As we anticipate our upcoming adoption, we’ve been preparing our home and compiling a list of needs for our future child or children. We currently anticipate a newborn, though an older child or sibling group are also a possibility and something we would be very […]
Author: EarleyBirds

We’re match eligible!
Ya’ll. It’s happening! Our home study is completed, our adoption profile is ordered, and we are officially match eligible! As we get closer and closer to finding our match, there’s a few ways we could really use your help in the coming days, weeks, months: Prayers! […]

We’re Adopting!
“Let’s adopt.”A couple of months into dating and we were already dreaming about a future together. We were talking about getting married, where we would work, whether we wanted pets, and how we wanted our family to look. James shared with Haley that he’d been […]

Saying “no” in order to say “yes!”
Yesterday, for the first time, we said “no” to a foster placement. It was weird. Haley and I, ever since we started dating, have wanted to adopt. In fact, we decided–early on–that adoption was our preferred way of starting a family, rather than the traditional […]

Mantras
As we look at saying goodbye to our foster kiddos, I look back and remember the mantras we’ve developed over the last few months. “You are smart, you are kind, you are brave.” “Whose actions can you control?” “Violence is never okay.” “It’s okay to […]

A state of missing
It’s Mother’s Day weekend. And it’s bittersweet for us. Last night at about 1AM, I was finally able to process some of what I’ve been feeling about our foster kids going home. I decided I needed to speak the things I had written. After I […]

Our hearts grew threefold
Since December, our home has changed a bit. A few weeks after being licensed for foster care we received a call asking if we’d be willing to stretch our age range to take a group of three kiddos. We took the weekend to pray and discern […]

I am theirs and they are mine
Our kids aren’t really “ours,” you know? We’re foster parents, and the kids will very likely return to their family of origin at some undefined point in time. We don’t get to keep them. I’m not their dad. But when the toddler screams “Dada!” in […]

A long awaited update!
(*Before you freak out, the above photo is of James holding a friend’s newborn. We do not have a baby…yet! Read on to learn more.) We’ve been absent from this little corner of the web these past 10 months because we’ve been in a huge […]

“Happy” Birthday
Today I found myself writing a thank you note to a donor, and instead of following my normal script, I started down a different path. Instead of the usual thanks, I explained that I celebrate each gift that comes across my desk; I celebrate ‘you’ […]

Disconnect to reconnect
I do not love well when I’m addicted to technology. I ignore the dogs, my husband, my roomie. I lose track of time and slack on my chores. I’m perpetually distracted, and when I’m not distracted, I’m seeking distraction. It’s a cycle. Because we all […]

Unbranded
A month ago we decided to take the cabinet doors off of our kitchen cabinets to create open shelving. In doing so, we needed to simplify and make the kitchen a clean and calming space. That meant less plastic and colored-ware, more mason jars. We […]