Amazing, Crazy, Weekend

We had a crazy and amazing weekend, although you can't tell it from the lack of pictures that I took, or maybe you can.  Yeah, let's say it that way, we were just too busy having fun to take pictures! 

First off we celebrated my Brenna's 16th birthday!  We had posters, we had friends, we had the Hunger Games movie and we even had a bit of a glow party!!  We had 9 girls sleeping in our basement Friday night!  And as far as this mom knows NO DRAMA!!

Saturday morning we all had to be up nice and early, Brenna had her first highschool soccer tournament of the season about an hour and a half away.  And Alainna had her first competition of the season.  Brian followed Brenna with the rest of the kids and spent the day watching Brenna play (they won 2 games and tied a 3rd, not a bad day!)  and headed out with Alainna to be a dance mom!  (She placed 1st place platinum with her jazz and fourth overall, 1st place gold with tap, 1st place gold with her modern production and fifth overall, 1 place platinum and 3rd overall with her jazz production, and 1st place platinum with her hip-hop production and 1st place overall!)

These are the only pictures I took of the whole comp.  and Brian didn't get any of the soccer tournament.  Shame on us!

It was a great weekend but very, very tiring!  I am still trying to catch up on my sleep!  

'til next time,

Going Down the Domestic Path

Surprise!! We have decided to try a Domestic Adoption.  It still feels sort of odd to tell people that we are no longer paper chasing for a China adoption.  But, after lots of research and talking to our new social worker (still miss Audrey but we do like Heidi too!) we started to feel more and more pull to the African American domestic program.  


Honestly, we never really put much thought into adopting domestically mostly because of our family size.  Then it was brought up to us and so we started asking questions, attended a couple of meetings and talked a bit with Heidi.  And we really liked what we heard, it felt, I don't know if this is the right work, comfortable.  


I think one of the biggest reasons that we are drawn to this program is because it is a chance for Brian and I to do everything together.  From paperwork to baby.  With the China program there was always the knowledge that only one of us would travel, and get to experience those first days with our new little one.  


Also, if I am being honest, I was just soooooo tired already of all the hoops that we were having to jump through for China. Hoops that have nothing NOTHING to do with our ability to raise a child.


 I don't know if this is popular opinion or not but as someone else recently said to me, "Hague, is a pain in the ass."  True that!!  For those that don't know the Hague Convention is supposed to be:  Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention) is an international agreement to safeguard intercountry adoptions.  


I don't know if it really works or not, but I will venture to say that it definitely makes things much more tedious!



We are so excited and nervous around here right now!  It's all different to us, making a profile (which is basically the story of us), complete with pictures. Hoping that a birth mom will feel a connection with us and choose us to raise her child. It's sort of unnerving to put ourselves out there like that.  I still have some skepticism that our family will be picked but I am trying to be cautiously hopeful.


OMG!  A baby!  I haven't had a baby in almost 3 years!!!  I will have to say that this is the first time that I feel like we might be getting too old for this!  


We took a trip to Babies R Us this past weekend to look around and I have to tell you we were the ONLY  people there wandering around over 30 with 6 kids.  Awkward! 


 Where is the hey my family is huge and we just keep growing but my husband gets rid of the baby stuff EVERY time store?  That's the one I need to be shopping at!!


Oh, and holy crap with the bottles....there are glass bottles and BPA free bottles, and bottles with tubes? and tomee tipee bottles and bottles that are super short and fat,  and bottles made from recycled sheep skin (ok I just made that up). I am feeling slightly out of my depth here.


I will get it all figured out though!  There is nothing this momma likes doing better than making things nice for her babies!  Unless it's Margaritas.  Keepin' it real.


'til next time,

Our Sunday

This is what we spent all yesterday doing, taking lots and lots of picture, editing lots and lots or pictures, finding lots and lots of pictures, all in the attempt to find the best ones.....

I like this one of Bri and I 

Our house!

 Who let Brenna have the camera?

 Awkward picture of us looking at each other

 My eyes, where are my eyes?!

 I think maybe I passed out here for a minute.

 Isn't he cute?

 Just kidding

 I swear I have eyes!

 Painful

 Ummmm....?

 Getting there

 Jackpot!

 Where in the world did all these kids come from?

 ummm...

 Please shoot me now.

 Closer

 As good as it gets....

 Ah....much better....my heart.

Why does he get to stay cute for all these years?  

After the photos, we started writing and writing and writing. 

This all has to do with our new adoption plans....we are no longer paperchasing for China but heading in a new direction!  Any guesses!?

'til next time,