Howdy to all, We are approaching the 6 year mark! So very hard to believe!! Alison and Jayson are starting their 2nd semester as Sophomores! There has been a lot of discussion about college, military, careers in our home lately. I think both kids are excited to think of their futures but also scared to be on their own! Jayson attended a Military based school last semester which was able to give him the structure, discipline are respect that he needed so desperately. We have seen some changes in him since he has returned home....positive changes of course! Our adoption agency is hosting children from Ukraine again this year and I am excited to see how many children find forever homes! The last six years have been a hard but exciting journey for us all but I would do it all over again! Just know if you decide to adopt older children, HAVE A SUPPORT GROUP! It helps to be able to talk to others that are going through the same experiences!

The Struggles

We have now had our children for 5 1/2 years and I wish I could tell you that things are so much easier. To an extent, they are easier but the struggles are just different. My sweet Alison is just amazing. She is not the same little shy girl we brought home. She will be a sophomore next school year and is so beautiful. She wanted a job at the end of the school year so we sat down and applied for our local McDonald's and they hired her!! She has been working a little over three weeks now and received her first paycheck! She is saving for a car. She plans on attending a beauty school the second semester of her Junior year but states it is just a "fall back job" because she is going to college! Jayson will also be a Sophomore but we have decided to send him to a different school. He has been really struggling with discipline and direction. He always wants to "be in charge" and does not respect our role as parents. He is such a sweet loving boy but has not been open about his past experiences and I feel he has a lot of hurt that he is not dealing with. This school will give him structure, discipline and a one on one education. The only downfall is that he will stay there 24-7 for 5 1/2 months! We will not have any contact with him!! It is a military based program. He has expressed interest in the military so I think this will be a good thing for him. It's just hard for my heart to except that he will not be around for awhile. So, life is moving right along and we are watching our children grow up! Brandon is our oldest (29) and he has purchased his own home and I am hoping he will be proposing to a sweet girl soon! Trent is/was the baby of the family until Jayson came along. He will be turning 26 the end of this month. He was married in October and his wife Hillary is such a blessing to our family. They bought a home as well and to be honest, we do not see our older children that often. Since they purchased homes, they have been pretty busy mowing grass, planting flowers, building decks and everything else that comes along with home ownership! So even though my heart misses them so, I am so thankful they are moving along in their adult lives! Hoping for a grandchild very, very soon!!