piano and sings very well and he I share a love for some of the same types of classical music. Placing Charlie with a family that also had a love of music and would encourage a love of music in Charlie, if he had one, was important to me when I was making my adoption plan since music was always (and still is)... more

The best thing about being with someone for so very long, is that they get to know just what you need to pick yourself up from a really rough spot. They remember you when, as in when you were not so chubby, sporting so much grey hair, and how hot you once looked in leg warmers. Thankfully I have just that in my “retro love”, my husband of eighteen plus years, J. He knows this week has taken a toll on my sanity, and he understands why. Our dear five year old daughter mostly never lets a person catch their breath before the battle begins anew, so today he attempted... more

I am addicted to reality TV and the summer show, Big Brother, is one of my personal favorites. You are probably wondering what Big Brother has to do with adoption. Unless it is a secret, there are no triad members in the Big Brother house this season. But, Big Brother does have something to do with my adoption.

It was in its second season during my pregnancy. I didn’t have the time to watch it during the first season but pregnancy complications afforded me the time to watch the second season.

If you’ve never... more

Last Saturday our family was at Sunnen lake with grandma, grandpa, aunt and cousin. Grandma used to work for the Sunnen corporation, now retired, but for the rest of her life she has free use of the beautiful cabins at their private section of the lake. The lake also hosts the YMCA Trout Lodge, which was a special place that holds fond childhood memories for my husband and his family.

When ever grandma makes the arrangements for us to stay at the lake we are happy to be included. Sometimes... more

My two youngest children are so funny. Cierra and Carson are only 18 scant months apart in age, as close to artificial twining as I will get, and yet they are several light years apart in every other aspect imaginable. While I know they come from different biological families, I am often struck by how these two are as opposite in every possible way as any siblings could ever be. Ok, some days I laugh, while others I pull my hair out!

I could begin by noting the most obvious ways they are not alike, or even in the same zip code. Of course Cierra is a she,... more

This has been one challenging week, it is a good thing our family is heading to Branson for eight days of R & R starting Saturday! We plan to re-connect with friends there who are also adoptive parents of three children around the same ages as ours. Part of the plan is to attempt to pull our heads above all the recent stresses, and find our way back to the real reasons that we chose to adopt our children in the first place, to be a family.

When I was a young girl I know I dreamed of becoming a mommy,... more