5+8=13

May 8, 2013 we finalized our first adoption. I am usually terrible with dates (i.e. please don't ever ask me to rapid fire my kids birthdays) However,  I can remember this monumental date because we were a family of 5 who became a family of 8, and 5+8=13. Or 5/8/2013.

I've talked before about how that was an "accidental adoption" for us. To call it an accident doesn't take away from the love we have for our youngest boys, because let's be honest Levi Craig Jones was an accident too:) But in 2010, when we attended our first informational seminar on fostering and adopting, our plan was always to foster. I even made a mural of a tree in the room we prepped for our foster kids so that we could write the name of each child that came through our house on one of the leaves. Judah, Canaan, and Silas were the first placement we ever had and we fostered them for almost a year before they returned to their mom. We felt peace about playing our "foster parent" role in their lives. But when their futures began to look unstable the momma bear in me became protective. It was their birth mom's desire to return them back to us and we made significant financial and family sacrifices to make that happen. 

But we didn't to it alone. 

Oh my goodness we had free babysitting, groceries left on our doorstep, boxes of goodies from Amazon delivered, tubs of boy clothes donated, friends who took our laundry to their house to complete, Zoo passes, dinners brought, Christmas cash, and so much more.

Seven short months after 5+8=13 was December 2013. We were on a Christmas cross country road trip with my extended family and that's when we started talking about adopting again. Yes, that's right, we were confined to 110 cramped square feet, watching movie after movie, passing back snacks every hour on the hour, and peeing in Gatorade bottles... when we first said the words, "I think we could do more kids." 

But this time things are different, we are adopting on purpose. 

We know that anyone would argue that every child deserves a family. We also know that every family is not able to take kids in. Cory and I are both extremely blessed to have flexible jobs, a huge emotional support system, a landlord that let us temporarily turn his 3 bedroom house into a 4 bedroom, the experience and training to work with kids from trauma, and the longing to be a part of God's redemptive story. 

We are hoping to adopt two or three more brothers that are between the ages of 4 and 10. We have already begun falling in love with pictures of boys who are waiting right now for a family. We have been praying hard about wether we can handle kids with a sexual abuse history, or ADHD, or neglect, or academic delays, or medical ailments or all the other acronyms that can follow kids from trauma. Really what it comes down to is we know there are kids (too many kids) that need help and our blessings have put us in a position to help.

But  just like last time we can't do it alone. 

We have the space, we have the heart, we have the time. But we don't have the van. 

We have started a fundraiser that will go towards the purchase of a used 15 passenger van to hold whatever our 8+? will equal. We have already been blown away by the outpouring from friends and family. It is so humbling to ask others for money, and so overwhelming each time we get an email announcing another donation. We are still a long way from our goal. We need you!! Please consider donating and sharing our link with others you may know. You will literally be helping us bring our boys home- like everyday we will use the van to pick up all our boys from school and drive them home. :)

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

AND FOR AN ADDED INCENTIVE: Those who give are welcome to a free joy ride in the van. To make the deal even sweeter we promise to clean out the Gatorade bottles first!!