Comments.

For the most part, we have had such an outstanding response from people when they hear that we are adopting. Seriously, y'all - complete strangers have stopped me in Target to say "Don't think I'm crazy, but are you Jay... I've been reading your blog.." and I've gotten e-mail after e-mail from people with questions about this whole process. It's been humbling, to say the least. I'm just doing what I know we're supposed to be doing -- and I'm happy to help, talk about, listen to anything about it if it means that one more child without a home gets one step closer to having one.

But, among all of the WONDERFUL things people have said, there have been a few comments (and I am sure that no harm was intended, honestly) that I wanted to make sure got addressed... even if at the time, I just kind of pretended like they were never said.

"Are you sure? You already have two kids... three or four is alot!"

Yes. Yes, we are sure. There's no turning back now. And yes... 3-4 kids is alot. I'm aware of that. But, I'm from a HUGE family... and I am sure there are days when my momma wanted to pull her hair out (even if she would NEVER admit it) ...but, we all survived & I can guarantee you that you'll have a HARD time finding a more fun place to go for the holidays.

One thing that rings in my ears from time to time came from my dear friend Dee's husband, Ben. When Dee was in the middle of her 4th planned pregnancy we were over at their house and someone made a comment about how loud it was in their house and made a joking remark like "I wonder if they know what causes all these kids"... and Ben just looked at them with a smile on his face and said when we're old and grey and our front yard and our laps are full of grandkids, I'll invite you over and see if you still feel that way.

"More kids... more money..."

Yep. Right again. There's a pretty easy solution to this though, really. Cut back. There you have it. There's no NEED for STUFF. And stuff is what really costs money, if you're honest with yourself. The things in life that REALLY matter --- the things in life that kids REALLY NEED... don't cost a thing. Now, don't get me wrong... I realize that food, medicine, etc. isn't free. That's where the cutting back comes in.

"Well, what if they aren't the same skin color"

Well... WHAT IF THEY AREN'T? Does it matter? I mean... really matter? This one really gets under my skin. I mean - big time. If it does matter to you, then you should probably assess your priorites. It's 2012, people. I have two sisters, two BEAUTIFUL sisters... that well, as you can see in the picture below... aren't my same skin color. And, I can tell you right NOW, that their skin color hasn't effected our family in the least (except maybe the occasional ping of jealousy in the summertime with their skin turns a perfect shade of brown effortlessly, while the rest of us bathe in sunscreen to keep from turning hot pink!). If anything, their skin color opens the door to talk about the story of our family and how the gift of adoption has changed us all for the better.

"I mean... what if they have issues? Like their biological parents..."

Can I please just nip this one right in the bud? Can everyone that's reading this just STOP thinking like that forever? I mean... right here, right now... let's lay this one to rest. THAT IS CRAZY! I'm living proof that it's crazy. My biological mother was the QUEEN OF ISSUES ISLAND... and guess what? I'm fine (for the most part, ha!). Seriously, though, If there was a drug out there to do... she did it. If ever there was an alcohol problem to be had - she had it. If there was someone in her life left to hurt - she hurt them. Probably one of the only good things in her life she's ever done was give up 5 children for adoption. I can't speak for my biological siblings - but I can speak for myself & say that I have NEVER had any issues with the things that she did. HABITS AND BAD DECISIONS ARE NOT GENETIC! Those are choices. I'm thankful for the people in my life that showed me how to form good habits & make the right choices. Hopefully, we can do that for the new member(s) of our family, too.

Whew. Stepping off that soapbox now... :)

Now, I do realize that things like bi-polar disorder, depression, etc. are things that are genetic and can often lead to those bad habits - and we'll cross that bridge when/if we come to it. For us, we're surrounded by a great group of people to lean on so if that comes our way - we'll work it out.

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Also, we've had lots of other questions too - so I wanted to throw a few these out here. :)

This one is the most popular by far:

What if you get an older child and you don't like their name? :) We'll shorten it... nicknames are fun, right? :)

What if you run into their biological parents?

Doing a DFACS adoption, that's a real possibility --- and to be honest, I have no idea what the answer to that question is. If there's anyone anywhere that's lived through that moment, I'd love to hear how you handled it.

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My favorite questions from SJ, so far:

If our child is a girl, can she come with us to get our nails done?!

OF COURSE. :)

If our child is a girl, will she go with us to the Daddy Daughter Dance? She certainly will.

Good. I hope she likes to dance! and I hope you won't make us wear matching dresses! She'll probably hate that, too, Mommy!

What if we get two brothers?

Then we'll have a very messy house and we'll go to lots of soccer and tee ball games.

Oh great. and they'll probably have crushes on all my friends. :) ha!

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We're counting down the days until our IMPACT training classes begin on June 8th. All your prayers are so appreciated & have definitely been noticed. Thank you so much!

"WAIT FOR THE LORD. BE STRONG & TAKE HEART & WAIT FOR THE LORD" Psalm 27:14