Building Beautiful Families

It was such a joy to serve Katie and Tim on the adoption journey to become a family of four.  It was not a journey without tears and hardship, but these two amazed me with their faith and peace throughout it all.   Theirs is a very unique story, but in the end, the Lord brought them together with their son in a beautiful way.   Read Katie's testimony below to be encouraged by their faith! **************** The Lord's acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; They are renewed each morning--great is your faithfulness . -- Lamentations  3:22 In February 2013, we adopted our daughter from a local agency.  We were thrilled!   One year later, we were eager to add another child to our family so we updated our paperwork and became active again. After about a year of waiting, our agency closed their adoption services, so we had to switch agencies.  In January 2017, after more waiting, we started workin...

This adoption story may also be titled "Don't decorate your nursery in gender specific colors!"   Read on for a roller coaster adoption story.... Ashley and Kyle signed on with me in late January of this year, and promptly dove into completing their home study, while we started working on the profile book. They were able to power through their home study, completing it in record time!  (I don't know of another family who completed one so quickly!  They were very organized and motivated!!) Once their home study and profile design were completed, I started sending them cases, and they also registered with our recommended agencies and contacts. They bravely presented to a few cases, that were just not the right connection for them. They carried on with presenting to almost every case they received, until one moment in March. They were selected.  By a mom carrying a baby boy.  Ashley and Kyle had really been secretly dreaming of a little ...

Matt and Caroline signed on with me in late January of 2017, and immediately jumped into their home study preparation time.   After becoming home study certified, Matt and Caroline bravely presented to several cases with me after we designed their beautiful profile book, but didn't find that magical connection until one day in September, one of our agency partners in their home state called them with a stork drop situation! A baby girl would be arriving imminently.  Were they interested?   Although there were still some unknowns due to the quick nature of the placement, Matt and Caroline bravely said "YES," to being presented, and jumped into the full adrenaline of a "stork drop" placement. The very same day, they met their beautiful daughter Allison, about 8 months to the day after going active with CAC. .... in the hospital Finalization Day....  (I love that Baby Girl has the judge's gavel  :)) I asked Carolin...

Rick and Chelsea were referred to me through a mutual friend earlier this year. They officially signed on with me in early April, complete with their home study and family profile book already completed.  Their home study worker had done an incredible job educating them about the current adoption landscape, open adoption, and had also prepared them for a long wait as well (although we were hopeful it wouldn't be too long!). As it turns out, this lovely couple only waited about 5 weeks until their precious bundle was placed in their arms on May 17. The backstory:  one of the local attorneys we recommend, called them in early May, seeking a specific family who was open to an open adoption with a family in their state..., and guess what, the baby had already arrived!  I asked Chelsea for her take on their whirlwind adoption, and how she might encourage another family still waiting.  We met "C" and her mom and sister on May 10th, and then Felix Isaiah came h...

In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, it's my pleasure to share this beautiful essay from one of my sweet clients, Miranda!   Dear Hopeful Adoptive Parent, I See You This week is National Infertility Awareness Week, but how does that tie in to adoption? For many families, an infertility diagnosis is what led to the decision to adopt.   Many families who grew through adoption started in the trenches of infertility. They started in a cold, sterile exam room where an infertility diagnosis was first given. Many couples who chose adoption had to endure countless tests and spend thousands of dollars to never see a positive pregnancy test. Others saw plenty of positive pregnancy tests but will never get to hold their babies this side of Heaven. And that’s where infertility and adoption come together. Because in the trenches of infertility, someone probably told those couples to “just adopt.” But let’s address that right now. If you are ...

If you're a waiting mom or mama already home with your baby, you will love this perspective from Nikki, and may even wish to subscribe to her blog!  Below she writes so beautifully about their "Finalization Day" for their sweet son, and the complex emotions that go along with each adoption milestone.   Nikki and her husband have the biggest hearts in the world.  You may follow her at  http://foreverourfamily.com/ ******* {she loved a little boy} I’ve been working on this post for about a week and a half now.  I kept coming back to it because I couldn’t get the words just right. The reality is… There just aren’t the right words in the English language to write what needs to be written. On March 21st, the four of us sat around a table with an attorney (my BIL) listening on a speaker phone as a judge a state away declared us to {officially} be Rs parents. It was one of our happiest of days. But, it was also one of the saddest. Whil...

I fell in love with Miranda and Brad when we first spoke -- they had been waiting to build their family for so long, and they were ALL IN to what an adoption journey might entail.  They were Home Study ready, and as a professional writer, Miranda had already created a stunning profile book.  As soon as they went active with me, we were off to the races, praying that the Lord would do great things. Miranda shares their story below.... I hope this encourages families considering adoption or for those currently waiting. I love the way that the Lord allowed so many special dates to align with Brad and Miranda's journey to their daughter. ******************************************************************************* Our journey to parenthood took many twists and turns that we didn’t ever expect, and the emotional roller coaster felt, at times, unbearable. But now that we have our daughter in our arms, we know that the twists and turns weren’t wrong turns or obstacle...