Austin & Molly

We had such a fun (and HOT) July 4th! It always starts with our town parade. They do such a good job with music, amazing floats and decorations, and even water shooters to cool people off. We like to get there an hour early to get good spots. It’s fun to hang out and relax together before all the commotion starts. This year, it was already 90° when the parade started at 9am. Whew! We always bring our red wagon full of camp chairs, drinks, and snacks. But this year, we grabbed umbrellas for shade! We packed home plenty of candy and goodies and ran into a few friends while we were leaving. The middle (and hottest part) of the day was for napping, grilling, and watching The Sandlot. After dinner, we packed up our pool gear and headed out. We spent a couple hours swimming before the fireworks started! We could see so many from the pool - and it was magical! There were only a few other families there with us so it was pretty relaxing. We brought our red, white, and blue glow sticks, which looked so awesome in the water. That was definitely a night to remember. We can’t wait to add another family member to memories like these. We love keeping traditions from year to year - and making new ones! If you or someone you know might be considering placing a child for adoption, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We would love to chat, get to know you, and let you get to know us!

We have been making the most of our summer! So far, we’ve had three separate visits from out-of-state family, worked on home projects inside and out, and spent countless hours at the pool! We celebrated Austin’s 36th birthday with presents, yummy food, and checked out a new race car simulator. We sure love that guy! Now we have one trip planned to see family and friends out of town. We’ll have a few more weeks left to fill with summer fun before our girl enters the second grade! If you’re reading this and considering placing your child for adoption (or know someone who may be), we would love to hear from you! The thought of growing our family makes us more excited than any other plans we could ever make.

We loved the fun run! It wasn’t too hot outside this year, but this cute runner still broke a sweat! It was another fun and successful event at the elementary school. I really love being a part of the school community - especially when I get to spend extra time with my girl! - Molly

Just a brief update :) We like taking family walks along the neighborhood walking path. Today, we stopped to snap a quick photo - Foxy included! It ended up being a longer-than-usual walk at over 2 miles! Not too shabby. The weather is so nice right now. Some days have been hot enough to swim. But for the most part, we’re getting really warm afternoons with cool mornings and evenings. It’s been heavenly!

Mother’s Day is a tricky day. I love the idea of Mother's Day! There are so many incredible women and mothers in the world. But as life goes on, our experiences bring new meaning to the day. For years, I thought only about my own mother and grandmothers. When I became an aunt, I realized an entire new generation of mothers in my sisters - and eventually myself. When Austin and I got married, all I wanted was to become a mother. It felt like time crawled by slowly while I dreamt of holding our little one in my arms, singing them to sleep, rocking them slowly. As a nanny, I cared for children for years. I scooped up crying toddlers when they fell down. I sang silly songs and cooled off hot chicken nuggets. I tucked little ones into bed for naptime. I cared for all those sweet kids, hoping one day I could do the same for my own children. We waited years before deciding to adopt. When we entered the world of adoption, my definition of motherhood exploded. I started to redefine what my own motherhood experience would be. And at the same time, I listened to the stories of countless birth mothers making the most selfless decision of their lives. The role of a birth mother is one I wholeheartedly believe to be overlooked. How can we adequately celebrate the women who, while making such an incredibly complex decision, so permanently change the course of another family's life? If I anyone has the answer, please share! All I know is that I wouldn't have the chance to be a mother if it weren't for the gift of adoption. That gift was given to me by another mother and I'm forever grateful for her. I look forward to the day we meet our next child's birth mother. We are thrilled at the thought of not only another child joining out family, but their first mother as well. We're praying for you. To any mothers who are reading this - current mother, future mother, biological, adoptive, bonus mom, and especially all the birth mothers out there - I hope you know how special, loved, and appreciated you are. I truly hope this Mothers Day found you in a place of peace and joy. Every single mother deserves to be wrapped in a blanket of gratitude and love. - Molly