Although we have yet to have a baby girl placed with us, four sets of our friends are now knee deep in diapers and burp cloths -- and we are so excited for them! Two sets of our friends have had adopt

Sooooooo excited about Jack's upcoming party.  It's a swim party, so I decorated a swim noodle for each guest, and we have approximately 20 kids coming.   Jack is into dragons, so Kevin and I are maki

Recently we attended our first opening day of baseball.  We are big fans of the Kansas City Royals and each year we try to attend several games. Opening Day is special, and this year was amazing.  The

Hello! Not too terribly much going on today. I did however get to have lunch with my best friend today ~ Yay! She was off of work and on her vacation break, and we were craving some cheese dip.   If

We met with Layton's birthfamily at the park this weekend to celebrate his Birthday!  Happy Birthday Bubba, we love you!

This weekend we enjoyed having Mom over for her birthday Saturday and going to my nephew's band concert Sunday.

This weekend was gorgeous! It was nice to finally see the sun out and go a day without a jacket. i had been itching for a project to work on around the house to keep my mind busy so a weekend like thi

While on this adoption journey Tim and I have had countless curious people ask us about every aspect of adoption! From: Q: Why are we adopting; to what do we hope for? A. To build our precious family

Poem - ‘Legacy of an Adopted Child’ (Author Unknown)(this poem was in Dear Abby in last week’s San Francisco Chronicle). Once there were two women Who never knew each other. One you do not rem

Holy cow!  I don't know if we will be able to keep up with all the events this month... We had a bday party today, and we have another one tomorrow.  Kevin's birthday is this week, there's another par

We had such a great time Sunday visiting the zoo with our family! Tim and I love animals and some of my favorite childhood memories are of visiting the zoo in Memphis with my grandparents, mom, dad, b

I enjoyed dinner with my sister and brother-in-law last night and some play time with my youngest niece and nephew.

Hello cyberworld ~ We are looking for our birthmother...obviously right?  I'm not sure if SHE knows but we think and pray about her everyday. We often talk about what she would look like, what her li

I'm proud of Ethan for spending yesterday at a state budget hearing waiting for his chance to speak up in support of retaining medical services for the consumers he helps serve.

This weekend, Pat's oldest nephew gets confirmed and Pat will be helping him on this journey as his sponsor.  It has been exciting to watch his nephew grow into the young man he is and it is hard to b

This weekend, Pat's oldest nephew gets confirmed and Pat will be helping him on this journey as his sponsor.  It has been exciting to watch his nephew grow into the young man he is and it is hard to b

One of our favorite memories in our wait to adopt was from my niece.  She had a friend over and pointed out her aunts/uncles in our family picture.  She pointed out her aunt & uncle who were expec

We went for an evening stroll together to end a great weekend and to enjoy the beautiful weather.

We enjoyed a wonderful Easter weekend with family and friends.  The kiddos got to hunt Easter eggs all weekend!  Mom and Dad enjoyed all of the candy! 

We sort of had another Spring Break this week due to unused snow days (mon-tue) and the teachers being in a meeting (wed-fri)!  So, we made the most of our time by meeting friends at the park on Monda

In my family, Easter was a simple, but fun day. We would wake up early for sunrise service at church. After church was a big breakfast in the basement put together by some of the women. I always liked

Today was a beautiful Easter Sunday.  We traveled to our hometown to spend the day with Amber's family at her parents.  We attended church with mother in the morning and the service was beautiful.  It

A quick little post to say “Happy Easter” and Happy Spring!  Although today was a wet and gray kind of day, the bright little daffodils nodding their heads in the breeze made it more cheery.  That,

We celebrated Easter with food and family today. Everyone that came left with leftover food. We fixed enough to share as that is truly what holidays are about.

Soooooo excited for Easter!  I love this time of year because it's when I feel my faith renewed because I am reminded of how much God loves us! This year there are a bunch of us getting together for b

As the snow melts, the yard is slushy and muddy. Late last night, we woke up to thunder so now we have rain adding to it. After breakfast this morning, we watched a duck in the big puddles. He look

I had over the other day 5 out of my 6 nieces and nephews.  I love how they all get along even though they only see each other at my house since they are not technically related. 

Two years ago on Good Friday we met our daughter, Avery. We were finally parents. I remember that first night in the hotel with her. We didn't get a wink of sleep. We didn't want her to want for a

What a Good Friday indeed! The sun is shining and the birds are singing! We are going to look for some Easter Eggs this afternoon at the park and enjoy the beautiful sunshine!

Wednesday was Mike's birthday!  I had such a great time making his day special. Mike's favorite holiday is Halloween.  He loves all the old time monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolfman.  He's

Carrie is incredibly selfless. Her entire life she's sacrificed for her loved ones, even when it wasn't appreciated. But she did it because she cared so much. There are many people in the world who wi

So, we have had some technology issues with our laptop this week.  We finally got it back and are able to make updates to our profile again.  Krystle was lucky that she had backed everything up prior

I could write next about my adulthood, about my jobs and where I've lived, but honestly, the one constant in my adult life has been my wife Carrie. While this isn't true for everyone, we were destined

My own childhood influences a lot of my parenting philosophy. I think it's logical to reflect on what I found most and least enjoyable about my childhood as I think about how I want to raise children.

So last night we went to the Carrie Underwood concert. I got Daniel tickets for Christmas so we have been looking forward to going for a while now. All in all it was pretty good. It was so nice seeing

We had a GREAT time over Spring Break a few weeks ago.  Jack and a friend did a pottery class on Monday, then a 1/2 day gymnastics camp on Tuesday, went to the movies with other friends on Wednesday,

On Monday, we had a small snowstorm for our area; however, the wind picked up which created blizzard conditions. We waited until Tuesday to clean out as the wind was just blowing it back in and the

According to my calendar, tomorrow is supposed to be the first day of Spring-the season I look most forward to.  It symbolizes a new beginning.  Animals are having young, the first flowers are beginni

Yesterday, Mary had her iPod on shuffle and one of our favorite songs came on. The song is "Good Things" by The BoDeans. There are a few lines in the refrain that reminded us of the adoption process

Being the big sports fan family that we are, we are spending the night watching the Syracuse basketball game at Krystle's parents' house.  There is definately a sea of orange in the house tonight as e

Our dog, Misty, has been having a hard time behaving when the cats are outside and she is in her invisible fence field. We have been working with her using positive reinforcement. Today, she did the

A friend of Mary's from childhood is also a friend on Facebook. They chose a different adoption process and are now thinking of changing course. We have been reconnecting by talking about our reason

We are getting excited as we are getting a small dose of spring this week.  The temperatures are warming up, the sun is out longer, we can't wait to get outside and play and work in the garden!  It is

Hi there!  Today I thought I’d share a little bit more about the fun we’ve had decorating the nursery. (Check out the first blog about decorating the nursery, if you haven’t read it already!) It’s be

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, we had a snow storm. Three days later, temperatures were in the upper 60s and we were at the park without needing to wear jackets. Winter temperatures are supposed to retur

We are settling in to the house. It is so much more light and open. Last night, a friend of ours celebrated his 40th birthday and there was a surprise party for him. These gatherings mean so much t

My birthday was such a blast!  I got to spend a few days with my dad.  It was a great time talking, cooking, and watching fun new shows.  Mike did such a wonderful job!  He had our kitchen & dinin

This is Josh's last week with in his current job. It is so hard to believe. It's exciting and sad at the same time. I'm excited about moving to a wonderful new town and the career advancement for Jo

Josh has received a promotion to a leading university. We are looking forward to this new adventure. It will mean great things for his career, and a new community where we both can meet lots of new pe

We have been in the new house for a week now and love it. The dogs are getting used to the surroundings and the barn cats. Our bigger dog, Misty, cannot understand why they do not want to pay with h

March is birthday month in our house.  My birthday is at the beginning of March and Mike's birthday is at the end of March.  We just celebrate all month long.  This year for my birthday my dad is comi

We took the kids sledding around the yard!  They had a blast.  Layton looks like he is crying in the picture but it is because he is mad that we stopped!  We are supposed to get more snow this week so

We started off with pumpkin pancakes and fresh strawberries.  That gave us enough fuel to change the upstairs play area into a cool fort! Whenever I think about donating all the old sheets and blanket

Last week we had our first fundraiser for a new ministry at our church.  We started an adoption ministry to help answer questions, pray, and help families financially on their adoption journey.  It ha

Last week we had our first fundraiser for a new ministry at our church.  We started an adoption ministry to help answer questions, pray, and help families financially on their adoption journey.  It ha

We are all home today to celebrate the snow that is falling!  We are playing with the kids and relaxing as it piles up outside! 

We moved Pat's mom to her new house in town yesterday! We started round 7 AM and finished unloading about 12:30 PM. Th attached picture I Mary in the left and Pat's sister Jill holding the crescent

Thank you for looking at our profile!  We have changed agencies, and I am working on having it changed on this website, but I wanted to send a quick note with our new agency's information.  We are now

This is a picture of the farm site we are moving to next Saturday from the top of the driveway. The house is to the left in the picture. Pat grew up on this farm and we are very excited to make this

        One of the benefits of living right on the river is all the wildlife that surrounds us.  We know that we'll be spending many happy family outings down at the River Walk feeding the birds. I

So this weekend is Presidents weekend and Scott is working on Monday, so although most people are off, it is just a regular week for us.  Is anyone doing anything for the long weekend?  I will go to m

Yippee for Valentine's Day! Jack got a heart shaped box of candy, Kevin got Angry Bird boxer shorts and I got Angry Bird pajama pants! :-) 

It's an I interesting place to be... Between paperwork and placement. It's hard to know what to do. "Not think about it" right? Yeah right!! I'm way too excited to continue life as normal. I'm a soon

We are starting to pack up the non-essentials from our current house and bring the down to the house we are moving to on the 23rd.  Our current house is a smaller home and we have tendency to go throu

We are finally having a typical Minnesota snowstorm! It started this morning and there is snow and wind outside. We are relaxing and Pat is going to head down to help clear his mom out. We had plen

Check out the snow on our deck!

Our new favorite show is Duck Dynasty.  We love that it shows family values and that at the end of each episode they show the family around the dinner table saying Grace and to us that is very importa

We went to a home improvement store he other night for supplies to redo the kitchen where we are moving to.  A friend of ours with a design background works there and helped us pick out what e wanted;

Just wondering how expectant moms who are thinking about adoption feel about websites like this.  Are they overwhelming?  or do they provide some peace knowing there are families out there wanting to

The little baby I am keeping daily is teaching me more than I am teaching her. I have learned so much about myself. I knew that I loved children, but she has taught me that I am going to love being a

Last weekend Jack entered his car in his very first Pinewood Derby!!  He and Kevin had been working on the car for WEEKS, and we were all excited to see how it would do.  (Check out the picture of Jac

Today I have made my first sale.  This morning I have my first real estate closing.  I am so excited.  I love being a real estate agent.  I definitely made the right career move when I went from being

We are watching the game at home with the dogs.  Such a great way to watch!  Mary made a couple of Minnesota/Midwestern dishes to eat today.  The first was tator tot hotdish.  For those of you not fro

Yesterday I went to a casting call for the American Heart Association to possibly win the chance to be a spokeswoman for the AHA.  I had a lot of fun at the event.  Brian was a good sport, he came wit

Scott's sister had a baby boy earlier this week.  It was so great to meet him at the hospital.  We just got a new picture of him on his way to his first check up.  So glad they are home and doing well

Tim recently celebrated his 30th birthday.  Thirty seems like such a big milestone.  We remember when thirty seemed so old! We travelled back to Manhattan, KS for a Kansas State University (our alma m

This journey has been a rollercoaster and I just can't wait to add a third person to our seat so that we can enjoy watching this little one grow and become the person he/she is meant to be.  Meeting m

We now have a tentative moving timeline.  With all hope and praying of no more delays or bad weather, we should be moving on Mary's birthday toward the end of February.  There are some projects we wan

One of the most wonderful things about living in the Washington, D.C.-area, is that there is so much to do and see. As much as we like to travel, we also love to take advantage of the many adventures

The weather here in Michigan today is crazy.  Last night it snowed, then it started raining, then it froze, and now everything is slushy/icy outside.  I have lived in Michigan all my life and to top t

We had a nice relaxing weekend.  On Saturday, Pat worked on a project at his new workshop at the farmsite we are moving to in the next few weeks.  Yesterday, we relaxed, read books, and played games. 

Well, after much debate and discussion on what mattress would be best, we finally went out and got one.  Crib is ready for a baby!  I was happy to finally put the blanket I made on the bed, but can't

I love to make a nice breakfast on Sunday mornings.  This week I found a really good recipe for baked french toast casserole where you let it sit overnight in the custard and then in the morning put i

I have the opportunity to model a dress that is going to be auctioned off at the Go Red For Women Luncheon on February 15th benefitting the American Heart Association. This morning I went in for my fi

We are almost to the end of the cold snap here in Minnesota.  Sunday is supposed to be very nice temperature wise.  We like to spend the evening indoors during weather like this relaxing.  We do some

Last night Brian and I babysat my two cousins, C & G.  They are 1 year old and 3 years old. They sure did keep us busy last night.  We made valentine's for their parents and G was a little monster

Tonight I'm making chicken picatta and then a side of whole wheat pasta (first time trying whole wheat) with olive oil, garlic, tomato and basil.  I love cooking and find it relaxing.  If you are inte

We first off would like to say that the decision you are thinking about making is very important and should not be taken lightly.  Who you decide to place your child with is an important one.  Brian a

Hello.  We are Brian & Kristin and we are looking for a baby to adopt.  We have been married over seven years and live in Michigan.  If you are pregnant and considering placing your baby with an a

Today is Pat's mom's birthday.  We brought her a card yesterday and hopefully today she will be able to enjoy it by staying warm.  Currently at 6:25 AM, it is -15F degreees outside!

We have spent a wonderful, relaxing Sunday listening to music, and walking in our neighborhood. We also enjoyed church this morning and lunch out. Josh just said the only thing missing is a baby to pl

So the photos did not turn out so good or as good as I expected so I took some more. I even got out my old lap top and found somem good photos on it. While waiting I am more conscientious about other

So the photos did not turn out so good or as good as I expected so I took some more. I even got out my old lap top and found somem good photos on it. While waiting I am more conscientious about other

Today Mary's grandma turns 92.  She is still active around her senior apartment complex and volunteers at a thrift tore near her apartment.  We felt very fortunate that she could join us at our house

We have received news of 2 families that will be growing this year!  The first couple, we set up on their first date, they married, and now are expecting a little one in June.  The other couple is Mar

 While on this adoption journey Tim and I have had countless curious people ask us about every aspect of adoption! From why are we adopting; to what do we hope for?; what do we fear?;  and how do we

We had a LOT of fun over the holidays.  There were activities with friends, celebrations at church and at school, and fun with family members.  We've got it worked out so that we aren't over-scheduled

Heaven gained a new guardian angel, Pat's dad Roger.  We know he is still watching over us and still feel his presence, especially at family gatherings.  He was a good father and a hard worker and we