Three years ago today a judge sitting in his chambers finally put his signature on a stack of papers that had been sitting in his inbox for more than a week. Of course for the better part of that time, the judge had been on vacation, so I suppose in hindsight I could cut him some slack for taking his sweet time in finalizing our adoption!

Roughly three times a day, for roughly two weeks my voice was a fixture over the phone lines at our local courthouse, desperately wanting to know if he (the judge) had put his signature at the bottom of our paperwork, making our adoption official, all of the woman who worked at the office had come to know my voice, and after a few days I no longer... more

Okay, so my last post got me thinking about the specific terms in adoption that are used to signify different steps in the adoption process; such as 'gotcha day' which is the term used in most international, and some foster care adoptions to describe the day that the parents get to meet their child. I, for one, am not a large fan of the term 'gotcha day' and don't feel that it really fits our situation since my adopted stepson had been living with me prior to his adoption.

'Adoption day' is another term that I am not too fond of. It just feels cold to me. "Happy Adoption Day" just... more

Our adoption anniversary is quickly approaching, and I am getting more excited by the day. Even though our plates here are packed full with extra life stresses, I am still thinking about the adoption day, and how we are going to make it special. Hubby and I have some things planned during the day while the kids are at school, as he is taking this very special day off from work, but we have yet to decide what we are going to do as a family once the children return from school.

We tend to celebrate... more

As November is wrapping up Adoption Awareness Month is coming to a close right along with it. There are still a few days left to celebrate foster children and lend out a helping hand to those in need, and those who take care of the children whom have no one else to take care of them.

There is still time for you to volunteer to work at your states next recruitment fair, or perhaps bake some cookies and take them down to your local foster care office. I mean in this day and age there are cookie dough mixes that absolutely anyone can bake, and if you truly aren't pastry inclined you... more

So you want to help out children in your area that do not have a home or a family to call their own, but aren't quite able to open up your home full time to another child, well then how about becoming a mentor! Disadvantaged children of all ages are in need of someone to look up to, to hang out with, and to teach them about life in general, however children whom are close to aging out of the system could use your support, love, and guidance now more than ever. And with it being National Adoption Awareness Month, now is the best time to get involved!

Once children officially... more

It's time again to explore yet another tip on how to celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month from adoption.com's calendar. Since it is already late in the day, we will focus on the tip for Thursday, which is to ask your company to sponsor local foster children for the holiday season, by providing gifts for the children in need.

This... more

As I have mentioned before, November is National Adoption Month, or as it is also known, National Adoption Awareness Month, and what better way to celebrate our family than on a giant ship! That's right we are gearing up for a nice family cruise! This will be the first time that the kids have been on a cruise ship, as well the first time that they will step foot in a different country. To say that they are extremely excited would be an understatement to say... more

It's time again to look at another helpful tip from the adoption.com's thirty day calendar of ideas on how to celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month. The tip for today is to get your local churches involved by planning a worship service that delivers a message about adoption.

There are many different ways that churches... more

Yesterday I wrote about National Adoption Awareness Month, and how even if you have not celebrated, or gotten involved in the past, you can always start now. But some of you may be sitting at your computers scratching your heads as to how to go about getting involved in National Adoption Awareness Month, and what you can do to help educate others about adoption.

adoption.com has come up with a wonderful way... more

Halloween was a smashing success again this year, with everyone having a great time, although quite a chilly one! And with that holiday done and over with it is time to gear up for the next celebration, which actually begins tomorrow! And I bet you thought that you had until Thanksgiving! That's right tomorrow is the first of November, and kicks off National Adoption Awareness Month.

November is National Adoption Awareness Month, with the seventeenth of November being National Adoption Day. Both National Adoption Awareness Month, and National Adoption Day are set aside each year to bring attention to the thousands of children whom have been adopted, as well as for those who are... more