On Sunday afternoon, we attended the annual church harvest party. It was another one of those great bonding opportunities where adopted siblings could make memories with their new family. Sometimes children who are newly adopted to your family feel left out when a sibling is reminiscing with “remember when,” phrases. That is one of the reasons I love these fun outings with our church family. It creates some “remember when” scenarios for all of the children.

When we arrived, some children were already going on hayrides. They were sitting on stacks of straw, loaded on a wagon, being pulled by an old tractor. Apparently, it looked fun and inviting to all of my younger children. They couldn’t wait to get on. In fact, Dani reported on the way home that she had gone on four hayrides.

They must have traveled through a swampy area because most of the children had gathered pussy willows. They were pulling the fluff off the pussy willows and blowing it at each other. As the wagon approached, it almost looked like a snowstorm. The children were all laughing and having a great time.

The teenagers, boys and girls, had a game of football going and that is where my teenagers headed. With all of that running around, none of them had trouble falling asleep when we got home.

The hotdogs were not ready yet when we arrived so the hostess suggested that the children make smores. The children were more than agreeable about having dessert first as you can imagine. They all seemed to enjoy roasting their own marshmallows and assembling their own smores.

The youth pastor played his guitar and we all sang some songs around the campfire. He talked to all of us about the meaning of the word harvest, both physically and spiritually. The children seemed mesmerized by the fire and sat relatively quietly.

The harvest party was a success. The children had a great time. They have some good photos for their scrapbooks and some good memories to add to their “remember when” repertoire. They spent time with good friends building friendships that I hope will last a lifetime.


When Should an Adoptive Parent Cut the Purse Strings?
Tattling on Your Brothers and Sisters
Adopted Siblings May Develop Similar Symptoms
Boys Will be Boys, Bonding Time Among Brothers

Photo Credit: Julia Fuller 2007