I woke up today and things felt different. Aaron kissed me awake (as usual), our dog Chicago yawned a horrendously stinky breath in my face (unfortunately normal), and I could hear the bustle and bickering of the kids beginning to get ready for school (totally regular- give or take some shouting and stomping around). Still, I breathed in the normal craziness of our Monday morning and I felt lighter. I woke up today and I finally felt free.

I have to say, I have been w a i t i n g  to feel this glorious feeling. And… It. Is. Amazing. Well worth it. You see, nearly two years ago Aaron and I woke up to our lives feeling suddenly very different- like five-more-little-bodies-in-our-house different. Two summers ago, Aaron and I jumped off a giant cliff of change with the hopes of bettering five little lives along the way – and we just finally landed with our feet on the ground.

[Photo by the incredible Molly McElenney]

This past weekend, we celebrated the adoption of those five perfectly imperfect kiddos. It was a wonderful and stressful and important weekend. And this morning, I woke up knowing that unsettled chapter of our lives was finally closed. We exist now as a “regular” family – no strings attached. We are free to be just us – free to love them and raise them without any government visits or forms or formalities. We are free.

I sent the kids off to school this morning and knew that today was the day to begin blogging about our journey as a family; It’s been a long time coming. Aaron and I spent the first two years of our family being COMPLETELY overwhelmed. There was so much change and so much need and so much urgency – and we were incredibly afraid of screwing it all up. These were integral times for the seven of us. But, they mostly went undocumented – and I regret that. Our family is unique and special, but many of the challenges we face on this journey are not. I want to chronicle these parts of our lives both for our personal use and to hopefully help others who may find themselves on a similar path.

So, here we go. I hope to fill this space often, with honest thoughts and moments from our life. I humbly invite you to follow along as we figure it all out. You’re thoughts and advice are welcome here, too.

With love,

Jaclyn