We are a large family to some, middle sized to others, but we're never considered a small family. There are seven of us total. The precious children range in age from 15 to 3 1/2, the youngest two being only 11 months apart. God, my husband, and I started this family in 1997 and added the second child in 1999. Things were rolling along pretty great with two kids. Then they were both in school, we had a couple of friends who had more than two and they looked like they were having a party at their house all the time! That's a recipe for MORE KIDS!!! So, we had the third and I said (outloud for God to hear - aren't I funny), "But I don't want to quit on an odd number so let's adopt the fourth! I've always wanted to adopt!" We started the paperwork to adopt from Ch*na when our third child was only 6 months old (late 2005) not knowing how long it would take to go through the adoption process. My heavenly Father, seeing we were open to more children, squeezed in our youngest biological daughter in 2007 (we wouldn't change a thing! God has GREAT ideas!). In 2008 our youngest daughter was born in Ch*na. We brought her home Christmas Day 2009 in one of the worst snow and ice storms we had ever seen.
You can read about our family before, during, and after our adoption here:
And our adoption trip is here:
My biggest hope is that anyone reading this to find out more information about adoption, especially Ch*nese adoptions, will know that it WILL NOT take them the 4 years like it took us. We just happened to log in to Ch*na when the tides were turning on adoption in that wonderful country. We switched to special needs adoption in about March of 2009 and had Avery December 13, 2009. Had we continued on the path of adopting a "healthy child" we would still be waiting.
In January 2011 (Two days before the worst snow storm our city has ever seen, seriously, we were snowed in for two whole weeks! What is it with us, extreme cold weather, and major life changes?) we moved from our "little" home into a larger home with a much larger yard to accommodate our family - after all, no one was shrinking. The house is a great house, but hasn't been touched since it was built in 1984 and we've been updating each room slowly but surely.
This blog is here for three reasons . . .
1. To record our ins and outs, accomplishments, holidays, funny things that happen, etc.
2. To show before and afters of our home which is going to forever be in the makeover process. I did not ask for patience . . .
3. To share/advocate/and plea for what breaks our hearts - the fatherless.
~ Lori
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