Our oldest adopted daughter is getting married in a couple of weeks. She has always been a sentimental person and has always coveted her family’s fellowship. The first few years she lived with us she really only coveted her birth family’s time, but now that she is older, her adopted family’s time as well. It isn’t surprising that she asked both of her birth sisters to be in her wedding, as well as her sister-in-law to be. We were a little surprised when she asked her 17-year-old brother to stand up at the wedding with the... more

We adopted sisters through foster care adoption. One of the sisters was a teenager and the other was nine years old at the time of their adoptions. Since they were older, they knew all of their birth family members’ phone numbers. We also lived in the same city as all of their birth family.

For two years prior to their adoption, we were their foster family. During that time, we established an open relationship with their birth family. The girls frequently spent weekends with either, one set of their grandparents, or aunts and... more

When our daughters came to live with us they were seven and 13-years-old. They were very pretty, quiet girls, who seemed quite shy. Everyone who met them thought they were the sweetest girls and that we were very lucky to have such wonderful new daughters.

Despite the considerable difference in their ages, they were quite close. The older sister would frequently read stories to the younger or they would play board games together. I would have preferred to split them up, and have them each share a bedroom with a child... more

Did I ever tell my sons that they needed to defend their sister? Not in so many words, but I guess their just loyal brothers. While it is apparently all right for them to antagonize their sister until she cries, they won’t allow others to do the same.

In April, we sent three of the teenagers to a boating safety class. Honestly, I didn’t think Lyn would pass the class, but I figured she would receive some benefit from attending it.

The sheriff’s department apparently doesn’t believe in letting anyone fail. One of the... more

Last week I participated in a county wide emergency preparedness drill. I received a letter from our local hospital asking me to help out with this drill since I am a teen volunteer. The drill was very confidential to the hospital staff, local police, and ambulance service and area fire departments. The only people that knew of the drill were the volunteers, chiefs of police, fire and emergency medical technicians and a few organizers at the hospital.

When I arrived at the hospital the morning of the drill the volunteers and I... more

I have to post about Gracie’s second celebration of Independence Day here in America. I am sure it will take her several years to realize the importance of this special day. I am appreciating more and more the cost of our freedom but I do not think I will totally grasp it in its entirety. Vietnam Veteran Joseph Popvich wrote, "Freedom has a price that the protected will never know. Those who haven't spent time at war can't imagine the atrocities nor can they understand the oppression under which others live," he said. I... more

This is a photo of Nicole and Caleb, taken on the day of Ben's birthday last month. She is my oldest, and although he isn't the youngest, he has been in our family for the least amount of time, having arrived home with us from China mid-January.

Although her siblings can make her crazy at times, I think her love for him is evident in her face. When we announced that we would be adopting Micheline back in 1998, she had a look of concern and asked if we would be raising young children... more

If you are a fan of the Hallmark Channel, then you may have heard of movies titles such as Love Comes Softly, Love’s Enduring Promise, Love’s Long Journey, Love’s Abiding Joy, and Love’s Unending Legacy, with other films to follow to complete the Janette Oke Love Comes Softly series. My mom and I are addicted to these movies! You may wonder how this relates to sibling adoption? Well, two of these movies (Love’s... more

I want to share a poem with each of you written by a 10 year old boy named Harrison. Harrison and his family adopted a beautiful little girl named Clara from the Guangdong Province in China on September 4, 2006. His story and my story of desiring a sibling are very similar. Harrison was a second grader and eight at the time when he called a family meeting to announce that he wanted a baby sister and that his family should adopt one. His parents told him that adoption was a big decision and that they would have to pray... more

At the Christian school that I attend, the eighth graders in my class are taking a social skills class during the first period of the day. This class focuses on building solid foundations for learning and using proper social behavior. It also focuses on developing good moral character, manners and etiquette. One of the neat things about this class is the boys have to practice their manners at lunch by pushing in the seats of the girls in my class. We are also learning proper table manners, social manners and verbal manners.

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