One of the biggest issues we had after we adopted our children was the depressive moods they would go through on birthdays and holidays.

We would give them Birthday parties and invite friends to celebrate and the sadness that encamped around our child would often damper the party spirit and sadden everyone.

At our oldest daughters first Birthday Surprise Party we were the one's who were surprised the most. She got up in the middle of a balloon popping butt game and burst into tears and ran off to her bedroom.

No one knew what happened.... more

With each new day I find more things that I am Thankful for. One of the best things in my life is my Marriage of 23 years to My husband Gary. What a good man.

The second thing I am thankful for is that God made me an Foster/Adoptive Mom. For if I had given birth to my own children who is to say that I would have endeavored the path way to adoption. And...had I not done that...I would not have had the privilege of meeting my children I have now.

My daughter April...who I love dearly but honestly do not understand her at times...always brings up the "Blood"... more

There are multiple reasons my husband and I decided to adopt children. These are the top ten reasons why Adoption was right for us:

1.) We Love Children 2.) We would make good parents 3.) We were an infertile couple 4.) We had a big house with 2 dogs and a big backyard. 5.) We taught youth group at our church and loved older children. 6.) We wanted to make a difference for children. 7.) We love large families. 8.) We have values and so much love to pass on. 9.) We are stable and would be a safe place for kids to live a life without so many issues. 10.) We wanted to keep siblings together.

I am sure we... more

A Thankful Heart

With A thankful heart I will reach my dreams in life.

With A thankful heart I will walk and not be afraid.

With A thankful heart I will trust someone to love me.

With A thankful heart I will trust myself to love back.

With A thankful heart Kindness will engulf me.

With A thankful heart The sun will shine upon me.

With A thankful heart Healing will come unto me.

With A thankful heart I will seek out and help others around... more

Sitting here in the silent moments of the morning. Before everyone else wakes up and the house fills with noise. My quiet moments are filled with memories.

How each little incident we have lived through has brought us so much closer together as a family. In those moments lies the key to where my family was built. Each hardship we endured. Each health scare we lived through. Each small crisis in life. Painted the love that we now share which bonds us together as a family unit.

There have been times when I doubted my own self how we would live... more

Each morning before school. Angela and I have started our day off with prayer. It gives us hope and a secure feeling that God will allow his angels to watch over our children as they go off i into their day.

It goes a little like this:

Dear God,

Please watch over our children as they go off to school this morning. Put your arms of protection around them and keep them safe as they play on the play ground.

Help them to keep an open mind and to be mindful what you have for them to learn today. Bless their teacher as she leads them through... more

Part of the greatest things about going to public school is meeting your friends and neighbors. All the kids in the same age bracket will be on the bus or on the walk to school.

Who knows if you will share the same class room or have the same lunch time. Maybe you will have the same play ground time.

It's one of the first fun things about going to school. Meeting and keeping good friends forever. You can almost guarantee that for a few years while you live in the same neighborhood you will attend the same school and enjoy the same after school activities.

Saying hello or just giving a big smile will help to break the ice and get you well on your way to making... more

It is a great joy to be apart of the AdoptionBLOGS.com team. To know that the information we provide can help new families who are in the process of becoming new foster or adoptive parents...is a joy in itself.

I only wish that there had been more information available back when we decided to foster care and then to adopt.

Every day it seems I meet more and more interesting people in the adoption community. People who have gone on to help so many children. Or who have become child advocates and have made a difference in the laws that... more

I know life gets busy at times. So many things to do and so little time.

Recently I noticed that no one is leaving comments on my blogs. I for one enjoy having people correspond with me and tell me how they feel about the issues I write about.

If there are any subjects that you would like to see us spot light in the Older Child Adoption Blog. Just leave us a comment and we will be happy to research any subject and get the latest news and information out to the readers of AdoptionBLOGS.com.

Each reader is very important to me. I enjoy knowing how you feel and what you think about life in the Older Child Adoption Community.

So please take a moment and just... more

There is a beautiful poem and book gift set that has been published by Linda Ellis called "The Dash". I wanted to take a minute and share this with our readers. As it was sent to me for signing up for the "Simple Truth." I hope you enjoy this and can tell a friend to stop by the Simple Truth Web Site or our Blog to read it too.

The Dash by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend He referred to the dates on her tombstone From the beginning to the end He noted that first came her date of her birth And spoke the following date with tears, But he said what mattered... more