Harvest Fest

 

We went to Harvest Fest at Prairie Loft. It was a beautiful afternoon.

Runcie News

 

All three of our kids were conceived through InVitro Fertilization.  After conceiving the twins, we had four embryos left in storage.  Once we were convinced that our family was complete, we had to make a decision about what to do with the remaining embryos.  Our options were to let them thaw, keep them in storage and continue to pay for them, donate them to science, or donate them to a family.  It was a fairly easy decision for us to come to, and we were in complete agreement to donate them to a family.  It was truly the only option that gave our embryos a chance at life.

Our fertility clinic gave us the information for Nightlight, an organization who facilitates embryo adoptions.  We found out right away that Nightlight encourages open adoptions.  This was initially unsettling, and it took us a while to get used to the idea.  After reading other families' stories, however, we grew excited about the prospect of adding to our family and fostering a relationship with our biological children and their parents.  

In order to match with a couple, we had to create a profile and answer a large number of questions about things that were important to us, and about our family history.  This step took a lot of time.  When we were finally done, we were placed in the matching phase.  At this point, the organization worked to match us with the most compatible adopting couple.  We could approve or decline the match, and then our profile  would be passed on to the couple.  

The couple we matched with and mutually chose did not have any kids, which is something we hoped for.  We wanted to give the gift of parenthood.  The couple was given all four of our embryos.  After a failed In Vitro cycle with the first embryo, they did In Vitro again with a second embryo, and it took!  We found out this spring that she was expecting a girl.  

On October 3rd, she delivered a beautiful baby, named Makenzie.  We can see resemblances to our three, and I'm sure that will only increase as she gets older.  We were relieved to tell Monroe the secret we'd been keeping.  She loves telling people she has a sister, even if she has to explain the specifics of what that means.  The boys don't understand, but they will eventually.  We look forward to watching Makenzie grow up and getting to know her parents better.  We also look forward to meeting her someday in the future. 

Embryo adoption was a wonderful decision for our family, and we are so glad we chose it! This has already been a life-changing experience.

September Fun

Monroe has started playing trumpet.  At HPS, kids can start orchestra in 4th grade and band in 5th.  I love that they get them started before middle school.  So, now Monroe is playing trumpet, cello, and piano.  We'll see how long she wants to play all three.

Teaching her brothers how to play

On our last night of golf league, I had an awesome chip that landed next to the pin, and I got a longest drive prize!

Last weekend at the pool

A new favorite game from Nana.  It's called Buildzi.  I would highly recommend it!  It can be adapted for different ages.

First evening back to dance

Our friend, Vivian

Visiting the fountain

Their babysitter got married

We went to Paw Patrol the movie

Our community theater did Mama Mia.  It was so well done!

Playing with cousins

Monroe went to watch her cousin play volleyball. They made her the score keeper.

Then they got ice cream

Watching dad coach football

Fall Soccer and Volleyball

Our kids had great fall volleyball and soccer seasons.  Zach and I coached the boys again.  This time, we had to have practices, which I wasn't planning on.  They ended up being fun, though.  We knew most of the boys on our team before the season started.  Monroe enjoyed volleyball.  It was the first year that they kept score at the games.  This was motivating to the girls, but also really distracting.  She has worked to get stronger with her serves and move backward.

Graham

Pierce

Monroe