Family traditions are one of those things that promote bonding and togetherness and really helps create feelings of family and belonging. This is a great time of year to have family traditions, both old and new.

I thought I would share with you some of the things that our family does. Some of our traditions have changed over the years as our family has grown, others have stayed the same, and some new ones have been added.

This is the third Christmas that we will have Mercy and Des with us, and it has been really fun for me to hear them telling... more

In case any of you do not have a house full of children who are very frequently reminding you that as of today there are only FIVE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS, I thought I would let you know. :)

People keep asking me if my kids are excited ... ummmmmmmm ... YES. They are excited. Highly excited even. This week is full of Christmas plays, Christmas poems, Christmas parties, Christmas goodies, Christmas caroling, Christmas programs…you get the idea!

Here is a picture of my "little four" showing just how excited they are.

This weekend... more

Continued...

Here are some more tips…

-Let the holidays be a distraction…The “wait” in adoption stinks, there are no two ways around it…let the holidays be a pleasant and fun distraction and break from "adoption stress". The time flies during the holidays, and that is a good thing when you are waiting.

-Let yourself have a good cry once and while, but don’t let yourself be “down”. Celebrate with the children you already have (if any), and if not, enjoy your spouse or friends or siblings or parents or whoever else you enjoy in your... more

I have already written about tips for handling the holidays with a newly adopted child, so today I thought I would write a little about handling the holidays while you are still waiting for your child to come home.

We have been in this situation three times, and while it is not one I enjoyed, there are ways to make it a little easier.

For one, you probably should just accept the fact that you are going to be a bit more emotional than usual (if you listen closely you can hear the sound of my husband laughing…). The holidays are an emotional... more

Here are five ideas for “gifts with a meaning this holiday”, that are not too late to buy. If you have someone on your list still that is one of those people that “has it all”, why not give them a meaningful gift…something beyond the normal “stuff”. Or, pick one of these to do with your children to help them get into the spirit of giving this holiday season.

All five of these suggestions are related to adoption, orphans and children. I welcome other suggestions that you may have. Leave me a comment and I will add to my list. :)

Adoption.com’s... more

I found this website titled Christmas World, when I was doing some research, and I think it is a great resource for transracial families, adoptive families and any family who enjoys learning about other cultures, and would like to incorporate some culture into their holiday celebrations.

The website has a long list of countries that you can "click" on, to learn about the Christmas customs of that country. Information is given on the history of Christmas, music, food, celebrations, dress,... more

I am home taking a break from the hospital tonight, and now that I have caught up on the laundry and the dishes, I am catching up on my email and blogging.

Maggie is still in the hospital…she had a rough day today and we are hoping she turns the corner tonight and tomorrow. We’re hoping she’ll get to come home on Sunday.

But tonight I want to write about Christmas and the holidays, and my thoughts on that this year. This year we will be having Ben’s first Christmas with us, as well as Belane’s, which is going to make it all that much more special.

I have been overwhelmed with the thought of the holidays…At first after just getting home from Ethiopia I was so exhausted... more

If you have a newly adopted child, it very well may impact how you celebrate the holidays this year.

The holidays provide a wonderful opportunity for building family traditions and memories, and yet they also can easily be overwhelming for a child that is still adjusting to a new life.

Here are some tips on handling the holidays with a newly adopted child.

-Don’t go overboard with gifts…beware of overwhelming your child. A child who has had little to no possessions of their own before can be very easily overwhelmed with piles of presents. It is tempting to over indulge and make a BIG deal our of your child’s first Christmas, but in this situation, less is very often,... more

I know I have already written a lot this morning, but I need to get this written too.

Yesterday was World AIDS Day. A year ago, I probably would have noticed that on the Yahoo News page, and not given it much of a second thought. This year, it was profoundly different.

This year I have read Melissa Faye Greene's book, There is No Me Without You, and really gotten an understanding of how devastating the AIDS crisis is in Africa, both on the small scale and on the large scale.

This year I have spent hours and hours at AHOPE with rooms full of children with HIV, and realized that these kids are happy and sweet and full... more

On Friday morning I did NOT get up at the crack of dawn and go shopping…heck, I don’t think we have any stores here that opened before 8 a.m.! I might enjoy the whole “crack of dawn shopping with the masses” post Thanksgiving experience if I had “women” to do that with (and lived somewhere you could do that!) but instead, I got up, made some hot chocolate and found everything that the kids were wishing for on Toys R Us.com, Walmart.com and Amazon.com. No hassle, no lines, no crowds, no shopping carts, no searching and searching…it was super easy and painless!

Josh ran some errands and we ate leftovers and enjoyed a slow day at home. We had plans for all of us to go see “Santa Claus... more