LauraFeb 12 minMy Sweet HeroA week ago, an ER doctor stuck her head in our room and said, "The neurosurgeon will be in, but he will be heading up the ICU and will...
LauraDec 25, 20212 minEvery Weary Soul Finds Rest HereThis year, I have been so excited for Christmas. Last year, I was hunkered down with Ella. A Christmas in the trenches of a new adoption...
LauraDec 19, 20212 minWarriorIt’s been an unexpected week. Kai and Asher had a collision (similar to the 1,000 others they have had before). But this one proved to be...
LauraDec 3, 20211 minTransformedIt’s just hard to believe this is the same girl. Healing is growing here. Happy family day Ella Aarti!
LauraNov 26, 20211 minWhen I am AfraidOur thanksgiving was sweet. Our first as a family of six. No cute family photos though. Ironically, I eventually realized I never even...
LauraNov 24, 20211 minOne Year of Family One year ago today, you left your orphanage. One year ago today, you lost everything familiar. One year ago today, you gained your...
LauraNov 21, 20211 minNot EnoughAs we approach one year of Ella in our family, this feels all the more relevant. The loss and hurt and death and broken in her body and...
LauraNov 11, 20212 minBothWe were driving today from CHOP when the quiet voice in the back asked to see his family bracelets. Whenever Kai asks this, I know...
LauraNov 10, 20211 minWorld Adoption DayToday is world adoption day. These smiles don’t mean that adoption is all happy or wonderful. Adoption is actually best seen in holding...
LauraNov 5, 20211 minNeed a Reminder?Everything sad is going to come untrue and it will somehow be greater for having once been broken and lost. Tim Keller
LauraOct 3, 20212 minOverwhelmedWhen you walk into church, your husband is preaching and you see the title of the sermon, "How to Love Others When Your Tank is Empty,"...
LauraSep 16, 20212 minGod SeesThis process has been so hard. COVID had complicated almost all of the services Ella needs. Attachment has been painfully slow. There has...
LauraAug 19, 20211 minLove BetterWe recently noticed a little boy continually asking Kai if he was related to another boy. Kai would point out who his parents were, but...
LauraAug 1, 20211 minHappy Birthday!In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need us. Yet God, in His sovereignty and mercy and power brings beauty from ashes. I am forever...
LauraJul 23, 20211 minConnection HealsThis is reality 5% of the time. Asher and Kai were almost immediately best friends. It hasn't been the case this time around. She often...
LauraJul 16, 20211 minOpen Your HeartYou can’t open your heart to the vulnerable and defenseless and not be transformed by them. You can never unsee what you now see, unknow...
LauraJun 29, 20211 minBe ChangedI have heard it said that adoption is not happily ever after, but a story of beauty from ashes. Children belong in families. But this...
LauraJun 22, 20211 minThirteen Yesterday we celebrated 13 years of marriage. A lot has been packed into these years. Had I known what the future would hold, I'm not...
LauraJun 6, 20211 minElla's Journey VideoTomorrow marks 6 months since we took custody of Ella. Here is a glimpse of our journey. #hopewins#hopestillwins#ellawillcomehome#indiaa...