It’s hard to not be happy with this one around ✨ #junia_jebrianne
Let’s just pretend this is a picture of Junia hugging Silas, NOT her trying to strangle him after he stole a stick from her. #reallife #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
Stormy morning walk at the ocean ⛈ #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
Today is the last day of our Black Friday Sale at @rootedink! You can still grab one of our advent activity packs in time to get them for the start of December. You can see them in detail in my story highlights. There's lots of other great stuff in the shop too that's all on sale through midnight tonight! Link in my profile 😊
I want to make a clarification on my last post about adoption. In believing God established adoption as a means of redemption, I am in no way saying there is not pain involved. I think there is space to hold a view that believes God gave us adoption as a gift while also acknowledging the deep pain and brokenness it comes from. I write from the perspective of an adoptive parent because that's the only perspective I have personal experience with. But I also write with the knowledge that I am the greatest beneficiary within the adoption triad. I am the only one who comes out of all of this without trauma. I know that there will be struggle and heartbreak along this journey of being an adoptive family, and my kids know they have a safe place to process all the hard. But I refuse to be doom and gloom about adoption. I have too much faith in God and too much hope for my kids. They are amazing and resilient, and I am in complete awe of them and their ability to overcome.
Thanksgiving 2018 🦃 Nothing but gratitude for this crew. Earlier this week, my dad was in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism, so the fact that he is home and was celebrating with us today was extra reason to be thankful ❤️ Love this family of mine!
While taking a Bible class in college and rereading the book of Matthew over again, something new dawned on me. The geneology of Jesus, which traces him back to King David and establishes his credibility as the Messiah, was done through Joseph, whom he had no biological connection to. Jesus is in the royal line of David through his earthly father who adopted him, not through a bloodline. My mind was kind of blown, as was the professor's I talked to about it. I've read more about this since then, so I know the revelation is not mine alone, but it seems to be a commonly overlooked fact. When people say that adoption wasn't part of God's plan, I get it. When God created the world, he created it perfect. And, in a perfect world, there would never be a need for adoption. But, I think it's also kind of a pointless argument, because God knew before he even created the world that it would only be perfect for a brief moment in time, and so he planned accordingly. Considering that God sent Jesus to be adopted, I think it's safe to say that adoption is and always has been a part of God's plan for the world and it's redemption. So I do tell my kids that God's plan was for them to be adopted into our family. I believe it because God made miracles happen to bring us together. This doesn't mean God caused the hardships that led to their adoptions or that our kids will never struggle with their adoption stories. It just means God is working and redeeming the brokenness, and he will be with us as we navigate all it means to be an adoptive family. Plus, this just means my kids got a little bit of a head start in learning what it means to be like Jesus 😜. #lovemakesafamily
First official school picture from the cutest little TK kid you ever did see! #silasfranklin
So excited to share these Advent Activity Packs from @rootedink with you! I poured my heart and soul into making these and am thrilled with how they turned out. You can see all the details in my stories. The back of these cards is the best part! Planning to use these to make our Christmas season a bit more intentional.
Reading through all the posts this month for Adoption Awareness Month has been a different experience for me this time around. Being in this adoption world for over 5 years now definitely doesn't make me an expert, but it has given me some time to learn and find clarity on certain issues. Some posts I've read have made me cringe for various reasons, and others have been incredibly beautiful and inspiring. I'm feeling the urge to chime in on some of the more complicated concepts around adoption. Not because I know better than other people or because I think my voice is more valuable than others who are speaking up. There are so many people from all angles of the adoption triad sharing incredible things this month, and my voice is not one of the most important of those. But, I can't seem to shake the need to articulate some of my thoughts this month in writing (because usually they are a complicated mess when they just stay in my brain). Plus, I have all these amazing new pictures to share thanks to @stevecowell_photo, and I need some words to post with them. So, all that to say, more to come.... • • #junia_jebrianne #lovemakesafamily #adoptionbuiltus #mykindredstory
Last soccer game of the season, and Silas came home with his first trophy! We had so much fun cheering him on. Can't wait for the next season! #silasfranklin #soccer #ayso
Today is World Adoption Day! I've been staying pretty quiet here during National Adoption Month. It's not because I don't have a lot to say. It's just that words matter a lot to me, especially with something as dear to me as this, so I want to say things right. It's a fine line to talk in a way that honors the hard while also celebrating the incredible beauty of adoption. I believe my family is worth celebrating. I believe adoption, despite it's flaws and complications, deserves to be celebrated. And most importantly, my kids deserve to know that the way we became a family is something to be proud of and also that they have the freedom to feel whatever complicated feelings might come along with it. Today, as we talked about it, their feelings were happy and uncomplicated. Silas announced at the end of the night When I grow up, I want to adopt 101 babies, then we'll need a really long limo to drive around in. So, today our family celebrates adoption. Because it made us a family and because it brought me the best dang gifts of my life. #worldadoptionday • • Family photo by our favorite @stevecowell_photo. Just got these photos today, and they are just a tad better than our failed attempts at family selfies with smiling hands 😝 (seen in stories). Can't wait to share so many more amazing photos from our shoot! #adoptionrocks #lovemakesafamily #mykindredstory #adopttogether
Halloween 2018 🎃 Silas and Junia decided pretty last minute that they both wanted to be pirates. Naturally they needed a pirate ship to share with their cousins. #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne #halloween
Silas has learned that the quicker he cooperates and smiles, the quicker the photo taking is over. Junia has not learned this skill yet and therefore prolongs this torturous experience for everyone. You can see the progression of Silas's annoyance towards her here 😝. Junia might not have it figured out, but her baby cousin sure does! #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
First costume of the day! It's career day at school, so a race car driver and a unicorn made sense. We're learning quickly that rules don't apply to Junia. Silas is going to be a pirate tonight, and he made a good case for why he technically could be a pirate when he grows up. But we went with this today instead.
Had to squeeze in one last pumpkin patch before Halloween! We only took like 800 photos today, so I'll probably be posting more tomorrow 😝. #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne #happyhalloween #pumpkinpatch
Family trip to the pumpkin patch! Going this close to Halloween means it's way too crowded, but it also means they're trying to get rid of pumpkins and we got to take home the biggest ones (opposite of the one Junia's holding). Tomorrow we'll carve. #pumpkinpatch #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
Another week, another pie. And this one was devoured entirely the same night we made it. Time for another!
Silas scored his first real legit goal today! (as in for his own team and not by accident) I'm just so stinking proud of him! He tends to be really timid on the field, but he didn't hold back today! Excuse my obnoxious mom cheering in the video. I get it from the obnoxious Grandpa you hear yelling 😝. Tonight Silas told me When I scored my goal, I just really wanted to give Junia a hug. 😭😭😭 I also put the slow motion version of the goal up because I just love how you can see his little arms go up in excitement when he scores. The real time video misses that. Okay, I'll stop gushing now. #silasfranklin #proudmom
Church may have been over for everyone else, but for these two it was just beginning. I posted this in my stories over the weekend. But I'm gonna need this right here forever too.
I'm a little bit obsessed with all of Silas's creations, and we have loved finding all sorts of fun activities to go with Room on the Broom. Also, this morning when I pulled out the playdough, I realized I didn't really have great Halloween colors. So, I made our own playdough for the first time ever. I'm not really that kind of a mom (I'm more of the store bought, make things as easy as possible kind of mom), but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was, and we all liked it better than regular playdough 🙌🏾. Also, I made a pie crust today for the pie we're going to make this afternoon, and I have a crock pot meal cooking right now. Who the heck am I??? I don't even know myself right now. (Because I'm also not the cooking, domestic type of mom either 😝) #firsttimeforeverything #silasfranklin #halloween
We all needed some new Disney ears. And every kid needs their own personalized ones, right? #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne #disneyland
We were going to go to the pumpkin patch today. But since it was 87 degrees, we opted for here instead. #californiafall
We've had a really good week that hasn't felt like total chaos. In my world of homeschooling/ having a full time job/ owning a business, that's a super good, super rare feeling. Getting to soak up so much time with these two this week without too many distractions has been so good for morale around here 🙌🏾 #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
I've set a goal to bake one pie a week with the kids during this Fall season. Today I ordered a bunch of cute pie cutters so we can get creative with designs. But we didn't want to wait for them to come, so Silas helped me hand cut some pumpkins and bats for this week's pie. Pumpkin pie felt like a good one to start with! Daddy doesn't like it, so more for the rest of us 😝 #pumpkinpie #pie
The last couple days, Junia has been waking up before the rest of the house and sneaking into Silas's room to wake him up. This usually means they are both running into our room way too early, but this morning I heard her get up and open his door, so I rushed in to try to get her out before she woke him up. But when I opened his door, they were both laying together so sweetly with their arms around each other 😭. I would have snapped a picture of the sweetness, but it was far too early for the sun to be up, so there was no light. But typing this up right here will make the mental image I have of it live on. And this picture of the two of them is pretty dang cute too. Yay for fun Fall activities like corn mazes 🌽 #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
We took our school day here today and ended the week on a high note ✨ #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
Lately, I've been getting several comments about how Silas and I look alike. I've never thought we look much alike, because he looks a whole lot like his stunning birth mom. But in some of the pictures people have commented on, I can actually see it a little bit. The funny thing is that he and I are actually A LOT alike. We like the same foods and have a major sweet tooth. We have similar temperaments. We are both opinionated but also reserved. We are super competitive and hate to lose. And we even share the same very rare blood type. I don't care if my kids look or act anything like me, but I do think our similarities are a neat little gift from God. Silas is at the age where he notices our differences and is sorting out some of what it means to be in a multiracial family like ours. Because we all look so different and not like normal families, he has to work a little harder to see our similarities, and they are very meaningful to him. So, I just think God is pretty cool to give us all these obvious things that we can easily see. Silas is a pretty awesome person to be like, so I consider myself lucky to share so much in common with him. Also, I think this is the obligatory pic you take when in Austin, right? #silasfranklin #adoptionrocks #adopttogether #austin
The San Antonio Riverwalk is 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾! We loved exploring this place and waving to the boats going by. Definitely somewhere I want to come back to and spend more time 😍. #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
Just got home last night from a whirlwind trip to Austin and San Antonio. It was a bittersweet trip for sure. We were there to be with Nick's sister (@otmollyb) and her husband as they were adopting a baby. But a couple days after baby was born, the mom changed her mind and decided to parent. We all 100% support her decision, and I know she felt empowered to make that decision in large part because of the love and understanding Molly and Eddie gave her. Despite that, it definitely takes a big emotional and financial toll on Molly and Eddie, and we were glad we were able to be there with them to process some of all of that together. The financial loss is pretty significant, so if you feel inclined to donate towards their adoption fund, I've changed the link in my profile to their @adopttogether fundraising site. And of course prayers are always appreciated. Also, my kids are rockstar travelers, and I want to travel the world with them! #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne #adopttogether #adoptionjourney
It's that time of year! Our first pumpkin patch of the season, and it was a good one. Went on a field trip here today and came home with some pumpkins and some vegetables that we got to pick ourselves! #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
Today was sports day at school! We represented Daddy's favorite team, my favorite team, and a team none of us cared about until the cutest little boy started playing for them. #baseball #gobraves #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
So, somehow I haven't introduced you all to my gorgeous niece. Sadly, you do not get to see just how gorgeous she is, because I can't share her face. My sister @amymechler and her husband @livegrain are fostering this little love, and we pray we get to keep loving on her forever. We are all already so attached, and my kids are obsessed with her. They pretty much talk about her all day every day, and I don't mind one bit! We can't get enough! #silasfranklin #fostercare
Yesterday at California Adventure, Dale chose Junia to be his little buddy for a duck race. He held her hand walking through the park and all through the race and pretty much made her whole life. Whoever was in that Dale costume was as big a fan of Junia as she was of him (or more likely her 😆). Junia has a new favorite Disney character now. I guess we'll have to add him to her growing stuffed animal collection. #junia_jebrianne #disneyland #californiaadventure
His first soccer game was today, and he was awesome! He scored a goal 🙌🏾 Doesn't matter that it was for the other team 😝. He still has no idea. Wish we'd gotten that one on video, but here is another little funny moment of the game. All I have to say is Saturdays are going to be pretty entertaining for the next few months! #silasfranklin #soccer #ayso
A couple more pictures from Silas's birthday party. Aunt @kimmy.joy killing it with the cake as usual 👏🏾 #silasfranklin #happybirthday #birthdayboy #birthdaycake #racecarparty #cakestagram #cakedecorating #cakeart #partyideas #kidsparty
Life is very full and kind of chaotic right now. But it's also so so good. We are loving these little escapes from the busyness, riding our new bikes to the beach and forgetting all our worries 🌴 #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne #radpowerbikes
We started school today! I love that I get to be his teacher 😍#silasfranklin #homeschool
We celebrated our birthday boy over the weekend with a vintage race car party, per his request. We had so much fun and loved seeing him surrounded by so many friends and family members celebrating alongside him. We adore you #silasfranklin, and celebrating you is my favorite! #happybirthday #fiveyearsold #birthdayboy #racecarparty
Today my boy turned 5! I cannot believe how fast these years have flown by. We celebrated today with a bike ride to the beach, pizza and ice cream, and the celebrations will continue through the weekend. Silas, you changed my life in a million beautiful ways when you entered this world 5 years ago. I'll never stop thanking God for the gift of being your mom. You are more than a dream come true. I never could have dreamt up a boy as incredible as you are. Happy birthday baby! #silasfranklin #happybirthday
I promise it's not a fake backdrop 😜 Wish we were still there! #silasfranklin
The mountains were glorious, and I wish we could've stayed longer. But home is pretty hard to beat. #californialove #silasfranklin #tlpicks
Silas and Junia have now both fallen asleep in this backpack on this trail. Click the hashtag #kinnierbabybackpack to see Silas on this same trail and pictures of both my babies snuggled up in this same backpack! #junia_jebrianne #tlpicks
Nick's birthday was Wednesday, so we celebrated by renting e-bikes and riding around Mammoth! I'm glad I failed to get him a present, because now I can get him one of these for himself (and one for me too 😜) Happy Birthday @nkinnier ! 😘 #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
Because a picture can't do it justice, here's a video....which also can't do it justice. Stopped for lunch at this lake in the middle of a hike while camping ⛺️ Also so proud of my boy for hiking 3-4 miles with such a great attitude! #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne #california #californialove #sierranevadas
Spent the last four nights camping with this crew and couldn't have had more fun! It was some much needed time away from work and responsibilities and even cell phone service. We're easing our way back into civilization now and spending the next few days with Nick's parents before we head home. Lots more pictures from our trip to come, because these kids are rockstars and made this my favorite camping trip yet! #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
Hard to beat this view. California, we love you! #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne #tkpicks
We left behind the beach today to head for the mountains 🏔 This will be Junia's first time camping and Silas's first camping trip he'll remember. So excited for some time away with this crew! #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
Harbor strolls with these goobers ⛵️ #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
So, so, SO happy to be back home with them! Spending my days with them is a million times better than anything else I could be doing #silasfranklin #junia_jebrianne
