Life is about choices, and every choice we make has positives and negatives. My husband and I have decided to have a large, transracial family, built mostly through the miracle of adoption.

We could have had our three biological sons and called it good. We could have been just another "normal, three-child family" that could blend into a crowd. But that was not what we wanted and it was not what we felt was right for us and for our family. We have no regrets, and life has turned out so much better than we ever could have even imagined.

That being said, we are aware that because we have a large, transracial family, that there are sacrifices that have been made, and some things... more

People are funny.

While the overwhelmingly most common reaction to our family size and the fact that we are adopting again is an accusation of Josh and I suffering from a lack of stable mental health, there has also been a completely opposite and surprising reaction popping up quite often.

We have now heard more than a few times, "Well of course after this you have to go for the even dozen!" and, "Cheaper by the dozen you know! 12 is perfect!" and even, "Well you can't stop at 11, you have to go for 12."

It is true that "Cheaper by the Dozen" has... more

I love holiday specials. I love Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, I love Frosty the Snowman, I love the Charlie Brown Christmas and bunches of others. A new tradition in holiday TV watching has become the "A Home for the Holidays Entertainment Special" that airs each year on CBS to celebrate adoption and advocate for children awaiting adoption in the United States foster care system.

This year will be the ninth annual broadcast of "A Home for the Holidays". It will be broadcast on December 21 on CBS. Starring in this year's show will be Sheryl Crow, James Blunt,... more

Someone just sent me a link to this adoption documentary titled, "Forget the Past". This documentary looks at international adoption of children in India by families in India, Denmark and the United States.

The film was produced and directed by Sarah Brandt Talreja, who was born in India, adopted internationally and transracially at a very young age, raised in Denmark and is currently living in Los Angeles. The film was created to show what life is like in orphanages in India to give prospective adoptive parents a better understanding of where their children are coming from. The film looks at the adoption process from both the child's... more

There are just 21 "shopping days" left until Christmas, and if you are still looking for some gift ideas for the more "difficult" people on your list, I have some suggestions!

I know that many transracial adoptive families feel the need and the pull to give back in some way to those less fortunate. Adoptive families are often very aware of issues like poverty, illness, famine and other tragedies that create orphans and are also usually very aware of just how many children there are waiting for a family of their own this (and every) holiday season.

I have been... more

Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day. While that may not seem like it has a whole lot to do with transracial adoption, it actually has much to do with transracial adoption.

The AIDS crisis in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world is one of the biggest "creators" of orphans out there. It is one of the biggest tragedies of our times. AIDS is killing moms, dads, aunts, uncles, teachers, doctors, nurses and others in big numbers.

Countless children are being left behind as orphans, sometimes in good health, sometimes HIV+ themselves.

While HIV/AIDS... more

Most of the time when we write about or talk about transracial adoption, we are talking about white adoptive parents with Asian, black, Hispanic, Indian, Native American or biracial children. The assumption that transracial adoption involves white parents and non-white children is a result of that fact that most transracial adoptions do involve white parents and non-white children, as most adoptive parents in the United States are in fact, white.

However, it is becoming increasingly more common (or maybe less uncommon) to see adoptive parents of different races adopting, and sometimes adoptive parents who are not white, adopting children who are white.

National Public Radio... more

First I want to say thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway for National Adoption Month. There were such a wonderful array of responses given to my question of "what does adoption mean to you?"

The variety in the answers validates the point that I made, that your own personal experiences with adoption and the role that you have played or hope to play in an adoption will leave you with your own, very personal definition of what adoption is.

At... more

Back at the beginning of National Adoption Month, I started thinking about and writing about what adoption is to me.

So far I have said that adoption is a business, expensive, hope, life changing, love, complicated,... more

(Please remember that this is just a piece of my definition of adoption. For my full definition of what adoption is, you can read this whole series of posts here.)

This is my last piece of my definition of what adoption is to me.

Adoption is family.

When I look at my family, I know that it would not exist as it does without adoption. Josh and I would be missing out on so much if it were not for adoption, and most of our children would be living very different lives if it was not for... more