When it comes to adoption, it hasn’t exactly been easy. Adoption was never a second choice for us. It was always part of our dream. The timing, however, was not at all our plan. Our adoption journey to C and I was initiated out of our own loss. But it made us see so clearly their own losses as well. It helped us to walk into parenting them with open eyes and broken hearts.
And then nothing went as planned. We were thrown into international crisis...adoption suspension. Crazy things I never wanted to learn, with governments and bureaucracy and red tape and misconceptions and outright lies and learning to trust, not in people, but in God.
And learning to fight. Not for ourselves, but for the fatherless, the hungry, the orphan.
And we waited. Eight to twelve months turned into years.
And we waited.
Life kept happening in the wait. They lost teeth and started school. We had a house fire. We moved. We began to let ourselves plan to live in the wait. We parented our biological children. We grieved. We asked a lot of questions. We shed a lot of tears.
We did birthdays and holidays and prayed.
And finally, she came home. And life kept going. We traveled and soon moved back into our home that was being renovated from the fire.
And finally, he came home. And Jeff went back to work and we did life. And we learned this new normal. The ebb and flow of trust and love and family.
And life kept going. We sold our house and moved to the country. Seeking new adventures, chasing different dreams.
Soon we found ourselves welcoming another new life. Once again, we had prayed and waited. Once again, the Lord answered in his time.
Everything we wondered and worried about...how would they respond? Life with five kids...will they be ok? Will they love him?
They met him and suddenly, all fears and questions melted away. Only love.
They accepted him as their own. They loved him as any sibling would. They utterly adored him, all four of them. In three years we had moved four times, changed jobs, added three children...and all the chaos seemed to fade away. All the worry ceased. All the world stood still.
We are simply family. Bonded together through pain and loss. Changed and chosen. Fought for and found. Forever. Adopted. Cherished. Accepted. Imperfect. Beautiful. Broken. And always, loved.
Welcome
Hi! I’m Tiffany. I’m prone to using a lot of words to make things sound lovely. Because of that I have written and re-written this about a dozen times just trying to be concise. You just want to know what you are getting into, right?
Here’s what you’ll find in my little space: writings/musings/stories on my life. I have a big(ish) family; five kids and my wonderful husband. Topics include: homeschool, travel, adoption, child loss/grief, marriage and living a Christ-centered life.
We strive to live simply and love well. Thanks for joining me on this journey. I’m so glad you’re here.
Tiffany
