A little boy who came into our lives with joy and laughter and beauty.
11.17.2015
6 months with Doron
Tomorrow (or today if you're reading this on the 18th) we mark 6 months with our sweet little boy. A journey I could never have imagined to be as wild, as wonderful, and as marked with God's glory as it has been.
A little boy who came into our lives with joy and laughter and beauty.
Those are from our Family Day on May, 18, 2015. Funny, then I thought he was just calm cool and collected. Now I can see his concerned little face, confused by the surroundings but happy to have candy. The kid will do anything for candy.
Just a few pics from our first summer together. Man, I can't wait to see what the rest of our lives have in store for this family!
A little boy who came into our lives with joy and laughter and beauty.
11.06.2015
Orphan Sunday is this Sunday!
November 8 is Orphan Sunday!
Churches all across the world will be recognizing Orphan Sunday this year. I highly encourage you to find a church near you and get involved!
If you are in the Quad Cities IA/IL area you can visit us at First Assembly of God Church, 1811 18th Street, Bettendorf, IA at 9:00am or 10:45am. We will be collecting Journey Bags for children entering foster care in Scott County.
To put together a Journey Bag bring a new backpack with 1 item inside. This item can be a toy, pajamas, warm blanket, stuffed animal, game - any item that can be just for this child. Many children when placed in foster care are taken from their home with very little to call their own. They often do not even have a backpack for their items. This Journey Bag will be only theirs. The gift inside is just for them; a tangible way we can touch their lives and let them know people care about them. You can choose to make a journey bag for a boy or a girl and any age. If you would like to participate you can private message me on Facebook.
Visit The Forgotten Initiative website for more information on how you can make a difference for those in the Foster Care community!
And check out the Orphan Sunday website to find a church near you and to find out how you can get involved on Orphan Sunday!
Be Blessed,
Brie
Churches all across the world will be recognizing Orphan Sunday this year. I highly encourage you to find a church near you and get involved!
If you are in the Quad Cities IA/IL area you can visit us at First Assembly of God Church, 1811 18th Street, Bettendorf, IA at 9:00am or 10:45am. We will be collecting Journey Bags for children entering foster care in Scott County.
To put together a Journey Bag bring a new backpack with 1 item inside. This item can be a toy, pajamas, warm blanket, stuffed animal, game - any item that can be just for this child. Many children when placed in foster care are taken from their home with very little to call their own. They often do not even have a backpack for their items. This Journey Bag will be only theirs. The gift inside is just for them; a tangible way we can touch their lives and let them know people care about them. You can choose to make a journey bag for a boy or a girl and any age. If you would like to participate you can private message me on Facebook.
Visit The Forgotten Initiative website for more information on how you can make a difference for those in the Foster Care community!
And check out the Orphan Sunday website to find a church near you and to find out how you can get involved on Orphan Sunday!
Be Blessed,
Brie
5 Ways You Can Support An Adoptive/Foster Family
When a family you know adopts a child it can seem like there are a lot of new "rules" on how to interact with them. You know that they are bringing home a new child and you know they need their space - but you want to help them out. You might wonder how, or what, you can do for them while still allowing them to bond as a family.
The same goes for foster parents! Foster families are often times going through similar struggles or even more difficult struggles than adoptive families. They need help and support from their community as well!
Here are 5 ways you can support a foster or adoptive family.
1. Send them a "family night" box.
This could include a movie or game, gift certificates for pizza (enough to feed their whole family), popcorn, and cookies.
2. Call them up and tell them you will be bringing them a meal on ______night.
If someone says "Let me know when I can bring you a meal." My response is going to be "Thanks!" but I'm pretty sure I won't ever call and ask for that meal. Pride can be a hard thing to get over. On the other hand, offering a meal that night at 5pm might mean they've already prepared something else... If you prepare in advance for them or bring them over a freezer meal for later, that goes a long way for making a huge difference for some tired parents.
3. Better yet...set up a meal train for families who have just brought home an adoptive child or are bringing a new foster child into their family! Much like bringing home a new baby (and sometimes dare I say...more difficult?) bringing a new child into your family can be hard on everyone making dinners difficult for several weeks! Help a family out by offering to be the coordinator of a meal train and make sure they are set for a long time!
4. Offer to mow their lawn or shovel their snow! If yardwork isn't your thing offer to wash and fold their laundry or do their dishes! This idea came when I asked the question in a Facebook group I am in for adoptive families. When bringing home a new child it can be so overwhelming and difficult. Relieving an added stress (like yardwork or housework) that takes away from much needed family time would be so welcome to a family. Much like a meal train offering to mow their lawn for a month or two or setting up a laundry service for them for a month or two (or six) would make a huge difference and be very appreciated!
5. Have lots and lots of grace for a newly adoptive family. If they suddenly don't make it to an event where they were expected, most likely they just couldn't come - for their new child and their new family. If they don't want you to hold their child for a long time, respect that. The bonding process is a long one and a two year old born raised in a different environment is not like one raised in your home since birth. Everything is new and unknown, and in that their family is new and unknown. With the instability they have already faced they may wonder just who is the next family they are going to. The newly adoptive family's avoidance of big public events isn't because of you it is for their child. If they don't discipline the way you think they should, understand this new territory. We don't understand our child's history and discipline just simply can't be the same way it would be with a biological child. Lots of grace and lots of patience go a long way to help a family.
Also - check out this great article by No Hands But Ours Three Ways The Church Can Support Adoptive Families
Be Blessed,
Brie
4. Offer to mow their lawn or shovel their snow! If yardwork isn't your thing offer to wash and fold their laundry or do their dishes! This idea came when I asked the question in a Facebook group I am in for adoptive families. When bringing home a new child it can be so overwhelming and difficult. Relieving an added stress (like yardwork or housework) that takes away from much needed family time would be so welcome to a family. Much like a meal train offering to mow their lawn for a month or two or setting up a laundry service for them for a month or two (or six) would make a huge difference and be very appreciated!
5. Have lots and lots of grace for a newly adoptive family. If they suddenly don't make it to an event where they were expected, most likely they just couldn't come - for their new child and their new family. If they don't want you to hold their child for a long time, respect that. The bonding process is a long one and a two year old born raised in a different environment is not like one raised in your home since birth. Everything is new and unknown, and in that their family is new and unknown. With the instability they have already faced they may wonder just who is the next family they are going to. The newly adoptive family's avoidance of big public events isn't because of you it is for their child. If they don't discipline the way you think they should, understand this new territory. We don't understand our child's history and discipline just simply can't be the same way it would be with a biological child. Lots of grace and lots of patience go a long way to help a family.
Also - check out this great article by No Hands But Ours Three Ways The Church Can Support Adoptive Families
Be Blessed,
Brie
11.01.2015
National Adoption Month!
I am so excited that November is here! Thanksgiving, Christmas, Family, Food... and it is National Adoption Month!
Last year we spent this month anxiously awaiting our trip to China! We knew Doron would be ours but there were so many unknowns surrounding when and how. Here we are, home almost 6 months and Doron is doing great. We have some bumpy days, to put it mildy but right now as I type this Aaron and Doron and laughing and giggling. If you have heard our son's giggle, you know, it is contagious and adorable.
To start off National Adoption Month I want to encourage you to seek out organizations that promote and aid adoptions and also ways that you can make a difference in the foster and adoption community.
I am going to do my best (pending kids and holidays) to promote ways you can help the adoption community all month long! This may mean sharing links to other posts, but I encourage you to please check them out. They are all a valuable resource and can help you make a difference in a child's or a family's life.
Today I'm going to send you over to Holt International's Blog Top 5 Myths About Special Needs Adoption.
Blessings,
Brie
Last year we spent this month anxiously awaiting our trip to China! We knew Doron would be ours but there were so many unknowns surrounding when and how. Here we are, home almost 6 months and Doron is doing great. We have some bumpy days, to put it mildy but right now as I type this Aaron and Doron and laughing and giggling. If you have heard our son's giggle, you know, it is contagious and adorable.
To start off National Adoption Month I want to encourage you to seek out organizations that promote and aid adoptions and also ways that you can make a difference in the foster and adoption community.
I am going to do my best (pending kids and holidays) to promote ways you can help the adoption community all month long! This may mean sharing links to other posts, but I encourage you to please check them out. They are all a valuable resource and can help you make a difference in a child's or a family's life.
Today I'm going to send you over to Holt International's Blog Top 5 Myths About Special Needs Adoption.
Blessings,
Brie
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