So Long 2010...

Wow, December was a crazy month. We had a great holiday with friends, family and lots of SNOW! I have to say we are very lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing and supportive people. For the lack of things to say, here is a recap of our holidays in pictures. Enjoy!

Talk about a sign from above....

November 20th is our 6th wedding anniversary! Wow, how time files when you are having fun.

We love our anniversary because it give us an excuse to go to a fancy dinner, have a nice wine and totally focus on each other. One of our traditions is we love to look at our wedding album and reminisce about stories of the day and how much fun we had (don't worry family, I will leave it at that). It is kind of hard to think of ways we could make it better... until now!

November 20th is also "National Adoption Day!" Not that we need any more confirmation that adoption is the perfect way to build our family, but is sure feels like a sign from above to me!

For years to come, our anniversary day will no longer be about us as a couple, but it will be a way for us to celebrate the creation of a family.

Please pass on the word about adoption...there are so many deserving families waiting to take a child into their loving homes all over the country. Help make our dreams come true.

Here is a link to the official Facebook page: National Adoption Day

The most important interview of my life.......

When Kari and I decided to begin an adoption plan to add to our family we chose The Adoption Option as our adoption agency. The Adoption Option is a collaboration between The Village Family Service Center and Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota.

The adoption process is very detailed and involves numerous visits with our adoption counselor and/or other staff at the adoption option. Our journey began with an informational session, then the Adoption Educational & Preparation Workshop. We are currently in the Assessment portion of the process. This includes taking a Temperamet Analysis and Parenting Inventory as well as the visits with the counselor.

Today, I had my first invdividual interview with our counselor. This allowed her to learn more about me in a one-on-one discussion. We talked about many different topics, a few of which include my family history, school history, medical hisotry and my parents. I learned alot about my parents as we disucssed their parenting techniques and my many experiences growing up. Thank you, Mom & Dad, for setting such a great example of how to be a good parent - it's going to be useful very soon!

Kari had the same individual interview yesterday. Next, in two weeks, Kari and I will meet wtih our conselor together to discuss marriage and additional family background information. After that, hopefully by the end of October, we'll be able to schedule our first in-home visits. If all goes as planned, we'll be added to the list of available adoptive families ready to bring a newborn into our home by December.

Taking the first step....

Sometimes taking your first step is the hardest part of the journey. Aaron and I always knew that we wanted to have kids. We have been through quite a few ups and downs in our journey to do so. When we came to the decision that we would grow our little family through adoption, we felt like a huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders.

We are currently still in the approval stage of our adoption process, but we are getting closer everyday! We are going to use our blog to keep in touch with family and friends on our adoption process and as a way to get get in touch with families that are looking to make an adoption plan for their child.

Wish us luck! Now onto the next step....