Prichard Six Plus One

November is the month to think about adoption.  About so many kids in our world just needing a family to love them unconditionally.  Our family has been blessed by adoption in so many ways. Here  is our story that was written for our adoption agency of AAC for their blog.

Adoption for us would start with a television show on girls in China.  A phone call to a very close friend would confirm that this would be a great adventure for my husband and I to take.  My heart and my mind were on a journey, one that would bring a daughter home to us after having two biological children. The country was China, but plans change and Korea was the country chosen.  We waited as patiently as we could, and the day would come that we would see her little face on our computer as quickly as the dial up internet would allow.  I remember the tears and the excitement we had that day.  She would come home in a very short while and was one of the three most beautiful babies my eyes had ever seen.  

As life has it the journey would not be complete. It wasn't long before my heart once again felt that tugging feeling.  My heart may, at the time, have been the only one feeling that but being married to a good man left me with hope that he would change his mind.  He put some rules down on this next adoption thinking it would take me awhile to find another baby that would fit his ideas, but it was only a matter of days until I saw my little boy in China.  I knew in an instant that he would be ours and when my husband came home it only took him a moment to also realize this angel would be our son.  I didn't get to travel to China as our house was now full of little ones.  This always broke my heart, but I knew my husband and parents would bring our little boy home to me.

Fast forward some years and life is full of adventures with our four children. Adoption has not always been an easy path, it is hard to grasp just how much our little ones have lost and how that affects daily life and family.  For this reason I have learned the true meaning of unconditional love and marveled time after time at how my heart can love so fully and completely beyond biology.  I would never trade being their mom for all that I know and feel.  Adoption has changed me for the better and become and huge part of who I am.

As life would have it once again there would be a little nudge in my heart.  I knew this time the wanting another child might not work as this would be a child number five.  I knew I had to be patient and wait until my husband either said yes or no. I knew he truly had to be ok to add another child and had to make up his own mind.  Three weeks later he said the answer was yes.  Yes, to making our family big by today's standards, loud in so many ways, and full of love.  So we are waiting again for me to be called Mom by one more little one.  He will be our baby and waiting for him is so very hard.  Praying and trusting that they day will come that I can travel to Korea and hold him in my arms. Arms that will have to share because not only has my heart been tugged by adoption but each child we have has been changed by adoption.  

So the journey continues as we move from a family of six to seven! 

Hay time

This past weekend we helped load hay for the coming steers at my parents house.  Note these are iPhone photos but I wanted them on my blog!

All of us worked hard each in their own way!

Riley and I got the outside job which in my opinion is the place to be!

This fall has been so much running keeping up with everyone.  We are blessed that the kids can do activates, but it sure felt good to have everyone in the same place and to be working outside.

I know these days with my parents will not last forever so it feels good to help.  

At the end of the day working you could earn a ride on the tractor!

This young man was my helper, neither of us strong enough to lift a bale after bale by ourselves, but strong enough to work together! Thankful for that!

Change

October came and went with a blur for this family. This photo comes from the first day in a long time I can remember stillness in our life.  We moved to a different house this past month.  A place with more area to run and ride bikes.  A place that still has a lot of boxes to unpack and a deep desire to make it mine with my style.  Life however has been on fast forward with so much to keep track of.  I miss this space.  I miss writing what is happening with us.  Hoping this week to find a little time to post some of those pictures from a month that was crazy.  Now it is the month of thankfulness and we have so much to be thankful for!  Hoping to focus on that with a deep desire for a little more stillness in our lives!  

Our Style of Urban

I took the kids out the other day for an "urban" shoot.  This was an assignment that I had wanted to take Riley out for but he was not into it that day. So I took whoever would agree to go.  This photo of Andy makes me laugh as I am pretty sure one day a sign that says "no parking" will not phase him in the least.  Also, I had wanted to take a teenager for this shoot but in so many ways Andy almost reminds me of a teen!

Then again he really is just a little boy and often looks at the world in a different way or shall we say a better way!

October finds us in the midst of fall madness.  Lots of soccer practice, scouts all the way around, and oh yes a big change for us that I will write about soon.  Today it was very cool outside so I decided I better gather some of my garden in fear of freeze. We ended up
with twelve pie pumpkins this year. I am thinking there will be some pumpkin pie and bread this weekend!

Future Author?

Maybe one day this little girl will grow up and write her own book.  I am one Mom who would love that! She spends a lot of time writing on whatever paper she can find.

The best part of Katie's writing is her sense of humor. It is always a very serious writing with always one line that is guaranteed to make you either smile or laugh.

On this day she found my journal to write in which means I get to keep this writing.  My prayer is always that I live long enough to see what life holds for these kids as adults.  Rather she becomes an author or not I will always remember her writings and how they made me smile.

Tomatoes and Pirates

As fall is in the air it has come time to do a little canning.  This week it was the tomatoes turn.  I love the process of canning and seeing all that color in my cupboard for the winter to come.

I was given some more jars this year and they came complete with their vintage box!  

The end result all ready for soups and chili's that come with the winter months.
Also on this day I would take a couple of cute pirate girls to school!  You never know which child will want to participate in these dress up days at school but these two loved it on this day!

A new knit sweater

In the spring I had knitted a sweater for my niece.  I loved everything about making this sweater from it's fabulous pattern (pattern)

to the oh so yummy yarn sold at Quince and Co.

I had held this sweater as I needed to find my buttons and wait until she was walking so I could take her on a mini photo shoot!  She was such a doll and let me do just as I liked with my camera and her beauty.

I took her out just the two of us and we climbed and played.  This is the first complete sweater I have knit and it was so much fun.  

Of course the real fun is in the giving and being able to photograph this little one that I love so much!

I am currently reading "Yarn Harlot the secret life of a knitter". It is so funny and I am loving it.  Just a good non thinking and have fun book. The next book on my shelf is a thinker and maybe a can't sleep book so for now it is all about light and fun!

Linking up with Ginny's Yarn Along.  She always has wonderful knits and great books.