In response to some comments and questions I have had, I thought it would be prudent to have a little introduction/explanation of my family. I know we are not a typical, nuclear family and since I consider you all my friends I don't mind explaining to you how our family came to be. That having been said, I DO mind when complete strangers in Target, or people with whom I am only casually acquainted ask rude personal questions like:
Why did you adopt - can you not have kids of your own? (These are my own kids. But no, I am not infertile. In fact, usually all Joseph has to do is look at me and I get pregnant. I still have a uterus and ovaries and they are perfectly functioning. I am just not utilizing those functions at present time)
What happened to their real mom? ( I can assure you, I am their real mom. I do their laundry, cook their meals, attend their parent/teacher conferences, help with homework, hold them when they cry, teach them to pray, love them with everything I have in me. What happened to their biological mom is none of your business and in an intensely personal story).
Are they all yours? (Yes they are all mine -see above response. However, this isn't really what people are asking. What they are really asking is "did you grow them in your womb and do you share DNA with them? Let me just say that biology and childbirth does not a mom make)
You are crazy! As in, only a crazy person would have so many kids. (this makes me want to go have/adopt 50 more kids just to spite these people. Second of all, that is just plain rude. You don't say to a person with no kids, or only one kid "what's wrong with you? Are you barren?)

Ok, so for all my friends and family, here is the story:

Joseph and I have 8 kids - 4 girls, 4 boys; 4 adopted, 4 biological. Please don't call my bio kids my "real" kids. They are all real, I can assure you. We have a great marriage and wonderful family and have always wanted to adopt to add to our family. Maryn, Tristan and Fabiola are adopted from Haiti. They were true orphans, though many children in Haitian orphanages are not. Women who cannot take care of their kids take them to orphanages because they know it will give them a place to live and food to eat. This is typical in Haiti, and more than half of the country's "orphans" have two, living, biological parents. My three Haitian children are biological siblings, meaning they all have the same mother. We have had them for 2 1/2 years. They are sealed to us and are officially and eternally part of our family. Ewan is also adopted. My younger sister became pregnant and was not in a position to care for or raise a child. She was hesitant to give her baby to someone whom she did not know and whose parenting practices she was not familiar with. We felt very strongly that Ewan was meant to be a part of our family. I was lucky enough to be in the room when he was born and stay with him for the 2 subsequent weeks in the NICU (he was 7 weeks early). His brothers and sisters all love him, and he is their brother, not their cousin. I am his mom, Amielle is his aunt. I know for many people, this situation would not work, but it does for us. We are wrapping things up legally with his adoption and as soon as it is final, he will also be sealed to us.

So that is our family in a nutshell, I hope that clears up any questions/confusion for some of you that I am just becoming reacquainted with throught these blogs. Like I said, I don't mind you all asking questions. I just don't want to explain our family repeatedly to, for example, the cashier at walmart. Take care!