John and Chris Adopt, Open Adoption Blog Post on Autumn

Autumn, John & Chris Adopt

Autumn, John & Chris Adopt


“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine
by staying in the house,”

- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Open Adoption, Where We Live

Hello,

John and Chris here. We’re two dads, raising our daughter, Sara, in Georgia. We love where we live and wanted to continue this blog, in an attempt to paint a picture of our life, as we pursue an open adoption arrangement for the adoption of our second child. We are a loving, happy family of three, and look forward to the day that we can be blessed with a second child.

Quick image of where we live

Quick image of where we live

(image source: decaturmetro.com)

Parenting, Honoring Childhood

John and Chris Adopt

John and Chris Adopt

“We affirm our duty to nourish and nurture the young, to honour their caring ideals as the heart of being human. To recognize the early years as the foundation of life, and to cherish the contribution of young children to human evolution,”

–Raffi

John, Chris, Open Adoption, Atlanta

John, Chris, Open Adoption, Atlanta

Hello,

John and Chris here,

Above is a photo of the neighborhood we live, work and are raising our daughter, Sara. Sara came to us through the process of open adoption, and we’ve set up this blog to reach out to birthmother’s, if they are considering open adoption, that they may get to know a little about us, as we are ready to open our homes for a brother or sister for Sara.

Children, John, Chris, Dads, Open Adoption, Family Waiting to Adopt

Children, John, Chris, Dads, Open Adoption, Family Waiting to Adopt

We are in a town near the city of Atlanta, Ga. Decatur is a terrific place to live. It is home to a lot of great, family friendly events, schools, and places of worship. We have a large market that sells fresh produce, all within a short drive or bike ride. It is idyllic, really.

Thank you for stopping by our blog. If you are a birth mother, have any questions for us, give us a call using the toll free phone number, or email,

Warmly,
John and Chris, (and daughter Sara).

Best Memory of This Past Christmas … Family, Birthmother

Open Adoption, John, Chris, Sara, Family, Birthmother

Open Adoption, John, Chris, Sara, Family, Birthmother

John here,

Best memory of this past Christmas together as a family….taking a Christmas day walk with chris and Sara. Watching Sara discover miniature ponies in a field next to her grandma’s house. Christmas eve reindeer grazing in grandma’s field. Sara pointing at the christmas tree with all out gusto and saying her version of “tree” which is “glhhee”

Who We Are:

We are John and Chris, and we’re blogging now, to support our open adoption search. We are a loving family of three (John, Chris, and our daughter, Sara) – looking to adopt a second child. We hope, by blogging, that a special birth mother may get to know who we are a little. Thank you for stopping by, and please take your time, sifting through the (hopefully) fun and enjoyable snapshots of our lives.

Here’s Our Direct Email: johnandchris@johnandchrisadopt.com

Here’s Our Toll Free Phone Number: 1-800-466-1091

Sincerely,
John and Chris, and daughter, Sara

Family, Snow, Children

Open Adoption, John, Chris, Sara

Open Adoption, John, Chris, Sara

OK, so the picture above is of our beautiful daughter, Sara, and yes, we’ve already posted it in Facebook, but … well, goodness, we’re proud parents, so of course we’re going to post THIS PICTURE AT LEAST TWICE!

How wonderful it is to get away, together, as a family – check out our new Facebook Pic and comments here, and “like” our page, (if you’re into the Facebook world)!

We are John and Chris and our daughter’s name is Sara. We adopted Sara through the process of open adoption, and we are lovingly looking for the birthmother for our next adoption. We’ve set up this blog, (as well as a few other pages, like on YouTube) so a birth mother such as yourself can begin to get to know who we are via the web. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us, and thank you for stopping by!

Here’s our email: johnandchris@johnandchrisadopt.com
And here’s our toll free phone number: 1-800-466-1091

Warmly,
John and Chris

Children, Parenting, Growing Up, Favorite Things …

Open Adoption, John, Favorite Books

Open Adoption, John, Favorite Books


Hello,

John here. I’m thinking about favorite books growing up. Both Chris and I know and value the importance of books. To have and be surrounded by books is a gift.

One of the great things about where Chris and Sara and I live is that we have a community that supports independent book sellers. Decatur, the town we’re raising our daughter in, has a BIG, annual book fair, complete with food vendors and lots and lots of children’s activities.

What was my favorite book growing up? William Carlos about the “wild west”. I wonder which books Sara will choose as her favorite, as she grows up.

Sincerely,
John

Parents, Resolutions, Birth Mother

As new parents of our beautiful daughter, Sara – and this being a new year – we’re looking at resolutions. One commitment we have as a family is our search for the birth mother for our adoption of our second child. Keeping home and family and everything balanced, in anticipation of our growing family.

We found an article written for parents and thought it was a good one. It’s about resolutions. What do you think?

Read Some Expert Resolutions for Parents Here

Thanks for stopping by,
John and Chris

Open Adoption, Adopting Families

Winter John Chris Adopt Atlanta

Winter John Chris Adopt Atlanta


OK, so the snow we got today was nothing like this picture, but hey, this pic of snowfall in downtown Atlanta is eye catching. We actually had the weekend after Thanksgiving at about 70 degrees – which meant light jackets and plenty of outdoor time for the family.

Since adopting our daughter, Sara, we take these mild, blue sky Nov and Dec days with great joy and ease, just appreciating all the good time we have together, as a family, during the holidays.

Hi, we are John and Chris, and we are an adopting family. Welcome to our blog. If you are a birthmother, and would like some more information about who we are, as parents ready to adopt, through open adoption, a second child – take your time and sift through this blog, and then stop by our homepage.

Parents, Parenting, Birthmother

Walking Baby, Birthmother, Child Adopt John Chris

Walking Baby, Birthmother, Child Adopt John Chris


We, like so many other families and parents, have enjoyed time with friends and family this Thanksgiving holiday, and loved the time spent with our daughter, Sara.

Our daughter, Sara, is now starting to walk, trying to form words, and generally seems to be a pretty happy and content baby. That makes us, as parents, feel like we are taking our responsibility seriously, and listening to some of the experts on best baby raising practices!

Hi, this is John and Chris, welcome to our blog. If you are a birthmother, and would like some more information about who we are, as parents ready to adopt, through open adoption, a second child – take your time and sift through this blog, and then stop by our homepage.

Thanks!
John and Chris

For Birthmothers, Thanks, Thanksgiving, Parenting

Seeing Sara grow into a healthy little girl and knowing that we must be doing something right – is one of the greatest rewards of being parents. We look forward to our Thanksgiving as a family, this year, and many more happy ones to follow.

Hi, this is John and Chris, welcome to our blog. If you are a birthmother, and would like some more information about who we are, as parents ready to adopt, through open adoption, a second child – take your time and sift through this blog, and then stop by our homepage.

Thanks!
John and Chris

Waiting Families for Adoption

image source: "my sweet prints," on etsy

image source: "my sweet prints," on etsy


Thinking about our favorite family routine these days, we enjoy the bedtime routine with our daughter Sara… bath time and then bedtime. Fun to watch her playing in the tub. Also, we enjoy seeing her so excited to see us in the morning when she wakes up!

Hi, this is John and Chris, welcome to our blog. If you are a birthmother, and would like some more information about who we are, as parents ready to adopt, through open adoption, a second child – take your time and sift through this blog, and then stop by our homepage.

Thanks!
John and Chris

Recipe of the Week: Vegetable Broth, the Classic Family Soup

Preparing Carrots for Soup John Chris Adoption

Preparing Carrots for Soup John Chris Adoption


We are John and Chris, adoptive parents of a beautiful child, Sara. We are parents ready to adopt our second child! If you are a birthmother, we would love to speak with you as you think through this important decision. Please also visit John and Chris Open Adoption page.

What we’ve found as adoptive parents is that food can be a real connecting force with children. With our daughter, Sara, and myself and Chris, we value organic, home made food. It’s an opportunity to sit down as a family, take a deep breath, connect, and continue nurturing our family culture.

Living so close to a wonderful food market, where we can purchase fresh, organic food at very low prices, a quick and easy soup to make is vegetable broth. Serve with favorite bread. Because winter is upon us, you can even warm the bread a little. This dish is a great appetizer, first dish, or small meal.

Vegetable broth as a soup is terrific for family! Here’s one way to prepare the soup:

What you’ll need (we use organic for everything):
Stock pot with lid
Strainer
Fresh, filtered water
Almost 2 pounds carrots
One bunch celery
One onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley

How to prepare:

  1. Wash everything
  2. Peel carrots, slice several times so they are long and chunky
  3. Slice celery lengthwise, then cut stalks several times so they fit into pot
  4. Discard outer skin of onion and quarter
  5. Chop parsley a few times so it fits into pot, and if you can throw the stems away, do so, because too many stems taste a bit bitter.
  6. Throw everything in the pot
  7. If the vegetables exceed 3/4 of the total space in the pot, consider removing some vegetables, because when you boil, you don’t want the soup to boil over
  8. Add water until the water line is under the vegetables by about 2 inches. The reason this is important is because if there is too much water, then the soup will taste watery. It is better for the soup to be more concentrated.
  9. Put the lid on, heat to boiling, then turn the heat down to a soft simmer. Have the lid positioned so a little steam escapes.
  10. It will take 1.5 to 2 hours for this soup to cook. At about 1.5 hours, you may want to remove the lid altogether, turn the heat up a little. This lets more water evaporate, making a more concentrated veggie soup.
  11. Add salt and pepper to taste

Strain the soup when serving to young children. Use judgment when serving to toddlers and younger to prevent choking hazards. Whomever you are serving, know allergies beforehand.

That’s it! That is the vegetable broth soup recipe we like to prepare for our family. Maybe you can prepare it for yourself and see how it works for you.

We are John and Chris, adoptive parents of a beautiful child, Sara. We are parents ready to adopt our second child! We are ready to welcome a brother or sister for our beautiful daughter, Sara. If you are a birth mother, we would love to speak with you as you think through this important decision.

Find more information about us by sifting through this blog, or by visiting our Homepage, at John and Chris Adopt Dot Com.

Quote of the Week: Birthmother, Family, Baby

Quote of the Week: Birthmother, Family, Baby

Quote of the Week: Birthmother, Family, Baby


Quote from Birthmother (source: adoptionopen.com)

“It was so important to me, my selection of the family that I had chosen for my baby …. The couple I chose was the perfect fit …”

Birthmother who placed through Open Adoption

Thanksgiving Family, Harvest, Giving Thanks

The Harvest, 1888 Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

The Harvest, 1888 Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)


In preparation of the upcoming holiday, Chris and I are preparing our home for a few guests, as well as just giving thanks for Sara, our daughter, our extended family, and our health.

Adoption Month, Families Adopt, John and Chris

Stork John and Chris Adopt dot Com

Stork John and Chris Adopt dot Com


National Adoption Month is now! November is when activities and celebrations happen. This year, there is a focus for families with experience in adoption (our daughter, Sara, was adopted by us through open adoption) “… those of us with a direct connection to adoption can often be the most effective way to promote positive perceptions, debunk the myths …” (source http://national-adoption-month.adoption.com/).

Below are a few links to organizations we, John and Chris, are associated with, because we are ready to welcome a brother or sister for our beautiful daughter, Sara!

http://www.adoptiononline.com/

http://www.adoptionopen.com/

http://www.abcadoptions.com/

Open Adoption, Parenting, Family

John and Chris, Autumn Leaves, Open Adoption

John and Chris, Autumn Leaves, Open Adoption


What a beautiful time of year in Atlanta. Most leaves are tri-colored, and the smell of crisp, fresh Autumn wafts through the air. Living in the South, we get blue skies most days, and October is no exception. (What a relief from the VERY hot month of August).

Since adopting our first daughter, Sara, through open adoption, and parenting along this fantastic journey, we get to share traditions with friends and family, in a very special way. Table decorations, a few pumpkins out front, sharing time with friends and family.

We’re looking forward to carving pumpkins as a family, and roasting the pumpkin seeds.

Looking to Adopt, John and Chris, & Halloween Season

halloween pumpkin john and chris adopt

halloween pumpkin john and chris adopt


Hello,

We are John and Chris, and this is the first week we are embarking on this new blogging journey, as we look to adopt a second child.

Being parents, we’ve had the pleasure of rediscovering our community, Decatur, Ga, with our daughter, Sara. As a family, we are so fortunate to live in an area with good schools, parks, the arts, and more.

Halloween is fast approaching. Pumpkin carving, tissue ghosts, and visiting a few homes of people our child, Sara knows, is a great way to celebrate Autumn, Halloween, the turning colors of the leaves on the trees and the cool weather soon to come.

May your Halloween be safe, simple, happy and memorable.

~ John and Chris

John and Chris Adopt Dot Com

Parenting, Organic Cooking, Children

Parenting in Decatur Ga is such a pleasure for us, in part, because we have access to a large food market, called the DeKalb Farmer’s Market. One thing we value as parents is eating well, and cooking and providing, healthy, home cooked, organic meals for our child Sara.

John and Chris Adopt

Organic Cooking with Children

Because we are parents ready to adopt our second child, we anticipate and look forward to the day when we set not just 3 place settings at the dinner table, but four – welcoming a brother or sister for our daughter Sara.