It's a big anniversary here on the old blog

Hopefully by the time you are reading this, we are all packed, loaded up, and on our way to Joplin, MO, the first stop of our little 1753 mile jaunt down to my mom's.

But I didn't want to miss blogging on this date. Do you know why? Because it is the ten year anniversary of this blog. Can you believe it? I'm not sure I can, though in the intervening years, we have more than doubled the number of children we have. Life has changed in the past ten years and I have certainly changed. I look back on some of my early posts and admit I cringe a little. I still had so much to learn, and so much of that learning was a fairly painful process. I had no idea when we started this blog (which was pretty cutting edge at the time) to keep family and friends updated on our first adoption, what it would result in. I could have never guessed that it would lead to me becoming a freelance writer. I could have never guessed that I would play a small role in some children finding their families. I could have never guessed that this blog would be read by people around the world. It all feels a little crazy.

I know more than a few people read here every day. I see the numbers in the statistics available to blog owners. I enjoy sharing our lives with you and I hope that you gain something in return, even if it is only to chuckle and wonder at the craziness of it all. I'm hoping that you will do something for me. Would you be willing to write a comment and let me know you have been reading? I would love to meet some of you who are out there. Writing can be a fairly lonely activity. I write by myself and then you, the reader, reads it at a different time. It's sometimes nice to know other people are out there.

Thank you. And thank you for reading.

Comments

Alicia said…
Congrats on the huge milestone! Your blog has been such a positive thing for me-- I love hearing about what your family is up to!
Katie said…
Congrats! I love reading the blog and getting encouragement as we work on our third adoption. :)
Teresa Brown said…
Hi, just wanted to let you know that I am here! I have been following your posts since around the time that you brought H home. As a foster and adoptive Mom with a rather large family (9 right now with our four foster sisters), I so appreciate your honesty, the "rawness" of your trials and struggles as well as the celebrations of "the small things," which we know are not at all small!

Sorry that you sometimes feel lonely. I need to be better at affirming people, even those whom I have never met... You challenge me, inspire, make me laugh sometimes and verbalize (in written form) things that I am often thinking but am not yet brave enough to share. Thanks for paving the way for me!

Teresa (from Bowling Green, Ohio)
Anonymous said…
Hi! I read from Los Angeles. Don't remember how I came across your blog, but I definitely appreciate your thoughtful perspective and usually find a book title or two to add to my reading list. Learning about Swallows and Amazons definitely made our lives better! Also, since I see the world pretty similarly to you, when there are points of disagreement, I like to argue with you in my head. Only for a minute. Sometimes you win. Happy anniversary! -eleanor
James n Gina said…
Happy Anniversary to the blog! Read from Chicago, IL and love the blog. Thank you for writing!
Rusulica said…
Hello from Croatia! I read your blog for a few years now and really enjoy a glimpse to a life(style) so much different than mine and appreciate the opportunity to see a bit of your family life. I also really like your respectful, yet firm tone and your knowledge and passion. Happy anniversary and safe and fun trip!
Sana
Unknown said…
Hello from Ontario, Canada. I discovered your blog a few weeks ago and have been going backward through time post by post. I've already made a booklist, read an autobiography and purchased a geography game that you recommended. I would venture to guess that your blog blesses many mothers (and others) in different ways. Your attitude of enjoying your children as they get older has been refreshing for me as I admit I'm anxious as our family enters the tween and teen years. Thank you for your faithful updates,
Erin
Anonymous said…
I am in the greater Seattle area and have been reading your blog for many years. I am a single mom who has 3 kids adopted from China, one with special needs, all now teenagers. Thank you for keeping your blog on Blogger/Blogspot, and not moving to Facebook, like so many other blogs I used to read (and now miss). I don't do Facebook.
grtlyblesd said…
I'm a regular! :) We have 7 bio kids and 3 from China. I love to read and occasionally manage to sew, so I think we have a bit in common.
sandwichinwi said…
I think I've been here since K. came home, but I knew you on the Holt boards before that. Your blog is one of my treats to myself every day. I save it for when the work is done and I can savor it. Don't stop writing!

Blessings,
Sandwich
Kristin Mueller said…
You know me already, and you know that I read your blog, but did I ever tell you that you are often my lunchtime reading at work? :) Your blog is the first on my list, and it's nice to read blogs while I eat. It makes me feel a little more social, even though I'm actually still just sitting in my office by myself eating and staring at a computer! Thanks for all you share. I love to read your writing!
Katie Coons said…
I have really appreciated knowing your family through your blog as we were praying for you long before we even knew who you would be when we started journeying with R. Thanks for keeping us on the inside scoop!
Erika said…
I started reading your blog when you adopted K. At the time my brother and sister in law were also adopting from Vietnam and I just loved reading the stories of others on a similar journey. And I guess I just kept coming back. I loved your creative ideas, your book recommendations, homeschool suggestions (although my oldest is the age of your youngest) and more. I feel like family now even though I don't know you at all. Although I do feel like we are somehow connected as my sister in law is friends with "Ann", and you have meet her in real life ;).
Wendy D said…
Hi Elizabeth! I knew you before kids and am so happy to read about the path that God has chosen for you. I marvel at the live, patience,creativity and resourcefulness of you and J! As a mom of 4, my struggles have been real enough and I have watched you journey with awe. Such a testimony to God's provision and faithfulness. Thanks for following His leading in your life! Wendy D, St. Paul, MN
Wendy D said…
Sorry for the typos...love, patience, creativity. ..
Anonymous said…
Hi from Orlando,Florida. I am single and childless but love reading about people with vastly different lives and perspectives. Happy anniversary and safe travels!
Carla said…
I am always blessed by reading your blog. (Well, nearly always. The times we disagree are pretty few and far between.) I've been reading since you were in the process of bringing K home, and yours is the first blog I check when I get a moment to sit at the computer. I absolutely LOVE it that you write consistently and often. So many other blogs that I have followed over the years have either changed purpose, or completely died off.

Thank you, thank you for sharing your life and struggles with us. Although I'm only a mother of 2 (and no adoptees - yet), your blog has been an encouragement and help with my strong-willed, OCD, 4 year old son. I think he may be a lot like your L...
Anonymous said…
Greetings from Alaska! I started reading your blog while in the midst of completing our daughter's adoption from India. Little did I know how much I would end up learning from you regarding brain issues, home schooling and parenting kids with special needs. I look forward to your blog every day.
Molly said…
Been with you since you adopted TM. We followed you a few short weeks after to Vietnam to adopt our Josie! Following all your adventures from Idaho!
Angie Butcher said…
Love sharing your blog posts with friends - your insights on parenting, attachment and balance are lifesaving!
urbanmom said…
Greetings from Baltimore! You know me in real life, as I used to live in town with you and knew you even before child#1 arrived. I don't often go to FB now, but when I do, I love catching a chapter and reading the surprising and wonderful ways your life's adventure is going. Your open-hearted, fearless, and practical way of living life with Jesue is inspiring, even to me -- an empty nester with no adopted children. I know your vulnerability and honesty is a breath of fresh air to many. Blessings to you, E!
Unknown said…
Happy Blogiversary! We suffered together through K and An's horribly extended adoptions. Your willingness to share openly the challenges you had with TM's attachment helped me prepare for the unknown with An. And I will always be grateful for that. While she didn't want to have anything to do with me in the beginning, she is decidedly a mama's girl now. I credit that to the patience your experience prepared me to extend to let love grow at its own pace. Thanks! Wendi
Evie said…
Hello from Chapel Hill, NC! I've been reading for years. I enjoy your stories about your family--large families seem so fun.
Unknown said…
I have been reading since you started the process to bring H home since she and my son were foster siblings for a couple months. I have continued reading because I enjoy reading your posts about homeschooling, adoption, brain development, books, and more. : )
Kari said…
Greetings from Pittsburgh! I'm a fellow Holt mom and found your blog on the boards way back when they were active and you were adopting TM. I may have emailed you about weighted blankets a couple years ago - I bought one, my son uses it every day, thank you for the recommendation! I've been blessed, challenged, and encouraged by your insights. Thank you for being open and honest about parenting struggles and following after Jesus. It brings hope to us fellow travelers on this journey.
- Kari
Diana said…
Hello- I live in Michigan. I have a very different live from you (single and no children) but still enjoy reading. I would be open to adopting some day so like reading about experiences others have.
Tanya said…
Hello! I'm in DE and homeschooling with three biological children, aged 6, 4, and 1. Planning to adopt, too! I've also got my husband reading your blog now.
Jayview said…
And I read in Melbourne, Australia, enjoying your approach to education as well as parenting, and your ability to appreciate and work with the different interests and abilities in your family.
Anonymous said…
Congratulations from central Oregon!
Keep up the good blogging! Reader and fellow big family mom from Kentucky!
Anonymous said…
I read from St. Louis. I save your blog to read in my free time for enjoyment, enlightenment, book recommendations, and an insight to a family traveling on a much different path than than we are. I have used your book lists to buy for my grandchildren with great success! Thank you for letting all of us in to your family! Safe travels!
Rebecca said…
I'm in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and I've been reading I think since you were getting ready to bring H home. As the mother of a young family (three kids under 5 years old and one on the way) who is hoping to have a large family, your blog has filled a model/mentor place for me that was missing. I have loved getting to peek into what your life looks like as a woman who loves to read and learn, thinks deeply about the work God has given her, and loves her many children well. My mother did a great job raising us six kids, but I am much more of a reader and thinker than she is. I think my need to know and understand what I'm doing (or at least trying to do) as a mother and homemaker confuses and overwhelms her a little! Reading your blog feels like getting to have a chat with a like-minded friend about life-happenings and current musings.

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