That's awesome! There are SO many kids out there who need loving homes - I'm glad some of them landed in your family :)

Thanks for stopping in, Lydia!

For real. One of these days I need to visit the city and actually take in the sites!

Thanks for coming by, Tanya!

Aw, thanks! The experience, for us, has been absolutely wonderful. I know that's not the case in every situation, so I feel especially blessed that ours worked out so well. It takes a special person to adopt an older child, so kudos to your sister. I'm glad it's been worth it, even if it has been tough.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Leslie!

Thank you! Adoption has been a lovely experience for us.

Thanks for stopping by, Ellie!

Thanks, Carla! We actually weren't in NOLA at Mardi Gras time, but I still feel connected to the city and MG always makes me think of New Orleans. Someday, I need to actually explore the city!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Carla!

She has been such an amazing addition to our family! I was really nervous about adopting, but it honestly couldn't have turned out better.

Thanks for stopping in, Harvee!

Awww ... you sound like me! I can't even think about adoption without getting teary-eyed - that's how near and dear the subject is to my heart :)

I've never heard of THE HOW AND THE WHY, so I'll definitely check it out. I love adoption stories.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Sam!

THE SECRET DAUGHTER is a great book! I just realized that I haven't read anything else by the author and I have no idea why not. I'm going to check out the rest of her books right now.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Helen!

Thank you! Adoption has been a wonderful blessing in our lives. I know it doesn't work that way all the time, but for us, it has been amazing.

Thanks for stopping by, Cheri!

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES is a really fun read. Just be prepared for LOTS of description. Montgomery describes EVERYTHING. Once you get past that, though, it's a wonderful book full of great characters.

Lion's good, isn't it? Brierley's story is just incredible. I heard him speak at a conference once and it was even more amazing to hear him talk about what happened.

Thanks for coming by, Maya!

You're welcome :) It's fun to look back at how the adoption came together and how much it's blessed our family over the years.

Thanks for stopping in, Zezee!

Does it? Now I want to read it even more! I loved the author's first book and I've been excited to read SPLINTERS OF SCARLET. Just haven't gotten to it yet.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, T!

I often spin the topic to better suit me :) LOL.

Thanks for stopping in, Jana!

Anything Louisiana will always remind me of my girl! One of these days, my husband and I plan to go back there with her and really look around since that wasn't possible the first time around :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Tammy!

You have to throw in a cute baby or animal every once in awhile to make everyone say, "Awwww," right?

Thanks for stopping in, Ronyell!

It's fun to have a special connection to Louisiana, even though I feel like we haven't really been there since we didn't see much of it! LOL. Oh well. Another time.

I really love HOW TO SAVE A LIFE. I hope you do, too, if you read it.

Thanks for dropping in, Sammie!

Aw, thanks! It was a lovely experience and *mostly* smooth as far as adoptions go :)

Thanks for coming by, Suzanne!

Adopting is stressful and scary in so many ways, but once you have that baby in your arms, you know it's been worth every second! And my girl really is the sweetest :)

Thanks for stopping by, Anneliese!

Thanks! It's been 12 years since the adoption, but it feels like just yesterday in so many ways. Babies grow up way too fast :(

I'm excited about THE KINDEST LIE, too. The plot summary is sort of vague, so I'm interested to see what kind of book it turns out to be.

Thanks for coming by, Anna!

Brierley's story just amazes me. I can't believe how much work he put into finding his parents and that he actually found them. Incredible!

Thanks for stopping in, Lady in Read!

I find adoption stories endlessly fascinating! Always have.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Marianne!

You're welcome. I can imagine that you find them even more interesting after you adopted yourself.

Thank you, Denise! It has been a happy 12 years with our little girl, who's not so little anymore :(

Thanks for stopping by!

I think so, too! There's just something so moving about adoption, isn't there?

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Melody!

Thanks! I don't always love cover prompts, so I often twist them to a topic I'm more interested in :)

Thanks for stopping in, Louise!

Good point! I'm always drawn to books about adoption, but that doesn't mean I'm going to love them all. The subject is so near and dear to my heart, though, that I can't NOT find it moving.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting!

I haven't heard of THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS. I'll definitely check it out. We didn't adopt from the foster system, but I know plenty of people who have. It makes such a difference for those kids and families!

Thanks for stopping in, Emma!

Aww, thanks! Remembering those early days of our daughter's adoption makes me smile, too :)

You should definitely read the book. The movie was good, but I think you have to read the book to really appreciate the tedious process Brierley went through to find his Indian family. It's incredible!

Thanks for coming by, Kitten!