So you don't think we're freaks!

So, we're half out of our minds, but only half. The other half works okay, I think.  We are Glenn and Lyn parents of six, soon to be eight kids!  We are leaving for China on Oct. 17, 2010 to pick up our lovely soon to be 14 yr old, Cara (Xu RongHong) and our sweet three year old, Breanna (Ding Xue Min).  I say we're half out of our minds because our life seems to be moving at warp speed (no, I'm really not a Star Trek fan).  My Mom passed away May 13th, suddenly after a fall, so I've been working on her estate (there is not much there, but it's still a ton of work). I quit my job of 23 years (long story) and I'm working on another large pretty important project that I can't share yet.  And eveything is happening at once.  You heard that saying that says, "when it rains, it pours"?  Well, that's the story right now.

So, how did we decide to adopt two more?  It's all the internet's fault and the fact that I married a dog lover.  You see, when you marry someone of like mind there is no check and balance to your life - it just flies off in some wild direction with no brakes!  We started not being able to have bio kids, so we had dogs instead (seven to be exact) mostly found or shelter dogs.  Then we were finally able to adopt domestically (Kevin), then we worked on adopting again and doing the infertility thing for the hundreth time (famous Glenn quote - "We have four options.  We could have the fertility thing work, we could have the adoption work, we could have both work, or we could have neither work.  What are the odds that both the fertility and adoption thing work out since we have worked YEARS on trying to get PG - slim to none.  So, yeah I'm good with working on both at once.") So, we adopted Jenna (domestically) and gave birth to Brett (IVF) 7 1/2 months later.  Yep - both options worked and life got crazy hectic with what felt like a marathon new baby session.  You just get one to sleep through the night and we're back up to getting no sleep when Brett comes along.  I'm not complaining - after all we lived though it.  Fast forward to 2001 and, will wonders never cease, I got PG the old fashioned way.  Enter Trevor.  I totally get why he was concieved spontaneously - he is driven (meaning he drives us totally mad!).  Then the New Years eve dinner that will live in infamany - Glenn takes me out to dinner and proposes we adopt, again.  This was not on my radar at all, it took me some time to wrap my mind around this idea, but I finally got into it and we adopted Mia (Vietnam) in 2006.  But, see this is where we lost 1/2 our brain.  I can't stop now.  It's an addiction.  I know the websites, I know they are out there.  I know where I can find pictures of amazing, adorable kids and I know the system (pretty much anyway or as much as you can know a system run by various governments with their own agenda's - topic for another day).  So. We adopted T'ea (Ethiopia) in 2009.  And this is our journey to adopt Cara and Breanna from China.

Some things you should know:  I'm new to this blog thing, so it won't be pretty and, most likely, I won't even finish it or continue it for any length of time.  I have no time.  I'm using this to log my thoughts, feelings and ideas while we adopt.  I want to share this with our kids as they get older, so I'm not sure that it will be entertaining for you.  I might swear (does blogger let you do that? We'll find out), but I'm not nasty with it.  I have a strong belief in God - but it's personal, I don't preach, but I sure do pray alot!  If you'd like to follow along, I'd love to have you.  But there are most certainly a ton of other blogs out there that are better!