Highs and Lows are a tradition in our church. We do them at some point during each Sunday school class, we start each meeting or gathering with them and they are one of the things that the kids in our church love to do. This does not have to be limited to church by any means.

Let me explain what highs and lows are. Each person gets a chance to say what the best part of the day was, and then what the worst part of the day was. Kids absolutely love this. It gives them a chance to talk about their day and be heard. My Sunday school kids would remind me of it repeatedly... more

I did a walk today for a cause that is very close to my heart. I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure raising funds for breast cancer research.

I lost my aunt to breast cancer a little over ten years ago. My kids never got the chance to meet her and she was one of the strongest women I know. She was a single mom who worked hard to support her kids because the child support she received was sporadic at best.

Anyone who participated in the race received either a white shirt or a pink shirt. The pink shirts indicated that you... more

Last night my daughter, Hannah, and my husband had a “date” together. The Milwaukee Brewers gave away 5,000 tickets to last night’s game and they went to the game together.

This is not something we would have normally planned since it was a school night, but the opportunity was too good to resist. They had a great time at the game when the Brewers one with a grand slam home run in extra innings. Pretty exciting for Hannah’s first time at a baseball game.

Hannah loves to spend time when it’s just her and her daddy. A few times through the year I... more

I ran across an ad for the Clorox Wipe It Out Program in a country music magazine. It featured one of my favorite singers, and adoption advocate, Rodney Atkins. The Wipe It Out Program helps to raise money and awareness for various charities chosen by different country music stars. Rodney Atkins is working in conjunction with the National Council for Adoption (NCFA) to promote adoption awareness and give kids homes.... more

I received a book to read and review and I am pleased to do so.

The book is called “The Little Girl” by Phil Wong. This is a children’s book about a little girl raised by a single dad.

The book is set in China and focuses on a baby girl, Ming Zhu, who is abandoned and found by a man Li Feng. He takes her home and raises her as his daughter.

There are several things I like about this book. The illustrations are beautiful and children will love them. The colors are both soft and bright.

I like the way it embraces the Chinese... more

Last week I started talking with a woman who is interested in adoption. She and her husband are just getting started in the process and evaluating what type of adoption they are interested in perusing. We discussed the pros and cons of each type of adoption along with the age of child they are interested in and so on. All the things you’d expect when first starting adoption.

This couple is leaning toward foster care adoption. One of the things I strongly believe in is honesty about adoption. I firmly believe in adoption as a way to build a family but I also believe... more

My relationship with my family is strained at best, and a great majority of it is because my family does not agree with the way I parent my kids. My kids have all come through foster care and have had traumatic backgrounds. I cannot parent them the way you parent “normal” children.

Many other families struggle with extended family relationships as well. As parents we also walk a fine line with what to reveal about our children in order to help our family understand what we are dealing with, and respecting our children’s privacy.

The other... more

I am two! Can you believe that it is already that time again? It is time to write our semi-annual Dear Birth Mom letter and update. The months seem to fly by unbelievably fast and it has already been six months since our last update. Our darling daughter has just turned two years old. It seems like just yesterday I was rushing to Texas to meet her for the first time. Now, she is the one rushing, in every direction at once most of the time. She has been transformed from an enchanting little baby to a beautiful little girl in two years.

Dear Birth Mom,

Now... more

Sucking the air outI would like to address a comment made on a blog that I wrote on July 2, 2008 entitled “Place Older Adopted Children With Stay at Home Parent.” In that blog, I stated that older adopted children typically come to their new family with abandonment issues. I realize there are many other issues involved, but I am addressing just abandonment for now. In the summary of the article I stated, “Try to find a way to spend those first... more

One of the criticisms I’ve heard within the adoptive parent portion of the triad, is that open adoptions are “confusing” to the child somehow. For example:

* Having two mommies and/or two daddies * Along with the above, which is the “real” parent? * Birth parents will want to “co-parent” and thus “diminish” the authority of the adoptive parent

We have an open adoption. We routinely send pictures to our children’s birth family. We talk to them on the phone. We mark special occasions with cards, presents, and/or calls. We send... more